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Lizzie had really been looking forward to their vacation.They'd planned this trip a year and a half ago, and then they'd postponed it six months (as Joel's band had gotten a last-minute opportunity to join the lineup of an incredibly popular alt-rock music festival, and he just couldn't turn the opportunity down). But after all of that, they were finally on this luxury yacht together, enjoying a sail up the coastline without a care in the world.Though, honestly, there'd already been some complications. Joel, as it turned out, was very easily seasick. Lizzie herself felt fine, but she could feel herself itching for her laptop, desperate to get back to work. Lizzie was a journalist, and she loved her job, which meant that even in the middle of the ocean when she was supposed to be enjoying some much-needed time off, she was having a hard time resisting the temptation to write. She knew she had to push that aside, for more reasons than just her own happiness. Joel desperately needed a break, because though he loved playing the drums and touring with his band, the constant travel, stress, and pressure was definitely starting to get to him.But in hindsight, those issues felt like nothing. On that fateful night, they'd had a delicious dinner, enjoyed a piano performance from a talented jazz musician with shaggy brown hair and a pair of sunglasses, and then headed to bed early. It had all seemed like a perfect evening, though the captain had warned them that some upcoming storms might make their next day of sailing a bit choppy.It was the early hours of the morning when Lizzie was thrown from their bed, with Joel landing next to her a few seconds later. The floor beneath them was rocking wildly, with the sound of pouring rain and splashing waves coming in loud and clear. Next to her, she heard Joel groan."This is a bit more than just choppy," Lizzie grumbled, pulling herself to her feet and stumbling forward as another lurch of the yacht tipped her sideways. She picked up her messenger bag, which contained her notebook, pens, wallet, and a few snacks, and slung it over her shoulder. "We should try to find the captain, Joel... this storm doesn't seem like it's going to go easy on us.""Sure, sure," her husband replied, though he took significantly longer to pull himself to his feet, still messy-haired and bleary-eyed. "I'm kind of glad it woke me up, though. I was having the strangest dream...""Nightmare?""Something like that."Lizzie couldn't help but fix Joel's hair before they left the room, ruffling it before she brushed it back into place. He smiled gratefully and rubbed his eyes, and Lizzie felt that same swell of warmth in her chest that she always felt when she looked at him.They weren't the only ones leaving their room. There was already a cluster of people walking down the hallway: the group of siblings that they'd regularly chatted with while swimming, the parents who refused to acknowledge each other that Lizzie had met at bingo, and their two adult sons, who were coping with their parent's feud in vastly different ways. They were all heading in the direction of the upper deck.One of the siblings, Pearl, nodded at her, but otherwise, Joel and Lizzie joined the pack without much fanfare. No one was focusing on intermingling like they had been for most of the trip - right now, everyone was just continuing forward, likely with the same goal: to check in with the yacht's captain and crew and make sure that everything was okay.The captain was already on the upper deck when they arrived, trying to answer a dizzying array of questions from a small crowd of people. Lizzie recognized a few of them - the jazz pianist and the chef, a stylish bachelor and his friend that Lizzie had befriended a few nights ago, and a few of the yacht's other workers, including the first mate, the engineer, and the deckhand. The employees were asking questions on what to do next and the duo were asking what was going on, and it seemed like the captain was properly overwhelmed. It didn't help that the boat tossing every which way, with rain pouring in from all sides, the meager tarp roof the only thing preventing them all from getting soaked.Lizzie liked the captain, though. He'd been immediately kind, helped them accommodate when Joel had his first bout of seasickness, and insisted they call him by his nickname, not any fancy title - "because my friends call me BigB." So she stepped forward and tried to help, setting a hand on the bachelor's shoulder."Scott," she asked, "did you get woken up by the storm, too? Are you alright?"Th other workers turned their heads to the approaching crowd. Scott nodded in response, and her distraction was enough for the captain to collect himself, take a deep breath, and address the crowd."Everyone, I'm going to request you stay up on the deck!" He called out. "The weather's not looking great, but I assure you, we will do everything in our power to make sure that you're safe. The current's working against us, which means we're getting a bit tossed around, but our goal is to just wait out the storm. Tango, I'm going to ask that you head through the lower hallways and make sure nobody else is in their rooms. I don't want anyone getting lost."The first mate, Tango, nodded. Lizzie took a quick look around, surveying the small crowd. It looked like most of the people she'd gotten to know on this trip were already here - they were on a commercial yacht with plenty of space, but they definitely weren't at full occupancy. Though she didn't think she saw anyone missing, Tango still left the group and disappeared below deck.Joel stumbled as the boat tipped sharply, and Lizzie caught him and steadied herself just in time. The middle child of the siblings, Jimmy, fully lost his balance, and his younger brother Grian quickly pulled him to his feet again, with none of the usual teasing and antics that they usually got up to. BigB managed to stay upright, but his worried look was telling, though he quickly put on a brave face for his passengers."It's best if you all grab yourselves a buddy and stay with them! We want to make sure everyone is accounted for," BigB insisted, though he was practically shouting over the sound of crashing waves, pouring rain, and furious winds. "We're going to start passing around life vests, and if you need someone to check your gear, please find myself or Skizz!""Was this storm expected? It all seems so sudden," Cleo, one half of the dysfunctional parents, asked. She received one of the first life vests and immediately passed it to her son, Scar."We were a bit blindsided by this weather," BigB explained as he passed along another bright orange life vest. "There was nothing that indicated these intense storms in the forecast, and it got heavy much quicker than I thought possible. I've been trying to radio in for more information, but I'm not getting much in the way of a response... there's a lot of interference, and we're having a hard time even understanding what's being said."Joel took a life vest and quickly slipped it over Lizzie's shoulders. Lizzie noticed that her hands were shaking - she hadn't even realized how afraid she was - as Joel buckled her life vest up before reaching over to grab his own."How far away are we from land?" asked Ren, the concert pianist. Lizzie realized that she wasn't sure if she'd ever heard him speak - he was usually so concentrated on his performances, and he didn't show up often besides that. He had an accent that she didn't quite recognize."We're pretty far from shore," BigB admitted, "but there are a few small islands on the radar if we needed to make some kind of emergency expedition to land. But the concern is that they're-"And the yacht lurched again, but this wave wasn't anywhere near as forgiving as the others had been. Lizzie felt herself hit the deck, and then slide, and she tried to grab for Joel's hand but couldn't quite reach him. It took a few seconds for her to realize that the boat had fully tipped sideways. Just before she lost consciousness, she register the fact that she was falling.Then the water came crashing down.
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His head was above water, and that was all that mattered. Joel wasn't sure if he'd been conscious for much of the crash, but all he knew was that he wasn't dead, and he could breathe again. He couldn't hear the boat anymore, or the sounds of any of his fellow passengers - no, all he could hear was the sound of rushing water.Sitting up, he realized that there was sand beneath him. He was in the water on a beach, somewhere in the shallow end, with his life vest keeping him afloat and alive. It was daylight, and he was alone on an island.Joel had to find Lizzie. He needed to make sure that she was okay.He pulled himself to his feet, a bit unsteady at first. Joel had none of his belongings with him, not to mention the fact that he was only wearing a t-shirt, pajama pants, and sandals, all soaking wet. As he got to his feet, he scanned the shoreline, then looked around at the ocean surrounding him. Hauntingly, he realized that he couldn't see any other landmasses anywhere nearby. It was all open ocean, clear and blue and empty and vast."Hello?" he called out, his voice hoarse. "Is anyone there? Hello?"He didn't get any sort of response, but as he turned back towards the beach, he spotted another shape in the water not too far from him. It was unmoving and colored the same bright orange as his own life vest.Immediately, he threw himself forward and started swimming towards the shape. Whether it was Lizzie, or some other passenger, he had to get them out of the water. Their vests had kept them afloat, but something as simple as leaning the wrong way could mean that this person's head dipped underwater. Joel couldn't let them drown, and he needed someone, anyone to be there with him-He reached the shape in the water and did his best to scoop them up. It was immediately clear that this wasn't Lizzie, what with the blonde hair and long, lanky form, but he still did his best to get his fellow passenger back to the shore. They weren't unconscious, but they seemed to have no energy - and Joel couldn't blame them, because even the effort of swimming twenty feet had completely exhausted him. However, they had enough strength to slowly lift their hand and wipe their hair out of their face, and that was when Joel realized that this was Jimmy, the middle child of the three siblings that they'd befriended."Are you okay?" Joel asked, setting his fellow passenger down on the beach. "Can you hear me?"Jimmy's hands fumbled and grabbed the front of his life vest, slowly unbuckling and removing it. "...not feeling so great," he mumbled, "not great at all...""I think the yacht flipped." Joel turned around and scanned the shoreline once again, just to make sure that he didn't miss anything. "But it looks like we ended up on one of the islands that the captain mentioned... and if we're lucky, the yacht will be somewhere nearby, too, and maybe even in sailing condition. But first we need to find the rest of the crew and guests. Can you get up?""Not sure," Jimmy shrugged, his eyes still half-lidded. "It might be better if you just leave me here."But Joel wasn't about to leave his only companion alone. He lifted Jimmy to his feet and pulling the man's arm over his shoulder to support him. Without any sign of where to go, Joel chose a random direction and began moving forward.He got a good look at the island as they walked, because half-carrying Jimmy made their movements fairly slow. It looked relatively sandy, with a smattering of palm trees, plenty of shrubbery and underbrush, and a rocky outcropping further in. There were also some silvery flashes in the water, which hopefully meant that there were fish that could be caught."There's someone there!" Jimmy said suddenly, and Joel immediately spun his head forward. "Do you see them?."There was a person sitting against a nearby palm tree, wearing an identical bright orange life vest. They'd left a trailing path in the sand, leading from the water up to where they were sitting, but their eyes were closed and their body was lifeless."Is that Pearl?" Jimmy asked, dazed.It was. Joel set Jimmy down next to the tree and went to check his older sister's pulse. For a few seconds, he was terrified that she wasn't breathing... but as he gingerly lifted up her hand and pressed two fingers to her inner wrist, he felt Pearl exhale, then her eyes fluttered open."Are you okay?" Joel asked, trying not to sound as worried as he felt.Pearl nodded. "I think I hit my head on something when the yacht tipped. Just needed to rest my eyes.""Jimmy's here," Joel told her, shifting so that she could see her brother. "Do you think you can walk?""Not really," Pearl replied, before leaning forward and grabbing Jimmy's hand, giving it a quick squeeze."It might be better if I leave you here with Jimmy so that you can regain your strength, Pearl," Joel suggested, looking further down the beach. "I want to try to find the other passengers.""Oh, your wife!" Jimmy's head shot up as he realized. "You haven't seen any sign of her?"Joel shook his head, hoping that his dread wasn't showing on his face. "I have to find her.""We'll rest here for a bit and then catch up to you. Go ahead," Pearl insisted, managing a smile. "And thank you."It was lonelier to travel along the beach without Jimmy, but at least Joel could move more quickly, which meant he covered more ground in less time. That meant that he found the yacht fairly quickly, just as he'd wanted... but it wasn't quite in the condition that he had expected or hoped.The yacht was on the shore, turned upside down and completely shattered on its left side, partially buried on its right. The contents of the yacht were scattered everywhere; piles of clothes, chairs, and debris were covered in sand or floating on the waves. And there was someone in the water, gathering the supplies and tossing it into a pile on the beach before it floated away: the captain, BigB.The captain looked like a mess. His clothes were soaking wet and torn, his captain's hat was gone, and he moved like he was struggling to even stand up, much less wade around and gather supplies. When Joel got close enough to finally get his attention, he hardly acknowledged him, looking downtrodden and hopeless."Have you seen anyone else?" Joel asked, cutting right to the chase when BigB didn't say anything. He wasn't really in the mood for pleasantries, anyways. "I've seen Jimmy and Pearl, have you-""I found Tango," BigB replied, sounding grim. "He's hurt. Bad. I had to pull him out of the boat.""Where is he?" Joel asked.BigB nodded over to the pile of the supplies that he'd made on the beach, and Joel spotted something he hadn't noticed before: a limp body, propped up against a cooler. It was the first mate, Tango, and while he was technically conscious, he could barely hold his head up and his leg was bloodied and bent at an odd angle."There'll be more people coming this way. I saw Jimmy - I think he's a paramedic - and maybe he can help," Joel said quickly. "Have you seen my wife? Lizzie? She's a bit shorter than me, and she has dyed pink hair, and-"BigB shook his head, pulling a soaking-wet blanket from the water. "She might be further down the beach."Joel didn't like the wording of 'might be,' but it was clear that BigB wasn't going to be much help. "I'll keep searching, then. But this island... do you know where we are?"The captain took a moment before responding. "There were dozens of small islands on the radar that we were aware of, but most of them were a long way from the coastline. Wherever we are, it's far from civilization. We could hope that a boat or a plane could come this way, but... well, I was taking a path that few others travelled for a reason. This trip was supposed to be private, secluded.""But won't there be rescue teams trying to looking for us?" Joel insisted."They'll certainly try. But I lost signal hours before we capsized... they'll have a hard time figuring out exactly where we are, much less which island we landed on."Joel was at a loss for words. It sounded like things couldn't get any worse, like they were completely and utterly doomed. And BigB had already given up hope, despite the fact that he was supposed to be the leader, the captain. Joel could have hit him right then and there, and he might have, if someone hadn't knocked him over, slamming into him from behind and wrapping him in a tight embrace.For a second, he was baffled. But then, he saw the flash of pink hair and knew exactly who it was."You're okay!" Lizzie cried, clutching Joel's face in her hands, not even bothering to get up from where they were both now sprawled on the beach. "I kept looking for you, but I just found Grian, and he was no help, and I was so scared that you were hurt and I couldn't lose you, I don't know what I'd do without you-"His wife looked like a mess, with sand on her face, her hair still dripping wet, and her pajamas dirty and shredded on the sleeves. It was the most beautiful thing Joel had ever seen.He placed his hands over Lizzie's and smiled. "You'll never lose me if I can help it."And just for that moment, even though they were both still soaked and covered with sand and stranded in the middle of nowhere with bleak chances for survival, everything felt alright.
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Gradually, the survivors found the wreckage of the boat, and their group continued to grow. Lizzie's companion, Grian, reunited with his siblings, and Jimmy (the paramedic) started working to provide support to the injured first mate, Tango (though Lizzie wasn't sure how much he could do, considering that his supplies consisted of a soaked first aid kit and a few wet blankets).The engineer, Impulse, showed up after a while and brought the bachelor's friend, Gem. Cleo and her son Bdubs eventually stumbled over to them with one of the only passengers that Lizzie hadn't really met, Mumbo (who was a bit of a recluse on the yacht but certainly enjoyed the scenery). Later on, they found Skizz the deckhand and Martyn the chef resting not too far away, and Pearl waved down Scott, who'd been swimming around the island in hope of spotting them.The last few stragglers showed up later on, reuniting with their loved ones: Scar was quickly embraced by his mother and brother, Ren the musician's appearance brought great joy to Martyn, and Etho even exchanged a few words with Cleo despite the fact that Lizzie hadn't really seen them talk for most of the trip. There wasn't much chatter amongst the larger group, but there was a new sigh of relief every time someone new turned up.Lizzie hadn't let go of Joel's hand since they'd reunited, but as BigB started to do a headcount, she got an itching to take notes, wanting to record all of the names of the survivors. Her messenger bag hadn't been lost when they capsized because she'd buckled her life jacket over it. So she finally let Joel's hand go for a moment and gingerly pulled out her notebook, laying it open on a rock in hopes that the sun would dry the sopping pages."It looks like he's going to say something," Joel muttered when she returned and sat next to him. Lizzie followed his gaze to see BigB stepping up onto one of the crates that had been recovered from the water, addressing the group."We're going to keep looking for any other survivors," BigB announced, his voice weary but still loud enough to catch the group's attention. "Otherwise, we need to gather as much supplies as possible. Anything will help."The young bachelor, Scott, lifted his hand and spoke. "Do you have access to any sort of communication device?""The radio and phone are all in the helm, but I don't intend to risk anyone's life by asking them to climb into the ship. It isn't stable, and I don't want anyone getting caught inside if it collapses," BigB replied, glancing over to the ship and then looking away quickly."So what's your plan?" Gem chimed in. "How are we going to get help?"BigB shook his head. "It doesn't seem like-""You don't have a plan?" Grian interrupted, sounding incredulous. "Surely you must be joking. You can't expect us to just sit here and-""There's only so much I can do," BigB said firmly, before stepping down from the crate. "Right now, we need to make sure that Tango is okay, and try to find any other survivors.""Well, clearly that speech was a rousing success," Joel muttered under his breath as the conflict continued.Of course, Lizzie knew that Joel's less-than-optimistic view of the situation wasn't exactly helpful in the moment. But she had to be honest, it was nice to hear his usual sarcastic edge return, especially since they'd spent the last few hours panicked and worried. She was glad that he felt safe enough to be making his typical teasing comments again."He's going to lose control of the group," she replied, as the argument began to escalate. "They're going to panic. BigB needs to establish some sort of plan."A few others voiced their concerns: Cleo stood up to complain, Scott and Gem continued to push, and even Mumbo went in to argue, which meant that BigB was once again overwhelmed. It didn't help that most of his staff had taken a step back, with the exception of Skizz, who tried to calm the group with little success.Joel reached over and squeezed her hand before standing up. For a second, Lizzie was surprised to see him moving in. Joel wasn't the kind of person who was afraid to speak up if something was wrong, but he also wasn't exactly the type to join the mob. She stood up too, unsure how to stop him, but then he surprised her."Listen up, folks!" Joel hopped up on a piece of broken ship's hull and raised his voice, grabbing the group's attention. "We're stuck here, so we might as well get some work done while we still have daylight. We need people to collect supplies, like the captain said, but we also need others to gather food and make shelters."A few people in the crowd looked surprised to see him commanding the group's attention. Joel wasn't exactly the typical person you'd expect to bring order, being the drummer in an alt-rock band with a green streak in his hair. But that also had given him experience interacting with a crowd, and he'd become a commendable public speaker.Lizzie joined him on the hull, nodding. She wasn't as good with crowds as Joel, but her career in journalism had given her plenty of experience connecting with people in order to learn their stories, and that meant she'd gotten to know most of the people on the yacht at this point. She hoped that her presence would help reassure them."We need to get an idea of what skills we have here," she chimed in, as Joel slipped his hand in hers. "We know that Jimmy's a paramedic, but does anyone else have any first aid experience? Or does anyone here know anything about nature or foraging? Is anyone here an experienced camper?"Skizz raised his hand. "I'm technically the ship's first aid leader. I have some basic medical training."Martyn stood up as well. "I don't know much about foraging, but I can try to make any of the food we have last as long as possible."Grian nudged his older sister with his elbow, encouraging her forward."I'm a botanist," Pearl stated to the group, a bit sheepish. "I can't claim to be an expert of coastal plants, but I can try my best to identify what will be safe to eat. And Grian," she added, pulling her younger brother forward, "is great at fishing, so he might be able to catch some."Grian tried to duck away from the attention, but Lizzie didn't want to let the momentum die. "That's good! What other skills do we have here?"As it turned out, Impulse was the leader of a scout troop who knew how to light fires, and he started to dig out a space for a firepit a short walk away from the yacht. Cleo knew how to knit, and she suggested weaving the palm fronds together to make shades to block the sun. Scott mentioned that he was a furniture upcycler with some carpentry skills, and Gem offered to join him in the process of building shelters, laying out their remaining blankets to dry in the sun.Joel was quick to assign the remaining survivors a variety of different tasks, such as organizing supplies or collecting firewood. They began putting together a base camp around the firepit, close to the tree line in case the tide came in. Lizzie even convinced BigB to leave Tango to rest and join in on the creation of tents.It was a sight to see. A bunch of people in pajamas, their hair stiff with sea salt, creating a small living area in the middle of a beach. After a short time, Cleo and her sons had made a large palm weaving, which was tied to the top of several large branches. The tarps were laid out on the ground and the blankets were used to create a several tents. In the middle of all of this was the firepit that Impulse had built, which people were using to dry the spare clothes that had been gathered from the shipwreck. Martyn had used some of the packaged food they'd salvaged - dry meat, a bag's worth of potatoes, and a few packets of dried fruit - to create a meal for the group. Pearl had even pulled down some coconuts from a nearby palm tree, and with the help of Gem and several sharp rocks, they'd managed to crack them open and pass out coconut water to the group."I can't believe that we managed to make this much progress," Lizzie admitted to Joel as they took a break by the fire, watching the survivors slowly settle down as the sun started to set."We can't stop here, though. We need new goals. Maybe we explore deeper into the woods, see what we can find," Joel suggested.Lizzie nodded, resting her head on Joel's shoulder. "I think we need to test the yacht, see if it's actually as unstable as BigB thinks it is. If it's safe enough for people to climb into, we might be able to find the radio system in the helm. Though who knows if it's even salvageable at this point...""Yeah, that's probably safer than the woods. Who knows what's in there," Joel shrugged. "Whatever we do tomorrow, though, it'll be nice if we can distract those three."He nodded towards the siblings. Grian and Jimmy were struggling to put up their own tent, and Pearl had already given up, sitting back and watching as her younger brothers struggled to work together. Even getting stranded on a deserted island couldn't keep Grian from teasing Jimmy, which distracted him long enough to allow the blanket to slip back into the sand, sending them back to square one."I'm glad they've still got energy, at least," Lizzie sighed.She continued to people watch, scanning the survivors around her. The other set of brothers, Scar and Bdubs, were much more relaxed, sitting with their mother, Cleo. Etho had been staying at Tango's side, keeping an eye on the man with the now-bandaged leg. Mumbo had joined Martyn and Ren by the fire, and Scott and Gem were getting along with Impulse and Skizz, all while BigB sat in front of his tent, observing the group just like she was. He looked neutral, though it was hard to tell if the expression on his face was relief or apathy.Lizzie just had to tell herself it wasn't hopelessness.
