Escaping the Island: You are Invited!

Contract Signature

Stuart sat still in his seat, he could feel the shifting of the girl beside him. The room was in complete silence, the man left an hour ago and perhaps about to be back after another. They were still there, in the same position as they entered, and were left by the man. There were papers in front of them, a document, a contract stating that they agreed to participate in this mysterious adventure, and whatever happened to them would not be blamed on the organization. It was a play safe contract. They seemed to know that the island indeed was a dangerous island.

Some of them had already signed the contract, the four men who seemed to be cool with this adventure. On the other hand, some of them were still thoughtful and hesitant, including Stuart, the two girls, and the kind man, they were just staring at the papers like it would do something in their situation.

“Just sign it,” the man to which Stuart learned the name of was Marlon Woolery. He was the same man who had the audacity to remark rudely to everyone. He was now chewing gum, making him appeal like a boastful man to which he really seemed to be exactly as that. “You saw the advertisement, you came here, you did not go out, your hesitation now would not do any help to your desperate situations. Just sign it.”

Stuart grimaced. He knew he should have gone out when his gut told him to when the man allowed them to, he knew his curiosity would kill him, maybe not now, but slowly. He was not hesitating earlier while the explanations were starting, but every fear just crept in in the middle of the discussion, and just then, he wanted to just stand on his seat and dash out but then these inviting words were just enough to keep him pinned on his seat.

“Two hundred million dollars will be given to the person who will get out. Guaranteed.”

Maybe his weakness was money. His mindset was if he had money, then he could be happy, he could do everything that he wanted, he would be liked by many, and wouldn’t be deemed as a sore loser. And that thought had blinded him enough to stay. If ever all of them survived and got all of the things asked of them to do, then they would split the money. He could team up with the most trustable among them who had the same goal as him, but he did not know how to figure out who among them was that.

Apparently, like the staff had said earlier when she told him that the huge amount of money wasn’t free at all and would never be gotten so easily, she was right. She knew the WIC Company so well, and now, he guessed, the staff would be laughing at him for being fooled.

Aside from the things that they had to gather on the checklist and the monster that they had to check if was true which by the way was enough to send a shiver down his spine just upon visualizing the monster’s look from the description and knowing that it was a soul eater, they even had to film themselves all throughout the adventure for the vlog that the organization would prepare as if this was some sort of entertainment. They would be staking their lives for this dangerous adventure.

They would also have to stay for a month there which was what made it more difficult to agree. A month was too long for the stay on a dangerous island, there could be a lot of things happening. Though they could go out once all of the checklists were done, they could already go home, but he bet it would not be just that easy.

He looked to the side to see the man and the woman beside him, finding them already signing the contract half-heartedly.

He sighed and did the same thing. He took the pen and signed the documents, flipping the pages rather a little violently. After all, even if he died, he knew people would still benefit from his death if ever something happened to him on that island. The reason why they asked for their family was that if a case like that really happened, the organization would have to give money like death compensation that would be given to their family, but since he had nothing to give the money to, he just wrote charity.

After he signed, they waited for more time until the same man came in with a pleased smile, looking at their papers and checking if they were signed and if they would have to use force for them to sign. Fortunately, it didn't seem like that.

“Did everyone sign it all?” he asked as he stood in front of them. “Please pass the paper to me so you can go now and prepare to come back in here tomorrow for the preparation and the day after, you’ll begin your adventure to Kropeti Island.”

Each of them passed the document, but the girl across the table beside the man Marlon remained unmoving and just clutching the unsigned paper. Everyone looked at her when she was literally the only one who was holding the paper, and the man seemed not pleased by that, or just not pleased by the woman overall.

“I don’t want to participate here anymore,” she said firmly, looking up at the man with a glare and fire in her eyes that could stab anyone that hindered her line of sight. “I won’t leave my family.”

The man raised his brow and scoffed, clearly amused by how this woman was acting right now. “ Debbie,” he muttered derisively. “You won’t leave them. But for them? They would. Your mother is fighting for her life, your sister is dying in hunger, and your father? He’s cheating with your neighbor. We are supplying all your financial needs, you are beyond buried deep in debt on us. The only way you could pay us is through joining here. Unless you have now the payment for more than hundreds of dollars?”

The girl turned red in embarrassment, Stuart felt sympathy over her. Of course, he knew how it felt to be indebted, but to have that huge amount of debts with people trying to support for a living somehow was something that he had not experienced yet no matter how unfortunate life was to him. The girl might have been under the heaviest pressure among all of them.

Without any more word, she picked the pen up and signed with tears brimming in her eyes. They all watched her silently, while the man who suddenly turned evil on their eyes suddenly smiled in contentment as he got the contract from her hand and grinned at them.

“Well, I guess everything is finally settled and the eight of you would be the group who will venture to the island. Tomorrow, just bring a few of your clothes and some important things before you come here. You will stay here for the night to prepare everything. I’ll see you tomorrow anytime you want to come here as long as you will. But if you didn’t, we just want to let you know that we know each of you, even your families and houses and the contract that you just signed that you might breach.”

