Lone Wolf

Chapter 14

Nobody said a word until Raul broke the silence once the remaining islanders got back to camp, "What the fuck just happened back there?"

"They blew his fucking head off, man!" Eddie exclaimed.

Addison and Erin helped Taya back to camp as she faded in and out of consciousness.

"She needs medical attention," Al said in a surprisingly calm tone for a man who just witnessed one of his closest allies in the game get his head blown off.

"So is that what these eliminations are?" Raul shouted as he plopped down into the sand, "They're just killing us!?"

"You heard what he said about Max's other show," Al frowned as he tossed more wood onto the dwindling fire, "He's a little psychopath."

"A little help, guys!?" Addison yelled as Erin fell to one knee from Taya's deadweight on her shoulders. Taya tumbled to the ground beside them, not moving and struggling to breathe.

"She's too far gone," Al said glumly, "He wants us to die."

"Not of fan of the Max guy, huh?" Raul said.

"Ha!" Al grunted before shaking his head, "Hardly."

"Hey man..." Eddie said, having come back after he wandered off toward the ocean, "It's that one dude's thing." He had an axe and a blowtorch. The blade of the axe was stained with blood; it was, in fact, the same axe that Kamal used to chop off his hand. Tied to the blowtorch was a note.

Expecting it to be an advantage challenge, Al snatched the note away before reading it aloud: "Save her."

"That's all it says?" Raul asked.

"Save her," he read again as he flipped the card around, "What reason do I have to bullshit you?"

"So we have to cut her hand off!?" Raul exclaimed, feeling sick in his stomach.

"Or let her die," Al snarled.

"What the Hell!?" Addison snapped before he jumped up.

"It's just a matter of time!" He shouted, spit flying from his mouth, "And what happens if she does die!? We didn't kill her, so it's fine! And if she's the lone wolf, even better! We can get out of here a lot faster! So save her if you want! Or don't! Either way, I don't give a s--!"

Before he could finish speaking, Eddie took the back end of the axe handle and bashed Al in the jaw with it, sending him toppling to the ground motionless, "Dude was getting annoying."

"Addison!" Erin yelped sending Raul and Eddie into a state of shock. She pointed down to Taya who began twitching and writhing in the sand. "We have to!"

Addison nodded, "I know." She quickly loosened the unconscious Al's belt.

"Oh," Eddie grinned, "It's that kind of party." He slowly began loosening the draw string on his sweat pants when Erin grabbed the blowtorch and delivered the same blow to Eddie that he gave to Al.

"So much is happening right now!" Raul shouted.

"Well make yourself useful!" Addison shouted as she pulled the belt tight around Taya's arm, just under her elbow. She held the end out as he reluctantly took it. "Hold it tight."

"Addison," Erin said as she picked up the axe, "It's still dull."

When Kamal had to chop his hand off, the axe had been dulled down, so to make the separation easier, he chose to place his hand on a rock, smoothing the steel down even further. It seemed almost like the axe hadn't even been touched since that advantage challenge.