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Joel and Lizzie were in a tent with the captain and Mumbo (because the tents were relatively big, and sharing allowed them to use the remaining leftover blankets for warmth). BigB fell asleep fast and it became quickly clear that he occasionally spoke in his sleep, mumbling nonsensical words under his breath. Mumbo fell asleep next, and it turned out he snored."It could be worse," Lizzie whispered to him. "We could be Scar or Bdubs right now."The family was sharing the tent next to them, and Etho and Cleo had been bickering for most of the night. It seemed like the rest of the survivors had elected to pretend not to hear this, so Joel and Lizzie followed suit. It was nice to relax with her by his side, even if he sleeping was the last thing Joel wanted to do."I know you're distracted, but let your mind rest for a bit," Lizzie insisted. "We need to get some sleep."Eventually he did nod off. It was deeply peaceful in their tent, despite the fact that they were stranded on this island with little hope. No matter where they were, he felt at home as long as he was in her arms.But then the dreams came.At first, it was the same dream he'd had on the boat. He was waist-deep in water, the wind swirling around him. It was harsh and deep and dark and he couldn't feel anything beneath his feet. Someone was watching him, and he knew they wanted him to do something, but he didn't know what, and the water was getting harder to push through, thickening into quicksand and trapping him, slowly pulling him under until he couldn't breathe. It felt like a premonition; it felt like a punishment. He had messed up, done something wrong, failed a crucial task, even though he desperately knew he had to succeed.Joel woke up in a cold sweat, gasping awake. He tried to take control of his breathing as soon as he realized he was actively hyperventilating, hoping that the sound of it all didn't wake Lizzie. Thankfully, she was still sleeping soundly, her arm tucked under his chest and his arm crossed over her waist.Slowly, carefully, he pulled himself away from her and got to his feet. The space where he once was looked strangely empty, but he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep next to her again. Maybe taking a walk would help.The fire was nothing but embers now, glowing faintly. Still, the moon was bright enough to illuminate the beach, allowing him to wander slowly down the shore. Joel wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he knew he couldn't sit still. Maybe he could find something helpful on this cursed island. Maybe he'd find the solution to get them out of here.He was drawn to the woods.It wasn't like he sensed anything there at first, it just felt like the next place to go. If they couldn't find any more supplies washed up on the sand, maybe there would be something past the trees that could help. Maybe they'd find some evidence that humans had been here before, or perhaps some kind of tool that could help them out. As he wandered up the beach and into the woods, Joel felt tranquil and curious. Not afraid.Fallen dried palm leaves and small stones crunched beneath his feet. Briefly, he considered going back and telling Lizzie where he was going, so that she didn't wake up and worry when he was gone. But then he reasoned that Lizzie would probably prefer to get more sleep, and besides, she'd probably discourage him from exploring anyways. She'd want him to be safe, to travel with a group, to go during the daylight. And she would probably be correct in that notion, but Joel couldn't go back to sleep now. He wanted to explore these woods.The trees got denser, and ferns and fronds dangled down from tall branches, brushing against Joel's head. He could hear the wind whistling as it breezed past him, but otherwise there was very little noise. For a second, Joel acknowledged that as strange. He'd assumed there would be some sort of small animal living on this island, even something as tiny as rodents or insects. But no, he couldn't hear anything moving at all.Eventually, he reached a clearing that seemed almost abrupt, opening into a grassy area with moonlight illuminating it. He'd reached the edge of the rocky outcropping that he'd spotted from afar, not quite tall enough to be considered a mountain, but still a significant pile of boulders and withered tree roots that might take days to climb and travel over. The clearing was strangely peaceful, and for a second Joel basked in the moonlight, enjoying the calmness of it all.Then, on the rock in front of him, he spotted the carving of a distinct shape, deep and sharp and angled and surrounded by swirls and symbols, and as he stepped closer to investigate, he saw a few drops of water fall out of the carved eye, like tears."This has to be man-made," Joel whispered to himself, looking closely at the eye. It was impressively carved, and it looked like it had been created with some sort of mechanical tool, not just by some lone castaway. Being near it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.He stepped away and started to turn, ready to head back to the tents and tell Lizzie all about this in the morning. But he slowed, then stepped toward the eye again, his hand raised this time. He felt strangely drawn to the carving. Maybe it was the moonlight shining off of the eye, or maybe it was the intensity of the stare as it looked at him. Joel just wanted to feel the carving under his fingers.He brought his hand closer, pulled it away slightly, and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Then he pressed his fingers to the eye, right around the pupil, feeling the cool stone and sharp edge.Instantly his knees buckled and his head slammed backwards, and the world around him went fuzzy. This was wrong, Joel realized distantly, very wrong, though he wasn't sure what was even going on anymore. He could hear whispers, could feel his entire body stiff and shaking like he'd just been electrocuted. For a second, he could have sworn that the carved eye blinked at him.There were translucent beings surrounding him, glowing with light but incomprehensible. Joel couldn't make out any of their features, but he knew they were all watching him, waiting to see how he would react. Seeing if he could take it."What the..." he croaked, slumping further to the ground.But then one of them started whispering to him. A greeting, a welcome, a proposal. He listened to their plan; he had no other choice.There was no moonlight anymore. Everything else seemed so dark in comparison to them.
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Lizzie found herself waking with the sunrise. Joel was still asleep, so she let him rest and climbed out of the tent into the pink-tinted sunlight. She had to admit it was beautiful out here, even if their situation was bleak.Someone was already awake, standing knee-deep in the water a short walk away from the beach. They were holding a long stick and seemed to be looking for something. Lizzie waded out to join them without hesitation.Grian nodded as she approached and then jumped forward, swinging his stick at the water. He'd fashioned a net of sorts, combining the burlap cloth from the bag of potatoes with a crooked tree branch, which he used to sweep a silvery fish out of the water. He showed it to her, and she smiled, impressed. The fish was a bit bigger than her hand, and though it wouldn't be a filling meal on its own, it looked like Grian was just getting started.She went back to their camp and picked up an empty bucket from their pile of supplies, then returned to the water. They began working together to gather enough food for the entire yacht group.It was honestly pretty nice working alongside Grian. She'd known him to be a bit mischievous and loud (like any youngest sibling) around Jimmy and Pearl, but alone, he didn't really talk much. No, he was just focused and in control of his situation. He was able to wade through the water like it was nothing, and catch fish quicker than she could even see them. He seemed to appreciate her help, and she appreciated having something to do.When they caught their last fish and waded to the shore, Grian thanked her before they returned to the rest of the group."No, thank you for letting me join you," Lizzie replied.They'd been in the water for a while, so when they reached the camp, there was already a circle of people around the re-lit campfire. Plenty of eyes were on them as they passed the bucket of fish to Martyn, who immediately began sorting through them and preparing them for cooking. Cleo was huddled together with her sons, Grian took a seat next to Mumbo, and Impulse was helping lower Tango down onto the beach.Lizzie paid attention to the first mate as she took a seat next to Grian. Tango's leg was covered in makeshift bandages and held stiff with a stick to keep it straight. She'd seen the awful angle it had been bent at, and though it was in much better shape now, she couldn't help but notice that the bandage was slightly pink with blood, and that Tango seemed like he was barely able to keep himself upright without Impulse's help. He needed serious medical attention, and she hated that the best they could do was a single paramedic, some painkillers from the first aid kit, and a couple of torn blankets as bandages."Have you seen the captain?" Grian asked.Lizzie jumped (as she'd been seriously distracted, and she honestly hadn't heard Grian say more than two words this entire morning). "Oh, uh... he and Joel were both asleep, last I checked. Mumbo, did you see them?"Mumbo shrugged. "They were gone when I woke up. Maybe they went back to the shipwreck?""That's probably it," Lizzie shrugged, glancing down the beach at the remains of the yacht. "I'll go look for them."She wanted to speak with Joel, anyways, and there weren't many other places that they could have gone on the beach where she couldn't see them. Except the woods, she reasoned, but Joel would have no reason to go there.On her way back to the beached yacht, she picked up her notebook. It had dried out on the rock overnight and the pages were stiff but usable - hopefully her pens would still work, too. Lizzie planned to start recording the details of their situation soon; she wanted to write down the names, the circumstances, and their plans to move forward. But first she had to find her husband.She heard Joel and BigB before she saw them. Not wanting to interrupt, she stayed quiet and listened as she approached the yacht."Where exactly is the helm? What would be the quickest way to get to it?"That voice was Joel's, she knew it well. He still sounded calm, in control."It's on the lower floor, so you'd have to climb a ways. Thought the boat definitely isn't structurally sound, and you'd have to-""That doesn't matter. It's possible that the radio was damaged by water, anyways, right?""Could be." It was definitely BigB's voice responding, though he sounded a bit caught off guard by Joel's interrupting. Lizzie couldn't blame him - she was surprised to hear Joel be so sharp, too. "Though it's a pretty hardy machine, so maybe there's a chance.""And are there any other communication devices on the boat?" Joel continued to push.She heard the sound of feet shuffling in the sand. "Well, the phone's probably ruined. And there's the satellite communicator-""Satellite?"Lizzie had fully reached the yacht at this point, but she'd paused before turning the corner to greet Joel and the captain. Not that she was eavesdropping... she just wanted to hear exactly where Joel was going with this. This sounded like what they'd discussed last night, checking to see if they could reach the radio system... though she was surprised that Joel had jumped on it this fast, especially without telling her first."Yeah, the satellite was there, on the pole in the middle of the main deck. But it looks like it got knocked off, and we haven't seen any sign of it.""Well, that'd be hard to fix, anyways.""It would be," BigB replied. "We don't have many tools out here... though if anyone could do it, it'd be Impulse. Best engineer I've ever seen.""Good to know."Lizzie decided that this was a good enough pause for her to interrupt. She rounded the tip of the yacht, pretending like she hadn't been hovering for the past minute or so. "Hey, I thought I'd find you here. Checking out the yacht?"BigB looked surprised by her sudden appearance, but Joel didn't seem phased. He'd lived with her, after all, and had gotten used to her popping up whenever she had a new idea or project or random thought that she wanted to share."We were just heading back," he said briskly, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes. "Is breakfast ready?""It is."Joel was quick to scarf down the fish and some leafy greens that Pearl had harvested (some sort of fern that she suspected was edible), but Lizzie didn't eat, choosing to spent her morning writing down the list of survivors in her notebook. The pen was a bit splotchy after being submerged in saltwater, but she was able to get it to work with some pressure. After that, she continued writing, listing off the way they'd put together the camp, the foods they'd salvaged, and the details that BigB had provided about the radio, phone, and satellite."What are you writing?" Joel asked, peeking over her shoulder."Oh, I just wanted to make a record of everything we've done," Lizzie explained, "so that I can remember it all as accurately as possible. I don't know if we'll make it back... but if we do, I want to be able to tell our story to the world."Joel didn't respond, just took another bite of his breakfast.Lizzie started to write a note about the injured first mate just as Jimmy arrived at the campfire circle. He didn't get any breakfast, and instead started to replace Tango's bandages. As he worked, Jimmy fielded a few questions from the other survivors: Cleo asked what they could do about a bruise she had on her arm from the initial yacht tipping, Martyn requested to have a smaller cut on his shoulder bandaged up as well, and Scott questioned how they could deal with the intense sun.It was interested to watch Jimmy work, as though he was a bit scatterbrained and also clearly wasn't an expert on every injury in the book, he still did his absolute best to support everyone there. He suggested that Cleo elevate the bruise, wrapped up Martyn's shoulder without question, and instructed the entire group about how to avoid sunburn (lots of shade, staying hydrated to avoid heat stroke, and even wearing extra clothing to protect their skin). Though he wasn't a leader, he was trusted. Lizzie made a note of this......and so did Joel. As soon as Jimmy had a second of free time, Joel was on his feet and talking to the man, asking him questions that Lizzie couldn't quite hear. Lizzie wondered what exactly he was asking about. It felt like Joel already had a plan, though she had no idea what that plan was.Joel was being a leader and keeping things under control, she knew that. But Lizzie couldn't help but feel like she was missing something. There was something about the way Joel was talking, how he was acting, that struck her as odd.But she was probably just being paranoid. Joel was just being proactive. He didn't have to tell her all of his plans. Lizzie just had to distract herself, get caught up in helping the group for the rest of the day. They had a lot of work ahead of them, after all. She had to focus on survival.
