Chapter 16

I headed the opposite way from where we found those cannibals this morning. I'd been down this path before while looking for wood, but I never went too far—just about a mile—and didn't run into any trouble.

So, for the first mile, I was pretty chill. But once I hit unfamiliar territory, I got more on edge, sticking close to the jungle's edge.

If anything sketchy popped up, I could dive into the jungle and use the trees for cover. Way better than being out in the open on the beach with nowhere to hide.

As for those giant lizards in the jungle, as long as I didn't go too deep, the sunlight would keep them away. So, I wasn't too freaked out about them.

I kept moving forward, slow and steady, always on the lookout for any potential threats. Unlike the other direction, the trees here were more spread out, with some clearings in between.

Seeing this, I started thinking about maybe moving our shelter. Fewer trees meant less chance of running into giant lizards, and we were pretty far from where we found the cannibals, given how different the environment was.

But that was a problem for later. Right now, I was just exploring. Moving the shelter would be a huge job, and I'd need to think it through more before making any decisions.

I kept walking, and suddenly, I caught a whiff of something nasty. After looking around, I realized it wasn't close by.

I checked the wind direction and saw it was blowing inland from the sea, so the smell was probably coming from somewhere along the coast.

I looked towards the coastline, but some big rocks were blocking my view. After thinking it over, I decided to check it out.

I scanned the area carefully, and once I was sure there was no danger, I slowly made my way to the beach. I stayed ready to bolt into the jungle if needed. I got closer to the sea and soon reached the big rocks.

Instead of going around them, I used my wooden spear to climb up and get a better look.

When I got to the top, I saw a raft stranded on the shore with two bodies in flight attendant uniforms. They were probably other survivors from my flight. There was also a big backpack on the raft.

Seeing this, I felt a weird mix of luck and sadness. I'd dodged giant lizards and cannibals and had Zoey, a beautiful companion, with me. But these two hadn't been so lucky.

After checking out the area and the bodies, I figured they hadn't been killed by the island's creatures. They probably ran into trouble at sea, and the raft drifted here to Resurge Island.

I gathered my courage and approached the raft. That backpack looked like it might have some useful stuff.

As I got closer, the stench from the bodies got stronger. I guessed they'd been dead for at least three days, judging by the smell. Covering my nose, I pushed through the stench and quickly grabbed the backpack without even peeking inside. I bolted back, feeling the weight of it. Normally, I'd make two trips, but I chose one because I couldn't stand the smell.

After running a few dozen feet away, where the smell wasn't as bad, I stopped to check out what was inside the backpack.

I found compressed biscuits, various snacks, including instant noodles, and some emergency medical supplies. At the bottom, there was even a Swiss Army knife.

I was stoked about the contents of the backpack—totally worth the trip. But now I had a new problem: the backpack was heavy, and carrying it all back to the shelter in one go was going to be tough.

The shelter was pretty far, and making two trips would mean waiting until the next day since it was too dangerous to go that far at night. Leaving some supplies behind overnight was also risky because everything in the backpack seemed essential.

Then I thought of the raft. If I could row it back from the shallow waters near the shore, I could transport everything in one go. Plus, having the raft at the shelter would save me from having to build another one later.

The strong smell from the bodies on the raft was a minor concern compared to the benefits of having the raft. I quickly removed the bodies and pushed the raft away from the shore.

After moving it a bit, I cleaned the raft to get rid of the stench. I checked it out and found it was in good shape, just needed a few loose bindings tightened. I reinforced the raft with some sturdy vines from the jungle edge and made two makeshift paddles using the knife from the bag. Happy with my work, I put the bag back on the raft and tested it before setting off along the coastline.

I paddled hard, and the raft moved faster than walking on land. Finally, when my arms were about to give out, I spotted the shelter.

But to my surprise, there was no sign of Zoey or Winford near the shelter. I started to panic, thinking maybe the cannibals had found them and taken them while I was gone.

After checking the area and not seeing any signs of a struggle, I calmed down. If the cannibals had taken Zoey and Winford, there would have been some evidence.

I jumped off the raft, hurried to the shelter, and looked for clues nearby.

As I got closer, I heard some noise from the edge of the jungle. I looked over and saw Zoey and Winford coming out from behind a rock.

Seeing them, I was confused and asked if they had run into any danger that made them hide.

Winford laughed and said, "We thought you were the danger, so we hid."

Realizing their misunderstanding, I called Winford over to help me with the big bag, and we hid the raft at the edge of the jungle after unloading it. Once we were done, I told Zoey and Winford about my exploration and how I found the raft, along with what was in the bag.

They were surprised by my unexpected finds and listened closely.

I took out some snacks from the bag and got ready to have them with fish and coconuts for dinner.