Morning.
Though everyone else had fallen asleep, Francis could not. The pain of his wound refused to let him rest. By six o'clock he had already called out and woken the others. The exhaustion of yesterday still lingered on their faces; not one of them had escaped its weight. Sunlight broke through the fog in golden streams, spilling across the earth. The waterfall sparkled like a mirror, gleaming as though it held the dawn within it. After the terrors of the previous day, a gentler morning had bloomed. One by one, they gathered their belongings, preparing to return to the shore. Wasting no time, they picked up only what they needed and began their trek back. Before leaving, each of them let their eyes rest for one last moment on the beauty of the waterfall, committing it to memory. Their pace was brisk, for they knew the people waiting by the shore must already be worried.
Since it was impossible to trap another creature with snares, they gathered the fruits they needed from the nearby trees and continued their walk toward the shore. To ease their morning hunger, they ate a few of the fruits they had collected. By the time they finally reached the shore, it was around ten o'clock. The moment they were spotted, the people waiting there ran toward them. Just as they had suspected, Daniel confirmed what had happened with Edward and Glenford. Excited and anxious, everyone began asking about the events in detail.
"We'll explain everything that happened. But first, let's have breakfast," Daniel said. At that, the others' eyes turned to the fruits Robert was carrying in his hands. Together, they shared their morning meal. Though the fruits did not completely satisfy their hunger, they provided enough relief for the time being.
Once the meal was over, Daniel narrated everything that had happened the night before.
"Now, we no longer have to fear that beast," he said. Hearing this, a wave of relief spread through everyone's hearts. Some of them glanced at Edward no one had ever expected that he would be the one to kill the creature.
"I can assure you, that monster will never return again," Daniel added, and once more the group felt comforted.
After breakfast, those who had gone to fight the beast went to Dr. John Samuel's tent to have their wounds treated. The doctor carefully tended to each one of them. Finally, Francis entered the tent. Dr. Samuel removed the cloth that had been tightly bound around his hand. The wound had already begun to fester. To clean it, the doctor poured warm water gently over the injury.
When the warm water touched Francis's wound, he let out a groan and a sharp breath.
"You'll feel a bit of a sting. After all, it was torn open by that creature's claws. You're fortunate, Francis. If that wound had been on your chest or face instead of your arm, there would've been nothing I could've done it would've festered and turned into a serious infection."
Saying this, Dr. Samuel took a small piece of cloth from his medicine box, applied some ointment to it, and pressed it gently onto Francis's wound before wrapping it securely.
He then handed Francis a small medicine bottle.
"You'll need to take this painkiller for the next two or three days. It will help ease the pain a little. Make sure to keep the wound clean. Since we're near the shore, you must be careful to protect it from the salty breeze otherwise, there's a chance it could get infected again. Do you understand, Francis?"
The doctor made him fully aware of the seriousness of the wound. Francis only nodded in response. With the smell of medicines filling the small tent, Francis felt as though he were standing inside a real hospital. After putting the medicine safely into his pocket, he thanked Dr. Samuel. Despite the situation, the doctor had treated everyone who came to him with utmost care, and for that, everyone felt a deep gratitude toward him.
Since Francis hadn't slept the previous night, he decided to return to his tent to get some rest.
...
Mary's Tent 12:30 p.m.
Mary's daughter, Max, was about to begin her lessons under Alice, the teacher. But Max showed no interest at all.
"What's your favorite subject, dear?" Teacher Alice tried to engage her gently.
Because of the exhaustion from the previous day, everyone stayed on the island.
...
Evening 4:30 p.m.
Inside his tent, Barry was gathering some paper and plastic. He tied them together with a vine, trying to make a ball. With him were Arthur and the little girl, Max. Once the ball was ready, they stepped out of the tent. The others were already waiting outside. Daril held a piece of wood shaped like a bat. Together, they began to play.
Francis couldn't join in because of his injured arm. No matter how much they insisted, Joseph (the businessman) refused to play with them. The rest, however, forgot everything else and played joyfully. They were so immersed in the game that none of them noticed how quickly time passed.
The sun began to sink into the sea. Its rays painted the island in shades of crimson. By then, everyone had let their inner child come out. As the sun finally disappeared beneath the horizon, they all changed into fresh clothes and gathered around the campfire. For dinner, they ate the same fruits they had collected in the morning.
After the meal, as always, they began talking among themselves.
"Where exactly have we ended up? What kind of place is this? In these past days, we've seen things no one would believe. Yesterday, I came face to face with the
man wolf we've only heard of in stories. And it was even more terrifying in real life than the tales ever described. By now, the rescue teams should have found us, so why haven't they? My mind tells me this isn't an ordinary island. There's something mysterious and dangerous hidden here."
Juliet shared her strong suspicions with the others. Everyone realized there was truth in what she said. Each person began expressing their own thoughts and opinions about the island.
But Rose, a quiet girl, kept her distance, showing no interest in the discussion. She wasn't someone who liked to talk much. Her curly golden hair and small eyes only added to her charm. Rose usually appeared only at mealtimes; the rest of the time, she stayed inside her tent. She loved drawing, and most of her hours were spent sketching pictures alone. That was how she passed her time on the island. Juliet was the only one trying to befriend her.
After asking everyone to wait, Robert went to his tent to fetch something. When he returned, he had a bottle of wine and a few glasses in his hand.
"Please forgive me, everyone. I had kept this aside for a special moment. And my heart tells me that moment is now. So let's drink this wine together, right here and now."
Hearing this, a few people glanced at Robert. Noticing it, Robert quickly shared the wine he had in his hand with everyone except Max. At last, he poured the remaining bit into his own glass as well. The others stood around the campfire. Robert raised his glass high.
"To the dead wolf, and to our survival." The others repeated after him. Then they all clinked their glasses together. In one swift gulp, each of them drank it down. Even the fire they had kindled joined in their joy.
"All in all, today has been a good day, hasn't it?" Captain Daniel said happily to them. After everything was over, they put out the fire and each of them returned to their tents to sleep. The fog came rushing down like needles from the sky.
....
David's house.
David suddenly rushed back home. Without saying a word to his wife, he went straight into his room and shut the door.
From outside, his wife wendy bird kept calling him, but he did not open the door. To be precise, David did not even hear her voice. After tearing off his uniform, he went into the bathroom, turned on the shower at full force, and stood beneath it. The powerful stream of water crashed down heavily on his head. Suddenly, he vomited all around the bathroom. Everything he had eaten was now spilled there. Moments later, David collapsed on the bathroom floor.
....
On the island. Suddenly, David jolted awake from his sleep. His eyes were bloodshot and sore. He was struggling to breathe properly. At once, his wife wendy bird stretched out a glass of water to him. He drank it down in a single gulp.
"What happened, David?" his wife asked, holding him close to her chest.
"I saw that dream again," he said, describing the nightmare he had just seen, his voice trembling with fear.
"I can't forget it wendy " David said. His wife tried to calm him down. Just then, from deep within the forest, a girl's scream rang out. The sound startled everyone on the shore, waking them instantly. They all ran toward the direction of the scream. Francis held his pistol firmly in his hand. The last to arrive were David and wendy bird.
The sight before them made some of the people cover their mouths in shock, while others shut their eyes, unable to bear it. A girl was stumbling toward them, her body covered in wounds. Half of the hair on her head was gone, and her arm bore severe burn marks.
"Please… help me. Something is trying to hurt me. I don't want to die," she cried.
It took them a moment to recognize her through the blood covering her face it was Rose, the quiet girl from their group.
"That filthy wolf is back again. And I don't think it's just one of them this time," Arthur said, his voice trembling.
To be continued.....