Separated

Chapter XIII

AVERY

Music: Ending from Gradius Deluxe Pack

Shortly after we first meet the natives, all of us except for Sam decide to return to our hut (and let me just say that retracing our steps back was NOT fun). It's around early afternoon at this point. Before we left, the tribe gave us some complimentary animal furs and a few fish. While the furs could prove useful to maintain ideal body heat, it's just not enough to compensate for the situation we're in.

Heath, Skylar, Mackenzie, and I are sitting down on one of our beds, staring down at the floor with solemn faces. There's a lot on everybody's mind, but nobody is willing to talk about any of it. The best conversation we've had so far is Mackenzie saying, "So... what up?" and the rest of us just shrugging in response.

Of course, Sam chooses that time of all times to burst into the room with a cheerful expression on his face. He has fur wrapped around his neck like a scarf.

"What's got you so cheery?" Heath grumbles.

"What do you mean? These guys are giving us free food! We've got plenty to live off here!" Sam exclaims. Nothing he says is having any sort of an effect on our moods, and he quickly realizes this.

"Who am I kidding?" he sighs, joining the rest of us on the bed. "This island isn't that bad... but that doesn't change the fact that we're God-knows-how far away from home."

I sniffle, and then decide to speak the truth. "I don't think we're ever going to see home again." My friends turn to look at me. "I mean, think about it, guys. We won't have our houses... our personal belongings... our families..." On that last one, my voice starts to crack, and I can feel water welling up in my eyes.

Like before, Mackenzie tries to bring light into the situation. "Well, we still have each other."

I look at Mackenzie with watery eyes. "That's as good as it's going to get, Mackenzie."

"Oh, cheer up, guys," Skylar says.

"Yeah. I mean, maybe it won't be all that bad," Heath adds, taking Skylar's hand. Big mistake.

"Easy for you to say," Sam growls. "You still have your girlfriend." He then walks over to the small window and looks outside. Kinda cliche on his part, but whatever. "I don't care how far away she is, but Elle still is, and always will be, my girlfriend." Heath looks just about ready to cringe. I don't blame him.

Sam's moment is interrupted when Skylar blurts, "If she's still alive."

Sam turns around to face Skylar. He looks as if he's just about met his breaking point. Skylar continues, "I mean, face it, Sam. We have no way of knowing if the rest of our friends survived."

"We don't really have a way of knowing anything," Heath adds, shrugging.

"We have got to get off of this damn island," I growl, choking back tears.

Sam comes back over to join us, and a long silence persists. It's one of those situations where none of us are really sure what to do at this point. The five of us just sit in silence, staring at the ground, wondering what's left to try. Only the sound of the wind occasionally blowing and some bird noises accompany us. We stay like this for what feels like hours, and then finally, Heath speaks.

"Y'know, I recall there being some tools in that first aid kit Sam found. Maybe if we scraped together enough material, we could try building a boat?" he suggests.

Right away, we see potential in the idea. "I mean, it's worth a shot," Mackenzie replies.

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything," I sigh.