Survive the Monsters and Breed 3 Chapter 3

I took a deep breath and tried to play it cool as I called out to Sarah and Shanice. The last thing I wanted to do was worry them.

“Hey, I don’t think that’s enough wood,” I said as nonchalantly as possible, and I pointed my thumb behind me and shrugged. “I’m just gonna head over to the next island and cut down the tree over there.”

“Um, excuse me?” Shanice scoffed. “Did you just expect us to go along with that?”

“I mean, yeah, kinda,” I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.

“No way in hell that was gonna happen.” Shanice shook her head. “We aren’t just going to send you further out into the water by yourself.”

“Yeah,” Sarah agreed. “Shanice is right, this stuff is dangerous. We can work with what we have first, but I don’t think you need to head over there yet.”

“I appreciate the concern,” I said softly. “But if I don’t go now, then I’m just going to have to go later. I can already tell that the amount of wood there just isn’t going to cut it. We need a very large raft to hold all of us.”

“I see your point.” Sarah frowned as she looked down at the wood around her feet. “But it’s still too dangerous for us to just send you over to the next island by yourself.”

“I’m already out here,” I insisted. “I got this.”

“Natasha, Em, and Devonna can handle the remainder of the branches we have here,” Sarah said. “Shanice and I will come with you.”

“Yeah, three of us working will get the job done a lot faster,” Shanice said.

“How were you planning to get it over to us, anyway?” Sarah asked. “It’s way too far to push the branches across the water.”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “Maybe use my jumpsuit to tie them all together and walk them back?”

“You sound incredibly unsure of that plan,” Sarah chuckled.

“I hadn’t exactly thought it through,” I admitted. “I was just trying to get over there before–”

“We stopped you like we’re doing right now,” Sarah cut me off with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, that.” I smiled sarcastically.

“Well, a little too late for that,” the redhead laughed.

“You shoulda known they were gonna have somethin’ to say about what you were doin’,” Devonna told me. “They always got somethin’ to say, don’t they?”

“You’re one to talk,” Sarah scoffed.

“I never said I wasn’t,” Devonna said with a smile.

“Wait where you are,” Shanice called to me. “Sarah and I will meet you there. Then we can move over to the next island together.”

“Alright,” I agreed. “Just be careful in the water.”

“You were fine,” Shanice said with a wry smile. “Why do you think we sent you first?”

“Oh, I get it,” I laughed. “I’m just the guinea pig here.”

“We’re all guinea pigs,” Devonna grumbled as she removed another stick from one of the branches.

As much as I wanted to argue with Sarah and Shanice, I knew it wouldn’t do any good. It was best to let them come help me. Both of them were stubborn as hell, and neither of them were going to give this up without a fight.

I’d learned to pick my battles by this point, and this wasn’t one I was planning to argue with. Besides, I could use the help. Shanice had pieces of fabric we could use to tie the wood together, and with three of us working instead of just me, it would take half the time for us to gather the wood. Then we could help Em, Natasha, and Devonna with removing all the little sticks and twigs before putting the branches all together.

I waited nervously and watched as Shanice removed her shoes and then stepped into the water next to Sarah. Both of them held their knives up so they wouldn’t get wet, and then they carefully stepped further into the water.

My heart sank as I watched them get deeper until the water was at their mid sections. It landed at the hourglass shape of Sarah’s waist, but Shanice was shorter, and it came up just below her full breasts.

Both of the women kept their composure as they slowly made their way over to me, but I could see the faintest bit of terror in their careful steps and wide eyes.

By the time they made it to the shore, my heart was nearly beating out of my chest, but they made it without incident, and that was all that mattered.

Once they were on the sand with me, I gave each of them a quick look-over before leading them around the small island to the other side.

“Y’all be careful over there,” Devonna called from her place on the island near the door. “We kinda need you to survive and all that. So, don’t go dyin’ on us, alright?”

“What lovely sentiments.” Sarah rolled her eyes.

“I thought so.” Devonna flashed us a pearly white grin that I could see even with how far away we were.

“Alright,” Shanice said as she looked over to the next island. “It looks like we’re going about twice as far as we did to get here.”

“Right,” I agreed with a small nod.

“We’ll need to be extra careful then,” Shanice said seriously. “There’s no telling what’s in the water.”

“Literally none.” Sara looked down at the murky brown water and wrinkled her nose. “I can’t see through it at all. You’d think it would settle at some point.”

“I’m not sure it ever settles,” Shanice said. “I think it’s just how it is here.”

“You’re probably right,” Sarah sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “That doesn’t help us at all, though.”

“We’ll be fine,” I assured both of them. “Just follow me.”

