Bella turned her head quickly. "From where?"
"Close by. But, it's not ordinary wood smoke. It smells like... like burning meat."
The three of them ran towards the beach with their hearts beating fast.
Once at the shore, they found Eric and Sam standing looking at the black smoke rising from behind the coconut trees in the distance. Their faces were pale.
"We didn't make that fire," Eric said in a shaky voice. "I just started a small fire in the back, but this is different. It's big. And the smell."
Sam gripped his stick so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Did you see anyone else on this side of the island when you were looking for food?"
Bella shook her head hard. "No, I didn't. But." she took a deep breath, "something was watching us. We all felt it."
"And there were whispe
