Anomaly; Stranded The Series (bxb)

Chapter 3: Survival Mode

The first night felt like it would never end.

Time had lost meaning somewhere between the adrenaline of the crash and the brutal slap of reality that followed. Eli sat on the sand, staring blankly at the horizon as the sky bled into shades of purple and pink, announcing dawn's arrival. His body ached in ways he didn't even know were possible, but it was his mind that was the real battlefield.

Every crash of the waves reminded him that they were stranded. Alone. No rescue boats on the horizon, no helicopters overhead. Just them—Eli and Jonah—along with the handful of broken survivors from the crash, huddled near the wreckage like scared children.

"Water's gone."

Jonah's voice broke through the fog of Eli's thoughts. Eli blinked, dragging his gaze away from the horizon to find Jonah standing a few feet away, looking as exhausted as Eli felt. There were dark circles under Jonah's eyes, his hair sticking up in wild directions from where he'd run his hands through it too many times.

"What?" Eli asked, his voice hoarse. He hadn't spoken much since last night, hadn't had the energy for it. Not after what they saw. The bodies, the screams. All the blood. It was like his brain had shut off, thrown up a wall to keep the horror out.

"The water bottles," Jonah said, irritation flickering in his tone. "They're gone. Empty. People drank through them faster than I thought."

Fuck.

Eli pushed himself to his feet, wincing as pain shot up his legs. His muscles were tight, sore. He hadn't realized just how stiff he'd become, sitting still for so long. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered when you were stuck in the middle of nowhere with no food, no water, and no hope.

"Guess we're back to the stream," Eli muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Jonah shot him a look, his mouth twisted in that way that told Eli he was on the edge of losing his shit. "No shit, Sherlock. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

Eli flinched at the sharpness of Jonah's words. Here we go. They'd been snapping at each other all night, the tension between them building like a pressure cooker ready to explode. It wasn't just the stress of the crash—it was everything. All the shit they'd buried over the years, the unspoken feelings, the anger, the frustration. It was all rising to the surface now, bubbling up in ugly ways neither of them were ready for.

"Look, I'm trying, alright?" Eli said, his voice harsher than he intended. "We're both fucking tired. Can we just... not do this right now?"

Jonah's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Eli thought he might actually punch him. Hell, maybe he deserved it. They were both on edge, hanging by a thread. It wouldn't take much to push them over.

"We're out here with no food, no shelter, and now no water, and you want me to 'not do this right now'? What exactly are we supposed to do, Eli? Sit around and wait to die?"

Eli clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stay calm, even though every nerve in his body screamed to fight back. "No. But arguing about it isn't going to help."

Jonah let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Right. Because sitting around in silence is such a fucking brilliant plan."

This was how it always went with them. Jonah would get pissed, Eli would shut down, and they'd spiral into this endless cycle of frustration until one of them broke. But here? On this island? There was nowhere to go, no way to escape the tension. They were stuck together. And that scared Eli more than he cared to admit.