CHAPTER 2 : No Longer Alone
1357 Words
No one slept well that night.
After the earthquake, the group stayed huddled near the half-rebuilt bonfire, eyes darting at every shadow, every rustle of leaves. Simon took first watch without a word, standing just beyond the firelight, silhouette stiff and unmoving like a statue carved for war.
Ben tried to sleep.
He failed miserably.
“Tell me if I snore,” he whispered.
“No one’s sleeping anyway,” Tanya whispered back.
“That’s reassuring,” Ben muttered.
Yoo Jin lay inside her tent, staring at the ceiling fabric as if it might suddenly tear open. Her leg throbbed faintly where she’d been cut earlier. The growl still echoed in her mind, deep, intelligent, aware.
Whatever had moved beneath the island… it hadn’t gone far.
Morning
The sun rose gently, cruel in how normal it made everything look. For a brief moment, it almost felt like the night had been a dream.
Then Yoo Jin stepped out of her tent.
She froze.
“Uh…“Guys?” she said slowly.
Everyone gathered around her.
The sand surrounding their campsite was covered in footprints. Large ones. Too large. They circled the tents. Overlapped. Pressed deep into the ground like whatever made them was very heavy.
“These weren’t here yesterday,” Marissa whispered, clutching her camera.
Yoo Jin crouched down, eyes sharp, instincts kicking in.
“Okay, these aren’t human.” she said calmly.
“No kidding,” Ben said. “Unless someone here secretly grew claws overnight.”
Yoo Jin pointed.
“Look at the stride length. It’s long—longer than an adult human. And the depth? Whatever this was, it weighs a lot. But it didn’t sink randomly. The steps are… deliberate.”
Dr. Cho adjusted his glasses and joined her.
“The pressure distribution is uneven,heel-first, then claws. This indicates intelligence—controlled movement.”
Ben blinked. “Why do you both sound impressed?”
“I’m not impressed, I’m concerned.” Dr. Cho replied.
“And confused, because it doesn’t match any known species.” Yoo Jin added
Simon straightened. “Then we move. Now.”
“Move where?” Tanya asked.
“Anywhere but not here,” Simon said.
Ben grabbed his bag. “Agreed. I don’t like being circled. Makes me feel like food.”
“Correction,” Lester said. “You are food.”
“Shut up.”
They packed fast. No jokes this time. No photos.
Well… one photo.
Marissa snapped a quick shot of the footprints.
“For evidence,” she said weakly.
As they walked deeper into the forest, the comedy slowly crept back in—like fear didn’t know how else to survive.
“So, if something eats me, I want my last words to be inspirational.” Ben said, panting,
“You screamed last night,” Tanya replied.
“That was a warning system.”
“Sounded like a dying goat,” Lester said.
“Keep talking,” Ben snapped. “I’ll push you first.”
Simon raised his fist.
Everyone stopped.
Crunch.
A branch snapped behind them. Then came the sound, low, wet, layered. A growl that didn’t come from one throat… but many. The ground trembled slightly as something stepped forward. It emerged from the shadows. Tall. Wrong. Humanoid, but stretched beyond nature’s permission. Muscles coiled unnaturally beneath scarred skin. Clawed hands dragged across the dirt. Its eyes—sharp, intelligent—locked onto them with interest.
A coconut fell from a nearby tree, rolling and bouncing before striking Simon in the head. He collapsed, dazed, his vision spinning. Yoo Jin grabbed him by the arm, dragging him behind a fallen log.
Ben screamed like a pig being slaughtered
“AAAAAAAHHHH! IT’S HERE! WE’RE GONNA DIE!”.
Dr. Cho yelped in shock, stumbling backward as something flew out of his mouth and hit the ground with a soft clack.
His dentures
He stared at them for half a second, horrified.
“My teeth!” Dr.Cho shouted, almost crying but didn’t dare to move and pick it up.
