Island: Unknown
By Andrew Pelletier

Disclaimer: The contents of this novel, book, or short story are purely fictional. This book or story is not intended to represent any actual person(s), business(es), corporation(s), or ancient tribe(s). Any similarity(ies) between this short story and any actual person(s), business(es), corporation(s), ancient tribe(s), dialogue(s), event(s), or plot(s) is purely coincidental. The author can deny acknowledgement of any of the character(s). These characters' names have been chosen by random.

Chapter 1
Day 1
11:45

Jonas walks out of his Cadillac Escalade, and opens up the trunk. He then drops his two luggage bags on the ground, closes the trunk, and walks toward the marina. The rising sun makes his glasses glare while he squints his eyes. He walks in the marina, and looks around the room looking for a seat, and finds comfortable sofa. Taking his seat, he takes out a gaming magazine to kill time. A few minutes later, he sees a car go around the corner, and he goes towards the door, leaving his magazine on the armrest. As the car gets closer, he realizes that it is Meghan in her Jeep Wrangler. She pulls up, and he looks at the car as Meghan gets out, and notices mud along her side panels and doors. 
Jonas then looks at Meghan, and says slyly, "Why didn't you invite me, I would've had some fun." He then puts his palm on the hood of his car, and smiles at her.
She then replies, "I never knew pulling yourself out of the mud was ever counting as fun?" Jonas then laughs sarcastically at her, but then suddenly turns to a poker face as he grabs the luggage. They then walk side by side to the marina and sit down across from each other, and start to converse. The next person that arrives is someone that only Aaron had met, and only from moths of planning over the phone. The car finally comes into full view, and the man jumps out of his car, a sunshine yellow Volkswagen Beetle. He walks in the marina carrying two large luggage bags, and is wearing a pink shirt and shorts that barely cover his legs. 
The man walks to Jonas and Meghan, and shakes Jonas's hand as he says, "Hi, I'm Javier. Is this what I get from three months of planning, a honeymoon?"
Jonas then looks at Meghan confused, and then looks at Javier, still confused. He then gets serious as he answers, "No, there are five more people arriving." 
"Do you want to take your stuff to the ship?" Javier asks Jonas as he looks out at the docks. Jonas nods, and Javier motions for them to follow. Jonas and Meghan grab their bags, and Jonas quickly grabs a bag carrier, as Meghan walks out and holds the door for him. They are then at the docks, and as Jonas passes the fifty-foot high yachts, he stares avidly at them.  And as each ship passes, Jonas begins to wonder more about where their ship is. Out of the corner of Meghan's eye, she sees this one ship that looks worthless, and begins to say that it looks like shit, but then sees Javier walking towards it. Javier steps onto this rusted ship, and was conveniently named, "The Rusty Pleasure."
Jonas looks at the ship, and says, "Aaron's gonna be pissed when he finds out he paid $16,000 for this shitbox." He then walks away from the ship, and gets his cell phone. He then calls up Aaron. Aaron answers the phone, and asks what's up. Jonas replies, "Hey, you gotta hurry up and see this boat." He then ends the line. He then goes to Meghan and asks her to watch the stuff, and he walks back to the marina.
Elijah is next to arrive in her Buick Regal, driving carefully past the cliffs, and pulling up next to Meghan's Jeep. She carries her one luggage bag into the marina, but finds no one in the marina, so she goes to the docks, looking for someone to show up. She finds Jonas walking towards her, and he looks at her as he approaches her, and motions for her to go back into the marina, and they walk back in front of the marina.
The marina then gets louder, and Jonas immediately knows where it's coming from, cars. Aaron and Zakiya were coming, and coming in fast. Aaron gold 1989 Nissan 300ZX was first out of the hairpin, but Zakiya's 2006 Acura RSX Type-S was coming fast on the Nissan. Jonas could hear the turbo coming on in Aaron's car, but the turbo in Zakiya's RSX Type-S was first to kick in. Aaron and Zakiya both push on the gas as both of them reach the straight-away, and Zakiya tries to pull beside Aaron, but he blocks her way. Zakiya pushes harder, making her front bumper hit his Rear bumper, and she finally pulls up beside Aaron as he goes to the side. But it is too late, as both of them pull on the hand brake and gear down to first.
Aaron jumps out of his car after he turns the car off, and as Zakiya walks out of her car, he says, "I just beat you so badly." 
Tabitha then comes out of Aaron's car, and says, "Ryan, love thy neighbor."
Zakiya turns to him and answers back, "No you didn’t, it was a tie." Aaron puts his index finger over his mouth, and makes a "shhh" noise. Zakiya grabs her bags, shakes her head, turns to the marina, and walks to Jonas.
  Aaron walks to Jonas after grabbing the bags and asks "What happened?"
Jonas quickly replies, "Follow me." Jonas then turns into the marina, leading Elijah, Tabitha, Aaron and Zakiya to the docks, and as Aaron sees Megan being led to a rusted ship, he faced toward Jonas. Jonas looks at Aaron, and asks him, "How much did you pay for this trip?"
Aaron faces back at the ship, and says, "Way, way too much for that shit." He then gets closer to the ship, Javier walks up to Aaron and extends his hand. Aaron looks at his hand, then the ship, then Javier's hand again. He then says, "If you were my customer, I would shake your hand. But being your customer, I get to decide if you earned the handshake. You haven't earned that. I paid 24 grand on this piece of shit? You have got to be kidding me. I could buy four of these pieces of shit. I want my fucking money back."
Javier looks at Aaron as he vents his anger, and after being finished, Javier plainly says, "Well Mr. Aaron, after reading your contract it clearly says that I can choose whether or not you get a refund. And since you have shown me disrespect in such a manner, I have chosen to refuse you of your refund. So, you can either go home, and waste 24 grand, which I would use to buy a new boat, while you still get no trip; or, you can get on the ship, enjoy yourself for a week, and go back home to your family."
Aaron looks at his friends, and yells out for Megan to join them. She leaves the boat, and meets Aaron. He then looks at them, and asks, "Do you want to go home, or do you want to spend a week in this shitbox and fish? What is it going to be?"
"I wanna fish," says Jonas.
"Me too," agrees Elijah.
"I wanna see the sea," replies Megan.
"I wanna catch more fish than you," answers Zakiya.
All of a sudden, Lucas runs up the dock with two luggage bags in his hands. He suddenly yells out, "Wait up." He continues running up the dock until he meets up with the group. "Hi, Tabitha,” he says as he catches his breath, and she returns the greeting with a wave of her hand. "So, what's going on?"
"Well, we're deliberating whether or not to go on the piece of shit ship over there," Aaron replies.
"Well if it were me, I would've researched him. But saying is how you always half-ass it, I get shit," Lucas replies.
"You think I didn't do my research? I talked on the phone for two and a half months with him, I checked with the Better Business Bureau, I even visited Javier, and he brought the ship that he bought," Aaron replies to Lucas. He then turns to Javier, and suddenly says, "By the way, what the fuck happened to the ship that you showed me? Did it just disappear?"
Javier looks at Aaron as he leans on his ship, and replies, "I was low on my rent, and no one wanted this boat, so I had to sell the good one." Aaron shakes his head, and turns to Tabitha. 
"Do you wanna go Tabitha?" He asks her.
"Of course, darling," she answers enthusiastically.
"Well rice boy, are you coming?" Aaron asks Lucas. 
"What is that supposed to mean?" Lucas replies.
"You have a 2000 Honda Civic with a rear spoiler, an air dam, and rims that cost 3 grand? Come on, you can not have more than 2 grand into the engine, and you go to my races; thinking that you're all that, and that you can take me. I put in so much into my car, I have turbo, intake, exhaust, ECU, custom suspension, and nitrous. If you think you can beat me, then prove it," Aaron says, turning angrier after every word he says, and Lucas becoming equally angered by his words.
Javier gets between them, and splits them up. He then turns to Aaron and tells him the boat is leaving in 5 minutes. Aaron takes his bags, and starts putting them on the boat. Zakiya and then Jonas follow, Elijah and Tabitha looking on until the boat is less cluttered. After the four get on the ship, they both get onto the ship. Zakiya looks at the dock and sees Lucas standing in the middle of the docks, and shoulders Aaron on the arm. Aaron climbs on the captain's control room, and looks at Lucas. He then yells out to Lucas, "Hey, are you gonna stand there with your foot up your ass, go home, or are you gonna join us?" He then asks Javier, "Do you have any lawn chairs that I can put up here, I like it here."
Javier looks at Aaron, and says, "If you can support it, I'll supply it." 
Aaron jumps back down, goes into his bag, and grabs some nuts and bolts, and then a cordless drill. He then looks at the group, and says, smirking, "Always be prepared for anything." Javier goes down in the utility room, and grabs a couple of lawn chairs and gives them both to Aaron. Aaron puts them on the control room roof, climbs up, and moves them around so they can fit. He reaches into his pocket, fumbling around. He then goes and asks someone for a marker, and Tabitha hands him an eye liner pen. He then installs the chairs, and sits in the fist, then the second seat, and gives them a thumb up.
Jonas looks at the dock, which he doesn't see Lucas, so he looks for him.  Lucas drops his luggage on the ship, and climbs on the ship. Javier looks at Lucas, and says to Zakiya, "Is this it for people?"
Zakiya looks at Javier and says that they're all set, so Javier walks in the control room, and starts up the ship. The ship then pulls away from the dock, and the group goes and puts their luggage in their rooms. Jonas walks down, and after finding that all the rooms were taken, he looks for Aaron. He finds Aaron in one of the upper rooms, and asks him if he could room with him. Aaron nods, and gives Jonas a thumb up. Megan was another person who needed a room, and finds Zakiya's acceptance to be her room mate. Elijah and Tabitha room together, and put their bags beside their bed and go back up on deck.


