A Life Ashore

Chapter 7 - Teach You a Lesson

Soon, I managed to prepare half of the roasted rabbit meat, and I kept the other half for later. Although half a rabbit might not be enough to satisfy our hunger, it was essential to have some emergency food reserves.

Everyone enjoyed the meal, and the previously gloomy atmosphere vanished. Laughter and conversation filled the air once again.

"I'll go catch rabbits in the forest tomorrow. Catching rabbits is also my specialty; it's quite simple! Just burn some branches, let the smoke into the rabbit hole," boasted Harold, full of confidence after having a satisfying meal.

Listening to his words, I couldn't help but find it amusing. This guy must have watched too much TV. Smoking out rabbits? The method might sound feasible, but it was challenging to execute. There's a saying, "A wary rabbit has three burrows." Rabbit holes usually have more than one exit.

If you smoke one exit, the rabbit will escape from another. Unless you block all exits beforehand, but these exits were typically well-hidden.

Moreover, not all plants produced smoke when burned, and I bet Harold had no idea about that.

Queenie and Lillian, inexperienced, looked at him with admiration, once again putting their hopes on him. Harold, feeling empowered, continued, "Haha, just wait and see. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became. While talking, he cast resentful glances at me when others weren't paying attention. I knew this guy, after being beaten by me, harbored a grudge and was waiting for an opportunity to retaliate.

However, I wasn't afraid of this trash. Ignoring him, I stood up, walked back into the woods, and decided to check the stream again. The water was clear, and I noticed some fish. If I could catch a few, it would be great.

Today, I discovered something unsettling. The seawater seemed to be slowly rising. The water hole I dug yesterday was already submerged.

Although I hadn't seen similar water holes on the beach, manually digging one would be time-consuming and laborious. Moreover, tidal waters might rise and flood it, making it impractical.

Surprisingly, when I approached the stream, I heard faint female voices from behind the trees. Were there other survivors?

Excited, I rushed over and soon saw a woman in her mid-twenties standing by the stream. She was humming a tune while washing her pretty face. She seemed to have just woken up. The sunlight, the stream, the jungle, and this beautiful woman created a captivating scene.

I was momentarily stunned.

The woman quickly noticed me, and a look of joy appeared on her face. She hurriedly ran towards me, exclaiming, "Great! There are still people alive! I thought everyone was dead!" She tightly held my hand and then hugged me warmly. Her embrace was comforting.

Being too close, my heart raced involuntarily.

The woman, realizing the awkwardness, looked at me with a hint of embarrassment. Her pretty face blushed slightly, and she scolded me, "Bad boy, don't get any ideas. I'm just too happy!"

If it were Queenie here, she might have given me a slap and accused me of improper behavior. However, this woman simply stepped back a bit, awkwardly brushed her hair, and said, "I'm Mandy Cohen. You can call me Mandy. What about you? What's your name?"

"I'm Christopher. I've been on this deserted island for almost two days. How about you? How did you survive?"

My curiosity grew as I observed Mandy. She seemed to be thriving on this deserted island, which was quite challenging for a woman. Previously, Harold and Lillian were in a sorry state, resembling two stray dogs.

"I've been hiding in a cave in the woods these past few days. The cave is quite safe. If you don't mind, you can come and stay with me!" Mandy extended an invitation directly.

Feeling intrigued, I considered the offer. Our camp by the seaside wasn't entirely secure, especially with the rising sea levels. There was a possibility that our campsite could be submerged during the night. Mandy's suggestion seemed like a safer alternative.

She took my hand and led me towards the forest. As we walked, we engaged in conversation, and I found myself impressed by her resourcefulness. Mandy demonstrated considerable survival knowledge, making her quite comparable to me in this regard.

We exchanged insights, and she even taught me how to identify edible wild fruits. Soon, we arrived at the cave where Mandy had been residing.

Situated on the side of a small hill, the cave wasn't very spacious but could comfortably accommodate three or four people.

It was remarkably clean and dry, making it suitable for human habitation.

"Mandy, let's go. I'll also take you to my camp. I have several pieces of clothing there, and you can wear them. The weather is getting colder, and your worn-out clothes won't provide enough warmth," I suggested.

Mandy happily agreed, and we headed towards the beachside camp.

As we approached my camp, my anger flared up upon seeing the sight.

This morning, I had caught a rabbit and left half of it uneaten, thinking of it as a backup. Now, that half of the rabbit was gone. Beside the campfire, the remaining portion was charred, emitting black smoke. Harold was leisurely sitting there, one leg stretched out like a pig, with traces of uncleaned oil around his mouth.

Enraged, I walked over, kicking him and shouting, "What's going on? Who turned the rabbit into this mess?"

"How should I know? It's not like I roasted it!"

Harold sneered, appearing indifferent and disdainful.

This scumbag still wanted to pretend. I saw the oil around his mouth. Stealing to eat was one thing, but roasting the rabbit into such a mess – how much of a garbage person was he!

"You useless piece of trash, getting more and more intolerable!"

I sneered, the burning anger in my heart reaching its peak. Unable to endure any longer, I charged at him and grabbed his collar.

"What's the matter? Do you want to fight? Come on, I've disliked you for a long time!"

Harold pushed away my hand, his eyes flashing with a hint of fierceness. Ever since I had beaten him earlier, he had been looking for an opportunity to cause trouble.

Now, Harold felt that the chance had come.

"This is what you asked for, a poor guy like you catching a rabbit, thinking highly of yourself. Today, I'll show you the consequences of underestimating others."

Harold arrogantly grinned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.