Summer kills

Ethan's screams echoed through the cave, the agony from his injured foot unbearable. His bloodied leg throbbed with every beat of his heart, and the makeshift bandage Jake had fashioned was already soaked through. The sound of his pain

filled the small, dark space, adding to the already heavy tension hanging in the air.

Liam, clutching his shoulder and trying to keep his own pain in check, knelt beside Ethan. "We need medicine, something to stop the bleeding, something for the pain," he said, his voice strained and desperate. "We can't just leave him like this."

Jake, who had been pacing back and forth in the cave, looked down at his friends. The reality of their situation was sinking in fast. He pulled out his phone, hoping against hope that it might still work, that somehow they could call for help. But as he pressed the power button, the screen remained dark. The phone was dead, a casualty of the crash.

He turned to Liam, shaking his head. "My phone's dead. What about yours?"

Liam reached for his own phone, fumbling with it awkwardly due to the pain in his shoulder. He pressed the power button, but the screen flickered for a moment before going black. "It's no good," he muttered. "It's broken, too." Ruby, who had been sitting silently, staring at her own shattered phone, looked up at them, her eyes wide with fear. "Mine's not working either," she said quietly. The weight of the situation settled over them like a thick fog-there would be no easy rescue.

Jake ran a hand through his hair, frustration boiling over inside him. He felt the pressure mounting, the responsibility of keeping them all alive weighing heavily on his shoulders. "We're on our own," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. He then looked around the cave, trying to focus, trying to think clearly despite the chaos in his mind.

"I'm going to look around for food," Jake announced suddenly, his voice decisive. "We can't just sit here. We need to find something to eat, maybe there's something out there that can help Ethan."

Liam, still holding his shoulder, looked at Jake with concern. "Be careful," he warned, knowing how dangerous it could be to venture out alone, especially in the aftermath of the storm. "Don't go too far, and try to stay within sight of the cave." "I will," Jake replied, though his mind was already racing ahead. He grabbed a piece of broken metal from the wreckage to use as a makeshift weapon, just in case, and headed towards the entrance of the cave. "I won't be long," he added, trying to sound reassuring as he stepped out into the gray, storm-tossed landscape.

The wind had died down, but the sky was still overcast, with the occasional rumble of distant thunder reminding them that the storm wasn't far gone. The ground was wet and slippery, making every step treacherous, but Jake pressed on, determined to find something-anything-that could help them survive.

As he moved further from the cave, the silence of the island pressed in on him. There was no sign of life, no birds, no animals, just the sound of the waves crashing against the shore in the distance. He scanned the area, his eyes searching for anything that looked edible, anything that could sustain them until they figured out what to do next.

Back in the cave, Liam did his best to comfort Ethan, whose screams had turned into low, guttural moans as the pain began to drain him of energy. Ruby sat beside them, her hands shaking as she tried to hold herself together. The reality of their situation was stark-no one was coming to save them, and they were running out of time.

All they could do was wait for Jake to return, hoping he would bring back something-food, water, or even a plan to get them through the night. But the longer the minutes stretched on, the more the fear grew, gnawing at them like a hungry beast in the dark.

Jake stumbled back into the cave, drenched in sweat and mud, clutching a few wild fruits he had managed to scavenge. His face was etched with exhaustion and desperation. As he entered the dimly lit shelter, his heart sank at the scene before him.

Olivia was on her knees, holding Ethan tightly, her face buried in his chest, her sobs shaking her entire body. She was clutching him as if her grip alone could bring him back, as if sheer willpower could undo the horror they were living. The blood-soaked makeshift bandage around Ethan's leg told the grim story-there had been nothing they could do.

Ruby and Liam sat beside them, their faces pale and drained. They had been trying to console Olivia, but their own grief had broken through, leaving them in a fragile state of shock and despair. Liam's injured shoulder hung awkwardly, but the pain in his eyes was far worse than any physical wound.

Jake dropped the fruits at the entrance, forgotten in an instant, and hurried over to where Olivia was holding Ethan. He knelt down, his hands trembling as he reached out to touch Ethan's shoulder, feeling the cold stillness that had taken over his friend's body. The sight of Ethan's lifeless form, once so full of energy and life, now eerily still, made Jake's heart constrict painfully in his chest.

"He's gone," Jake whispered, his voice barely audible, as if saying it any louder would make the reality even more unbearable.

Olivia didn't respond, her tears soaking into Ethan's shirt. She kept whispering his name, her voice breaking, refusing to accept that he was no longer with them. It was as if time had stopped in that moment, the weight of loss settling over them like a suffocating blanket.

Ruby, who had been sitting in stunned silence, finally let out a choked sob. She turned away, burying her face in her hands, her body shaking with grief. Liam, still reeling from his own pain and the harrowing sight before him, tried to keep it together, but his composure crumbled. He reached out to Jake, gripping his arm as if seeking some kind of anchor in the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm them all.

"We did everything we could," Liam said, his voice strained and thick with emotion. "There was nothing more we could do..."

But the words felt hollow, offering no real comfort. The truth was stark and unforgiving-Ethan was dead, and they were stranded, their situation more dire than ever. The loss hung heavy in the air, an invisible presence that pressed down on them, making it hard to breathe, hard to think.

Jake looked at the fruits he had brought back, now seeming so insignificant. He had failed to find anything to save Ethan, and the guilt gnawed at him like a parasite. He had promised to protect them, to find a way out of this nightmare, but now they were one less, and the weight of that loss felt unbearable.

Olivia's sobs finally subsided into quiet, exhausted gasps, but she still didn't let go of Ethan. Her fingers were clenched around his lifeless hand, as if she could somehow hold onto him forever. Jake placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some semblance of comfort, but the gesture felt meaningless.

"We have to... we have to keep going," Jake said softly, his voice hoarse, though he wasn't sure if he was saying it for Olivia or to convince himself. "We can't stay here... we need to find shelter, and food... we have to survive." But in that moment, survival felt like a cruel joke, a distant concept that had lost its meaning. They were broken, and the island felt like a prison, trapping them in their grief and despair.

As the minutes ticked by, the reality of their loss sank deeper into their hearts, the darkness of the cave mirroring the darkness that had settled over their souls. The storm outside had passed, but inside, a new storm raged one of grief, guilt, and the terrifying uncertainty of what lay ahead.