chapter 4
1506 Words
Elias stood at the edge of the beach, his eyes scanning the sky painted in streaks of orange and soft pink. The sun was lowering fast, nightfall wasn’t far off—and they had no real shelter, no food, no fire. His stomach gave a low, angry growl that made him press a hand against his stomach. And his body ached from digging the grave.
He turned toward the water. The tide had rolled in steadily throughout the afternoon. He figured he might be able to catch a few oysters or even spot a sea urchin or two. Not the most appetizing meal, but it was something. He took a step closer to the water, ready to dive in.
"You.”
He turned.
The woman stood a few feet away, arms crossed. Her hair tousled by the sea breeze ,whipped around her face. She hadn’t calmed down from earlier and her tone made that crystal clear.
“We need to divide the beach,” she announced firmly. “We need space. You stay on your side, I’ll stay on mine. I don’t want to see you rummaging through corpses or stealing things again.”
Elias raised an eyebrow. “Really? That’s your priority right now?” He glanced up at the sky, then back at her. “It’s almost dark. We need food, shelter. We’re on a deserted island, not rooming in some hotel with do-not-disturb signs.”
“I don’t care,” she snapped. “I don’t trust you. And I don’t want to wake up with you creeping around. So we split the beach.”
Elias considered arguing, but the sun was sinking fast, and he had no time to waste. He exhaled sharply, brushing a hand through his wet hair. “Fine. Whatever makes you feel safer, princess.”
The woman was still glaring at him, but her chest moved from her anger, drawing attention to her large breasts which was strained against her torn swimsuit. He glanced back briefly—and caught himself staring. His eyes were on them for a second too long before he forced himself to look away.
She noticed.
Her eyes narrowed, and a scoff escaped her lips. “Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath, shaking her head in disgust. “Of course you’re that type.”
Elias gave a small smirk but didn’t argue. Let her think what she wanted. With the beach now loosely divided—an invisible line marked only by their mutual annoyance.
Elias decided that the matter of shelter had to come first. He didn't have much knowledge about building things—he was a programmer, not a carpenter—but he understood the basics: protection from the elements, something to keep the bugs off, and ideally, a little coverage from the wind. He turned away from the waves, scanning the trees at the edge of the beach.
He moved quickly, his bare feet sinking into the warm sand. The jungle greeted him with loud sounds from the animals. Buy Elias didn’t flinch. After the things he’d already seen today—the body, the blood, the argument with the sharp-tongued beauty—nothing could shake him right now
Elias gathered what he could. Palm fronds that had already fallen, a few thicker sticks, a couple of vines he managed to strip from a low branch. It wasn’t much, but it could be something.
He went back to his part of the beach and chose a spot near some rocks, under a small overhang.It wasn’t exactly five-star lodging, but it would do for tonight.
Using the stick, he made a shallow space in the sand to trap heat.Then he laid the fronds across the top as a makeshift roof. The vines helped lash a few thicker branches together for the frame.
Every movement ached in his sore muscles, especially his arms and lower back, still worn from burying the dead man earlier. But he didn’t stop. Not until the shelter stood.
Elias stepped back from his makeshift shelter. The structure sagged a little on one side, and the roof of woven palm fronds looked like a stiff wind might rip it apart—but it was something. It wouldn’t win him any awards, but considering he’d only ever built virtual fortresses behind a computer screen, he figured it wasn’t a complete disaster.
“Alright,” he muttered to himself. “Let’s see what the ocean has to offer.”
He dived immediately, the shock of the cold water woke him up instantly. For a moment, he let himself drift beneath the surface, his eyes searching. Then he kicked forward, fingers brushing against the seafloor as he began to collect.
It wasn’t easy. He scraped his hand on a jagged rock trying to pry loose a sea urchin, and nearly lost his grip on a fat crab that wriggled and snapped. But he managed. One by one, he grabbed anything that looked even remotely edible—urchins, a handful of mussels, two crabs, and even a small fish he stunned between rocks.
As he came out of the ocean, he noticed her looking over at him. She hadn’t moved from the far side of the beach since she had claimed her territory earlier. She just sat there with her knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Watching.
She didn’t bother saying anything. No snarky remarks, no sarcastic jabs. She just looked tired. Maybe even a little lost.
Elias ignored her.
He carried his bounty up to the rocks beside his shelter and knelt down, laying it all out on a flat slab. Quite much, but still not enough. .
Elias got to work quickly. The sky had gone from deep orange to dusky purple, and the stars were just starting to show above. With no time to lose, he rummaged through the small pile of salvaged items he’d stashed near his shelter—among them were the lighter and the battered Swiss army knife.
He also retrieved the bloodied shirt from the dead man. He had rinsed it in the waves earlier, letting the salt water wash away most of the blood. Now, it was dry enough to tear into strips.
He twisted one into a makeshift wick, then gathered a few dry palm leaves, twigs, and bark, arranging them carefully into a small pit he’d carved out near the rocks.
With the lighter’s spark and the help of the fabric, the flame caught.
It flickered weakly at first, struggling against the breeze, but Elias shielded it with his body until it grew into a proper fire. Warm, glowing, alive. He stared at it for a moment entranced not just because it worked, but because it reminded him that he still could. He could survive this.
He leaned over and grabbed one of the sea urchins he’d collected earlier. Using the knife, he pried it open, then skewered a few chunks of it onto a sharpened stick, holding it just above the flame. The crabs came next. He cracked their shells carefully with a rock, pulling out the flesh and letting the fire warm it until the edges began to sizzle.
The smell wasn’t exactly mouthwatering, but it was real food. Warm food. Not just something scraped off a rock.
He pulled one of the coconuts from his pile and used the knife to pierce the top. The blade slipped a little , but after a few seconds, he had a hole wide enough to drink from. The liquid inside was cool and more satisfying than he expected. He took a long drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, then set it aside.
With food and water secured, He decided it was time to settle. He sat down under his structure, legs stretched out in front of him, the makeshift plate of food resting in the sand beside him. His stomach growled again, sharper now, but before he could take a bite, he heard the crunch of sand.
She was standing there.
The moonlight cast long shadows over her face, softening her features. Her hair was still damp, clinging to her cheeks, and her arms were folded tightly, but not in anger this time.
“…Can I have one of those coconuts?”
Her voice was hoarse. Barely above a whisper. She wasn’t glaring now. In fact, her eyes didn’t even meet his directly. The exhaustion seemed to have caught up to her—there were shadows under her eyes. She looked like she was at her lowest. Maybe asking him for something was the last thing she ever wanted to do, but here she was.
Elias looked up at her, quiet for a moment.
He could’ve just handed it over. He wasn’t a monster. But something in him—maybe a sliver of petty amusement, maybe curiosity—tilted his head as he reached for the coconut.
He held it up.
“…What’ll you trade for it?” he asked. She blinked, clearly not expecting that.
- Writer
