While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 22: Collective Action

But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. As a guy, I had to protect these girls from any danger.

"Don't wander off and watch your step," I warned them as we stepped into the jungle. "There might be traps around. If you're unsure, just stick close to me."

I had this weird knack for spotting traps, even though they looked just like regular ground.

The girls followed me closely, carefully stepping on the damp soil. I kept my eyes peeled for traps and obstacles. We didn't say a word; the only sounds were the crunching of leaves and twigs underfoot.

We'd been washed ashore on this island, and our shoes were pretty much trashed. But no one wanted to ditch them, even though they were barely holding together.

We came up with a fix. Once they dried out, we tied them up with ropes or cloth strips so they wouldn't fall apart and hurt our feet.

We trekked through the forest for what felt like forever before we finally saw a clearing.

This clearing had to be the spot we were looking for. There was a big pile of ashes and some charred bones in the middle.

The bones were so burnt, you couldn't tell what they were, and everything else was just ashes.

But the burn site was super clean; the trees around it had been cut down, and even the roots were dug out.

All signs pointed to someone burning some remains here last night.

Whoever did it was really careful, making sure the fire didn't get out of control.

I stared at the pile of ashes, feeling conflicted. We didn't see the person or animal that had screamed last night. I couldn't tell if they were among the burned bodies.

Still, since we stumbled upon these remains, I felt like I should do something, no matter how small.

Just as I was about to check out the bones and ashes, someone grabbed my shoulder.

I jumped and instinctively raised my axe, but then I saw it was Assad.

"What are you..." I started to ask why he was here, but he quickly covered my mouth.

He frowned and made a shushing gesture.

The girls looked over, seeing me with my mouth covered, and didn't dare make a sound.

I nodded, and Assad let go of my mouth.

Looking over his shoulder, I saw a few people hiding in the bushes behind him.

"Don't get any closer!" His face was serious, with a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Why?" I couldn't understand his expression. They were just a pile of charred bodies—what was the big deal?

"I'm not talking about the bodies!" Assad looked like he'd seen a ghost. "I'm talking about the ones who burned the bodies!"

His terrified expression and the way he kept glancing around made me curious.

What could possibly scare him so much?

Knowing Assad, he was the kind of guy who could whip up a longbow and bone arrows right after getting stranded on a deserted island. He was pretty much a wilderness survival pro.

So, wild animals on this island shouldn't be a big deal for him.

Plus, with a crew of seven or eight people, there shouldn't be much that could threaten them.

Could it be those hairy creatures?

But those things didn't seem smart or quick... What could make Assad so scared?

"Who are the ones burning the bodies?" I asked as soon as he let go of my shoulder.

"They're not human at all!" Assad didn't say anything, but a young boy hiding in the bushes next to him blurted out, eyes wide with fear.

It seemed like whoever burned the bodies had really freaked him out.

"So, what's the deal with those people?" I asked.

From what I knew, only humans could do something like this. Collecting bones, separating them from the trees to prevent a fire, and knowing to place larger animals at the bottom for better burning showed some serious planning. I couldn't picture any non-human creatures doing that.

"Those creatures are definitely not human!" Assad agreed. "They're monsters that just look like humans."

This sounded crazy! But no one behind him disagreed.

"Well, I still need to check it out." Ignoring their objections, I stood up and walked toward the pile of bones. "If there really are monsters, let them come for me."

"Remember to cover me." Turning around, I pointed to the longbow in his hand.

It looked like he'd found more materials since we last met. The longbow was now wrapped with layers of animal hide for a better grip, and the bowstring looked new.

Most importantly, his makeshift quiver was full of arrows. I still remember the first time we met; he only had three bone arrows on him.

Ignoring their attempts to stop me, I walked toward the ashes. As I got closer, the stench hit me hard.

I poked at the pile of bones with my axe but found nothing useful.

There were no signs of anyone staying overnight.

They must have left after burning the bodies, leaving no trace.

But this also meant those creatures shouldn't be around now.

"Clear," I waved towards the bushes where they were hiding. Assad and the others slowly got up and came out.

We didn't leave right away because Assad wanted those burned bones. I knew what he was thinking; the bones were big, and if he could find some that were relatively intact, he could make more bone arrows.

On this island, where only the strong survive, having more weapons meant a better chance of staying alive.

We set up a campfire near the burn site, planning to spend the night there. Our camp was safe, and we had a dog that looked pretty intimidating, so we weren't in a hurry to leave.

Assad and his crew didn't seem to be in any rush to leave, so we all sat around the campfire, each of us showing signs of fatigue.

Assad, meanwhile, kept picking through the charred bones beside him.