“I don’t know if that’s the best idea,” Sarah said. “Maybe we should walk next to each other?”

“Why?” I pushed.

“I don’t know,” she said with a flustered shake of her head. “I mean, maybe if there are larger animals down there, they’ll see us as bigger than we are.”

“That’s usually what they say to do with sharks, isn’t it?” Shanice asked, and she looked up at the sky for a few seconds as she thought. “I remember hearing a story on the news about that one time. A young girl had gotten bit by a shark, and it took her arm. The news anchors were discussing ways to prevent that from happening.”

“We can walk next to one another then,” I said, but I wasn’t going to mention that having them walk behind me would create the same effect,  just from a different angle.

If walking beside me instead of behind me made them feel more comfortable, then I didn’t see a reason why they couldn’t. I just wanted them close by.

“Okay,” Sarah said with a determined nod. “Let’s do this.”

“Wait,” I said, and I carefully grabbed the redhead’s arm and pulled her to the other side of me so I was between her and Shanice. “There we go.”

“Oh, you want us to take the sides so we get eaten first, huh?” Shanice teased, but my heart sank at the idea that she could even think that. “I’m just playing with you, geez, get that look off your face.”

“Sorry.” I shook my head. “I just want to make sure I’m next to both of you in case something comes at us.”

“I know,” Shanice assured me with a small smile. “Now, come on. Let’s get over to those damn trees so we can get this raft done before the end of the day.”

I couldn’t help but smile back at Shanice. The beautiful ex-cop who had once been so hard on me was now joking around like we’d been friends from the start. It was nice to feel wanted and understood, and I was happy she finally accepted me as the group leader.

Shanice, Sarah, and I quickly stepped into the water. A shiver ran down my back at the feel of the coolness of the murky brown water. I’d been out of it for a while, so my body had time to warm up, but that was all out the window now. This part of the water seemed even colder than the first part, probably because there were larger trees further out that were casting shadows and preventing any sort of light from hitting this spot.

The already hazy sky seemed to get even hazier, and I suddenly felt like it was late evening instead of mid-morning like it actually was.

Sarah pulled in slow, steady breaths as we walked further into the water, while Shanice seemed to barely breathe at all.

It wasn’t long before we were out to our knees, then our hips, then our waists. We were only a third of the way to the next island at that point, and I hoped the ground beneath us would even out, but it continued to get lower and lower as we walked, until the water was just under my armpits.

The murky brown liquid came to just below the tops of Sarah’s shoulders, but it was almost to Shanice’s head. The water line was just below her chin, and from the way her head was tilted, I figured she was on her tip-toes.

“Shanice,” I said as I watched her continue to move through the water next to me. “Do you need to get on my back?”

“Yeah,” Sarah added. “No shame. This water is getting super deep.”

“I’m fi–” Shanice started, but just then her head dipped completely under the water.

“Shanice!” I yelled, and I instinctively reached into the water and felt around until my fingers touched the familiar scratchy fabric of her jumpsuit.

Immediately, I grabbed hold of the fabric and yanked upward. I pulled Shanice along with me, and the beautiful, dark-skinned woman tore in a ragged breath before coughing a few times.

I pulled her close to me and patted her back, but after a few seconds, her breathing evened out and she nodded and pulled away.

“I’m sorry,” she started, but I cut her off.

“Don’t apologize,” I said as I looked into her dark brown eyes. “Are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m fine.” She shook her head. “I think I just stepped into a hole. That’s what it felt like.”

My heart dropped as I stared at Shanice’s dripping wet face. Her beautiful curls and dark eyelashes had little droplets scattered throughout them. But even after being pulled into a damn swamp,  she still looked amazing.

“Alright,” I said. “Let’s get to shore. Are you okay to continue on?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“Do you want to ride on my back?” I pushed. “It’s no problem for me to carry you. I think you shou–”

“No,” she cut me off with a serious look. “I can walk. Let’s keep going, we shouldn’t sit in this water any longer than we have to.”

“You’re right,” I agreed.

I respected her decision, but I watched her carefully as we made our way over to the island. Each step nearly gave me an anxiety attack, but we moved quickly and quietly through the water.

As we walked, the water continued to get even deeper, and there came a point where I took a step and found nothing beneath me.

The sickening feeling that filled my stomach at the idea of empty space below me nearly made me lose my breakfast. But I didn’t want to freak the girls out, especially after what had just happened with Shanice. So I maintained my composure and turned to the women.

“We’re going to have to swim for it,” I said.

“You are,” Shanice corrected. “I’ve been swimming for a couple of feet now.”

“Me, too,” Sarah said. “I can’t touch the bottom without going under.”