Chapter 2
Day 2
08:42

Zakiya wakes up after the sunlight reaches her window, and stretches as she wakes up. Megan also wakes up, and they say good morning to each other. The two grab their toothbrushes, and walk to the bathroom, and begin brushing their teeth. Zakiya finishes, and goes up deck, only to find Aaron on the chair that he set up. She greets him with a good morning, and Aaron turns to her and returns the greeting. Megan then goes on dock, and is surprised to see Aaron in the chair. Aaron then turns to Zakiya and Megan, and says, "I made coffee if you want some. Join me, it's awesome up here. 
Zakiya climbs up to the roof, and sits beside Aaron. He hands her the cup of coffee, which she sips and says, "Coffee, does the nerves good." She then looks at him, and he returns the look with seriousness to it, and they suddenly start laughing. Aaron then stops laughing, sighs, and looks back at the sea. 
Aaron looks at the sea, and confesses to Zakiya, "The best thing about the sea is its mysteriousness. I live a very stressful life, which you probably know, with the business, the paperwork, and the legalities of racing. But when I go on a beach, or on a boat, nothing matters anymore. I could be going bankrupt; I could lose my company, my home, or my cars. But here, I wouldn't care, because of this right here. What's around me, this vast openness of the sea, of complete nothingness."
Jonas was next to wake up, and he looks at Zakiya and Aaron converse. He then holds up a cup, and heads downstairs. Tabitha wakes up, and so does Elijah. They both go on deck and Aaron and then Zakiya greet them both. Jonas walks back up, holding the cup, this time with coffee. He then comes back up on deck, this time with coffee in the cup, and he takes a sip as he looks out at the ocean. Javier then gets out of his cabin, and looks at the three of them. Aaron looks back at him, and asks him, "Hey, do you have eggs in here? They weren't with the coffee."
Javier looks back at him, and replies, "yeah, follow me." Javier then leads Aaron into the den, and opens up the refrigerator, and opens up a compartment on the bottom, and gives him an egg. He then looks up at Aaron, and asks if he needs anything else. Aaron then mentions that he also needed a large bowl, a pan, and a spatula. Javier gets them, and puts them all on the counter. Aaron then looks at Javier, and says thank you, and then asks if Javier could ask if the gang wanted eggs, and how many. Javier then leaves, and Aaron starts cracking and mixing nine eggs, and Javier comes back in the room, and Javier says, "Tabitha and Elijah want one egg, Zakiya and Jonas wants two eggs, Lucas also wants two eggs, and I want one egg. So, nine eggs, and then how many you want."
Aaron turns and smirks at Javier, and says, "So nine eggs it is."
"Why nine, are you not hungry?" Javier asks him.
"No, I'm hungry, someone just won't get breakfast."
"Oh, you're so bad," replies Javier.
"Don't say that," Aaron answers back swiftly, and quickly replies, "You’re even lucky I'm in the same room with you without freakin' out."
"Oh, you're homophobic?" Javier asks
"No, John Doe is... holy shit, yes I am fucking homophobic."
"Well sorry," Javier comments sarcastically. Zakiya walks in the cabin, and finds Aaron and Javier in the room, and she joins them. 
Aaron waves to Zakiya, and quickly says, "I'm breaking ground here, I haven't beaten the shit outta him."
Zakiya looks at him, and shakes her head. She then asks him, "How's it going?"
Aaron stirs the eggs, and replies, "Good, I'm cooking the nine eggs, and everything’s good." As the eggs finally get ready, he puts them on six separate plates, and asks Zakiya and Javier to get them for breakfast, and Jonas, Elijah, Tabitha, take a seat at the table with Zakiya, Aaron and Javier. 
A couple minutes later, Lucas comes in the cabin, and finds them all eating eggs, and quickly asks, "Where's my food?"
"Oh, I must have counted wrong," Aaron replies looking up at Lucas. He then looks back down at his plate, and continues eating, and adds more salt. Lucas turns and leaves the cabin, and Aaron looks up and begins to laugh. Javier looks at Aaron, and shakes his head.
Jonas looks at Javier, and then across the table to Aaron, and asks him, "What's so funny?"
Aaron stops laughing and says to Jonas, "I knew I needed two more eggs, I just didn't want to take more out." Jonas then looks at Aaron, and laughs aloud
Tabitha looks up at Aaron, and says forwardly, "That wasn't very nice."

