Chapter 4
1110 Words
“Kyaa!!”
Isabella’s scream shattered Fred’s focus. He rushed over to her, fearing something bad had happened to her.
“What’s wrong?!” he asked, alarmed, when he found Isabella collapsed on the ground.
“T-That…”
Isabella shakily pointed at the corpses of the airplane passengers, their condition grotesque and hard to look at.
“Ugh, it stinks…”
Fred pinched his nose, trying to block out the overwhelming stench. His heightened sense of smell didn’t help either—if anything, it made things worse. No wonder he’d picked up more and more strange odors the closer they got to this area.
As Fred tried to assess the situation, Isabella suddenly threw her arms around him in fear. She was clearly in shock, but for some reason, the gesture was more distracting to Fred than comforting.
Of course it bothered him. First, because he was twitching like a worm dropped in salt. Second, the squishy pressure against his chest was making the situation… harder—literally—for him to handle.
“Don’t move away from me. I can’t bear to look at that. Just relax. I’ll pretend I don’t notice you’ve been standing at attention since earlier,” Isabella said.
“What do you mean, ‘pretend not to notice’?! Are you crazy? Saying that just makes it worse!” Fred snapped.
As they bickered, a rustling sound followed by the creaking of debris caught their attention. Both turned their heads and froze. Fred instinctively pulled Isabella into hiding.
“What was that?” Isabella whispered.
“Someone else is here,” Fred replied. “I can smell it, faintly—too many scents mixed together. Could be a wild animal. Just be quiet and keep watching.”
They crouched behind a chunk of twisted wreckage, peering at what remained of the shattered airplane. The rustling and the sound of footsteps grew clearer.
The tension was thick. Isabella’s heart pounded with fear—what if it was some kind of huge beast? Given the strange creatures they’d already encountered, it wasn’t out of the question.
“I’m sorry… This is all my fault. It must’ve come because I screamed,” Isabella whispered, guilt creeping into her voice.
“Shh. Forget that. Don’t speak. Just watch what comes out from behind that wreckage,” Fred murmured, gently touching her lips to signal silence.
After a moment, the debris was pushed aside—and two familiar figures emerged.
“Sisca? Justin?” Fred whispered, stunned. “What are they doing here?”
Isabella was about to run to them, but Fred stopped her. “Think first. Do you really think running to them will help? After everything they did to you?”
Isabella hesitated, then stayed put as Fred continued to observe the pair.
“It was worth digging through all that wreckage, then we finally found the damn thing,” Justin said.
“Anything for you, babe. He was useless anyway. Might as well get something out of him,” Sisca replied sweetly.
Fred’s eyes widened. He remembered the high-tech navigation device he had on him—a gift from a commanding officer in the military. It was durable and would still function even in its current state. In a place like this, it could be their only way out.
“We have to get that back,” Fred said.
“Why? Is it yours?”
“Yeah. It was given to me by a friend, and we’ll need it if we want to get out of this forest.”
Without hesitation, Fred stepped out of hiding and confronted Justin and Sisca. The two froze, shocked to see him alive.
“Fred… You’re—”
“Still alive? Obviously,” Fred cut Sisca off. “You two are unbelievable. After trying to kill me, now you want to steal my stuff?”
“Your stuff? That’s cute. It’s ours now. You should be grateful we’re not beating you up again,” Justin sneered, spitting on the ground with a smirk.
Fred’s anger boiled over. Memories of betrayal surged through him. Sisca was no longer the woman he used to know.
Fred lunged forward, grabbed Justin by the collar, and slammed his forehead into Justin’s. As Justin hit the ground, Fred began pummeling him with punch after punch.
“No! Stop it! I command you to stop, Fred!” Sisca pointed Fred's face.
Sisca rushed forward to intervene, but Fred shoved her aside.
“How dare you! You’re just a damn errand boy! Without my father’s paycheck, you wouldn’t even be alive! Now stop or I will—”
“You’ll what? Fire me? Who’s in charge now? This isn’t your daddy’s mansion—it’s the jungle. Out here, it’s survival of the fittest. Back off unless you want some too,” Fred snapped.
Sisca was stunned by Fred’s defiance. He had never spoken back like that. Now, he was standing up to her. Fred now is furious and intrigued. Sisca glanced toward the edge of the clearing.
At three o’clock, Isabella stood watching the scene, her face tense with worry. Sisca’s eyes narrowed and her lips curled in contempt.
“So that’s the problem. The little homewrecker,” Sisca muttered under her breath.
Meanwhile, Fred and Justin continued trading blows, their fight becoming more intense. Fueled by rage, Justin managed to strike back, landing punches of his own.
Fred fought harder, not just for revenge—but to recover that navigation device. It could mean the difference between life and death.
Suddenly, a thud echoed behind them.
Sisca had attacked by Isabella.
The situation spiraled out of control. Fred had hoped to have Isabella retrieve the device while he distracted the others, but now his plan was falling apart.
“Kyaaa!”
“Isabella!”
Her scream rang out as Fred spotted her on the ground—surrounded by vipers. He froze. Sisca stood nearby, smirking.
Fred was cornered. He had to make a choice.
“Where are you looking, asshole?!”
Justin’s fist crashed into Fred’s face. He was starting to lose his edge, growing dizzy from exhaustion.
“Rrraaaahhhh!”
“W-What was that?!” Sisca whispered, suddenly alert.
The ground began to tremble. Heavy footsteps followed by an ear-splitting roar echoed through the forest—something massive was headed straight for them.
Justin, seizing the moment, grabbed the navigation device and bolted.
“Stop! Get back here, you bastard!”
Fred was torn. He couldn’t chase Justin—Isabella needed him. And now, something terrifying was charging straight toward them.
“Tch. Dammit… What do I do now?” Fred muttered, cursing under his breath.
- Writer
