Page 2 of Stranded

I enter my kitchen hut first, making sure that everything’s where it should be. It’s basically all homemade cooking and eating utensils, and some poorly constructed plates and bowls made from wood or hollowed out rocks. I open the basket, made from woven banana leaves, and see I still have a handful of bacon left. I call it bacon cause it comes from a pig, but it’s really more of a jerky, and since it comes from a wild boar, it’s not exactly the same thing.

I grab two pieces and immediately take a bite out of one. “Mmm, Mr. Piggy, you are delicious!” I hum in appreciation as I close the kitchen door and head to my main hut.

I push the wooden door open and step inside, closing it quickly behind me. Immediately, I let my shoulders drop in exhaustion.

Out there, in the jungle, I’m Zee, the forager, the hunter, the survivor. My dad used to call me that, Zee. Short for Xena the warrior princess. But inside here, in my own safe space, I’m just me, Darla. A twenty-eight year old woman who is slowly losing her mind.

I pull Steve out from my pouch and toss him on my bed, which is a pile of boar hides filled with leaves, then strip off my clothes. I found they lasted much longer if I didn’t sleep in them. And after getting used to it, I actually find I prefer it now, it gives my body a chance to breathe. Not that my clothing covered much.

The jungle is hot and humid, so I made myself something that’s a mix between a sports bra and a crop top. It’s all made out of boar hide. On the bottom, I wear a mini skirt. I tried making shorts, but I couldn’t get the inner seam right. I really wanted shorts. Thigh rub was a serious issue here in the beginning. But eventually, my skin seemed to grow accustomed to the constant rubbing just as I got used to the heat.

I lay them out over the back of my terribly made chair, grab McStabby and jump into bed. Laying back, I pick up Steve and study him.

“Did you have a good day today, Steve? What do you mean you just laid around all day? Am I the only one who cares about surviving out here? What? You’re tired? How can you be tired if you haven’t done anything?! Fine, fine, go to sleep.” I place him on the floor by my head and stare up at my roof.

It’s taken me years, but I finally have a roof that doesn’t leak, even if it was pouring out there, I’d be bone dry in here. Turning to my right, I stare at the wall and trace my fingers over the marks, one for every night I’ve been here. There were far more than I could count, over fivethousand if my math was correct… Which it might not be. It’s not like I had any form of education past age thirteen. One day dad said we had to go on a little trip. If either of us knew this is how it would end up, we would have never left the states.

I shiver as certain memories press in, the same way they do every night. The hut starts to get dark as the sun sets and I grab one of the hides and pull it over me. I don’t like being out in the jungle in the dark. There’s too much risk of injury as it was. And hurting myself is a serious fear I have. What if I injure myself so badly that I can’t move? Would I starve to death? Would Mo-Mo bring me food? Would I die from an infection?

“Hey, Steve?” When he doesn’t answer, cause, you know… he’s a rock, I continue.

“How many more marks do you think I have in me?” I ask as I use McStabby to start carving a new line.

“Ten? A thousand? What if I become an old lady here, and one day, I trip on you and break my hip? Who’s gonna help me up?” The good thing about talking to inanimate objects is that they can’t talk back. They can’t judge you or tell you that you’re a loser. But it also means they can’t comfort you or make you feel better.

I place my McStabby under my pillow made of more boar hide stuffed with leaves, and get comfortable on my side. I close my eyes and try to think of something, anything, to distract me from the nightmares that plague me every night. I blindly reach out and grab Steve, hugging him close to my chest. Even fifteen years later, the memory of those men and what they did still plague me every damn night.

“I wish Mo-Mo was here,” I whisper into the darkness, knowing that when I eventually do fall asleep, there will be nobody here to chase thenightmares away. And once again, for the five thousand and somethingth time, I will wake up alone, on this deserted island.

Chapter two

Darla

After doing my best to work my fingers through my super long, blonde hair, I braid it back so it’s out of my way. I make sure I have my waterskin and McStabby, then make my way to the kitchen hut to grab my spare pouch. When I see it, I throw it over my shoulder, shove Steve inside and head back out. This bag is a sling and perfect for when I need my balance to climb.

Bob’s home is located pretty high on a cliff, in a cave I scoped out years ago. I’ve climbed it hundreds of times since. Just because I’m afraid of getting hurt, doesn’t mean I take any less risks.

I’m not sure if Bob has a wife that lays eggs or if he is, in fact, a girl, but it's the only place I’ve been able to find eggs on the entire island. And when you’re as limited in choices as I am, you know that beggars can’t be choosers.

Instead of using the ladder to climb down, I grab a nearby vine and swing across the clearing, the bottom of my feet hitting the tree to stop me, then I grab another vine, and swing back the other way, finally ending on the ground. The ladder might technically be easier, but thevines were quicker… and more badass. Plus, now the ladder was still tied up safely.

Besides, with Mo-Mo watching, I need to keep up my street cred or he’ll think I’ve gone soft.

“Morning, buddy! You ready for our hike?” I yell in Mo-Mo’s direction, where he sits on a nearby branch. He trills at me, coming over to sit on my shoulder and give me a morning nuzzle. “Hey Mo-Mo, did you have a good sleep? Did your lady keep you up all night again?” He makes an indignant noise, turning his head away from me and crossing his cute little arms.

“Sorry! Didn’t realize it was a sensitive subject for you,” I tell him as I reach up and give his black and white striped tail a little stroke.

We take a detour through the mango grove for breakfast. As usual, Mo-Mo waits for me to break off pieces for him instead of getting his own. “Lazy lemur,” I grumble, grabbing a second mango before we head towards the cliffs. We walk along the edge of the beach for a short while before we have to detour through the jungle.

This part of the island is thick and it’s not as easy to see your surroundings. It’s one of the reasons we chose not to live in this area. Preferring to see any threats headed our way. The other reason we chose not to build here was because it’s home to a large family of wild boar. And me and Brutus have a long history. In the first five years I was here, it was easy to pick off the occasional small boar for food.

But when Brutus was born and started to grow into the alpha of his pack, he was not happy with letting me get away with that anymore. He seems more intelligent than any of the other boar, meaning I have to be extra careful when hunting these days. Since I had to be in close range to kill one, with only my six-inch blade to aid me, I could only take thechance when I got one of them alone, otherwise I’d be pig chow. Or would it be a boar-kabob? Either way, if Brutus caught me hunting and I was lucky enough to get away, I’d find him in my territory over the next week, looking to catch me off guard. That dude knows how to hold a grudge.

“Eep!” Mo-Mo exclaims, leaping from my shoulder to a nearby vine. Hearing the rustling of the underbrush, even over the sounds of the birds singing and crickets chirping, I quickly jump up to the closest branch. Grabbing it with both hands, I heave my legs up until I can wrap them around it, then pull myself on top of the branch. Glancing down, I’m just in time to see Brutus and two female boar come sniffing through the area.

If he smells me, he doesn’t react, he just walks straight through as I hold my breath. If he knew I was up here, I know he’d sit his fat ass at the base of this tree and try to wait me out. Of course, I could use the trees to get myself out of here without touching the ground, but it would use up a lot of energy, and I have a cliff to climb.

I wait a full minute after he’s gone from sight before jumping down, landing in a crouched position and surveying my surroundings.

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