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Joel was under the water, and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't get up to the surface. The waves were crashing and rushing, and the light above him was getting further and further away, fading until everything was dark and suffocating and then-It changed, and suddenly he was surrounded by a different kind of smothering pressure. The deafening sound of surging water turned to screaming and stomping, and the overwhelming darkness became painfully bright lights, and even though he knew that he could inhale without choking on water, he somehow couldn't bring himself to take a breath. He knew he was supposed to be doing something, that he had expectations he was ignoring, and that there would be disastrous consequences if he didn't act soon.And then he woke up, inhaling sharply as he scrambled upwards, his fingers digging into the sand.He wasn't in the water. He wasn't in front of a crowd. No, he was in his tent with Lizzie on the island, with Mumbo snoring next to him and the captain curled up in the corner, muttering nonsense in his sleep.Thankfully, Joel's sudden awakening didn't disturb his wife, but he was still careful as he gently leaned away from her and got to his feet. He slowly left the tent, careful to not tread too loudly on the sand.The tent next to them had the parents and their two sons, and the one next to that had the three siblings plus Scott and Gem. Thankfully, the person that he was looking for was lying closest to the entrance, breathing slowly as he slept."Jimmy?" Joel whispered, crouching down and trying to wake the man as quietly as possible. "Jimmy, wake up."He woke with a start, his blonde hair a mess as he rolled over and pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Huh?""Jimmy, I need your help with something," Joel hissed, nervous as he noticed Grian shifting in his sleep nearby. "But don't wake your siblings!""Is it Tango's leg?" Jimmy asked blearily, getting to his feet and stumbling out of the tent. "I told him he shouldn't be putting any weight on that thing, I swear-""It's not that," Joel reassured him, continuing forwards so that Jimmy would follow. "But it's something that only you can help me with."Jimmy seemed a bit more awake as he registered the words 'only you.' He nodded and followed Joel forward as they began their second trek down the beach since the crash.Joel and Jimmy had spent the better part of the last day together, helping Pearl knock down more coconuts, fishing with Grian and Mumbo, and eating by the fire while Lizzie attempted to break up an argument between Etho and Scar (which had led to Bdubs defending his dad and Cleo ignoring all of them). He and Jimmy got along rather well, and though his new companion was occasionally called aside to help with Tango or assist someone with an ailment or pain, he had otherwise stuck to Joel like glue.Honestly, Joel suspected that Jimmy was a little starstruck; he knew the type, and Jimmy wasn't exactly good at hiding it. Joel had clocked the people on the yacht who recognized him from his band fairly early during their trip: Impulse and Skizz were rock fans, but they were interested in bands much older than his, Gem and Scott definitely recognized him but were trying to play it cool, and Jimmy, unlike his siblings, definitely knew him. So of course, when Joel wanted to spend time with him, Jimmy jumped at the opportunity.He was a bit flustered, overly eager, desperate to please. It was kind of cute. And it made Joel's plan much easier."Where are we going, exactly?" Jimmy asked, rubbing his eyes and jogging to keep up."To the woods," Joel replied, steering them closer and closer to the tree line. "I found something out there, something that might be helpful to all of us, but I want you to take a look at it first."The route already felt so familiar to Joel, as if he'd walked it a million times. Past the fallen tree, through a particularly rocky bit, around a few palm saplings, and into the clearing, where the moonlight was just as bright as ever and the carving was staring at him sharply. Jimmy followed closely behind, a bit slower, looking around at the trees. He was more hesitant than before, but he didn't voice any concerns. He trusted Joel."This clearing is nice, isn't it?" Joel asked, gazing up at the sky above them. "It's so quiet out here. So peaceful.""It is," Jimmy agreed, looking up as well.Glancing over, Joel noticed that Jimmy was wringing his hands. He couldn't risk the man getting nervous and fleeing, not when he'd already gotten this far. If Jimmy knew about this location and left, then he could tell anyone.Joel couldn't let anyone else see the eye yet. Not until they were ready."I found this carving out here," Joel went on, looking down at the carved rock in front of him. "I'm not sure who created it. Doesn't it look manmade?"His companion looked down and raised his eyebrows, noticing the eye for the first time. "Oh, yeah, wow. Kind of spooky, isn't it?""I suppose," Joel conceded."Is this the thing you found?" Jimmy asked, looking over at Joel. "The thing that might be helpful to all of us?"Joel nodded. "Can't you feel it?""Feel what?""The eye. It's watching us both."Jimmy took a step backwards. He was trying to keep his face calm, but he was bad at hiding his emotions. "Well, I'm not sure what I can do with this, anyways-""No, no, wait." Joel stepped back towards him, circling around Jimmy and putting a hand on his companion's back. "I was just messing around. What, do you think I'm crazy or something?"For a second, Jimmy looked even more baffled, but then he managed a laugh. "Yeah, very funny. What, was this all just some big prank?""I was just joking. Don't worry about it, Jimmy," Joel reassured him. "Here, give me your hand.""What?"Joel put his hand out, palm up. "Put your hand in mine."Jimmy looked ready to question it, but Joel noticed that his cheeks were going pink, either embarrassed or starstruck or something else, Joel didn't care what. "I mean- I guess I can-"He reached out his hand and set it on Joel's, open and willing."Do you trust me?" Joel asked."I-" Jimmy's eyes darted back to the carving. "Yes, of course, but-"Joel surged forward, pushing Jimmy with him using the hand on his back. Jimmy didn't pull away, but he was properly caught off guard, stumbling and then digging his heels into the sand. But he was already close enough, and using his other hand, Joel pressed Jimmy's fingers against the carving of the eye.Jimmy's head snapped backwards, and Joel caught him just before he could collapse. Jimmy convulsed for a second, but Joel kept him upright, keeping his hand pressed to the carving. The moonlight seemed dimmer, dimmer.He couldn't see what Jimmy was seeing, but he could hear their whispers. The next steps of the plan."No, no her," Joel muttered in response, closing his eyes and concentrating. "Not yet. I have someone else in mind."They didn't seem pleased with that answer."It'll happen in time. But for now, I'll bring you someone else," Joel insisted.Jimmy let out a low groan, his eyelids fluttering. His body tipped, and Joel struggled to keep him steady, but he made sure that the man's hand never left the carving. He pressed it against the sharp edges of the rock, so forcefully that blood welled and spilled down Jimmy's fingertips, dripping onto his palm."He'll be a good help," Joel assured those watching. Though he couldn't see their glowing forms, he could feel their intense gaze on his back. "They trust him. I offer him to you without hesitation."There were whispers of disapproval, but he knew they wouldn't argue with him any further. He could feel the pressure of them, the weight of their embrace."I'll get you someone even better next," he promised. "Tomorrow night, I'll bring the captain."
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Lizzie woke early again, the sunrise shining through a crack in the tent flaps. Joel was still fast asleep, looking peaceful. She gently stepped around him and headed out onto the beach alone.Grian was fishing again, silhouetted in reddish-orange alongside a new companion: Mumbo, Lizzie's tentmate. But they wasn't the only ones up early: Grian's sister, Pearl, was also awake and active, walking down the tree line and closely examining the vegetation.Lizzie found herself hovering, watching Pearl's process. The botanist had already gathered an armful of greens and was palming through a bushy shrub with her other hand. She picked up something, pressed it between her fingers, and sniffed it. Then, something seemed to occur to her, and she nodded with approval. Pearl turned around as if to grab Grian's attention, but then spotted Lizzie significantly closer and waved her over.As she got closer, Lizzie noticed several small, purplish fruits growing on the bush. Pearl dropped a squashed one from her hand and was pulling another one as Lizzie finally reached her side."I have no idea what kind of fruit these are," Pearl prefaced, "because I specialize in Australian plant life, not Caribbean, but I think these are safe to eat. Usually bluish-purple skin is a good sign that a fruit is edible, but that's not foolproof. And these have a whitish interior which initially worried me, so I'm doing a contact test to see if the juice will cause any irritation on my skin. But then I realized that I recognized the smell. Here, see if you know it."She handed another one of the fruits to Lizzie, who took a tentative sniff. It was sweet but not overpowering and distantly familiar."Smells like plum, right?" said Pearl, smiling. "It might be a similar species. And if they're edible, that's a complete game changer for us. There's tons of these bushes dotted around this island - and they've got a pit, which we could use to grow more.""But are you sure we should eat it if you're not certain it's edible?" Lizzie asked, handing the fruit back to Pearl."Well, there's no itchiness in the area of the contact test, which means we'll move on to the next step. I'll just do the same process that I did for these greens," Pearl shrugged, standing up. "If I don't die, we should be fine."And with that, she took a bite out of the fruit, chewed, and swallowed."Pearl!" Lizzie felt her breath hitch. "What if that's toxic! We can't risk you-""It's fine. It likely won't kill me. At worst, it'll just get me sick," Pearl reassured, looking amused by Lizzie's concern. "If we can guarantee that this is safe, it's another food source, and that's something we desperately need. What we salvaged from the ship definitely isn't enough."Lizzie's face twisted at that realization. "I didn't realize we were already so low on food.""18 adults can eat a lot, even in a few days." Pearl's face settled, but her tone was anything but calm. She turned to face her brother, watching as he successfully netted another fish. "Starvation is dangerous. We're lucky that we've got these coconuts for calories and hydration, otherwise we'd risk dehydration too, but even that won't provide the nutrients we need after a while.""So how long do you think we've got?" Lizzie asked, even though she desperately didn't want to know the answer.Pearl shrugged and crossed her arms. "Maybe a week or two. Let's just hope that the group continues to cooperate with one another. If we start fighting, this situation goes from dangerous to unsurviveable."They were silent for a moment, watching Grian and Mumbo carry their bucket of fish back to the shore. Despite everything, both of them still had some pep in their step."Pearl," Lizzie continued, her voice quieter now. "For the sake of the entire group, don't repeat what you just said to me to anyone else. If we kill their morale, we don't stand a chance of getting off this island.""I know," Pearl replied quietly, not taking her eyes off her younger brother's smiling face. "I know."------She and Pearl settled around the campfire and ate their breakfasts alongside Grian and Mumbo. Martyn was showing Ren how to debone and cook one of the fish, and BigB was once again sitting alone, looking grim.Pearl started tying her hair back in a braid and Lizzie returned to writing in her notebook, recording what Pearl had said about the mystery fruit and listening to Martyn's fish-prep technique. She also, on a page near the back, started noting something that she hoped no one else would read.'Joel has been acting different. He's been spending a lot of time with Jimmy.'That was honestly just the tip of the iceberg when it came to weird things that Joel had done recently. He'd going off to speak to BigB without her and had been stiff when she tried to talk about her writing. In the past day, in fact, he hadn't talked to her much at all. He'd spend most of his day at Jimmy's side, not hers.She couldn't let that worry her. Still, couldn't hurt to make note of it."What are our plans going forward, Lizzie?" Pearl asked brightly, causing Lizzie to look up. Pearl had finished braiding and was now standing up, projecting her voice louder than usual, as if she was making an effort to be heard."Oh, right, yeah," Lizzie replied, immediately recognizing what Pearl was doing. "We need to keep foraging for the food supply, and we were thinking of exploring the yacht further. It'd be good to look for extra gear in the wreckage, like clothes and water bottles. And if we can make it to the helm, we want to see if we can salvage the radio.""That's a great idea. We just need to confirm that the yacht is structurally sound first," Pearl nodded, her voice loud enough to have drawn Joel and Scott from their tents. "But that's definitely something we can do as a team, right?""Absolutely," Lizzie nodded. "We're also on the lookout for a satellite that was on the deck. If anyone sees something like that, be sure to talk to me or Joel."She noticed that BigB raised his eyebrows at the mention of the satellite, but didn't say anything. Too late, Lizzie realized that he'd told Joel about this before she'd technically arrived yesterday... and though Joel didn't seem to have connected the dots, BigB definitely had. He now knew that she'd been eavesdropping."Who here can help with the investigation of the yacht?" asked Pearl, turning to the group around the campfire. "Raise your hands if you will, and everyone else can go with me to forage and gather firewood."Ren and Martyn both raised their hands, as did Grian. Joel followed suit after a moment of consideration."That's great," Lizzie said, smiling while trying to make eye contact with Joel. She couldn't quite manage to catch his eye. "How about we bring BigB with us to-""Someone bring the medic! QUICKLY!"The flaps of the last tent flew open, and Impulse stumbled out, looking deeply concerned. "Where's Jimmy?"Lizzie was at the entrance of the tent in an instant, with Joel getting there soon after. Inside, Skizz was crouched over Tango, who was covered in sweat and taking in shallow breaths. Despite the fact that the island was exceptionally hot, he was shivering. Skizz was shaking his shoulders, but Tango didn't seem to be waking up.Joel pulled Lizzie aside as Jimmy pushed through, kneeling down next to Tango. He put a hand to Tango's forehead to take his temperature, leaned in close to listen to his breathing, and gingerly unwrapped the man's bandages. There was very little blood this time... in fact, his wound looked pale and splotchy. Based on the look on Jimmy's face, that definitely wasn't a good sign."He needs more fluids," Jimmy announced to the group. "If we can find some sort of water source, that would be ideal. And we need antibiotics, but obviously there's only so much I can do. I..."He paused, seemingly at a loss for words. Skizz put a hand on his shoulder, but Jimmy shook it off, his expression darker than usual."I'll stay by his side until he's able to regain consciousness. I think right now he's just... fighting it," Jimmy muttered, checking Tango's pulse with two fingers. "An injury that's exposed to ocean water is already going to be bad, but without any medical treatment..."Someone gently put their hand on Lizzie's arm and turned her away from Jimmy and Tango. Lizzie realized belatedly that there were tears welling in her eyes. She expected it to be Joel, but when she turned, she saw Pearl, who was still maintaining a smile, though it was sadder now."I'll make sure that Jimmy has everything he needs," Pearl reassured her. "You and Joel should take a group to the yacht."Lizzie nodded, wiping her eyes. "You're right, you're right. Joel, we should head to the shipwreck."Joel narrowed his eyes at Pearl, seemingly intrigued by her newfound involvement. "We're going to need BigB's help. Nobody knows that yacht better than him.""You're right." Lizzie turned to the ship's captain. "BigB, we need to figure out if the yacht is stable."BigB was staring directly into the campfire, his face blank. He didn't look up when Lizzie addressed him. "It's not safe. We can't have people going in there.""We have to at least try," Lizzie encouraged. "If we approach things slowly, and if we have a good understanding of the yacht's layout, we can-""And risk the boat collapsing on someone?" BigB cut her off, his voice flat. "We can't even treat the injured person we have. I can't risk anyone else getting injured.""The radio is our best chance of calling for help," Pearl argued, stepping next to Lizzie. "If we can get it to work, we might be able to get Tango the help he needs."BigB shook his head, still staring into the burning wood of the fire. "I won't be the reason anyone else gets hurt. If you want to explore that boat, you're going to have to do it without me. The radio's probably damaged beyond repair, anyways."Pearl huffed. "But-""Don't try to argue with me about this," BigB said through gritted teeth. "You're all acting like fools. Stop ignoring the reality that we're stuck in. Optimism is useless at a time like this.""Hold on-" Lizzie started to say."You're not going to convince me," insisted BigB, raising his voice, "so stop trying."And with that, he stood and returned to his tent, leaving their camp tense and silent.------Lizzie and Joel did take a group out to the ship, but it wasn't with as many people as they'd have liked. Ren and Martyn suddenly seemed much less interested after the confrontation with BigB, so it was just the two of them and Grian (though Pearl had also managed to convince Impulse to go along, thankfully. He'd been desperate to get out of the camp after seeing Tango's state, and Lizzie was glad to have someone with them who knew a lot about the yacht)."We should enter one at a time," Grian suggested, once they'd circled the beached ship. "Head in a short distance, and then leave. And nobody should go in without someone on the outside to supervise... in case they need to be pulled out.""Are you volunteering?" Joel asked, raising his eyebrows.Grian shrugged. "I'll do it. I'm not scared. I mean, if it was going to collapse, wouldn't it have done it already?"Joel shrugged in response."Just make sure you touch as little as possible," Lizzie insisted. "That could be what triggers a collapse. And Impulse, is there anything he should be looking for?"Impulse squinted at the yacht. "Be careful of wires... anything electric could still shock you. Keep an eye out for water bottles... I know we had a big supply of them in the mess hall, and it sounds like that would be a huge help right now. And be sure not to-""Yeah, yeah, you don't have to worry about me," Grian shrugged, looking unbothered. "I've got this all under control.""Please, just be safe," insisted Impulse, who looked deeply stressed.Grian nodded nonchalantly and approached the yacht's deck. The passage down to the lower floors open like a doorway in front of him, with the stairs looming above his head. When Grian stepped one foot into the stairway, Lizzie audibly winced, but though the wood creaked, it didn't break. He carefully pulled his other foot in, and then stepped forward once, twice, three times, until he vanished from view, with Impulse hoovering nervously by the doorway.Lizzie reached out and grabbed Joel's hand, so nervous that she could hardly stand it. He looked over at her as she did so, and though it was barely a glance, she noticed the stiffness in his face, like he was looking at a stranger. Joel looked downright uncomfortable, almost dismayed by her presence. He had never once looked at her like that before."Are you okay?" she asked, her brow creasing in concern."Yeah, sure," Joel shrugged, his eyes drifting down the beach."No, seriously," Lizzie continued. "I want to make sure you're comfortable. I don't have to hold your hand if you don't want me to."She released his hand gently, letting it fall to his side."It doesn't matter," Joel muttered. "I'm fine.""You don't seem fine," Lizzie argued. "It's like you're avoiding me. Did I do something wrong?""Just let it go," sighed Joel, taking a step away from her. "There are other things we need to handle right now."Lizzie could feel the frustration welling up inside her. "I don't have to hold your hand if you don't want me to. But can you at least talk to me? You've been weird and distant lately. I know that things are difficult right now, but I don't want to-""Can you just let this go?" Joel said angrily, cutting her off.Lizzie stepped back, stunned by his sudden harshness. She'd never know Joel to be this uncommunicative, even when they fought. He was always so patient, so understanding, always willing to compromise. Lizzie scanned Joel up and down, looking for any sign that there was more to this."What's that on your hand?" she asked.Joel scoffed, but he immediately shifted his arm behind him, hiding what she'd spotted. "What are you talking about?""You have blood on your hand," Lizzie pointed out. "Did you hurt yourself?""It's not my blood, it's Jimmy's," Joel sighed, turning away from her."Jimmy's?" Lizzie shook her head. "Why do you have Jimmy's blood on your hand?""He cut his hand. The blood got on mine.""Where have you been that you could have gotten Jimmy's blood on your hand?" Lizzie accused. Her heart was pounding in her chest.Joel's face twisted, as if he was just now realizing that he'd revealed more than he'd meant to. "Listen, it's not any of your business.""You didn't have that on your hand last night. And Jimmy went right from his tent to Tango's this morning, from what I saw." Lizzie had to fight to keep her voice even, despite the fact that she felt like she could scream. "When did you get that on your hand? What have you been doing behind my back?""I'm not-""Hey!"They both turned to see Grian, stepping out of the beached yacht next to Impulse (who had been staring down at the beach silently while they argued). Grian had definitely overheard their quarrel, but seemingly elected to ignore it. He was holding something that Lizzie couldn't quite see, looking incredibly proud of himself."Check it out."And he held up his findings. Grey, curved, and dented, dripping with water but still clearly intact, was just the item that they'd been looking for: it was the satellite.
