Nine strangers ran towards them. Growling, Theresa grabbed a sturdy stick from the pile, wielding it with both hands. She took a few steps forward, pushing Caelyn behind her. As the strangers neared, she tightened her grip on the makeshift club, feet standing firmly on the sand. But despite that fearsome stance, she trembled, though perhaps it was a trick of the light.

“No.” Caelyn put a hand on Theresa’s arm. “Please, put the stick down. They probably woke up here like us. There’s no point in starting a fight here. Look, they have more people than us. No matter how hard you try, you’re going to get beaten. Lower the stick. Don’t be reckless. Let’s wait and see.”

Under Caelyn’s gentle touch, Theresa’s arm lowered slightly. The red-haired girl blinked, before growling and shrugging Caelyn’s hand away. She threw the stick onto the sand and said in a low voice, “Fine.”

The group of strangers stopped, surrounding them in a half circle, and pale boy with silver hair approached the three. With a deep bow, he said, “Good noon, ladies. Did you also wake up here?” When he saw Caelyn nod, he straightened himself and continued, “We should stay together. It’s the only way we are going to survive here.” Turning around to the rest of his group, he said, “Let’s camp here for the night. Gather more firewood, we’ll need a big fire tonight.” With a glance back, the boy winked, “I’m Cain, by the way, pleased to meet your acquaintance.”

As Cain’s group began to head for the forest, Charlotte gasped, taking quick steps towards them. “Diana, is that you?”

A girl who had been trailing behind everyone else turned to Charlotte, eyes widening. They stared at each other, an incredulous expression on their faces. The others, who had already reached the tree line, stopped to watch as the two girls ran towards each other, falling into an embrace.

Theresa growled and said under her breath, “Can’t they be quieter in hugging each other? They’re attracting too much attention.”

But Caelyn smiled. She wished that she could’ve felt what Charlotte felt in that moment. Happiness, perhaps relief, to have a friend in this unknown place. She had friends, but they probably had forgotten her now. And she forgotten them. Though she saw this shore as the beginning of a new life, she understood the feeling of entering a new world so suddenly. To have everything you’ve known being ripped away from you. If she had a friend that time, all would have been better.

“Diana,” said Charlotte, “why are you here? I thought your parents didn’t let you come.”

Diana’s brows were furrowed as she replied, “They didn’t. They took me to shore instead.” She blinked. “All I remember was being swept away by the waves while I was swimming in the ocean. And then I woke here.”

“Really? I fell off my ship.”

“What are the chances of being swept off to the same place?”

“It’s impossible. It was on the fifth day. We were in the middle of the ocean. And with that storm, I would die before reaching any land. If I did, then it would be some island in the middle of nowhere. You couldn’t have been swept that far, neither could I.” Charlotte stared off towards the ocean.

While the two girls talked, Caelyn sat down and tried to draw a perfect circle, erasing each failed attempt. Her face portraying no distinct emotion while she did so. After hearing Charlotte and Diana’s stories, a feeling arose within her. The very same one that she had felt several times before. But before she could make any conclusions, she had to know what happened to the others before they woke up here.

Sighing, she looked down at the circle she had just finished. It was not quite perfect, but she decided that she could not draw a better one. She stared at it for a moment, not knowing what to do with it, before poking a hole in the center.

“I like your drawing,” said a girl who had approached without Caelyn’s noticing. Under each arm she carried a large bundle of sticks, both of which she dropped in the pile. After doing so, she came and knelt beside Caelyn. “What is it of?” she asked, nodding towards the circle.

Caelyn shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just a circle with a dot in it.”

The girl laughed and drew a circle of her own. It was lopsided. “Well, it’s a rather nice-looking circle, I suppose.” She squinted. “Looks like an eye.”

Both of them burst into laughter.

“I’m Leslie,” said the girl, reaching out a hand.

Caelyn grasped it and shook. “Caelyn.”

“Caelyn… it’s a melodic name.”

“Oh, thank you. My father chose it for me.” Instinctively, she touched her white ribbon. “Leslie is also a good name.”

Grinning, the girl scratched the back of her head. “Eh, it’s mediocre.” Her grin faded, and her face took on an expression of curiosity. Raising an eyebrow, she glanced over her shoulder. “Anyways, what’s with that boy? He hadn’t moved since I sat down. I hope he’s not dead.”

“He just didn’t wake up yet,” replied Caelyn, hesitating each word.

“Hmm, I thought we all woke up at the same time. I hadn’t seen anyone whose eyes were closed and lying limp on the ground. Everyone I encountered had already awoken… besides him.” Leslie reached over to feel the boy’s pale skin and shivered when she made contact. “It really does seem that he is dead. It’s frightening if you think about it. Were we all like this before we woke up?”

Caelyn shrugged.

