ATTEMPT 1: FAILED
LUKE
Sweat dripped down my back as I gripped the base of the raft with Josh, muscles straining with each step. The damn thing was heavier than it looked, and Josh’s mood wasn’t helping.
Every other minute, he’d mutter some snippy comment, griping about the bamboo ties or the heat or Sarah’s plan. If I weren’t so focused on keeping my grip steady, I’d have told him to shut the hell up by now.
But one look at Sarah’s exhausted face–eyes half–lidded with dark circles–and I bit back my own irritation. As far as a female, trapped on an island with two assholes go- she really has been holding her own, and the only person here with mood swings was Josh.
We finally reached the water’s edge, and Josh dropped his end of the raft with a grunt. “You think this piece of crap is actually gonna get us anywhere?” he muttered, casting a doubtful look at the slapped–together frame.
I didn’t answer, just heaved the thing forward until the calm waves licked at the bamboo. “We’ll find out
won’t we?”
Sarah folded her arms, eyeing the raft as if sheer willpower could keep it from breaking apart. She sighed, rubbing her temples, but said nothing. She’d put everything into this idea- convinced that if we could just reach that island on the horizon, maybe, just maybe, we’d have a chance at getting rescued.
ATTEMPT FAILED
1288 Vouchers
I shoved the raft farther into the water and glanced over at Josh. “On three,” I said, catching his eye. He rolled his eyes but nodded.
“One…two….three.”
We waded into the water, dragging the raft until it floated on its own, bobbing lightly in the calm waves. By some miracle, it stayed together.
For now…
I looked back at Sarah, who watched with tense eyes, arms wrapped around herself. I gave her a thumbs–up. For a second, it almost felt like we’d done it, like we’d actually built something that might carry us off this damn place. So, we did what any sane person would do – we got on to see if it would float.
stepped onto the raft, feeling the bamboo creak beneath me. Shit.
Josh looked over at me and winked – “Titanic my ass.” Josh muttered, and I laughed, making me lose my balance.
I stepped onto the raft, feeling the bamboo creak beneath me as I steadied myself, glancing back to check if Josh was doing the same. He was, though not without a sarcastic smirk aimed
at me.
But a small wave rolled under us before I could even call out to Sarah. The raft shifted, a shiver running through the bamboo as the pressure snapped one of the ties loose. I felt it give beneath me, and then suddenly, everything was unraveling, pieces of bamboo pulling away like they couldn’t wait to bail out.
ATTEMPT 1 FAILED
“Shit!” I yelled, but it was too late. The raft split beneath us, sending us plunging straight into the water. I hit the cold ocean with a smack, swallowing seawater as I surfaced, sputtering, while Josh splashed next to me, swearing up a storm.
I barely had time to get my bearings before I noticed the pieces of bamboo drifting off, slowly but surely getting carried out to sea. Without thinking, I lunged for one of the larger pieces, fingers slipping against the wet wood. Josh grabbed another, glaring at me as if this disaster was somehow my fault. I scowled back, snatching another piece within reach before it could escape.
When we turned back toward the shore, Sarah stood there, hands on her head, looking more defeated than I’d ever seen. She looked from me to Josh and back again, her shoulders sagging.
Josh hauled himself out of the water first, dragging the bamboo pieces behind him. His shoulders were tense, and his face was twisted in irritation. The second his feet hit the sand, Sarah’s eyes went wide as she took in his leg. She stepped forward, concern flaring up on her tired face.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her tone sharper than usual, worry cutting through her exhaustion.
Josh looked at her, eyebrows furrowing. “Why?”
I climbed out behind him, already seeing what Sarah had noticed. “Man, your leg–it’s bleeding.”
He looked down, and his face drained of color as he took in the long, jagged scrape running down his calf, blood trickling out and mixing with the saltwater dripping from his skin. His lips
ATTEMPT 1: FAILED
288 Vouchers
parted, and I saw his hands shake just slightly before he looked up at me, his eyes unfocused and a shade lighter than they’d been a moment before.
“Josh-”
But before I could reach him, his eyes rolled back, and he dropped like a sack of potatoes, hitting the sand with a dull thud.
Sarah groaned, hands on her hips as she looked down at him, exasperation winning out over concern. “Great. Big macho man! Can take a knock to the head but passes out from a little blood.”
I stifled a laugh but knelt down anyway, turning his head to the side so that he wouldn’t inhale sand.
“Let’s get him patched up before he wakes up and tries to pretend this didn’t happen,” I said, grabbing one of the bamboo ⚫ pieces to use as leverage.
Sarah just nodded, her irritation fading as she crouched down to help, glancing at Josh’s pale face with a smirk. “Suddenly, it’s so peaceful out here… Now that Josh is unconscious.”
