Stranded

Two

Eric woke up to the sound of waves lapping against the shore. The fire had died down to smoldering embers, and the sun was just beginning to rise, casting the beach in shades of pink and orange. He stretched, his muscles sore from sleeping on the sand. Nearby, the woman—still refusing to give her name—was curled up, her back turned to him.

For a brief moment, he considered trying to mend their tense relationship. But survival came first.

He stood and scanned the horizon. The island was eerily quiet, save for the sound of the ocean and the occasional cry of a distant seabird. As his eyes adjusted to the morning light, something caught his attention further down the beach. A dark shape lay motionless on the sand, half-buried by the tide.

Curiosity and dread filled in his gut. “Hey,” he called out, his voice cutting through the morning stillness. “Wake up. There’s something down there.”

The woman stirred, groaning as she sat up. Her hair was a wild mess, and her expression was one of annoyance. “What now?” she muttered.

From her expression, he guessed she wasn't a morning person. Eric didn’t wait for her to fully wake up. He started walking toward the object, his heart pounding. As he got closer, the shape became clearer. A body. A man. His stomach twisted.

“Oh my God,” the woman gasped behind him. She’d followed, her hands flying to her mouth as she took in the grisly scene. The man’s body was bloated and pale, his torso bearing jagged wounds that looked suspiciously like bite marks.

“Shark,” Eric said grimly. He knelt beside the corpse, his mind racing. The man’s clothes were tattered, but his pockets might still hold something useful. He hesitated, glancing back at the woman. “We need to search him.”

Her eyes widened in horror. “Are you serious? He’s dead!”

“Exactly. He doesn’t need anything anymore, but we do.” Eric’s tone was blunt and practical. “There could be something that helps us survive. Food, tools, anything.”

“That’s disgusting,” she snapped, taking a step back. “Have some respect!”

“Respect doesn’t keep us alive,” Eric shot back, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “Look, you can turn away if you want, but I’m not letting anything go to waste.”

Without waiting for her response, he began searching the man’s pockets. The first yielded nothing but wet fabric, but in the second, he struck gold: a pack of chocolate cookies, miraculously sealed and dry. His stomach growled at the sight.

The woman’s disgusted expression deepened. “You’re looting a corpse for cookies?”

“And you’ll be thanking me when you’re starving,” he retorted, tucking the pack into his pocket. He continued the search, finding a pen and a waterproof wristwatch still ticking. Useful.

“You’re unbelievable,” she muttered, turning away. “I’m not staying here for this.”

Eric ignored her, focusing instead on the task at hand. Once he’d taken everything of value, he stood and surveyed the scene. The body needed to be dealt with. Leaving it exposed on the beach would attract predators, not to mention the psychological toll of seeing it every day.

“We need to bury him,” he said.

The woman paused, her back still to him. “Fine. But don’t expect me to help.”

Eric sighed but didn’t argue. Using a piece of driftwood, he began digging a shallow grave. It was gruelling work, the sun climbing higher and hotter with each passing minute. By the time he’d finished, sweat dripped down his face, and his arms ached. He dragged the body into the makeshift grave and covered it with sand, saying a silent apology to the man before stepping back.

The woman watched from a distance, her arms crossed tightly. “Happy now?”

“Ecstatic,” Eric replied dryly, brushing sand off his hands. “Now, if you’re done judging me, I’m going to find food.”

“And I’m going to stay here and write an SOS message,” she said, her tone icy.

Eric shook his head. “You’re wasting your time.”

“And you’re wasting humanity.”

The jab stung, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he walked toward the shoreline, scanning for signs of life beneath the waves. A small tide pool caught his eye, and he crouched beside it, spotting a cluster of oysters clinging to the rocks. Using his knife, he pried them off, collecting as many as he could carry.

When he returned, the woman was still scrawling “SOS” in the sand with a stick. Her letters were large but uneven, the effort almost pitiable. Almost.

“Catch anything?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Dinner,” he replied, holding up the oysters. Her stomach growled audibly, and she turned away, pretending not to notice. Eric smirked to himself and set to work building a fire.

As the oysters roasted, their aroma filled the air, rich and salty. Eric’s mouth watered, and he realized just how hungry he was. He cracked one open, savouring the warm, briny meat inside. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman watching, her expression betraying her hunger despite her best efforts.

“Thirsty?” he asked, holding up a coconut he’d cracked open earlier. She hesitated, pride warring with necessity. Finally, she nodded.

“How much?”

Eric raised an eyebrow. “How much what?”

“How much do you want for it?” she clarified, her tone sharp. “I know your type. Nothing’s free with you.”

He considered her for a moment, then smirked. “Your name.”

She blinked, caught off guard. “My name?”

“That’s my price,” he said. “Fair trade, don’t you think?”

For a moment, she looked like she might refuse out of sheer stubbornness. But her thirst won out. “Adora,” she said finally, her voice low. “My name is Adora.”

“Nice to meet you, Adora,” Eric said, handing her the coconut. She snatched it from him, drinking deeply without another word.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the island in twilight, Eric leaned back against the sand. Adora sat a short distance away, her posture tense but her hunger temporarily sated. For the first time since they’d met, the silence between them wasn’t entirely hostile.

Still, Eric couldn’t shake the feeling that their biggest challenges were yet to come. As night fell, a distant howl echoed from the jungle,

sending a chill down both their spines. Eric and Adora exchange uneasy glances.