"I never expected to be so afraid," Lucas muttered, gripping the edge of the emergency raft so tightly his knuckles turned white.
The inflatable boat wobbled precariously with every movement, and Lucas glanced nervously at the churning waves around them.
He'd always thought he was a decent swimmer — at least, he liked to brag about it to his friends — but out here, with the ocean stretching endlessly in every direction, his confidence felt about as flimsy as the raft itself.
Leo, sitting across from him, snorted. "You? Afraid? Come on, Carter. I thought you were ready for anything."
"Yeah, well, forgive me for not preparing for a sinking ferry in the middle of the freaking ocean," Lucas shot back, though the edge in his voice was softened by the flicker of a grin.
Around them, other emergency rafts bobbed on the waves, each carrying groups of wide-eyed students or teachers clinging to what little hope they had left.
Lucas's gaze flickered toward the principal's boat, where Ms. Elara sat at the front like some kind of war general.
Despite the chaos, she somehow managed to look composed, even as she barked orders at the teachers to secure supplies.
"Of course, she's got all the snacks," Lucas muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Leo asked.
"Nothing. Just admiring our fearless leader."
Leo chuckled, but the laughter didn't last long.
Their destination loomed in the distance — a jagged outline of land rising up from the sea. The island looked like something straight out of a survival show, complete with dense jungle, rocky cliffs, and an unsettling absence of anything remotely welcoming.
The waves crashed violently against the shore, as if warning them to turn back, but turning back wasn't an option.
"Think there's a five-star hotel on the other side of that jungle?" Lucas quipped, though his heart wasn't in the joke.
"Sure," Leo replied, playing along. "Room service, hot tubs, maybe even a gift shop. You just have to get past the giant mutant crabs first."
Lucas snorted, but his stomach churned as the raft drifted closer to the shore. The closer they got, the more desolate the island appeared.
No signs of civilization, no welcoming committee — just an ominous stretch of sand and the promise of trouble beyond it.
As their raft scraped against the rocky shoreline, Lucas scrambled to his feet, wobbling unsteadily. He hopped onto the sand, his shoes sinking slightly into the wet ground.
"Well," he said, brushing his hands on his pants, "here we are. Paradise."
Leo stepped off the raft beside him, letting out a low whistle. "Yeah, real paradise. All we're missing is a volcano and a pack of wild animals."
"Don't jinx it," Lucas warned, glancing warily at the treeline.
Other rafts began landing nearby, their occupants disembarking with varying degrees of grace. Ms. Elara's group was one of the first to arrive, and true to form, she wasted no time taking charge.
"Everyone, gather your supplies and stay close!" she called, her authoritative voice cutting through the sound of crashing waves. "We'll set up a base camp further inland. Stick together, and do not wander off."
Lucas couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Stick together," he muttered under his breath. "Yeah, because that always works in horror movies."
"Relax," Leo said, clapping him on the back. "If anything goes wrong, you can just hide behind me. I'll take the hit for you."
"Wow, what a hero," Lucas deadpanned.
The group began trudging up the beach, dragging what little supplies they had salvaged from the ferry. Most of it was basic survival gear — tents, first aid kits, a few boxes of food and water.
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
Lucas found himself carrying a battered-looking duffel bag filled with random odds and ends. It clinked ominously with every step, but he didn't bother checking the contents. At this point, he was just grateful to have something to carry.
As they moved closer to the treeline, the atmosphere grew heavier. The jungle loomed like a dark curtain, its dense foliage hiding whatever lay within.
The occasional birdcall echoed through the air, but otherwise, the island was eerily quiet.
"Creepy," Leo said, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"Yeah," Lucas agreed. "Feels like the kind of place where you'd find a hidden temple or a cursed idol or something."
"Or giant spiders," Nina chimed in, walking past them with an armful of supplies.
"Thanks for that mental image," Lucas replied, grimacing.
They finally stopped at a relatively clear patch of ground near the edge of the jungle. Ms. Elara surveyed the area with a critical eye before nodding.
"This will do for now," she said. "Start setting up camp. We need shelter before nightfall."
Lucas and Leo exchanged a look.
"Guess we're camping," Leo said with a shrug.
"Yeah, because nothing bad ever happens when a group of stranded people sets up camp near a mysterious jungle," Lucas muttered.
Despite his sarcasm, he pitched in with the rest of the group, helping to unload supplies and set up tents.
It was slow, frustrating work — especially with half the students bickering over who should do what—but eventually, they managed to put together a passable campsite.
By the time they finished, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. Lucas stood at the edge of the camp, watching the waves roll in and out.
"Not exactly how I pictured my weekend," he said quietly.
"Yeah, but hey, it could be worse," Leo said, joining him.
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"Well, we could've all drowned," Leo pointed out.
"True," Lucas admitted. "But still, this is... a lot."
Leo nodded, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Yeah. But we'll figure it out. We always do, right?"
Before Lucas could respond, a loud crash echoed from somewhere in the jungle, followed by a chorus of startled cries from the group.
"What was that?" Nina asked, her voice tense.
"Probably just a bird or something," he said, though he didn't sound convinced.
Ms. Elara stepped forward, her expression hard as stone. "Everyone stay calm. We're staying here tonight. No one goes near the jungle until we've had time to assess the situation."
Lucas glanced at Leo, who gave him a wry smile.
"Well," Leo said, "guess we've got our work cut out for us."
"Yeah," Lucas agreed, his grip tightening on the duffel bag. "Welcome to paradise."