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Joel didn't bother going back to the tent that night. He knew Lizzie wouldn't want him there. But what did she know? How could she even comprehend what he was dealing with? She'd be better off if he just stayed away, anyways.He waited until the moon was high in the sky and the fire was nothing but embers. Someone else stayed out with him, long after Gem and Scott had headed to bed, whispering to each other. Joel's companion had spent most of the day sitting here, staring into the open flames."Are you doing alright?" Joel asked him, keeping his voice low as to not wake the other survivors.BigB shrugged, his face clear and bright in the moonlight. "I don't know how much longer I can do this.""You'll be alright," Joel assured him. "We're here for you.""Who's we?" BigB asked, his eyes not leaving the campfire.As if on cue, Jimmy stepped out of Tango's tent. He took a seat on the other side of BigB, his shirt damp with sweat after a long, difficult day."Aren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on Tango?" BigB said, though he didn't sound too skeptical."I've got Skizz watching him while I rest," Jimmy responded. "He's got some basic medical training. Tango should be fine, he's not gotten any worse since this morning.""Right," BigB nodded, still looking down at the embers.They were silent again, with Joel and Jimmy exchanging furtive glances as BigB remained unmoving, watching as the last cinders dimmed, dimmed, until the fire was completely gone."You have no plan," Joel began, knowing his words were cutting. "You've actively denied any solutions to potentially communicate for help. Not to mention arguing with my wife and Jimmy's sister while they try to do something, anything, to help these people. Since the ship crashed, you've been nothing but mournful and silent, completely uninvolved."BigB didn't respond, but he blinked several times as he processed Joel's words."Tango's deathly hurt, Skizz is trying to do anything to help because he feels obligated, and Impulse is a nervous wreck," Joel continued. "Lizzie and I have been trying to be leaders, but we can only do so much. The passengers and workers of the yacht needed you to step up, BigB. But you didn't. You failed them.""Are you just going to sit there and insult me," BigB asked, his voice heavy, "or do you have a point to make?"Joel brushed his hair out of his face and turned away. "Don't you feel like you have an obligation to do something? A need to make a change, to help the people here that were your responsibility?""Be honest with yourself, Joel," BigB responded. "Do you think we have any chance of getting off this island? Is there anything that I could do to change our fate?"Joel stayed silent, waiting to see where this was going."I'm the reason that Tango got injured. I'm the reason that we weren't able to radio for help in time. Not to mention that, as the captain, the blame for the crash falls solely on me," continued BigB, his voice low and gravelly. "It's all my fault. Do you know how hard it is to handle that guilt? I can't do this anymore. If I try to be the leader again, I'll just get more people hurt.""Maybe there's a way to help these people without worrying about putting them in harm's way," Jimmy suggested, speaking up.Joel nodded and glanced over at his partner. Jimmy's face was calm, reassuring, a bit vulnerable in its kindness. He was inviting BigB in, playing the good cop to Joel's bad cop."There'll be no climbing in ruined yachts, or anything dangerous like that," Jimmy explained, shifting closer to BigB. "It's just a walk in the woods. We want to show you something."Joel saw BigB glance over at Jimmy, just for a moment."I don't think I'm the person you want for this," BigB muttered, shaking his head. "Get someone who can actually help. Your sister, Pearl, she'd be better than me. Or your wife, Joel-""No." Joel replied, almost instantly."Not Pearl," Jimmy agreed. "We need you. You can make a real difference. We know you can, BigB."BigB let out a long sigh, then stood up. "I get the feeling that you're not going to leave me alone until this happens. So go ahead, lead the way."The trek through the woods was so familiar at this point. Where BigB stumbled and tripped over shrubbery and fallen branches, Joel and Jimmy stepped around them with ease. Past that same fallen tree, through the particularly rocky bit, around the patch of saplings. The moon shone through the palm fronds, dousing them in cool, silverly light.It was still so silent in the woods. No sound of scuttling rodents, flapping birds, nor the scratch of bugs. There wasn't even the brush of leaves in the wind.They reached the clearing near the rocky outcropping, and Joel and Jimmy turned together to face BigB, blocking the sight of the carving. Their companion had fallen behind several paces, and looked confused when they'd stopped."So what is it that you wanted to show me?" BigB asked, gazing around at the boulders and trees around them. He even glanced at the ground, as if expecting something to be laying in the dirt at their feet."What we found will help the survivors," Jimmy insisted. "But, to use it, you have to be aware of what you're agreeing to. You can't do this halfheartedly. You have to commit, mind and soul."BigB paused, considering Jimmy's words. "I'm sorry, what?""You haven't exactly committed yourself to this crew, you know." Joel leaned forward and placed a hand on BigB's shoulder, his gentleness contrasting harsh words. "You've basically given up. No inclination to help, no desire for survival. It's like you've already accepted that you're going to die.""But it doesn't have to be this way," Jimmy reassured him, placing his hand on BigB's other shoulder. "We don't have to lay down and wait for our hearts to stop, and we don't have to desperately try to call for help.""I-" BigB seemed confused by their closeness, but he didn't pull away. "I just...""You're a talented captain. The crash wasn't your fault," Jimmy said. "They wanted us here, on this island. You brought us here. And now we never have to leave.""Do you see it?" Joel asked.BigB blinked and looked past them, seeing the carving for the first time. The eye gazed back at them, the swirls and symbols surrounding it almost hypnotic in their symmetry. "This thing?""Your hand," Jimmy insisted, nudging BigB.Surrounded and confused, BigB obeyed their instructions, lifting his hand and allowing it to be guided forward by Joel."All you have to do is give yourself to them," Jimmy reassured, stepping closer and closer to the eye. "It's easy. It'll only take a moment.""They're going to help you," Joel insisted. "They're going to help all of us."For a second, BigB tensed up, as if he was ready to start fighting. His hand tightened into a fist, his legs going stiff and refusing to move any closer."Don't you want to save them? Your passengers and your crew? Tango, Mumbo, Skizz, Pearl... this could help them," Jimmy said softly, leaning in closer to BigB.The captain blinked rapidly. He didn't accept their guidance, not exactly, but after a moment, he relaxed and stopped fighting them. BigB didn't pull away as Joel led his hand forward and pressed his fingers to the eye.And then his head snapped back, his body shaking as he let out a sharp gasp of pain. Then he was silent, holding his breath as he saw and heard and accepted them.Joel and Jimmy held him there, supported him. They didn't leave his side. They were there to help, after all. It was the least they could do.______When Joel eventually fell asleep that night, all the way back at the tents, the dreams returned. He was thrashing in dark water, the pressure unbearable as he slowly suffocated. Then he was onstage, drowning in the bright light with the roar of the crowd in his ears. The spotlight shifted as he began to hear the deep, rhythmic thrumming of the bass deep in his chest. And he could see someone in front of him, someone turning to face him.He'd been friends with the lead singer of his band since they were young. He was blonde, casually charismatic with a characteristic smirk when he sang. When his lead singer looked at him, Joel felt his chest ache. He really, truly missed Oli. It'd been so long since he'd seen him.You're doing a great job, keeping the beat, Oli said, though his voice sounded distorted when he spoke into the mic. We're getting more and more people to follow us every day.Joel nodded, even though the drumsticks in his hands felt heavier than usual, his palms damp with sweat.But, you know, Oli continued. I think we need a new voice for this next song.The audience roared again, deafening him. Another spotlight shifted, and it shone right into his eyes.Do you know any female singers? Oli asked, smiling casually. We need someone to sing these higher notes. This song will make us more popular than ever. No one will be able to look away from us.Joel shook his head, realizing that he hadn't breathed since he'd gotten onstage. When he tried to take in a breath, the air felt heavy in his lungs, choking him like he'd just inhaled water.What about your wife? suggested Oli. She could do it. If she joined us, it'd be exactly what we need. She draws people in. They trust her. Who could say no to Lizzie?He wanted to speak, to deny them, but he couldn't seem to open his mouth.We need her, Oli insisted, turning back to the audience. You know what you have to do. Don't disappoint us.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Lizzie woke up, she knew that she was alone without even having to look. Mumbo had clearly gotten up early to fish with Grian, but that was the least of her worries, because her immediate loneliness meant that neither Joel nor BigB had returned to tent last night.She'd slept later than usual, so when she stepped out into the sunlight, the campfire was already bustling with people: Martyn and Ren were showing Scott how to wrap the fish in leaves to cook in the coals, Mumbo and Grian were sitting with Etho and Scar, Pearl was handing out those purplish plum-like fruits to Gem and Cleo (which must mean she'd deemed that they were edible), and Joel was sitting with Jimmy and BigB, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Skizz and Impulse were noticeably absent, but Lizzie assumed that Skizz was in the tent with Tango, and that Impulse was perhaps trying to do something with their newfound satellite.Lizzie made eye contact with Joel. He regarded her briefly, then turned away.Something was up with her husband. More than just the way he'd argued with her, or his focus on Jimmy, or his sudden change of character in the past few days. No, the true strangeness was in the way he moved, scanning the group and blinking slowly and running his fingers through his hair. She couldn't explain it, but he didn't move in the way that she knew Joel usually moved, didn't react in the way that her husband usually reacted.Lizzie knew she'd sound crazy if she tried to explain it to someone else. Of course he was acting differently after a shipwreck that left them stranded on a deserted island, and maybe she was the strange one for questioning him. But that didn't stop her from observing him with narrowed eyes, noticing every calculated motion, every crooked smile, every gesture that the Joel she'd known would never do.Surely she wasn't the only person who noticed it, she reasoned. Something was off about him. Something was off about all of this.Grian stood up and circled around the campfire, sidling past Bdubs (who was grabbing a water bottle - Grian had dipped back into the yacht briefly and emerged with a 12-pack) and taking a seat between Jimmy and Joel. He was smiling mischievously and opened his mouth to make some brotherly quip - which Lizzie couldn't quite hear over the hustle and bustle. Jimmy didn't seem to respond, so Grian sighed and ruffled his brother's hair teasingly.Normally, Jimmy might have squawked and pulled away, maybe even tried to get some revenge of his own. But not this time. Jimmy just frowned and grabbed Grian's wrist, stopping his brother in his tracks.Grian looked confused, pulling his wrist out of Jimmy's grasp and giving his brother a gentle elbow, trying to egg him on. Jimmy had no response, instead lifting his hand to fix his hair. Grian responded with something - Lizzie wished she could have heard it - but Jimmy just shook his head and turned away-Only for Pearl to be on his other side, offering him one of the plums. He tried to wave her away, but Pearl laughed and kept offering it, seemingly insisting. Jimmy stood and huffed, stepping away from his siblings. Up until then, Lizzie had assumed that Jimmy was teasing, playing along with some kind of joke that only the three of them knew, but Pearl and Grian both looked genuinely surprised by his frustration."...need to go check on Tango, not mess around with you two," Jimmy muttered. He breezed past Lizzie and disappeared into the tent, with Skizz leaving quickly after he entered."What's his deal?" she heard Gem ask Cleo.Pearl and Grian exchanged a baffled look, both unsure. Grian looked to Joel for some kind of explanation, but Lizzie's husband simply shrugged and turned back to BigB, continuing his conversation.Lizzie took some time to process the encounter. It all seemed so easy to explain away, but she couldn't bring herself to ignore it. Instead, she turned back to her tent and scribbled a description of it in her notebook.------She wasn't able to talk to Joel until later, recruiting Mumbo to distract BigB so that she could have an uninterrupted conversation with her husband."Hey!" Lizzie called out, catching Joel's attention as he, BigB, and Mumbo returned from the woods, carrying firewood. Joel instantly turned to see if BigB was with him, but Mumbo had successfully managed to trap the captain in a conversation, describing something to BigB with wide hand gestures."What?" Joel said after a moment, eyeing her as she reached his side and began walking alongside him."Where were you last night? I was worried when you didn't return to the tent," Lizzie replied, trying to keep herself looking positive and unsuspicious. "You didn't even check in with me.""I thought you were mad at me," Joel shrugged. "So I slept in Jimmy's tent. I wanted to give you space.""Sure, whatever," Lizzie sighed, mildly frustrated by that answer. "We don't have to rehash the argument we had earlier. You can go wherever you want with whoever you want. I'd just appreciate knowing if you're going somewhere potentially dangerous. Is that fair?"Joel just looked back at her blankly, his face flat and unconcerned."I mean it, Joel. I just want to make sure you're okay," she continued. "Do you want to check in on the yacht? I bet Impulse is working hard out there, now that he's got the satellite."Her husband raised his eyebrows at this news, his first genuine reaction. "We can."Joel dropped off his firewood with Martyn and Ren, who were attempting to dry out the fish and plums on a flat rock in the middle of the campfire. Lizzie was able to steer Joel over to the yacht, but by then, BigB had managed to get away from Mumbo and joined them as well.Impulse had recruited Etho as an assistant (as apparently, he had some experience working with machinery) and was hard at work near the pole in the middle of the deck, attempting to reattach the satellite without tools. The satellite looked pretty dinged-up, but it seemed like they'd been able to at least stabilize it somewhat."We're planning to send someone into the shipwreck today to try and see if the radio is still salvageable," Impulse explained to them. "But in the meantime, we should hopefully be able to get this thing reconnected. Whether or not it'll actually function is another story.""Could be water damaged," Etho nodded. "Hard to say until we try.""And we have to try," Lizzie agreed."Who are you sending in?" Joel asked. Lizzie noticed that he'd put a hand on BigB's shoulder, though the captain didn't seem as immediately concerned about this excursion as he had been about yesterday's."Grian volunteered to go back in," Impulse replied, "though I wish we could send someone with more technical experience... but, of course, we don't have very many people with extensive experience fixing yacht radios.""You know, you could always go in," Lizzie shrugged. "You know that radio better than anyone else.""Oh, absolutely not," Impulse said immediately, shaking his head rapidly. "That ship could collapse at any time. You're not sending me in there anytime soon.""I'm not sure Grian should go in, either," reasoned Joel, stepping closer to the ship with his arms crossed. "I know that he went in already, but he's too reckless. He might get hurt.""Though he did find that package of water bottles, which was nice," Etho shrugged."But Impulse is right. The yacht is dangerous, and even though Grian's agile, he could still step in the wrong spot and trigger a collapse." BigB sounded less strained than yesterday, not being anywhere near as stubborn or distraught, and his authoritative tone immediately grabbed the group's attention. "I'm going to have to insist that we don't send someone in to find the radio. It's not safe.""BigB, we've talked about this. We can't just-" Lizzie began.BigB turned to face her, unrelenting. "I'm sorry, are you trying to argue with me?He'd put his foot down before, but she'd been able to sympathize - he must be wracked by guilt, after all, and he was just trying to keep anyone else from getting hurt. Now, BigB felt different, less emotional and more officious. Even when they were on the yacht, he'd never been this intense of a leader."We can't just sit around and wait for someone to find us. Getting to that radio is imperative," insisted Lizzie, but she was facing both Joel and BigB now, and neither Impulse nor Etho seemed ready to jump in and help her. "Grian knows the risks, and we'll make sure he's as safe as possible.""It's a no," BigB commanded, his voice flat. "We're not risking anyone's life. No one is to enter the yacht again."Lizzie exhaled sharply. "Joel, surely you don't agree with this-""You heard him, Lizzie," Joel cut her off. "The answer is no."And with that, both men turned and left, leaving Lizzie alone with a sinking feeling in her chest.------"Lizzie, can I have a word?" Pearl asked, near the end of the day.Lizzie nodded and allowed herself to be led away from the campfire by Pearl, noting Joel's keen observation of her departure. He still had that blank, emotionless look on his face, staring sharply at her, as if trying to read her mind.They stepped into the woods until they were about twenty feet away, still close enough that they could see the fire between two palm trees. Lizzie could see Gem chatting with Skizz and Impulse, Mumbo bringing Grian his serving of dinner, and Joel and BigB sitting incredibly close together. They were almost picturesque from this far away.Once she and Pearl were alone, Pearl's expression changed from calm to concerned, her brow wrinkling."Something's strange about the way Jimmy is acting," Pearl began, "and your husband has been behaving similarly. Have you noticed it?"Lizzie nodded quickly. "He's been so cold lately. At first, I thought it was just how he was dealing with the stress of this all, but he's-""Different?" Pearl suggested. "Jimmy's the same. I tried to approach him again, asking about Tango. He treated me like he barely even know me. I've never known Jimmy to act like this before.""And there's just something... off... about him. About both of them, and the captain too." Lizzie was speaking faster than usual, unable to contain herself. Someone understood her. Someone was seeing what she was seeing, was confiding with her. "And now they've banned Grian from reentering the yacht, and keep whispering to each other. It's like they can read each other's minds, like they're-""Planning something?" Pearl nodded. "I've noticed it too. So I started asking around... and Skizz mentioned that Jimmy left Tango in his care for the night, but he didn't go right to bed... he went out to the campfire and talked to BigB and Joel. Skizz said he didn't hear what they were saying, but it sounded intense.""I'm so glad I'm not the only one seeing it," Lizzie admitted. "I've been writing about this in my notebook, thinking I'm just going crazy..."Pearl shook her head. "It's not just you. There's something weird going on.""But what can we do about it?" Lizzie asked, turning back towards the camp. Even from this distance, she could see BigB lean in and mutter something into Joel's ear."Well, for starters," Pearl said firmly, "we're ignoring what the captain said and getting Grian into the yacht. We have to find that radio."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Joel had met with his companions that evening to discuss who should be invited next, gathering coconuts as an excuse to get away from the group. BigB suggested one of the main providers of food, either the fisherman or the cook, but Jimmy quickly shot that idea down."Grian wouldn't follow me anywhere," he insisted, crossing his arms. "He rarely takes me seriously. You're going to have to get someone who he trusts."BigB suggested Mumbo, who seemed like a promising connection. But Joel wasn't convinced."We need someone from the family," he said firmly. "If we get one, we get them all.""Well, Cleo's not going anywhere with us, and if she doesn't, I doubt her sons will," BigB reasoned, his voice low."But Etho's a bit of a pushover," Joel suggested, "and his boys might follow him. Plus, he's involved with the satellite project..."All three of them looked back at the camp, where the survivors were cleaning up after dinner. Etho and Impulse had returned from the yacht, not yet successful in their efforts to get the satellite working. Etho was hovering beside Scar, avoiding Cleo's gaze as she stared daggers at him."And it looks like they fought again," Jimmy noted lightly, "so he'll be moping for the rest of the night.""Would it be so bad if we invited both of them?" suggested BigB. "Etho and Mumbo. You know that they want more."Jimmy glanced at Joel. "Yeah, that's definitely something they want. That, and L-""She's mad at me. I'm giving her space." Joel allowed himself a moment to glance at his wife, who was deep in conversation with Pearl. "Let's get Etho, then Mumbo next. Keep them separate, since they're both a bit flighty."So they waited until the sun had set, when the survivors began returning to their tents. Joel noticed that Lizzie didn't even acknowledge him when she went to bed, instead taking a place in her new friend's tent with Grian, Gem, and Scott. Joel narrowed his eyes at this, but didn't mention it.Mumbo retired early, as did Cleo, who seemed to be giving Etho the silent treatment. Etho, meanwhile, stayed out near the campfire much longer than he usually would, drawing lines in the sand with his finger until he'd created an elaborate pattern. After a while, it was just the three of them and their next target."Rough night?" Joel asked, taking the lead.Etho shrugged, adding a few more lines to his design."Lizzie's not happy with me either, at the moment," Joel continued, a bit less confident after this lack of a response. "It's tense right now. Fights are bound to happen.""Was my fault, anyways," Etho sighed, his shoulders slumped. "Cleo's right. She always is.""I'm sure it's not that bad," Joel reassured him, sitting next to the downcast man. He put a hand on Etho's shoulder. "Chin up, buddy. We've got you."Etho looked skeptical as he observed Jimmy and BigB, who were hovering as casually as possible. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about me? And why all three of you?"He was immediately suspicious. That wasn't a great start."Well, you're one of the more technically-minded survivors," BigB jumped in, making sure Joel didn't lose this, "and I need you help with something. I was going to ask Impulse, but, well, he's so focused on the satellite right now... and I feel like you'd be able to offer a unique perspective, one that we really need.""Help with what?" Etho asked, raising an eyebrow."We found something," BigB continued, "out in the woods. Something that could help all of us. Would you be able to go there and check it out?""I guess," replied Etho, "but what is it?""We're not sure," Jimmy said. "We thought you might know."Their target seemed to consider this, tapping his fingers on his knee as he processed what they'd told him. After a few moments, he relented and got to his feet. "I don't think I'm welcome back in that tent tonight, so sure, why not."Joel smiled and stood as well, stepping on the intricate patterns in the sand that Etho had spent so much time on. "Great. We can just-""Where are you going?"All of them, including Etho, froze at the sound of that voice. Gem had been one of the last people to retire to the tents, but Joel had assumed that they were keeping their voices low enough to avoid being overheard by anyone still awake. Clearly, they hadn't been quiet enough, though, because the redhead was stepping out of her tent, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders."We needed Etho to look at something that we found." Joel recovered the quickest, trying to look as casual as possible. "You don't have to-""You can come along too, if you want," Jimmy cut Joel off, stepping forward invitingly. "We wanted Etho to check it out. Maybe you might see something in it, too."Gem smiled. "Sure. Certainly sounds more exciting than anything else on this island."So they began their travel back through the woods, bring the uncertain father and their unexpected guest along with them. It was that same path, what with the fallen tree, the rocky bit, the patch of saplings... these landmarks were comforting, a reminder that Joel was returning home.The moon was waning and its light was getting more and more limited every night, but somehow the eye was still bright and unblinking in front of them as they stepped into the clearing.He could feel that something was slightly different this time. There was a stillness in the air, heavy with their presence. He knew they'd want a word."Oh, wow!" Gem immediately stepped past Joel and began to examine the carving. "How did you find this? It's so intricate... surely this has to be manmade, right?"Etho followed behind her, but he wasn't getting quite as close. "Thought you said this was something to do with my technical expertise..."Gem continued to ramble before they could try to explain. "And this is so well crafted... it can't be an accident. Do you think humans used to live on this island? Or maybe it washed up when the tide was high? It's so beautiful... these carvings are incredible, I've never seen anything like these patterns. Symmetrical, and yet so free..."She turned back and looked at the group, who were all staring at her."Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly, taking a step back. "I'm a interior designer, so vintage patterns are just so interesting to me.""No, you're fine." Joel shook his head, smiling at her fascination. "We were just as intrigued. It's got such a... presence, doesn't it?""It really does... it's like it's looking right into my soul," Gem said jokingly. "I just want to stare right back, so that I can commit it to memory... I mean..."Joel held his breath as Gem lifted her hand, ghosting it over the face of the rock but not quite touching it. She counted something out to herself, as if taking measurements, and then looked back again. It was almost as if she expected one of them to stop her, but Joel simply nodded, encouraging her.And with that, she brought her fingers up to the pupil of the eye and touched the carving with an open, willing hand.Etho let out a strangled yelp when Gem's head snapped back, her body nearly falling away from the carving as the electric pulse of the watchers coursed through her veins. BigB caught her just in time, keeping her upright so that her hand could stay pressed firmly against the cold, moonlit stone. The blanket around her shoulders fell to the ground, limp.Without another word, Etho bolted. He wasn't exactly quiet or agile - he crashed and stumbled through the underbrush with the desperation of a wild animal - but his sheer panic still propelled him forward, with Joel and Jimmy hot on his heels.And yes, Etho was fast because he frantic and afraid, but his pursuers were fast because they knew these woods better than anything. So, after about twenty seconds of running, chasing, dodging, and weaving, they got him. Jimmy threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around Etho's legs, bringing him to the ground. Joel was quick to wrestle the man's arms together while Jimmy stood, and in moments he and Jimmy were carrying their target back through the woods."Come on, you don't have to do this, please-" Etho was trying desperately to bargain, but Joel and Jimmy were uncaring and unreactive. "You can't do this to me, please, I have to get back to my family, I can't-"BigB was gently setting down an unconscious Gem when they returned, leaning her against the stone so that she could stay connected to it as she rested. He looked up gravely at Etho as the man failed to break free from his companions' grasp, but did nothing as Etho continued to beg."Can't any of you hear me? Please, don't do this to me, I don't want to die, please, my wife and sons, you can't just-"They stopped, and Jimmy held their target as still as possible while Joel forced his arm forward."I'll do anything, please, don't do this-"Joel pressed his fingers to the carving.Etho stopped talking after that.------"You two should go back and wake Mumbo," Joel suggested, once the process was finished. Jimmy lowered Etho next to Gem, making sure to set him as gently as possible against the stone. "I'll stay here with these two. There's something I need to do."His companions nodded and began their trek back, both understanding without any further explanation. Joel turned back to the stone, closing his eyes and focusing.It was mostly quiet out here in the clearing, windless and still. However, it was not completely silent, as the slow inhales and exhales of their two newest companions kept him company. That, and a sound that perhaps only he could hear: a low hum, radiating off the eye. It welcomed him as he took a deep breath, braced for the worst, and pressed his hand against the carving for the second time.It still hurt, but not as much as before. Joel wasn't aware of the way his body jolted and his head slammed backwards, but he could feel a million other sensations all at once: drowning, thrashing, burning, roaring, shrinking under scrutiny and collapsing as millions of hands dragged him down into nothingness.And after all of that, after the crashing of waves and the screaming of crowds and the tipping of yachts and, worst of all, the crushing weight of disappointment, he was back in the clearing again.Joel could see them behind him, even though his eyes were closed. They were surrounding him, glowing and perfect and watching."I know what you want," he stated aloud, though he knew his lips weren't moving. "But it's not time yet. She won't do it."There was no response, and yet he knew exactly what they were saying."Please, just let me get more people. If we have the majority, then the difficult ones will be so much easier to persuade. That includes Lizzie," Joel explained, choosing his words carefully. He was aware of the fact that he wasn't breathing, either. "Trust me, I can do this. I can get them all."Once again, there was nothing but the gentle hum of their presence."I know, I know," Joel told them, without speaking. "You just need to trust me. Please, I want the same thing that you do."They didn't move or speak, but suddenly, he could hear screaming. It started as the yelp of a desperate father, but then grew in volume as more and more voices joined the fray. Joel had heard screaming crowds like this before. It was eerie how difficult it was to tell the difference between excitement and terror."I promise, I'll do it," Joel managed to respond, gritting his teeth. "I'll get you what you need, I swear-"And then the screams were silenced in an instant, and the clearing was still again, and Gem and Etho were breathing like normal.A voice, still sounding like the projected distortion of the lead singer that he knew all too well, spoke to him.
