Chapter Nine: The Monster
The morning after the volcano, for breakfast Woody had made a selection of cereal, oatmeal, granola and rice pudding. It was one of the easier breakfasts, but he still served it with sugar, syrup, fruits and milk. It was delicious. And everyone was impressed how he had managed to make cereal. Though, he claimed it was easy once he had worked it out. He had also made a variety of smoothies which were delicious.
Whilst eating, they discussed a potential 'safe house' for if the volcano was to erupt, bigger.
"We need something higher, to protect against a tsunami" Bailey offered
"And something which we can secure a water source, or maintain drinking water. Maybe another pipeline which goes through a condenser before coming to a tap?" Cody offered
"Are there any more taps on the Wreck we could use?" London asked
"I think there's three washrooms we never touched" Zack replied
"Where are we thinking, if we want to avoid the tsunami, we might need something for animals and vegetables too, so we can maintain a food source" Woody asked
"Something with a secure base, I'm thinking we build it on top of the caves, it's higher up" Bailey offered
"It wouldn't need to be huge. Like the Beach Hut, two rooms. Just somewhere to rest during and whilst we're repairing" Zack replied
"But a bathroom in this one, please" Bailey replied
"Easy to do, the hard part would be the factorisation there" Cody replied
"If it's not going to be used daily, we can probably get by with a natural one" Bailey replied
"Ok but you'll regret it when there's seven of us using one natural toilet" Cody laughed
"I'll survive" Bailey retorted, laughing
"That's the point of this" Zack reminded them
"What about the farm and the food?" London asked
"We could build pens next to the house for the animals, share water source, less pipework" Cody replied
"And easy for us to get to if the ash makes it unbreathable outside" Woody replied
"And vegetables? Fruit?" Emma asked, finally joining in after being amazed by the rationality of the kids discussion
"We need to go out and look. Remember where we planned the sports centre, I think that's higher and that field backs onto the top of the caves. That could be arable land" Bailey replied
"We need a poly-grow tube. It would protect from the ash, and if we plumb it in too, it will protect from acid rain" London suggested
"How do we get one of those?" Woody asked
"We need clear plastic. Cody, Bailey. Didn't you plan to melt plastic bottles to make windows before we found the wreck?" she asked
"We could build long strips which we could bend to an arch" Bailey suggested
"Overlap and if we melt them together it should be watertight" Cody mused
"And strong" Zack replied "We would need to build the house stronger, if there is ash, we need to be able to support that weight"
"We used most of the supports in the house from bamboo, we could probably use the supports from the wreck for this, it wouldn't be that many" Woody replied
"Good. We would need some storage for food, if you could make another cool box, doesn't have to be the size of the one in the house. And something for an oven" Zack listed
"If we get indications of an eruption again, we should have enough time to pack what we need and go to the safe house" Bailey suggested
"We'll build the safe house, build the barn, and build the poly tunnel. Then we can prepare a list so if it was to hit, we all know exactly what we need to do. Like; Bailey and Cody, you gather the animals. Moseby, you isolate the water. Woody and Emma, you pack a list from things inside the house. Me and London will get the lifeboat higher. We can finalise at the time as to what we need, but this sounds like a good idea" Zack replied. They all nodded in agreement
"Anyone have anything else to add?" he asked. They all shook their heads.
- Three Days Later-
"Right then. Next port of call" Zack asked over breakfast as they finalised their building design for the safe house. Today's mission was to go to the ship and see how they could disassemble the posts. They concluded they would need 12 support beams, and then additional for the roof. They were going to take the boat to count the supports available, and then measure. "Woody, what's on the menu today?" Zack asked having just had a large breakfast of pancakes, cereal and Woody's latest masterpiece, croissants.
"Well, we still have loads of potatoes leftover … So, I was thinking..." Woody trailed off as he picked up the cookbook, opening to a page he had dog-eared earlier "Bangers and mash" he added
"Sausage and Mashed potato?" Moseby asked
"Yeah, with peas and onions and gravy" Woody replied
"Is that dinner?" Emma asked
"Yeah. I'm not sure about lunch, what do you think?" he asked
"We could just have a sandwich, if you could make some more bread like yesterday, have we got anything to go in it?" Moseby asked
"There's salad left over from yesterday, but we wouldn't have meat by then. Unless we have a later lunch and a hot pork roll?" Woody asked
"That would be delicious" they agreed
"So, what do you need?" Zack asked
"A pig please, and peas. I think we have everything else. Oh. We'll need more flour" he listed
"I need to mill some more, so I can do that" Bailey offered
"Thank you. I'll go and feed the fish for you" he replied
"Thank you" she thanked
"Woody are you happy to feed the fish on your own? I think Cody, you may have to go with Emma and Moseby to relight the fire on the point of the Island. I think it should have dried out enough now to relight" Zack explained, as the fire was extinguished in the thunderstorm, and despite the intense sun the last few days, it was not enough to dry out the wood enough to relight it.
"Of course," they agreed. And once everything was washed up, they then separated ways and went off to do their various jobs. Woody handing back to dry up before he went to feed the fish, looking forward to a change in jobs. He loved the kitchen, and he adored cooking. And today he was going to try and make potato chips, though he was keeping it a secret from the others in case it failed.
