The Island

After we buried Carrie’s body things became quiet. I mean really quiet. With just me and Kyle left it was harder to survive. Each of us pulled the weight of 5 other people and ourselves. On the bright side with just me and Kyle I didn’t have to use any more of our first aid supplies. The downside of course was the loneliness. As much as I loved Kyle, I missed Carrie more. I missed all of them. Even Vanessa and Devin. It was so hard being alone.

Our routine changed dramatically. We woke up, ate some rice for breakfast, and went into the woods. While in the woods we broke off branches, occasionally sawing through a larger one or collecting fallen ones. We did this for a few days until we had enough to build a shelter. We stripped off the bark and cut it into strips. Once we did that we used a rock to smooth it out and turned it into a crude sort of rope. I dug holes in the sand while Kyle put the larger posts in to make the walls of a house. He lashed together branches for the door while I went through a similar process for the roof.

After about three days we had a not too shabby little house to hide in at night. Over time we bulked up the roof by putting grass and leaves over the top. Later we decided to cut a circular hole in the top with a lid we could add or remove. That way if we lit a fire in the house, the smoke wouldn’t collect inside. The final additions were added two weeks after we had started. It was crude but we were proud of it.

One day we decided to go hunting together. We had been running low on food and we were almost out of rice and we only had 10 cans of stew left. After walking for what must have been a mile or two we saw a deer laying on the ground. The funny thing was that it was already dying. I saw thick red blood pouring from its chest area. When I went closer its pupils dilated and it seemed to stare into my soul. As I examined the wound I was shocked. It seemed to be a knife wound, no bite or scratch marks anywhere.

“Kyle?” He looked over at me, confused. “Kyle this isn’t a natural wound. Somebody stabbed it…” The look he gave me was ridiculous. I imagine that’s what someone would look like if you hit them in the face with a shovel. Storming over he knelt down and looked at it himself. “That’s impossible. We’re alone.” I looked at him seriously then.

“Kyle, What if we’re not alone here?” It seemed to hit both of us at the same time. We sat there for a few seconds until I shook my head and went back to reality. The deer was suffering. It’s breathing was labored and its eyes seemed unfocused. Slowly I went up to it and drew my knife from my belt.

Kyle looked at me questioningly but didn’t say a word. I positioned my knife under its jaw, where the head connected to the neck, and thrust upwards with all my strength. It’s legs went limp and it’s breathing stopped. This deer was the first thing I had ever killed in my life. Well, anything big besides spiders and stuff like that. I had killed it because it was suffering. And because we needed food. “I’m sorry.” I said and then pulled my knife out with a wet squelch.

Before we could break it up someone burst through the trees on my right. I poised my knife high above my head, ready to strike if needed. Then I saw the face of the one person I had never wanted to see again. Devin. His knife dripped with blood and I relived all of the horror he had inflicted on me. The beatings, the screaming, the lines carved into my back. I had scars from it. “Filth” was etched onto me forever. Then my heart jumped with fear, so much that I thought it might stop. I could feel the adrenaline course through my body in waves. It was a strange feeling. As if my body was preparing to numb all the pain I was about to receive in order to survive. When I stood up, knife still raised, my head spun as I looked into his eyes. I staggered backwards and ran into Kyle. Finally Devin spoke, but it was less than articulate.

“Son of a bitch.” He said. Then he looked at me again and gave me such a terrifying, chilling grin I could have sworn he had gone insane. I wanted to hide but I didn’t dare turn my back on him. He took a step forward and that did it. I was so anxious and scared that I fell to my knees and threw up. Not normal throwing up, but little bits of horrible tasting acid coming out in between dry heaves. The last thing I remember is praying to any God I could think of that it wasn’t Devin’s hand on my back as I passed out.

When I woke up I was in the little hut we had built on the beach. I walked outside to find Kyle standing in front of Devin. Devin’s hands were tied behind his back with a cord made of our treated bark. They were arguing furiously and suddenly Kyle slapped Devin right across the face. I ran over and stood in between them. “Kyle don’t!” I yelled. I had never seen Kyle hit someone before. It was quite startling. “This isn’t the right way to deal with this.” Kyle gave me an incredulous look but I ignored him and turned around. “Devin, tell us everything that has happened since Brian took you into the woods.”

He had the most smug look on his face that I’d ever seen, but he started talking. “Well, Brian took me into the woods and as soon as you guys were out of sight he gave me his knife and said as long I never so much as looked at your group again there would be no trouble. I turned and walked away from you guys as he went back.”

He paused to catch his breath for a second and then continued. “So I was on my own on this God forsaken island with nothing but a knife. I ended up climbing a tree and sleeping on some sturdy branches for the night. It was a miracle I didn’t fall. Anyways since then I’ve been wandering the woods, scavenging food where I could find it. Lately I had been having trouble getting food so I hid under some leaves for hours until that deer walked right over me. I sat straight up and stabbed it in the chest but it didn’t die right away. It ran off and by the time I found it, it had bled out and you guys found it.”

I filled with rage. “It didn’t bleed out.” I spat “I killed it and put it out of it’s misery.” For once he seemed at a loss for words but quickly brushed it off.

“So, where are all the others anyway?” He asked. I quickly explained what had happened to us since he disappeared. “Wow, you guys have been through a lot. I’m sorry to hear about Carrie and Cole.” I stared at him in shock. His compassion surprised me. “What?” he said “I’m not an animal.” Kyle scoffed behind me and I pulled him away.

“Kyle, what are we going to do with him? I don’t want to kill him but I also don’t want him sleeping in our hut. What should we do?” In response he tied Devin to a nearby tree and walked away.