Fortnite: Island

Prologue

Drift and Brite Bomber sprinted as fast as they possibly could away from the Cube Queen's Caretakers. The Caretakers were huge, hulking beasts that towered over the loopers as they struggled to escape their wrath. Drift, particularly, was trying to look away from the one that was beating a certain man to death.
"Oh, Sanctum." Brite whispered softly, looking back at the man. Drift hadn't known him personally but from the way Brite looked genuinely gutted, he must have been a nice guy.
But he refused to let her slow down; he grabbed her tighter and pulled her like he was a train and she was the carriage. He loved her. He couldn't let her go.
Her hair was a bright pink flurry in the cruel winds. He could see she was looking at something but he didn't know what. He was going to ask but he held his tongue - he couldn't take another horrific distraction like Sanctum's mottled corpse.
For a moment, Drift imagined the great behemoths not being able to see. He had been known to have footfalls as quiet as a fox, so if the creatures were blinded the pair would be able to escape, no problem. But they were currently not a pair.
Drift turned around.
In the moment he had given himself to think, Brite had disappeared. Drift started to run around frantically.
His normally calm and composed voice was cracked with fear, "BRITE!"
More people were being killed everywhere he turned and there was no sign of Brite Bomber's flowing magenta hair anywhere. He could have sworn that the fear was physically eating him away.
And there she was, sat with the bear he recognised as Cuddle Team Leader. Brite was trying to drag her away - Cuddle's leg was mangled. It was sickly to look at, but he to go to Brite, to save her.
"Brite? What are you doing?!" Drift called to her, but she didn't hear him, "BRITE!"
She looked up, "Drift..?"
And then she and Cuddle were no more. And instead of exploding into the blue cubes loopers normally exploded into, she exploded into warm, sickly, wet blood. Drift screamed just as the Caretaker was about to pound him too. But, just in time, someone pulled him aside.
For a second, Drift thought that it was Brite, but it was not to be. Her skin and hair were too pale, although her hair was still pink. And she had brilliant green eyes rather than the dark brown ones he was accustomed to, and atop those eyes were a pair of glasses.
"What's wrong with you? Get to the bunker!" she dragged him away.
He jumped in and above, he saw explosions blasting the pair's way. He tried not to cry on the way down, for that was all he could do. There were other loopers around him, including the girl who had saved him, a chunky man in a suit and a bush creature. There was even more below.
Once touching down, he and the girl began their sprint to a door which had been opened by God knows what, but it was an escape and they'd have to worry about that later. The loopers ran, they ran even when the girl cried out. She was no longer stood next to Drift, and instead was lying on the floor a metre or two behind them, clutching her ankle.
"Hey! Are you ok?" Drift crouched to help her up. The cat ears on the girl's cap kind of poked into his face, but safety was more important that comfort right now.
"Ah... I'm fine. I sprained my ankle, though, so go on without me. I'll catch up." she showed him a pained smile.
"Nah, you'll be fine." Drift laughed politely, "I'm stronger than I look, you know."
"And you look strong already, you must be, like, a bodybuilder or something." she smirked.
Drift couldn't help blushing a little behind his facemask, "I do? Actually, answer that later once we both know we'll live."
"Someone's cheery."
"Not right now." was all he could bare to say.
"Anyway, try and lift me, we need to-"
And then their escape door shut. Drift momentarily left the girl and tried to paw his way through the door. The girl pushed her pastel pink hair out of her face and studied Drift's motions. He could feel her eyes digging into him.
"What's your name? I mean, if you're going to be my knight in shining armour then I'll need something to call you by." she said.
"It's... umm, Drift."
"I'm Lynx. It would be more of a pleasure to meet you if we weren't going to die." Lynx sighed.
Drift had already seen too many people die, Lynx couldn't join them. He continued to attempt to pry open the door but to no avail. He thought of Brite's kind smile. And then of her blood, soaking into the soil beneath the Caretaker's fists. And suddenly, he burst into tears.
"I give up! I'm sorry, but you'll have to help yourself." Drift collapsed onto the wet ground.
Wait. The ground was wet. They were underground... why would there be flooding, unless..?
Drift barely had time to scream as the mass of ocean from the surface enveloped him and Lynx.

***

Drift and Brite Bomber quietly walked along a stream he'd never seen before. She was licking an ice cream - strawberry, her favourite. With her free arm, she hugged him tightly. They were laughing about a joke she had made. Her laugh was so soft, so delicate.
And there, at the end of the stream, was a girl he recognised. Her skin and hair were paler than Brite's, although her hair was still pink. And she had brilliant green eyes rather than the dark brown ones he was accustomed to, and atop those eyes were a pair of glasses.
The girl spoke three words, "Drift, wake up."
As Drift opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the blinding sun.

To be continued...