Chapter 3
Day 4
21:38
Javier runs out of his wheelhouse, and shouts out to the group, "A storm is heading in our direction; we need to put our life jackets on." Everyone then runs in the cabin, and grab a life jacket. Tabitha then runs downstairs to tell Elijah the news, after remembering that she went downstairs to relax. She runs into the room, and finds Elijah reading a book on the bed.
Elijah looks at Tabitha and asks her, "Why are you-" when Tabitha yells out,” Quick, get your life jacket on." Elijah suddenly runs up into the cabin, and looks for the life jackets, but can't find her lifejacket, but only Lucas', and quickly goes back out to find the group all on deck.
She then looks at Tabitha, attempting to overcome the merciless moaning of the winds, and yells out, "There's no life jacket for me."
Tabitha shouts in reply, "Then I shall hold you." Elijah runs over to Tabitha, but as she does so, a wave washes onboard, and sweeps Elijah off the ship. Tabitha instinctively reaches for her, and Javier grabs a life ring. "Quickly, find her, Elijah can't die," Tabitha shouts out to the group, who is already on the side, keeping their eyes out for Elijah.
Jonas quickly sees a wave approaching out the corner of his eye, and warns the group. They brace for it, and it hits them with such force, that burns their exposed arms. Aaron looks at Javier, and shakes his head in anger.
As the storm settles down, Aaron confronts Javier, with the others slowly giving up hope, and they begin to mourn. Aaron looks at him, and begins by asking, "Did you notify the coast guard?"
"No, for some reason, I have no signal, and I am also out of reach of the coast guard,” Javier quickly replies. Aaron looks down slowly, and shakes his head again. He then puts a hand on his head, and walks out of the cabin. 


Chapter 4
Day 5
16:00
Lucas goes in the engine room, and finds Javier in there, checking the engine. "What's up?" He asks the captain.
Javier looks up, and makes a deep sigh. He then replies, "The engine doesn't work. I can't get it going, and I don't know what's wrong with it. Does anyone know about engines here?"
Lucas looks at the engine, and answers back, "I don't know much, but Aaron might know something." He then goes up on deck, and finds Aaron hanging over the deck. Lucas then goes to Aaron, and asks slyly, "Are you puking?"
Aaron then turns to him, and replies," No, I'm just thinking. One of my friend's is dead and nothing works on this shitbox. I checked the GPS, and it doesn't work. And neither was the other electrical, I wasn't even getting a reading on the voltmeter or the ammeter. So I thought it was the panel, but everything was fine."
Lucas turns to him, and remarks, "Well, I know what the problem is, it's the engine. I just don't know how to fix it."
Aaron goes down to the engine room, followed by Lucas, and find Javier in the engine room. Aaron goes to the engine, and after looking at the nameplate, and turns to the two, and says, "I don't work on diesel engines; I don't know how they work, or how they're fixed. I'm purely a gas engine guy, and am now learning about hydrogen, but nothing about diesel."
Javier and Lucas look at each other, and look back at Aaron, who is just then leaving. Aaron goes back on deck, and gathers the group around him. He then says, "I have some bad news. The engine is down, and we have no communication. We are at the mercy of the seas, but hopefully we will all be fine, and will land somewhere safe. So, we need to keep all the preserveable food, and throw out all the meats. Let's hope to god that we and Elijah end up safe in the end."

Chapter 5
Day 7
12:07
Aaron goes on deck, and hands a bottle of water to everyone. Tabitha then sees a mass of land on the right side of the ship, and immediately jumps in the air, in joyous excitement. She then points to the area, and Javier jumps into the wheelhouse, and jerks the wheel to the right. But as the ship shifts its weight, Tabitha, unexpecting for the ship to lean over, losing her footing, and falls over the rail, hitting it with her upper hind legs. Aaron instinctively grabs the life ring behind him, and throws it in the water. After she resurfaces, she grabs the life ring. He then pulls her back onboard.
After two hours of slowly approaching the island, they come within swimming distance. Javier then gives Aaron and Jonas two lines of rope, which he tied to the ship. He then says to them, "Swim ashore, and pull the ship in."
Aaron looks at Javier confused, and replies, "That is the most retarded fucking thing I have ever heard." He then looks back ashore, and adds, "but I am not staying on this shithole anymore." He then takes off his shirt, and jumps in the water. Jonas then follows him into the water, and Aaron looks back at the ship. "Can I have my knife please? It's in my black bag." Javier goes into the cabin, and after a few minutes, comes back up on deck, handing him his knife, attached to a necklace. They turn to the shore, and start swimming to shore. After reaching the shore, Aaron and Jonas start attempting to pull the ship ashore, with their biceps bulging out. Jonas goes and pulls the rope to a tree and using all of his muscles start pulling in the line. Aaron does the same, and they pull the ship in. After a 45 minute battle with the tide, they finally beach the ship, and tie the ropes to nearby trees. Javier jumps off the ship, followed by Lucas, then Zakiya. Tabitha limps to the front of the boat, and Aaron tells her not to exert herself.
Tabitha replies to him with, "neither should you."
"Nonsense, I'm fine." Aaron goes to the ship, and helps her off the ship.
"This is your entire fault this happened. It's your entire fault Elijah died.... and it's your entire fault that we're stuck on this fucking island," Lucas yells provokingly to Aaron, pointing his finger at him, until his finger pokes him on the chest. 
Aaron looks at Lucas enraged, and replies, "I wasn't the one that was wearing Elijah's life jacket. 
You took her life jacket, found that you fucked up, and cowered, running off like you always do. So, you are the only one at fault for Elijah's death. And with the trip being fucked up, I never see you planning any trips for the group. So it's really your fault for me trying something new."
Lucas becomes irritable as Aaron says his response, and immediately punches him in the face. Aaron's head jerks back, and he instantly punches back. Lucas begins to fall back to the ground and  Aaron then punches again in the other cheek, catching the jaw as he falls. When Lucas falls to the ground, Aaron follows him, and finds one more punch to him before Jonas and Javier pull him off of Lucas, while Tabitha and Zakiya look in awe. Aaron pushes off of them, and walks away from Lucas, whose face is now bloodied and bruised, and Lucas unresponsive. Tabitha looks around, and says, "I think we should split up. Aaron and Jonas won't start any fights, so they could go together, and I could join with the other girls. Therefore, Lucas and Javier will group together. "
Aaron looks at the group, and replies sincerely replies, "I think it should be rearranged. I know you have some wounds from the fall, and I'm the only one certified to carry someone without further damage. And since we don't know what kind of predators or people are here, the women need to be, mind my opinion, protected, so Jonas could go with Zakiya and Megan. And Lucas will stick with Javier." He then looks at Tabitha, and asks her, "You ready to go?"
Tabitha looks at Aaron after turning from Lucas and answers, "Only if Lucas is looked after."
"Jonas, can you make sure Lucas wakes up, I'm gonna leave... I think I'm gonna go straight forward from the ship." Aaron checks his watch, and notices that it's 2:00 PM.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure he's okay," Jonas replies.
Aaron looks back at Tabitha, and asks her if that's fine.
"That's fine," Tabitha answers.
"Can you walk alright?"
"Let's see. Can you help me up?"
"Yeah, sure," Aaron says, and walks over to her. He goes behind her, putting her arm around his neck, and he puts his hand on the sides. He then picks her up slowly, and she gets on her feet.  "Can you walk now?" he asks her curiously. He puts his hands under her shoulders for some support, and she walks.
"This is fine."
"Okay, some more weight," he says, and not lifting her as much, she walks, and cringes in minor pain. "Can you support 30 more pounds?" He asks her.
"I don't think so."
"Okay, where does it hurt?"
"In my leg." Aaron then picks her up carefully in his arms, and asks her if it hurts. She then answers by reassuring him that it was fine. He then begins hiking into the trees.

