The sun hung high over the shoreline, warming the sand beneath their feet. There wasn't much to do, so those at the beach had fallen into light conversations checking on each other, trading tired smiles, trying to forget they were stranded.
That's when Joseph the businessman, sharp-suited even in a crisis suddenly stood up, eyes wide.
"Did anyone hear that?" he asked, cutting into the quiet chatter.
Wendy Bird, the wife of Officer David, turned toward him.
"Hear what?"
"A helicopter," Joseph said. His voice held a strange urgency.
At first, no one reacted.
"A helicopter?" Wendy repeated, skeptical.
"Yes," he insisted. "I swear I heard it. Just now."
A few people exchanged glances. Then, slowly, they began to listen.
Ears tilted to the sky. Breath caught in their throats.
And then
A faint, unmistakable hum broke through the air.
Getting closer.
"He's right," someone said, eyes wide. "That's a chopper!"
A spark lit up in their hearts. Hope, hot and blinding.
Within seconds, the beach came alive with motion.
"Signals!" someone shouted. "Make smoke! Flames!"
Martha, one of the younger women, had already acted. She grabbed a piece of dry wood they'd set aside, jammed it upright in the sand, and struck a match.
Flames rose quickly. Then came the smoke thick, dark, and rising into the sky like a desperate scream.
Everyone gathered, waving their hands, jumping, screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Help! We're here! Help!"
Their voices cracked.
Some waved shirts. Others lit more leaves on fire.
Above, the helicopter's sound grew louder for a moment.
So loud it felt like rescue had finally arrived.
They screamed again.
Cried.
But then…
the sound began to fade.
First slowly.
Then rapidly.
Their faces fell one by one.
Martha's hands trembled.
Joseph took a step forward, still staring into the blue sky as if he could pull the machine back with his will alone.
"No…" he whispered. "No. It was right there…"
The sky returned to silence.
Their cries vanished into the empty wind.
A few of them stared upward for minutes, unable to move. Others collapsed to the sand, defeated.
Eventually, someone put out the fire.
They walked back to the camp heads down, hope shattered, the smoke trailing behind them like a ghost of what could've been.
Far above, the last trace of smoke curled into the sky.
And beyond the clouds, where no one could see...
Meanwhile, back in the forest...
A twig snapped.
Daniel's eyes narrowed. He raised his hand slowly a signal to stay silent.
"Nobody move,"
Another sound followed.
Leaves brushed. A foot shifted.
It wasn't the boar.
Someone was watching them.
Daniel shifted slightly and peered beyond the thick foliage.
About ten meters ahead behind the trunk of a thick, moss-covered tree a human stood perfectly still.
Charlie saw it too.
"Who's that?" he whispered.
The figure didn't move.
Daniel rose slowly from behind the brush and called out.
"Hey! Who are you? Step forward."
No answer.
For a few seconds, no one breathed.
Then
The person stepped forward from the shadows.
Their face came into view.
The group froze.
Expressions shifted suspicion turning to shock.
Barry stared at the figure, eyes wide.
"It was you…?"
The jungle was thick with silence.
Eyes stared into the green.
Muscles tightened.
Behind the moss-covered tree, the figure slowly stepped forward into the light.
Everyone stiffened.
Barry's expression shifted from suspicion to surprise.
"It's… Edward?"
The figure nodded calmly.
Francis blinked in disbelief.
"You scared the hell out of us, man!"
"I was just tracking you," Edward said casually. "Didn't mean to sneak up. Saw you setting the trap and didn't want to interrupt."
Daniel sighed, the tension finally fading.
"Next time, just say something before watching like a ghost."
The group chuckled, their nerves finally easing.
Francis glanced sideways at Daniel.
"Captain, I think we've spent more time waiting for that boar than we realized."
Daniel let out a light laugh.
"Yeah. Time really flew."
Just then a rustle.
The underbrush shifted sharply.
They froze again.
Only this time, it wasn't a man.
It was a boar.
A massive, well-fed one thick body, strong legs, head lowered in caution.
It sniffed the air and stepped slowly into the muddy patch.
The group remained perfectly still, their eyes fixed on the trap.
Another step.
Then snap!
Its hoof triggered the hidden wire. A sharpened bamboo spear shot upward, piercing the boar through the ribs.
The beast let out a sharp cry, thrashed, and collapsed in the mud.
Francis jumped up with a grin.
"Bullseye!"
Charlie pumped a fist into the air.
"We're eating good tonight!"
Daniel smiled, satisfied.
"Enough meat to feed all of us."
Francis, still focused, added with caution:
"Let's wait till it dies. If we move too soon and it escapes, all this work will be wasted."
Minutes passed.
The boar kicked once. Then again.
Then it stilled.
Francis approached, crouched down, and pulled the bamboo spike from its neck.
"It's done."
He and Edward hoisted the carcass, tying it securely to a thick stick. With effort and rhythm, they began their walk back.
But not the same way they came.
"Let's try another path," Francis said. "We might find fresh water."
The brush thickened as they moved through a new route, the boar swinging gently between them.
Then
"Daniel!" Charlie called from behind.
"I hear something… like a waterfall!"
They stopped in their tracks.
Daniel turned.
"You're sure?"
Charlie nodded. "From that direction."
He pointed to the right.
No hesitation.
They ran.
Leaves slapped their faces, twigs cracked beneath their boots. The sound grew louder with every step.
A trickle.
Then a rush.
Then a roar.
They burst through the treeline, and there it was.
A wide, majestic waterfall thundered down a cliff of black rock, plunging into a crystal-clear basin. Sunlight pierced the mist, scattering into shimmering fragments.
They stood in silence.
Staring.
For a moment everything else faded.
They had forgotten their pain.
Their hunger.
Their fear.
This felt like salvation.
Francis was the first to move.
He tore off his shirt with a grin and ran.
"I'm going in!"
With a splash, he dove into the water and disappeared beneath the surface.
Moments later, he burst up, wiping water from his face, and shouted:
"Guys! It's salty!"
Everyone blinked.
"What?"
"It's saltwater! Undrinkable!"
The joy drained from their faces.
The beauty of the waterfall remained untouchable, perfect…
But once again, the island had lied.
Once again, hope was a mirage.
To be continued...