Summer kills
Summer Kills 1.7

Ethan's scream pierced the eerie silence that had fallen over the island. The agony in his voice was raw, visceral, and it sent shivers down Jake and Liam's spines as they struggled to process what was happening. They turned toward the direction of the sound, their eyes wide with alarm, and saw Ethan near the wreckage, crumpled on the sand, clutching his foot.

"Ethan!" Liam shouted, his voice laced with panic as he scrambled back toward the water, the adrenaline coursing through his veins propelling him forward. Jake followed closely, their earlier exhaustion forgotten in the face of this new emergency.

Ethan's face was contorted in pain, his teeth clenched as he tried to hold back another scream. The moonlight, filtering through the storm clouds, revealed the gruesome scene: a jagged piece of the jet's machinery had torn through his foot, leaving a deep, gaping wound. Blood was pooling around him, staining the sand a dark, ominous red, and the salty water lapped at his injured foot, causing him to wince with each wave.

"Oh my God, Ethan!" Jake exclaimed as he reached his friend's side, his hands shaking as he surveyed the damage. The cut was deep, the torn flesh and muscle exposed, and the blood loss was alarming. It wasn't just a minor injury; this was something serious, something that could go from bad to worse very quickly.

Liam crouched beside Ethan, his mind racing. "We need to stop the bleeding," he said, his voice steadier than he felt. "Jake, help me find something to wrap his foot with anything!"

Jake snapped out of his shock and started searching frantically. They had nothing-no medical supplies, no clean cloths, nothing that could easily be used as a bandage. He looked around desperately, his heart pounding in his chest, before spotting a piece of fabric still attached to the wreckage, likely part of a seat cushion.

"This will have to do," Jake muttered to himself, ripping the fabric loose. He rushed back to Ethan, who was now pale, his breathing rapid and shallow. The sight of his foot, barely attached and bleeding profusely, was almost too much to bear. Liam carefully lifted Ethan's foot, trying not to cause more pain, while Jake wrapped the fabric tightly around the wound. Ethan groaned in agony, his entire body trembling with the effort of trying to stay conscious.

"Hang in there, man," Jake urged, his voice hoarse as he tied the makeshift bandage as tightly as he could, trying to stem the flow of blood. "We're going to get you through this."

Ethan's eyes fluttered open, glassy with pain, and he looked up at his friends with a mix of fear and disbelief. "It hurts... so bad," he gasped, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I know, I know," Liam said, his own heart breaking at the sight of Ethan in such agony. "We're going to find help, okay? We're not leaving you."

But as he said the words, the reality of their situation hit him like a punch to the gut. They were stranded on a deserted island, miles from any kind of civilization, with no idea where they were or how to get help. The storm had scattered them far from their original flight path, and they were utterly, terrifyingly alone.

As the minutes ticked by, the storm's remnants began to fade, leaving an eerie calm in its wake. But the calm did nothing to alleviate the growing sense of dread that had settled over them.

Jake and Liam exchanged a glance, both of them understanding without words the gravity of their situation. They had to keep Ethan alive, but they also had to come to terms with the fact that they were stranded, injured, and alone on an unknown island with no immediate way out.

Amidst the chaos, Jake's heart raced as he frantically searched for Ruby. The storm had left them disoriented, and in the midst of the unfolding horror, Ruby had vanished. His voice cracked as he called out her name, the desperation rising in his chest like a tide threatening to drown him.

"Ruby! Ruby, where are you?!" His shouts echoed against the jagged cliffs that bordered the beach, but there was no response. Panic clawed at his mind, the thought of losing another friend too unbearable to entertain.

He stumbled over debris, his vision blurred by the stinging saltwater and sweat. Each step felt heavier than the last, the weight of the night's events pressing down on him. The wreckage was scattered across the beach, pieces of the jet twisted and broken, a grim reminder of the nightmare they were trapped in.

Jake's heart skipped a beat as he spotted something in the distance-a glint of silver near the edge of the wreckage. He hurried closer, his breath catching in his throat when he realized what it was: the side of the jet, crumpled and torn. Beside it, half-hidden in the sand, was Ruby's shoe.

