Escape the Night: Season 3 (My Way + Self-Insert OC)

The Strongman Challenge

The group, headed by Mortimer, Mat, and Manny, walk out of the arcade and onto the porch to watch one of their friends meet their end.

Safiya: I feel this pit in my stomach, like I'm just gonna watch my friend die.

Manny picked up the note with the instructions and read, "The first to win three of five feats of strength will be the victor." He and Mat looked at each other before walking to the first feat.

Manny: So our first challenge, we have to pull a tire, and we need to, like, run it across a frickin' line.

Manny and Mat start to put on the tires when Veronica starts running her mouth. "Step right up, stupid!" she yells getting looks from everyone before the contestants continue putting the tires on.

Manny: Okay, I need to run low, and just give myself some traction.

"Begin!" Mortimer yelled, the contestants started to run when Manny got the upper hand. No one in the group was cheering for anyone as there wasn't anyone against or for one of the contestants. Manny got to the line before running back to see Mat pulling as hard as he could.

Manny: I smoked him. Manny - 1. Mat - 0.

MatPat: So that's one event down.

They walked to their second challenge, being shot put. Two metal balls lay on the red, white, and blue starred barrel in between them.

MatPat: So shot put is all based on technique, and I know that by running towards the line, and then launching, I'm actually going to be launching the ball with more momentum. So I take a couple steps back, I run forward and heave it!

Mat throws the metal ball through and it lands a good few feet ahead of him. Veronica yelled out how it was nothing, but she was also dating the man with the mutant arm.

Manny: He launches it pretty well and I'm thinking, "Damn, dude."

"Look how weak he is!" Veronica shouted before the strongman agreed as if they weren't biased to a mutant arm.

Manny: I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just gonna use momentum and just run and just kind of like, (grunts while mimicking a ball throw).

Manny also threw the ball a good few feet ahead of him, but just a foot or two behind Mat's.

Manny (cont.): And then, it doesn't go as far as Mat's.

The two contestants stand on the porch opposite of their friends. They held a bucket of water in each hand, "Let's see who's stronger!" Veronica yelled. "Begin, guys." Mortimer said, the two contestants raised their arms until they couldn't go further.

Manny: Freaking, the chick starts banging on my bucket, starts tickling me.

While Veronica had finished messing with Manny, Mat was trying to keep his buckets high.

MatPat: My arms just start convulsing.

Manny: Oh, my God, I'm starting to shake too, and I'm starting to freak out a little bit. I'm like, just saying, "A little bit longer, a little bit longer."

MatPat: I try to force my mind away from the pain that my shoulders are in, but it doesn't work! I'm going down.

Mat's shoulders finally fell as he exhaustedly said "Damn it!" The strongman and Veronica both laugh at him.

Manny: Manny - 2. Mat - 1.

Mat and Manny were taken to a pair of dumbells that they each grabbed as Mortimer explained what they had to do. "You gotta take them all the way down to Fat Man Slim's and all the way back." Ro cheered both of them on saying, "Don't stop, you guys."

Mortimer told them to go as both ran at the same pace. They were neck and neck, just like with the arm wrestling. When one got ahead, the other caught up.

MatPat: I can't lose focus and look over at Manny. I need to run my own race as fast as possible.

Manny: I'm keeping up with him, and soon as I get to the edge of Fat Man Slim's, I slip, and I'm like, "There's no way I'm gonna be able to recover."

Mat runs as fast as he can as Manny gets up and starts to run again. Mat reaches the finish line and drops the dumbells shouting in his win. "Mat is the winner of the fourth challenge." Mortimer announces as Manny walks back and places down the dumbells.

MatPat: So I win the farmer's carry. It's two, two.

"It's time for a tie-breaker." Mortimer announced, the rest of the group saying that the two could stay. Mortimer and Calliope go behind a building to grab the last challenge.

MatPat: So Mortimer pulls up the arm-wrestling table one more time, my old friend.

Manny: Hey, Mat, I love you, just like in the beginning, but this is literally an arm-wrestling match to the death, and I'm going to try to win.

Joey repeatedly said how he didn't like what was happening when Mortimer grabbed Manny and Mat's hands. He let go and the two began to push on the other. Manny was winning when Mat managed to push back harder and harder than before.

Manny: What the hell, Mat? When did this- Like, you were not this strong before.

"You got no chance, buddy!" the strongman mocked Mat, Richard would've ran and strangled the guy if he wouldn't die while trying. Mat continued with the strength his body gave him due to the life-or-death situation.

MatPat: I'm not going to give up. My life is at stake!

Mat continued to push against MAnny, but his strength was going away faster and faster the longer it took.

MatPat (cont.): I see how angry that strongman is. He wants blood!

Mat's hand was being pushed to the mat, he yelled and screamed but it was useless. The box glowed as its door opened letting the leather band be taken.

Manny: I win and I'm like, "Yes! I won!" And I'm freaking out, but then I realize, I look across, I see Mat, and I realize he's about to die.

MatPat's POV

I get up from the ground, pain shooting through my arm. I start to panic as I realize I was about to die. I can see Ro looking in horror and Richard being held back by Roi, tears in his eyes. I remember right before we all left the arcade.

Richard hugged Manny before going to Mat. He hugged the theorist while telling him to fight with all he could. "Hey, if you and Ro escape, I'll be happy." Mat told Richard before they walked out to the challenge.

I turn to the strongman, "You ready to die? You're gonna die!" he growls out before running to me. I fight as much as I can while looking toward the group. "Look for the coin! Look for the coin! Look for the Lazarus coin!" I yell out as Manny grabs the prize. I can hear Ro yelling out my name and Richard thrashing to escape Roi's grip as the strongman pushes me to the ground.

The last things I hear are the sounds of shoes on wood, my own body hitting the ground, and the sounds emanating from the strongman. He starts reeling to slam his hand into my skull and I close my eyes.