“Right,” I said. “Come on, let’s go.”

The girls and I swam slowly through the murky water. My heart nearly pounded out of my chest, but after a minute or so, I felt for the bottom and found sand beneath my feet once more.

Shanice and Sarah followed my lead, and after a couple more minutes, we climbed up onto the shore and tore in ragged breaths. The fear and adrenaline that had been coursing through my entire body all came crashing down once my feet hit dry land again, and an overwhelming sense of relief washed over me.

“Jake!” Shanice said, and from the serious tone in her voice, I could tell something was wrong.

“What is it?” I asked, and I held my sword up and looked around quickly.

“There’s something on your leg,” the ex-cop said, and she pointed at my left shin.

“What the fuck?” Sarah whispered as she leaned down to inspect whatever it was. “What is tha… Oh, ew!”

“What is it?” I asked as I leaned over and looked at the small, black, slug-looking creature attached to my leg. “Wait, is that a fucking leech?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen one in real life,” Sarah said. “But yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s a leech.”

“It’s definitely a leech,” I sighed and reached down.

“What are you doing?” Sarah asked, and her voice grew high-pitched with nervousness.

“I’m getting it off,” I said, and I grabbed hold of the worm-like creature and slid my fingernail under its tiny mouth to pop it off of my skin.

Once that was done, I flicked it back into the water.

“Why’d you do that?” Shanice asked. “Shouldn’t we have killed it?”

“Yeah, can’t it just attach to us again now?” Sarah pushed.

“If there’s one leech, there’s a lot more,” I chuckled. “I’m guessing you guys never had to deal with them growing up.”

“Um, no.” Shanice shook her head.

“You did?” Sarah asked, and her shoulders wriggled as she shuddered with disgust.

“All the time,” I said as the memories came rushing back to me. “There’s tons of them in the lakes in Oregon. My family used to go swimming all the time in the summer, and I remember my dad picking them off of me at the end of the day.”

“Does it hurt?” Sarah asked.

“To remove them?” I countered with a confused look. “No, not really.”

“Do you think we have them, too?” the redhead gulped.

“You might.” I nodded. “I know we’re trying to work fast, but if we do have leeches it’s best to get rid of them now.  We should do a quick check.”

“I don’t see any on me,” Sarah said as she spun around to try and see the backs of her arms and legs.

“Um, we’re going to need to do a more thorough check than that,” I said, and I felt my face grow hot even as the words left my mouth.

“Are you saying we need to get naked?” Shanice asked.

“Not naked,” I corrected. “Taking off the jumpsuit should be enough. I can go first and Sarah can check me. And if you’re uncomfortable, she can check you, too, and I’ll look away.”

Shanice pursed her lips as she looked me up and down, but then she nodded in agreement. “Alright. She can check me.”

“Okay,” I said, and I quickly pulled off my jumpsuit so Sarah could inspect me for more of the little parasites.

As I stood there in nothing but my boxers, Shanice stared at my naked abs and chest. For someone who didn’t want me to see her half naked, she didn’t appear to have any problem seeing me that way.

After a moment, her eyes landed on mine, and her face turned bright red as she looked away. The beautiful dark-skinned woman pulled her hand up to cover her mouth, and then she mumbled something about getting started before she grabbed her knife and began hacking at some of the low-hanging tree branches.

“She was staring so hard,” Sarah chuckled quietly.

“I’m sure it’s just been a while since she’s seen a man half naked,” I whispered back.

“She likes you,” the redhead teased as she ran her hands up my back.

“Hardly,” I snorted and shook my head.

“Alright.” She clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re all done. No more.”

“You’re sure?” I asked.

“I mean, I’m not the most experienced leech checker,” she laughed. “But yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“I’ll take it,” I chuckled. “I’ll check you real quick before you check Shanice.”

“Fine by me.” Sarah shrugged and pulled down her jumpsuit.

The redhead was unabashedly confident, and that just made her even sexier. Her beautiful, toned body was muscular in all the right places, and feminine in the others. She had a perfect hourglass figure, with ample breasts for her small frame, and an ass I wanted to squeeze every time I saw it.

Her long, dark red hair hung down to her mid back, and I carefully slid it over her shoulder so I could inspect along her spine. Sarah’s pale skin was soft and smooth, and I couldn’t help enjoying the process as I ran my hands down her legs and arms and made sure she was leech free.

After I was finished with her, I traded places with Shanice so she could get inspected, but I’d only chopped down a couple of branches before Sarah called my name.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“I found one,” the redhead said. “And I think I might need your help to get it off.”

“You saw what he did before,” Shanice hissed. “Can’t you do that?”

