Chapter 4

The trek up the mountain was grueling. The path was steep and treacherous, littered with loose rocks and tangled roots. Within the first hour, Tiffany started complaining.

"Ethan, my feet hurt," she whined, stopping for the tenth time. "And it' s so hot. Can we rest for a bit?"

Ethan, who was walking beside her, immediately stopped and fussed over her, wiping her brow with a handkerchief. "Of course, darling. We can take a break."

I kept walking, not even breaking my stride. I had a heavy load of firewood strapped to my back, and I wasn't going to waste my energy on pointless stops.

"Chloe, wait up!" Mike called out. "We' re taking a break."

I turned, my patience wearing thin. "If we stop every ten minutes, we' ll never make it to the top before nightfall," I said, my voice sharp.

Tiffany shot me a venomous look. "Well, some of us aren't used to this kind of... exertion," she said, her tone implying I was some kind of wild animal.

"Then maybe you should have stayed at the camp," I retorted, before turning and continuing up the path.

I heard Ethan mutter something about me being difficult, but I didn't care. Let them think what they wanted. I was focused on the goal: the signal fire.

A little while later, Tiffany managed to catch up to me, leaving Ethan a few paces behind. She was breathing heavily, her face flushed.

"You think you' re so tough, don' t you?" she hissed, her voice low so only I could hear.

I ignored her and kept climbing.

"You know, Ethan hates you," she said, her words a cruel, calculated strike. "He told me. He said he wishes he' d never taken you in. He said you ruined his life."

I froze, my foot hovering over a rock. Her words hit their mark, a direct shot to my most vulnerable spot. Did he really hate me? After everything?

"He feels responsible for you, that' s all," she continued, her voice dripping with false pity. "A sense of duty. But he can' t stand the sight of you. He can' t wait to get off this island and never see you again."

Before I could process the poison she was pouring into my ears, a terrifying sound ripped through the jungle. It was a low, guttural roar, a sound that spoke of hunger and power. It was close.

Panic erupted. Everyone froze, their faces pale with fear.

"What was that?" Sarah whispered, her eyes wide.

"Everyone, get behind those rocks!" Liam yelled, pointing to a large outcrop a few yards up the path. "Move! Now!"

I didn't hesitate. I dropped my bundle of wood and grabbed Tiffany' s arm. "Come on!" I hissed, pulling her with me. She was frozen in place, paralyzed by fear.

"I can' t," she whimpered, her legs refusing to move. "I can' t move."

The roar came again, closer this time. It was a predator, and we were its prey.

"You have to!" I yelled, yanking her forward with all my strength. I practically dragged her towards the rocks, my muscles screaming in protest. We scrambled behind the large boulders just as a massive, shadowy creature burst through the trees. It looked like a huge, feral boar, with vicious tusks and small, malevolent eyes.

We all held our breath, praying it wouldn't see us. But Tiffany, in her panic, stumbled and knocked over a loose pile of stones. The clatter echoed through the silence.

The creature' s head snapped in our direction. Its eyes locked onto us. It let out another roar, this one a furious bellow, and charged.

"Run!" Liam screamed.

We scattered, running for our lives in every direction. I grabbed Tiffany' s hand again, pulling her along. "This way!" I yelled, leading her deeper into the dense undergrowth.

We ran blindly, branches whipping at our faces, thorns tearing at our clothes. Behind us, we could hear the creature crashing through the jungle, getting closer. We also heard a human scream. A man' s scream, cut short.

It was Mike.

I glanced back and saw him on the ground, the creature standing over him. It was a horrific, bloody scene.

Tiffany saw it too. She let out a piercing shriek of terror, a sound so loud and shrill it completely drowned out any other noise. It drowned out Mike' s last, desperate cry for help.

I clamped my hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The creature, distracted from its kill, turned its attention back to us.

We ran. We ran until our lungs burned and our legs felt like lead. We finally stumbled into a small clearing and collapsed, gasping for air.

After a few minutes, when we were sure we weren't being followed, I knew I had to go back. I had to see what happened to Mike.

"Stay here," I ordered Tiffany, my voice shaking.

"Don' t leave me!" she cried, grabbing my arm.

I shook her off. "I have to go back."

I made my way back to the spot cautiously. The creature was gone. But Mike was still there. Or what was left of him. The sight was sickening. His body was torn and mangled, lying in a pool of blood. I choked back a wave of nausea, my stomach churning.

I returned to the clearing, my face grim. Tiffany looked at me, her eyes wide. "Is he...?"

I just nodded, unable to speak.

We made our way back to the camp in a somber silence. Sarah was already there, crying hysterically. Ethan and Liam were trying to comfort her.

The moment Tiffany saw them, she burst into tears and ran into Ethan' s arms.

"It was Chloe!" she shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at me. "It was all her fault! She made a noise, she led the creature right to us! She watched it kill Mike! She didn' t do anything to help him!"

Her lies were so blatant, so audacious, I was momentarily stunned into silence. She was twisting the truth, turning my actions into a crime, making me the villain in a tragedy she had helped create. The survivors, already on edge and looking for someone to blame, turned their hostile gazes on me.