~~~

June 10th, 2022

...

...?

Blurry surroundings filled his vision. A gentle rocking motion lulled Bhushan Kumar into the land of the wake. Memories filled his mind of Vinoth's betrayal and he sat up in a panic. Where the fuck was he how long was he asleep for- His hands were tied. He quickly realized he was being gagged as well. His breaths were deliberate as to avoid choking. He could use this to his advantage to avoid making too much noise. His escape would have to be quiet. The Beast needed him.

***

June 9th, 2022

Nerves racking in Felix's stomach, he knocked on Jimmy's camper door. He knew they planned this last night so there wouldn't be anyone around but he still felt slightly paranoid he was talking about something with him he'd rather not let get out there. The door opened. Making himself comfortable on the edge of one of the beds.

"Well you know the drill, let me see your wrists."

"You know I hate you seeing all this..."

"It's just for your safety, you think this is pleasant either?" He attempted to reassure him. Examining up and down, Felix had sadly memorized every scar, welt, bruise, and burn. Some of which he knew the stories behind as well. The lighter burns were actually remnants of some past childhood trauma while the darker ones were from poor attempts at branding during his kidnapping. He joked about how on the second half of the D-Company logo, it really just said 'no heart' and decided not to burn into his skin. "This one's new..."

"I got really anxious during today's competition and it just sorta happened... I'm sorry I really didn't wanna disappoint you but I wasn't going to have a panic attack in front of 100k concurrents. The pain made it easier to go on auto-pilot."

"Hey no it's fine, but we're going to work on finding you healthier coping mechanisms ok?" Putting a bit of Neosporin and a bandage over the newest one, Felix checked the other arm before letting Jimmy breathe. They typically unwinded by scrolling through memes or putting on a movie. But this time, when Jimmy started up his laptop, Felix stopped him. "...There was something else I actually wanted to talk about first."

"Did I do something...?" He asked nervously.

"No, it's about Harshita." The tenseness in his shoulders fell down.

"What about her?"

"Well our general consensus is that she comes from abusive parents right?"

"Mhm..."

"And we aren't probably giving her back to her parents unless we were just like dead wrong or something. But if we are right... where is Harshita going next?"

"I'd think social services but still... that leaves me feeling uneasy."

"See glad I'm not the only one! And you know I like Harshita around, she's nice and kind of completes me and Marzia's dynamic-"

"So you wanna adopt her?"

"Er yes... maybe... I don't know!" Collapsing onto the bed he let his eyes met the ceiling. "I dunno if Marzia even wants a kid..."

"Trust me she probably does."

"Not just that! I don't know if I'd be a good dad ya know...?"

"Felix, look at me. If you could act like a surrogate father figure for me even when I just watched your videos, I think you can take care of her just fine. She loves you! Even if she doesn't know enough English to communicate that."

"That was... surprisingly helpful, thanks, Jimmy." They fell back into their regular routine, Jimmy laying his head on Felix's chest and letting the calming constant of his breathing lull him into a peaceful state while they scrolled through memes. Felix had come to his own conclusion as Jimmy fell asleep.

He might just have two traumatized kids to take care of now.

***

June 10th, 2022

After exploring his small, cramped surroundings, Bhushan found a sharp edge he could use to begin slicing at the rope. It might take a while but he had to work with what he had. Quietly moving his hands up and down, he could hear a cutting sound. How long might this take? Will it work? The slightest indent being created into the rope, he refused to let himself get nervous as the sleeping guard rolled over. This is for Jimmy, it's all for Jimmy...

***

June 9th, 2022

Tommy wasn't all that surprised Calvin broke his promise. He said he'd come join the group for dinner. Now both himself and Keem were annoyed. "I swear if he got into my stash I'm gonna be fuming..."

"What stash?" Tommy asked as his eyes darted around. 

"Alcohol mostly. Some LSD I confisicated from Calvin."

"Shit man, you're not planning on using that LSD right?"

"No of course, like having control over my surroundings thank you very much. Wanna come with me to look for him? He needs to eat a full meal." 