"You have three days."
Joel woke to the sound of someone gasping in surprise. His eyes shot open and he sat up from where he'd been unconscious on the ground, fingers digging into the dirt. BigB had his hands on Mumbo's shoulders as the man's head rocked backwards, with Jimmy holding his hand to the stone, pressing Mumbo's fingers into the grooves of the carving."Good, you're awake," BigB said, nodding at him. "He was easy enough to persuade when we asked him to follow us, but freaked out a bit when he saw the unconscious bodies. But I was able to give enough excuses to keep him from running, and then we just had to steer him closer.""Are you alright?" Jimmy asked. "What did they say?"Joel shook his head and brushed his hair out of his face, barely reacting as their newest companion let out a pained whine. "We've got a deadline now.""A deadline?" BigB frowned. "To do what?""To get my wife."
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Lizzie woke as the sun rose, hearing a shuffling beside her. She looked over to see Pearl put a finger to her lips."Shh," she whispered, nodded at something behind Lizzie. "Follow us."Lizzie turned to see Grian, who was awake and looking tense. She'd spent the night in the siblings' tent, not wanting to be surrounded by Joel and BigB and their intense energy. She felt a bit bad, leaving Mumbo alone in the tent with them, but she assumed he'd be fine.The three of them snuck out of the tent and into the early morning light, Grian grabbing his net as they went out. He led Lizzie and his sister into the ocean, where the sound of splashing waves would hide their words."We need to get back into that yacht," Pearl insisted, "but I bet they'll have eyes on it at all times.""Even though we definitely need another pack of water bottles," Grian grumbled, eyeing the water as if he still intended to catch fish during this conversation."And did either of you notice that Gem was gone this morning?" Pearl asked, glancing back toward the tents."She was?" Lizzie hadn't even thought to check if the bachelor and his friend were still asleep before they'd headed to the ocean. "Where could she have gone?""Maybe to investigate the yacht. Or to gather food." Pearl didn't sound convinced. "Whatever it was, I hope it's nothing."Lizzie dipped her hands into the water, breathing in the saltiness of the sea air. She couldn't bring herself to respond, but she did scan the shoreline, looking for any sign of life. Maybe Gem was nearby, maybe she'd be easy to find.Nothing moved. The beach was empty."We'll go to the yacht tonight," Grian decided. "Right as the sun starts to set, when people begin to head back to their tents. Any later, and I won't have any light.""But with all the hustle and bustle, we should be able to sneak away," Pearl nodded. "Until then, we have to act normal. We can't rock the boat, otherwise they'll suspect us. Got it?"Grian nodded, then bolted forward and netted a small silver fish. "Got it.""Lizzie?" Pearl asked, when she didn't respond."Got it," Lizzie replied quietly. "Someone's awake."She been distracted by a figure stepping out of a tent. Brown hair, green streak faded from the seawater. Looking right out at her."I'll go talk to him," she said, stepping away from the siblings. "See if either of you can get through to Jimmy. Maybe he'll be reasonable and we won't have to sneak away."Grian scoffed. "I couldn't get through to Jimmy when he was acting normal. Why would-""Shh," Pearl hushed him. "Lizzie, do you want me to go with you?"She shook her head and waded back to the shore alone, stepping onto dry sand with her sleeves still dripping.For the past few days, Lizzie had been so distant from Joel. But looking at him now made her heart ache, and she allowed herself to stare right into his dark brown eyes. She missed it all so bad, missed her dog and her friends and her home and her job and her life, but most of all, she missed normalcy, missed closeness, missed Joel. And now he was approaching her, now he was looking at her without that soul-crushing blank expression that he'd maintained for the past few days."I'm here to apologize." Joel spoke up first, looking genuinely guilty. "Walk with me?"It almost felt too good to be true. But without hesitation, she stepped to his side and they began to wander down the beach together."I've just felt so strange since we got here," Joel said. "And I think I let it get to me, and I started to get distant. You didn't deserve that."He reached over and took her hand, and Lizzie realized that they hadn't held hands for a while now, maybe not since that first day."So why spend all this time with Jimmy and BigB?" She asked, hating how unsteady she sounded.Her husband shrugged. "I guess it was easier to run away from my problems with people I barely knew. And... well, in my defense, Jimmy approached me. I think he's a fan."Despite herself, she laughed. "He is? I didn't notice.""I'm surprised you haven't. Even when we were still on the yacht, he was always so nervous around me.""That does explain why he's been following you around this whole time.""He's sweet. Trusting. Though I think he's been stressed, too, with Tango and everything... I'm sure his siblings are confused.""They are. But nobody could blame him, he's in such a terrible position...""Though BigB seems to be doing better now. He's still being overly cautious about the yacht, but I've at least convinced him that this isn't his fault. He's more confident now... though I'm sorry he was so harsh to you yesterday. It wasn't personal. Maybe you could talk to him tonight, if you're comfortable with that."Lizzie stopped, feeling almost lightheaded. "Thank you for this. I was so worried that there was something terrible going on... I thought I was losing you."Joel took her other hand, bringing her close. "Are you kidding me? I'd never let that happen. You're always my biggest priority.""Getting sappy now, are we?" Lizzie teased.She wondered if Grian and Pearl were still watching, wondered if they were confused. She'd felt nothing but turmoil for the past few days, but this felt so easy, so neat. Maybe it wasn't as bad as they'd thought. It was possible that they could work this out."You're my world. You're the center of it all," Joel insisted. "I need you more than anything."And then he kissed her, and it felt...Wrong.Instantly, it was all wrong. Something deep in her gut twisted, recoiling violently. It wasn't that it was unfamiliar, or bad, but she knew without hesitation that she had to get away.But Pearl had said act natural, don't do anything that would make them suspicious. 'We can't rock the boat,' her friend had insisted. She should act like everything was fine and accept Joel's apology.Blood on his hand, cruelty in his tone. Suspicious glances, nights alone, and all those whispers. What had suddenly made him change his tune?She let go of Joel's hands and pulled her arms upward. He didn't resist when she rested her hands on his chest, not until she used that leverage to shove him away. They both stumbled backwards in the sand, and Joel looked baffled."Get away from me," was all she managed to say, barely able to keep her voice from shaking. "And stay away. I'm not a fool.""Lizzie, wait-" Joel stepped forward, reaching out for her hand.She was already gone, turning and dashing across the sand. She should have felt awful for leaving him there alone.But there was something about the things he'd said, so honey-sweet and intentional, that told her that she'd made the right decision. So she didn't look back, just wiped the tears away.------Pearl had come to check in on Lizzie after her encounter with Joel, but she'd not wanted to talk about it much. All she told Pearl was the basics: Joel had come to apologize, and she'd rocked the boat. Pearl didn't seem too upset, though. She just gave Lizzie a hug and a few comforting words.They met by the yacht that evening, each sneaking away separately. Lizzie was last to get there, with Grian and Pearl already conversing as she approached. Pearl seemed to be going over safety tips while Grian rolled his eyes and pretended not to care. Ah, classic older sister and younger brother."You ready?" Lizzie asked, patting Grian on the shoulder. "Feeling brave?""Ready as I'll ever be," Grian nodded, pulling out a spare piece of cloth and using it to tie his hair out of his face."We'll knock on the deck twice if anyone approaches," said Pearl. "Just make sure you're careful.""Careful as I'll ever be, too," Grian joked. "And if I see any more water bottles, I'll grab them on the way out."And with that, he stepped into the yacht, travelling forward with light, nimble steps. Grian turned back one more time and smiled at them before scurrying forward into the unseen lower levels of the yacht.It was nerve-wracking to sit there and wait for him. Pearl didn't seem like she wanted to talk at the moment, so Lizzie stood in silence, kicking sand into piles at her feet to keep herself from panicking. It wasn't hard to imagine a worst case scenario: a crashing collapse as the yacht caved in, a distant scream, or Joel and his companions coming around the corner to discover them.And even if Grian got out, she didn't know what he'd say. Maybe the radio was permanently damaged by water, or worse, maybe the room was caved in entirely. Maybe nothing, not the radio nor the phone nor the satellite, was functional. This could all be for nothing.Lizzie tried to distract herself by focusing on something, anything else, but just ended up hyperaware of everything about her that felt amiss. Her pajamas were stiff from saltwater, her shoes tattered and salt-crusted (and she was lucky to even have shoes). It felt like she was covered in grit and grime, sand coating her skin in fine particles, and her hair that was once so perfectly dyed was definitely starting to show dark roots underneath all the pink.Plus, she was tired, so tired, and lonely and afraid and nervous and desperate. The weight of their worst fears was heavy on Lizzie's shoulders, not to mention the tension that was running stiffly throughout the entire group. The survivors had been a bit sharper than usual today, snapping quicker. There was less food, little water, and the sun was overbearingly hot, driving them all a bit mad. Martyn had been the first to get properly angry at lunch, yelling at Gem when she tried to approach him. This short temper had carried throughout the group, because Scar and Cleo had fought that afternoon, and Mumbo seemed to be ignoring Grian entirely, which had led to a furious whispering conversation before dinner.Lizzie couldn't blame them. They'd been here for almost a week with no solutions, and there was only so much hunting and gathering one could do on a diet of fish, fruit, and coconut water without losing their minds. And most of the group didn't even know the half of it, didn't know that something was seriously wrong with a few of their fellow survivors. What if things got worse? What it if escalated so badly that she had no choice but to-"It's torture," Pearl whispered, "waiting for him. I'm already so scared that I'm going to lose one brother. I can't lose the other."She hadn't stopped looking into the yacht since Grian had left. Pearl looked so pale, so horrified. She was swaying back and forth on her feet, unblinking."He's going to be fine," Lizzie insisted, hoping that she was right. "Just wait. He'll be out soon."Just as she said that, there was a aching creak from within the depths of the yacht.Pearl inhaled sharply, and then stepped forward as if to run in after her brother, but Lizzie put an arm out and stopped her."Wait," she insisted, "just a moment."They listened intently, expecting another creak or footstep or even a collapse, but when the yacht was silent, Lizzie suddenly realized that the camp wasn't. Someone was speaking, and not necessarily quietly either.As soon as she caught sight of Grian, safe and alive, Lizzie let Pearl go and began to circle back around the boat.She didn't pay attention when Pearl raced into the yacht and wrapped her brother in a hug, nor did she hear Grian protesting and insisting that "I'm fine, Pearl, leave me alone, you're going to make me drop the water bottles." Lizzie was too focused on that familiar voice, which, from a distance, looked like someone speaking to a group of people that should be heading to bed at this point."Did you find the radio?" Pearl asked, ruffling Grian's hair."The radio's still intact," Grian told her, dropping the 12-pack onto the sand. "Not sure how functional it is, but it doesn't look destroyed. If we could get Impulse to take a look at it...""We'd have to convince him to go in there, though," Pearl said, her tone lighthearted."They're going somewhere," Lizzie hissed, catching the siblings' attention.They both looked surprised to see her over near the bow of the yacht, gazing back at the camp. It looked like neither Pearl nor Grian had noticed her step away."Who?" Pearl asked, exchanging a look with Grian."Joel and BigB. And your brother," Lizzie replied, sounding grim. "They're leading a group of people away from the camp."Grian's brow furrowed. "Leading them where?""To the woods." Lizzie could hear the deep fury in her voice. "We're following them. Come on."
