The House Part 02

“What the hell?” Mr. Deleuth shouted. “What the hell’s going on here? I want answers. You best get whoever’s in charge down here this instant! This is kidnapping! I’m going to get my lawyer!” He waited a few seconds and then started screaming at the walls again. 

The other three just stared in a bit of amazement. None of them knew what was going on but shouting didn’t seem to be the answer either. Their eyes were locked on the countdown in front of them. Five minutes were set on the clock. Behind the numbers were other men transforming in a similar way to what happened to Grant Davies. Some were growing, others were shrinking but in the end all of them were gay. 

“There’s no way,” Daniel muttered as he took a step back. His smaller body bumped into Quinton and Daniel nearly fell over. Quinton’s strong hands gripped Daniel’s shoulders and he just held them there. A strange calm overcame Daniel. He looked at Travis Tomult who was sitting just as calmly. 

“Alright boys. We need a plan. Something’s obviously strange about this place and we ain’t gettin out till we finish whatever it is,” the gravel in his voice only gave him a more commanding presence. Compared to Greg Deleuth, Travis actually looked like he had a plan. He sat and stared at the screen. The numbers ticked away, finally reaching zero.

“WELCOME TO THE NEXT SEASON OF THE HOUSE!” a loud female announcer’s voice came over the intercom. “As our contestants wait anxiously for the next game to start, I’ll have to go over the rules. Even though I know all you lovely audience member’s know what’s going on, sadly our contestants don’t. But that’s half the fun!” a loud cheering from some sort of crowd over took her overexcited voice. She spoke with a certain ebb and flow that could only be interpreted as fake excitement but the crowd was obviously eating it up. 

“Alright boys, the rules are rather simple. Each round has an objective you must complete. Win each challenge and gain a point in which you will be able to spend on prizes. Do you want to be big and strong? Or smarter than the average bear? Maybe even a full makeover! Or better yet, spend you’re points to sabotage other players. Someone too pesky? Thinks too little with his dick? Or maybe just isn’t good at being a team player, change something about them to make sure you win the next challenge. However,” she paused for dramatic effect, “every challenge you lose, you get sent to mercy of the crowd. Then they are allowed to vote and change one aspect of you that they want!”

The four stared around the room in shock. None of them had anything to say. It was just too crazy. ‘Is that what happened to Grant?’ ‘He lost too many times in a row?’ ‘Would that happen to me?’ ‘What if I lose?’ ‘What are they going to do to me?’

“Just remember,” the loud announcer voice started again. 

The crowd took over her job, “The more you win? The more you win! The more you lose? The more you lose!” 

“Holy shit…” Greg Deleuth cursed. “This is real… This shit is real…”

“Exactly right!” the announcer cheered. “Let’s get ready for the first game! I hope you all wore something you don’t mind getting wet cause we’re starting off with a splash! First game is king of the island!” a transparent model of a deserted island with palm tree appeared where the TV screen was. It rotated around showing off every bit of the rendering. “But oh no, there’s not an island in sight… Whatever will we do? Find the island and get to it before the time runs out. Anyone not on the island is a loser! Better hurry!” Four doors in the room opened and a mixture of chlorine and salt water filled the air. “If everyone makes it there’s a special bonus.”

A six minute countdown already began and started ticking away. “You have to be kidding me,” Greg’s body went limp as he watched the numbers tick away.

“No time to think about it,” Travis shot up from the couch. “Do you think it’s the pool or the beach?” 

“I-I-I don’t know,” Daniel replied. His mind was still a little fried as he watched the numbers tick away. ‘What were they going to change about him?’ ‘Would it still be him?’ He didn’t want to lose. He’d worked so hard to get the stupid fucking internship and now not only that was in jeopardy but also his entire life. “I don’t know…” he stammered.

Travis’ open palm slapped against his face. “Wake up! We don’t have time for that! Choose a door then call out when you find something that might look like an island. Got it?” 

