Escaping the Lost Island (working title)

Chapter 5

"Whew!" Isaac  huffed, rumpling his hair. "That sounds like a long shot!"

"And how are we supposed to make three rafts in that short of time?" Anna asked.

"If we all work on a plan together, we can make it happen," I said. There was also the fact that we currently had no other viable options. 

Toby caught my eye and I held his gaze, daring him to defy me. Then he nodded. "Meg is right. I think we should do it."

Anna looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

I raised an eyebrow. "It was your idea."

She shrugged. "Yeah but who knows if it will actually work. I mean, how long did it take you and Rita to get here, Toby?"

Toby silently counted. "Two weeks."

"When you knew where you were going?"

He nodded.

Isaac blew a deep breath out again.

"Well it doesn't matter so much how long it takes us to get somewhere else once we're gone," I said. "Once we're off the island, the flood won't be able to get us."

Toby grimaced. "Not necessarily. I mean, think about it; floods don't just happen by accident. There's got to be some sort of tsunami or something that makes the water cover the island. That won't be a picnic out on the water either, although it's more likely we'll survive."

Isaac scoffed. "Yeah because our odds are nonexistent the other way."

My heart sank. They were both right. Even if we managed to get off the island, we would most likely run into a terrible storm on our way out. It was a chance I was willing to take if it meant survival, but I couldn't make that decision for the rest of my friends.

"We need to talk to the others," I said. "Tell them the idea and make a group decision."

Anna, Isaac, and Toby nodded in unison. "Tonight at dinner," Anna suggested.

"Sounds good. Let's start working on plans for the rafts in the meantime," Isaac suggested. "We've still got plenty of daylight left."

I sat up straighter. The rafts!

"Wait!" I said urgently. "Toby, that happened to the raft you and Rita came in? Is it still there?!"

Toby frowned. "I..I don't know, I'd forgotten about it to be honest." He turned around and called for Rita. 

Dusting off her hands, she joined us. "What's going on?"

"Do you know what happened to the raft we came in?" Toby asked her.

She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I think we dragged it onto the beach, but I haven't checked on it since we got here."

"Which beach?" I was on my feet.

"We came in from the south shore."

I looked at Isaac and he nodded at me. Then we were both off running. If by some miracle, Toby had dragged the raft beyond the tide's reach, we would have one whole raft ready to go. That would mean extra time for the others, or even finishing early and getting a head start on escaping the flood. I quieted my buzzing thoughts enough to recognize my surroundings and make sure we were going in the right direction. At last we came to the clearing where I had been hunting when I had run into Toby. Had that really only been ten days ago? It seemed a lifetime in the past.

Anna, Rita, and Toby came crashing through the underbrush behind us.

"Where to now?" I asked, looking at Toby.