Anomaly; Stranded The Series (bxb)

Chapter 13: Rescue

The sun was high in the sky, casting shimmering rays across the endless expanse of blue. It felt like just another day—one in a series of monotonous, unbroken days where nothing changed, and the world outside the island seemed like nothing more than a distant memory.

Eli sat on the edge of the beach, his feet dug into the warm sand, the ocean lapping gently at the shore. He stared out at the water, letting the sound of the waves wash over him, trying to quiet the storm in his mind. Everything between him and Jonah had settled into an uneasy silence, a truce that felt fragile, like it could crack at any second.

They had stopped fighting, but that didn't mean things were okay. Far from it.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, glancing over at where Jonah was perched on a rock further down the beach, staring at the same endless horizon. There was a tension in Jonah's posture, his shoulders hunched, his body stiff. They were both waiting for something to happen, but neither of them knew what.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" Eli asked, his voice quiet, not sure if he wanted Jonah to hear him.

Jonah didn't respond right away. He continued staring at the water, his jaw clenched, his mind clearly somewhere far away. Finally, after what felt like too long, he turned to face Eli, his eyes dark with something Eli couldn't quite place.

"I don't know," Jonah muttered, his voice flat. "Does it even matter?"

Eli blinked, caught off guard by the bitterness in Jonah's tone. "Of course it matters. What are you talking about?"

Jonah shrugged, his gaze shifting back to the ocean. "I mean, what happens if we do get out of here? What then?"

Eli's chest tightened. He knew what Jonah was asking. It wasn't about the island—it was about them. About what they were, or weren't, and whether anything they'd built together would survive beyond the isolation of this place.

"I don't know," Eli admitted, his voice softer now. "But we can figure it out. We don't have to know everything right now."

Jonah let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head. "That's the thing, Eli. We've been avoiding everything since this started. Out here, it's just us, right? But out there... I don't know if we'll work."

Eli's heart sank, the weight of Jonah's words hitting him like a punch to the gut. He hadn't let himself think about that, not really. He hadn't wanted to. The island was their bubble, and in that bubble, they could pretend that everything was simple. But what would happen when reality crashed back in?

Before Eli could say anything, Jonah's head snapped toward the horizon, his eyes narrowing as he stood up suddenly, his posture tense. "Wait... is that...?"

Eli followed Jonah's gaze, squinting against the bright sunlight. At first, he didn't see it, but then, there, far in the distance—a boat.

His heart leapt in his chest, adrenaline surging through him as he scrambled to his feet, his pulse quickening. "Holy shit," Eli whispered. "Jonah, that's a boat."

Jonah was already moving, running toward the water, his feet kicking up sand as he waved his arms wildly. "HEY! OVER HERE!" he shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. "HEY!"

Eli rushed to join him, his heart racing. Could this really be it? After all the days of hopelessness, all the times they thought no one was coming, was this finally the moment?

They stood side by side, both yelling, both waving their arms as the boat slowly got closer. It wasn't a large boat—nothing fancy—but it was enough. Enough to take them away from this place.