Chapter 6
Day 7
16:18
Jonas sits off the side of the ship while Javier and Zakiya sit near Lucas. He finally comes back, and he sits, checking his nose. After seeing dried blood on his fingers, he says, "For a lefty, he sure has a hell of a right hook." After looking around, he then adds, "Where did that dickhead go?"
Jonas jumps off the side of the ship, and walks to Lucas. He then throws him up, and holding his shirt, saying, "Don't you ever blame someone for your own fuck ups. You had Elijah's life jacket, you went on this trip, so don’t take the half-ass way out." Jonas then throws Lucas back on the ground.
"But where did he go?"
"He went to the right side of the ship."
Lucas then struts his way in the direction that Jonas said, and is followed by Javier. 
Zakiya then says, "Since Aaron went straight, and Lucas went to the right, I think we should go left." Jonas and Megan nod in agreement, and they all walk along the white sands of the beach.

Chapter 7
Day 7
18:34
"How long have we been walking?" Megan asks.
"Probably a little over three hours,” Jonas replies. Jonas looks around, and on his right, he sees a beautiful woman, dressed in tropical clothing, walking from the forest.
"Hey you," he suddenly screams out to her. Startled, she turns him with a look of curiosity. She then motions for him to come closer, and he walks to her, followed by Zakiya and then by Megan. She grips her spear at Megan, then Zakiya, then back at Megan. They put their hands up in the air.
"Who are you?" she then asks.
"You speak English? How?" Jonas asks inquisitively. The woman nods. "Well then, I'm Jonas, and these are my friends Zakiya and Megan."
"Excuse my actions; I thought you were part of the Shiroun tribe. Our two tribes have been in conflict for many moons, and their tribe has also caused the death of my parents. I'm Audrey, from the Shuniye Tribe."
"Nice bod... I mean name. Name, nice name." Jonas says, and slightly blushes. Zakiya turns to Megan, and begins to laugh.
"Let me bring you to my tribe. We have food, water, and we have celebrations for new comers."
"Sure, let's go," Megan answers to Jonas.
"Sweet, that's off the heasy," Zakiya shouts in excitement. Audrey then starts walking, with Jonas, Zakiya, and then Megan following her.

Chapter 8
Day 7
18:34
After hiking for four hours, Aaron and Tabitha become exceedingly hungry. Aaron looks down at Tabitha, and asks her, "Are you hungry too?"
"Yes, I am."
"Okay, I'm gonna have to find a rabbit, and get some food."
Aaron then takes out his knife, and begins to carve some nearby branches. Tabitha asks him if he needs help with anything, but he shakes his head, and replies that he has only one knife. He continues carving branches to a point, and hands Tabitha some of the carved spears.
"What are these for?" Tabitha asks Aaron.
"I don't know what kind of animals are here, so if any attack, you can at least fight back." Aaron then walks away, leaving Tabitha to fend for herself. She looks at him as he leaves for his hunt.
After a couple minutes, Aaron looks around a tree, and says comically, "Is it duck season, or rabbit season? It’s rabbit season, I hope." He then takes out his knife, but as soon as it is at his side, he is hit in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.

Chapter 9
Day 7
22:51
Lucas and Javier reach the end of the forest, when he sees something he had quite not imagined. Short grass, blowing in the wind, and deer roaming around. What he did not see, was Aaron or Tabitha. He goes on his knees, putting his hands in the air, and after a moment, he smashes his hands in the ground. Jonas had lied to him; his supposed friend had lied, and he felt betrayed. He then turns to Javier, who was walking around.
"Why didn't you tell me Jonas was lying," Lucas yells at Javier.
Javier looks at Lucas, and starts walking towards him. He then says, "You do not always see what's in front of you."
"What do you mean?" Lucas asks.
"I mean that you can act like a blonde, you can sometimes not see the obvious."
"Huh?"
"To be the most specific as can be, it seems that the group isn't quite the fondest of you. And by the way, do you have anyone special in your life?"
"No, I say that I have a girlfriend, but we broke up a long time ago."

Chapter 10
Day 7
23:00
Audrey begins the ceremony by lighting three torches in a row, followed by the entrance of Jonas, Zakiya, and then Megan. As the ceremony goes fourth, it is observed by the Shuniye tribe. Audrey then leads the group into a large mud-brick building.
"I must leave you for now. My grandfather wishes to speak to you," Audrey then says, and pulls the door. 
Jonas, Megan, and Zakiya walk into the room, and meet a gray-bearded man, sitting on a wicker chair. After seeing the group, the man stands up with open arms. He then calls out, "Hello, and welcome to my tribe. Please, make yourself at home."
"Hi, I have a question. Why do we need a ceremony?" Megan asks. 
"Our tribe has a temple, in which have prophecies. And on this moon, the prophecies told of great changes with the arrival of three young warriors. I feel it will be the will of the gods that we need to overcome the Shiroun tribe," the bearded leader replies.
"Can have your name?" Jonas asks.
"My name is Raizuka. I am the fourth generation of the Raiz, the young prince who defeated the Shiroun tribe who then occupied our beach."
"And your granddaughter is she the princess?" Jonas asks intrigued.
"Yes, Miss Audrey is the young princess of the tribe; her parents were assassinated in a late night raid. She was lucky that those ravaging fools didn't know who she was, for it would be the end of our tribe," King Raizuka replies. He then adds, "Did you meet her?"
"Yes I did meet her," Jonas answers.
"And what do you think of her?" The king asks.
"She's awesome. She's beautiful, has a good personality, and she's just plain out awesome,” Jonas says in enthusiasm.
"Do you want her as your mate?" King Raizuka asks with a sense of gratefulness.
"If things continue as smoothly and have such a great relationship, then yes."
"Okay then," Raizuka says, and calls out for his granddaughter, who immediately runs in. "I'm going to ask you some important questions, and you need to be the most truthful as can be. Do you understand?"
"Of course, what does it concern?" Audrey replies.
"Do you like this man?" the king asks.
"Jonas, of course."
"Do you feel you will fall in love with him?"
"In time, I will."
"What do you like about him?"
"He makes me laugh. He's down to earth, and I find him attractive." She then walks down to him and says, "I'd love to continue our relationship with you."
"Let's eat, and enjoy this festive occasion," the king shouts out cheerfully. Four beautiful then come into the room carrying a giant plate with a large pig, mangos, oranges, and wine.

