Chapter 10 One On Each Side

• I woke up in a piercing sting. My eyes were heavy, and my ears were ringing. From my swollen eyes, I could see a fuzzy image of the black smoke hanging in the air.
• “Keep the man!” Jude’s voice sounded in front of me, “His superior survival skills are useful to us.”
• “And the woman?”
• “F*ck her or eat her but do it later!”
• Jude picked up a plastic bucket and poured sea water on me.
• That was rubbing salt in a wound, both metaphorically and physically. I couldn’t act tough anymore as the pain traveled through my whole being. I groaned as my body twitched.
• A foot pressed into my chest. Jude looked down at me like a smug winner. He even showed off the axe, which was now in his possession.
• I opened my mouth, but my throat closed up so much that I couldn’t make a sound.
• “Weren’t you always the cocky one? Well, who’s got the upper hand now? I am the strongest one as it turns out.”
• He could barely contain his inflated ego. Relishing every moment of his victory, he slowly lowered the axe until its icy blade touched my neck.
• “I’m the alpha of the island. The one and only!” Jude proclaimed.
• I studied his ferocious face as I realized he had regressed to humans’ animalistic, savage roots.
• In the beginning, I saw Jude as a power-hungry person who wanted to unite and lead the people. In some way, he was just like me, wanting to take our fate into our own hands.
• However, the trust he received became a burden when they ran out of food and fire. Naturally, it had taken a toll on him and eventually drove him to the edge.
• To a point where he would rape women and eat other people. Once a person started making those choices, they would spiral down the rabbit hole. There was no two ways about it.
• Jude was so consumed by his craze that he had turned neurotic and frantic. If I refused to help him, he wouldn’t think twice about killing me and abusing Yara.
• I groaned in pain as I clenched my fist. “I will work for you.”
• Jude gazed at me for a beat as if he was pondering. “You’re too unruly to be in our group. I have no choice but to disable you, just in case. I wouldn’t like it if you kill me in my sleep one day.”
• He raised the axe, ready to sever my leg.
• I took the chance to fling my fistful of sand at his face before rolling aside.
• That action took him by surprise. When he was busy rubbing the sand out of his eyes, I used the last drop of my energy to jump up and charge at him.
• We both dropped to the ground. He aimlessly swung the axe as a defense. My frailness didn’t allow me to dodge his attack. I only had enough energy for a quick battle.
• I felt a piercing pain on my back, which in some way hyped me up and gave me the fire to jab Jude’s nose with my fist.
• A nose was a human’s most vulnerable organ. After a high-pitched yelp, snot and tears trickled down Jude’s face.
• Although every movement hurt, I kept on punching him like there was no tomorrow. He whined in response. Jude wasn’t trained to fight like me. It went without saying that it didn’t take long for him to give in to my attack.
• I wore him down enough to take away the axe. Everything happened so fast that, when the rest of Jude’s men came to give him a hand, I already had the axe on Jude’s neck.
• I menaced to slit his throat if Jude’s people didn’t bring me Yara.
• Jude had made himself the irreplaceable leader in the group. So much so that the men couldn’t stand letting him get hurt. As a result, they stood rooted to the spot.
• Jude ceased to resist and closed his eyes in silence, which I found to be very smart of him. This was the best response he could have under the circumstances.
• They presented Yara to me, who was now all tears. She opened her mouth to talk once she saw me, but I stopped her with a stern look.
• I shouted at the men, “Turn around and take a hundred steps. Nothing more and nothing less, or Jude’s life ends here!”
• They obediently complied. I knocked Jude unconscious, then drew my axe on his right wrist.
• Blood rushed out from the cut. It shouldn’t cost his life, given that they saved him on time. Yet, that’d be enough to incapacitate his hand. If he ended up dying... Well, sorry, but not sorry. Our relationship had reached a point of no return after we burned the bridges. In other words, I wasn’t obligated to have mercy on him anymore.
• It might look like I took Yara out, but she was actually the one supporting me. At this point, I was far too weak to walk on my own.
• This was a big gamble. Jude just had to be a bit more uncompromising to kill me before he dealt with other matters. Things would’ve developed unfavorably for us.