Sighing, Leslie leaned back onto the soft sand and looked up at the sky. “I like a little adventure, though not the reckless kind. It’s exciting to go into a forest no knowing what to expect, but it’s dangerous.” With another sigh, she muttered, “There weren’t supposed to be bears there.”

“Bears?” asked Caelyn.

“It’s… strange. I remember being mauled by a bear. Though, as you can see, I’m not harmed in any way.”

There it was, another story that confirmed Caelyn’s feeling. She was almost certain of it—they were all dead. After all, all of them experienced a fatal event before waking up. Could this be the life after death?

Before she could ask for Leslie’s opinion, a girl walked up to them, dropping an entire pile of mangoes on the circle that Caelyn had drawn. “I found some mangoes. They’re sweet,” she said with a grin. Traces of orange juice could be seen on the corner of her lips.

“Courtney, you’re back. Where did you find all those mangoes?” asked Leslie, reaching for a particularly plump one. From a sheath on her waist, she pulled out a knife and started cutting away the mango’s skin, revealing its bright orange flesh. She bit into the mango, eyes widening as she did so. “These are really good. The best.” Her lips were covered with islands of pulp in a sea of juice.

“I know.” She turned her attention to Caelyn. “Who are you?”

“I’m Caelyn.”

“Caelyn…” The girl’s eyes widened as she repeated the name several times. “Nice to meet you,” she stuttered, nervously playing with a pendent that hung on a delicate chain around her neck. A strange yet beautiful symbol marked the back of her hand. “Have a mango.”

“Caelyn,” said Leslie, offering her a fully peeled mango, “have this. Don’t worry, I cut off where I bit.”

She took the mango into her hands, holding it as if it was a large jewel. It reminded her of the mangoes that filled the intricate crystal bowl that had a perpetual place on the dining room table. Her father loved mangoes and so did Caelyn. But despite them eating several mangoes a day, the bowl never seemed to empty. She never did know where he got the mangoes from, for they were much larger, and sweeter as well, than those typically sold.

In a couple of bites, Caelyn devoured the mango. Wiping the juice off her lips, she sighed in remembrance of the wistful taste of mangoes from home—the taste that she never truly forgotten, even after the passing of a long year since the home that she cherished much, afterwards, became a stranger to her. But now, with the mango’s sweetness lingering in her mouth, she felt the warmth of home once again.

Soon, everyone started returning to the shore, each of them carrying piles of sticks in their arms. Cain, whose silver hair appeared white from the distance, was talking to another boy. Both of them were carrying so many sticks that the piles reached to their chins, which they raised until their eyes pointed towards the sky. A particular stick, from Cain’s pile, wobbled as he walked, threatening to bring half the pile down. Leslie, seeing the precarious situation, rushed forward to help. She relieved a significant portion of his burden and carried it with relative ease to the main pile, which had already grown to Caelyn’s waist.

The newcomers grabbed a mango, before sitting down on the sand and, with their fingernails, trying to peel the skin of their mango with limited success. Perhaps they needed a knife. Caelyn glanced at Leslie, who raised a finger to her smiling lips. The two of them giggled as the boys’ struggled on. Finally, Leslie took pity on them and relented, passing Cain her knife. He did not even ask why it took so long for her to give him the knife—he was too busy peeling his mango.

“Courtney,” said Leslie, “these mangoes are really good, where did you find them? We still have time until sunset. We should go gather more.” She watched as the others passed around her knife to cut the mangoes.

“Sure, I think I still remember the place,” the girl said, glancing at the three remaining mangoes.

“Hope so.” Leslie retrieved her knife and examined its edge, before returning it to its sheath. “Caelyn, want to join?”

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Caelyn eagerly nodded. “Of course.”

“Well then, let us not waste any time.” Leslie jumped to her feet and marched towards the forest, followed by Courtney and Caelyn. Once they entered the forest, she spread her arms out and spun around a couple of times, a smile on her face. When she noticed Caelyn looking at her, she let out a content sigh and said, “I love forests. You know how many forests I’ve spent time in?”

Caelyn shrugged.

“I don’t know either. Too many to count.” She let out a laugh. “I find society to be too rigid and artificial. It is a mockery of nature and a defiance our innate freedom. It disrupts the sacred chaos that is found in the dwindling forests of the world.” She laughed again. “Excuse me. I didn’t mean to say all that. I sometimes get too excited and say nonsense like that.”

With a grin, Courtney, who had been silent up until that point, said, “Well, I didn’t really understand what you just said, but it sounded eloquent at least.”

Leslie waved her hand as if to shoo away the words she had said. “No, no, just… forget about it.” A pink tint began to bloom from her cheeks.

“Okay. Anyways, I think we are nearing the place where I found the mangoes.” She played with her necklace. “I’m not really sure. Unlike you, I’m not really familiar with forests. All these trees look the same to me.”