He still liked to go out, and especially to the fish. With a smile on his face, he walked over to the fish nets, looking down at the fish as they bubbled up to the surface. He sprinkled in some food and watched as they gulped it up
"Don't worry little fishies" he said calmly to them "You're safe today. I'm going to do pork rolls, potato chips and sausages and mash for dinner. You can relax today" he said "Though, I can't make any promises for tomorrow" he warned them, standing back up.
He heard the waves softly around him and smiled, it was peaceful here. The very light breeze blew the trees, he could barely hear it. Then, a loud rustle, Close, low. He turned to the bush beside him to see it still shaking, he took a few steps back, fearfully.
"H-Hello?" he called meekly. The bush sat ominously still now. He had been on the Island long enough to know that they had not seen any animals aside from the ones on the farm. No rabbits, rats, rodents, snakes, spiders. Nothing. Nothing could have made that bush rustle. Not even the wind.
He cautiously picked up a stick and threw it into the bush. It landed with a dull thud, but silence. Woody breathed a sigh of relief, and no sooner had he exhaled that the bush rustled again. Louder, more viciously than before.
Not wasting any time, Woody screamed, running back towards the house without looking back. As he approached the house, he could see everyone on the beach. Zack and Moseby getting the boat ready to launch, London, Emma and Bailey bringing a bag full of drinks out, ready to load. Cody with an armful of life jackets.
They all turned as they heard Woody screaming, turning to see him, Moseby and Zack jumped off the boat, Zack running, picking up some axes he made, passing one to Moseby. London, Emma and Bailey put their bag down, as Moseby and Zack pushed themselves in front protecting them, Cody threw the life jackets aside, picked up a large stick and ran to stand by Zack and Moseby. London placed her hand on the back of Zack's forearm, scared.
Woody ran over to them, Zack and Moseby pushing him behind them, as he collapsed on the floor out of breath.
"Woody, what's wrong" Bailey asked, concerned. He pointed to the direction which he came from. Still unable to talk, trying to catch his breath
"What is it?" Zack asked. They all looked towards the woodland, but couldn't see anything
"There's something out there" Woody managed to pant out
"What do you mean?" Moseby asked
"I was feeding the fish … And I heard a rustle" Woody explained, as Bailey passed him a bottle of water and he downed it in a single gulp "The bush behind me, it started rustling, shaking. Like there was something inside it"
"The wind?" Zack asked, crouching down to him once he had caught his breath. Moseby and Cody still had weapons, but lowered them slowly. Cautiously looking out at the woods
"No. Louder than the wind. It was like something was in the bush" Woody explained, sitting up
"An escaped animal?" London asked
"No. It sounded bigger than that" he explained
"Like a pig? They can be loud" Bailey offered
"Bigger. Like a monster" Woody said, eyes wide. Genuine terror on his face. "Whatever it was, it wasn't happy" he concluded
"We need to go and find out" Moseby concluded
"It will kill you" Woody warned
"Did it try and hurt you?" Zack asked him. Woody shook his head
"Well no. But I did run away" Woody explained
"How long were you there before it made a noise?" Zack asked. Woody thought for a moment before replying, eyes wide
"It was baiting me!" he exclaimed
"I doubt it Woodster" Zack replied softly. "We'll go and investigate" he assured him, looking over at Moseby who nodded in agreement
"It's too risky" Woody complained
"Woody, if there's something out there, we need to check it out" Bailey reminded him
"It's probably an animal which got out of the farm when we had the storm" Cody added
"I wouldn't take that chance" Woody replied
"I'm going to investigate" Zack announced, firmly
"Me too" Moseby replied
"I'm not going anywhere" Woody declared
"That's fine. You stay here with us Woody. We'll get a drink and you can tell us all about it" Emma said
"Zack, where's the weapons?" Bailey asked
"There's some by the front door in the house" Zack replied
"You guys are insane" Woody said to Zack and Moseby
"We need to keep ourselves safe' Moseby replied
"Chances are we'll come back with dinner" Zack added, trying to lighten the mood. London ran over to kiss Zack goodbye, and they shared hugs as the two men, walked off. Emma and Bailey walking Woody back to the house, London and Cody going on ahead
"Where did Woody say he heard it?" Zack asked
"He was feeding the fish and I think he said the bush was behind him" Moseby replied, as they looked around. They identified a small bush in the right sort of position as Woody had described. They went over and nudged the bush. It made a loud rustle, the sort which may be startling if not expecting it.
"I think we found it" Zack concluded. They had a good look around, both sure it was an escaped animal, keeping quiet as to not alert the culprit. They could not see anything. No animals, no droppings, not even a track.
"Well. If there was something, it's gone now" Moseby said after around twenty minutes of looking and not being able to find anything
"Hello!" Zack called, no reply, no noise, no rustling
"Hello?" Moseby called
"Hello! Hello! Hello?" they called between them, before looking between one another
"Nothing here is there?" Moseby asked. Zack shook his head.
"No" he replied. "Do we head back then? Or keep looking round, see if there was anything here that might have moved a bit further back"
"No harm in looking. I mean, what are we missing today?" Moseby asked
"Gutter cleaning, following the storm" Zack replied. Moseby laughed
"They'll be fine without us" he concluded
"If there was anything, chances are it went into the woods" Zack said, looking at the faint track between the bushes.
