Surviving Eden's Fury: Island of No Return

THE WAVES HIT the seaside gently just like on normal days. The sunlight was not that strong as it was still early. But the silence was broken up immediately after the man’s spirit seemed like it flew away from his body when someone slapped him so hard. With a jolt, Cross was ripped from the comforting embrace of his dreams. The undeniable intensity of that slap still stung up to the end of his eardrum. Disoriented and bleary-eyed, that’s how he slowly opens his eyes. “H-how could you!” With that loud voice, he finally became sober. Only to find out that he’s not holding a hamburger just like from his dream, but a soft, warm curved shape of a woman’s body! He was too stunned to move, which was the result of slapping him. “You’re holding my brèast, Mister!” she pushed him harder too. “I… I am holding a brèast!” Cold water seemed to be poured on him the moment he realized everything. “Pervert!” That's how the woman accused him after she stood up. “Horny people like you don't really choose their victim—” “Excuse me, Miss! Believe me. The moment that I touched that… that—” “That what?” she became more angry. “I thought it was a hamburger. I’m dreaming of a hamburger!” he desperately explained. She slowly moved away with a doubtful face. “Are you a bandit or a thug? Because you look like a hooligan! Are you here to scam me too? I’m done with that game!” “And now you’re accusing me of something else, Miss,” he was offended. “Where are we—” He couldn’t continue his words the moment he remembered what happened and how he got into this place. “The ship…” he muttered. It was slowly coming back to his memory of how the boat that they were sailing in was slowly consumed by a fire. Even the screams of the majority who got burned inside the ship were unfortunate to be saved. That terror entered his mind like a virus. It eats him up because of the guilt. Cross doesn’t have a choice. Like someone else, he doesn’t have any ability to save everyone but himself. Just like before, a loser like him runs away when trouble chases him. He mindlessly touched the life jacket he was wearing. “We’re on the same ship,” Cross noticed that they were wearing the same life jacket. “There’s nothing special about it, Mister.” “I’m just trying to ask who you are.” She skeptically looks at him. “You are really a pervert!” Cross is dumbfounded. He was just breaking the wall that they had between them. Their only refuge is each other. "Are you sure about that?" He wouldn't have cared about what would happen to the girl. That’s what he thought, but destiny itself doesn’t want him to be on his own. “Hey!” “I told you to stay away from me—” To Cross' annoyance, he lifted the woman like a sack of rice when he saw a deadly sea snake that could kill her in an instant. “Woman, I’m just trying to save your ass!” The woman misunderstood all the things that came from his mouth. Cross doesn’t know where she’s coming from, but it’s unfair to him. She didn't even fully know him, yet he had already been judged. The last thing he wants to see is a lifeless body in front of him. He’s done being a loser. He will not repeat the same mistake again. “Let me go! I said, let me go!” Just like a deaf person, he didn’t let go of her. Cross froze in his tracks after realizing that the island seemed so vast, but there were no people except them. “Is this the island?” he couldn't help but worry. He remembered the conversation he overheard accidentally with his late veteran grandfather. “T-this is ridiculous…” There’s no way that an island from his grandfather’s tale existed. It’s only part of a myth. An island lying in the wilderness, shrouded in secrecy, remains beyond the government's reach. They turn a blind eye to all illicit dealings while the unfortunate are held captives of the island with no possible way of returning, as they take advantage of a high-ranking official's corruption and greed. The highest part of the zone is the smoldering volcano that gives a dramatic scene to the surroundings because of the smoke it emits. The area is naturally abundant. Especially with rare stones like Painite, which only a few carats can make a person rich. Even though there is a volcano, it is not hot in the area because the forest surrounds the lower part of it with a rich river, trees and the sea that greets those who land in the area. “I said, put me down!” He ignores the woman and drags her inside the forest. “I didn’t see the whole island. We don’t know what danger might come in our way. If you want to live, don’t be a spoiled brat who doesn’t know how to use her brain in a situation like this—” “H-how could you!” “If you don’t want to listen to me, go on then. Be on your own. But what will happen the moment I let you be on your own? You almost got bitten by a snake!” “W-what?” She looks horrified. “You’re bluffing—” “Tsk,” he looked disappointed. Harper is just trying to be independent. She’s afraid, yes. That's how she felt the moment she found out that they were on an isolated island, but she would prepare to be here rather than be the victim of human trafficking again. She went to the city to work for her family after getting a job. But she was horrified when she found out that it’s different from the job she’s applying for. She woke up in a large container on a ship and wearing a tiny dress that she could not imagine being worn for her entire life after she’s fighting for her life. The moment she remembered the pleas of the innocent people who were looking for help after the fire, she could not help but to feel guilty. “You’re not part of that syndicate?” “Come again?” Cross just shrugged when she didn’t answer. What’s important to him is to survive on this island. Being a programmer and developer at the same time, he is able to think in accordance with the games he plays. “What we need right now is the source of water. It's getting late, we need something to eat.” “How do you manage to stay calm?” He’s not. The truth is that he has many fears, just like being the loser for his entire life. He’s just trying to survive for his sick mother. She is the reason why he still stands on his ground. “I collected some coconuts. This is the only source of water that we have,” he replied before returning to the beach and leaving the woman behind. “It’s up to her. I won’t force her to do anything.” The good thing is that he has a swiss knife that he used to get some coconuts at the top of the three. He also has a lighter from his co-worker. Part of being subservient to them is carrying their stuff like he was their servant. Harper, on the other hand, just observes the gentleman from afar who’s setting fire far from the shore. She couldn’t help but to feel guilty for being hateful without giving him the benefit of the doubt. Harper didn’t waste some time and dragged the coconut leaves to write an SOS with the hope that someone might see her message. After that, she comes near the man who’s already spacing out, but the chance didn't allow her to be that “strong independent woman,” because her stomach growls as if she’s ready to eat anyone nearby. “T-thank you…” she was embarrassed when he gave her the remaining coconut and the rest of the banana. “I will find more food tomorrow. For today, we need to be vigilant. We don’t know what we will encounter in this place. It’s better if we’re near to each other—” “Can we still have the chance to go home? I think no one else will be interested in finding me because I am nobody.” He didn’t answer her. Just like her, society would not be interested in searching for a loser like him. Except his mother. The person who worries him completely.