Page 3 of Blue Arrow Island
“I don’t know.”
If everyone on that beach is united in trying to kill us, we don’t stand a chance. There are a lot more of them than there are of us, and we don’t have any weapons. But if they’re also fighting each other … that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The roar of the boat’s engine cuts off, the vessel rocking in the water. From its sleek design, I can tell this was someone’s prized yacht before the virus. Now it’s a charter, transporting people to their deaths. A guard pushes a button, the links of a massive chain clanking as he lowers the anchor.
I look between the two groups on the beach again. A tall, broad man with dark hair stands at the front of the first group, his hand wrapped around a spear.
There’s a woman at the front of the other group, her blond hair blowing behind her in the breeze. She doesn’t have a weapon, but many of the people behind her are holding primitive wooden spears.
A choice between groups led by a man and a woman is an easy one for me. I consider telling Amira which group looks safest, but I stop myself. She seems nice, but it’s always best to share as little as possible. I have to take care of myself; assuming anyone else will could be a death sentence.
Something arcs through the air, drawing my gaze up to the pale-blue sky. It’s an arrow, fired toward the boat by someone onthe beach. The guards don’t even acknowledge it. It plunks into the water, out of range.
“Inmates, you have thirty seconds to get off this boat before we start removing you,” the head guard says.
Amira jolts forward and I instinctively put my fingertips on her arm to stop her. Her eyes bulge with worry.
“We have to jump,” she whisper-hisses.
“Wait.”
I don’t want to be one of the first inmates to reach that shoreline. If we hang back, maybe we’ll be able to see what’s going on before we get there.
Someone murmurs a prayer and the thunking splashes of people plunging into the water begin. Amira takes deep breaths as we approach the boat’s edge, nearing the gaps where a protective railing used to be.
She reminds me of Ellery, the first friend I made after the virus hit. We watched each other’s backs and survived in the shadows for more than four months until she was shot while keeping watch as I checked houses for food.
My first post-virus lesson on making friends was short.Don’t.
Sweat trickles down my spine beneath my shirt as I leap off the watercraft’s edge, my instincts screaming to get away from the people behind me and the ones in front of me at the same time.
You’ve survived worse, Briar. Pressure builds diamonds.
For five years, my humanity has been stripped away, piece by piece. If fate wants me to die on this beach, at least the last of it will be taken all at once. I’ll be able to rest.
The cool, crisp water infuses me with new energy. I swim cautiously, keeping my head above the surface. The others are doing the same. No one wants to get within range of the arrows.
We move toward shore in a cluster until we get close enough to make a choice about where we want to exit the water. Most people are going for dead center between the warring groups, probably hoping to make a run for the jungle.
“I’m a hunter!” a man yells from the water. “I can help you!”
My feet find sandy footing and I slow down, looking in every direction. Amira moves with me. We watch as the first person walks up to the beach, quickly going from waist-deep in the water to mid-thigh, to calf-high.
“I’m not your enemy!” he calls out, his hands in the air.
The guy with the spear runs toward him, his brows lowered in a determined expression. Others follow.
“Shit.” Amira’s voice rises with panic. “What do we do?”
The attackers are everywhere. They’re even coming into the water after us now.
I shove my feet into the soggy sand in a bogged-down run, eager to have full control of my legs again. People are screaming. My stomach churns as hands reach for me and I barely evade them.
I grab Amira’s arm, fear clawing up my throat. “Run.”
2
If you’re taken to the ground, don’t panic. Prioritize protecting your head and finding enough space to get up as quickly as possible. Use leverage. The ground is not a good place to be.
