Episode 19 (Serena Season 1)

Thrilling Ending

We make for a pretty motley crew heading back to the river,

makeshit tools and baskets hoisted over our shoulders,

but it's all the supplies we could come up with in so little time.

My last burning hope that the crocodiles would have moved-

-is dashed when I see several still sprawled across the riverbank,

right where the glowing plants stuck up from the earth.

MC: "Damn it."

MC: "I thought they might be gone."

TK: "Me too."

TK: "Lazy jerks."

Clyde: "Nothing good ever comes easy."

Clyde: "And we've got a plan."

Serena: "Let's run through that again."

Serena: "We have one shot to pull this off without getting hurt."

Clyde: "Alright."

Clyde: "So I get to be the biggest, loudest distraction these crocs ever did see."

Clyde: "I'll try and draw them as far up the river as I can, giving all of you plenty of time to snag the plants."

Arthur: "Are you sure you want to do that alone? We could split the group in half."

Clyde: "We need as many plants as possible, right, Serena?"

Serena: "To be safe, yes."

Serena: "But I don't like you playing bait either, Clyde."

Clyde: "Trust me, I've taken a swim in more dangerous waters before."

Clyde: "And I know you can patch me up if things go sideways."

Serena frowns but offers Clyde her hand, which he takes in a firm shake.

A nervous knot twists in the pit of my stomach,

but seeing her so determined, I know there's no way we can back down.

(I promised her we'd cure this no matter what.)

(If that means taking risks, I've got to do it.)

Serena: "It's a deal."

Serena: "Let's get this over with."

TK: "If I die doing this,"

TK: "can someone tell my friends and family I died protecting everyone from vicious crocodiles?"

TK: "If I don't get a full memoir, I'd at least like a documentary."

TK: "Make sure the actor playing me is handsome."

MC: "I'll get someone for you right off the B-list."

TK: "Ouch."

TK: "You'd wound me,"

TK: "except I'm way more scared about the ten pairs of sharp teeth on the other side of the water."

Logan: "Don't worry, man."

Logan: "I got your back."

Logan: "And I've got Hope recording, so we'll have some super cool hero footage by the end of this."

Serena: "Yes, pulling plants out of the ground is very heroic."

Serena: "Are you ready, Clyde?"

Clyde: "You got it."

Clyde: "Give me a minute."

He makes a quick dash along the bank,

but the fiant rustle of grass doesn't catch the crocodiles' attention...

...until he pulls off his shirt and dives right into the water.

I hold in a shout of surprise as he pops back up over the surface,

splashing and yelling at the top of his lungs.

Clyde: "Hey, who's hungry?! Come and get it!"

MC: "Oh my god."

MC: "Is he going to be okay?"

Serena: ", we have to move now!"

The entire group of crocodiles slip into the water,

tails lashing and teeth snapping as they swim towards Clyde.

Serena leads the charge onto the riverbank,

holding her basket open so everyone can start grabbing plants and tossing them in.

Logan: "How many do we need, doc?"

Serena: "Just take everything."

Serena: "We'll figure it out later!"

Arthur: "I've got the second basket."

Arthur: "Fill it up."

I toss another plant over, adrenaline leaving me dizzy as I tear more out by the roots,

mud sticking to my hands and making them slippery.

Farther down the bank, I see one huge glowing blossom,

its leaves so heavy they're dropping down into the water.

(It's giant! The healthier the better, right?)

Logan: "Is that it?"

MC: "No, there's one more! I'll get it."

Muck sticks to my shoes as I dash along the riverbank,

crouching down to try and yank the plant out all the way from the base.

Ther roots are so thick that I have to dig my heels in, and groaning between my teeth,

I pull hard enough that it comes loose.

In an instant, the momentum sends me tumbling backwards,

and I grasp at nothing but empty air while looking for a hold.

When water hits my back and knocks the wind out of me,

I scramble to right myself and get my head back up to the surface.

My lungs burn and ache before I break back through the water,

kicking frantically to keep myself from sinking again.

The river is too deep for me to stand on the bottom,

and my splashing is so loud I can barely hear who's yelling at me.

Clyde: "Oi! You crocs get back here!"

Clyde: "I'm going to skin you for boots and a belt!"

(Oh god! They must have heard me fall in!)

Clyde: "Serena, they're coming for her!"

I bob under the water again for a second as a swift current knocks me off balance,

and starts to sweep me further down the river.

Clawing to try and find some purchase on the shore,

I can see hands reaching for me through my water-logged vision, but none of them are close enough.

Logan: ", hang on! We'll get you out of there!"

TK: "Logan, we need something else! She can't reach."

Their scrambling and yelling fades to meaningless noise as I'm bounced along the rushing river,

everything a blur despite my desperate attempts to swim against the constant pressure.

It's so hard to breathe between the panic and the water that black spots dance along the edge of my vision,

and I gulp down one more huge breath before a tight grip catches my wrist and tugs.

Both of Serena's arms brace mine,

her feet sunk inches into the much as she pulls as hard as she can against the force of the water,

but I can feel her starting to slip.

She knows it too, eyes going wide as strain wrenches all the way up her shoulders.

Serena: "Logan! Where's your goddamn rake?"

Logan: "We got you, don't worry--"

He comes running up with TK and Arthur, holding out the tool for me to grasp like an anchor.

Fear lunches through me as my hold shifts, wrapping my arms around it as tight as I can,

and the four of them haul the handle back in one powerful tug,

yanking me out of the water and back to shore.

I collapse onto solid ground gasping for breath and Serena is there immediately,

tossing the rake aside to kneel next to me.