“It’s not coming off,” Sarah whispered quickly.

“I can get it,” I offered. “Where is it at?”

“Um, it’s…” Sarah trailed off.

“It’s on my inner thigh,” Shanice said, and even though I couldn’t see her face, I could hear the exasperation in her voice.

“Oh, okay.” I nodded calmly, but my cheeks burned with embarrassment. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

“You’d be the first guy to promise that,” Shanice joked, and I laughed along with her before turning around and finding her in nothing but her white panties and bra.

I’d seen Devonna, Natasha, and Sarah naked, so seeing them in their bra and panties didn’t feel the same, but I’d yet to see Shanice this way. My heart rate spiked as I looked her up and down without realizing it at first. Once I did, I quickly averted my gaze as I walked forward.

“Alright, show me where it’s at,” I said as I crouched down.

“Here,” Shanice said, and she slid her fingers down her thigh and pushed it open in the most seductive way.

“I see it.” I gulped hard as I stared at the small, dark brown creature that had attached itself just below her panty line.

It was like the little bastard was actually trying to drive me insane.

Carefully, I reached out and grabbed hold of the little blood sucker.

My entire body was buzzing with energy as I slid my fingernail underneath the leech’s mouth and pulled it off. Once it was removed, I flicked it into the water and looked up at Shanice.

“Thanks,” she said, and she flashed me a sweet smile. “Now, stop ogling me and get back to work.”

“I wasn’t ogling,” I protested, but my cheeks continued to burn, so I turned away and walked back over to the tree.

Sarah and Shanice joined me a moment later, and we worked quietly to chop the branches off of the large tree. It was laborious work, and after a while, I found myself sweating again, so I pulled the top half of my jumpsuit down and tied the arms around my waist.

Shanice wasn’t the only one who could do the teasing around here.

Granted, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to call her mine after what happened with the men in the desert room, but I could still dream. She’d opened up to me this much, so I could only hope she’d continued to trust me.

But even if she never allowed me in her bed, I was still grateful to have her on my team. She was an incredible woman, and she was very knowledgeable about trapping and cleaning meat.

It seemed like everybody in here was good at something, and that was her thing. We’d all been chosen for one reason or another, and our different abilities were the only things that kept us alive in the other rooms, so all I could do was hope that they would do the same here.

Tree branches snapped and landed on the ground with small thuds as we hacked away at the limbs of the tree until there was nothing left. Once again, it appeared like far more on the tree than it did on the ground, but this time I was confident this would be enough for us to get the raft built.

“What do you think?” Sarah asked, and she wiped her brow as she looked at the pile of wood in front of us.

We’d worked for probably an hour straight to take all the branches off the tree, and our hard work had paid off. Now we just had to get it back over to the island by the door.

“It looks good to me,” I said. “I think we’ll have plenty now.”

“Let’s get it tied up, then,” Shanice said, and she reached in her pocket and pulled out a long piece of dark green fabric that matched her jumpsuit.

Shanice laid the fabric down, and Sarah and I piled the wood on top so Shanice could pull the fabric up and tie it around the wood. Once it was secure, we pushed it out into the water to make sure it wasn’t going to break apart, and then we stepped in after it and pushed it toward the island near the door.

The island I’d gone to first was in our way, so we would have to veer right just slightly to get by, but in doing so, we were going to be nearer to the open area of the swamp. And I didn’t like the thought of that one bit.

Then again, I didn’t like anything having to do with this water. Every time I was in it, I felt like I was in the movie Jaws just waiting for that damn shark to show its face.

Shanice, Sarah, and I pushed the wood as far as we could until we had to swim, and then I carefully pushed it ahead of me so I could catch up and push it again. By the time we were through with that part, I was half exhausted, but it still took another ten minutes or so for us to get all the way over to the island near the door.

Once we were close enough, Natasha, Em, and Devonna pulled the wood onto the shore. Then they helped Shanice, Sarah, and me up so we could collapse in the sand.

“Jesus,” Sarah breathed. “I thought I was in shape, but that was awful.”

“It’s not easy to keep yourself afloat while also pushing something,” I said.

“But y’all did it.” Devonna leaned over me and grinned. “How are y’all feelin’? You look worn down.”

“I’d say that’s an accurate description right now,” Sarah sighed.

“How about some water and dried meat before we get to work with this new bundle of twigs?” the southern belle asked. “We got the first set done already.”

“Oh, good.” I nodded. “Lunch sounds great, actually.”

“Well, sit up, then,” she chuckled. “I got a little fire goin’ for y’all, too. Figured you’d be chilly after bein’ in the water so long.”