“Got it,” Daniel’s face still burned as he rubbed at it. It was enough of a shock to wake him up. He quickly darted to a door and ran down its corridor. It didn’t make sense. How could there be this much space in an area. It was larger than even the studio. Doors filled the hallway but each one was a disappointment; a classroom, bedroom, bathroom, dorm room, art studio, dance studio, locker room, band room, swimming pool. But no island. He couldn’t believe it. Running through the last door was just a waste. A football field filled his entire vision. It was like he was exiting the locker room into a grand stadium. He looked up and saw a blue sky with clouds. It was almost peaceful. Right until he realized the timer was still ticking down. He looked up at the score board and saw that he had less than four minutes remaining. “Shoot…” he sprinted back to the main room. 

Travis and Quinton were making their way back as well. “Nothing?” Travis asked. The two shook their heads. “Damn…” the older man bit his bottom lip trying to think. “Where the hell’s Greg?” 

The three turned to the last opening and sprinted down the long corridor. They tried the first couple of rooms but it was same; they were just random places; swim locker rooms, a gym, a cafeteria, and more. They started to ignore them and sprinted down to the last door. It was glass and they could see sand through the window. “That has to be it,” Travis picked up the pace leaving the other two in his wake.

Daniel did his best to keep up but his heart was beating so fast and a pain in his side was slowing him down. “Have to make it… Have to make it…” he repeated as made it to the end of the hall. Passing the door he felt his shoes sink slightly into the sand below him. “Shoot!” he shouted at the uncomfortable feeling of sand getting into his socks. He took both off and stared forward at the island in what looked like the middle of the ocean. Waves were pulling in towards the beach. 

Travis was at the edge of the water with his clothes trailing behind him. All he had on with his boxers as he waded further into the water. “What are you waiting for! Come on!” he shouted. 

Daniel followed his lead as he rushed closer to the edge of the water. He didn’t have time for vanity as he stripped off his t-shirt but still paused as he undid his pants. The second of a pause made him realize just how stupid he was being. “Stop being stupid!” he slapped his face trying to get the courage to drop his pants. “Do it!” His pants dropped and he followed Travis’ lead and started towards the island. But then he looked back. “What are you waiting for?!” 

Quinton stood on the shore still fully clothed. “I can’t swim!”

“You what?!” Daniel waded in the water. He couldn’t touch the ground anymore. Even if Quinton was a good few inches taller than him, he knew it wouldn’t get him much further. “You can’t swim?!” 

Quinton shook his head in embarrassment. “Never learned…” 

“Two minutes remain,” a more robotic female voice came over the intercom.

“Shoot… Do I have enough time?” Daniel thought to himself. “Stop thinking!” he scolded himself again and swam back to shore. “Get undressed.”

“What?”

“Get undressed!” Daniel started undoing the security guard’s belt buckle. For a second Quinton tried pushing away but realized Daniel was only trying to help. He followed the other man’s lead and dropped down to his underwear. Quinton’s large belly pushed out in front of him as he stood there nearly naked. He was clearly uncomfortable as he lorded over the scrawny guy next to him. “Come on!” Daniel ordered as he rushed back to the edge of the ocean. 

Quinton’s toes hit the water causing him to freeze. “Just go,” he took a step back trying to avoid the next wave. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Fuck you! You’re coming with me!” Daniel ordered. He got behind the bigger man and started pushing. His small body pushed with all his might. Quinton didn’t want to give in but didn’t want to fight it either. The water scared him as he felt it go up to his knees, then his waist, then his shoulders. “Now relax. It’s alright. Just let your body float.”

“But… But…” Quinton tried to fight back and go back to the beach. He didn’t want to go any further. He was on his toes and the water was up to his chin. He couldn’t think. His breathing became haggard as he felt another wave push water closer to his nose. 

“Calm down,” Daniel stared deep into his eyes as he said so. “It’d going to be fine. Just lean back and let your body float.” Worry still filled Quinton’s mind as he tried to let his feet off the bottom of the ocean. He stumbled and was mixed between dropping back down and going back up. “Relax. It’s fine. Just kick your feet. Just kick your feet.”

Quinton followed the order and tried his best to stay calm. He was breathing heavy. His lungs felt like they couldn’t contract all the way but he wasn’t underwater. ‘It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine.’ Even if he didn’t feel fine he could still tell he was moving further out into the ocean. The clouds were pushing past his line of sight and he could feel that if he tried to stand back up he’d sink. Daniel was slowly guiding them both to the island.

