Bring It On! - Chapter 56

Chapter 56.

Engaged in idle chatter as we walked, we fell silent the moment we reached the shelter. It was as if we had rehearsed it. Our thoughts froze at the devastating sight. Everything was broken, scattered, and overturned.

The shelter we had built together during our time stranded on this deserted island was completely dismantled, leaving nothing but the bare ground. Trying to hold back the force of a seaside typhoon with just a few logs had been arrogance from the start.

Inside me, the foundation I had been clinging to crumbled, just like the shelter. The will, the hope to somehow survive here, was all in ruins.

I clenched my empty hands as tightly as I could. A surge of wretched emotions rose from within, but no tears came. I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them and said,

“Let’s get out of here.”

I had made up my mind.

Jay looked back at me in surprise. I met his gaze steadily and went on without flinching.

“We don’t know when another typhoon like yesterday might hit. Even if we build a new shelter, it’ll end up the same. And when winter comes, that’ll really be the end. There’s no way we can survive with just a campfire. We can’t just leave Suho like this either.”

“……”

“We have to leave.”

The rescue signal from the three traitors was long gone. They had clearly abandoned us. That was exactly the kind of people they were. Instead of stretching our necks waiting in vain, it was better to set out into the endless sea and try to flag down a passing fishing boat. Once I decided, Jay nodded without objection.

“Yeah.”

“…If you don’t like it, you can say so.”

“Your opinion is my opinion. You don’t need to watch my mood.”

It could very well mean our deaths. On a small raft with no way to secure supplies, who knew how many more days of torment we’d have to endure. And the sea was no safer from typhoons. In fact, if the raft overturned, the one in greatest danger would be Jay, who couldn’t swim. 

This was, in every sense, our final voyage. And yet, Jay showed no trace of fear or unease. Just as he’d said, he would follow me without regret. His blind faith moved me deeply.

“Hey kiddo, you hang in there too, okay?”

“Mm.”

And just like that, Suho’s approval came as naturally as a flowing stream. In truth, it had been harder for me to bring it up to Suho than to Jay. But Jay had swept that worry aside as if it were nothing.

“To build a sturdy boat and stock up on food, we’ll have to hustle again. Honestly, it’s not so bad. Having a goal gives you energy.”

Jay spoke with a refreshed tone.

“Suho, you take a rest in the shade.”

“Okay.”

Jay and I combed through the wreckage, stuffing anything salvageable into our bags. Ropes, especially, were essential and had to be taken. Even the dented plastic bottles were collected. We would need them filled with drinking water when we set off.

“I think that’s about everything worth salvaging.”

Still, the resources were far too meager for an immediate departure. This area, where the shelter had been, had only limited supplies. So we decided to explore beyond the cave.

The deeper we went into the forest, the harder it became to hide our shock. Past surprise, laughter even bubbled out at the absurdity of it.

“We should’ve come this far in ages ago!”

I stopped in my tracks and slapped my forehead. High above, bananas hung in heavy clusters. There were so many that the ripened fruits had already burst from their skins and littered the ground below. 

And to think, we had been struggling, scraping coconuts for sustenance when such abundance was here all along. Jay plucked a bunch and handed me one.

I peeled it roughly and bit into it voraciously. A sweetness sharp enough to sting spread across my tongue. It was so delicious it almost brought me to tears. 

Before the shipwreck, I had never even liked bananas much. But right now, no food on earth seems so precious.

And it wasn’t just bananas. Birds and other animals abounded. Not ten minutes earlier, we had spotted a deer darting between the trees and had been struck speechless.

Caw, caw. Some unknown bird flitted overhead. Raindrops, not yet dried, dripped from the damp ground. Everywhere I turned, resources overflowed. The trees came in all sizes, their branches sturdy and plentiful.

To think such a rich place existed, and we had stubbornly stayed at our first settlement. It filled me with regret. True, there could have been dangerous beasts in the forest, and after discovering the pumpkin patch we had a steady enough food supply. 

Choosing safety, we hadn’t ventured deeper. Though I’d thought about exploring, I never acted. That negligence now felt bitter. As a result, we had missed all this abundance.

“What are you sulking over by yourself?”

“If we’d found this place sooner, we wouldn’t have had to get chased by bees or steal bird eggs.”

“Well, at least we’ve found it now. Should we bag some bananas?”

“…Yeah.”

“Hey, there are cherries here too. And what’s this, mulberries?”

While Jay carried the backpack and gathered various fruits, I kept scanning our surroundings. There were plenty of ripe, golden bananas, but shouldn’t we eat those quickly before they spoil? 

I tilted my head up toward the green, unripe bananas still hanging above. That’s when I felt it. An eerie, chilling gaze. Instinctively, I turned my head.

“……”

A squirrel darted through the grass. With so many wild animals around, I started sensing strange presences I hadn’t noticed before.

“Maybe we should hunt in advance too.”

Thinking that, I took another step. Thud. Something odd crunched under my sole. What is this? I stepped back and crouched down. Wet leaves covered something on the ground. Absentmindedly, I brushed them aside with my hand.

“……”

What was revealed beneath made me forget how to breathe. My hands trembled, and it felt as if my heart dropped to my toes.

“…No way.”

“Sun Woori, what is it?”

Jay, sensing something wrong, was already moving toward me. I turned to him, my face on the verge of tears.

“There’s a Bible.”

“……”

I finally managed to get the words out in a trembling voice. The Bible, long abandoned on the ground, was weathered by rain and morning dew, dirty and worn. 

But I recognized it instantly. I had seen this Bible too many times to mistake it.

“It’s Jaden’s. The one he always carried.”

That bastard Jaden, who betrayed me and Suho to board the lifeboat. His Bible was here, far away from the shelter. My mind went blank. 

How could this be? I had clearly seen him clutching it to the very end. Unless my memory was an illusion, Jaden’s Bible should either be on some distant shore, or sunk deep in the sea. Not here.

Just as confusion overwhelmed me….

“Sun Woori!”

Jay’s urgent cry came as he yanked me back. The next instant, a long spear whooshed past my side. My hair whipped in the air, sliced by the sharp tip.

Thwack.

The spear buried itself deep in the ground. I stared at it in shock.

There are people here. Close by. And they are hostile…!

The moment my mind grasped that conclusion, the blast of a horn echoed nearby. Shouts in an unknown tongue reverberated through the forest, and a cold dread swept over me.

“Can you run?” 

Jay asked. Terrified, I nodded. His sweat-damp hand seized mine, and we bolted.

Behind us, guttural voices, neither German nor French, burst out like signals relaying our location to their comrades. I glanced back toward the noise.

“…Shit!”

Natives!

Their faces were painted bright red with pigment. Around their waists hung skirts made of bones, whether animal or human, I couldn’t tell. They brandished spears and blades honed to savage sharpness, chasing us with ferocity.

“Jay, above us!”

From the towering treetops, something dropped down.

“Fuck!”

A native, moving like a monkey, leapt down to ambush us. Jay kicked him hard as he rolled forward, then tore through the thick brush, dragging me along as we fled.