On the pristine waters of tropical North Queensland, it’s hard for anyone to feel stressed – and this week, Ziggy, Dean, Mack and Levi are hoping a sun-soaked weekend will melt their troubles away.

But when Ziggy and Mack are taken hostage by escaped prisoners, it becomes a race against time to save them.

In chaotic scenes in Home And Away, the two women are held at knifepoint and forced into a car by two men looking for a quick getaway to the border.

The drama unfolds after a day out on the water, where Ziggy (Sophie Dillman) and Mack (Emily Weir) hoped Dean (Patrick O’Connor), who judges Levi (Tristan Gorey) for his past infidelity, would come around to Mack’s boyfriend.

When he doesn’t, Ziggy forces the pair to talk, unaware she’s being spied on.

While Dean and Levi are distracted, the prisoners seize their chance and force Ziggy and Mack into the car. Dean gives chase but it’s no use. They watch on in horror as the vehicle speeds away…

“It’s a serious situation, and Dean and Levi have to navigate this drama together,” Patrick, 32, tells TV WEEK. “Levi is very straight and narrow, then [there’s] Dean, who’s just not that way.”

On the road, Ziggy and Mack scramble for ways to escape. The prisoners warn them to stick to their plan – but what then? Will they kill them? Ziggy stalls, explaining that she has morning sickness. Mack plays into it, until she realises 
it’s true – Ziggy is pregnant and they’re in very real danger…

Back at the dock, Dean hotwires a car and the duo are in pursuit. Levi wants to call the police, but they can’t – the cops are looking for a stolen car, and now they’re in one.

“Levi thinks, ‘Great, the cops are here!’ But Dean realises they must leave [instead of asking for help] and tells 
him to ‘do the maths’,” Patrick says 
of avoiding the law. “It’s good for the audience to see that because 
it adds a bit of comedy amid 
all the drama.”

Out in the cane fields, the cars hurtle down the road, the dust kicking up around them. As Dean and Levi close in, the prisoners prepare for a showdown.

Will Mack and Ziggy survive?