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Joel and his companions had spent the better part of the day whispering in people's ears, encouraging them to come along for a short trek that evening. Sometimes it was successful and sometimes it wasn't - unfortunately, Martyn had been unreceptive when Gem had tried to convince him and caused a bit of a fuss - but Etho had convinced Scar, who was still cross with his mother, Mumbo had gotten luckier with Ren after Martyn's outburst, and Jimmy had persuaded both Impulse and Skizz, with the important caveat that they bring Tango as well.The group gathered a short walk away from the campfire as the sun set. Joel was glad to see that Lizzie hadn't joined them, as she would probably make things more difficult. He wasn't sure why she'd been so quick to push him away, but he was going to get through to her eventually. He had to.A few of their targets looked hopeful. Skizz and Scar were smiling as they looked over at him, patient and calm. They'd been told that there was something in the woods that would change everything for them, and that wasn't technically untrue.The others were a bit more hesitant, with Impulse and Ren exchanging furtive glances. Impulse had Tango, holding the first mate in a cradle carry. Tango was conscious enough, and his condition had been relatively stable, as they'd been able to keep him continually fed and cared for. But he also hadn't gotten better, and was usually only awake for a few hours each day. It was hard to get him to talk for very long, much less move around, so having him out and about was very much out of the ordinary."Are you all ready to go?" Joel asked, stepping up and addressing his targets. He didn't keep his voice down, didn't feel like he had to anymore.Immediately, all eyes were on him, and it was like he was onstage again. Joel could practically feel the heat of the spotlight on his neck."Where are we going again?" Scar whispered to Skizz."We're..." There was a distant roaring in his ears, with the intensity of crashing waves and screaming crowds. "It's just that we're-""We're going to the woods," BigB announced, stepping up next to Joel and putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's important that as many of you see this as possible, so thanks for coming. We're still trying to understand what we've found, and the more people who come along to see it, the better.""Right," Joel squeezed his eyes shut, then open them again, doing his best to ignore the noise. "It isn't too far away. Just an easy trek through the woods, and then we'll be back here in no time.""And thank you, Impulse, for helping bring Tango along," Jimmy added, smiling at the engineer. "Tango's got a lot of unique insight to give. We're glad he's here."Impulse nodded, though Tango barely acknowledged them, his eyes heavy-lidded and glassy."I'll lead the way," Joel announced. "Follow me."They entered the woods as the moon began to rise, illuminating their path. Fallen tree, rocks, saplings... it was easier than ever, even with the large group accompanying them. Jimmy and Gem had stayed near the back, making sure that nobody decided to turn around and leave, and BigB and Mumbo were on each side of Impulse, confirming that Tango was well taken care of. The woods were still quiet, only disturbed by the sound of heavy footfalls from the group. Well, that, and the rushing in Joel's ears.He and Jimmy had discussed earlier, unsure whether or not they should bring Tango to the watchers that night. They weren't sure how it would impact him, after all, and neither of them had a clear answer as to whether or not it could actually help with Tango's broken leg. But Jimmy had insisted that they couldn't leave him, and stressed that even though Tango wasn't currently getting worse, his condition could dip at any day. And they couldn't risk losing him, after all. They needed everyone.It was a sigh of relief when Joel finally saw the clearing and the carving. Suddenly he wasn't drowning, suddenly they weren't doomed. The eye was perfectly lit, shining in the moonlight, ready for the next group of believers.Dangling over the eye was a fallen palm branch, one that hadn't been there last night. It didn't completely obscure the carving, but this change had been intentional."Hold on for a moment," Joel said to the group, pausing. In the past, revealing the eye as their final destination had drawn suspicion, so he was trying a new approach. "Let's make sure everyone's caught up, and give Impulse a moment to rest."The group paused in the clearing. None of his companions acknowledged the eye, and at first, none of their latest targets seemed to notice it, either. Impulse set Tango down against a tree near the edge of the clearing and then sat next to him, catching his breath. Ren was hanging back and looking a bit fidgety, Scar was saying something to his father, and Skizz was staring up at the moon.Joel waited with bated breath. He knew that they would be watching these targets. Surely, it would be intriguing for them to see who was drawn to the eye first.It was Tango who, after a few minutes, turned and blinked at the sight of the carving on the rock, still visible behind the palm branch. He coughed a few times, then leaned over and said something quietly to Impulse. Impulse stood up and stepped a bit closer, and as he showed interest, Skizz tried to figure out where his friend was looking and spotted the eye as well. Impulse took a step back and made eye contact with Etho and Scar, who noticed and followed Skizz closer. BigB raised his eyebrows at the group, then leaned over and pointed it out to Ren, who was intrigued enough to forget his apprehension and approach as well.It was wordless and seamless. Joel had the numbers to use force, but it was so much better when their targets approached willingly, when they allowed the power of the watchers to envelop them without any second thoughts.Skizz and Ren, once fellow crewmates on the yacht, exchanged a look. Then, Skizz leaned forward and tried to lift the palm branch off the carving to get a good look at it. His fingers brushed the rock underneath, right near the pupil.The deckhand's body convulsed just as Etho took his son's hand and pressed it to the eye as well, causing Scar to stumble and then stiffen, his head tipping backwards. Ren froze in shock at the sight, which allowed Jimmy time to approach and shove him forward. The musician caught himself on the rock, his fingers just brushing the edge of the carving, and he, too, felt the electricity course through his system.There was a powerful energy in the air, and all six of them felt it. There was a sharpness, a glowing energy in the corner of their vision. One had become two, two had become three, then four and five, six, and now nine. This had been what they were hoping for. This was what the watchers needed.Joel closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He heard a groan of pain from Scar, and then a whisper in his ears. "Two days left," it reminded him. As if he could have forgotten.And then he turned and looked at Impulse and Tango.Impulse looked like a deer in headlights, gathering Tango into his arms but tensing when six sets of glowing eyes turned to face him. Though he looked terrified, he hadn't screamed, or stumbled, or even frozen at the sight of three shuddering bodies in front of him. No, Impulse's instincts had told him to flee, and as soon as he realized that he'd been spotted, he spun around and ran.Joel scowled and took off after him, with Jimmy and Gem close on his heels.It should have been an easy chase. If Etho had been unable to evade them, Impulse was even less capable, as he had the added disadvantage of carrying someone. But somehow, he got further than Joel had expected, weaving through the palms as the woods got thicker, narrowly avoiding Jimmy as he lunged at him near the saplings, and continuing the chase into the rockier grounds.By the time they caught up to him, Impulse was slowing, breathing heavily. Tango had fallen unconscious in the jostling of the chase, and his head was lolling on Impulse's shoulder. But despite his clear exhaustion, Impulse looked ready to start running again when he saw Joel and Gem, even though he didn't look like he could get much further."Hold on, Impulse," Joel called out, as he and Gem slowed. His companion began circling around to the side, but Joel faced the engineer directly. "You're not going to make it back to the camp. Can we just talk?""Get away from us," Impulse warned, his voice hitching as he spoke."There's no need to run," Joel replied, his voice calm. He put a hand up, indicating for Gem to pause her circling. "You didn't give us the chance to explain ourselves.""What did you do to Skizz?" Impulse asked, sounding incredulous. "Why did you bring us out here?""We're trying to help." Joel took a careful step closer to Impulse. "I promise, this is all a big misunderstanding. We only want to help Tango, if you'd just-""And why should I believe you?" Impulse cut him off, taking a step away. "They were writhing in pain, Ren and Skizz and Scar... and it looked like your eyes were glowing back there, like you were possessed..."Jimmy caught up to his companions, pausing at Joel's side as soon as he saw the hand held up."BigB's the captain," Joel explained, taking another step closer. "He only has the best interest of his crew and passengers in mind. And Jimmy's a professional, he knows what he's doing. You've trusted him to take care of Tango all this time. He only wants the best for you both."Impulse didn't speak. He took another few steps back, holding Tango even closer to his chest."Listen, I promise, everything is fine," Jimmy insisted, putting on that warm smile of his. "I know it seems like a lot at first, but do you think I'd bring Tango all this way if I didn't think this would help him?"Still no response. Impulse continued to back away.Joel sighed. "He's not going to listen. Gem, go ahead."Instantly, Gem was lunging forward, grabbing for Impulse's arm. Jimmy advanced on the other side, trying get ahold of Tango, but the engineer was able to stumble back just in time, holding the first mate close.Just as Joel was about to charge in himself, three figures appeared from behind the trees, surrounding Impulse on all sides. They'd been followed. Joel cursed to himself as he recognized them, because of course Jimmy's siblings and his wife wouldn't make this easy.Lizzie was at the front of the pack, and she was looking right at him. It was as if she was staring directly into his soul. "Don't get any closer," she warned Jimmy and Gem, spreading out her arms to shield Impulse and Tango.The roaring in his ears was back. Joel could feel his face twisting into a snarl, abandoning all pretense at politeness. "Stay ready," he instructed his companions. "We're not leaving without Impulse and Tango."His wife shook her head. "Then you'll have to get through me first."
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Lizzie had followed Joel for a while, just far enough away that she could hear the group, even if she couldn't see much. There were more of them than she'd realized: not just Joel and Jimmy and BigB, but now Mumbo and Etho were part of the pack, and Gem seemed more than willing to follow along as well.And then a chase happened, then a faceoff. Lizzie, Grian, and Pearl had doubled back and managed to sneak around the confrontation, but it was hard to tell what Joel and Impulse were even referring to, something about glowing eyes and helping everyone. But though their words made little sense, their tones were clear: Impulse sounded terrified, and Joel sounded like he was up to something.But when Joel's tone turned sour, of course Lizzie stepped out to defend Impulse and Tango. Grian and Pearl thankfully followed her lead (though she hadn't communicated this plan to them beforehand) and for a second, Joel looked so shocked and angry that Lizzie couldn't decide if she was proud of herself, or completely and utterly terrified."This isn't any of your business," Joel said, his voice thick with contempt. "Impulse and I were just having a conversation. Right, Impulse?"From behind her, Impulse sounded like he was on the verge of a breakdown. "You're not- we're not going back there...""He doesn't want to go with you," Lizzie insisted, glaring at her husband. "We'll take him back to the camp.""I don't think that you should get the other survivors involved," replied Joel, taking a step forward. "Impulse, you wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt, right?"Lizzie shook her head. "None of those threats. Clearly, Impulse isn't interested in whatever you're peddling. You can leave now."For a second, there was no response, and in that moment, Lizzie noticed the way that Gem and Jimmy were holding themselves. They both swayed slightly, faces neutral, waiting on Joel's next call. Like they were possessed, by Joel or by... something else."Lizzie." Joel addressed her directly after a moment, the slightest sneer on his face. "Let's find a compromise. You don't want to leave Impulse with us, and we don't want Impulse to leave. So why don't all of you come with us? There's something we need to show you, and Impulse left before he could truly understand it."Lizzie, Pearl, and Grian hadn't ever gotten close enough to figure out what Joel had been showing the others. But considering the way that Impulse's voice shook when he spoke up again, it didn't sound good."They've got more people there, we'll be outnumbered," he panted, taking several steps back, "and their eyes glowed, I swear, I know what I saw..."Joel's face twisted, and he and his companions looked poised to strike."...and they forced people to touch this rock," Impulse continued, "and they collapsed in pain, and I don't know why, but there was this carving of an eye and-""Shut him up!" Joel spat, ending the negotiation by charging forward.They were all trying to reach Impulse, so Lizzie got in Joel's way, Grian put out his arms to stop Gem, and Pearl shoved Jimmy back as he approached from the side. Joel grabbed her arm and attempted to force her aside, but Lizzie dug her feet into the rocky ground and refused to budge.She turned for a split second to catch Impulse's eye. He was frozen in panic, clutching the first mate's unconscious body tightly to his chest."Run!" She yelled to him, before turning back to Joel.On Lizzie's left side, Grian was holding Gem back as she tried to weaken his grip, clawing and hitting him. On her right side, Pearl and Jimmy were locked hand-in-hand, both trying to push the other back and knock them off of their feet. And behind her, thankfully, she heard the sound of rapid footsteps as Impulse fled.The fight - though it'd been less of a battle and more of a shoving match - turned messy after that. Gem managed to get free of Grian's hold and he only caught her by tripping her, sending her sprawling, and she retaliated by sending him tumbling to the ground as well. Jimmy was trying to pick Pearl up and throw her aside, but she had grabbed onto his shirt and refused to let go, and now he was trying and failing to break her grip.And Joel had Lizzie's wrist in one hand, and she had her arm wrapped around his shoulder, and they were both fighting to overpower the other but all they were doing was swinging back and forth, stumbling and pulling. This pose, somehow elegant in its violence, was almost familiar to her. As she yanked her wrist free from Joel's hand and dipped back with that momentum, the flashback that hit her was almost painful.Warm lights, smiling faces, and gentle music playing as they danced, a song that they'd picked out together. He was smiling down at her, and her veil was brushing the floor. Everything was fine, everyone was happy, and she felt that she could almost-Pearl screamed, and suddenly, the memory was gone, and Lizzie was shoving Joel away and turning toward her friend. Jimmy was twisting his sister's left arm, pressing it further and further into an odd angle while she cried out in pain. It was horrifying to watch, made all the more terrible by the blank, unbothered expression on Jimmy's face.Then, a sharp crack.Jimmy dropped his sister suddenly, face clouding, and Pearl fell, blood spilling down her arm. Her skin was torn near the elbow, and there was something white visible, like bone.Lizzie didn't see Grian getting to his feet, shoving Gem aside. She didn't see him run forward and wrap his arms around his sister, protecting her as she gasped in pain.No, she was too busy throwing a sharp, unflinching punch directly into her husband's cheekbone. She kept hitting him, over and over again, and he just stumbled away, unable to fight back."Leave!" she screamed, at him and Gem and Jimmy, and then she was rushing to Pearl's side.Grian had pulled his sister into a sitting position, trying desperately to keep her conscious. Despite the fact that he was shivering, he was still whispering to Pearl in a calm, soothing voice.As Lizzie knelt down next to Pearl and Grian, she didn't know anything that she could do to help. She wasn't a medical professional, or even very good at handling stressful situations. All she could do was listen as Grian reassured his sister."You're going to be okay. It's going to be fine. Look at me now, and take some deep breaths, that's it. I've got you, I'm here for you. We're going to figure this out."It should never have come to this. She should have never let it get this far, should have called Joel out as soon as she realized that something was wrong, should have put a stop to this. Violence and factions and glowing eyes and whatever madness they were forced to reckon with now... Lizzie should have stepped in, should have done something to help her fellow survivors. And now they were trapped on this island with a bunch of possessed fanatics and...Was it even possible to get them back? Could she ever snap her husband out of this?"Lizzie." Grian grabbed her attention, his tone still soft as he said her name. "Do you have anything that we can use to bandage Pearl's arm?"She felt surprised by how gentle Grian could be. He'd been mostly sarcastic or unserious around her, if he'd even spoken at all, and so this tenderness was unexpected, but welcome."Right, of course." Lizzie reached over and tore off a strip of cloth from her shirt sleeve, then ripped the other one as Grian began to wrap the bloody wound on Pearl's arm. They used the other piece to make a haphazard sling, tying it with shaking, bloody hands."It's not great," Grian muttered, "but it'll work. We'll fix it up when we get back to camp, alright, Pearl?"His sister nodded, barely. With the amount of pain she was in, physically and emotionally, it must have been all that she could bear."You're doing the best you can," Lizzie reassured. "We'll get your older sister back to camp safely. Do you want me to help carry her?""She's not my older sister."Lizzie paused, confused. "She's not?""No." Grian shook his head. "I'm the oldest. Pearl's the youngest.""Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't-" Lizzie stuttered."It's fine." Grian wiped his eyes, and Lizzie realized that there were tears streaming down his face. "We get that a lot. She's tall and I'm short, she's capable and I'm irresponsible, she's wise and I'm immature, and clearly I haven't done enough to protect either of my little siblings because one of them is hurt and the other is gone, and I'm supposed to be looking out for them.""It's not your fault," Lizzie whispered. "You've done everything you could."Grian took a deep breath, wiping away the rest of the tears. "Doesn't matter. Let's just get Pearl back to the camp."------They carried Pearl back, trying to keep as much pressure off her arm as possible. When they exited the woods, they could see that the campfire was still brightly lit, and there were several people sitting around it. Stood in the middle was Impulse, looking grim."He's told them already," Grian muttered. "Good. We can't risk losing anyone else."There weren't many survivors left at the camp. Cleo was keeping Bdubs close, Martyn had an arm over Scott's shoulder, and Tango was awake again, wrapped in a blanket near the fire. Lizzie hadn't been able to process just how many people were gone until she saw the remains, huddled around the campfire. They'd lost so many people."We don't have anyone with any medical experience left," Lizzie realized, her voice hollow. "Jimmy and Skizz are both...""Oh, god, you're right." Grian gritted his teeth. "Well, we'd better get that radio working fast. We need to get away from this island.""Do you think we can do it?" Lizzie asked, unsure.Grian sighed and adjusted his hold on Pearl, allowing her to lean on him fully. "That, or we build a raft. Here, I'll get her back to her tent."And the two of them hobbled off, leaving Lizzie alone.At first, Lizzie's instinct was to write this all down, to chronicle what she'd just seen. But the idea of putting those words down on paper, of having to see the horrible things that Joel and Jimmy had just done in writing, made her feel sick.Then, she turned and rushed away from the campfire. Lizzie wanted to reach the water, but she was still a good distance away when her legs gave out, falling to the beach and catching herself on her hands. The sand dug into her palms and buried itself under her nails. She screamed, raw and visceral, not caring who could hear it.There was blood on her hands, but it wasn't hers. Lizzie almost wished it was. At least if she was bleeding, she'd have a good reason for this to hurt so much.
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For the few hours that Joel had slept, he'd tossed and turned. In his dreams, there was the choking pain of water in his lungs, the screaming fury of multitudes, and the overwhelming sensation of millions of hands dragged him into a dangerous embrace. It was all punctuated by the sharp crack of bones breaking. The weight of failure was looming above him, dousing him in shadows, and when he finally woke up, he did so gasping in panic.But being awake didn't help. As Jimmy and BigB watched, Joel paced back and forth silently. Every time he got rid of one of the sensations - the roar of crowds and rushing water, the brightness of spotlights and of glowing figures, the whisper of Oli's voice and the hiss of disappointment - a new one arose, tormenting him.He didn't have much time left. Their deadline was fast approaching.His companions had wavered in the woods, none remaining in the clearing for very long, but instead gathering around an ancient, dying palm nearby. It was gnarled and drooping, which made it easily visible, even from afar.They all seemed to be waiting on his call, but Joel had nothing to say. The watchers hadn't given him any plans, and he was honestly unsure how to move forward. Impulse and Lizzie and Pearl and Grian now all knew, to some extent, what was going on. They'd obviously be scared, even if there was nothing to fear, and they'd tell the others. From now on, it would be significantly more difficult to convince anyone to come along."We could pick them off one by one," Gem reasoned, as if reading his mind. "Catch them while they're alone.""But they'll anticipate that," Jimmy chimed in, "so they'll stick together. I doubt we'd actually get anyone."Joel started to respond, and just as he did, Scar spoke up. "We need to go for their leader. Cut off the head and the body will follow."He'd stolen the words right out of Joel's mouth. It was a bit uncomfortable how many times that'd happened today, like their minds were slowly melding."They're going to try to fix the radio," BigB pointed out. "Or they'll use the satellite. We need to stop them from communicating with the mainland.""Break it," Etho and Skizz said in unison.Suddenly, Joel felt his body go cold, then hot. There was a pressure against his forehead, like he was hanging upside down and all of the blood was rushing to his head. He was unsteady on his feet, but BigB put a hand on his shoulder and rebalanced him before he could stumble."Mumbo, you go see what you can do about that satellite," the captain suggested. "If you see Grian, sweet talk him. Convince him that you're a double agent or something, whatever it takes to get his guard down.""On it," Mumbo nodded."Everyone else needs to hunt for food. Let's gather some coconuts, and see if we can find more of that fruit," Jimmy suggested. "We need to make sure we've all got plenty of strength."And without any further planning, the group split, dividing into smaller duos and trios without any confusion. Three headed to the coconut trees, two went to find an isolated beach for catching fish, and three - BigB, Joel, and Gem - made their way to the treeline, far enough away to be out of sight of the camp.BigB and Gem got to work picking fruit from the bushes, and Joel took on the responsibility of lookout duty, trying to ignore how lightheaded he was. It was like the watchers were pitching a fit in his brain, attacking his every sensation until they got what they wanted.After a few minutes, he spotted someone. Joel was quick to pull BigB behind the palms, whispering quickly into his ear."Someone's spotted us," he hissed, and BigB nodded, instantly understanding.So they waited, not willing to flee into the woods yet, because Joel'd seen just enough to believe that this might be an opportunity, not a threat.The person approaching was attempting stealth, but their teal-and-black pajamas made them stick out like a sore thumb against the green-and-brown treeline, not to mention the cyan-dyed hair that was still bright and identifiable. Joel hadn't actually spent much time interacting with Scott, the stylish bachelor who'd had an eye for design and a passion for upcycling, but he did believe that he knew exactly why the man was here.Gem hadn't hidden like they had. She'd stayed visible, her ginger hair tied up out of her face as she gathered a small pile of purplish fruit from the bushes. To anyone else, she'd look nonchalant, unassuming. To Scott, she'd look like she was alone."Hey!" Scott hissed, once he'd gotten close enough.From where BigB and Joel were hiding, they could just see Scott approaching Gem. Based on how tired he looked, he'd likely gotten very little sleep.Gem turned, and for a few seconds, they just looked at each other, taking in each other's presence. Scott looked like he could cry with relief, and Gem was blank-faced, waiting to see what would happen next."You don't have to stay with them," Scott whispered, managing to keep his voice from wavering. "You can come back with me, and we'll get out of here, okay? The rest of the survivors are planning a trip into the yacht again, and hopefully we'll be able to get the radio working. We can call for help!"There was no response from Gem, but she stepped closer, her face clouding."You have to come back with me. I don't know why you're staying with those lunatics, but it doesn't matter." Scott checked over his shoulder, then turned back to Gem. "Please, you're my best friend. I can't stand the thought of leaving you."And through his connection with Gem, Joel could almost see their history. Meeting in college, moving to a new city together, starting a business, living out their passions. He could imagine them planning this trip together, could picture how excited they'd been to get away from the craziness of everyday life together. They were a team. The closest of friends.So, of course, he assumed it was a truly awful betrayal when Gem kicked her leg out, tripping Scott and sending him tumbling to the ground.They were in motion in an instant. Joel took the lead, pinning Scott's shoulders before he could manage to get up, pressing him down onto the sand."Gem!" Scott yelped. Gone was the calm, confident man that they'd seen on the yacht, or even the quiet, cautious man they'd known on the beach. Scott was fully panicking, and Gem gave him no reaction as he struggled in vain.They didn't have to discuss their intentions. They'd do the same with Scott that they'd done with everyone else: drag him back to the clearing and make sure that he pressed his hands against the carving. Then, they'd truly have the majority, and it'd be easy to continually pick off the survivors one by one until their mission was fulfilled.But just as Joel went to haul Scott to his feet, he was once again hit with a wave of nauseating sensations: bones snapping, drums beating, water crashing down, fingernails scraping against a wooden hull, echoing and reverberating and getting louder, louder, louder...
