Direct hit.
We were already past two teams when we came to an entire pool full of mud.
“Go through the mud!” a judge yelled. “The only way out is in!”
“Off we go!” I jumped in, and Mark followed as our clothes started to drag off of us. In an effort to get the heavy weight away from my body, I dumped my shirt, only keeping on my sports bra.
“Damn.”
“Do not get distracted!” I yelled behind me.
“No, not that,” Mark yelled again. “That!”
He pointed to a giant rope ladder with a pool on the other side that looked like you had to jump into once you reached the top.
“That’s twenty feet!” I screeched.
“What? Can’t swim?” he teased.
The other two teams were gaining on us. “Come on!” I reached for his hand as we started climbing the ladder, using our speed against the strong ones who seemed to be gassing really early.
Mark reached the top first and held down his hand. I took it and wobbled on top, looking down, ready to pass out.
“Hey, hey,” Mark whispered so only I could hear. “You’ve got this. You’ve been wanting to drown me for years. Think of failing this as a missed opportunity.”
“Well, now that you say—”
He gave me a little shove, and off I went from the platform into the deep water. From the splash as I pushed to the surface, Mark had followed.
I didn’t have any time to follow through on my threat, but the minute we got back to the apartment I was turning on the bathtub and shoving his head under the water until his legs stopped moving.
“Come on.” Mark swam across to the other side and reached back to help me as I threw my wet body over the pool and nearly collapsed to the ground. “Almost there.”
“I hope so.” Pulling air into my lungs was getting difficult as we raced along a dark dirt road lit with torches.
Finally, we got to the end, where it said Finish Line.
“Thank God.”
I spoke too soon.
Without any warning, several men came out of the clearing, wearing the freakiest masks I’d ever seen in real life. They were clowns and monsters; it was like Halloween come to life and the most random thing I’d ever seen.
“Mental fortitude,” Mark cursed. “They’re blocking the finish line, which means we need a way to get around them.”
“Are you sure?”
“If we go through them, they catch us, and the others go past us.” He started looking around wildly and then grabbed my hand as we raced into the woods where there was a clearing and then a giant tree with a rope swing.
“Wait a minute, you want us to Tarzan into the finish line?” I screeched. “Like through the air?”
“Do you have any better idea?”
I was terrified of heights.
I didn’t want to admit it.
Couldn’t.
Then again, I mean, he’d passed out from snake meat!
Shaking, I followed him toward the tree ladder and was thankful to at least see several judges and a volunteer near the top with harnesses. Okay, so this wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought.
And then we reached the top.
Assuming we grabbed the rope, I reached for it only to have the judge shake his head, “Sorry, princess, you’re only halfway; let’s get this harness on you!”
I had no time to think.
Or cry.
I just let them put the harness and all the other gadgets on me, along with a helmet.
“You go first.” Mark pointed to the rungs that led the rest of the way up, “That way, I’m behind you, so you’re not scared.”
“I’m not scared,” I said super unconvincingly.
“Okay.” He shot me a sweet smile. “So climb.”
I forced a smile back and nearly slipped when my wet hands hit the rungs. Tears filled my eyes as I climbed and climbed and climbed only to reach the final platform and see that there were four total all in posts surrounding the finish line, and we were barely in first place when we both made it to the top.
What I thought was a rope swing was something completely different; a zip line led all the way across the finish line to what looked like a buffet and beer garden.
And there was only one way down.
“Ready?” One of the volunteers tapped my helmet, then hooked my carabiner to the line and did the same to Mark as he grabbed me from behind. “All right, you’re both strapped in.”
“Wait!” I screamed. My eyes were dizzy as I took in the hard ground below us. We were at least sixty feet up, it felt like, maybe more? I’d been semi-terrified of jumping off the platform into the water and probably would have hesitated more had Mark not pushed me.
But now?
Now I had to friggin’ jump!
“Olivia, we have to go!” Mark grabbed me tighter.
“I can’t!” I started moving backward.
“Just listen,” Mark’s mouth was right at my ear. “Don’t focus on anything else but me holding you, okay? Close your eyes; it’s an adventure. When we reach the bottom, it automatically stops us like brake, all right?”