He smiled at all of them and eyed them one by one before he went out bearing the contracts on his arm. As soon as he did, some of them also stood up to go out, seemingly casual and always ready with the upcoming extraordinary adventure, there was no nervousness at all, maybe because most of them were men and maybe they didn’t believe much in the danger waiting for them but rather was thinking of the adventure so little that was why they were all acting like it was nothing to worry about.

He also stood up to go home, his mind suddenly becoming active as there were a lot of thoughts waiting to be answered but would remain unanswered unless they would be there at the place already. He didn’t know what he should feel, all he needed to do was to do everything and he was done, he would just try to avoid every possible danger there would be and secretly work for himself and then dash out without minding everyone. After all, it was just himself that he could trust to get him out of himself there.

He came home at around two in the afternoon, he laid on his couch and looked up at the roof already full of holes. The thought of what he should eat for dinner had gone through in his mind, it was like a normal thought and a normal worry for him every day, but as usual, he would sleep it away, hoping that his hunger would not wake him up.

The next day came rather fast, and the day that they would depart was fast approaching. He woke up at around five in the morning and went to the nearby mini store owned by Mrs. Banks, and bought a small piece of bread and borrowed ten dollars for his fare which he received an earful from the woman one again but it would be the last, might as well, endure it. The day seemed to be beautiful, but here he was, feeling gloomy by the thought that he wouldn’t get to enjoy this anymore once he was on an adventure.

It was funny how he was enticed by the advertisement because it would only be filled with adventure and fun, but look at what fate had given him. A dangerous adventure that would risk his life. Maybe this was fate's way to tell him that he would never get up from being poor, he would remain like that until he died and he would die with no one would even know that he did. You must really hate me that much, huh.

He went home and started packing some of his things into a worn-out bag that he always brought in his work. He looked around, looking for something to bring among his useless things, something important as the man had told them, but no matter where he looked, there wasn’t anything so he just went out with that barely filled bag and took the same bus to the company.

When he came there, as he expected, he was the first among the eight of them. The man had allowed them to meet their families before coming there but they should not tell them where they would go nor what they would do, clearly stating the confidentiality of the adventure in the contract.

However, he had nothing to visit nor to bid his goodbye to, he had no family, he had no friends nor anyone who would at least realize that he was gone. And he wouldn’t mope about it all day, he just went straight to the front desk where he said the ‘I am invited’ password again to which instead of being led to the previous meeting room yesterday, he was on the fourth floor where he found hallways with approximately four doors on both sides.

“This will be your room, sir,” the staff told him, opening the first door on the left and revealing one luxurious bedroom. “If you haven’t eaten your breakfast yet, you can come to the fifth floor and get everything you want. I’ll leave you now.”

Upon hearing the word breakfast, and anything that he wanted, assuming that they were free, he immediately walked inside the bedroom and just placed his bag on the bed before walking out again and went to the lift to go to the fifth floor where he found a buffet and only a few people were there.

“Excuse me, sir? Do you have your card?” the staff waiting by the door as soon as the elevator opened asked politely, waiting for him to show his card.

“What card?” he asked confusedly. “The staff said, I can go here and eat whatever I want?”

The man seemed confused at him at first but then realization dawned on him and he nodded, “You’re one of those invited, am I right?”

He nodded timidly. “Yes.”

The staff smiled, then let him in without any more questions, leading him to the table where the unlimited food was. The amount of food he filled his huge plate was immense, it was like this would be his last food to eat so he gathered most of it and gathered every dish presented to him. It was like he would be reviewing every dish for a food show.

He indulged with the food, and he was much more elated every consume he took in his mouth. He couldn’t believe he got the taste of rich people’s food there when he would be a day away from just settling back to eating nothing again. He was starting to be more fond of rich food, they were all the best. Maybe if he did his best, he could taste these kinds of dishes every day. Maybe, too, that he found one reason to survive.

His co-explorer were starting to come one by one on the same buffet as well, they were still not close so when they ate, they were tables away and occupying eight tables separately. They would meet eyes, but they all seemed to be aloof to or just hesitant with approaching each other so they remained alone. He didn’t know who among them would he want to be with, the two girls seemed trustworthy but he didn’t know, they might be too weak for his liking and would just hold him back so he really had to see themselves on the island first before he decided.

It didn’t mean that he was one strong participant as well. He was actually scared of these things as well, but he was strong and could kill if needed, but it would be best if he had someone trustworthy to rely on.

As usual, the other men that he still didn’t know the names of, were always so casual about everything as they were just laid back. But the girls seemed to have problems with everything, they could barely eat as they were just playing with those and seemingly coming from crying only. Maybe the bidding of goodbye from their families. And he didn’t actually know if he should feel envious because they have a family to cry for them when they would be gone or if he would be thankful that no one would be hurt even if he died.

They stayed there for a while, filling their stomachs silently. They were waiting for an instruction coming from the man yesterday, and it came at around nine in the morning. A staff member came to them one by one, telling them to follow him as this certain Mr. Jury, the man yesterday, was waiting for them. The staff brought them to one floor on the ninth floor, and they knew there that everything indeed was real.