here we are

2

"Where are we going?" You asked, wrapping your letterman jacket tighter around your form, prompted after a chilly breeze swept by.

"To my camp. I have healing salves there." Wilson replied, walking a few feet in front of you. You had to say, he walked with purpose, he looked like he knew what he was doing, and you found that oddly attractive. Well, he was already pretty attractive, but the longer you watched him simply walk, you realized everything he did was attractive. That's weird. He's a stranger. You thought, shaking your head and turning your gaze away.

"Where's the nearest town?" You questioned.

"There's no town."

You looked at the back of his head in confusion, unknowingly stopping in your path. "What?"

Wilson noticed the lack of footsteps behind him, and stopped as well, turning to look at you. The torch in his hand cast shadows across his face, capturing every curve and dip of his bone structure. His brow was furrowed, mouth pulled into a deep frown. "... You don't know?"

"Know what?" You raised a brow.

"Why you're here? Maxwell didn't tell you?" His questions were becoming a bit urgent, it was weirding you out.

"Who's Maxwell?" You were getting impatient. "Where are we?!"

He didn't say anything at first, but his mouth was open, as though he were going to. Finally, he closed it, and looked away pensively. Then, he looked at you and spoke. "Come, we mustn't be out this late for much longer. It's too dangerous."

You wanted to argue with him, to demand that he answer your questions, but after what you saw earlier, with the spider, you agreed that you probably shouldn't stand around in the dark. You reluctantly followed him, until the two of you arrived at said camp.

"Take a seat." He ordered you, pointing to the pit full of charred wood. You did as he commanded and sat cross legged at a reasonable distance away from it, watching as he threw in fresh firewood and lit a fire with flint and his torch. He fed the fire twigs and dead grass, until it was strong enough to hold itself, then he moved over to a leather pack and searched through it. You didn't say anything, just watched and waited impatiently so he could answer your questions.

From inside his pack, Wilson pulled out three items, ingredients it appeared, and a mortar and pestle. He placed all three ingredients into the mortar and began to meddle them into a thick, translucent slime with a greenish tint to it. Satisfied, he moved closed to you. "Let me see your elbow, please."

You rolled your sleeve up to the top of your bicep, so he'd have plenty of work room. You watched him cautiously as he scooped up a glob of the slime, brushing off the outside of your wound with his free hand. "What is that?"

"Healing salve." He answered, then gave you an apologetic look. "Apologies, this might sting a tad..."

"It's fine, do what you need to." You grit your teeth, in case it truly would hurt that badly.

But surprisingly, it didn't hurt as you'd assumed. As soon as Wilson smeared the salve on your wound, it merely stung a bit, before the breeze captured its wetness and cooled it down, soothing the hot, irritated area. It felt much better than it did before, you even gave a relieved exhale, which Wilson noticed and smiled.

He wrapped your wound in bandages. "There you are. Should be all healed in no time."

"Thank you." You breathed out, pulling your sleeve back down. "Now... Um, care to explain to me what's going on?"

Wilson must've forgotten, as his face fell once he remembered what you were talking about. "Ah... Yes. Forgive me for keeping secrets, I simply... Didn't want to cause you more stress than necessary. And there was too little time to explain."

"It's fine, I understand." You shrugged, watching as he sullenly cleaned up his mess, placing everything back in his pack. "Care to enlighten me, now that we have some time for it?"

"Yes, of course." He sighed, sitting at a respectful distance next to you, eyes trained on the fire. "We're on a solitary island, of where exactly I can't say. It's uninhabited, I've explored possibly every corner of this land and haven't come across another human being up until now." Your mouth dropped open in shock, and he continued. "I was placed here by a man named Maxwell, after he promised me all the knowledge a man of science could ever ask for. That is why I asked if Maxwell had offered you anything before you arrived."

You shook your head, still astonished after taking in the unbelievable information. "No... I don't remember anything of what happened before I came here."

Wilson appeared disappointed. "Well, then... I'm sorry, Miss (L/N), you don't deserve to be caught up in this situation. No one does."

"Is this place... Dangerous?" You asked cautiously.

"Very." He responded grimly. However, he offered you a weak, forced reassuring smile. "But, you're in luck. I happen to be the only survivalist on this island."

You managed a small smile at that. "That's good to hear."

"Cheer up, Miss (L/N)." Wilson said in a genuinely comforting tone, his hand resting on your back in a soothing manner. "Once you've memorized the way the land works, it isn't that difficult to survive out here. Just... Don't starve."

You gave him an unamused look. "There go my plans."

Wilson chuckled and removed his hand, reaching for his pack. "Speaking of, are you feeling hungry at all?"

You rested a hand against your empty stomach, realizing you didn't know when the last time you ate was. "As a matter of fact, I am."

"Well, I hope you like frog legs." He said, pulling out a bundle of raw frog legs, freshly skinned. He gave a subtle cringe as he examined them. "I admit, I am not very fond of them, but out here, you can't be picky."

"I don't mind." You shrugged, watching as he built a spit from sticks over the fire, and skewered the legs on a thin, but sturdy stick. "I've never actually tried frog legs before. Do they taste like chicken, as everyone says?"

"Everything that isn't red meat tastes like chicken." Wilson rolled his eyes, turning the frog legs slowly on the skewer. "They're a bit chewy, but it fills you up."

You hummed, bringing your knees up to your chest. "You said something about science... Are you a scientist?"

That seemed to immediately turn Wilson on, as his brows shot up to his hairline and a smile appeared on his face. "Yes, indeed I am!"

"What sort of science? Biology, chemistry?"

"Any I sort of scientific reading material I could get my hands on." He explained, keeping an eye on dinner. "I'm well read in all fields."

"That must be why you've survived out here so long." You stated.

"Yes... That and spite."

You gave a laugh at that, an odd cackle that Wilson wasn't used to hearing come from a lady's mouth, especially not the ladies from London. They were normally false, and too afraid of gossip to be their true selves. It was certainly a pleasant change in his eyes, and found himself laughing along with you, a warmth filling his chest. It was... Nice, nice to finally have the pleasure of conversing with another human being. Albeit an oddly dressed one.