"Let's go" Moseby said, pointing his axe towards the woods.
They walked through the woods for around half an hour before the path changed. Zack shot his hand out and Moseby looked, seeing before them a track, which looked remarkably like human footprints.
"Have we already been here?" Moseby asked. Zack shook his head, raising his weapon "It looks fresh" Mosbey added
"Let's follow it" Zack replied, determined, as he begun to follow the path
"I think it's our best chance of finding what it is" Moseby replied, raising his own weapon
"I agree" Zack muttered, and they let silence take over as they started walking slowly, trying not to make a noise.
They followed it to a section of woods which neither Moseby nor Zack had been down before. They came to a fork, stopping to look at their options
"I think we should go left" Moseby explained softly
"It looks more worn. But we might have more than one of whatever we're following" Zack explained. They began taking a few steps when Zack stopped him. "Quiet, we don't want to scare anything"
They walked in silence until the path ended. Nothing further. No more indications of a path
"I don't know where to go from here" Moseby admitted
"Me neither" Zack replied "Do you think there's anything here" he asked. Moseby shrugged
"I don't know" he admitted. They randomly chose a path and started walking, trying to find their way back to the path where they knew where they were.
"Zack" Moseby called a few minutes later
"What's up?' he asked
"Is that the remains of a fire?" Moseby asked. Zack spun round to look at the now obvious, recent fire pit
"It certainly looks like the remains of one" he answered, kneeling next to it and holding his hand over the charred embers "Not warm, I would guess a few days old" he added
"After the volcano?" Moseby asked. Zack looked up at him, making the connection. And nodded. "Someone is here then" Moseby confirmed
"Usually I would disagree, but the ring of stones does suggest that" Zack replied
"Maybe it was the shipmate?" Moseby asked, hopefully
"It's too recent for that. That was eighty odd years ago" Zack replied.
"Zack, Look!" Moseby said, pointing to a tree which had about 20 sticks leant against it and some moss. A small shelter. Zack nodded. Confirming he had seen it. He stood up and took a few steps away from Moseby and the fire. "HELLO!" he shouted into the apparently empty woods, his loud bellow making Mosbey jump, before he joined in
"Hello!"
"HELLO!"
"Hello?" They both fell silent, listening for any reaction to their calls. Nothing, not even a stick breaking from a scared animal. Moseby turned to Zack.
"No one" he confirmed, looking at Zack to see his eyes not looking back, but slightly to the left. Moseby turned slowly, to look at what Zack was seeing, and let out a high-pitched, bloodcurdling scream.
Behind them, was a woman, tall, much taller than Moseby, wearing a vest, ripped across the abdomen, a few blood stains on. And a pair of jeans. She was holding a stick which had been poorly whittled into a point. She was aiming that end at the pair. Moseby dropped his weapon and shot his hands into the air. Zack on the other hand, raised his axe threateningly towards her, everyone knowing her stick stood no chance against his axe
"Who are you?" Zack asked
"Who are you?" she asked back, not lowering her stick. Again, silence as they waited for one to back down. She took a wavering step forwards and Zack smiled at her, lowering his weapon.
"We're not here to hurt you" he assured her
"Who are you?" she asked
"I'm Zack, this is Marion. We've been stuck on this Island for about eight months" he explained. She lowered her weapon.
"I'm Serena" she replied
"Welcome Serena. How long have you been here?" Zack asked
"Maybe three days? There was a storm and my boat washed up here" she replied
"Come with us, we've made camp, built a shelter and we have food and water. Come join us, you'll be safe" Zack said calmly, holding out his hand. She was cautious, holding her stick with white knuckles as she took his hand and walked over to them.
"We won't hurt you" Zack repeated, looking at the stick still in her hand
"It makes me feel safer" she replied. He shrugged, and passed her his axe.
"Here, it's a bit stronger than a stick" he replied. She smiled, a little surprised at his offer, but took the axe all the same. Zack took the stick, so she did not need to carry both
"Where's your camp?" she asked
"Not far from here, we'll follow the beach back" Moseby replied
"Thank you, Zack, Marion" she replied
"Mr Moseby, please. I don't like the formality but … Anything is better than Marion" he replied. This caused Serena to laugh.
"Is the camp going to be big enough for three of us?" she asked
"Oh there's more than just three. I think with you we're up to eight" Moseby replied
"It's more than big enough" Zack assured her "You'll be a welcome addition"
"Thank you" she replied
As they were walking, Zack fell behind, and saw that she was holding her left arm at an awkward angle. He gently placed his hand on her left shoulder, and she stopped walking.
"Let me see" he said softly. Still reluctant, she showed him her arm, a long cut on the bicep oozed blood slowly, being wiped on her vest, adding to the blood stains.
