Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty Six
Courtney
Ifeel a hand brush against my arm, sending a shiver across my skin. Slowly, the hand moves back and forth, pulling me out of the deep sleep I succumbed to. When I’m fully aware that there’s someone standing over me, rubbing my arm, my eyes fly open as fight or flight kicks in.
I lean up as fast as I can, and it takes my brain a moment to process that it’s Luna in front of me.
“Hey, hey,” she whispers. “Shh. It’s okay. It’s me.”
My breathing is ragged as I swallow roughly and shake my head. “You scared the shit out of me,” I whisper back as I look to see Landon soundly asleep beside me.
“I’m sorry. I just needed to tell you goodbye.”
My brows pull together. “What do you mean?”
She gives me a regretful look. “The odds aren’t good, babe. Shane has a plan, so we’re taking our chance.”
I sit up fully to face her, concern heavy in me. “Luna, you can’t run. We’re miles deep in a forest on an isolated island. We don’t even know where we are,” I whisper.
It’s just now that I realize her necklace is gone as well as her locked-in bracelet.
“We have to try,” she says and looks towards the door. “I have to go. I’m sorry. I love you.”
I reach for her and wrap her up in a tight hug. I feel her tears hit my shoulder before she pulls away and kisses my cheek.
“I love you,” I say as she gives me a sad smile, unwinding her arms from me before slipping out the door.
I rush over to it and watch her and Shane run hand in hand in the direction the golf carts disappeared to. Unease fills me as they disappear into the tree line in the dead of night. Fuck. I hope they make it. I hope Shane’s plan is solid enough. They have to make it. They have to.
And now I’m left wondering what the fuck Landon and I are going to do.
The next morning, I wake up to the sun shining on my face a warm, golden glow through the window. Turning on my side, I find Landon beside me, watching me sleep as always. I do my best to muster a smile, but it doesn’t reach my eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, then pauses. “Besides the obvious.”
I give him a tight-lipped smile. “Luna and Shane are gone.”
He frowns. “Gone?”
I nod. “She came in here last night to say goodbye. Apparently, Shane had a plan, they saw a chance and they took it.”
“Were they still wearing their bracelets?”
I shake my head. I wonder how the hell they were able to bust those things off.
“That’s good. That might give them a chance,” Landon replies.
“Yeah,” I say, almost numbly.
Landon squeezes my hand, then brings it up to his mouth for a kiss. “Together?” he asks.
I give him my best attempt at a smile. “Together.”
We get out of bed and change into the clothes they left us.
An all-white outfit consisting of leggings and a sports bra with a Locked In logo on the chest, accompanied by a matching zip-up jacket, for me, while Landon gets a sleeveless workout shirt with the logo on it and matching basketball shorts.
They also left behind a pair of white tennis shoes for each of us.
The clothes are very athletic, which I think is a huge indicator as to what to expect out here.
A small hutch inside each hut contains a couple bottles of water, some protein bars and a couple pieces of fruit. It’s a far cry from the way we’ve been eating these last few weeks, but I’ll take anything right now.
I grab a banana, a protein bar and a bottle of water. Landon chooses the same, then we make our way outside.
As soon as I open the door, I freeze. I don’t know why I expected no one to be here.
Maybe because they didn’t make a fucking sound.
Sure enough, the usual number of people are here, cameras, lights and sound equipment all being set up.
That’s not what takes my breath away, though.
What freezes me in my tracks is who’s sitting at the picnic table.
Luna and Shane.
They’re almost unrecognizable. Luna’s lip is busted open, so swollen it looks like a bee stung her, and there’s bruising on her arms and face.
Both of Shane’s eyes are almost swollen shut, and he has some major bruising on his jaw.
It also looks like he’s favoring his left side, even though he’s sitting.
Their gazes swing to me, defeat written across their faces.
Savannah and Noah come out of their hut at the same time, and freeze when they set eyes on Shane and Luna.
“What the hell happened to you two?” Savannah asks as Alex comes walking up to us.
“Good morning, lovers. Before we get started, I do want to remind you that there is no leaving the island,” he says as his gaze swings to Luna and Shane.
Neither of them raise their heads, as if they’re too scared to meet Alex’s eyes.
“Leaving defeats the purpose of the show! And that would be a huge disappointment to our producers and viewers. That being said, I have some exciting news! We’ve decided to move up the schedule and begin the semifinal challenge today.
” He grins happily. “Everyone clap and thank Shane and Luna!” he continues, clapping like a child as he waits for us all to join in.
We don’t.
My stomach sinks, and Luna meets my eyes, a tear slipping down her face, which is caked with dirt.
“I’m sorry,” she mouths to me.
“Tears of joy?” Alex asks, as if he’s awed. “We love to see it!”
I shake my head because I don’t blame her.
First off, who’s to say he’s even telling the truth?
They didn’t leave us with much food. Maybe this was the plan all along and they’re just trying to make it seem like it’s because of Shane and Luna.