“Don’t you mean ‘Natasha got fire going?’” the Russian woman asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Fine.” Devonna rolled her eyes. “Natasha got the fire goin’. But I helped.”

“Hardly,” the blonde snorted.

“You hush now, you got your credit,” Devonna chuckled.

“We put your boots by the fire,” Em said quietly. “We thought it would feel good to put them back on if they were nice and warm. And since we don’t have any towels, well, this is the best we could do.”

“I appreciate that,” I told her with a small smile. “We should probably do another leech check before we get too comfortable.”

“You had leeches?” Natasha asked.

“Just a couple,” I said. “It wasn’t much to yank them off.”

“Well, here, let us help,” Devonna offered. “We can look y’all over while you lay there for another minute.”

“That would be nice,” I chuckled breathlessly. “Thank you.”

“I mean, it just kinda seemed like none of y’all were movin’,” Devonna said. “I figured we may as we get somethin’ done while you’re down there.”

“Excuse us for being tired after pushing a hundred pounds of wood across a murky, disgusting swamp,” Shanice scoffed.

“Hey, don’t get all huffy with me, now,” Devonna chastised. “I’m just tryin’ to speed things along. I’m hungry.”

“So you weren’t offering to help us out of the goodness of your heart?” I teased.

“Maybe a little,” Devonna said with a wry smile. “But it’s mostly the gator jerky.”

“You think we could find even bigger gator in here?” Natasha joked.

“Don’t kid ‘bout things like that,” Devonna warned. “This here is prime gator territory, you mark my words. I guarantee there’s one of ‘em out here right now just watchin’ us.”

“If there was an alligator around, don’t you think it would have attacked us while we were swimming?” Shanice asked.

“I’m not sure what it woulda done,” Devonna said as she bent down and carefully inspected my chest for leeches. “All I’m sayin’ is that you’ll never see a gator comin’. One minute, everything will be nice and calm and quiet, and the next… Snap! That damn thing will get ya in its clutches and that’ll be that.”

“It sounds as if you speak from experience,” Natasha said with a side-eye pointed at Devonna.

“Yeah,” Em added as she checked Shanice for leeches. “Were you attacked by an alligator or something?”

“Oh, good god, no,” Devonna chuckled. “‘Course, my Uncle Tommy did get his arm taken at the race track by one of them things.”

“What?” Em screeched. “Did you say he lost an arm to an alligator?”

“You heard right,” Devonna told her with a nod.

“I can believe that,” Sarah said. “But I’m more curious about you saying it was at a race track? How in the hell did he get into a fight with an alligator at a race track?”

“Oh, honey, you ain’t never been down south before, have ya?” Devonna asked, and she looked at Sarah almost as if she pitied her.

“I think we’ve established that I haven’t,” Sarah answered dryly.

“Well, in the south, especially in lower Georgia and Florida,” Devonna said as she expertly pulled a leech from my side. “A lot of places got these sort of gators that hang around. Lots of times they’ll be at a park or a golf course or somethin’ like that. They kinda become legends and attract the tourists and whatnot, so nobody bothers to try and get rid of ‘em. I mean, I guess it was their home first, anyway, so who are we to–”

“You’re rambling,” Shanice cut her off.

“Well, excuse me.” Devonna glared at her.

“Look, I’m actually interested in this story,” Shanice chuckled. “Are you gonna get to the good part or not?”

“Wait, are you saying that people just let alligators live on their business property?” Em asked, and she stared at Devonna with wide, horrified eyes.

“Oh, don’t look so scared now,” Devonna chuckled and waved her hand dismissively. “They really don’t hurt nobody.”

“Isn’t this story about how alligator ate your uncle’s leg?” Natasha raised a perfectly sculpted blonde eyebrow at her.

“It was his arm, thank you very much,” Devonna scoffed. “And yes, but it was his own fault.”

“How is having your arm bitten off by a fucking alligator his fault?” Shanice asked.

“Hold on, now, Shanice,” Sarah said in a jokey tone. “I’m sure Devonna has a very good explanation for that.”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Devonna said, and she looked Sarah up and down and glared at her.

“So, this is all taking place at a race track?” Em asked.

“Da,” Natasha said.

“Come on, Em,” I teased. “Try and keep up.”

“I’m sorry,” she chuckled. “This just sounds so crazy. People in the south really are wild.”

“They don’t say ‘go on vacation, leave on probation,’ for nothin’.” Devonna grinned.

“Do they say that?” Em asked, and her dark eyebrows pulled together.

“They do,” Devonna laughed. “But anyway, Uncle Tommy was at the racetrack biddin’ like usual. Except, this time, he won. It was around a hundred thousand dollars that he got. So, he downed a fifth of bourbon, bought out the concession stand, and decided he was gonna feed ole Francis a good lunch of hot dogs and churros. By hand. Now, see why I say it’s his fault?”