"Not broken, but we need to get that wound dressed before it gets infected" he replied, releasing her arm
"Do you have a medical kit?" she asked, surprised and a little hopeful
"Sort of" he replied. She didn't; question that. Perhaps she didn't want to know …
"How have you been living?" she asked, curious as to what sort of camp they had made
"They've built a palace" Moseby replied
"Better than my shelter?" she asked, laughing a little from embarrassment. Moseby chose not to respond but to start listing things about the house
"We have running water, and a cook!" He mused. "Honestly it's like being on holiday"
"You'll fit right in" Zack said encouragingly. She smiled in appreciation, feeling safer around the two now
As they got back to the beach, they had decided to follow the coast back to the camp, to avoid getting lost in the woodland as they had come far from the tracks, Serena could see the rest of the camp in the distance. It looked as though they had finished their jobs for the day, as the girls and Cody were sunbathing. Woody was also sat down on the beach, but whereas the others were laying down, relaxing, aside from the occasional movement to get a drink, Woody was sat upright, stick in hand, looking sharply from left to right, scanning for movement.
"Is that camp?" she asked as the corner of the beach hut came into view
"Yeah" Zack confirmed. She had a better look at the hut as they rounded the corner.
"Jesus Christ! She exclaimed as she approached it. Moseby nudged her gently, making sure to avoid her injured arm and side.
"Just wait until you see the rest" he said softly
Before she had a chance to respond, Woody noticed them. He jumped up, causing the rest to look. Once they saw Zack and Moseby approaching, they also stood, and begun to walk over to them.
"Hey!" Bailey called
"Was there a monster?" Woody asked. Serena, who was walking behind the two men, stepped out to the side, facing the rest head on
"I mean. I wouldn't say I was a monster" she replied. They were all a little surprised to see someone but were friendly enough. They had all convened in one group now.
"Guys, this is Serena" Zack introduced. There was a chorus of 'Hellos' "Serena, this is Emma, Cody, Woody, London and Bailey" Zack introduced, going around the group.
"Hey. It's nice to meet you all" she replied.
"Come on, let's get you a cool drink, and tend to that arm" Zack said, putting his hand on her back softly and walking with her to the beach hut. Everyone followed. Everyone was dying to ask her how she got there, but they also knew that they had all the time to ask, but for now, they needed to help her settle in.
They took her into the Beach hut, and Bailey brought in the first aid kit. Emma and London followed in a few moments later, Emma with a cool glass of water, and London with a dress, as it had been noticed that her clothes were torn and could not have been comfortable.
"Guys, do you want to leave, London and I will tend to her injuries and help her change into something more comfortable" Bailey asked. Serena smiled appreciatively and the rest nodded. Once alone, London helped Serena to pull off her top whilst Bailey got the kit ready
"How did you do it?" she asked
"My arm got injured when my boat crashed, and I slipped on the rocks cutting my stomach" she said, wincing as the fabric was pulled off.
"How long ago?" Bailey asked
"Three days maybe?" she said, unsure
"Right. Well... The cut on your stomach isn't too bad. I'll give it a wipe with some alcohol to clean it and we'll put some gauze over for a day or two, just so it doesn't get infected. This may burn" Bailey warned as she rubbed the wipe over the wound. Serena gritted her teeth but didn't complain. Once wrapped up, Bailey turned her attention to her arm.
"It's not broken" she mused "Does it hurt?" she asked
"It stings. And aches, but I can't push or pull with anything" she explained.
"Again, we'll wipe it, put some gauze on, and put your arm in a sling for a week. Hopefully that will help it heal" she explained
"Thank you" Serena replied. Once her wounds were dressed, London passed her the dress.
"We'll give you some privacy, but if you need a hand because of your arm, just call us. We'll only be outside" London assured her
"Honestly, thank you so much" Serena repeated.
The girls walked out to get her to change, as Zack walked over
"All good?" he asked quietly
"Yeah, bit sore but she should be alright. We'll keep an eye on it though" Bailey explained
"Thank you. Lunch is in about ten minutes. We'll sort it out but if you want to bring Serena to the house when you're ready?" he asked
"Of course, we'll be as quick as we can" London replied leaning up to kiss him softly.
"Aww" Bailey said smiling. London blushed, and Zack winked at her, before walking away.
Serena came out the door, wearing the dress which London had given her
"Did you make this?" she asked. London nodded. They started walking over to the house
"It's amazing!" she complimented
"Thank you. I started making once we settled here. Clothes just got uncomfortable after a while" she explained
"I get that. If it wasn't for the low bushes I would have abandoned the jeans a long time ago" she replied
"Don't worry, we've got paths and things in place so there is very little 'jungle' which could hurt us" Bailey explained
"I'll make you some shorts, skirts, underwear and tops so you have a bit of a wardrobe" London offered
"You guys are amazing! How long have you been here?" she asked
"About nine months? Well. Us, Cody, Zack and Woody have been. Emma and Moseby have only been here about a week. But they were on the boat with us before we became stranded" Bailey explained "It's complicated, we'll explain it all later. Are you hungry? I think lunch is ready" she added
"Lunch?" Serena asked
"Yeah, we have hot pork sandwiches, for lunch and 'bangers and mash' for dinner" London explained
"Are you guys American?" she asked
"We are, but we have a British cookbook, hence 'bangers' sausages" Bailey explained
"You guys are taking the piss, aren't you" she replied, not believing them. London and Bailey exchanged a look as they rounded up to the house. Serena stopped in her tracks, jaw dropped as she looked up at the house
"No way did you build this" she replied
"We did" Bailey confirmed
"Took us months" London added
"Come on, lunch" Bailey replied, smelling the hot pork and feeling her mouth water. London and Bailey carried on towards the house as Serena followed behind. They walked inside and into the dining room, where everyone was waiting for them
"You have a couch and a dinner table. No way did you build this" she replied in disbelief
"We did. Well, we didn't build this. We found a shipwreck and salvaged what we could" Cody explained
"Are you guys pirates?" she asked, they all laughed
"No. Just very smart!" Moseby said, pointing to Bailey and Cody
"Hence the air conditioning, plumbing, and running water" Emma added
"I thought it was cooler in here" she replied
"Where's Woody?" Bailey asked
"On the decking, go see what he's done" Zack smiled
They all walked out to see Woody standing over a metal box
"I made a pig roaster!" he explained with a beaming smile
"It's amazing!" London complimented
"Come on, it's juicy and tender" he replied. Pointing to the pile of sliced bread, butter, plates and cutlery
"Are you shitting me? You have plates and cutlery?" Serena asked in disbelief. "Yesterday I managed to eat a handful of berries which I still don't know if they were safe for human consumption, using a leaf as a plate" They all laughed
"You don't have to worry about that now. We can have whatever we want, the farm has so much" Moseby assured her
"Farm?" she asked
"Yeah, chickens, pigs, cows, goats, then basically every fruit and veg you can imagine" Zack explained
"You know. When you were telling me about his place on the walk here, I didn't believe you but now, looking at this place ... Yeah I'd buy that" she replied.