Why couldn't he escape these nightmares, even when he was awake?
He lost his grip on Scott's arm, and the man attempted to scramble away and escape, but Gem caught him just before he could get to his feet. She and BigB both waited as Joel swayed forward, clutching his head.
What would he have to do to make this stop?
He knew the answer to that question, at least. There was only one outcome that would bring him eternal, everlasting peace. And to get that, he had to be a leader, had to make the right choices. Sometimes, success wasn't linear.It took a few minutes for him to catch his breath, for the pain to subside enough that he was able to pull himself together again. As he slowly got to his feet, Gem and BigB continued to wait patiently for him, and even Scott was frozen and still, staring in awe or horror."I'm going to let you go," Joel said finally.Scott was the only one who looked shocked by this news, as Gem and BigB immediately seemed to know what he was thinking."You're going to deliver a message to Lizzie," Joel continued, "and you're going to remember every single detail. You'll be certain that she listens. Do you understand me?"Looking baffled, Scott nodded. Gem and BigB both took a step away from him, allowing Scott to get to his feet."I'm not letting you go because I'm merciful," Joel warned, putting a hand on Scott's shoulder and tightening his grip. "I'm doing this because you're not very important to me. Do you understand?"And with that, Joel whispered his message and let Scott go."Are you sure about this?" BigB asked, as Scott raced down the treeline and out of sight.Joel nodded. "Absolutely," he said. Suddenly, the overwhelming sensations were gone, and his head was the clearest it'd been all day.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next morning, Lizzie insisted that they head back to the yacht. Scott and Grian had stayed awake and kept watch, so they remained at the camp and got some sleep while Lizzie led the rest of the uninjured survivors back to the shipwreck.Which, of course, didn't leave her with much. Cleo, Bdubs, Impulse, and Martyn were all handling the news of their friends and family's apparent possession slightly differently: Cleo seemed skeptical of it all, Bdubs was utterly terrified, Impulse was haunted by what he'd seen, and Martyn was trying to act unbothered, even though it was clear that he felt completely betrayed. And none of them seemed eager to go back to the yacht, but none of them argued with her about it, either."Okay, we'll split into teams. Cleo and Martyn, you're going to start pulling down palm leaves and braiding the fronds into ropes," Lizzie announced, once they'd reached the hull of the yacht. "Cleo, I know you're good at weaving, so I feel like you're our best bet at making the ropes secure."Both Martyn and Cleo looked at her in bewilderment."Bdubs, Impulse, and I are going to start detaching the wood paneling from the hull using this damaged point," Lizzie continued, indicating to the broken part of the yacht. She'd never gotten a clear answer as to why the hull had been shattered, but she assumed it must've hit something during the wreck. When she'd first seen the damage, it had made her feel hopeless, but now, it seemed like this weak point might be the thing that saved them."Then, we'll use the ropes to tie the wood together into a platform," she continued to explain. "We can see if it's able to float with our weight on it, and use one of the tent blankets as a sail if needed.""Sorry, what exactly is our goal?" Impulse asked, crossing his arms.Lizzie blinked. "Oh, did I forget to mention? We're making a raft."It looked like all four of them were tempted to protest, but without another word, Lizzie turned around and began working. After a moment, her fellow survivors followed suit.Gathering supplies for the raft was slow, meticulous work. Cleo taught Martyn a simple braiding weave to make their makeshift ropes with, but the palm fronds were short and they constantly had to thread in new ones, not to mention that their ties had to be incredibly intentional so that the whole thing didn't fall apart.Bdubs, Impulse, and Lizzie weren't much better off. Though the breakage in the hull gave them a good starting point, it still wasn't easy to detach the wooden paneling from the metal base of the yacht, as it was built to withstand the wear and tear of sailing. However, deterioration helped them just enough to gradually gather a pile of planks on the beach.After a few hours, Grian emerged from the tents and joined them in their task. He informed them that Pearl and Tango were doing fine, but he didn't sound particularly optimistic. Both injuries were dangerous out here on the island, especially now that their medical professional was gone. But they were both still alive and conscious, and that was all that mattered.When they finally took a lunch break around noon, the sun was high in the sky above them, making them breathe heavily and sweat profusely. Lizzie noted that several of them were wearing an extra layer of clothes despite this - to help prevent sunburns, she remember, like Jimmy had suggested.As they sat and ate, Grian knocked against the newly paneling-free metal hull with his fist"I wish we could get through this layer," he commented, listening to the hollow sound that echoed after his knock. "I'm sure that the helm is right on the other side of this."Lizzie shrugged. "We'll just have to climb in again. But it seems like it's still holding steady. I'm sure Impulse will be fine."Impulse looked up from the fish he was eating, looking terrified. "Are we sure that I have to...""We're sure," Lizzie stated, trying to sound nonchalant. "You'll be fine, it's safe.""Are you certain?" Impulse asked, looking nervously over at Grian."It's pretty secure," he shrugged, "and regardless, you're the only one who might be able to get the radio functioning. So we don't really have a choice."Impulse's jaw clenched. "What if I gave you instructions, so that you could go in and-""I'll go in with you," Grian interrupted, though he sounded more reassuring than exasperated. "We'll do it together. It'll be fine."Impulse seemed ready to argue further, but Martyn distracted them by standing up suddenly, shielding his eyes as he stared out at the expanse of ocean in front of them."There's a storm coming," the chef observed, so quiet that it was as if he was speaking to himself.There was silence as all eyes went to the horizon. The sun above their heads was still bright and sweltering, but in the distance, a dark mass of clouds was forming. It seemed far enough away that they could ignore it for now... but at the same time, there was no guarantee that it would disperse."We should get back to work," Lizzie said quickly, getting to her feet as well. "Impulse, you go with Grian and check out the radio. We've got things handled here."Though it wasn't very long after Impulse and Grian departed that two things happened simultaneously. First, Scott, who Lizzie had assumed was still asleep, came running down the beach, kicking up a cloud of sand with every hurried step. And at the same time, a yelp of panic came from the other side of the yacht."They've broken the satellite!" Grian sounded furious as his voice reached them, just as Scott raced up to her, grabbing her arm."I need to talk to you," he hissed, not acknowledging Grian's exclamation. "It's urgent."It took a second for her to decide which was more pertinent. "What do you mean, they've broken the satellite?" Lizzie asked, having no choice but to pull Scott with her as she circled the yacht.Grian and Impulse were both standing around what looked like a piece of scrap metal, but context clues told Lizzie what had happened. The satellite was now bent and trampled, kicked several feet away from the pole it had once been attached to."Someone was running off into the trees when we got around here," Grian explained, looking furious. "Think you can attach it again, Impulse?"The engineer shook his head."Well, that's one form of communication destroyed," Grian sighed. "But if the radio still works, it doesn't matter. Hey, when did Scott get here?"Scott was still clutching Lizzie's arm, looking deeply serious. "I need a private word with you," he muttered to her again, checking over his shoulder as he spoke."He just needed to talk to me. We'll just do it here," Lizzie said quickly, unsure what to expect from Scott. "We can keep an eye on the yacht. Especially now that we have to worry about potential sabotage-"She cringed as she saw Impulse's face twist in fear at those words. "...but, uh, we'll make sure that doesn't happen."Grian raised his eyebrows at her, but didn't push the issue, heading into the yacht's lower deck without another word. Impulse looked like he was about to protest, but Grian moved so quickly that he had no choice but to follow."I saw your husband," Scott immediately began to explain, talking as soon as Impulse was out of sight. "He attacked me, but I got away, and-""He attacked you? At the tents?" Lizzie immediately tensed up. "We have to get Pearl and Tango out of there right away-""Not at the camp." Scott looked vaguely guilty. "I left my tent and decided to... explore further down the beach. I know I shouldn't have gone alone, but I needed some time to think and... well, I saw Gem by the treeline and I tried to convince her to come with me. But she had others with her, and they caught me, but they didn't drag me away like I thought they would.""Why did they let you go?" Lizzie asked, gesturing for Scott to continue.The bachelor took a deep breath. "Your husband asked me to deliver you a message. He wanted me to make sure that you to listened to every word. It seemed very, very important to him.""Joel." Lizzie immediately felt several emotions: frustration, grief, fear, yearning... but she wasn't about to show Scott any of that. She had to be the leader, after all. "What does he want?""His message was this." Scott paused, then spoke in a slow, stilted tone, clearly quoting. "'I know we've had our differences, but I need to speak to you alone. I promise you'll be safe. I need you more than anything. Meet me in the woods tonight.'"------She couldn't give Scott a response. Honestly, Lizzie wasn't even sure how she felt about any of it. But she did swear Scott to secrecy, insisting that no one else should know.Grian and Impulse didn't emerge for a while, and in the meantime, the survivors worked to assemble the raft. They pulled a few more pieces of wooden paneling, then began tying them together using the ropes that Cleo and Martyn had made. Once it was assembled, they tested it on water to confirm that it would stay afloat, then had Bdubs jump on to test that it could hold his weight. Lizzie joined him, then another, and another.It held, even with all five of them sitting atop it. It'd be a tight fit, getting nine people on the raft, but it would work. It had to.Cautious of potential sabotage, they dragged the raft back onto the beach and brought it as close to the camp as possible. Grian and Impulse rejoined them just as they were settling back by the campfire."The radio's salvageable," Impulse announced to the group. "I'll keep working on it, but I think I can get it functioning by tonight. Then we can try to reach someone."Lizzie saw more than a few eyes dart to the raft. They hadn't spoken it aloud, but she was sure that they all knew its purpose: to help them flee the island, even if rescue wasn't assured.She spent the rest of the afternoon with Pearl, writing down any extra details that she could remember in her notebook. Lizzie's records were comprehensive, though they'd sound like madness to anyone who wasn't here. Her friend was hardly talkative, but Lizzie could tell that Pearl appreciated the company. They'd wrapped up her injured arm and put it in a sling, but Pearl held herself incredibly still, doing everything she could to not jostle it.In the evening, Impulse seemed in good spirits. "I think I've figured it out," he told the group over dinner, "and it does seem to be at least turning on. I'm the highest ranking ship official we've got, so I'm going to try to contact someone. Lizzie, you should be there too.""Glad you're feeling better about the yacht," Martyn commented. He and Scott were sitting close together, apparently finding comradery in both losing their closest friend."At first, I was convinced it would all collapse when I stepped in," Impulse admitted, staring at the shipwreck. "But I've developed a method. It's not perfect, but it'll do."So when they finished, Lizzie entered the remains of the yacht for the first time, following Impulse into the darkness as the sun began to set.Impulse's method, as it turned out, was moving incredibly slowly, which gave Lizzie time to examine the lower deck. It was damp and dim, with seaweed and sand strewn inside. Orange light cut through the cracks, illuminating the path in front of her. Lizzie stepped on the lights like they were footprints, guiding her forward.She'd never been in the helm before, not even when the yacht had been nothing but a vacation. She'd felt no need to. Why explore the captain's control room when she could be relaxing? But now that she was in here, she noticed every detail: the picture of BigB and Tango on the wall, posing in front of this very yacht, a soaked sheet of paper pinned to a bulletin board, indicating the hours of each of the employees, and, of course, the giant control panel, complete with the coveted radio, blinking with a single red light.It was heavy in here. She didn't like it at all, even if the beacon of their survival was sitting right in front of her."BigB would know the proper lingo to contact other ships, but he's... well." Impulse slowly stepped over to the radio, which was attached to the wall next to the control panel. "So I'm just going to convey a distress signal. It won't be very official.""Doesn't have to be. It's a distress signal." Lizzie nodded encouragingly.Impulse spun a dial, seemingly setting the radio to some known frequency, then picked up the handheld receiver carefully. He breathed in, held it for a few seconds, then exhaled before turning the radio on with the press of a button.It crackled to life, filling the room with noise.They were both stunned and still for a moment, shocked even at the sound of static. But after a moment, Impulse composed himself."If anyone is hearing this, I'm an employee of the commercial yacht that crashed off the eastern coastline," Impulse said cautiously. "I'm alive, and so are other survivors."Static. No response."If someone is hearing this, please give me a signal," Impulse continued.More static.Impulse reached up, as if tempted to change frequencies. "Is anyone hearing this message?""Where's your captain?"The voice that responded was difficult to hear through the static and breaks, but it was there. Someone could hear them."You can hear us!" Impulse responded quickly, jumping forward and nearly dropping the receiver. "We've lost our captain, but-""Your first mate?" the voice asked.Impulse hesitated."He's hurt," Lizzie spoke up, "but alive.""Get him to the radio," the voice insisted. "If we're going to figure out where you are, I'm going to need key information that only he might know.""I'll go get him." Immediately, Lizzie started moving, knowing that if Impulse went, he'd take too long with his slow-stepping 'method.' She raced out of the helm without another word.Down the hall, out of the ship, across the sandy beach, to the tents. She couldn't keep the voice waiting, because every second spent was just delaying their rescue."We need to get Tango to the ship!" she called ahead to Martyn and Bdubs, who were keeping watch outside of the tents. "Can you bring him?"They were moving in an instant, and though Lizzie knew she should probably help in the effort to get Tango over to the yacht, she slowed once she reached the camp. The commotion of it all seemed to distract the remaining group of survivors, and it was easy enough for her to step back, unnoticed, as the sun dipped under the horizon and began to properly set into darkness.Quietly, and against her better judgement, she reentered the woods. There was someone that she had to meet.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Joel paced in the clearing, waiting. Every second felt like a lifetime, and he kept wondering if she'd even arrive. Maybe he was just wasting his time, maybe-The sound of footsteps were sharp in the quiet night, interrupting his clouded thoughts and bringing him back to reality.And just like that, she was there in front of him. The moon was rising, only a sliver of crescent in the sky above them.The watchers' sensations had largely gone silent since he'd sent his message earlier in the day, but when he saw Lizzie, Joel suddenly felt like he was suffocating. There was water in his lungs and he couldn't breathe and his chest felt tight and speaking felt impossible and-"Joel?" Lizzie's voice was hushed, nervous.He'd told her to come alone, and she had. Joel had done the same, making all of his companions, even Jimmy and BigB, stay away. Even though he could tell he was slowly losing control of the little autonomy he had left, he still had enough independence to insist on handling it himself. This was between him and his wife, after all. Nobody else was needed."You're here," he replied, knowing that he didn't sound the slightest bit confident. "I wasn't sure you'd bother."She took a moment to respond. "You said you needed me.""I did. I do." Joel took a step forward, feeling himself smiling in spite of how difficult it was to breathe. "I know that a lot has happened, but I think we need to talk, just the two of us.""We do," agreed Lizzie. "You have some explaining to do, and I want the truth."Joel gestured to a nearby boulder, one flat enough for them to sit on, but Lizzie didn't comply, hovering on her feet. So they remained standing, several feet apart, facing each other with the eye looming between them."The first night we were here, I left our tent to explore the woods," Joel said quietly, his eyes drifting to the carving. "I found this area and I felt this... connection. Like something was pulling me closer so that it could whisper in my ear. That's how I first met them.""Them?" asked Lizzie carefully, her arms crossed."They're... watchers, of sorts. They can see everything, hear everything, and they can communicate in their own way." It was hard to admit this out loud, but he knew he had to explain himself. "I knew that they could save us, but I had to respect their wishes in return."Lizzie looked skeptical, her brow furrowing, but nodded for him to continue."So at first, I had to keep quiet about it. I didn't want to scare people away. It can be a little intimidating, thinking about the overwhelming force of their power. They're not from this world, you see," Joel continued, running a hand through his hair. "But that doesn't mean they're dangerous. Not if we do as they say.""That's concerning," Lizzie commented, and though she tried to be subtle about it, Joel noticed that she took a small step away from the carving, eyeing it warily."I know it sounds bad. That's why I didn't tell you immediately, because I knew that... well, I knew it'd all be a bit much. So I brought Jimmy and BigB instead, because I was sure that they could help me achieve the goals of the watchers. But they started asking for more.""More?"Joel sighed and shook his head. "That was why I got distant, you see. I had to do what they said, but it was stressful, and I struggled to figure out a way to handle it. It was a lot of responsibility, and there would be consequences if I did it wrong."For a second, he paused, and Lizzie seemed to be at a loss for words. It was hard enough to tell her the truth like this, knowing it would only scare her away, and especially with the crushing weight of the phantom drowning coursing through his entire body. But at the same time, it was almost a relief, like a weight being taken off his shoulders. There were no secrets between them, not anymore."What are the goals of these... watchers?" Lizzie asked gently, taking another step away from the carving. "And what are the consequences if you don't achieve them?"Joel stepped closer to the rock and turned slightly, copying her movement. "Are you sure that you want to know?""You promised me the truth," she insisted, taking another step."I promised nothing," he recalled, mirroring her again. "You might be better off not knowing.""I want to know what happened to you." Lizzie stepped again, and he copied her motion, and gradually they began slowly circling one another, keeping their distance. "And I need to know if there's any way to free you from it.""I'm in too deep, darling," Joel replied nonchalantly, though his wife's frown only deepened at those words. "There's no getting out of this now."Lizzie's face twisted. "I want to know what possesses a group of people to chase their fellow survivors through the woods. Or what possesses someone to break his own sister's arm. Or for a man to abandon his wife when all she needs is someone to reassure her, to hold her hand, to..."She was crying, Joel realized. And though every instinct in him knew that he ought to reach out and comfort her, he knew he shouldn't. Not with what was coming next.So he spoke again, pretending that he hadn't noticed. "They want everyone, Lizzie. All of the survivors, every person on this island. They want us all in their embrace. Especially you.""What?" Lizzie voice wavered."They've taken a special interest in you," Joel explained, continuing to circle. "They even gave me a deadline. You're powerful, you're impactful. I don't blame them.""I'm not touching that cursed rock, Joel," Lizzie hissed through her tears, and she began to take a wider berth, getting further and further away from him. "I'm not joining you in their... embrace. I hope you know that.""You haven't even-""The consequences, Joel," Lizzie cut him off. "Tell me what happens if you don't get them what they want."He was briefly caught off guard by her bluntness, but he recovered quickly. "If I don't save all of the survivors, then none of us are saved. They're going to help us, but only if they get all of us."Lizzie stopped in her tracks, and he paused too, his back to the stone, her back to the woods.It was deathly quiet. There wasn't even the trace of a breeze in the clearing, even though there was a storm brewing in the distance. The moonlight hit him directly, illuminating the space around him, but Lizzie was far enough away that she was shrouded in darkness."So if you don't get everyone to join your... cult," Lizzie said softly, her voice barely a whisper, "then no otherworldly watchers will save you, and you'll be stuck here until you starve."Joel didn't confirm it, but he didn't have to. She knew that she was right."And there's no way to make you change your mind?" asked Lizzie, her voice welling up."I have to do this, Lizzie," Joel snapped."You don't have to do anything!" She stepped closer to him, hovering for a second. "They can't control you. You can free yourself of this."Joel exhaled slowly. "It doesn't work that way. I'm not the same man that you landed on this island with, Lizzie.""Joel, please, I don't want to lose you-" Lizzie took another step forward, and Joel knew that he wouldn't get a better opportunity than this.He grabbed her arm and yanked her forward, trying to pull Lizzie off her feet, but she stumbled and kept herself upright, trying to wrench away once she realized what he was doing. Joel dropped his grip and wrapped his arms around his wife's waist, and she yelped as she was lifted off her feet, forced forward.Before he could get far, however, Lizzie dug her nails into his arm and scratched, drawing blood. Joel cried out and recoiled, and she pulled herself away from him, getting as much distance as she could.But Lizzie was up against the stone now, and Joel was blocking her way back into the woods. He put his arms up as her eyes darted back and forth, looking for an escape. There wasn't much for her to go off of, but considering how determined she looked, Joel knew that his wife would try.Seconds before she moved, Lizzie tensed up, and Joel knew where she was going just as she threw herself past him to his left.He caught her just before she could bolt away. For a moment, it seemed like the wind was knocked out of her, but then she started kicking and screaming, trying to claw herself free once again. It didn't work - the pain was still there, but it couldn't surprise him this time. One step closer, two steps closer, then he adjusted his grip so that he could grab her hand and forced it forward. It was a foot away from the eye, then eight inches, then half a foot..."Joel!" Lizzie was straining to pull herself out of his grip, desperate. "Joel, please, no, I can't do this, please-"She twisted her hand furiously in his grasp, and he had to pause to readjust before he continued. It was four inches, then two, then her hand was hovering right in front of the eye, a hair away from touching the carving."If you love me, you won't do this!" Lizzie cried out, using every bit of power she had to try to get away. "If you love me, you'll let me go!"And Joel didn't obey her command, not exactly, didn't even properly process what she'd said at first. But he paused, his hold on her slackening, and that was enough for Lizzie to tumble free of his grasp, hitting the ground and scrambling away as he stood as still as a statue, his instincts clouded for just a moment.At first, he wondered why he'd hesitated. But deep within, he knew the reason, and he knew they wouldn't give him this chance ever again.She was running already, vanished into the woods before he knew it. Joel wanted to follow, but he wasn't sure what to do next. Should he chase after her? Or try to beat her back to the camp?But before he could react, everything came crashing down around him. His vision fogged as bright, burning lights flashed in his eyes, sending him stumbling. His entire body was enveloped in pressure, like he was deep beneath an icy sea. Every breathe felt like it could be his last, with a chorus of screams and snaps and cries and furious wails echoing in his ears. Distantly, he felt himself hit the ground, but he couldn't do anything but struggle, taking on the full force of the watchers' rage.Then, one clear message broke through the storm.
