Sam must have dozed off.

The sun had sunk lower in the sky, to the point where it had almost disappeared and he felt a slight chill, and indication of the impending night.

He recalled the fact that Andy had left to go looking for something of use not too long ago. He cursed himself for falling asleep. He had tried to stay awake to keep an eye on Gracie and to keep checking on Andy. Sometimes he would call out to her, just to make sure she was okay, but she eventually called that she was going farther. Sam had gotten a pit in his stomach, but allowed her to go. She needed to do this.

The heat had obviously taken a toll on him, though he didn't want to admit it. But that was probably why he had fallen asleep in the first place.

He checked on Gracie, stomach grumbling. His stomach was always grumbling these days. He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. They needed to find help soon.

Gracie was still sleeping, peacefully now. He checked the cloths Andy had placed on her to find that they were very warm. Her took out a water bottle to re-wet the cloths and replaced them back on Gracie's body. She heaved a comforting sigh, which instantly gave Sam some relief. At least he could do something right.

Sam couldn't go very far because he didn't want to leave Gracie unattended. He vaguely wondered what could be taking Andy so long, but decided not to dwell too much on it until after he caught them some food.

A small bird and a fire later, Gracie awoke to the smells of their makeshift dinner. Her hair was mused and covered with leaves from the forest floor. Looking around, she noticed Sam and scooted closer.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Sam teased, turning the bird over the fire.

"But Sammy," Gracie said, serious, "it's nighttime!"

Sam couldn't help but laugh; she was too cute.

It didn't take too long for the bird to finish cooking and they dug in, gratefully. They of course saved some for Andy when she returned.

"Sammy?" Gracie asked in between bites. "Where is Andy?"

Sam paused to swallow. "That's a good question," he said, looking up at the sky. It was almost completely dark outside. His uneasiness increased the longer that Andy didn't return.


Andy had jumped in the small lake she found. She just couldn't help herself.

Andy had been trekking through the woods for quite some time. At first, Sam had called out to her to check and make sure she was okay, but he eventually stopped and he assumed he had either fallen asleep or Gracie had woken up and he was caring for her.

So, she took that as her cue that she could keep going farther out. She knew that something was out here, and she was going to find it. Andy finally felt useful after such a long time. Even if she was walking through the woods, slapping bugs and branches out of her way.

It wasn't long before she stumbled over a tree root and found the lake, if you could even call it that. It was small, but it was clean and it was water. She had filled up all of the water bottles she had before jumping in herself.

It was a relief to her hot and sore body. The lake was small, but surprisingly deep; Andy's feet just brushed the bottom. She went underwater and came up, brushing her bangs back and pulling her hair into a high ponytail to keep it out of her face. She came up facing opposite the shore she left the pack and her gun, figuring if it got anymore wet, it definitely wouldn't work.

She didn't notice the shadow that passed through the trees behind her.

Andy looked up at the sky, realizing the impending darkness. She knew that even if Sam had fallen asleep, he would be up by now and she couldn't exactly remember how far away she had made it from their makeshift camp. She also needed to get back so they could Gracie to some cold, refreshing water so she wouldn't get sick again.

She eased herself out of the water, pausing when she heard a stick crack. It was close. And it sounded way bigger than any animal they had encountered so far.

Wary, Andy tried to look past the thick brush that surrounded the pond. She couldn't see anything, but the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her instincts were telling her to run, and run fast.

She bent down to pick up her gun, but she fumbled it; her nerves were going crazy. She cursed, reaching for it again.

That's when he struck.

Andy felt a blow to the head, but it was weak. The most it did was knock her off balance; she managed to stay conscious, albeit a little dizzy. She managed to stay on her feet and she looked up into the cold face of Richard Larvmen.

He looked worse off than they did. He was dirty and grimy; a scruffy beard covered his face. His eyes were wild and his skin was bright red. His clothes were ripped and he looked crazier than Andy had ever seen him.