Woody dished up and they sat on the decking as they ate.
"Fuck woody this is amazing!" Bailey moaned as she ate the meal.
Once everyone had eaten, and passed on their compliments to Woody Zack and Cody cleared up. Returning with a few bottles of wine, glasses, and an armful of beer and cider.
"What's your drink?" Bailey asked Serena
"Whatever comes" she replied
They served up drinks, all raising a toast to new friends. Taking a sip and relaxing into the chairs, letting the silence of the Island wash over them
"So how did you all end up here?" Serena asked after a few moments, breaking the silence.
"We were on a lifeboat which came off our cruise ship" Cody started
"We landed here about a day later" Zack finished
"Your cruise ship went down?" she asked
"No … No we were on the lifeboat and someone accidently hit the release buttons" Woody explained
"What a stupid thing to do" Serena laughed
"It needs a protective cover!" Moseby and Woody replied in unison, defensively. Serena raised an eyebrow
"Whilst looking for the kids we found out a lifeboat was gone, Emma and I were looking to see what the kids would have on their lifeboat to work out how long they may be able to survive, and I may have also knocked the button" Moseby replied
"But we weren't lucky enough to find this island, we had a few which were much worse than this one. Zack came to rescue us off our Island about a week ago" Emma added
"My hero!" London said walking back in from the kitchen, sitting next to Zack and placing a soft kiss to his lips. Serena had chosen the seat beside Zack, and whilst everyone else was wise enough to leave the seat on his other side free for London, she wanted to make a subtle point to Serena that he was not available.
"How did you build all this then?" she asked
"We built the beach hut first, stayed in there for a few months. We took our time building the house" Bailey explained
"What were you saying about the shipwreck?" she asked
For the next three hours, they spent explaining how they came off the boat, sharing stories about their time on the Island, Moseby and Emma comparing it to how the kids manged. They talked about building the farm, the house, finding the shipwreck and scavenging what they could from it, building the house around what they have, trying to include the oven, and the kitchen items, even the generator for the fridge and freezer.
"How about you" London asked her, all a little tipsy by that point "How did you end up here" she asked Serena
"Dinner is almost done. You can tell us all after" Woody said walking out onto the decking
"Have you eaten much whilst on the Island?" Moseby asked her
"No" Serena replied shaking her head "I was able to find water, but aside from fruit and seeds I haven't been able to find much" she explained
"Why didn't you speak up when I heard you by the fish this morning?" Woody asked
"Where's the fish?" she asked, confused
"On the beach front, there's a netted off section" Woody replied. Serena pursed her lips and shook her head
"I wasn't round there this morning" she replied
"You weren't?" Woody asked, standing upright, more alert already
"No. I was in the caves this morning, seeing if it would be better shelter. Then I came back to my camp and you were there" she said pointing to Zack and Moseby
"What was by the fish then?" Woody asked, nervous
"I don't know" she replied
"But Woody" London said calmly "They looked all around there, and there was nothing. Only animal tracks" she explained
"Are you sure?" Woody asked cautiously
"Positive" Moseby replied
"I camped near there for three days, I didn't see anything. Not even a spider, scorpion … Anything. It's like this place has no animals" she replied
"There are a few birds around. And butterflies. I saw loads of caterpillars" Woody explained
"It's incredible" she agreed.
They made their way inside, being hit by the delightful smells of Woody's cooking. He had stripped the pig before roasting it, and used half for meat, which he ground up to make the sausages, and the other half he roasted for lunch.
They sat down and Zack offered round drinks. Everyone had a bit to drink before, so had no issue with lighter drinks, iced tea, juices and water for dinner. They sat down as Woody brought in plates piled high with food
"How did you do all this?" Serena asked once they had finished their meals. All sat around, stuffed, building up the strength to move.
