The Stranded

Chapter 4: The End

Days passed quickly, and now the raft we built is almost complete, perhaps ninety percent finished. Leona and Mila's condition has also begun to improve. But the bad news is, our radio signal still isn't picking up anything.

Besides building the raft, Rafael is still actively going back and forth to the yacht to retrieve items that can still be used. He said he had never seen a single ship or plane pass by this island. Strange, I thought.

I don't know for sure, but it seems like I've been on this island for more than a week, and during that time, my friends and I have been living isolated from the outside world, surviving on limited supplies. Our food is starting to run low, and our bottled water has run out, so yesterday Mila taught us how to filter rainwater.

"Let's eat first," Tiffany shouted.

Finally, the food was ready. I was very hungry because my body kept being pushed to exert energy building this raft. I walked over to Tiffany; today's meal seemed to be a mix of leftover ingredients because we had to save the rest of our supplies.

"Thank you, Tif," I said after Tiffany poured the food into my bowl. I then joined my other friends to enjoy the meal together. Although the food was very simple, eating it together like this made it taste much better.

While we were enjoying our food and joking around, the sun, which had been shining so brightly, was covered by overcast clouds. I didn't want to overthink it because I thought this was nature's way of protecting us from the scorching sun.

However, I couldn't relax for long because there was a rumbling sound coming from the sea, followed by the water receding. "Guys, run!" Rafael shouted, throwing his bowl and standing up hastily.

I saw a big storm approaching the island. Without much hesitation, I threw my bowl and ran into the forest. I sprinted, following my friends who had already started running. Rafael was the last to follow after making sure no one was left behind.

I didn't care about anything else; my only focus was running forward, fleeing from the approaching storm. Finally, I heard a loud thud. Callie had fallen.

"Just run, don't mind me!" Callie shouted as I approached her.

"No way," I replied. I then helped her up and supported her as we continued to run.

I continued to support Callie as we ran deeper into the forest, but it was clear she was in pain. She had twisted her ankle badly, and every step was a struggle. Despite our best efforts, the storm quickly overtook us. We found a small cave and huddled inside, trying to shield ourselves from the worst of it.

The storm raged outside, and we could feel the island shaking. It seemed like an eternity before it finally subsided. When it was over, we emerged to find the island in shambles. The raft, which had been nearly complete, was now a wreck. Supplies that we had painstakingly gathered were scattered or ruined. Morale plummeted as we realized how much we had lost.

Injuries started to take their toll. Callie's ankle was swollen and bruised, and Rafael had a nasty gash on his arm from a piece of flying debris. Tensions ran high as the reality of our situation sank in. Arguments broke out over the dwindling supplies and the best course of action.