She brushes a soaked curtain of hair out of my face and my vision starts to focus again, centered on her.

Serena: "Can you breathe, ? Are you alright?"

MC: "Y-yeah."

Serena: "Does anything hurt?"

MC: "My lungs, a little bit."

MC: "My pride, kind of a lot."

Serena lets out a huff of laughter despite herself and draws me into her arms,

the tight embrace steadying me as I bury my face into her shoulder.

She doesn't comment as I spill a few tears, the shock of what just happened rolling through me.

Serena: "You're okay."

Serena: "You probably just swallowed a bit too much water."

MC: "What about Clyde? Is he--"

Clyde: "! Serena!"

His footsteps thunder across the riverbank as I turn around,

closing the distance between him and the rest of us.

Clyde looks red in the face and out of breath, but he doesn't seem to be hurt either.

Clyde: "Bloody hell, you two scared me."

Clyde: "I'm sorry I couldn't keep them distracted--"

MC: "Clyde, you just made yourself bait for like a dozen crocodiles."

MC: "We're already even."

Clyde: "Aye? I'm not sure about that."

Serena: "Clyde, your knees are shaking."

He glances down and I follow his line of sight,

the trembling in his legs increasing by the second.

Clyde: "Yeah, I'm not feeling so hot."

Serena: "We've got plenty of the plants."

Serena: "Start eating."

Serena: "That goes for the rest of you too."

Serena: "Before any of the symptoms come back."

A stack of torn-up leaves gets passed around,

the strange glow making everyone's faces light up before they're chewed up and swallowed.

TK pulls a face, eyes squeezing shut.

TK: "Oh, that's gross."

Logan: "Bet these would make a killer tequila."

Arthur: "I don't think that would make it any less bitter, Logan."

Despite their complaints, the effects are almost immediate.

A smile leaps up to my face as I see the redness fade from Clyde's cheeks,

his whole body going steady again.

Logan: "It worked! Oh man, I feel great."

Clyde: "Same here."

Clyde: "First time my head's been clear for days."

(We did it.)

(We're saved.)

Once we're sure the crocodiles aren't going to come charging in again,

everyone takes a bit to rest and recover, enjoying the sun while it's still high in the sky.

I expected Serena to be in a better mood, but her brow is still furrowed in deep concern.

MC: "What's up? Everyone feels great now."

Serena: "That was only the first half of our problem, ."

Serena: "We still need clean water, and this river is dangerous even if it's not contaminated."

Clyde: "I don't fancy dodging crocodile bites every time we need a drink, no."

TK: "But the lake water is still trashed."

TK: "The only reason the river was fine was because it had these weird glowing plants everywhere."

I lok down into the basket next to us where plenty of the plants are still resting,

their glow lingering despite being yanked out of the ground.

(The vines were here in the river too, but when these were nearby...)

(Wait a second.)

MC: "Serena, couldn't we just move them?"

Serena: "What?"

MC: "The plants."

MC: "We've got a basket full of vine-killers right here."

MC: "If we put them back in the water up on the mountain, that whole mess would get cleared out, right?"

MC: "Then we can drink from the lake again."

MC: "No crocodiles, no worries."

Logan: "Huh."

Clyde: "I don't see why that wouldn't work."

Clyde: "Odd little things seem pretty handy."

I watch Serena consider it, my eyes drawn to her mouth when she bites her lip,

but after a moment, that expression transforms into a quietly pleased smile.

Serena: "Glad to see the river didn't wash away all your sense."

Serena: "That's a brilliant idea."

TK: "But we'll have to hike all the way back up there."

Serena: "I'll do it."

Serena: "Clyde should relax, and the rest of you have gone without water the longest."

MC: "I'll come with too."

MC: "I've got water coming out of my ears."

MC: "Literally."

Serena: "Are you sure?"

MC: "I'm not letting you make that trip alone."

Serena: "Then we better get started."

We say goodbye to the guys on the edge of the jungle,

making sure they have an open path back to the resort before Serena and I start our hike.

Getting caught in the river was exhausting,

but with her hand in mine, the trip up the mountain seems easier than ever.

Serena: "It'll be nightfall by the time we get back."

Serena: "We'll have to be careful."

MC: "That's okay."

MC: "I'm not scared of the dark."

Yet when the sun falls towards the horizon, that becomes the least of my concerns.

The plants in each basket glow brighter than ever now that night's come,

lighting up our last few steps to the water like a beacon.

MC: "These are actually really pretty."

Serena: "You would think so."

MC: "You don't?"

Serena: "...They're nice, I suppose."

With her help, I lower the plants one by one on top of the vines,

letting their roots grasp at the water, and it's astounding to watch them take over.

The glow spreads everywhere as the vines wither, their light reflected back onto Serena's face.

The silent awe that takes over her expression is a beautiful thing,

whatever remnants of fear she was clinging to washed away by proof that this had worked.

(We're alive.)

(We're together.)

Serena: "You know, I realyl didn't sign up for all this when I stepped onto that ship."

MC: "Me either."

Serena: "I got a lot more than I bargained for."

Serena: "...Including you."

Her eyes lock onto mine and I read the wanting there in an instant,

breaking the distance between us to seal her lips with a kiss.

Serena returns it with a pleased hum, relaxing against me without any hesitation.

MC: "I love you."

MC: "Maybe that's still too much right now, but I keep wanting to say it and--"

Serena: "..."

Serena: "I love you too."

My jaw drops far enough that she laughs, but that warm sound is enough or her words to sink in.

They run through my head a dozen times over until Serena pulls me in for another kiss,

distracting me thoroughly.

Together with her under the moonlight, I feel like I'm on top of the world.