Twisted Wonderland: Camp Vargas - Exercise in Survival

Chapter 5-2: The Exact Opposite

Realizing Deuce is also gone, Jack takes the gang to where they've last seen him, in the interior area of the mine.

"Okay, so... This is where you last saw Deuce?" Ruggie questions.

"Yeah. He forgot his pickaxe and said he was gonna go get it, so we split up at the entrance," Jack says, "He said he'd come straight back to camp. But I didn't see him when Vargas dismissed us for the night. I asked around after that, and no one in any of the clubs have seen him since noon."

"And that's when you came to us," Ruggie replies.

"Right," Jack answers, "The other Track Club guys laughed it off and said he was probably ditching out like Ace. I get it. Track's not exactly a team sport. They're assuming that because they don't know him all that well. And sure, Deuce has one brain cell, just like Ace... Or maybe he doesn't even have that much. But still... I can tell you, without a doubt, that he's no slacker. Something's definitely wrong."

"Yeah... I agree with you there," Epel agrees.

And Jamil says, "In that case, we should probably assume something's happened to Ace and Leona as well."

"It's hard to imagine anything happening to Leona," Ruggie replies, "Well, we don't know where he and Ace could be, but we have a lead for Deuce—the mines," And begins searching around, "Let's see if we can find 'em. It'll just be more work for the rest of us if we don't bring them back to camp now."

"No kidding. With you-know-who not being here, I never imagined I'd have to deal with so many headaches!" Jamil says.

Floyd smiles, "Ahaha, now this is what I call fun!"

"You're having FUN?" Jamil questions with a frown.

"Facing the unknown? Of course it's fun!" Floyd says, "Teeny fairies don't put up a good fight. Maybe now we'll get to tangle with a whale-sized one."

"I'll be hoping for the exact opposite, thanks," Jamil says.

Then Jack says, "Hey, I think this is the place. Deuce would've come here for the pickaxe."

Jack then calls out, "DEEEUUUCE!"

But Deuce is not answering.

"No answer. Guess he's not close by," Jack says.

"Let's go a little further. Keep your eyes peeled," Ruggie says.

But suddenly, Epel calls out, "Wait, hold on!"

"What's up, Guppy? Find somethin' neat?" Floyd asks.

"There's something propped up against that rock..." Epel says, and soon reaches over and picks up a pickaxe.

"It's the pickaxe!" Jack says.

"He didn't take it with him...?" Ruggie questions.

"Does that mean he didn't make it this far?" Jamil adds.

"Yepperoni. That boy disappeared," Floyd says.

"Oh no..." Epel says, worried, "So then, did the same thing happen to Leona and Ace?!

"...We should leave. Now," Jamil says, "Going any further is just asking for trouble. We need to sort things out first. I think we'd better talk to Coach Vargas again."

"Agreed. This has taken a real bad turn..." Ruggie says.