Chapter 11
Day 8
07:52
Aaron wakes up the next morning with a throbbing pain in his head. He then tries to get up, but he can't regain his clear head. So, he lies back down to regain himself until he gets re-adjusted, and looks down. He realizes that he is tied to a wooden support pillar for a portable tent. He tries to pull on the pillar, but quickly realizes that the building could collapse without the support. So he then begins to yell for someone to help. Four soldiers then enter the room, armed with spears.
"What is your name, and where are you from?" one of the soldiers asks.
"I am Aaron, and I am an electrician from Florida,” Aaron replies sure of himself.
"Are you a spy for the Shuriye tribe?" another soldier asks, with a spear next to Aaron's throat.
"Um, there's a couple things wrong here. First off, I don’t know any tribe since I haven't been here for even 24 hours. Second of all, the spear to the throat trick never works since the person would say anything to get a sharp spear away from their neck. Lastly, I've had worst things pulled on me than a spear... ever hear of a gun, I've had that pulled on me, and the guy had to pull it out of his ass after I was done beating the shit out of him. So, since I don’t know anything about a tribe, you can tell me."
Astonished about the response they heard, the soldiers look at each other with a look of surprise. The soldier slowly pulls the spear away from Aaron, and straightens himself out. The other soldier then answers, "The Shiroun Tribe is a tribe that we were in conflict for many years now. They have views about gods, and we do not. So we have planned attacks on their tribe to force our opinions onto them."
"I have one more question. There was a girl that was with me, do you know where she is?" Aaron asks them worriedly.
"Yes, we did capture a girl; do you wish to see her?"
"No shit Sherlock, I just asked you about her."
"Who is Sherlock?"
"Never mind. Can I see her please?"
"Yes you may. Come with us." The soldier replies, and undoes the restraints from his arm. Aaron then follows two guards in front of him, with the other two guards behind him.
Aaron looks behind him, and sees the two armed guards with their spears near Aaron's back. Aaron then turns and says to them, "Why the fuck do you have your weapons near me, I'm not gonna pull anything stupid. But if I really wanted to get you guards all rip shit, I would just do this..." He then grabs both of their spears, twists them so their hands were caught, and kicks one of the guards. He then drops the spears, and says, "You fucking amateurs."
The two guards in the front quickly get between Aaron and the other two guards. One then turns to Aaron and says, "Don’t pull stunts if you want to see your girlfriend." Aaron nods, and they continue to the other portable building where Tabitha was held. Aaron goes in, and finds Tabitha on a bed sleeping. He taps her shoulder to wake her up, and she wakes up, and gives him a hug. Aaron asks her how she was doing. She explains that she was also hit on the head, and doesn’t remember anything else.
"Oh, sure. You get the bed and I get tied to a support pillar." Aaron says jokingly, and she laughs. He then adds, "So, how's your leg."
"It's swollen, and I can't get much circulation to my feet, it's asleep."
"Well take it off then," he says excitedly.
"I can't, the button won't budge."
"Can I get a knife and a skirt in here?" Aaron yells out to a guard, and a guard replies that he'll work on it. He brings in a knife, and leaves for the skirt. Aaron then begins to carefully cut the sides of the denim, and then begins to tear the jeans.
"Can you leave when I get it off?" Tabitha asks him.
"I guess so."
Aaron cuts through both sides, and he then begins to leave the room, when the guard comes in with the skirt. Aaron grabs the skirt, and hands it to Tabitha. She quickly puts it on, and gives a sigh of relief.
The soldier then comes in the room, and says, "The major wishes to speak to you."
Aaron looks at Tabitha, and says to her, "You want to come with me?"
"Yeah, let’s go," Tabitha says.
"Lead the way then. Let’s see him." Aaron says. The soldier then leads them across a field, and they finally reach a heavily guarded building made of brick, and the guard opens the door. They then walk along halls lit by torches mounted on the walls. After wandering the halls seemingly haphazardly, the group finally reaches a darkened section, and the guard leads them to a door that opens from the other side. They walk in the room, and sit on chairs, guided by the guard. Two soldiers come in the room, and light up the front section with four torches. Someone in a dark robe walks in, and takes a seat in the front, and takes off her hood, revealing a woman.
She then looks at them, and says, "So, you are the trespassers on my lands. For what purpose?"
Aaron looks at her sincerely, and says, "Our ship has been having mechanical problems, so we had to land here. Our food supplies are short, so I had to search for food."
"Okay, I will accept that response. Let me introduce myself. I am Queen Ziakosou, Commander and leader of the Shiroun Tribe. Do you have any questions?" Queen Ziakosu asks.
"I have a question, what's this I hear about a war?" Aaron asks.
"Yes, the war... This war has been going on for too many moons to count. The war began when my grandfather, took over the Shuriye Tribe with four-hundred troops, for five months. He went there to get the territory, which has more fertile land, and bigger animals."
"Ah, shit. Tabitha, I forgot something on the ship. Lord Ziakosou, I wish to retrieve something from my ship? It's very important. I also need a sword."
"Yes, but first, you must meet my second daughter. She is about your age, and her name is Hope. You must also dine with us," the queen answers. A tall lady then walks into the room, and as she walks toward Aaron, He is increasingly enchanted by her beauty. She greets him with a soft kiss on the cheek, and walks to Tabitha, and hugs her. Hope then walks back to the side thrown by her mother, and looks at Aaron with a seductive smile. The queen then commands that the food be brought in with a sharp yell. Four women then come in the room, and carry with them plates with chickens, potatoes, and apples. Aaron begins to eat the food, and Tabitha notices him.
"Slow down, Ryan," Tabitha tells Aaron.
"I'll explain later," Aaron says to Tabitha.
Aaron begins to eat more chicken, and begins to slow down. 

Chapter 12
Day 9
09:25
Lucas wakes up, and pushes Lucas away from him. Lucas then sits up, rubs his eyes, and looks at Javier. He then starts poking Javier, and Javier finally wakes up.
"Hey, what's up?" Javier says.
"I need to go back to the ship, and I hafta find out some answers about my life."
"Do you want me to come?"
"If you want to," Lucas says, and puts his shirt on. He gets up, and helps Javier up. Then, they walk back to the ship together. After a couple hours of strenuous hiking, Lucas sees the breached ship, and they both go in the ship. Lucas goes in one of the cabins, and finds one of Aaron's bags. Curious, he opens the bag, and finds some clothes, bottles of soda and water, and some bags of change, which he moves them all to the side. After moving the bottles, he sees a manila folder. He takes the folder, and opens it, and looks at the contents, flipping through them slowly. Lucas walks in the cabin, and asks, "What'd you find?"
"What's this?" Javier asks as he gives the contents to Lucas. Lucas looks at the pictures, and as he goes through the various photos, he becomes increasingly enraged.

Chapter 13
Day 9
10:12
"Tabitha, its morning, wake up," Aaron says to Tabitha, sitting by the bed. Tabitha gradually wakes up, and stretches. Aaron moves on the bed, and asks her how her leg is.
"It feels better," she answers.
"Let me see if you can walk," Aaron says, and takes the sheet off of her. She turns, and puts her feet down. Aaron gets up, and helps her up. She begins to walk, with only a slight limp. Aaron motions for her to sit on the bed, and she takes a seat. "I made you breakfast. But I have some bad news. I have to fight Lucas, because I know he's found out about my thing. I want you to stay here though, because I don't want you to experience someone's death."
"Promise me you'll come back," Tabitha pleads to him.
"I promise I will come back."
Two soldiers come into the room, and one gives her a plate of eggs and slices of ham.  He gives the plate to Tabitha, who puts it next to her bed. She hugs Aaron, who hugs her back.
"I want a soldier to come with me. In the case that I die, I want Tabitha to be informed." 
"I will accompany you on your trip," the first soldier says.
"Thank you," Aaron says. Aaron takes the strap from the other soldier, and puts it around his shoulder. Aaron turns to Tabitha, and says, "If I die, please stay here. Lucas is a psycho, and I don't want you to be hurt." Aaron and the soldier then leave, and two soldiers walk in the room, and say that they would be outside the door.
Aaron and the soldier then leave the tribe, and head toward the ship.