No more weakness. No more volition. Get her back.
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Lizzie was running. She'd give anything to collapse and mourn, to scream at the top of her lungs, to release any of this rage and sadness she was feeling, but she couldn't stop for a moment, not even to turn around and check if she was being followed.It wasn't safe here anymore. They had to leave. Now.As she got further and further away from Joel, she began to feel raindrops falling around her. Thunder rumbled in the distance and clouds slowly enveloped the moon, plunging her into near darkness. It was as if that clearing she'd met Joel in had been frozen in time, and now Lizzie was back in reality, stuck on this cursed island with a storm on the way.She planned as she ran, her breaths heaving. Whether it was from strain or from crying, she couldn't tell.They'd have to help Tango and Pearl onto the raft first, then get it deeper into the water before anyone else climbed on. Taking supplies with them would just be extra weight on an already precarious raft, but Lizzie knew she had to stop by her tent one last time before they left. There was something that she had to retrieve.But she was sure that Joel would know her intentions, would try to prevent them from getting away. God, she hoped that Impulse had been able to convince someone to come find them, because there was no telling how long they'd be able to survive on the raft. The voice she'd heard over the radio sounded anything but reassuring, but honestly, she still had no idea who they'd contacted. It could be anyone from the Coast Guard to a random stranger with a marine radio. She didn't care who it was, though, as long as they were able to come save them."We need to leave!" As soon as Lizzie reached the beach, she started yelling, not caring if Joel could hear. She needed to alert as many of the survivors as possible. "It's not safe anymore! Get out of your tents, NOW!"At first, she got next to no response, and in that momentary stillness, she panicked. They weren't ready, they were too slow, and Joel and Jimmy and BigB and their companions were going to overwhelm the camp and they wouldn't be able to escape and-Just as a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, the tents started opening. Grian emerged first, and as soon as he made eye contact with Lizzie, he instantly seemed to understand. He ducked back into the tent and brought out Pearl, just as Martyn and Bdubs, who had been on watch, jumped into action and started moving."Impulse!" Lizzie caught up with the engineer as soon as he left his tent, still slightly groggy from sleep. "What happened with the radio? Is help on the way?"He looked so tired - they all did. "Where did you go, exactly?" he asked."Not important. Impulse, please," Lizzie insisted, checking over her shoulder as she spoke. There was nobody emerging from the trees... yet."Tango was able to give some information about our last known location. Someone's on the way, but we have no idea how long it will take them to find us," Impulse explained, noticing her franticness. "Lizzie, what did you do?""They're not waiting any longer. We're not safe on this island anymore, not after what I've seen," Lizzie warned. "I hope you were comprehensive in your communications, because we won't have time to contact them again."Impulse nodded gravely, then heading for Tango's tent as Lizzie ducked into her own. Cleo was still waking up inside, but Lizzie didn't address her slow reaction. Instead, she started digging around for her few belongings."What's happening out there?" Cleo muttered sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Did I miss something?""My husband happened," Lizzie grumbled, fishing her notebook out of the messenger bag and flipping through the pages one last time. "Cleo, I need you to take one of the remaining blankets and attach it to the raft. With these winds, a sail might be our only hope.""You really think we're going to be able to take the raft out in this?" Cleo asked incredulously, as thunder boomed outside."We have to." Lizzie wrapped her notebook back in her bag and tossed the strap over her shoulder. "Can you ask your son to grab the life vests for me? We're going to need them."The remaining survivors were all out of their tents by the time she and Cleo emerged, with Martyn and Grian attempting to move the raft closer to the water while Impulse and Scott supported both Tango and Pearl. Bdubs pushed past Lizzie to get to his mother, but before Lizzie could give him instructions, she spotted movement in the woods."They're here!" She yelled, straining her voice to be heard over the rain, which was pouring even more heavily now. "Keep your eyes on the woods!""Something's glowing!" Bdubs yelped, backing away.It was eyes, Lizzie realized, the eyes of their former friends and family and partners. Impulse had claimed to see something like this when he was in the clearing, and though initially she'd had her doubts, now Lizzie could see it for herself. The faint purplish-white glow flitted past palm trees and watching them carefully, but nothing approached just yet."Get the life vests!" Cleo instructed her son, before gathering their largest blanket in her arms. "Lizzie, what do we do if they actually decide to attack?"Lizzie scanned the woods. She could sense her husband's gaze without seeing him, but in the time he'd likely spent going back to get his companions, she'd been able to get the rest of the survivors moving. She had the upper hand, at least for the moment. "They're biding their time... we need to make sure they can't stop us from leaving. Martyn, Grian, don't stop until the raft's out on the water!"The two obliged, pushing the raft across the beach as quickly as they could while Bdubs brought life vests to Impulse, Pearl, and Tango."They have to be planning something," Lizzie hissed to Cleo and Scott, "but they can't surprise us if we stay vigilant. We need to keep them from sabotaging the raft or grabbing our injured.""Do you think they would sink to that level?" asked Cleo, brow furrowing."Absolutely."Bdubs brought the last three life vests to Lizzie, Scott, and Cleo before trading places with his mother so that she could string up their makeshift sail. Meanwhile, Lizzie was trying to keep track of the movement of the glowing eyes. First they were split into two even groups, then they were crossing back and forth, trading places, then they lined up evenly...Lizzie frowned. Something wasn't right. They wouldn't be moving like this if it didn't mean something. Unless it was meant to......distract them. Quickly, Lizzie counted the pairs of eyes. One, two, three, four, five, six..."It's a distraction!" Lizzie shouted, taking several steps backward and scanning the beach. "There's some missing, be careful-"Two figures charged out from behind the tents as she called out, charging forward and driving the remaining survivors closer to the water. Lizzie risked glancing around, seeing that the raft was now floating in the shallow end. Martyn was holding it steady while Impulse helped Tango climb on."Keep your eyes open!" she shouted, squinting through the darkness and pouring rain to try to find Joel. The two that were approaching were Jimmy and BigB, not her husband, but somehow she knew that he had to be the missing pair of eyes. "Don't let your guard down!"BigB lunged at them, and Lizzie stumbled back, nearly running into Pearl, who hadn't joined Tango on the raft like she was supposed to. The captain tried to knock Lizzie off her feet, but he was interrupted by a swift kick from Pearl, who was still cradling her injured arm close. Lizzie noticed that she was looking past BigB, though.. right at her brother."We have to leave, Pearl," Lizzie reminded her friend, though her heart ached at the sadness on Pearl's face, despite everything. "We'll come back for him, but we can't help him now.""Are we really going to leave all of them?" Pearl asked softly, so that only Lizzie could hear.Lizzie looked up at the woods one more time, then nodded grimly. "We have to, if we want to survive this.""But-"Something glowed at her side, and she punched at it wildly, reacting on instinct. Joel had snuck up to them from the ruined yacht, coming from a side of the beach that Lizzie hadn't been watching closely. He recoiled from the blow, but then jumped forward again, trying to grab Scott, who rapidly retreated until he was splashing in the shallows."Lizzie, we're about as deep as we can get!" Grian called out from behind her.Lizzie didn't have to turn around to check this time - and she couldn't afford to, because Joel was looking at her with a dangerous determination. He didn't even look like himself anymore, just a desperate, unyielding monster. "GO!" she shouted, before shoving Joel off his feet. She grabbing Pearl and pulled her into the water, and suddenly they were all wading in, pushing through the waves until one by one by one, they grabbed the side of the raft and hauled themselves on.The wind in the sail was already dragging them out further into the water. Grian had stuck his net into the ocean and was using it to push against the seafloor, forcing the raft into even deeper waters, the rain coming down hard as their unsteady vessel bobbed precariously underneath them.Lizzie turned and saw a glowing set of eyes on the beach, and watched as Joel threw himself into the water, swimming after them with reckless abandon.A wave had picked up their raft now, nearly tipping the thing, but Lizzie, Pearl, and Grian all threw themselves to the other side of the raft in an attempt to rebalance. By the time Lizzie looked up again, the beach was nearly out of sight. The only thing that she could see clearly was her husband, dark brown hair with that familiar green streak, eyes shining furiously as he swam and swam and swam after her.Another crashing wave lifted the raft again, swelling in front of them and blocking the sight of the island and Joel. When they finally leveled out again, there was nothing swimming after them in the water, and the island had vanished.Which left nine survivors on a handmade raft in the middle of a treacherous ocean. Martyn, without his closest friend. Scott, without his travelling partner. Impulse and Tango without the rest of their crew. Bdubs without his father, Cleo without her son. Grian and Pearl without their brother.And Lizzie without her husband, without the light of her life. He'd seemingly disappeared, gone in an instant. Had he been pushed beneath the waves? Was he drowning? Or had he swam back, giving up his attempt to follow them?She didn't know his fate. She might never know."I see something!" Pearl gasped behind her, and Lizzie forced herself to look away from where Joel had been, turning around to face the unknown.There was a boat approaching them, large and foreboding, shining a searchlight down on them. They must look half-dead, Lizzie realized, sitting on a handmade raft in the middle of ocean during a raging storm. But the boat continued forward, and though they weren't out of the water just yet, Lizzie let herself sigh in relief.They were alive. That was all that mattered.------'The following is an excerpt from Surviving At All Costs by Elizabeth "Lizzie" S.L., published six months after the infamous yacht crash that stranded the journalist and seventeen other passengers on a deserted island in the Atlantic Ocean. The following article has been widely scrutinized and should not be treated as completely factual, but contains the most thorough account of the experience.'
Our radio communication, as I later learned, had been picked up by a local fisherman. He'd contacted the Coast Guard shortly after speaking to Tango, but after hearing how dire our situation was, he took it upon himself to head in the direction of our coordinates, seeing if he could help us.
None of us could have known, but he found our raft just in time. As the final survivor, Impulse, climbed onto the boat, a wave hit the side of our makeshift vessel and completely destroyed it, sending the pieces tumbling deep beneath the waves. We survived, barely.
A Coast Guard helicopter picked up Pearl and Tango once we were closer to shore, just as the storm was starting to break. The rest of our group received treatment for malnourishment once we got back to the mainland, though I refused to stay still for long. As soon as I was able to, I informed the proper authorities that we weren't the only survivors from the shipwreck: our friends and family were still waiting on the island, and we had to send a search and rescue mission to find them.
I'll be honest and say that I didn't approach the situation well. I was still dealing with the trauma I'd faced, and admitting that I'd left my husband behind on a deserted island was no easy feat. Besides, if I told them that the other survivors had seemingly been possessed by some spiritual entity that manifested in the form of a carved eye on a rock, they'd probably think that I was the crazy one. There was a chance that they might not even believe me, chalk it up to the desperate ramblings of a woman who had lost her mind while trying to survive. I couldn't risk them not sending a rescue mission. So I told an altered story and claimed that there had been a fight which had resulted in some of our numbers leaving the camp. We'd left without them because we were worried about the storm, not because we were worried about getting captured by our own relatives.
Yes, I admit that I didn't tell the full truth at first. I'm aware that it makes my story seem all the more fabricated. But that doesn't change what I saw and experienced.
While we waited for any news about the search and rescue mission, I stayed with friends, unable to return to the home that Joel and I had shared. I was wracked with guilt, convinced that I could have saved him if I'd just tried harder, and scared that he might have actually been wiped out by the storm. I was also worried about more metaphysical consequences: my husband had claimed that if he didn't get all of the survivors to join his cult, they would receive no help from the so-called 'watchers.' What if they all starved after our departure? Or what if they were punished for losing us?
I'm aware that I sound less than sane. While writing this, many have asked me if I actually believed that it was real. Was my husband actually "possessed," or was he just driven mad by the circumstances and somehow was able to convince the others to follow him on his doomsday mission? To that, I'm not sure I have an answer. On one hand, it seemed completely crazy then, and even more illogical now. How could it actually be true? Surely there were no omniscience, all-powerful beings who were whispering in my husband's ear, convincing him to turn on me. He was likely losing control of reality because of our traumatizing circumstances, nothing more.
But on the other hand, I don't buy the idea that all of those people - Ren, Scar, Mumbo, Gem, Skizz, Etho, BigB - could turn on their loved ones so easily. I struggle to understand how an kindhearted paramedic like Jimmy could become the sort of man who would snap his sister's arm without any hesitation. And, honestly, there's no world where I believe that my husband would have abandoned me like that of his own volition. Maybe it's just delusion, but I feel that there must have been some outside influence involved.
Besides, when I was in those woods, struggling as the shell of the man I married tried to force me to touch that rock, I fought. I believed wholeheartedly that if I touched it, I'd lose control of myself like he had. Even now I have nightmares about that clearing in which that carved stone stares at me, unblinking, while looming figures surround me from all sides. Most of my fellow survivors have since come to believe that it wasn't real, that the glowing eyes we saw were just tricks of the light or mirages, but I'm not so sure.
And I can't help but feel that the outcome of the search and rescue mission confirms that something unnatural happened on that island. I know few will believe me, and that even the other survivors would scoff at that notion, but it's hard to ignore the reality that we're facing.
They sent two rescue boats to the island and search the land and surrounding waters for days, then spent an additional week searching several nearby islands. These were trained professionals, ready for anything that they might encounter, using all of the technology at their disposal to find our missing loved ones.
They found nothing. No people, no camps, not even the remains of the yacht. There wasn't a trace of the places we stayed or the people we left behind. They were just... gone.