What a perverted man!
1114 Words
The figure was a man—perhaps a passenger from the same cruise ship. His clothes were torn, his skin was pale, and the deep gaping wounds on his body gave the impression that he had been attacked... not by a sharp object, but something far more terrifying.
Darren crouched down, examining the body. Deep lacerations, bite marks on the shoulder... Shark attack.
"Oh my God..." A voice behind him made Darren turn his head.
The woman stood a few steps away from him, her face pale.
"We have to bury him," she said in a trembling voice.
Darren sighed softly. "I'm more interested in how we can use this body."
The woman looked at him in surprise. "Are you kidding me? It's a corpse!"
Darren shrugged. "And he won't need it anymore."
"Jeez, you don't have a heart!"
Darren ignored her protests and started reaching into the man's pockets. He found a neatly wrapped chocolate bar and a lighter from the man's pants. On the man's wrist was a digital watch that seemed to be working, and a cell phone was still on, but there was no signal on this island.
The woman looked at him with disgust. "You steal from the dead!"
Darren gave her a flat look. "We need everything we can find to survive. It's not about morality—it’s about life and death."
The woman shook her head. "I don't care! We have to respect the dead!"
Darren approached, his voice calm but firm. "Look, I've seen a lot of death in my life. I know how to honor the dead, but I also know the dead don’t need this stuff. We who are alive—we need it."
The woman opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. She seemed to be struggling with her thoughts.
Finally, with a heavy sigh, she turned away. "I don't want to see this. I'd rather do something useful."
Darren watched her back slide away. Shaking his head, he realized how stubborn this woman was.
After finishing his search, Darren dragged the man's body further away from the shoreline and began to fill it with sand. Although pragmatic, he still paid his last respects by sticking a stick as a grave marker.
When he returned, she was already sitting by the tree where he had kept the coconuts he had just picked.
Darren held up the chocolate he had found. "Care to share?"
The woman stared at the chocolate momentarily, then took it irritably. "I still don't agree with your methods."
Darren smiled slightly. "You'll get used to it."
The woman snorted, then took an annoyed bite of the chocolate.
Darren just sighed. His lips smiled at the expression on her face.
The night began to creep in, bringing with it a piercing chill. The small fire lit earlier that afternoon still flickered, providing warmth in the sea breeze.
Darren sat leaning against a tree trunk, watching the star-studded sky. It was so quiet, only the occasional sound of waves breaking on the shore.
The woman sitting not far from him was finally quiet, tired, and pensive after a day of disagreement.
Darren's stomach rumbled softly. He had survived on a bar of chocolate and a sip of coconut water, but it wasn’t enough. He needed food.
Wordlessly, he got up and started walking towards the beach.
"Where are you going?" the woman asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"Looking for food," Darren replied shortly.
The woman, named Elvira, simply sighed and returned her gaze to the fire.
Darren walked along the shoreline, his eyes studying the shallow water around him. He remembered that back in his mercenary days, he had survived in worse environments than this.
He entered the water carefully, letting his feet feel the seabed. His hands moved slowly, touching the rocks and sand beneath the surface. It didn’t take long before he found something moving.
Quickly, he grabbed the object and lifted it. A large oyster.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He kept looking, and in no time, he collected a few oysters and sea urchins. Not much, but enough to fill their stomachs for the night.
When he returned to the hearth, Elvira looked at him suspiciously.
"What's that?" she asked, pointing to Darren's hand.
"Dinner."
Elvira frowned. "Is that... a sea urchin?"
Darren nodded. "And oysters."
He took his penknife and began to open the oyster shells one by one. Elvira looked reluctant, but as the distinctive scent of the sea began to waft through, her stomach churned softly.
Darren caught the expression and smiled a little. "Want to try?"
Elvira rolled her eyes. "Do I have a choice?"
Darren lifted an opened oyster and handed it over. Elvira looked at him doubtfully, then took it carefully. With some reluctance, she popped it into her mouth and chewed lightly.
Her face changed.
"...Not as bad as I thought," she murmured.
Darren chuckled. "Wait until you try the sea urchin."
After they finished their oysters and sea urchins, Elvira leaned against the tree trunk, rubbing her stomach.
"All right," she said, looking up at Darren. "You know how to survive. But I still don't like your ways."
Darren just smiled faintly. "We'll see."
There was silence for a moment.
Then, Elvira looked at him with a serious expression.
"I'm thirsty," she said. "Can you give me one of your coconuts?"
Darren raised an eyebrow. "Coconut?"
Elvira nodded. "Yes. But you can rest easy; I'll give you some money when we're rescued."
Darren stifled a laugh. This woman was extraordinary.
He picked up a coconut and then looked at her with meaningful eyes. "Alright, then... I'll give this to you for free, but on one condition."
Elvira squinted, staring suspiciously.
Darren smiled slightly. "I want to know your name. Stop thinking badly of me," he said reassuringly.
Elvira was slightly relieved, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Perhaps the man before her would have laughed at her if this had happened during the day. The darkness of the night saved her self-esteem.
After a few seconds of silence, she finally said her name.
"Elvira."
Darren nodded. "Elvira... Nice name."
He threw a coconut at Elvira, who caught it deftly.
While Elvira was opening the coconut, Darren stared at the flickering fire in front of them.
He felt a strange sensation in his body. It felt hot and uncomfortable in other parts of his body.
He thought for a moment and remembered what happened.
Oysters.
He had just eaten oysters. And oysters contain compounds that can increase testosterone.
Shit.
Darren looked at Elvira, who was completely unaware of what was going on with him.
“Elvira...”
- Writer
