Chapter 4: The First Night

The roar echoed through the jungle.

For several seconds after the sound disappeared, Alex and Rachel remained frozen beside the damaged boat.

The sun had almost disappeared beyond the horizon.

The last light of evening painted the sky orange and purple, but the jungle ahead had already become dark.

Rachel held tightly onto Alex's arm.

“What was that?”

Alex continued staring into the trees.

“I don't know.”

“You said that before.”

“And I still don't know.”

Rachel looked at him.

“Can we please go somewhere else?”

Alex looked at the boat.

The scratches along its side were deep.

Whatever had caused them had been strong enough to move the boat several meters across the beach.

That worried him more than the roar.

“We need to move the boat farther from the water.”

Rachel stared at him.

“Now?”

“If the tide rises during the night, the boat could be carried away.”

The thought of losing their only way home terrified them both.

Together, they pushed the boat farther up the beach.

The sand made the work difficult.

Alex pushed from behind while Rachel pulled the rope from the front.

After several minutes, they finally moved it to a safer place.

Alex tied the rope around a thick tree trunk.

Then he checked the damaged side again.

Rachel stood beside him.

“Can it still float?”

Alex examined the scratches.

“I think so.”

“You think so?”

“It doesn't look completely broken.”

Rachel looked at him.

“That's not exactly comforting.”

Alex sighed.

“We'll know for sure when we put it in the water.”

Rachel immediately shook her head.

“No.”

Alex turned toward her.

“No?”

“We are not putting it in the water to test it.”

Alex smiled slightly.

“Fair enough.”

They returned to their shelter.

The sky had become completely dark.

Without electricity or city lights, the island seemed much darker than anything they had ever experienced.

The stars were visible above them, but the jungle was almost impossible to see.

Alex turned on the flashlight.

The narrow beam of light moved across the trees.

Every shadow seemed to move.

Every sound seemed louder.

Rachel sat inside the shelter, holding her knees against her chest.

“Do you think the animal is still out there?”

Alex sat across from her.

“Probably.”

Rachel stared at him.

“Why would you say that?”

“Because animals usually don't disappear just because it gets dark.”

Rachel sighed.

“You really need to learn how to make people feel better.”

Alex smiled.

“I'm working on it.”

They ate the remaining emergency food.

There was very little left.

Alex divided it carefully.

Rachel noticed.

“You're giving me more.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“Maybe you're just hungrier.”

Rachel gave him a suspicious look.

Alex looked away.

Rachel smiled faintly.

“You're actually kind.”

Alex raised an eyebrow.

“Don't tell anyone.”

She laughed softly.

For a while, the two of them sat in silence.

The ocean moved gently beyond the beach.

The sound was peaceful.

But every few minutes, something moved inside the jungle.

A branch breaking.

Leaves rustling.

A distant cry.

Rachel became nervous every time.

Alex tried to ignore it.

But he was nervous too.

He had grown up surrounded by security guards, expensive houses, and locked gates.

He had never spent a night in the wilderness.

Neither had Rachel.

Their luxurious lives had prepared them for almost everything except this.

Rachel eventually looked at him.

“Do you think our families know?”

Alex looked down.

“I don't know.”

“My parents will be looking for me.”

“Mine too.”

Rachel's voice became quieter.

“My mother is probably terrified.”

Alex did not answer immediately.

He thought about his parents.

His father would probably already have contacted every government agency he could reach.

His mother would be calling hospitals.

They would search for him.

But the ocean was enormous.

And the island was unknown.

“Someone will find us,” Alex said.

Rachel looked at him.

“You really believe that?”

Alex nodded.

“Yes.”

Rachel studied his face.

“Even if you don't?”

Alex looked at her.

“I believe we have to act like they will.”

Rachel slowly nodded.

Outside, another sound came from the jungle.

This time, it was closer.

Both of them turned toward the trees.

Alex picked up the wooden stick he had used earlier.

Rachel reached for the flashlight.

“Should we look?” she whispered.

Alex shook his head.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because we don't know what we're looking for.”

The sound stopped.

The jungle became silent.

That silence was worse.

Rachel slowly moved closer to Alex.

“What if it comes here?”

“Then we stay together.”

Rachel looked at him.

“That's your plan?”

“For now.”

She nodded.

For some reason, his answer made her feel slightly safer.

The night continued.

Neither of them slept properly.

Alex remained awake for most of the night.

Rachel eventually fell asleep beside him.

Her head rested against the side of the shelter.

Alex watched the entrance.

Several times, he heard noises outside.

Once, he saw two glowing eyes between the trees.

He immediately raised the flashlight.

The eyes disappeared.

Alex's heart began beating faster.

He waited.

Nothing happened.

After several minutes, he finally lowered the flashlight.