Their thoughts were confirmed; Richard Larvmen had survived the crash and he was here in this place with them.

Andy's thoughts were torn as time seemed to freeze. Calling out would alert Sam, but maybe Larvmen didn't know that Sam was alive and well, not to mention Gracie. She couldn't risk bringing danger unto them.

Plan B. Get the gun.

She looked Larvmen in the eye and dove onto the ground.

Larvmen, seeing her intention, tackled her, forcing the air out of her lungs. She gasped for air, much like a fish out of water, but she didn't stop struggling. Right now, she didn't care if she shot and killed the bastard. It appeared it was going to be the only way to get out of this alive.

She reached out and her hands made purchase with the cool metal of the gun. Suddenly, flashes of doubt entered her mind. The gun had been severely water logged when they fell into the ocean. She didn't even know if this was going to work. But for her sake, she had to try.

She tried to shift her weight so that she could point the gun at Larvmen, but he started to reach for it. Andy knew that if he got the gun, he would kill her. She would be done. She kept struggling. She had to stay alive. She wanted to tell both Gracie and Sam that she loved them.

With the image of Gracie and Sam somewhere in the forest in her head, she found the strength to kick Larvmen off of her and she scrambled to her feet, aiming the gun at his head as he cowered on the ground.

Breathless, she pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Shit.

Andy, now panicked, whacked the side of the gun a couple of times, doubting it would help. She turned to run, but Larvmen used the hesitation to get off the ground and come after her.

She was strong, but he was angry and he overpowered her easily. He twisted her arm, trying to get her to discard the gun, though neither one of them thought it would do any damage now.

Still, Andy was not giving up. Her finger found the trigger once more and she pulled, but Larvmen had redirected the shot.

The gun worked, scattering nearby birds in the area and echoing through the trees. Andy heard Larvmen cry out in pain and she realized she had hit him in the foot. Not what she was aiming for, but at least it was something.

Larvmen had to shift his weight off his foot, but he didn't let go of Andy and he snatched the gun out of her hand before she could get another shot off. He tried to recover himself and Andy knew at that moment that she wasn't getting away, at least not right now.

"Why are you doing this?" she panted, her lip bloody from the struggle.

It in fact, didn't make sense what Larvmen was doing. They were on what appeared to be a deserted island; what good would it do to kill her right now? Sure, he might not get caught, but what was the point?

But then, was there really any way to reason with a person who could kill his child in the middle of the night?

It was the last coherent thought she could remember thinking, for at that moment, Larvmen took the butt of the gun and pistol whipped the side of her head so hard she was out cold.

He hoisted her over his shoulder, grunting with the strain it put on his foot and began carrying her into the brush.


Sam was pacing back and forth, awaiting Andy's return while Gracie slept again. He knew that if she hadn't returned by morning, something went wrong. But he didn't feel comfortable with her out there alone at night.

Sam's head jolted up when he heard the shot. It was gunfire, no doubt. He heard it all the time and there was no mistaking what it was.

He knew Andy had her gun, but he also knew the chances of it actually working were slim. And why would she have to shoot a gun? They had no reason to suspect that anyone else was on this island. If they had found civilization, they would have been rescued by now.

It was then that Sam remembered the foot print he thought he saw. It must have been…Larvmen!

Sam's muscles tensed and he shook his heavy head. How could he be so stupid? The heat must really be affecting his brain. They hadn't found his body, but he honestly assumed he had perished in the plane crash. Even still, how could he have let Andy go out alone? Stupid!

Now what was he to do? Larvmen most likely had Andy, but now there was Gracie to think about. Although he knew there was no option. He was going after Andy. He would have to keep Gracie safe too.

He started packing everything up, knowing that time was running short. He shook Gracie awake, who looked at him through wide eyes, realizing that something was wrong.

"Andy?" she asked in a hushed voice and he simply nodded.

Sam grabbed Gracie's hand and he didn't even have to pull her along as he took off in the direction that he had last seen Andy go.