Gildan's Note: Hello, here is another AU of mine! Hope you enjoy.
Chapter One: Don't Panic
Will Graham gave a heavy sigh and wiped his brow, today was their last day at sea and he was certainly glad for it. Whatever lay ahead he couldn't guess, but the island was sure to hold…something. Something of value to his group, that was, after all, why they were going in the first place.
Aboard the ship was a large crew, for the maintenance of the boat and for the expedition. The head of the expedition was a man named Jack Crawford, who came to Will Graham with the proposal a few months ago. The island was unexplored, and that peaked Will's curiosity. However after a few weeks at sea, Will was beginning to regret his decision.
"You know," said Brian Zeller, one of the three who were going to be studying the organisms on the island, "they say there are cannibals on the island."
Beverly Katz, one of Zeller's team members, rolled her eyes. "Where did you hear that?"
"The natives on that other island we stopped at. Why do you think they don't come here?" he replied cooly.
"Because it's not worth their time?"
Will shut his eyes and the two continued their argument, just one more day and he wouldn't have to be stuck on a boat with so many people. But just as he was about to drift off to sleep, Jack's voice could be heard from up on deck.
"Land!" he called. "Everyone get up here!"
When Will first saw the island, he was in awe; it was magnificent and beautiful. There was a white sand beach and a vibrant, but dense, jungle that stretched on for what looked like miles. But then his stomach dropped (as he was sure did everyone else's) at the thought that there could be anything here. He didn't think much of Zeller's story though.
That evening when everyone had unpacked and tents were set up, there were several members of the crew who had begun to work on building little cabins. The expedition was sure to last months, and Jack had been prepared to make any temporary sort of homes he could.
Will slept in his own tent that night, thankful to be free of the boat. They would start a short hike tomorrow, mapping out the jungle and the beach. He closed his eyes, but all he could dream of were vicious human like creatures chasing the crew to their deaths.
The sunlight filtered in through the tent, and Will woke up squinting. He rubbed his eyes and got dressed. Stepping out of the tent, he could see that almost everyone else was already up. They called him over for a quick breakfast, and after a small pep talk, they had begun their hike into the jungle.
Beverly's team was already interested in the flora and fauna, jotting down extensive notes in their journals. Will looked up at the canopy, and then to the dark rich soil beneath his feet.
"Will? Where you going?" came Beverly's voice.
Will looked up, he had been walking away from the others without even realizing it. He turned around and jogged back to the group. "Sorry – I got distracted I guess."
"Well, be careful – we don't know what's poisonous yet." She smiled.
"Great." Muttered Will. "Why am I here again?"
Beverly laughed, "I think we're all a little curious of an unexplored island. Personally, I hope we discover a new species. I've always wanted something named after myself."
"Please," Said Zeller from behind them, "I think we can all come up with the name together."
"Not if I find it first." She teased. Jimmy Price, another member of Beverly's team, smiled from in front of them, and Will found himself smiling too.
After about an hour the group had started to feel comfortable splitting up.
"We've got main bases here," said Jack pointing to their current map, "and here. If you lose your partners just try and make it back to one of these."
Will tagged along with Beverly's team, but they were less jovial and more serious now that they were to themselves. Will stood with his back to the trunk of a large tree while Zeller, Price, and Beverly took notes. There was a rustling behind him and he turned to look.
"Hey…" he said quietly. They hadn't come across any larger animals throughout the trip, and Will was suddenly eager to be the one to document this. He saw a shape move about thirty feet away and started to head towards it.
As he pulled away the large leaves, the sounds were closer, then further away, and then close again. Will finally saw a young adult boar making its way through the brush and smiled. "Hey Beverly!" he called, turning around.
Will frowned; he didn't recognize the scene behind him. But he hadn't gone that far, he was sure of it. He gave a deep, controlled breath, turned around, and headed back in the direction he came from.
After about five minutes Will realized that he was truly lost. He closed his eyes, don't panic, find the bases. There was a very distinguished tree they had chosen as a base, with gnarled roots and deep, natural gashes. He would be able to recognize it from a distance. But as time passed, he couldn't locate it.
He tried calling out, to Jack, Beverly, even Zeller and Price, but there was no response. Will felt the weight of his backpack more importantly now, he was going to need to salvage everything he had brought in order to survive.
Will did a 360, which way should he go? If each way he thought was the right way was the wrong way…Will tried to look to the sky, but he didn't know what he was looking for. Maybe if he climbed a tree…but each attempt to climb resulted in him falling on his butt and being slightly embarrassed.
The only thing to do was make educated guesses and keep going.