"So, how long will we have to stay here?" I asked Anna. "I don't think the rain is going to let up any time soon. We need to get comfortable here." I turned to look at Anna, but she was already asleep, leaning against the trunk of the tree. I whispered, "Well, already comfortable, I see." Shutting my eyes, I felt exhaustion take over.
Suddenly, I found myself staring at a stark white blind, with piercing light shining through the cracks. A cold, sterile room surrounded me, white tiles on every surface. Panic crept in as I noticed a bright red door near the window and heard faint, unintelligible voices behind the blinds. I moved closer, pressing my ear against it to catch what was being said. Just as the words started to make sense, a loud noise jolted me awake.
I opened my eyes to see Anna, her face concerned. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Never better," I muttered, trying to push the dream out of my mind.
"Well, let's head back to the main camp if you're up for it," Anna said. "We can try our hand at fishing again. Returning empty-handed won't do us any favors, and we're starving."
"Yeah, no debate there," I said, standing up. "Let's go."
As we made our way to the riverbank, the post-rain landscape felt almost soothing. Birds were chirping, and the air was crisp with the scent of wet earth. We enjoyed the serene scene until we approached the spot where we had planned to set up camp the day before. There, we spotted a black bear feasting on the fish we had left behind when we rushed for cover.
Anna and I stared at the bear from a distance. I whispered, "Should we try to hunt it with our spears?"
"Are you crazy?" she replied.
"It has a lot of meat on it. It could keep us fed for days," I joked lightly. We shared a look before slowly backing away and continuing toward the river.
This time, spear fishing was different. With the lessons from the day before, we managed to catch six fish within an hour. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. It gnawed at me, but I didn't pay it much attention, attributing it to hunger and lack of sleep. I asked Anna if she felt it too, but she shook her head.
"It's probably just my imagination," I mumbled.
The journey back to camp was tough; the rain had turned the ground into mud, making each step a struggle. At one point, I mentioned, "I started to doubt those boars you had mentioned, Anna. I haven't seen any large animals myself—not even that boar you spoke of. But seeing that bear on this island? That's not normal."
Anna smirked. "Now you know this place is stranger than it seems."
Eventually, we reached the camp and were greeted by Haruki and Haruka. Their faces showed clear relief. "We were worried sick when you didn't come back yesterday, and the rain was awful," Haruki said.
Anna and I exchanged a glance. "We're fine," I said. "We just lost track of time. But the good news is, we have food." I held up the fish we caught, but noticed that the main campfire had been extinguished by the rain. I sighed. "Looks like I'll have to rub sticks together again to get a fire going."
Haruka spoke up, "Don't worry. I found the perfect stones yesterday and know how to start a fire. It won't take long. You can rest while I get it going."
Anna and I sat down, exhaustion sinking into our bones. "I've been thinking," I said to Anna, "about improving our living conditions. I have some ideas. Would you help me?"
"Of course," she said without hesitation.
Haruki and Haruka, who were gathering sticks and working on the fire, chimed in, "We'll help too, if we can stay with you."
I smiled, "Of course. Your help is appreciated."
With that, I laid out the plan to build a wooden shelter, though we would need rope. Anna said she could help with that, but we would need to find specific plant leaves. "I'll do my best to find tools to cut down wood," I said.
Haruki nodded. "I'll help with that."
"And I'll help Anna," Haruka added.
We were set. The idea of moving the camp closer to the river crossed my mind, but Anna reminded me of the nearby tribe. "We know they're out there. Let's not push our luck," she warned.
There was no arguing with that.
I asked, "So, what kind of plant leaves was she looking for to make the ropes? I can try to source them for her."
Anna launched into a lengthy monologue about hemp—describing what it looked like, where it might grow, and how to use it. Her explanation was thorough, almost too thorough. By the end of it, my mind felt numb, like I was back in a science class I never wanted to attend. At least I now knew what I was looking for.
"I'll do my best to find it," I said.
I decided to start looking for the plant and its leaves right away. At the same time, I would try to make some stone tools to cut down dry trees for a shelter. We also needed clay utensils to boil water—clean water was becoming a critical problem, especially since the river was no longer an option with that potentially hostile tribe nearby.
A little while later, Haruka and Haruki got the campfire going again. We started roasting fish over the flames, and the smell alone made my stomach growl. I couldn't wait to eat after days of near starvation.
When the fish was finally ready, it lacked any salt or seasoning, but it didn't matter—it tasted like heaven. Every bite was pure relief.
After eating, I decided to head out alone to scout for the things we needed: hemp, clay, stones, and possibly more food from the sea. I let my mind focus on the tasks ahead as I moved away from the camp.
As I passed through the trees, something caught my eye—a shadowy figure darting through the bushes. My heart skipped a beat. I ran toward the spot but stopped short of going into the bush. It could've been an animal, and I wasn't about to risk being mauled. I checked the area carefully but found nothing.
Shrugging it off, I pressed on toward the shore, keeping my eyes peeled for hemp plants, clay deposits, or stones to use as tools. Eventually, I reached the shoreline, but something about it felt... wrong.
The sea was eerily empty. No fish swam near the surface, no crustaceans crawled along the sand, and even the corals seemed absent. Just an expanse of lifeless water stretching to the horizon. It came as a shock to me—something about it felt unnatural.
The water was, of course, still salty and undrinkable. I realized we'd have to keep relying on the purifier, even though it produced far too little water to sustain four people.
Disappointed, I turned inland to keep searching. Eventually, I found a patch of hemp plants growing near some stones I could use for tools. Clay, however, remained elusive. With my haul in hand, I made my way back to camp.
As soon as I arrived, Anna ran up to me, worry etched on her face.
"Where did you disappear to?" she demanded.
I held up the hemp and stones. "I just went out looking for supplies—not far."
"You could've said something before leaving! I didn't see you go, and neither did Haruka or Haruki. We thought..." She trailed off, but I could tell she had imagined the worst.
"I'm sorry," I said sincerely. "I didn't sneak out—I walked out normally. I thought everyone saw me leave. I was only gone for an hour, maybe less."
"That doesn't matter," she snapped. "Things aren't normal here. If you disappear like that again..." She shook her head. "Don't do it."
"I won't," I promised. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Her frustration softened as I showed her the hemp. "Can you make sturdy ropes with this? Enough to hold up a shelter?"
She nodded, her eyes lighting up. "This will work. Don't worry about the ropes—I'll handle it."
"Okay, I'm counting on you."