Chapter 12 Not Giving Up

• Those guys stopped beating John and looked back at me.
• Naomi was shocked by what I did, and she exclaimed, “Why did you shout?” I told her not to worry and just stay back.
• Those guys started mocking me as usual. “So The Wimpy Four’s almost reunited, eh?”
• “Wait, ain’t that the ugly b*stard? Do you even know who you’re talking to? Wait, you ain’t ugly no more!”
• John was lying on the ground, and he called out to me feebly, “Just forget about me and run, Jonathan!”
• “Don’t worry, John. I’ll take you with me.” I went up to them, and they surrounded me.
• “F*ck! Let’s mess him up first!” One blonde got impatient and hurtled toward me with a switchblade in his hand. I knew he’d stab me under these circumstances, but I had become a lot more agile. Before he could even get close, I landed a kick on his chest that sent him flying a few meters back, and he fell with a thud, much to the shock of everyone. Even I was surprised by how strong my kick had become.
• The blonde struggled to get up, but to no avail. I was not going to waste this chance, so I quickly went up to him and crushed his wrist under my feet.
• He let go of his switchblade, and I picked it up. “I don’t want to fight you guys here, so give me my friend back.” I wasn’t sure if I could take on all of them, and they had weapons. If I was just that bit stronger, fighting this many people would be trouble. Furthermore, if I got distracted and they stabbed me, that’d be the end of the line.
• One of them spat, “F*ck you, b*stard! You think you can get away after what you did?”
• I sneered. “I can’t run away, but I’ll fight till my last breath. Kill me if you will, but I’m going to stab all of you before I die. There are no meds and doctors here, so you’ll die a slow and painful death. How does that sound to you?”
• Then, their faces fell, for they knew I was right. Getting injured on this island would be problematic, for none of us had any anti-inflammatory salve here.
• Sustaining an injury meant big trouble, so I added, “I’m taking John with me. If anyone tries to stop me, they’re going to find this blade chucked in their belly.” Having weapons felt great.
• I went into the cave, pointing my blade at them. Those delinquents chickened out and made way for me. “Let’s go, mate.” After that, I propped John up and went back out, my blade still pointing at them. Left with no choice, all they could do was glare at us.
• “You’re lucky Harry isn’t here, kid!” someone threatened me. “If he’s here, you’re going to get it!”
• “Yeah! We’re going to meet up sooner or later, Jonathan! Just you wait!”
• I took John away with me, and Naomi followed. Now, she was getting excited after seeing me in action. “You’re so cool! Did you see how they look? They were scared of you!”
• “Yeah. You need weapons to survive here on this island. Without any doctors or medicine, an injury could spell death, so everyone’s trying to stay uninjured.”
• John thanked me. “Thanks for saving me, Jonathan, but what you did just now is going to get you on Harry’s bad side.”
• “Who is this Harry?” Naomi asked.
• “Harry Lockwood from Class Three,” John replied. “He’s a cruel and merciless guy. I heard Class Three is already gathering up under his command, and they are around forty strong. Know why they beat me up? Last night, Harry said he’s going to turn weaklings into food, and he’s going to take all the girls for themselves. Then, he wants to form an army to rule the island. He ordered his lackeys to kill and turn me into food, but they never murdered, so they took turns beating me up until I would be dead.”
• Naomi was livid after hearing that. “How could he do that? We’re supposed to work together!”
• I shook my head. “No. The society here has moved from the ancient era into an era of tribes. Harry represents a powerful tribe who can ensure his friends’ survival and entertainment, while we’re tribeless drifters.”
• “What should we do then, honey? We’ve crossed him, so if he comes for us…”
• “Relax. Even if we didn’t, he’d probably come for us in the end, judging by the kind of guy he is. Everyone’s reduced to mere animals who rely on instincts. Don’t even think they’d be kind to us.”
• “Should we join a tribe then?”
• “Not yet. We don’t know this island enough.”
• John felt curious after hearing our conversation. “Naomi, why do you call Jonathan honey?”
• Naomi looked embarrassed, so I held her hand and smiled. “We’re officially dating.”
• John grumbled darkly, “Lucky you, Jonathan. You’ve got a girl who likes you. Me? Forget about it. My only wish is to kiss Rosalie’s toe before I die.”
• “Why her toe?” I was surprised.
• “Anywhere else is a fantasy. I’m just a lowly guy, while she’s an angel. Every time I see her, my heart pounds, and I suffocate.”
• I smiled drily. “You’re going to have a heart attack later then.”
• When we came back to the cave, John gawked at the sight of Melody and Rosalie. He blushed, not daring to look at Rosalie.
• “This is my friend, John,” I said. “This is Rosalie, and this is Melody. You can call her Miss Ziegler or Melody. She doesn’t mind.”
• Rosalie frowned. “Wow, he’s fat. Guy’s going to empty our food supplies. You’ll be sleeping outside. There’s no space for you in here.”
• John stammered, “I-I’ll eat less and go on a diet from now on. I haven’t eaten anything since we got stranded. A-And I’ll sleep outside.”
• “Wait, doesn’t that mean you haven’t eaten for nearly three days?” I was totally shocked.
• “Oh, focus on us, ugly,” Rosalie said impatiently. “I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday evening, so get something for me. And for Pete’s sake, get more of them. We can stock them up.”
• Oh, right. I still haven’t procured any food today.
• Beside me, John sighed. “I know where there’s food, but we can’t get it.”
• “Tell me.” I was interested.
• “Class Three is full of delinquents, while Class One is filled with nerds. They have no survival skills, but by chance, they stumbled across a mountain of resources. The delinquents said those guys are trying to join Harry’s tribe for protection. They will be negotiating a deal this afternoon. Class One will be giving their resources so they’d be allies with Harry, but those delinquents said Harry’s not going to let them go. They’d be slaves at best, and food at worst.”
• “How many people are there in Class One?”
• “Less than ten.”
• I sneered. “Take me to them. I’m not letting Harry take this piece of cake away. Now that I’ve crossed him once, I don’t mind doing it a second time.”