Survival of the Fittest

**Survival of the Fittest** is the third episode of Season 1 and the third episode overall of Act 2.

## Episode Description

THIS IS AN EMERGENCY BROADCAST: The end is nigh! I repeat, the end is nigh! People are walking the streets; they look like you and I, but they are not. Do not approach them! The world is on the brink. We have a safe haven, in the woods. Come tonight and bring your tickets; it’s time to prove yourself. Now, it is do or die.

## In the Lounge

Distrust grew around Xalvadora and the votes against Buck, with the group suspecting her of voting for him due to her insistence on finding them; Joanna coerced Xalvadora's 'ally', Reggie, for the truth, unaware the votes were instigated by Nathan Pierce. Elsewhere, Jasmine and Endou bonded over parenting and Endou's childhood in an orphanage, while Buck and Scarlett suspected Lynne of lying about her knuckle wounds.

## Episode Summary

Earlier in the night, General Margrave fled through the woods alongside his troops. The Others' attacks had forced them out of their military base west of Bear River, fleeing to a bunker hidden in the woods. After being cornered by his best friend, the Colonel's Other, he fought to the bunker entrance; however, before he could get inside, the Colonel revealed he'd made a discovery in the woods: a man.

In the makeshift lounge, the compass started to turn towards a hidden compartment concealed by a rug. Nathan volunteered to reach his hand inside and pulled out six telegrams, inviting the twelve to partner up and head to the bunker in the woods. Following the compass, the group arrived at the bunker, where Scarlett was able to find the hatch and a button connecting them to the inside. Over the radio, a crackling voice introduced himself as General Margrave. Margrave explained that they had limited space in the bunker, so before they could enter, he needed all of them to prove themselves, to prove they were not wasting time. To do so, they were instructed to tie themselves to their partner and finish a three-stage race: a crawl through mud, a large wall climb, and then a log jump over dirty water.

The six teams started the race, with Joanna and Nathan and Endou and Ross quickly pulling ahead and completing the crawl. Scarlett and Naomi were focused on working in tandem, as Xalvadora and Nastasia completed too. The three leading pairs, covered in mud and dirt, began their climb and reached the top just as the bottom three completed their crawl. Endou and Ross and Joanna and Nathan pulled into the lead while Xalvadora and Nastasia fell behind, leaving them level with Jasmine and Davian. Xalvadora had the opportunity to push them into the water but decided against it, and Endou and Ross ultimately completed the race first. The remaining teams eventually crossed the finish line as the winning duo was congratulated. Soon, Margrave invited them all inside.

As all the guests finished and thus proved themselves, Margrave invited them all to partake in the competition; the winning duo would be allowed to stay in the bunker to wait out the apocalypse brought on by the Others. Margrave told them that two teams would face each other in three challenges, testing their survival skills, until they had three winners from Round 1. As the winners of the first challenge, Endou and Ross could choose whether to send their competitors into a physical or mental challenge. They ultimately matched everyone with their respective type, except for Buck and Reggie, forced into a physical challenge against Joanna and Nathan.

The aforementioned's challenge took place in a ring of sand, encircled by dark red paint. In front of them were a variety of weapons - mostly bats - and some, albeit damaged, defensive gear. There was no rules except one: falling out of the ring meant you were eliminated. The team with someone left in the ring at the end would be deemed winners. The two sides armed themselves and began the fight. Joanna and Nathan, being physically gifted, immediately dominated the two, and a succession of quick blows nearly knocked the two out. However, a lucky swing from Reggie sent Nathan tumbling out of the ring, while Buck managed to swerve Joanna's attacks and eliminate her too. Buck and Reggie moved on to Round 2.

Jasmine and Davian faced Endou and Ross in a mental challenge: in the bunker chamber were two fires beneath sprinklers. They needed to construct a shelter from various materials, and the winner would be the one with the successful shelter. Ross immediately suggested they work with bricks, a fire-resistant material. Jasmine ran back and forth collecting materials, passing them to her partner, Davian, who constructed the shelter like a roof, designed to combat rain. Ten minutes passed and the structures were somewhat completed, so Margrave shocked them by suddenly turning on the sprinklers. Both persisted for a while, until Ross and Endou's fire dissipated, leaving Jasmine and Davian to progress onto Round 2.