On the island Greg sat patiently in his underwear. Travis was right behind him and pulled himself out of the water. The island was easily big enough to carry the four guys on it but small enough so it wouldn’t be comfortable. However instead of floating it was planted down so waves rounded out around it, instead of causing it to bob up and down. Greg had made himself comfortable under the tree as he watched the guys swimming towards him.

“You’re a real asshole,” Travis glared.

“Ehh… You figured it out. I would have just wasted my time going back for you,” he said. “Besides it’s only additive points. I didn’t take anything away from you.”

“Whatever,” Travis turned his attention back to Daniel and Quinton. “Come on boys!” he called through his hands. “You can do it!” Despite being well in his sixties, Travis was probably the one in the best shape. His acting career had made it to where he had to be. Especially when he was in his forties and already bald. The only movie anyone would cast him as is a concerned ex special operatives father looking for his daughter or wife. The fun had drained from his career years ago and right now he was just trying to be able to pay for that real life wife that had left him years ago. “You can do it boys!”

“We’re almost there. Almost there,” Daniel panted. The near 100 meter swim to the island was difficult but he could feel the buoy holding the island up. “We made it!” he exhaled heavily as the top of Quinton’s head hit the air filled rubber of the raft. “Oh my gawd… We did it…” 

“Come on big guy,” Travis said as he reached an arm down for Daniel. The young man grabbed it and felt Travis pull him out of the water. “That’s pretty impressive there.” 

“Thanks…” Daniel panted. He just wanted to fall over and die. 

Once Quinton had grabbed the side of the island he could easily pull himself back up. Despite having so much fat clinging to his body, he was obviously very strong. He stood over Daniel and extended a hand. “Thanks… I couldn’t have down it without you…” 

“It’s fine…” Daniel breathed. His body was still keeled over trying to catch his breath. In his current state he couldn’t help but stare at the two guys dicks right next to him. Suddenly he felt so insignificant that he just closed his eyes. 

Despite there being a clear blue sky all around them there was still a large timer above the door counting down. As it reached zero a loud buzzer filled the open area. “Alright! Wasn’t that amazing! Looks like everyone made it just in time. I was getting worried there for a little while but WOWIE! I didn’t think someone would waste so much time for someone they barely knew! Since you all made it that means you’re allowed 2 points instead of one. However for each person you knock off the island you get to add on another point! Get ready…. GO!”

“What do you mean ‘go’!” Greg shouted to the sky. He stood up from his comfortable position and moved along the island. “I thought the game was—“

His sentence was cut short as Travis gave his body a light push. Greg lost his balance and tumbled down into the water below. “One down,” Travis chuckled as he looked at the other two. In the sky there was a list of all their names. A big zero appeared underneath Greg’s name and a one under Travis’.

“Woah. Woah. Woah,” Daniel said backing away. It only took him a second to realize what was going on. “Let’s think about this for a second.” His small body backed into Quinton’s again.

“I’m sorry,” he felt the giant’s hands clasp around him. Gently Daniel was lifted into the air. He tried struggling. Even if he wasn’t so tired it probably wouldn’t have done much of anything. “I don’t know how to swim…” Daniel was sent into the air and then landed a few feet from the island. His body sank for a second as he realized he’d just been betrayed.

A giant one appeared under Quinton’s name and zero under Daniel’s. 

“All big fella. Just you and me,” Travis grinned. Even if he was the one most in shape, he was far from a size that could possibly move Quinton. Travis tried rushing the big fella but years of football training had given Quinton the edge. He knew how to shift the other man’s weight and sent Travis barreling towards the water. There was nothing Travis could have done to stop it. 

A two appeared under Quinton’s name. 

“WOWIE~~” the announcer cheered. “What a game! How will the contestants view this?! How about the audience? Did the audience have a good time?” A crowd cheered in the background as she went silent. “I’ll say! Well it looks like we have our winner. Congratulations Quinton! With the point you won before the game started it brings you up to five points! Make sure you spend them wisely!” 

“But now that we also have two losers who didn’t get a point at all, it’s up to the audience to decide!”