The Beginning of the End - Book One

seven

The group exchange glances, all of us frozen in place, scared to move even an inch.
   Finding a way to get off this island, finding food and shelter, already seemed like a hard enough battle. Now, we additionally have to worry about the other inhabitants of the island.
Everything feels uneasy, more than it did before. The way in which those people are screaming tells me something clearly isn't right — that maybe there's something we have to be scared of.
"It looks like it's almost time for the sun to set." Addison makes me jolt.
"We should find somewhere to sleep—no one will save us if they can't see the island when flying above it." She pauses. "No one will spot us in the dark."
  "Yeah." Maria agrees, looking out into the horizon, expressionless.
  "Does anybody want to help me get a fire going?" Mateo asks.
Maria snaps out if it. "I'll help."
They both walk into the distance, hoping to find twigs and other supplies. Javier tells us he wants to get a lay of the land before the sun sets completely.
Addison and I are left looking out to sea in an awkward silence.
I attempt at starting a conversation. "Who do you think the other people on the island are?"
"I honestly have no idea, but we're bound to find out soon, I guess." She answers, a look of doubt spreads across her face. "I think whoever those people are, they also need rescuing, I mean why else would they be screaming like that?"
  She has a point.
  "So, where are you from, Lidia, you don't sound like you would be from anywhere in the Americas." Addison offers a warm smile.
    "Well, I was born in Mexico, I lived there until I was about seventeen." Addison's expression is still confused. "Oh, you mean my accent!" I laugh a little, recognizing what Addison was implying. "Most of my family is from England."
     She nods, finally understanding. "You know, as an air hostess, I hear so many accents on a daily basis, but the British one is by far my favorite."
  "I'm from the States." She adds, still grinning.
  "Where in the States?"
  "I was born in Washington, but I've moved around since then."

A couple of hours later, the sun has set, and we all lie out on the sand with the warm fire, discussing what the plan is. Along with Javier's words, I purely focus on the twinkling stars above.
There is not a single cloud in the sky, the air is still humid, and the waves of the ocean crashing against the shore, are the only other sound apart from our voices.
   While I'm glad the other people on the island stopped screaming, it makes me anxious just how quiet they are now.
I try to stop myself from thinking unnecessary things.
"When dawn breaks tomorrow morning, there are a few things we have to do." Javier comments, giving us all the impression that he's going to be the leader of the operation.
       "I'm going to try and figure out where we are, first of all." Javier pauses. "Some of you should find some food—we'll probably be starving by then—we also need to find a freshwater river to avoid dehydration.
Once all of those things are done we should put our plan in to action."
Mateo pitches in. "What about the other people on the island? They were screaming for a lengthy amount of time—they might also need help."
Javier cuts Mateo of instantly. "No. We don't know who they are or why they were screaming. We should only get involved if we encounter them." His expression turns almost fearful.
  I partly agree with Javier, though, something about these people isn't sitting well with me. However, at the same time, they might be in a similar situation to us.
So, we're planning to write a big word spelling help, on the sand so whenever an airplane flies overhead, we draw attention to ourselves?" Maria goes over a fraction of the plan.
       "Yes." Javier confirms. "Then, we should make flags, or something similar, out of twigs and clothes. If they spot us, they should come down and get us when we wave them."
"Sounds like a plan." Addison says, with a sigh of relief.
"If this doesn't work, people will notice we're gone, and they should start looking for us, anyway." Maria points out.
Javier mumbles under his breath, I barely hear it. "I wouldn't be so sure."

The next morning, I'm awake before anyone else. The sky is still dark, but I can see the sun peeking above the horizon.
For a moment, I forget where I am. I just focus on the beauty of the landscape in front of me. Deep orange color begins to take over the night sky in soft wisps, birds harmonizing with the gentle cricket sound from the jungle.
  I turn over, deciding to attempt at getting just a tiny bit more sleep — I have a feeling this is going to be a long day.
But, I can't fall asleep again, not with my usual swarming thoughts. So much has happened in the last twenty four hours.
I was in a plane — and it crashed. I watched a woman almost bleed to death, her baby let out barely a breath, and she, too, was taken with millions of other passengers.
Beside that, Mateo appeared, after years of never knowing anything from him. And, just to put a cherry on the top of the huge dessert, we are all stranded on an island together. Perfect.
It all sounds too surreal.
  My mouth feels incredibly dry. I'm not patient enough to wait for everyone to wake up, it could be hours, so I silently lift myself up from the sand I was lying on, dusting myself off. Then, I walk towards the jungle.
  The beach isn't very far. I just hope that there is a river close by.
  I feel woozy walking, starving, just like Javier said I would be.
  Now that I've entered the jungle, I'm surrounded by tropical greenery and palm trees. I walk around for five more minutes or so, and to my relief, I come across a small stream.
I immediately bend down to fill my hands with fresh water, about to take my first sip, before unknown human hands grab me violently, halting me from doing so.