While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 9: A New Plan

Just as my lips brushed against Ivy's again, a sudden scream from behind made me jump. I quickly let go of her and spun around to see Aimee, wide awake and glaring at me.

"What the hell are you doing?" Aimee rushed over, putting herself between me and Ivy. "You jerk! How could you kiss her when she's so vulnerable?"

"It's not what it looks like!" I tried to explain, but Aimee wasn't having it. She looked at me like I was some kind of predator.

"It's not his fault," Ivy said with a laugh, trying to calm Aimee down. She finally started to look at me with a bit less suspicion.

"Is that really true?" Aimee asked, still not fully convinced. Ivy just shrugged.

The three of us sat by the campfire, waiting for Margaret to wake up so we could figure out our next move.

We had enough supplies to get by in the cave for now, but if we were going to wait for a rescue team, we needed more. Margaret's injury was a big concern; we needed anti-inflammatory meds fast. Plus, our water supply wouldn't last more than a few days.

"We've got a lot to do," I told them. First up, we needed to find fresh water. The lush vegetation around us suggested there had to be a river or something nearby. So, I decided to go look for it.

I asked Aimee and Ivy to take turns gathering food and dry leaves while someone stayed with Margaret to keep an eye on her and the fire.

"If it's water you're after, I think I know where to look," Aimee said, standing up. "When I first got here, I wandered into the woods and saw a creek."

She wasn't entirely sure, tilting her head as she thought it over before nodding.

"And where exactly?" I asked, excited by the news. But Aimee just shook her head, unable to remember.

With no other choice, I decided Aimee would come with me to find the water, while Ivy stayed to care for Margaret.

Aimee and I left the cave and headed into the forest. We got lost a few times, but eventually, we made it to the other side.

No creek, though—just a small pond. Not ideal, but better than nothing.

"This water is gross!" Aimee dipped her finger in and quickly flicked it away.

I wasn't surprised. The pond was pretty nasty, with algae floating on top. Still, it was better than seawater.

I filled a canteen and marked the area for future reference.

Even though we didn't find a creek, at least we had some fresh water. We could let it settle and boil the clear part to make it drinkable.

I looked around, thinking there might be a creek nearby, but we didn't have time to keep searching.

Judging by the sun, it was almost noon. We headed back to the beach.

We had two reasons to go back. First, we needed to leave some distress signals. We'd been on this island for twenty-four hours, and if a rescue team was coming, they should be on their way. We needed to make sure they knew we were here.

"Even if we do that, what kind of mark can we leave that people will actually notice?" Aimee looked up at the clear sky and sighed, "Will anyone even see an SOS?"

"How will we know if we don't try?" We were on a tight schedule, so I didn't ask Aimee to help. I just had her wait while I jumped into the sea to gather some seaweed.

Back on the shore, I moved a bunch of stones and wrapped them with seaweed, arranging them in an 'SOS' shape on the ground. The stones were heavy, but it wasn't a big deal for me now.

Just one night had passed, and my strength seemed to have increased significantly. I was more muscular and could move large stones effortlessly. If I had this strength back then, I wouldn't have wasted that precious lighter!

After setting everything up, Aimee and I left. Whether waiting for rescue or for other survivors to find the signal, it would take time.

It was getting late, and Aimee and I had to hurry back to the camp. Before leaving, I collected some seawater to make natural salt.

Salt, as a basic seasoning, was indispensable in food. With salt, most foods could be made palatable.

As we walked back to the camp, we suddenly heard rustling behind us. Not knowing if we were being followed by people or animals, I didn't turn around but quickly moved to Aimee's side.

I always walked behind her, partly to protect her and partly to not miss any supplies she might overlook.

"Someone seems to be following us, don't turn around!" I walked up to her, quietly tugged her arm, and then immediately held her back.

As I expected, she almost turned around right away. If I had reacted a second slower, we would have alerted the follower.

"What should we do?" Aimee didn't turn around but quickly understood and stopped struggling. We kept walking until we reached the area where the bear had been.

After escaping from the bear-infested woods last time, I had been observing the surrounding terrain. With my increased strength, I was now at least 80% sure I could escape from the bear. But for others, the survival chances were much lower.

I slowed down near where the bear might appear, then suddenly turned around with a stick in hand. Two familiar figures quickly hid behind a tree.

It seemed to be Matt's subordinates. I recognized one of the figures.

"That looks like Landon White," Aimee squinted in the direction behind me. "He's with that jerk Matt!"

After saying this, Aimee looked like an angry cat, her hair almost standing on end. From her reaction, I knew Landon must have been one of the people who harassed her.

I quietly pulled her behind a nearby tree, waiting for the followers to reveal themselves. Sure enough, within a few minutes, the two who had been following us came out from behind the tree, spitting in frustration.

"I told you we lost them!" Their voices grew louder as they blamed each other.

Hiding behind the tree, Aimee and I listened to their argument and roughly understood why they were here.

Since Matt and we separated in the forest, he had been unwilling to let it go. He had his subordinates track me, planning to follow me to our camp and then raid it. He was probably not just after the supplies but also the women with me!

At least for now, it seemed that the only rule on this deserted island was survival of the fittest.

I sneaked up behind them and hit Landon hard with the stick. The other guy was startled and was about to shout. I immediately covered his mouth.

"Don't make a sound! If you do, I'll kill you!" I pressed the stick against his back. "Stop following us! Get lost!"

I didn't want a direct confrontation with them. Our camp wasn't well-established yet, and we didn't have clean water or food. Let alone development.

If Matt really brought his subordinates to our camp, it would be uncertain if we could hold out until the rescue team arrived.