Remi-niscent

Chapter 3:

So I'm not sure what crawled up his ass and died, but it's official. Ty hates me.

After the guys arrive on my side of the chasm with the quads, Logan and Jase immediately tackle me to the ground, yelling something about me never doing anything that stupid again. Then refuse to let go of me saying that if they did, I might go off and do something dumb. 

However, after a couple of minutes of indulging this, I push them off with a laugh, "Personal space guys, personal space. I still like to be able to breathe."

Briefly catching Ty's eye, I send him a small smile. However, his face just contorts into a scowl, and he turns away. Well, okay then.

Looking down at my watch, it's almost a shock to see that it's already twelve fifty, which means that we've been in the 'game' for almost an hour already. Wondering where the other teams are at seeing as we've lost a bit of time with this obstacle, I hope that won't affect our final score. 

"Right, let's keep moving. We can't afford to lose any more time." I suggest, jumping back up onto the quad. Logan nods in agreement, and I look over at Ty and Jase to see if they are ready to go as well. 

However the two seem to be heatedly arguing over something. I can only pick out a few words like "No." "I don't." "Please?" If I had to hazard a guess, it's something to do with me... But whatever it is, he is not happy with the final outcome as he stomps over to our quad, climbs up behind me, but slides backwards, so to sit as far away from me as possible.

Ouch.

As we head onward, the trail changes from being relatively smooth to full of ruts and holes. Luckily for us, the suspension on the bikes is superb, and it's not too uncomfortable to ride.

But due to his awkward positioning, I can feel Ty sliding around behind me like a loose canon. I shake my head at his stubbornness, not slowing my pace in the slightest as I reach behind me, grabbing his arm to wrap it around my waist.

"Hold on!" I yell over the rumble of the engines. While it's unwillingly, he obliges and wraps his arms around my waist, holding on tightly, and I even think I hear him mumble a quiet thank you. But considering his attitude, I was probably just imagining that.

Admittedly, the rest of the trail is pretty uneventful. It's so much so, that I almost have to wonder if we've gone off course somewhere. We only stop a couple of times to check our location on the map, and a few hours later, we arrive at a large clearing similar to the one we had left earlier this morning.

Pulling out the map again just to double check, I can't spot anything that indicates that we are in the wrong place. But looking around, I can't see any other people. So I come to the conclusion that either we're still early or just really, really late.

Killing the engines, we pile off the quads and walk up to the small hut. Jase being a couple of steps ahead, raps his knuckles on the door. Immediately, the bellowing voice of the sergeant tells us to come in. With a glance back over his shoulder, Jase shrugs before opening the door with a creak.

As we step inside the dark, dingy room, it takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the lack of light. The only illumination is coming from a couple of electric lanterns placed strategically around the room. The windows for whatever peculiar reason, have all been boarded up, giving the space an eerie feel.

Sitting in the half darkness around the table playing cards, are the Sergeant and some of his helpers. When they turn away from their game to acknowledge us, Denyt can't hide his surprise, "Green team, I wasn't expecting you to be the first team back."

"And why is that?" Asks Logan sounding insulted, the question just bursting out of him.

Denyt's stern gaze turns to Logan, who swallows briefly, "Well, since you ask. You were the last team to leave. And you chose the hardest trail. So obviously, I would have expected at least some of the other teams to arrive earlier than you. But that's beside the point. Now that you're here, the next step is to build your own sleeping arrangements. By the time you have completed that, there will be a large table set up with packaged and fresh food from which you can choose anything you'd like to cook for your evening meal. Just remember you will be scored throughout on your uniqueness and ability to improvise. That is all."