By the time the group that had ventured into the forest returned to the shore, it was already evening. Most of their time had been spent searching for fresh water. They did manage to find a stream, but like the one they had discovered before, its water was laced with salt. Disheartened, they made their way back, unwilling to linger in the forest any longer, for night always fell early in this place.
Once they reached the shore, everyone busied themselves with preparations for the night.
...
8:30 p.m.
"Today made one thing very clear finding clean water is not only essential, it's also the hardest task we face," Daniel told the others.
The night was colder than usual, and everyone huddled closer to the fire for warmth.
"How do we defeat it? Does anyone have a plan?" Alice, the teacher, asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Daniel looked into the flames before answering.
"We managed to kill the wolf because we knew a few things about it. But this… this vile creature Rose spoke of we don't know what it looks like, nor where it hides. That makes it far more dangerous. We won't be able to bring it down easily. The only way is to wait until it comes for us again. Only then can we strike back. How we'll defeat it… I can't say. But until it shows itself, we have no other choice but to wait."
"Ah… I've spent quite a long time in the forest today, so I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep now. We can discuss the rest tomorrow." Francis said as he exhaled smoke from his cigarette and made his way back to his tent. A strip of cloth was wrapped around his arm above the wound; it had begun to dry, but the injury was still tender.
After he left, Daniel put out the fire with a piece of wood.
"Now everyone can go back."
One by one, they brushed the dirt from their bodies, stood, and returned to their tents. The wind blew gently, carrying the soft murmur of the waves across the island.
The doctor went straight to Rose. He carefully cleaned her unstitched wound, applied fresh medicine, and bandaged it properly.
"You could at least thank me for all this," he said casually. But Rose hardly looked at him. Whenever he treated her, she always closed her eyes, offering no response. The doctor handed her some pain relieving medicine.
At that moment, a familiar sound came from outside it was Francis. He entered the tent.
"After cleaning and bandaging my hand, I wrapped it with a fresh strip. It still hurts badly. I'm worried it might get infected," Francis explained.
The doctor carefully removed the cloth wrapped around Francis's hand and began cleaning the wound. Since the injury was fairly deep, it had not yet dried. Using cotton soaked in spirit, he meticulously cleaned Francis's wound. The skin was a mix of green and yellow, evidence of the infection and bruising. After thoroughly cleaning it, he applied fresh medicine and re-bandaged it securely.
Francis reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, square-shaped electronic device, handing it to the doctor.
"This is a siren device. It's used to signal others in case of danger. Back in my military days, whenever there was a serious threat, this would alert everyone nearby. If you press this button, the sound it emits can be heard by those around. I don't need it right now, but I thought it might be useful for Rose," Francis explained to the doctor.
He then tied a cloth around his hand and lifted it to his neck. Before leaving, the doctor cautioned him not to overexert himself with work.
Francis didn't even hear it. After he left, the doctor handed the device to Rose.
"If you face any trouble, just press this button. I'll come immediately," the doctor explained, showing her how to use it. Then he prepared to return to his own tent.
At that moment, his words seemed to echo in her ear.
"Thank you, doctor. I'm grateful for everything."
Hearing this, the doctor turned to look at her. Her eyes were closed, but she managed to offer him a faint smile. It filled him with warmth and contentment. The doctor then returned to his tent.
.....
3:15 AM
Rose woke with a sensation as if something was pressing on her throat. It felt like a heavy weight had been placed on her chest. Her body was immobilized, unable to move. The dim moonlight spilling faintly into the tent revealed the source of the pressure.
She saw a dark, smoky shape on her chest. It began to clutch at her throat, squeezing tightly.
She couldn't breathe. Suddenly, darkness clouded her eyes. Rose struggled to move her arms and legs, but she couldn't. She tried to scream, yet no sound escaped her throat. She had no idea what to do. It felt as if death had come to face her once again.
For a long, agonizing moment she fought against it. Then, slowly, she managed to move her fingers. A faint sound began to emerge from her throat. It felt as though life itself had returned to her. The dark figure pressing against her chest slowly dissolved into the air.
Clutching the siren the doctor had given her, she pressed the button. A piercing sound burst out of it.
Edward, who had stepped outside to relieve himself, was the first to hear it. He rushed straight to Rose's tent. As soon as he entered, he deactivated the siren. The doctor followed right after and poured fresh water gently into Rose's mouth.
As soon as she drank, Rose spoke to him:
"It came back again… that monstrous thing. For a while I couldn't move my body at all. I thought I was dead. But after some time, it vanished from me, and I could breathe again. I was able to move my arms and legs. That's when I pressed the button on the siren Francis gave me… and it brought you here."
The doctor listened carefully to everything she said.
"Don't strain yourself too much, Rose. Just rest," the doctor said gently. Then he mixed a small dose of sleeping pill into some water and gave it to her. Both men waited beside her until she drifted off. Fifteen minutes later, her eyes slowly closed.
The doctor then turned to Edward.
"It was good you switched off the siren quickly. Otherwise, the others would've been disturbed from their sleep. Come with me to my tent I need to talk to you about what just happened. Either way, looks like both of us have lost tonight's sleep." He patted Edward's shoulder as he spoke.
Edward nodded. "I don't mind. Tomorrow, when you tell the others about it, I'll hear it then too. But… what do you think? Should I know about it right now?" the doctor asked him.
"There's no problem. I want to hear about it before the others do. I'm ready," Edward replied firmly.
So, the doctor led him into his tent. The two sat facing each other. Edward rested his hand against his beard, waiting intently for what the doctor was about to reveal.
To be continued...