Chapter 2: Drifted To Deserted Island!
1234 Words
Not knowing how much time had passed, by the time Ethan opened his eyes again, he found himself lying face-down on the shore.
He struggled to sit up; his entire body ached as if it had been run over by a truck, and there were countless wounds of varying sizes covering him. They could have been caused by shells or sand, or perhaps bites from marine creatures, he couldn’t be certain, but overall, they weren’t too serious.
However, aside from the injuries and his heavy, exhausted body, his lips felt unbearably dry. He must have drifted onto this shore for several days, as his stomach was gnawing from hunger. Nothing useful remained on his person, even the phone he’d always kept close in his pocket was gone, leaving him without any means to seek rescue.
But there was still something valuable, his house keys were still clipped to the back of his pants. Among these keys was a small folding knife, about the length of a finger. Luckily, since it was a folding type, it was difficult to open accidentally, so it hadn’t harmed him; surely, it would prove useful later.
Ethan stood up, his upper body's clothes were dried and shriveled, while the lower parts of his pants were still wet from having lain partially submerged in seawater. However, he paid this no mind. The first thing he needed to do was figure out where exactly he was. There was the sea, and above were lush trees, coconut trees and other kinds commonly found along coastlines, but the place was too vast, impossible to assess completely in just one glance.
This was likely an island, perhaps even a deserted island. Seeing how wild and untouched it was, it probably hadn’t yet been reached or developed by humans.
Previously, he had done his research, and before setting off on the company’s trip, he had also checked thoroughly. The company’s cruise route would keep them within roughly a hundred kilometers from shore. He could confidently say that no matter the ship’s direction, within a radius of three hundred kilometers, including the initial planned route, there shouldn't be any islands at all. How could he have drifted onto an island like this? Certainly, this wasn’t the mainland.
“Lips… hurt…”
Ethan reached up and touched his lips. Due to severe thirst, the skin had cracked, and along with unexplained injuries, the sensation became even more painful. Of course, it wasn't as painful as his other wounds, but it was extremely uncomfortable.
He glanced upwards, estimating the time to be around nine in the morning. The sunlight wasn’t yet scorching, so he could endure it for now. His immediate priority was finding something to drink.
Since heaven had granted him another chance at life, he would definitely seize it. Even though he didn't know how many days he'd drifted here, as long as he remained alive, surely rescue teams would find him eventually. After all, surviving in the wilderness was something extremely familiar to him. He’d been born and raised deep within treacherous jungles, without any proper infrastructure or conveniences, and yet had lived like that for many years.
When he had left home, his mother and younger brother had repeatedly tried to stop him. They’d even reminded him that his father had once said he wanted to leave for the city to find better work, but until now, he still hadn't returned. When Ethan himself wanted to leave, no matter how strongly they protested, he wouldn’t change his mind. And now, here he was, struggling day by day to survive. So funny!!!
Ethan walked toward some large rocks and moved aside the leaves. Indeed, those rocks had hollows that held rainwater. Although the water was filled with debris and even dead ants and insects, he could still use it temporarily. Aside from his own battered body, he had nothing else with him. Even one mouthful of water meant he could survive a few more days, and within a few days, he could accomplish many things.
One couldn’t say if he was overly optimistic or simply foolish for accepting survival on a deserted island so easily. But that wasn’t really it, he simply wasn’t willing to die. Being betrayed by his girlfriend had already caused him immense pain. He desperately wanted to survive until the day he could witness that adulterous pair pay the price.
He also wondered briefly how they were faring now, whether they were still alive or had already been swept away by the tsunami. Regardless, their fate wouldn’t affect his determination to survive.
He didn’t even know if any of his colleagues had also drifted onto this island. Having at least one companion would be good; surviving alone was truly lonely. But first things first, he had to ensure his own survival, then he could think about the rest.
To survive, of course, he couldn’t rely solely on water. Water was only a temporary relief, not a sustainable energy source.
Ethan glanced around. Aside from a scattering of coconut trees, which had fruit but were too tall for him to climb in his weakened state, the fallen coconuts lying on the ground were already too old. He didn't yet have enough strength to c***k open their shells.
After some thought, he decided to head toward the edge of the forest. Although he called it the edge of the forest, it was less than fifty meters from the shore, a distance he could still manage. He intended to pick some wild fruits to temporarily fill his stomach, then figure out the next steps afterward.
Luck seemed to favor him. Just as he entered, he immediately spotted some bushes of wild apples growing in clusters, hanging heavily from branches. Perhaps it wasn’t yet the ripening season, as the apples were quite small. The largest ones were only slightly bigger than his big toe. He plucked one and bit into it with a loud crunch.
“f**k… So sour!”
The apple was both sour and astringent, but he forced himself to swallow it. Even though eating such sour fruit could easily upset his stomach, what other choice did he have? Survive first, deal with stomach issues later.
He quickly picked four or five apples and ate them immediately. As he continued to eat, the sourness gradually mixed with the bitterness, neutralizing each other, making it easier to swallow than at first. He plucked dozens more and stuffed them into his pants pockets, then decided to wander around to see if there was anything else edible nearby. By now, he had regained enough strength to deal with those dry coconuts.
But before he could take another step, from somewhere in the distance came a sudden, panicked scream!
“A aaaa!”
The voice sounded very close. Ethan quickly sprinted toward it; at this moment, he seemed energized as though a motor had been attached to him, no longer appearing exhausted or drained as before. However, he couldn’t determine exactly from which direction the scream had come, because the person had cried out once and then fallen silent.
Could it be that just as he wished for a companion, that person disappeared before he even had a chance to find them?
Fortunately, moments later, the scream rang out again, this time louder and longer.
“Help! Help!”
“Is anyone there? Someone help me!!!!!!”
- Writer
