While Brandon explained to the group why they shouldn't report anything to the authorities, if they survived, Tyler pulled Liam aside.
"So we wait and watch what happens to the people who report it first?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah," Liam replied flatly.
"Mike's on the other side." Tyler's eyes sharpened, both with uncertain and with disapprove.
"Then tell him not to report it the moment we get out." Liam's voice sounded as tired as ever, like he missed yesterday night's sleep. That's very much accurate, he missed yesterday night's sleep.
"That still puts everyone else there at risk. If you're right about the people behind this... 'game'…" Tyler gestured to the horizon, as if the other side of the game was there.
"We don't even know who they all are. We're blind. Our hands are tied." Liam still sounded unbothered.
Tyler clenched his jaw, dissatisfied but unable to argue. It made too much sense. Alas, all he could do was a "Tsk."
"Anyways," Liam started, facing the ocean "we should soak ourselves before heading in. We're walking into a burning forest."
With that, he made his way to the beach. Two other volunteers followed, and after a short pause, Tyler trailed behind.
They submerged themselves fully, dunking their heads while a few others kept watch for snakes. Tyler lingered under the water longer than the rest. The pressure in his lungs was calming somehow, like self-punishment. A quiet part of him whispered:
Maybe I could just stay here. Just a little longer…
"What are you doing?"
"Ah!" Tyler jolted upright, gasping, catching his breath with a facepalm.
"I... I..." he stammered, eyes lowered.
"Breathe first," Liam said simply.
Tyler obeyed, drawing in deep, shaky breaths, as water dripped down back into the sea from his soaked hair.
"I... I... " The deep breaths didn't help much though.
"It's time. Let's go," Liam added, already heading out of the water, completely drenched, his wet overgrown hair obscured half his face.
"… Okay." Tyler followed behind.
Back with the group, Brandon approached with a satisfied nod and his palm on his waist. "Looks like the crowd understands the plan, Liam."
Liam said nothing, his extra cold expression due to being drenched giving no reply.
"Alright then." Brandon nodded again, this time to the whole team, "Let's move."
"Wait," James interrupted. "Liam suggested we soak ourselves first. You didn't notice we're all wet as hell?" He chuckled as water practically rained from the tips of his hair.
"Good call. Give me a second." Brandon jogged off toward the shore.
James turned to Liam with a faint smile. "It's like only you and Brandon are useful on this island."
"You're useful too for having the guts to step forward," said Chris. "The useless fuckers are them." He pointed to a group lounging by the shore, neither helping defend the camp nor gathering resources.
"They're just scared," Tyler interjected, defending the survivors. "I'm scared too." He shrugged subtly.
"But you're still here," Chris said, his voice deep and masculine, unwavering. "That already puts you ahead of them." He glanced back at the idle survivors with a sneer.
Liam didn't argue. Instead, he shifted the focus. "The snakes… they're unlike anything I've seen or learnt. But they're fragile, absurdly fragile, one solid blow to the head and they're done. Don't bother with sharp weapons. Blunt force is more effective and easier to land." He explained, holding up a blunt but thick branch he found.
The group nodded and exchanged their pointed sticks for thicker branches, scattered all over the sand fields.
"I'm back!" Brandon returned, dripping wet, that perfect hair of his finally ruined. "Let's do this." He nodded, his eyes powerful and resolute.
They tied strips of torn shirts around their noses and mouths, shielding themselves from the smoke and ash, then headed into the forest fire.
They crept through bushes and branches, some lit of fire, some spared. Brandon led the advance through the blinding smoke within the conflagrating forest, Liam followed last with his fingers pinching his nose close.
"On your right!" James suddenly called out not even a minute into the forest.
"Harh!" Chris handled the pouncing snake with relative ease after the good call out.
They encountered only a few snakes, because most had perished in the fire. The ones that remained were quickly dispatched with tight coordination and practiced swings.
"If there were 80 snakes on this island, we've probably taken out half by now," Brandon called out as they passed several blackened carcasses, snakes and humans. His voice were slightly raised, otherwise it would've been muffled by the surrounding sound of fire roaring.
Suddenly, Liam stumbled upon a rotting corpse. Black veins were spreading. Its eyes were glassy, mouth agape. But Liam barely spared it a glance. After a moment's pause, he moved on.
"Anyone out there?! Hello?!" Brandon shouted.
"Bad idea," Liam said softly, almost to himself. "They'll hear that."
Only Tyler heard Liam's words. He turned to the group. "Be on guard! The snakes can hear our screams!"
"Shit."
"Form a circle!" Brandon commanded.
"Chris, your side!"
Chris swung his branch like a bat, shattering the skull of an incoming snake. Tyler followed with his own strike, then Liam.
The snakes came faster now, but not as frenzied as before. The team held them off.
"Anymore coming?" James asked, still in stance.
"Don't think so." Chris responded. Sea water on their body had long been replaced by sweat.
Then, a sound.
"Help…"
A faint cry, barely audible.
"Someone's out there," Liam muttered, someone's somehow alive in this extreme condition, yet Liam was emotionless about it.
"Someone's crying for help!" Tyler relayed loudly.
"Chris! Left side!"
"I've got it!" His attack burst the snake's head open like a baseball bat slamming into a tomato.
They continued forward, following the voice, intercepting the occasional snake along the way.
"Help!"
It was clearer now.
"This way!" Brandon led them through a thicket.
"There! In that cave!" James pointed. Two survivors, one man, one woman, huddled inside, smoke behind them and fear in their eyes.
"Take this!" Chris handed the male survivor a branch. "Fight with us!"
"There could be more survivors. Let's keep looking," Brandon said.
"No! There isn't!" the male survivor cried suddenly. "Everyone else… they're gone. We saw it happen."
"How can you be sure?" Tyler asked.
"We saw them die! All of them!"
"You survived. Why you, and not any one of them?" James questioned the improbable scenario.
"We just... just got lucky! Please, believe us!" the male survivor clasped his palms together, while the female survivor just watched, her eyes clearly reflected despair.
Standing at the cave entrance, Liam crushed another snake's skull, listening quietly. "If he's lying…" he thought, "I'd do the same. Saying anything to stay safe. That's to be expected."
He didn't judge. Just readied his branch for the next snake.