Lester froze, his eyes locked on the monster in front of him. His knees shaken, then felt it. Warm. He bolted, shorts soaked dignity a abandoned.
“f**k this,” Lester said almost a whisper.
“RUN!” Simon shouted.
They scattered.
Tanya sprinted without looking at where she was going and slammed straight into Marissa. They both hit the ground, clutching their foreheads — swelling.
“My face!” Marissa screamed.
Ben ran past them, yelling but still chewing the bread clenched between his teeth, crumbs flying everywhere.
“Atleast I’m going to die full!” Ben shouted.
The monster laughed. A deep, distorted sound.
“Ahhh,” it spoke—voice rough, ancient, amused.
“Still screaming. Humans never change.”
“IT TALKS?!” Tanya shrieked.
“Of course I talk,” the monster said, tilting its head. “I learned.”
Lester throw a stone.
It hit the monster square in the chest.
Nothing.
The creature looked down at the stone… then back up.
“Cute.”
It swatted Lester aside like a doll.
Dr. Cho threw a knife.
It bounced off.
Simon charged. The creature grabbed him mid-stride and threw him into a tree. Yoo Jin ran—but pain exploded through her leg. Blood. The monster stopped. Sniffed. Its eyes snapped to her.
“Oh,” the monster purred. “You’re bleeding.”
Yoo Jin’s heart slammed.
It moved fast. Too fast. She tripped, crashing to the ground. The monster loomed over her, claws hovering inches from her throat.
“So fragile,” it whispered. “I waited centuries for prey like you.”
Yoo Jin squeezed her eyes shut.
“Shibal,” she whispered.
“…so this is how I die.”
She accepted it.
Then—
WHOOSH.
A burning arrow tore through the air. It pierced the monster's chest. Fire erupted. The creature screamed—this time in real pain—as flames consumed its body, blackening skin, melting muscle.
“No—!” the monster roared. “YOU—!”
It collapsed, burning, writhing… then went still. . Smoke drifted through the trees. Footsteps approached. An old man stepped out of the shadows, bow still smoking in his hand. His eyes were sharp. His face was carved with grief and fury.
“ Geu momeseo tteonareo” he said.
They stared at him in shock. The word didn’t sound english, yet they carried weight, sharp enough to cut through the ringing silence. Yoo Jin felt it hit her chest before her mind caught up.
Korean…
Her breath caught.
She stared at the man, his posture rigid, his eyes dark with something old and burning. She swallowed then stepped forward despite the warning pounding in her head.
“You’re … Korean, aren’t you?”
The man’s eyes snapped to her. Yoo Jin took a deep breath and spoke again, this time in the language that suddenly felt like home.
“Dangsin..nugu-ya?” (who are you)
“Na-neun Kim-imnida. Yeo-gi-eseo-neun nal Mr. Kim-i-ra-bu-reo” ( I am Kim, call me Mr.Kim).
She pointed back towards the burned body of the monster.
“Geureom…geu gwaemul-eun mwo-ya?” (Then…what is that monster)
“Geugeon..gin iyagi-da.” (that’s a long story)
Mr. Kim stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“Hajiman salgo sip-eumyeon, na-reul ttara. An geureomyeon, da jukneunda” (But if you want to live, follow me. Otherwise, you all die).
“What is he talking about?” Tanya whispered.
“ I don’t know, why asked me? Do I speak that alien language?” Lester hissed. Tanya rolled her eyes.
“You smells like s**t” she said and walked towards Yoo Jin. Lester froze, he realized that he peed in his shorts earlier.
“s**t” he cursed.
Suddenly, leaves rustled to their left as if something brushing past trunks that were far too thick to move so easily.
Mr. Kim straigthened.
“Jigeum umjigija. Sigan eopseo” ( Let’s move now. We don’t have time.)
Mr. Kim turned and started walking into the trees without another word.
“Gaja” Yoo Jin said and followed Mr. Kim.
- Writer