"Sure!" Standing up from the campfire, Wilbur glared at him to which Tommy give an innocent chuckle and followed. The brunette was not a fan of how much time he was spending with whom he considered incredibly toxic people. But Calvin was falling apart at the seams, if he could make things even the slightest bit better, he'd be happy. In the thicket of palms, the light quickly disappeared. Keem blended into the dark palette of night and with the older's speed, he lost track of his friend.

"Keem...?" His reply was made up of a cricket's lonesome song. No Keem. So now here was Tommy; a small and frail barely 18-year-old boy all alone in the dark of an island he hardly knew. "Well shit. KEEM, CALVIN!" No answer... "Wilby...?" Something grabbed his foot.

...

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Flight or fight in his veins, Tommy ran with more adrenaline than he ever felt. The grass and dirt under his feet slowly turned to sand as rational reasoning came. Must've just been a snake... Catching his breath, he noticed a figure on the shoreline. "Calvin?" Oh god, his eyes were so dilated. They were almost fully black. 

"TOMMY I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE COME YOU GOTTA DRINK SOMETHING!"

"Huh...?" The bottle he held up was just vodka. "I'm underage back off. Now, why don't you come back-"

"I saw a vision."

"The fuck man...?"

"Only those gifted with the God's nectar will survive. I don't want you to die Tommy come on now drink it!"

"Calvin I swear... you're so damn high come on let's go-" The man in question let out a horrified gasp, seeming to stare right through him.

"THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU!" Suddenly pulled forward, a bottle was shoved down his throat and the burning liquid trickled down. Struggling against the grip, Tommy felt himself tearing up at the bitter taste.  When the bottle was empty, he was released to which Tommy stumbled to the ground, coughing up as much as he could.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"They can't hurt you now! You don't deserve to die on judgment day, the rest of them are impure you know!"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME BITCH! ...You're scaring me..." Before Calvin could speak again Keem came up behind him and punched him straight in the skull.

"TOMMY RUN!" The boy took no time to wait and began a wild sprint in the direction Keem pointed towards. Holding him in a light chokehold, Keem had to ask. "I'm sorry but the hell was that about?"

"Tomorrow's judgment day. The purest of angels and the cruelest of demons will be slaughtered until they are mere husks. Easy to manipulate and hollow spirits. Maybe they'll lose their soul. Maybe they'll survive physically, but they will never return mentally."

"Come on Calvin we're gonna sober you up."

"You know I don't lie Daniel."

"..." Daniel Keem tried to ignore the pit in his stomach. And as the pair headed back to the trailers, Tommy finally was back at the campfire where he felt rather lightheaded. 

"Tommy? Hey, you ok-"

"WILBY I'M SORRY YOU'RE RIGHT!"

"Huh? What's going on?"

"I shouldn't have gone after Calvin I won't ever again! He was tripping on LSD and force-fed me vodka and I dunno if anything else was in it!" Wilbur tensed and moved Tommy out of his arms. 

"Uh, Phil what should we do?"

"I don't know! Maybe get him to throw some up?" The other teams kept to themselves, whispering as Tommy was guided off to get the alcohol out of his system. While Wilbur helped in getting him to throw it back up, Techno stayed close to Phil, eyes avoiding the scene.

"Should we tell Jimmy about this?"

"Nah, not else he's really hungover. I don't want to worry him too much. We should tell him after the competition though. What Calvin did was not ok. He shouldn't even have LSD in the first place!"

"True..." Loud coughing was followed by Wilbur's velvety voice.

"Hey if you can't get any more out don't force yourself. Let's go get you cleaned up ok?"

"I'm sorry you shouldn't have had to-"

"No, it's my responsibility. I should've been more assertive so you wouldn't end up in a position like that."

"Do I... do I have to see Calvin again?"

"Of course not! Not unless you want to, and he's fully sober." As the quad went back, Tommy's usual light-heartedness returned.

"Yo I'ma get drunk for the first time! This is big man shit!"

"Mhm... Better pray you got your dad's genes and can drink with virtually zero consequences." Once back inside, Tommy went to shower as Wilbur heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get- oh... What do you want Keem?"

"Hey uh... can I talk to Tommy? Just wanna apologize you know!"

"How about we step outside? Whatever you want to tell him can go through me instead!" Keem however kept pushing.