“There’s just so much to unpack there,” Em whispered and shook her head.

“What’s to unpack?” Devonna shrugged. “He was drunk, bein’ an idiot, and he got his arm bit off. He’s lucky he just won that money or he never woulda been able to buy the nice fake arm he got.”

“Your family sounds absolutely crazy,” Sarah said with a shake of her head.

“Oh, that’s just my Uncle Tommy,” Devonna chuckled. “I thought everybody had one of them in their family.”

“Um, no.” Em shook her head. “Granted, I don’t remember my family that well, but from what I do remember, none of them would get drunk and try to feed an alligator. My parents never even took me to the zoo.”

“Never?” Sarah asked with a small frown. “I used to love going to the zoo as a kid. Geez, now that you said it, I can remember going with my mom and brother. I think we went just about every summer.”

“Da.” Natasha nodded. “Going to zoo was pleasant experience for me as child, too.”

“I’m not sure you ever were a child,” Devonna said.

“Everyone was child at some point,” Natasha said with a confused look.

“Well, yeah, I mean, I know that.” Devonna rolled her eyes and patted my leg to let me know she was finished checking me for leeches. “But like, I can’t imagine you as a child.”

The black-haired woman led us all over to the small fire, and I sat down and spread my feet out toward the flames eagerly. The warmth felt incredible on my pruny and cold feet, and I didn’t realize just how freezing I was until the heat hit me.

“You know, now that you say it, I can’t either,” Shanice said.

“You are on her side, now?” Natasha asked the ex-cop with a raised eyebrow.

“Let’s be clear,” Shanice said playfully. “I’m never on her side. I’m just saying that I can’t imagine what you were like as a child.”

“Yeah, like I bet Shanice was always the cop in cops and robbers,” Devonna said. “She was probably all serious and wanted to stay inside trying to solve detective mysteries while everyone else wanted to go out and play.”

“Um, okay, no need to get all judgy,” Shanice mumbled, but from how red her face turned, it seemed Devonna was probably right.

“And Sarah was probably in literally every sport as a kid,” Devonna continued. “Em obviously had no friends because she was studying all the time.”

“Ouch,” Em scoffed.

“Am I wrong?” Devonna asked with a pointed look.

“That’s not the point,” the Asian woman said quietly as she looked away with embarrassment.

“Damn,” Sarah chuckled. “Could you ease up, Devonna?”

“No, don’t,” Shanice said. “You already got us. Now, what about you and Jake?”

“Jake was probably the kid with a rock collection.” Devonna grinned. “Maybe bugs, too.”

“I feel incredibly attacked right now,” I joked.

“And you?” Shanice pushed.

“I was clearly the pretty girl with a bunch of friends.” Devonna flipped her hair before offering me a large piece of dried meat.

“Mhm.” Shanice glared. “Of course you would say something nice about yourself.”

“What about me?” Natasha asked.

“That’s the whole point.” Devonna cocked her head to the side as she looked at her. “I just can’t imagine you as a little kid. Like… What were you into? What did you do?”

“It is kind of hard to imagine a tiny Natasha.” Sarah pursed her lips.

“Is not hard,” Natasha protested with a huff. “I was adorable, playful, perfect child.”

“Um, that literally tells us nothin’ about who you were,” Devonna pointed out.

“What did you like to do?” Sarah pushed.

“Did you have braces?” Shanice asked. “You kind of look like you had braces.”

“She kinda does, right?” Sarah agreed. “Her teeth are so perfect.”

“My teeth are normal,” Natasha said, but she pulled a hand up to cover her mouth. “And I liked many things as child. Mostly I sat in room in read, but I had plenty of friends.”

“Where were all these friends while you were reading?” Devonna asked.

“They were at their homes, probably reading, too.” Natasha shrugged.

“You never went to their houses?” Sarah asked with a small frown.

“I was not often permitted to go to other places,” Natasha said. “My parents were very strict.”

“Oh, that sounds awful.” Em frowned.

“I thought you didn’t have friends, either?” Natasha asked.

“I mean, I didn’t have a lot,” Em admitted. “But my mom and dad still allowed friends over from time to time.”

“Your parents didn’t allow people over ever?” Sarah asked Natasha.

“Eh, they were not so much parents as caretakers,” the blonde said.

“What do you mean?” Devonna pushed.

“My parents were often out on business,” Natasha explained.

“Who took care of you?” Sarah asked.

“Nanny took care of me,” the blonde said. “Her and housekeeper.”

