Lian Yu, Fall 1939.
"Almost there," Nii struggled to say through gritted teeth.
Yamada and Nii dragged the limp unconscious body of their commander along the forest floor. They had almost made it to what appeared to be a cave opening. Yamada clenched Fujimoto's pant leg in his left hand and the case of unbroken Mirakuru in his right. It was eerily quiet inland. Yamada couldn't help but have his head on a swivel.
"Just what exactly do you think is out here?" He asked Nii.
Nii remained quiet not because he didn't want to answer but because he didn't want to expend the breath and energy to do so. The trio arrived at the foot of what was indeed a cave. They each let go of Fujimoto's legs, laying him peacefully on the pine-needled floor. Nii dusted himself off.
"That map paid off," Nii noted.
Yamada somehow managed to hold onto the map of the local area after the submarine shipwrecked. It wasn't overly detailed but it showed some potential topography of the area.
"We should mark certain things on it," Yamada offered to which Nii agreed.
They ventured into the cave which wasn't very deep at all. It was more like a hollowed out tree trunk with stones protruding from the dirt. They began to set up camp as quickly as possible with what limited supplies they had.
"Pretty amazing place, huh?" said Yamada.
Nii nodded.
"Yeah... thought this place was only something from ancient folklore no one had ever visited before. Say, where did you get that map anyways?" He replied, placing a few containers on the ground.
"I'm resourceful. Seeing I knew we were headed through the North China Sea and it hadn't exactly been traversed too often before, I thought it'd be wise to grab a few maps from the archives," Yamada explained.
Nii's expression changed to an unimpressed one. He knew most of the maps found in the archives were non-vetted, potential wastes of ventures so why Yamada even bothered entertaining himself with that junk was rather baffling.
"You know, most of those maps are just fake props drawn up by idiots," Nii jabbed.
Yamada was looking at that very map until Nii finished his sentence. He quickly folded it up and shoved it in his pocket, somewhat embarrassed and on the defensive.
"Yeah... well... it got us here didn't it? Whether or not it's a prop; whether or not no one has ever set foot on this island before is irrelevant. We are here now and it is better than having nothing," Yamada struck back.
The banter died down between them as they finally got settled. Night was quickly approaching and they had limited rations. Fujimoto was prone on his back in the best bed the three of them had available. Yamada's stomach began to growl.
"We should try to hunt for some food," Nii directed.
"Agreed," Yamada accepted, "We have rations but those won't expire for a long time so we should save them for as long as possible."
Nii grabbed a bayonet from their supplies, unsheathed it, checked it for sharpness, and fastened it to his belt.
"I will go tonight. Stay here and look after the commander. Wish me luck," He said.
Yamada nodded as he watched his comrade off. The cool night air was invading their dwelling as Yamada gathered all the warm clothes they had and made a nest out of it. He stared at Fujimoto. The commander's face had a permanent grimace cast over it. Yamada grew concerned that his commander would not awake or heal at all. He shuffled himself in an attempt to get more comfortable when he accidentally elbowed the case of Mirakuru. It shook lightly and the sound of glass jingled throughout the cave. Yamada's attention shifted from the commander to the Mirakuru and back again.
Nii stalked through the thick bushes of purgatory, looking for prey. He stumbled upon a rabbit he had been tracking for a mile or so. He drew his blade as he crept nearer. He saw his opportunity to pounce but failed as the rabbit easily hopped away at the last second.
"Dammit!" He cursed.
He pushed himself up from the ground and heard a growl off in the distance. He stood impeccably still as no more than five feet in front of him was a feral wolf. Grungy, grey, and frothing at the mouth, the wolf eyed Nii as its prey.
"Whoa now, easy there fella," Nii reasoned.
He gently holstered his knife and extended empty hands forward innocently. The wolf snarled even more intensely. Nii knew he only had one chance to bail and he had to pick his spot carefully. He slowly walked backwards, creating distance between him and the wolf.
"Three, two..." He counted down to himself.
The wolf crept forward.
"One..."
The wolf lunged at Nii with ferocity.
"MOVE!"
Nii side shuffled just as the wolf came screeching by. The wolf clipped Nii's arm with its claw. Blood spurted upward from his shoulder as he yelled in pain. The chase was on as Nii, holding his shoulder, sprinted down the trail. The wolf was hot on his proximity and he knew he couldn't outrun such a savage beast. Nii caught a glimpse of a clearing ahead and ran towards it. He suddenly tripped over what appeared to be a wire. While grounded, all he could do was look outward at the wolf barreling towards him.
"This is it!" He prayed to the heavens.
The wolf made a final lunge as Nii covered his face and shrunk into the fetal position as a gust of air rushed by. One moment passed, then another, and then another. Nii slowly opened his eyes. He looked to his right and noticed a spiked log hanging from the tree branches high above. It swayed as if it had just hit something and it was plastered in blood and fur. No more than a foot from the item of destruction was the wolf, motionless and dead. Indeed, Nii had tripped over something that triggered the spiked trap to engage. He got up and looked around. Maybe the island had some form of inhabitants after all? Regardless, he was grateful for his lease on life - and the bountiful dinner that sat at his feet.