Chapter 14
Day 9
13:35
"I swear Javier, I want to kill that fag," Lucas says.
"But the way the pictures are, he isn't the fag," Javier answers, smirking. All of a sudden, Aaron walks out of the forest, and Lucas instantly runs off the ship, and darts toward Aaron. Aaron rolls toward the ground, rolls forward, and pushes Lucas away from him, using his feet.
"I take it you found the pictures," Aaron says with a straight face as he gets up.
"Why did you have my girlfriend at your house?"
"Why did you cheat on her with a guy?" Aaron replies.
"Shut up. All you want to do is get my revenge," Lucas says angrily.
"Well, if we're going to do this, we'll do it right." Aaron motions for the soldier to proceed, and he hands Lucas the sword. Lucas takes his sword out of his guard, and so does Aaron. Lucas takes the first swing, and Aaron blocks it. Aaron then thrusts the sword, and then swings the sword across Lucas' chest, but he leaps backward. Lucas' sword runs downward, but Aaron leans back, then thrusts back forward. Lucas pulls his sword back up, but Aaron blocks again with his sword. He then punches Lucas with his left fist, then his right fist, hitting him in the face, but is forced to retreat after Lucas pulls his sword across Aaron's chest... Aaron runs around Lucas, and Lucas holds his sword in stance, and Aaron slowly closes in. Aaron finally slashes Lucas' throat, and Lucas falls, grasping his windpipe. Aaron walks back to Lucas, who drops his sword, and crouches next to him.
"I called your girlfriend, because someone showed me the photos that you found; you with a guy. I showed her the pictures, and she was very saddened and angered. So angered, that she wanted me to act. But I did nothing, since I respected your relationship, even after you cheated. I wanted her to kill you." He then turns to Javier, and says, since your partner died, I'll show you to where Jonas, Zakiya, and Meghan went. They went to the left side of the ship." Aaron then takes his sword, and slashes it through Lucas' chest.

Chapter 15
Day 9
20:06
Tabitha walks into the dining hall guarded by two guards. She sits across the room from the queen, and the two soldiers walk to the door. "I'm worried about Aaron. It's been all day, and he hasn't returned."
"It is usual for soldiers to not return for a couple days. After the kill, the soldier is forced to carry the deceased back to the ceremonial grave, and bury them," the queen replies.
"Why?"
"It reminds the soldiers that with death, come responsibility. We also don't want the scavengers at our gates, unless the death is for corporal punishment."
"But in Christianity, there are rules about love, peace, and vengeance."
"You must understand, Tabitha, we have no transportation to the main lands. We also believe in people ruling-" the queen says, before being interrupted. The guards open the door, and the guard that accompanied Aaron's quest, walks in. He looks at Tabitha, and smiles, "Queen, Aaron has returned."
"Where is he?" Tabitha asks.
"Right here. No, he's using the bathroom," the soldier answers.
Aaron walks in the room, and wipes his forehead of the dirt and dust. "Well, that was fun." He then smirks.
Tabitha jumps up, and runs toward Aaron, hugging him. She then looks back at him, and asks, "Is Lucas dead?"
"Yeah, he came at me, and I had to engage him. I got hit, but I'm fine."
She looks at his leg, and quickly says, "I need to stitch that." She then remembers what he said, and she smacks him.
"Ow," Aaron says.
"What are you doing saying that it was fun and smirking?"
"I thought the digging was fun. When do you want to stitch me up?"
"Right now, come on," Tabitha says, and excuses herself.
The soldier turns to Aaron, and says, "You did fight excellently. I never saw a battle so great."
Hope goes down the hall, and looks at Aaron pass. She goes to her mother, and asks, "Mother, who is that man?"
"That is Aaron, possibly the change of tide in war," the major says, looking at the door.
Tabitha gets done with the stitches, and Aaron asks if he can wash up. She nods, and he heads to the bath room. After a couple minutes, Aaron runs the water through his hair, and runs down his face. All of a sudden, he hears the door open. Surprised, he pulls out his knife. He can't see through the thick fog, but sees a figure.
"Tabitha?" Aaron asks.
"Guess again," the woman says.
"Javier, if it's you, I'll stab you."
"I'm a woman, guess again."
"Hope, what are you doing here?"
"I'm getting ready for the celebration of your return." She walks up to him, and he looks at her, and sees that she is naked.
"I thought you were beautiful before, but you just... exceeded my standards on beauty” he tells her, and she doesn't respond, only walks closer to him, and he smiles for the first time in a long while.

Chapter 16
Day 10
09:24
Jonas wakes up in Audrey's bed, and kisses her on the cheek softly. He then gets out of bed, gets dressed, and arms himself with a spear. He leaves the hut, and starts looking for fruit trees. He comes to a batch of coconut trees, and he starts climbing, and drops some coconuts on the ground. He then goes back down, and reaches for a coconut, but someone grabs it first. Jonas jumps up, and finds out that Javier grabbed the fruit first. "What's going on?" Jonas asks Javier.
"Jonas, Aaron killed Lucas," Javier says sadly.
"Okay," Jonas says, and grabs the coconut from Javier, picks the other coconuts up, and walks back up to the tribe. Jonas goes back in the hut, followed by Javier. Jonas turns to Javier, and says, "Listen, I don't mind you trying to be all friendly, but don't you dare go on my property. If you do, I'll kill you."
"Sorry, I just thought I'd tell you about what happened. Lucas and I were having relations together, but Lucas was still upset about you lying to him. He died because of Aaron's actions. He was cheated on by his girlfriend, with Andr-" Javier says, until being cut off by Jonas.
"Okay, first off, shut up, what you said was gross, and if you thought I wanted to hear this, I would look at you... I'm not. Second of all, he didn't have relations with Lucas' girlfriend, because he doesn't go and stab someone in the back. You need to realize, we all have our own problems. But Lucas makes his problems exist whenever he wants."
Jonas takes out a knife and a large bowl, and splits the coconuts into halves.
Zakiya walks in, and sees Javier, and gives him a hug. She then faces Jonas, and says, "Jonas, I'm gonna go with Megan, we're going to see how Aaron is."
Jonas turns to them, and says, "Okay, come back soon."
Javier turns to Zakiya, and says, "I'll go with you girls." Zakiya motions for him to come, and he leaves with her. Jonas goes and continues to chop the coconuts, and goes back out, finding some eggs, and he starts to cook the eggs.
Audrey wakes up, and finds Jonas. She gets behind him, and holds him, looks over his shoulders, and watches what he does. She looks at him and says, "Hey hun, you cooking me breakfast?"
"Of course I am."