"Nah we don't need to get more people involved-"

"Which exactly why you should just talk to me. You're in no place to negotiate, and it'd be a shame if this spilled to the public. I know you thrive off drama but just how many more times are you willing to swing the bat at the public? Maybe this would be the one to kill you, and this time you just might die and stay dead." Daniel Killer Keemstar went stark white.

"Just tell Tommy that this is on me. I should've done a better job at keeping Calvin sober and kept a better eye on him. Ok, good night!"

"Sleep well Keem!" The door was locked behind him. Tommy broke out into giggles.

"Oh my god, he sounded so scared of you!"

"Goddamn, right he should be scared of me." Once more, Tommy clung to hug him, still shocking Wilbur a bit.

"You know... you really are like my big brother." Will's grin might be one of the biggest he's ever made.

"Don't say that, I will cry."

***

June 10th, 2022

He was halfway through the rope when the guard woke up. He said something about he didn't get paid enough for this shit when Bhushan got an idea.

"You know... I've got more riches than you could ever dream of."

"Ya ya we get it big time CEO you can quit flexing."

"If you let me go, I could give you a hefty sum." A twinkle in his eyes appeared.

"How much we talking?"

"100 grand, job security."

"Job security?"

"Kid, we both know Vinoth isn't gonna survive. He's careless. If you let me free, I'll let you work for me. Offer protection for your loved ones. A stable income. Everything you could ever want."

"When do I get the money?"

"A soon as Vinoth's dead and I've got access to a bank."

"...Deal." The rope hit the ground.

***

June 10th, 2022

Tommy had to get up earlier today. Something about a photoshoot Jimmy needed for promotion. Hangover cure in hand, the Sleepy Boys arrived at the set, greeting Clay, George, Zak, and Darryl as they did.

"Ok everyone we've got a surprise for you!" Jimmy's voice boomed in the room. He looked a little happier today, Tommy took note of. "For today's competition and for branding purposes, you won't be wearing your team's colors. Chris show off the outfits!" Behind a curtain were 8 outfits hanging, all made to replicate their Minecraft skins.

"Yo, these look sick!" Tommy grabbed his, it appears to look like his normal wear; red and white quarter sleeved shirt with tan pants. But additions such as the bandana fan artists often draw him with and a L'Manberg flag patch to add some character. Techno's was his royal gowns, Phil's was basically a Kisuke Urahara cosplay with wing motifs, Wilbur's was his yellow sweater, black pants, and a red beanie, Zak's was basically just a blue sweater and jeans, Darryl's was a toned-down version of his demon-like skin, George's was the clout glasses and his skins normal wear, and finally Clay's was the green hoodie and whatnot that people draw him with. The lack of a mask surprised Tommy but Dream was dragged off to get face paint done.

The ones with easier cosplays were out early with Tommy, Wilbur, and George posing for pictures just for Twitter and Instagram. "All ladies just want a guy who knows Wilbur Soot and GeorgeNotFound, take note." he captioned his latest post. Following behind was Phil, Bad, and Techno who just had more complex outfits than Skeppy who had some blue makeup done, and finally Dream with his complete face paint.

"Alright, the White Whales can pose first since I'm sure they wanna get the makeup off. Come get your props." They each had at least one. Dream's was a diamond ax and a fake ender pearl, George had a sword, Bad had a muffin that he was planning on eating after and Skeppy had some diamonds. As they got their photos, Tommy and the gang bullied Dream for not being able to smile with his teeth since it would look weird in the photos. As he stood up to join the Sleepy Boys for their own photos, the heaviness in his head felt faint. 

"Wilbur, the cure actually worked..."

"See I told you so, still take it easy until the competition ok?"

"Fine whatever you say, Big Dubs..."

***

The boat was conveniently docked by the shore when Bhushan got out. Feet wet from the salty ocean, the few men that stayed to guard him followed behind.

"How long have they been out there?"

"They left 15 minutes ago Mr. Kumar sir..." Bhushan's heart dropped. Nothing was going to stop him as he bolted into the foliage. Jimmy was not gonna die today.

~~~

(Eyup, final filler chapter till big day lol. probs gonna be one of the series last big action scenes since book 3 is more psychological horror based.)