• As we stumbled along, I realized that they had left us alone. I reckoned they must be too occupied tending to Jude’s injury.
• After what felt like forever, I finally saw the cave. The girls’ faces glistened with tears, and I forced a bitter smile at them. I could finally relax now. My body went soft, and the next thing I saw was total blackness.
• When I awoke, my whole body felt like it had gone through hell. Hailey was cleaning the injuries on my back with hot water. The burning aches were unbearable.
• I was shivering and sweating, so Yara let me rest my head on her silken lap. Caressing my face, she stared at me with tender eyes.
• “It must feel horrible.” Tina’s eyes were brimming with tears. She used a rag to wipe the sweat on my face away.
• I needed a distraction from the agony. Shifting my attention back and forth between Tina and Yara, I compared their body shapes in my head.
• Before long, the girls registered what I was doing. Their faces grew pink, but none of them said a word.
• Weirdly enough, their silent consent made the game drab. I guessed I was too used to their dramatic protests. When Hailey was done dressing my wounds, she came to face me. With a glum expression, she noted, “Zayn. There’s something important I need to tell you. Guess what Yara saw at their campsite?”
• Ah, that. I sighed. “I know they feasted on one of their own.”
• Tina hurried to the edge of the cave and retched.
• Hailey’s face twitched. Wrinkling her brows, she asked, “How did you find out?”
• “Jude hinted at it. Besides, it was just as I anticipated.” I kept my tone emotionless. “This is the wilderness. Without the restraints of the justice system, the ugliest side of human nature prevails. This is depicted in a lot of movies, but it’s far from fictional. It is merely out of humans’ survival instinct.”
• “What would you do?” Yara studied me with an inexplicable look. “Would you do the same when you’re out of food?”
• “Nah! I’m Muslim.” I grinned.
• Yara was confounded until she saw Hailey punch me jokingly. A little humor never hurt.
• It was almost twilight. For that reason, I disapproved of them gathering food at this hour. We diluted the coconut water from our last fruit and shared it amongst ourselves.
• Afterward, we called it a day and went to bed to preserve energy.
• I was sleeping soundly until I felt a body squeeze into my embrace.
• From the scent, I didn’t have to open my eyes to know it was Yara.
• “I’m scared. You’ve no idea what I witnessed.” Yara whimpered, “They sliced up the man like a cow. I even saw his white bone underneath... Did you know that his eyes were still open? How could they bring themselves to do it? On top of that, they lined up a few naked women on all fours as if they were livestock to... If you hadn’t come for me, I’d be the next victim.”
• Yara broke down emotionally. Shaking like a leaf, she pressed her body closer against me.
• “Thank god. Y-You showed up like a-a knight in shining armor claiming me a-as your woman. It… It was beyond touching... It brought me to tears.”
• There was barely any space between us now. She breathed warm air onto my face, arousing the beast inside of me.
• Trying to restrain myself, my breathing became short and uneven. It didn’t help when she placed her soft, luscious lips on my forehead. Those lips then skimmed over my eyelashes to wander down my cheek. After a bit, she tentatively pecked my lips.
• I couldn’t play the noble card anymore. I tilted my head to stamp my lips on hers, eager to taste her and feel her out.
• Yara responded clumsily because of her lack of experience. I wasn’t shy to show her my thirst. Her sweet and soft moans turned me on further. I explored every curve of her body as my hands wandered from her shoulders to the delicate collarbone. Traveling down, I was close to her spongy bits.
• A series of quiet movements disturbed our steamy session. Yara pushed me away nervously. She pretended to be asleep after turning to the side.
• Tina crept to my other side.
• “The images haunted me.”
• Tina gingerly rested next to me and placed her hand on my shoulder.
• “I can’t stop thinking about what Yara saw. I even dreamed about being cooked by them. Zayn, can you hold me?” Tina’s voice broke.
• I let her nestle in my arms. Tina’s frame was more petite than Yara’s. That being said, her shape was well proportioned. The ignited flame inside of me was still fuming. Tina’s distinct body scent was unquestionably fanning that flame.