"There was a shipwreck on the other side of the Island. We used most of the stuff on it to build our house" Bailey explained
"Amazing" she replied
"Wait until you try the showers!" Emma said, having made it very known that she thought these showers better than the ones on the boat.
"Thank you" Serena said to them all
"You don't need to thank us" Moseby assured her
"How long have you been here?" she asked
"Seven months, three weeks and four days" Cody replied
"Really?" Serena asked, both surprised that they had managed for so long, but also slightly disappointed
"Yeah" Zack confirmed
"So I'm guessing we're not going to get rescued" she thought out loud, expressing her disappointment
"It gets more and more doubtful each day" Bailey confessed
"But it could be worse" London replied, trying to bring some positive light back to it. "You're with an amazing group of people" she added
"We'll look after you" Emma assured her
"You're safe here" Woody said, offering a smile her way. She smiled back.
Eventually they had built up the energy to move, standing up and clearing the table. London and Bailey offered to give Serena the tour, whilst the boys washed up. They all agreed.
Cody walked up to Zack as he picked up a cloth to dry the washing up.
"Zack" Cody asked in a hushed voice.
"What's up?" he asked
"Do you think I should ask Bailey to move into my room with me, so Serena can have her room?" Cody asked
"That's a nice idea" Zack agreed
"Do you guys wanna go and sort that, whilst the girls are on the tour?" Moseby asked "We can finish this up"
"You sure?" Cody asked
"Yeah, no problem" Woody confirmed
"Thank you" Zack thanked as the twins walked away
"Do you think we should ask her first?" Zack asked Cody. Cody looked towards Bailey, who was talking in the living room to London and Serena.
"I think it will be alright" he said smiling softly. Zack nodded, accepting that if Bailey was not happy with the decision, he would take the blame to protect his brother's relationship.
It took them no time at all to move Baileys clothes from her room into Cody's. Zack was tidying up as Cody returned with fresh linens from the cupboard. Together they made the bed.
"Did you think when we built this place it would end up with 8 people living in it?" Zack asked. Cody laughed softly to himself
"No. But to be honest, when we first arrived, I didn't think all five of us would survive" he admitted "We might have to think about building an extension, or at least some bedroom huts in case we get any more" he added
"Or we put Moseby and Emma in together" Zack offered
"Or both?" Cody laughed.
"You go and ask Bails to make sure she's ok with it, then we'll let them show Serena the room"
"I'm sure she'll be fine" Cody assured him, before walking off to ask anyway. Cody and Zack joined the others as the three girls were talking about how comfortable the couch was.
"Bails" Cody called quietly, waving his hand over. She smiled at London and Serena, and walked off with Cody
"Can I ask a favour?" he asked once they were out of earshot of the others
"You want me to move into your room so Serena can have mine" She replied with a single raised eyebrow
"How...How did you know?" Cody asked, surprised
"I'm psychic" Bailey replied mystically "And I saw you and Zack moving my stuff out into your room" she admitted
"Sorry" Cody replied sheepishly.
"It's fine" she smiled
"Are you sure?" he asked. She pressed a kiss to his cheek
"Yes" she laughed
"Thank you" Cody replied, giving Zack a thumbs up.
"Come on, Serena. We'll show you your room" Zack offered.
"I have a room?" she asked, surprised
"Why wouldn't you?" London asked, catching on to Zack's subtle nudges towards Bailey's room.
"I just assumed I'd sleep on the floor. Or on this comfy couch" she replied
"Don't worry. We have a spare room" Zack laughed
"Thank you" she replied. They took her to Bailey's room, now hers. And let her settle in. Once she had the tour of the house, and was happy with where everything was, London offered the three of them go to the pool. To get to know one another away from the guys and adults.
Bailey got Serena a towel as London lent her a swimsuit, offering to make her some clothes over the next few days
They picked up three glasses and two bottles of wine, and the three girls walked up to the pool. The evening sun was warm and had heated the pool nicely. They took off their shoes, dropping their towels on the side, slipping in the water and pouring a glass of wine each.
"So how did you end up here?" Bailey asked Serena
"It's a long story" Serena replied, sighing.
"If there's one thing we have here, it's time" Bailey replied
"But you only met us today. If you don't want to tell us, we're not going to make you" London replied
"No, it's fine" she begun "I was engaged. My partner decided to call off the wedding. Some issue we were having with his parents and decided to side with them over me. Anyway. Newly single I decided to do everything I wanted to, which he would never let me" she started, downing the remainder of her wine, as London topped her up. She thanked her, took a sip and continued
"I got over him quickly. Sold the house and went travelling. I spent two years travelling round Europe. London, Paris, Amsterdam, Budapest, Portugal. Then I went back to the US and decided to go on a cruise. Much like you. Although, there was a volcano and our ship caught fire" she explained
"No way!" London gasped in shock
"Everyone tried to escape on what they could, I managed to find a blow-up dinghy, which took me to this Island. I thought I was lucky to find land. But now I'm here, with you guys, I feel even luckier!" she explained
"Awww" Bailey cooed
"Moseby and Emma were similar. They were saying that on their old island they doubted they would survive for even a week or two more" London explained
"That and two days after Zack brought them here, their island was swallowed by a volcano!" Bailey added
"That was the volcano which caused the fire on my boat!" Serena explained.