"Oh, God..." Jake whispered, fear constricting his throat. He followed the trail, his eyes scanning the ground until they fell upon a dark shape slumped against the remnants of the fuselage. There she was.

Ruby was lying on a sheet of twisted metal, her body limp and motionless. Her dark hair was matted with sand and rain, clinging to her pale face, and her arm hung lifelessly over the side. The sight of her like this made Jake's stomach churn with fear.

He rushed to her side, his hands trembling as he gently shook her. "Ruby! Ruby, wake up!" His voice was thick with emotion, panic clawing at him as he tried to rouse her. But she didn't move, her chest barely rising and falling with shallow breaths.

Jake's eyes darted around, his mind racing as he tried to think of what to do next. Then, something caught his attention-movement in the shadows nearby. He turned, and his blood ran cold.

There, lying in a pit just a few feet away, was the pilot. His body was twisted at an unnatural angle, blood pooling around his head. His eyes were open but vacant, staring blankly into the night sky. It was clear he hadn't survived the crash. And there, right beside him, was Ruby.

She was slumped against the pit's edge, her body half-submerged in the mud and debris. She must have fallen when the plane hit the ground, thrown from her seat in the chaos. Jake's heart sank as he realized she must have fainted from the shock or injury.

"Ruby, please..." Jake's voice cracked as he crawled toward her, his hands shaking as he reached out to check her pulse. Relief washed over him when he felt the faint, steady beat beneath his fingers. She was alive, but barely conscious. He gently lifted her out of the pit, cradling her in his arms as he struggled to get her away from the grisly scene. The weight of the night's horrors threatened to crush him, but he couldn't afford to lose it now. Not when Ruby was still breathing, still holding on.

"Hang in there, Ruby," he whispered, his voice trembling as he carried her back toward the others. The storm had left them battered and broken, and the island felt more like a graveyard than a place of refuge.

But as he trudged through the sand, Ethan's cries of pain still ringing in his ears, Jake knew that they couldn't give up. Not yet. They had to find a way to survive to get off this cursed island and make it back to the world they had left behind. But as he looked down at Ruby's pale face, the enormity of the task ahead loomed large, like a dark shadow over the fragile hope he clung to.

Ruby lay unconscious on the sand, her face pale and streaked with dirt, her body motionless except for the faint rise and fall of her chest. The once vibrant, lively woman was now a lifeless figure against the dark, storm-battered beach, the severity of their situation sinking in with every passing second.

Olivia, still sitting near the pit, was paralyzed by shock and terror. Her wide eyes were fixed on Maddie's lifeless body, unable to process the reality of what had just happened. She had been right there, just a few feet away, but her body had refused to move, frozen in a moment of unimaginable fear. The guilt was like a heavy stone in her chest, crushing her spirit as she stared at the friend she couldn't save.

Ethan's screams of pain echoed across the beach, his voice hoarse and raw. He clutched his bleeding foot, the jagged piece of machinery that had cut him still protruding from his flesh. Blood mixed with the wet sand around him, forming a dark pool that contrasted starkly with the pale foam of the crashing waves. His face was contorted in agony, tears streaming down his cheeks as he tried to comprehend the nightmare they were living.

Jake, who had just managed to drag Ruby out of harm's way, was a sight of devastation himself. His face was smeared with blood, both his and that of others, making it difficult to distinguish between his wounds and the marks left by the impact. His hands trembled as he wiped his face, trying to clear his vision, but the blood kept smearing, a stark reminder of the violence they had just endured. His mind raced, filled with the overwhelming urge to protect the remaining members of their shattered group, but the situation felt increasingly hopeless.

Liam, usually the strong, silent one, was in tears, his emotions finally breaking through the tough exterior. He sat on the beach, holding his shoulder, which was throbbing with pain from the impact of the crash. His eyes were red and swollen, his tears mingling with the rain that still fell in sheets around them. He looked out at the dark, endless sea, the enormity of their predicament sinking in as he clutched his shoulder tighter, trying to hold himself together in the midst of the chaos.