“That sounds really lonely.” Sarah frowned.

“I do not like to talk about it,” Natasha said. “For this exact reason. You all pity me now, I can tell.”

“No, we don’t pity you,” Sarah corrected with a shake of her head. “We just… I don’t know. I’m just surprised, I guess. That must have been really hard.”

“Was fine.” Natasha shrugged. “I grew up and did very well for myself just as my parents expected.”

“Yes, you did,” Devonna said with a sweet smile.

“Your compliments are making me uncomfortable now,” Natasha said dryly.

“Well, excuse me for bein’ nice for once,” Devonna joked.

“You are not excused,” Natasha teased.

The two women smiled at each other, and we all grew quiet for a while as we ate our dried meat and got a drink of water.

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t known Natasha grew up without her parents around. I wished she would have felt comfortable enough to tell me before now. But then again, it probably didn’t have to do with me at all. She just said she didn’t want to talk about it because she didn’t want anyone to pity her, and that was a feeling I could understand.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense that she didn’t grow up the same way as the rest of us.

Natasha was quiet and collected, and she was always very calm when everyone else was panicking. After finding out about her upbringing, I had no doubt that it played a large role in who she was now as an adult. She wasn’t raised with a lot of fun or roughhousing. It sounded like she led a quiet existence as a child, so it made perfect sense that she was a quiet adult. Part of me felt sad for the child she once was, but she was such a remarkable woman that it was difficult to be anything but impressed by her now.

Once we finished eating, we all worked on removing the branches from the rest of the wood Shanice, Sarah, and I had brought over. With all six of us working together, it didn’t take long before we were nearly done.

“I think this is the last of it,” I said as I finished up the branch I was working on.

“I still have a branch here,” Shanice said. “I’m almost done.”

“Should we start trying to lay them out?” Sarah asked.

“I think that’s a good idea,” I agreed.

“Ooooh, just like a jigsaw puzzle,” Devonna said with an excited clap.

“Um, what the hell was that?” Sarah chuckled.

“What, you don’t like jigsaw puzzles?” the Southern woman asked.

“Not enough to squeal about them,” the redhead replied. “I’m not eighty-seven.”

“Well, I love ‘em, and I don’t care who knows it,” Devonna said. “I used to do ‘em all the time in the summer with my grandma.”

“Why is it that you seem to remember so much about your family, but I have to work hard to remember mine?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah, I’m curious about that, too,” Em said. “I mean, I remember some, but it seems like you always have a story for everything.”

“I just think about it a lot.” Devonna shrugged.

“So, you’re saying your head is full of more than just hot air?” Sarah asked with a wry smile.

“Oh, ha ha.” Devonna glared at her friend.

“How do you think about family?” Natasha asked.

“What do you mean ‘how do I think about them?’” Devonna countered. “I just think about ‘em. Y’all know how to think, don’t you?”

“I am neuroscientist,” Natasha said with a curious look. “Humor me. Think of your cousin, and explain your thoughts out loud.”

“Well, alright,” Devonna said, and she cocked her head to the side. “Cousin… cousin… Hm…”

“Seems like a lot of thinking,” Shanice teased.

“Hey, I’m workin’ on it,” Devonna snapped playfully. “Let’s see. My cousin would be my parents’ siblings’ children. My mama’s younger sister was Prescilla, and her children were…  let’s see. Oh, yeah, it was Jewel, Jacob, and Johnathan.”

“One of those, huh,” Sarah chuckled.

“Interesting,” Natasha whispered as she stared at Devonna with narrowed eyes. “Very interesting.”

“What?” Sarah asked.

“The way she thinks,” Natasha explained.

“I’m sure you’re not the first person to say that about her,” Shanice said with a sarcastic smile.

“You’re just jealous because I’m interesting,” Devonna sniffed.

“What about the way she thinks?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m curious, too,” Em said.

“Devonna is using association to bring up memories,” Natasha explained. “This is what happens when we see something in one of the rooms that triggers our memory. It’s by association. But often when we try to think of things ourselves, we focus on what we’re trying to remember rather than things around it that can help lead us to it. Does this make sense?”

“Actually, yes.” Sarah blinked and looked at Devonna with newfound respect.

“I always told y’all I was a genius,” Devonna said.

“I don’t think I would go that far.” Natasha shook her head.

“As much as I hate to admit it, that is a good way of thinking,” Shanice said. “I’m going to have to try that. Maybe I’ll be able to remember a little more.”

“We all should,” I agreed. “But right now, let’s work on getting these branches put together.”

“Right,” Sarah agreed.