"So, I have to ask. What's the deal here. You're dating Zack, you're dating Cody?" she asked
"Yeah" Bailey and London replied
"Cody is the slimmer one, right?" she asked
"That's right" London laughed
"And Moseby and Emma?" she asked
"Back on the Tipton, Emma was our teacher, Moseby was the ship manager" London explained
"And we call him Moseby because his name is Marion? Or is it a respect thing?" Serena asked confused
"It's just what we've always called him. Emma insists on Emma. Plus Miss Tutweiler is a bit of a mouthful" Bailey laughed
"So they're gonna get together? Or are they together?" she asked
"They wouldn't get with any of us. They'll either both stay single, or end up in some relationship" London assured her
"And Woody?" she asked
"Single" Bailey said wiggling her eyebrows. They all laughed,
"What's he like?" Serena asked, intrigued
"He is so nice. He'll do anything for those he cares about" Bailey said
"And he's an amazing cook! He follows recipes from those books but he has a natural flair for taste. Anything Woody cooks you can guarantee it will be delicious!" London added
"The meals I've had so far were incredible"
Woody and Zack were left in the kitchen. Beer each as Cody, Moseby and Emma had gone off to get firewood.
"I wasn't expecting Serena to join" Woody admitted
"She seems nice" Zack replied
"She does"
"How old do you think she is?" Zack wondered out loud. "I mean, I know it's rude to ask, but I think she's older than us, even London I think she's older than" Zack asked. Woody slowly put down his beer
"Is London older than us?" he asked
"Yeah, by a few years" Zack replied
"But … She was in our year at school" Woody replied
"That didn't really count. Her dad owns the boat" Zack laughed. Woody laughed too
"You know, without her reminding us every day, I actually forgot that" he laughed
"It's so strange. It feels so alien to our old lives, and yet I don't know, if we ever did get rescued, if I could ever go back" Zack explained
"I don't even think that's worth thinking about" Woody said sadly.
"You're probably right" Zack sighed.
"Do you buy her story?" Woody asked
"We found her living in ruins. I don't know why she would lie" Zack thought "Do you?" He asked
"I don't know" Woody replied honestly. "Just seems odd that we live on a deserted island for seven months, and within a week we have three new people join" he replied
"Are you complaining?" Zack asked
"Not at all. The more the merrier. Though, anymore and we'll have to build a second house" he joked. Zack laughed
"You know Cody said the same thing. At least there's more hands this time to help" Zack suggested
"That's true" Woody replied, "What do you think the girls are talking about?" Woody asked
"I don't know. If I was Serena, I'd be trying to bond. And I think London and Bailey will do right. London especially, she just has a way of making people feel comfortable" Zack complimented
"You really love her don't you" Woody said smiling at Zack gushing over his girlfriend
"So fucking much" Zack replied
"Is she the one?" Woody asked
"Absolutely! I was sure when we were still on the ship, but having come here, I don't have any doubts. She's the one for me" Zack replied
"If we weren't on the Island would you be marrying her?" Woody asked
"Even if we never leave this Island, I'm making a ring and proposing!" Zack assured him
"You're lucky. She is amazing" Woody replied
"She's perfect. She's smart, funny, caring, attractive!" Zack listed "I think you should try and get with Serena" Zack suggested
"Really?" Woody asked
"Why not?" Zack asked
"She would never go for me"
"I think she might" Zack said with a sly smile. "I have London, Cody has Bailey. Moseby and Emma are inevitable. Now you have someone"
"She still wouldn't go for me. She'd prefer you or Cody" Woody brushed off, blushing
"London has already asserted her ownership, and Bailey has too. If she doesn't get that hint, we're both sharing rooms with our girlfriends" Zack explained
"Still doesn't stop her not wanting me" Woody said sadly
"She's been single for over two years by the sounds of it. And you should have seen the looks she was giving you over dinner" Zack winked
"Do you think I have a chance?" Woody asked, hopefully
"At some point tomorrow, we will go through how the day runs, and we'll explain jobs. We can assign her to be your assistant for cooking. She could easily fall for you, ask her opinion, get her to taste food. Maybe think of something to make but only you two share it. Make something special for her" Zack explained. Woody thought hard.
"I think I will try. Thank you, Zack" he thanked
"Go for it man!" Zack encouraged. "I'll let London and Bailey know. They can put in a good word for you. Though, you don't need help. You can win her over" he nudged him playfully
"Thanks man" Woody replied
Out in the pool the three girls lay back, floating in the water, the heat, the drinks going down well. Letting the peace and silence fall over them
"This is heaven" Serena moaned
"It is, isn't it" London agreed.
"You are so lucky" Serena muttered, as the three girls opened their eyes, sitting back on the side of the pool.
"It's all Zack. If it wasn't for him, I'm sure we would have died out there" London replied
"You're a lucky girl, London" Bailey said, turning to Serena "She's dating Zack" she told her.
"You are lucky. He seems amazing" Serena complimented
"I am" London smiled. "You're lucky too, you and Cody built this place" London said to Bailey, catching on to her game of subtlety telling Serena the boys weren't available.
