Dodge thinks Panic’s fourth challenge might be the easiest one yet. Staying in a “haunted” house overnight and only having to solve a couple of riddles for fifty extra points? Yeah, he’d rather have this than walk across two water towers on a single plank or be shot at.

With others spending their time deducting other players’s points by sending proof of their terror, he’s determined to stay stoic and focus on solving the riddles scattered in the house. It’s a nice change of pace from the last couple of weeks. Natalie—who he still isn’t sure if he’s loving the idea of opening up to—makes a noticeable effort to get closer to him after their forced alliance. Her lingering touches and soft voice do stray his mind for a bit, but Dodge is nothing if not determined.

He heard a creaking behind a door as he walked down the dark hall for more clues. His hand quietly pushes the door open, and he finds you crouched down, inspecting something on the ledge of some very obvious weak wood.

“Careful,” he muttered as he walked behind you, holding back a grin as he saw you startle at his unprompted appearance. The striking light from his flashlight makes your eyes squint before you nudge it away from your eyesight. He smiles as you turn back towards whatever you were inspecting earlier.

Dodge knows you, surprisingly. He’s seen you around school before graduation, hearing your name in a couple rumors here and there. He can’t really remember what any of the superficial whispers were about, but he does remember that time you accidentally stumbled across him at one of his rodeo shows.

He was initially worried that the encounter would somehow transpire to his whole plan to participate in Panic being revealed, but the worry died down after a few days of nothing. Guess you really didn’t care that much.

“What’re you looking at?” he asks as he crouches down beside you, initially put off with the way you throw him a guarded look. Right. He forgot you two were supposed to be pitting against each other for a moment.