Second, at this point, what’s the use in dragging out the days?
The end of the show is coming one way or another, and I’d almost prefer to get it over with than spend weeks agonizing over what’s to come.
“It looks like you’re all dressed and ready, so let’s go, girls… and guys!” Alex says, smiling as he walks over to one of the golf carts.
Shane and Luna both stand, then head to the one closest to them. Shane winces when he stands fully, his hand going to his ribs.
“Fuck,” Landon mutters under his breath.
I look up at him and blow out a breath. “Here we go.”
It’s a short drive to our challenge destination. Of course, it pushes us even deeper into the forest. My God, how big is this island?
When the golf carts stop, I look up at the huge rock face in front of us. There are six sets of rock climbing gear set up.
You’ve got to be fucking shitting me. More goddamn heights?
“You don’t know how long your time out here will last, and as you’ve noticed, rations are low. We’ve generously provided a goodie bag of sorts for each couple and have placed them at the top of this cliff,” Alex says, gesturing to the rock face.
I squint and just make out the three black bags placed up there.
“For this challenge, all you need to do is retrieve your bag. The first two couples to do so will go on to the finals; the third will be locked out. So time is of the essence with this one, as is teamwork,” Alex continues before clapping his hands.
A woman comes over and ushers us towards the equipment set up on the far right.
She helps us both into harnesses before giving us a very bare-minimum crash course on how to clip and unclip from certain points on the cliff.
I’ve never rock climbed before. Ever. Despite us being tied off on the same line, I don’t feel even a little bit better about this.
After all, I’ve seen the quality of their rope.
It’s the one thing they seem to cheap out on.
Landon and I move to the base of the rock before glancing at Luna and Shane. They look more determined than they did at camp, and I’m grateful for that. They’re both pretty athletic. I have to hope that they’re going to be able to do it, despite their injuries.
Savannah and Noah are on the far left and look ready to tackle this mountain. Shit, am I the only one scared out of my mind? Landon can obviously feel my nervous energy because he grabs my face in both of his hands, cupping it tenderly as his gaze drills into mine.
“Don’t be scared. I’m going to lead. Put your hands and feet where I do. We’re going to go slow and steady until you’re comfortable.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “And if I’m never comfortable.”
He gives me a sympathetic smile. “We’ve got this. We are not losing this challenge, you hear me?”
I nod.
“Say it,” he demands.
I inhale slowly, then blow the breath out of my mouth. “We are not losing this challenge.”
“Attagirl. Don’t look down; just keep your eyes on me.”
“Okay,” I say shakily as Landon moves into place.
“Three… two… one… GO!” Alex shouts, and we take off.
And when I say take off, I really mean it.
Slow and steady, my ass. Landon fucking jumps onto the wall, climbing it like a goddamn spider monkey.
It takes everything in me to keep up with him, but I do as he said.
I grab where he does, step where he does and keep my eyes up.
With every move we make, I feel us lifting higher and higher.
My arms are already shaking, though I know we aren’t even halfway up the cliff.
I just do my best, focused on the bigger picture.
Shoving fear all the way out of my head, I think about Lily.
I picture her laughing and smiling. Dancing to annoying pop music in our kitchen though I told her to go to bed hours ago.
My heart aches at the thought of her, but I use that as motivation to push forward.
Before I know it, we’re nearing the top and, so far, in the lead. Glancing to my left, I see Shane and Luna only fifty feet or so behind us.
Thank God.
Finally, Landon’s hand reaches the top of the cliff, and he pulls himself up before grabbing me by the arms and hoisting me the rest of the way. We stumble backward onto the ground, and I land on top of him with a smile.
He grins as he brushes hair out of my face. “I am so fucking proud of you.”
I smile. “Me? You’re the fucking rock climbing savant!”
He shrugs. “What can I say? That ninth-grade-gym-class rock wall was some great real-life experience.”
We both dissolve into laughter, honestly I think it’s adrenaline induced, but that’s okay.
Pushing ourselves up to stand, we look over the edge to see Savannah and Noah neck and neck with Luna and Shane.
“Come on, come one, come on,” I mutter.
Sweat is pouring down Shane’s face, and he looks like he’s in intense pain, but he’s not giving up. Shane clasps their rope to a hook, and then I see Savannah and Noah moving horizontally instead of vertically.
A glint of something silver catches my attention, then everything happens in slow motion. One moment, Shane and Luna are hustling, nearing the top, the next Savannah is swinging a large hunting-type knife out, severing Shane and Luna’s rope with one swipe.
Shane was depending on that tension for his next grab, and his hand barely skates against the rock before missing entirely.
He falls backward, and Luna looks up at me, panic in her eyes as she’s suddenly yanked backward with him.
Their bodies free-fall through the air, arms and legs flailing desperately as a bloodcurdling scream deafens me.
It takes me a few moments to realize it’s coming from me.