"You're dating Cody?" Serena confirmed, looking at Bailey
"I am" Bailey confirmed, smiling
"So … Moseby and Emma?" she asked
"Well. There was never anything when they were on the Tipton, and since they've been on the Island nothing has been said or implied. But if anything was, it would be between the two of them. I don't think they would make anything obvious to us" London explained
"So how long have you guys been with Zack and Cody?" she asked
"Zack and I started dating back on the boat, but because of other factors, we kept our relationship hidden. Once we got on the Island we slowly brought it out into the open, no reason to hide when the people we hid from think we're dead" London said cryptically.
"And you and Cody?" Serena asked Bailey
"We also got together on the boat. We've had our ups and downs but we never hid anything" Bailey explained
"It was more socially acceptable for them" London explained
"And why wasn't it for you?" Serena asked
"I'm older, the daughter of the boat owner, the heiress, bit of an airhead persona. He was the dumb jock. Cody was always the smart one, and being twins he made himself more of a jock to separate his identify from Cody. We knew each other when we lived in my hotel before we went onto the ship" London explained
"Your hotel?" Serena asked
"Well. The Tipton Hotel, and we went onto the SS Tipton. Both owned by my daddy" London explained
"We grew close when we first got on the boat. We both knew about the façade personas we hold in public, and we fell for one another in private" London paused to take a sip of her drink. "Coming onto the Island, we didn't need those personas anymore, but we didn't want to come straight out, so we built our relationship up gradually"
"That's so sweet. It's like a love story" Serena mused, smiling softly
"It was" London smiled
"So … Tell me about Woody!" Serena said, sitting up a bit
"Interested?" Bailey teased
"Maybe" Serena teased back "I mean. Looking at options..." she trailed off
"Woody is amazing. He's so funny, smart..." London began listing
"Excellent cook" Bailey added
"Caring, giving" London continued
"Sounds like the catch" Serena replied
"I think you'd like him" Bailey stated
"Alight" Serena thought. They let a little bit of silence fall over the three of them, as they let Serena think about it.
"So, tell us about you. What happened to your ex. Girls to girls?" Bailey asked
"Where to start?" she laughed. "I met Theodore, Well Theo, when I was 16. Together three years, got engaged at 19, but both young and just out of school we had no money, so decided to wait a few years to actually get married. We moved in together and decided to settle in Delaware as it had the best opportunities for work"
"What did you do?" Bailey asked
"I was a journalist, and Theo was a marketing director. Nothing overly interesting but it paid the bills. Anyway, about a year into the living arrangements, Theo started saying how he thought it was a good idea to move back to Utah, where his parents were. At first, I was reluctant. We had a nice little set up in Delaware. 2 bed house, nice bit of garden, short drive to the shops. I could walk to work and it was a ten-minute drive for him. It was ideal where we planned to raise a family" she explained
"It sounds lovely" London commented
"It was. But he wasn't happy. I hadn't spoken to my parents in years, so I didn't mind. But I wanted him to be happy. So we sold the house and moved back to Utah. Smaller Place. Apartment, one bed, no garden. But he was happy"
"It sounds like you sacrificed a lot" London added
"That was only the beginning. It started with meeting his parents once a week for Sunday dinner. Fine, I liked his parents. Then it became twice a week. Then every night. It was getting a lot. I asked Theo if we could cut down a bit as his parents had pretty much moved in and we never had any time alone. He got offended and kicked off saying I didn't like his family." she paused to drink and rolled her eyes "So I left it" she sighed
"No way, you shouldn't have" Bailey gasped
"No. Anyway, then his mother started getting to control over me. She began planning the wedding because I wasn't doing it. She even booked a place, and sent out invitations to her guest list, without even telling me. I had to find out through one of her friends saying how much they were looking forward to it!" she explained
"How dare she?" Bailey asked, outraged
"Exactly. So, I went home that night, and she was in my kitchen, emptying my cupboards into a trash bag, telling me I shouldn't eat this, I'll put on weight. I'll can't drink that; it will be bad for when we start trying to have a baby. I screamed at her and kicked her out." Serena explained
"Good on you!" London cheered
"Go girl!" Bailey said awkwardly. Serena and London looked at her
"You've never said that before have you" London asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile
"It felt weird" Bailey confessed laughing
"It was" London asked, laughing too. Once the laughter died down, London turned back to Serena
"So you kicked her out" she said
"I did. Told her not to come back until she cancelled her wedding, told her friends it wasn't going ahead and apologised" Serena explained
"As she should" Bailey replied
"When Theo came home, I told him all about it, expecting him to agree with me" she started
"Don't tell me he was on her side" London gasped
"He got so defensive. "Oh she was only looking out for you" "It was nice of her to set a date" "Surely it'd just a stress off us" So I told him that I didn't agree with that. That I would plan my own wedding, and choose what I ate, and he either supported me or his mother." she continued
"He chose his mother didn't he" Bailey shook her head
"He did. I gave him his ring back. After a week of heartbreak, I decided to sell the flat, we split the money. I left my job, which I hated anyway, and took the money from the house to go travelling. I planned to go for 18 months, 2 years, then go back to Delaware where I was happy, and settle back down, try and get my job back" she explained
"And life took you here" London replied
"My next adventure" Serena stated
"Look around you. There's worse places to be" Bailey stated. Serena looked round, out over the mountain, the Island, the miles of seemingly endless sea, then back to the two girls beside her
"I think you're right" she replied with a smile.