Chapter 17
Day 10
18:37
Zakiya turns to Javier, and says, "I need to speak to Megan for a second."
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead," Javier replies.
Zakiya and Megan go a couple feet ahead, and Zakiya says, "I think we should make sure we can trust him. If he says anything about Jonas, and the so called tribe, our plan will not work. What do you think?"
"Yeah, we should definitely make sure he sticks with our plan, or else."
Zakiya motions for him to come, and he follows her directions. Zakiya and Megan look at him with a serious face. Zakiya then says, "When we reach the other tribe, will you keep quiet about Jonas, and agree with what we say?"
"Of course."
"If you don't comply, and say anything to ruin our thing, you won't have a tongue to finish your sentence," Megan says.
"Okay, I won't say anything," Javier says uneasily.
"Good, now. Come on," Megan says.
They continue on the hike, and finally reach a large wooden gate. A soldier on a turret looks down at them, and asks what their business was, and they respond that they seek a warrior named Aaron. The soldier looks down at the gatekeepers, and the large gates open. They walk in, and six soldiers walk toward them. One of the soldiers says for them to follow him.
"What's the thing with the guards for?" Megan asks.
"We don't just trust people immediately. We didn't trust Aaron, the warrior you spoke of until we realized that he was of no harm to us, and could be quite useful in this war."
"We could also be of importance for a massive part of the war. We have intelligence on the tribe. That tribe turned on us, and killed my dear friend, and I am seeking revenge."
"If you have any information, tell it to the Major."
They walk to the queen's chamber, and they walk in. The guard motions them to sit down, and they sit on the chairs provided.
"I'll call Aaron, and also the major." The soldier leaves, and Aaron with the major sit in the front.
Aaron looks at them, and says, "Zakiya, Megan, and Javier. What do you have for me? And why the hell is Javier here?"
Zakiya looks at him, and says, “Aaron, Jonas was killed. They took his life. We had to escape, and we found Javier on our way out. We have information, and we can also get more intel for you, if we're careful enough."
"Is this true Javier?" Aaron asks, gazing into his face questioningly.
"Yes, I met them while they were fleeing, and I followed them."
"Okay. My first mission is for you, Javier. Go to the tribe, and get intelligence on the tribe. You will rendezvous here at dawn in two weeks. If you have bad or useless information, you will be persecuted by death. Good luck." Aaron leaves the room, and the queen dismisses them. She then follows Aaron, and she asks him what would help. He responds with, "Kill Javier. I guarantee he will either be caught, or have useless information."
"If you wish to dispose of him, you know what to do," she says, and motions for a soldier. A soldier walks up, and she grabs his bow, and hands it to Aaron. Aaron smiles, and leaves the hall running to the guard tower.

Chapter18
Day 10
19:05
A soldier leads Zakiya, Megan and Javier to the tribe boundaries, and immediately after going through the gate, Zakiya looks at Javier, who looks down, worried. She looks at him, and says, "What's wrong?"
He answers, "I know what Aaron's going to do. After I give him what I received, he's going to kill me anyway, for something bias." As soon as he breathes in, an arrow goes through his head. Zakiya shrills in horror, and Megan turns her head. 
Zakiya turns to the tower, and Aaron says to her, "I changed my mind. I put the responsibility in your hands. If you are to get this war over with, I can't put it in the hands of a pussy. Don't let me down, and good luck."
Zakiya nods and she grabs Megan, who is still bent over, weeping, and pulls her forth. They then continue to hike back to the Shuriye tribe traumatized.

Chapter 19
Day 11
05:39
After hours of trekking the forest, they reach the tribe. They immediately look for Jonas, and they find him in the water, fishing. He pulls in the net, and as he looks up, sees Zakiya and Megan at the end of the beach. He pulls in the net, and drops it at the edge of the beach. 
"What's going on? What is the blood on your face for?"
"The tyrants of the Shiroun tribe killed Javier, Aaron, and Tabitha," Zakiya says, and is immediately cut off by Jonas.
"What were you doing in Shiroun tribe territory?"
"We were hunting."
"Something's shady 'bout this, but I'll trust you."
"Believe us. But we can help, in relief for the death, we can end the war. We can spy on the Shiroun tribe, and give you information on their weaknesses."
"Okay, I believe you, and deem your operation worthy... I will speak with the king, and will return with his reply." He puts the net on a hook; with the fishes continue their struggle. The girls look at each other, and grin.
A couple hours later, Jonas goes to the king's senate room, and takes a seat. The king then comes in the room, and Jonas greets the king. The king motions for Jonas to take his seat, and they both sit down, on opposite sides of the room. Jonas then says, "I come to you in request of a mission, and one that may finally end this war."
"I don't feel is that a mission is required. You have not seen the massive deaths that I have seen, and therefore have no major place in this war... I am sorry Jonas, but you have no experience in the war. Therefore, you can't say is that the war has had a major response in you."
Jonas, stunned by the king's response, sits mouth open. He then closes his mouth, and says, "I don't have any major response in the war? Three of my friends were killed by the Shiroun Tribe. I think I have the right to call a mission in tribute of my friends."
"I'm sorry Jonas; I didn't know they were killed. I deem the mission worthy of the nation. But first, you must wait three days, in effect because of ceremonial burial games, which was caused by a freak storm that caused many deaths on both nations. We took the signs as divine intervention, and we agreed that it was a sign of anger in the gods. We have decided on a ten day mourning period."
"What happened?"
"During an early morning battle, hundreds of warriors were sent to the border of the Shiroun Tribe to bring their border to their gate. But the soldiers were spotted, and hundreds more of their tribe showed up. The battle then began, and there was a large flash of light. It turned out to be a meteor, and killed half of the warriors in the battle. The blast gained the attention of me and the Shiroun Queen, and we had a meeting about it, where we chose to have the burial ceremony."
"That was when Elijah was killed. Sorry, and thank you, King Raizuka. Hopefully the losses of my friends don't come to any gain."
"Even a victory in this war will not bring you peace when it comes to the loss of a friend."
Jonas salutes the king, and leaves the building. He then looks for Zakiya and Megan, and find them in an empty hut, talking to each other. He then gives them a look, and sits in a chair across the two, and begins. "I spoke with the king, and at first, he didn't approve of my impeding on the war. But I mentioned the deaths of Javier, Aaron, and Tabitha; and he immediately was changed in his view. In three days, you may go to the Shiroun tribe and begin your mission."
"Thank you, Jonas," Zakiya says. Jonas then walks to his cabin, and Zakiya and Meghan continue their conversation.
Chapter 20
Day 11
23:21
Zakiya gets back to the Shiroun Tribe, and meets back with Aaron. Aaron takes her to his and Hope's room, and they begin to speak softly while Hope sleeps next to them.
"We're all set with the plan. I told the tribe that I went to search for you, and found your dead body. They immediately had an idea that for your remembrance, they would allow me to spy on this tribe, but I am only interested in their information." Zakiya says.
"I hope you're not backstabbing me, because then I would have to kill you. But I trust you, so go ahead. What do you have for me?"
"The Shuriye tribe isn't even suspecting any attack in two days. So tomorrow night, we're going to attack."
“I like it. Tell me more."

Chapter 21
Day 12
06:06
"May I speak with the queen, my lovely Hope?" Aaron asks his girlfriend.
"Hold on, I'll call her." She walks away, and Aaron waits anxiously thinking of a quick plan. A few minutes later, Queen Ziakosou enters the room, and Hope sits beside Aaron.
"I, my queen, have a major plan for attack on the Shuniye tribe.” Aaron says to her, as if reeling in a fish with bait.
"Go on-" She responds.
"The Shiroun tribe isn't expecting another attack for at least another two days, right?" He asks, making sure correct information is said.
"Correct” She assures his, and nods
"Then how's about this. We attack midnight tonight."
"Okay," She says somewhat disturbed.