We all gathered in the center of the small island, and then we carefully started to place the branches alongside one another. We lined up ones with similar length and width until we had a nice rectangle. The trunks were placed on the ends so they could provide some extra buoyancy, and after a while, we had something that resembled a raft.

“Looks good,” Shanice said as we stepped back and admired our handiwork.

“It does,” I agreed, but I pursed my lips as I looked at the crooked pieces of wood.

“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked. “You have the look again.”

“I was just thinking that a lot of water is going to be able to get through the slats there,” I said.

“Oh, you’re right.” Sarah frowned.

“We need to stay dry if we’re going to be out on the water for any length of time,” Shanice said. “We need a way to fill the holes.”

“What about dirt?” Em asked.

“Won’t dirt just crumble in the water?” Devonna asked.

“Maybe regular dirt,” Em said. “But if we use some mud or thick dirt and really pack it in, I bet it will work.”

“I think you’re right,” I told Em, and I looked around at the ground.

It was mostly sand, probably brought in from the desert door. There was some regular dirt, but it was loose, and it turned to mud the closer it got to the water. It definitely wasn’t going to be solid enough for what we needed.

“This sand isn’t going to work,” Shanice said.

“No.” I shook my head. “We need something sturdier.”

“We’re going to have to go back to one of the islands,” Sarah sighed.

“It looks like the one over there has some nice peat.” Devonna pointed to the small island to the right of us.

We hadn’t been to that one, yet, but Devonna was right, even from here, I could see how thick the dirt was over there. It would be great for packing in the open areas between the branches.

“Now we just need to figure out how to get it over here without getting it too wet,” I said.

“We can take the meat out of the baskets,” Em suggested. “Then you can use them for the dirt.”

“Good idea,” I said. “But we’ll need somewhere clean to set the meat down.

“Here,” Shanice said, and she pulled out something from her pocket and unfolded it to reveal a large piece of fabric. “We can set it on this for now.”

“Great,” I said, and I took the fabric and started to empty the baskets onto it. “It shouldn’t take me long.”

“Did you think we were going to let you go by yourself again?” Shanice asked.

“We’ll come with you,” Sarah said. “It will be faster with the three of us.”

As much as I wanted to argue, I knew she was right. It was already mid afternoon, and if we wanted to get this raft built today, then we needed to get this peat as fast as possible.

Besides, it would be nice to only have to carry one basket instead of two.

“Okay,” I agreed. “We should get going, then.”

The island we were headed to was only about thirty feet from the one we were on, but the idea of getting back in the water made my skin crawl. We’d been lucky enough earlier to only encounter some leeches, but there was no telling what else we could find in that murky mess.

Still, it needed to be done, so it would get done.

Sarah, Shanice, and I quickly pulled off our boots, readied our baskets and weapons, and made our way back into the water. The familiar feel of the grainy, gross liquid on my feet and ankles made me shudder, but I kept walking.

To my surprise, I was able to touch the bottom of the river the entire walk over to the new island. The water only got up to my chest, so it wasn’t quite as terrifying as the other trip had been. For me, at least. The water came up to Sarah’s shoulders and Shanice’s neck once again, so I couldn’t speak for them.

We made it over to the island without incident, and once we got onto shore, I could already feel the difference between this island and the other one. The island by the door was very sandy, and the other two we’d been to were more muddy than anything. But the ground here was sort of soft and spongy, with plenty of moss and bits of grass growing here and there.

I reached down and jabbed my fingers into the earth, and then I pulled up and took a fistfull of the ground with me. The dirt felt solid and heavy in my hand, and I couldn’t help the smile that came over my face. It seemed our plan was going to work. At least, our materials were what they should be. Now we just had to use them correctly.

Sarah, Shanice, and I got to work filling our baskets with the peat. It only took about twenty minutes, and once that was done we carried our baskets back into the water and headed for the small island where Natasha, Em, and Devonna were waiting for us.

We were nearly to shore when I stopped dead in my tracks.

Something brushed against my leg, and whatever it was, it didn’t feel like it was small. It was scaly and rough, and it had bumped up against the entire back of my leg.

Without thinking, I thrust the basket I was holding at Sarah and yanked my sword from where it hung on my hip.

“Go!” I bellowed. “Get to shore!”

Sarah turned to me, and her eyes were questioning, but I yelled “Go!” once more, and she turned and trudged as fast as possible toward the shore.

Shanice was right beside her, and I tried to keep up with them, but waves started splashing all around me and nearly pulled me under.

“Jake!” Devonna screamed. “Behind you!”

Sarah and Shanice were nearly to shore by now, and I saw them turn around and look at something behind me with huge, horrified eyes.

With my sword raised, I spun around to find a massive, mutant turtle towering over me.