Chapter 27: Fishing

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                       It was the third night of being stuck on the island. Shannon & Shaina slept next to each other, holding each other, as if to protect each other from the events that had happened earlier that day. It was still hard for Shaina to wrap her mind around Sandra & Madison's deaths. She didn't know why it was so hard to comprehend, considering half her class had died over the last few days.
                     Shaina had horrific nightmares. She had a dream that she was completely alone in a dark forest. "Shannon?" She yelled, to no prevail. Her voice echoed off the trees. She was completely alone in complete and utter darkness. All she heard was silence, until the sound of wolves howling stabbed into her ear drums. She screamed, but she couldn't hear it over the sound of the wolves.
                     They bombarded her, running over her, cutting her with their claws. Then, she felt their teeth ripping away at her skin. She screamed, blood gurgling up in her mouth. She awoke to Shannon holding her, a concerned look on her face. "It's just a dream, Shaina." Shannon said assuringly. Shannon brushed Shaina's hair with her fingers, tears streaming down Shaina's face. Shannon wiped them away and said "Shhh, it's okay. You're safe now."
                      Shaina embraced her sister in a hug. She looked around the shore. Everyone was awake and staring at her with wide eyes. "You were screaming." Shannon said. Shaina quickly apologized to everyone and decided that she would go for a quick swim to clear her head.
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                       The next day, Huxley, Colt, David, Mariah & Hollywood were hunting for fish that they could cook. They made handmade spears with large branches. At first, they couldn't find any fish, but the farther they went out away from the shore, the better luck they had with finding fish. Mariah couldn't help but laugh at how grossed out Hollywood was with killing the fish. She screamed everytime one even lightly brushed against her legs. Mariah had managed to recover from her breakdown from a few nights before, and she was finding herself letting loose a little more. She knew if she fixated on all of her classmates that had died, she would just make herself miserable. It wouldn't bring them back.
                    Kelsey stayed on the shore with Jonathan. She was still very much freaked out about the entire wolf attack that happened yesterday, understandably so. Winnie sat alone, catatonic to the world. Even when Shaina approached her, she wouldn't say a word. Jonathan made sure to keep a sharp eye on her just in case she tried to hurt herself.
                   "I got one!" Hollywood exclaimed as she speared a fish. She held it up high, proud. Mariah clapped. "Great job! See, you're already getting the hang of it." Mariah said, grinning. Huxley high fived Hollywood. Huxley took the fish Hollywood had caught and put it in the makeshift net they had found earlier that morning inside the ship. The ship had had a tennis court, so Huxley took the tennis court nets and made a makeshift net with them.
                    They had collected roughly 10 fish so far, plenty for a feast tonight. Mariah had a dream last night where her brother came to her on the island. She gasped in awe when she saw him. "Alejandro?" She exclaimed. Her brother grinned at her and nodded.
                  Behind him gleamed a light so bright that it nearly blinded Mariah. "Take me with you!" Mariah yelled to him. Alejandro nodded and said only 4 words to her. "Keep fighting for me." Then, she woke up.
                    Alejandro's message from beyond the grave in her dream had given her the extra boost she had needed to keep fighting. Plus, she wasn't fighting alone. She had her 10 other classmates to fight alongside. They headed back to the shore with the fish they had caught. They could easily catch more if they needed to.
The day was mostly uneventful, which was a blessing due to the last few days they had all had. Jonathan, Huxley & Chase went back into the woods to go bury Sandra & Madison. They didn't feel right leaving them to rot.
Huxley's mental health, just like everyone else's, was rapidly deteriorating. All the bodies of his peers were fucking with his mind. These were people he had grown up with, and to see them cold and dead hurt him to the very core.
Back at camp that night, they all built another fire and sat around it, cooking the fish on sticks. They all ate until they couldn't eat anymore while drinking the coconut milk form the coconuts Winnie & Madison had found. Winnie quietly ate, still unresponsive to everyone around her. "Poor girl." Shaina thought. "I can't even imagine how she must feel right now."
After everyone was finished eating, they all went to sleep around the campfire. Kelsey fell asleep in Jonathan's arms, and he held her tight. Shannon slept on Shaina's lap. The others were sprawled randomly around the campfire. The killer knew he had to do something, so once he was certain that everybody was asleep, he left the campfire, and headed into the woods towards one of the abandoned shacks he had found while exploring.

The Senior Trip by Trent Wes Where stories live. Discover now