He did not sleep.

At sunrise, Rachel woke up.

The first thing she noticed was Alex sitting near the entrance.

“You stayed awake all night?”

Alex looked at her.

“Not all night.”

Rachel glanced at his tired face.

“You look exhausted.”

“I feel exhausted.”

She sat up.

“Why didn't you wake me?”

“You needed sleep.”

Rachel stared at him.

“You can't keep doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Trying to protect me from everything.”

Alex smiled slightly.

“I wasn't aware I was doing that.”

Rachel looked toward the jungle.

“Then you should become aware.”

They left the shelter after sunrise.

The island looked completely different in daylight.

The beach was beautiful.

The ocean was calm.

Birds flew above the trees.

But the damaged boat remained a reminder of the danger.

Alex walked toward it.

The scratches were even more visible in the sunlight.

Rachel stood beside him.

“Could it have been a shark?”

Alex shook his head.

“Sharks don't usually come onto beaches and scratch boats.”

“Then what?”

Alex examined the sand around the boat.

There were tracks.

He followed them.

The tracks moved from the water toward the boat.

Then they disappeared near the jungle.

Rachel stared at the marks.

“Those are the same kind of footprints we saw yesterday.”

Alex nodded.

“Exactly.”

Rachel's face became pale.

“So whatever made those footprints came to the beach.”

“And damaged the boat.”

“Why?”

Alex looked toward the jungle.

“I don't know.”

They decided to stay away from the jungle for the morning.

Instead, they explored the beach.

Alex found several coconuts beneath the palm trees.

He used a sharp rock to break one open.

Rachel drank the water inside.

Her eyes widened.

“This is actually good.”

Alex smiled.

“Finally, something you like.”

Rachel ignored him and took another drink.

They collected several coconuts.

Then they returned to the stream they had discovered the day before.

Alex used the metal container to collect water.

They built a small fire using dry branches beneath the trees.

Starting the fire took several attempts.

Rachel became frustrated.

“Why isn't it working?”

Alex tried again.

The lighter finally produced a flame.

The dry leaves caught fire.

Rachel smiled.

“We have fire.”

Alex nodded.

“For now.”

They boiled the stream water.

The process took time, but eventually they had clean drinking water.

For the first time since reaching the island, they felt slightly more prepared.

They had water.

Coconuts.

Emergency food.

A shelter.

And a damaged boat.

But they still needed proper food.

Alex looked toward the ocean.

“I can catch fish.”

Rachel looked at him.

“With what?”

Alex smiled.

“We'll make something.”

Using a long branch, he created a simple spear.

Rachel watched him.

“You really know how to do all this?”

“Not everything.”

“But enough?”

Alex looked at the ocean.

“Hopefully.”

He walked into the shallow water.

Rachel remained on the beach.

Alex searched beneath the surface.

Small fish moved between the rocks.

He waited.

Then he suddenly thrust the spear downward.

He missed.

Rachel laughed.

Alex looked back at her.

“Very funny.”

“I'm sorry.”

He tried again.

And again.

After several attempts, he finally caught a fish.

Rachel stared at him.

“You actually did it.”

Alex lifted the fish proudly.

“I told you.”

They cooked the fish over the fire.

It was simple.

It was not prepared with spices or expensive ingredients.

But after everything they had experienced, it tasted incredible.

Rachel looked at the ocean while eating.

“Do you think we'll get used to this?”

Alex looked at her.

“Used to what?”

“Living like this.”

Alex looked around the island.

The jungle.

The beach.

The ocean.

“I hope we don't have to.”

Rachel lowered her eyes.

Neither of them knew how long they would remain there.

That evening, they decided to explore a little farther along the beach.

They walked past a group of large rocks.

Behind them, they discovered a narrow path leading into the jungle.

Alex stopped.

Rachel immediately shook her head.

“No.”

Alex looked at her.

“I didn't say anything.”

“You were thinking about going inside.”

“I was.”

“No.”

Alex smiled.

“Why?”

“Because yesterday we heard a terrifying roar, and something attacked our boat.”

Alex looked at the dark path.

Rachel was right.

They had no weapons.

No idea what lived inside the jungle.

And the sun was already beginning to set.

“Fine,” Alex said.

Rachel looked surprised.

“Really?”

“We'll explore it tomorrow.”

Rachel stared at him.

“Tomorrow?”

Alex smiled.

She sighed.

“I knew you were going to say that.”

They turned back toward the beach.

Neither of them noticed the movement between the trees behind them.

Something was watching.

Something large.

Something silent.

As the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, Alex and Rachel returned to their shelter.

They believed they had survived another day.

But deep inside the jungle, a pair of eyes followed them through the darkness.

And sometime during the night, the creature would come closer.

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