Chapter 22
Day 12
23:20
Aaron walks into the war room to meet with the queen, and as they walk the cat walk, they watch the hundreds of soldiers suit up for battle. He faces the soldiers, and the queen's daughter looks at him from the door. She then gets next to him, and wraps her arm around his. He looks at her happily and smiles. Then he gets the soldiers' attention by slamming a staff against the catwalk repeatedly. He then says, "You and your fathers have faced many battles. Let's make this battle your last, and let your children rest peacefully at night. And for that to happen is to let go of all your mercy in this room, and decimate all. Kill without fear. Let your anger show, with the blood of your enemies. With that said, let's get a major victory and a final decision on our reigning supremacy."
After his words, cheering and clapping is heard throughout the room. Aaron leaves the catwalk. She holds him back, and says, "Please, don't do this. I do not trust this Zakiya. And I have horrible feelings for your future. It will end your friendship, and lead to the downfall of someone close to you."
"Please, don't do this to me now baby." Aaron says.
"Do you know why the Shuniye tribe isn't expecting an attack for another two days? Because there was divine intervention. A meteor struck this island and killed many warriors, of the Shuniye and the Shiroun tribe. If you attack them, you will be hung."
"Please, Hope. How can there be a hanging if the tribe doesn't exist. And I'm sorry, but it's too late to turn back now. I already gave the warriors a boost for killing, and if I don't set them loose, they'll kill their fellow warriors." If I have time after the battle, we'll have our own... battle."
"You know, I hate when you do this, but I love it when you smile." She says looking up at him.
"So you don't really love me?" Aaron asks her sarcastically.
"Of course I love you," Hope says assuring. Aaron puts her in his arms and holds her close.
"Sir, I hate to disrupt you and your lady... but the troops are mobilizing," a guard says.
Aaron pulls away from Hope, and recognizes the face of the guard. "Ah. What an adventure these past days have been. Why, it seems only yesterday you were holding a spear to my throat... and now, you are telling me the queen's and my troops are mobilizing, so I can lead them to a well placed victory over the barbarians. I love you Hope, and I'll meet you here."

Chapter 23
Day 13
0:00
Aaron hikes through the dense jungle leading his troops to the Shuniye tribe. As he reaches the end of the jungle, he waits as for the queen's command; a flaming arrow shot towards the central point of the village.  Finally, he sees the flaming arrow, and orders his troops to charge. He watches as the slaughter goes on, until he hears the yell of a familiar voice. He runs to the sound, and finds two soldiers fighting. One wearing a helmet, and the other from his tribe. Aaron watches as they battle, and after the helmet bearing soldier is killed, he remembers the scream of a friend. He runs toward the downed soldier, and takes off the helmet, and finds it to be his slain friend, Jonas. He tells the soldiers to cease fire, but in the massacre, there are no Shuniye tribesmen left. He orders the soldiers to make burials for the tribesmen, and he carries the body of Jonas back to the Shiroun tribe. He orders a guard to watch the body, and bewildered, the soldier asks why. Aaron yells back, and says, "Just do it." The guard takes glance of the corpse, and watches him.
Aaron all of a sudden focuses all of his energy in finding Megan and Zakiya. He finds Megan eating in the buffet room, and takes a knife to her throat, telling her to find Zakiya. Megan yells out for Zakiya to take care of Hope. 
Aaron says, "Let’s see who finds her first, me or her." He then screams for Hope to run towards him. Hope runs to find Aaron, and eventually she does. But Zakiya sneaks up behind her, and pulls a knife on Hope. 
"Drop the knife," Zakiya says.
"Why. Why would you tell me that Jonas was killed?"
"Why? Because he deserved to be killed by the man whom he trusted most. You deserved to be lied to by a supposed friend. And we all know that the two of you are the most bigoted people. You are homophobic, you don't like Lucas, and you make fun of my friends. So why did I tell you Jonas died? So you could kill him yourself. Now, DROP the knife, or I kill your girlfriend."
"I swear, if one more drop of blood is bled from Hope, I will slit the throat of your friend. And then I will hunt you down like a dog hunting a rat, because you are one. And I will enjoy killing you. I will make it slow, and painful."
Zakiya presses the knife against Hope, and pushes the skin in. Aaron, seeing the expression on Hope's face, throws the knife down. Zakiya smiles, and pushes the knife into Hope's skin, and cuts into her artery. She then drops Hope on the floor. Aaron then breaks Megan's neck, picks up the knife, and stabs Megan in the chest. He then chases Zakiya, who is fleeing through the town. But after seeing Hope still breathing, he runs to help her. He crouches down in the pool of blood, and tells her he loves her. She tells him she loved him since the first moment she laid her eyes on him. He kisses her softly, and stays with her till her last breath is taken. He finally finds a guard, and tells him the horrible news. He finds signaling arrows, and fires four arrows off. When the queen finally reaches the tribe, she breaks down and cries at the sight of her dead daughter.
She then assembles all of her troops, and gives them the task of finding Zakiya, and giving her back to the tribe. They find her at the ship, and they return her to the queen and Aaron. Aaron binds her to the wall, and the queen looks on.
"So, Queen Ziakosou, how do you feel we should slowly kill this traitor, murderer, and shall I say it, whore?"
"The only whore is your dead girlfriend, Aaron," Zakiya says.
"What the hell did you say?"
"I called your dead girlfriend a whore," Zakiya repeats.
A guard goes to Zakiya, and hits her with the butt end of his staff across the head. He pulls back to do it again, but is stopped by Aaron.
"We need her alive for as long as possible," the queen says. Tabitha suddenly enters the room, and stabs her in the neck.
"Good god Tabitha, why the hell did you do that?" Aaron asks her surprised.
"She started so many problems, it's not worthy keeping her alive," Tabitha replies. Frustrated, Aaron leaves the room.
"I can't take this shit anymore," Aaron screams as he leaves the room. He walks up to his and Hope's room, and looks at all of her things.


Chapter 24
Day 15
14:03
Tabitha and the queen look on as Aaron looks through the things, and they go to the next room. 
"I'm worried about Aaron. He hasn't eaten in days, and he's been tossing and turning in his sleep for the last days, talking about Hope, Jonas, and how his life is ruined. I think we should set him up with a guard to make sure he doesn't do anything harmful to himself," Tabitha says.
"Yes, I'll have to consider the guard idea."
Aaron walks into the room, and says, "I'm fine now... I'm sorry if I scared you. I' going to clear my mind now with a walk,” he says.
"Alright, come back as soon as possible."
Aaron goes to the site where he left Jonas, and finally gives him his proper burial. Then, he leaves the tribal gates. He walks to the ship, and says to himself, this is where it all began. The betrayal of my friend, the killing of one of my friends and the death of another. And the love of my life shot down in the beginning of our relationship. He looks around the island from the beach, and sees a high laying cliff. He heads toward it, and begins to walk the path. He reaches the top, and sees the crater that his girlfriend talked about. "So much destruction caused. Hundreds died because of something that they hardly knew.  I also caused many deaths. I guess you could say that I am punishable by death." He looks back at the ocean at the side of the cliff, and says "So beautiful, yet can cause death if taken too far. I took it too far when I believed Zakiya. He takes another step, stepping closer to the edge. He looks to the heavens, and hears a voice, the voice of Elijah. Surprised, he asks what is going on.
"What are you doing Aaron?" the voice asks.
"I just want things to be better for my friends. I've made some horrible decisions, and it ended up killing most of my friends. I killed Lucas, Javier, Jonas, and Megan, and made my friend who has the cleanest soul murder. Hope was my true love, and she was taken from me. I acted like a barbarian."
"If you want to clear this up, then jump. Everything will make sense after."
"But-"
"JUMP."
Aaron takes his last step forward, and looks down as he reaches the bottom of the cliff.

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