ISLAND

CHAPTER FOUR: STRANDED

Barely a few hours after the crash, the first dead body, after floating back to the surface of the sea and pulled out from the ocean by the group, lay bloated on the beach floor with its face and exposed skin devoured by creatures in the deep. The only identification was the clothes on his back

“Holy shit, it's Captain Bailey” Elijah blurted out standing over the deceased pilot

Avery's face suddenly turned green as what was left in her stomach came flying out before she could make it the bushes at the entrance of the forest

“How does she still have anything in her body to throw up?” Elijah asked, his eyes following Avery as she bolted away

Emma shot him a look that had him throwing his hands in the air “Too soon”

“That brings the total death toll to one” Lucas said looking over the group “Let's hope the numbers don't rise till we find the rest and get the fuck out of this island”

“How do you plan on getting us out of here?” Sophia asked, wiping away the tears in her eyes “We don't even know where we are”

“One problem at a time” Lucas responded turning his attention to the body on the floor “Right now, our main priority is finding the rest of our group and I hope to God that they're not dead as well”

“There's nothing much we can do about anything tonight so let's try to get some shut eye” Owen clapped his hand, calling the attention of everyone around him

One by one the group slowly dispersed and gathered back around the campfire taking their place on the sandy beach floor leaving behind Owen and Lucas

“What are we going to do about him?” Owen asks pointing at the dead body

“We'll have to bury him somewhere” Lucas sighed taking a quick look at what's left of Captain Bailey

“I don't think anyone traveled with a shovel” Owen responded

“We'll make due with what we can find and make” Lucas said letting out a large exhale “For now I need to sleep

He walked away with a hand supporting his casted shoulder, laying down close to the campfire before slowly drifting off.

***

The chirping sounds of birds overhead was enough to pull everyone out from their slumber as their eyes fiercely snapped open. The group looking around their environment as reality dawned on them, it wasn't a collective dream they all shared as if plugged into a simulation and it wasn't their imaginations playing tricks on them either. They were stranded on an island with a dead body barely a few feet away from them.

It was now their reality and they had to accept it with scattered groans and tears falling from a few eyes.

“I'd give anything to wake up on my own bed right now” Elijah was the first to speak, breaking the depressing silence to enveloped the lost party.

“I second that” Max stretched, with a few bones snapping into place like a visit to a chiropractor would cause.

“Now let's handle that” Lucas nodded at the body of the deceased pilot

“Anybody got a shovel in their pockets?” Elijah asked

“You've got jokes, don't you?” Emma asked sarcastically

He sighed, before running his thumb and index finger over his lips emulating a zip

“Wouldn't it be better if we just pushed him back into the ocean?” Chloe asks, before receiving multiple shocked stares from the group