Xalvadora and Nastasia and Scarlett and Naomi's faced an anatomy challenge: in front of them was a mannequin filled with organs. They would be given a list of three organs that they needed to surgically remove and place into the respective bowl without injuring the patient. The guests quickly started hacking away at their patient, fake blood spewing out over them, but they remained seemingly unbothered and completed the challenge faster than Margrave had anticipated. Despite Margrave's warnings that they do not go into medical care, he exclaimed that Xalvadora and Nastasia's surgery would've left the patient with somewhat of a chance, while Scarlett and Naomi would've killed them. The prior moved on to Round 2.

While the others partook in Round 2, Lynne invited Ross Smythe to a backroom with her, where on her search she'd made a discovery. Holed up in one of the bunker's cells was Maxwell Smythe, his uncle, though rocking back and forth with a vacant expression. After Ross dealt with his surprise and joy of reuniting with his family member, Maxwell remained uncommunicative to his attempts, silent even. The duo, unsure if Maxwell was himself or an Other, gave Maxwell a question only he would know the answer to; Ross asked what they went to eat together when he was eight and he lost his baby tooth following a fall. Maxwell ultimately replied gelato, confirming he was the real Maxwell. Although distant, Maxwell then exclaimed that Margrave was lying to them, mentioning something about an Other in the woods.

Round 2 consisted of one challenge, testing their bravery and precision. They were each given a Jenga tower, with green and red tiles. The red tiles contained a symbol that would win the game for them outright but removing them cost more of the tower's stability. The towers stood until they reached Jasmine and Davian, where Davian decided to risk it and pulled out a red tile. The tower initially stood but ultimately collapsed, eliminating the dancer and courtesan. Buck and Reggie, and Xalvadora and Nastasia battled each other for the top spot in an excruciatingly long contest, the chances of collapse raising with each round. After a while of back and forth, Buck and Reggie's tower collapsed, leaving Xalvadora and Nastasia as the winners. There was an Other of his friend, the Colonel, in the woods which risked their survival, so he needed someone expendable - the losers of the competition - to kill it. As a pair, they needed to vote for a pair to partake in the challenge. As the winners, Xalvadora and Nastasia were granted immunity.

Arguments over who should be voted ensued, mostly leveled at Reggie who had been deemed unhelpful and a liability. Buck came to his defence, dragging him and Joanna into a disagreement over whether those who fell behind in the race should be voted into the challenge, with Buck mentioning Jasmine and Davian, Joanna's friends, as examples. Lynne was clearly shaken when she drew the cards - Endou vs Ross. The friends were led to the woodland arena where they were told to fire a shotgun at the Colonel's Other from various platforms. They would gain different points for the different body parts they hit, and the person with the most points would win. A tense shootout ensued, though Endou and Ross remained friendly throughout. During a treacherous climb to one of the higher platforms, Endou was captured. She bit the Other's finger to escape, weakening its grip, alongside Ross' shot. Despite falling behind, Endou managed to get two perfect shots at its head, pulling her into the lead and winning the challenge. Ross was then pinned to the ground by the Other and said his final words, before being torn into slices by its claws. The Other succumbed to its wounds soon after, so Endou was escorted to the bunker.

Upon her return, Xalvadora and Nastasia were offered places in the bunker, but Nastasia declined in favour of the second stone and Maxwell. Margrave ultimately agreed and ordered them out of his bunker. Back at the lounge, Nastasia placed the second stone next to Ross' monocle, and the group mourned his loss. They remarked that they had two, but seven were left. Seven more deaths. Suddenly, the compass turned to the mountains and Bear's Bluff, the dormant volcano, started to smoke.

## Characters

* Buck Channing - The Storyteller
* Davian Rhoades - The Courtesan
* Endou Chiaki - The Rock Star
* Jasmine Winters - The Burlesque Dancer
* Joanna Garcia - The Serenader
* Nastasia Delacroix - The Lunatic
* Nathan Pierce - The Troublemaker
* Naomi Hollister - The Opera Singer
* Reggie Stevens - The Jazzman
* Ross Smythe - The Historian
* Scarlett Wilde - The Supernatural Hunter
* Xalvadora Marchesi - The Enforcer
* Lynne
* Maxwell Smythe
* General Margrave