Island Diaries: My Life with Ten Beauties

Chapter 39

"We'd better not stay here. It's too creepy." Mandy, who was usually tough, now clung to her arms in fear.

If Mandy was like this, it was no surprise that Zoe and Stella were even more scared. Zoe was almost in tears, and although Stella was still trying to put on a brave front, she had inched closer to me, clearly scared.

I figured that even if we forced ourselves to stay there, the girls wouldn't be able to sleep. To be honest, I felt uneasy as well. Prolonged exposure to this place could give us serious psychological issues.

"Alright, let's go back for tonight. We’ll stay away from this place in the future. It's ominous," I sighed, deciding to give up on this cave for now.

We were enthusiastic when we came, but disheartened on our way back. We had wasted the whole day, and it was nearly dark by the time we left the cave. Fortunately, the hunchback birds I brought back yesterday were enough to feed us.

After dinner, I lit a lamp made from animal fat. We used the remaining time to make some baskets and other small items from wood and bamboo. I had made quite a few before, but Leo and his men had stolen them all, so we had to start over.

I wasn't the only one busy for sure. The lamp was a rarity here, unlike in the city. The girls gathered around the light, chatting while sewing small items with feathers and bone needles.

The feathers from the hunchback birds I brought back yesterday were beautiful, and the girls loved them. Without phone signals, our phones were useless. So crafting was our only form of entertainment.

Watching the girls' beautiful faces in the light, I thought that maybe this was the so-called ideal life. It made my restless heart feel extremely calm and even warm.

After a while, the girls got tired and crawled into their grass beds to sleep. I forced myself to stay awake, holding my gun, and took the first watch at the cave entrance.

I kept watching for the first four hours, then Mandy and Eva took over. Since we returned to our old cave, I was worried that Leo and his men would sneak up on us, so I set up this new schedule.

That night, I was very tense. Even after Mandy and Eva took over, I lay in bed, unable to sleep.

However, the night was exceptionally quiet, and nothing happened. I relaxed a bit and dozed off just before dawn.

Early in the morning, I woke up to find the sun fully risen. It was quite cold in the mornings, so we usually wouldn't go out until later. The girls were still asleep.

But I noticed Eva's bed was empty. Worried, I left the cave to look for her. Not far from the cave, I saw Eva crouching, fiddling with some flowers.

Feeling mischievous, I sneaked up on her, intending to tap her shoulder. Eva, however, was very alert. She turned her head around and hid something in her arms. Her sharp, scrutinizing gaze softened when she saw it was me.

Although I only got a quick glimpse, I saw what Eva had hidden. It was a worn notebook with a black cover and yellow pages, but I couldn't read anything. The language was not English.

Was it French or German? Why was Eva so afraid of me seeing this? My suspicions were confirmed. She had secrets!

Could Eva be related to the island's secrets? She had said she was traveling in Thailand and joined the rescue team as a volunteer by chance. But now it seemed that her joining the rescue team might not have been a coincidence.

"Eva, what's that? Let me take a look." I pretended to be curious and reached for the notebook.

"It's a girl's diary! Mind your own business!" Eva glared at me, righteously hiding the notebook behind her back, but she looked a bit guilty.

"A diary?" I asked skeptically. "If it's just a diary, why did you come so far?"

Eva avoided my gaze, clearly resistant. Her curved lips were now a tight line.

I didn't want to back down. "Why are you hiding it? We've been together for so long. Do you still have secrets you can't share?" I couldn't help but ask her.

Eva was silent for a while. Then she held my hand, kissed my forehead, and said, "If you love me, please trust me, okay?"

I knew she was lying, but her bright, pleading eyes softened my heart. I couldn't keep questioning her. We stood in silence for a while.

As a man, I couldn't bear to see Eva upset, so I gave in first. "When you feel the time is right, please tell me everything. I'm always here to help."

Eva looked touched, hugged me, and leaned on my shoulder. "Honey, I don't want to lie to you. I can only tell you that what I'm doing won't harm you. Don't worry." She bit her lip and started to unbutton her clothes.

But I wasn't in the mood. I grabbed her hand and changed the subject. "Let's go back for breakfast."

Eva was momentarily stunned. She looked a bit disappointed but followed me back to the cave.

That notebook seemed like an invisible wall between us, making our relationship less intimate.

In this situation, time passed quickly.

We continued to guard against Leo and his men while restoring supplies and looking for a suitable place to live.

But nothing happened during that time. It was as if Leo and his men had disappeared.

I had a gun, and although William died, the woman with him had escaped. She must have been terrified and might have scared Leo by describing what happened.

One night, like the past few, I sat at the cave entrance, tending to the campfire while on watch duty.

The winter nights on the island were very quiet.

In the darkness, I could only hear the wind and the occasional wolf howl from the distant forest. I rarely heard wolves because we usually went to bed early. But staying up for night watch made me familiar with their eerie howls, which could easily evoke fear.

But after hearing them night after night, we had become somewhat accustomed to it. However, it felt different tonight. The mournful howls seemed closer than usual.

And then, as if on cue, the howls abruptly stopped and didn't resume.

Feeling uneasy, I stood up to check. Suddenly, a strong smell of blood filled my nostrils, and I couldn't help but shout, "Where's the blood smell coming from?"