As Leslie began to explain the basics of navigating through forests, Caelyn wandered a few paces away, making sure not to trail too far behind. Around her, the thick and sturdy trunks of the trees stood like the pillars of a temple, with the branches and leaves forming a vaulted ceiling. In the wind, the leaves swayed, making a sound not unlike the whispering of prayers. Squirrels and rabbits flitted from bush to bush, adding some liveliness to otherwise solemn environment. Finally, the scarlet fruits came into view, resembling the gems of an altar.

“See? You’re not that bad at finding your way through a forest,” said Leslie, “I would say you’re quite good.”

Courtney blushed and shook her head. “I simply got lucky.”

“Anyhow, we managed to find our way to these mangoes. We should take as many as we can—who knows when the next time we’ll find anything to eat will be.” Leslie took her knife out of the sheath and cut off a branch with numerous mangoes from the tree. “Leave the mangoes attached to the branch. It’ll be easier to carry.”

She then cut off another branch, this time with half as mangoes as before, and handed it to Caelyn. “Here, you can carry this.”

Once Leslie was satisfied with the number of mangoes they were carrying, they started on the journey back to camp. When they reached the shore, the sky had already turned deep blue. Cain was kneeling next to a a small pile of wood, presumably trying to make a fire. With a laugh, Leslie dropped her mangoes and sauntered towards Cain, before sitting down besides him. Rearranging the sticks into a conical shape, she began teaching him how to make a fire.

“Where were you?” asked Theresa without looking at Caelyn, who had sat down beside her. “I thought you had gotten lost in the forest.”

Stretching her arms and grinning, Caelyn replied, “Don’t worry, I was with Leslie and Courtney. Oh, did you know that Leslie is quite familiar with living in forests? She often spends time in them.”

“I wasn’t worried.”

“Don’t say that.” Caelyn leaned back, letting herself fall on the soft sand. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Theresa sighed, but she didn’t give any response nor did she have chance to. Cain, after starting the fire with Leslie, stood up and said, “Everyone, gather around the fire. If we want to leave this place, we need to think of a plan. Our goal should be to find a place where people live, like a town or city. Until then, we must survive. I do not know where we are or why we are here. But, there is no immediate threat involving those mysterious circumstances, so let’s not worry about it for the time being. Any questions?”

No one raised their hand.

“First, everyone needs a role. We need people to collect food and find water, as well as bringing wood to camp. We also need people to keep watch at night. I will assign them later. Second, we will be traveling along the shore to find any people living by the sea, which is much more efficient than searching in the forest.” Cain nodded to his own words. “That will be all for now. Questions?”

Charlotte raised her hand, and in a small voice, asked, “What if no one lives here? Or if the people who live here are hostile towards us?”

“That will be a problem for the future. Don’t worry about it for now.” Sighing, Cain had a blank stare in his eyes as he gazed into horizon. “As long as we survive, we always have a path to walk.” He shook his head and sat down with another sigh. “We have food. We have fire. Water is only a short distance away. For tonight, relax and try to get acquainted with everyone. As long as we stay calm, we will all return home.”

Silence seeped into the air as soon as Cain finished speaking, filling the space between the strangers. They looked at each other with shallow glances—barely more than a turn of the eyes. Darkness ruled dominant on one side of the side while scarlet blood flowed on the other. And they sat in between these two extremities with a band of dark blue sky above them. Stars already began to come out from hiding, making themselves known.

“Caelyn,” said Leslie, the first to break this silence, “where do you think we are? I’ve never really been good with using the stars to find location. It’s a skill more suited for a ship navigator, I’ve always felt. From the direction of the sunset, I think we are on a southwest shore. But the southwest shore of where, exactly?”

The moment Leslie broke the wall of silence, the rest of the group became entangled with conversation. Some began introducing themselves while others discussed their current situation.

Caelyn listened in to the other conversations for a moment, forgetting Leslie’s question until the girl gave her a nudge. Even then, she did not give an immediate response, gazing up at the stars fading into brilliance. A cold breeze swept up from the darkening sea and brushed past the shores and into the dark forest. Shivering, Caelyn pulled herself closer to the fire and rubbed her hands over the flames.

“I have this idea,” said Caelyn in a low voice, trying not to let others hear. “I’ve asked around. Everyone I’ve asked encountered an event would typically end in death. You were mauled by a bear. Those two girls were swept into the sea. I was… I was stuck in the middle of a blizzard. Yet we somehow ended up here on the same shore with no injuries. I think that… that we have already died.”

“We’ve… already died?” Leslie added another stick into the fire. “That makes sense, I suppose. It would make sense, of course.” She laid down on the soft sand and closed her eyes. “This isn’t too bad, actually. I wonder what is in that forest. I can’t wait to—”

“Leslie,” said Cain, interrupting, “do you know where John, Travis, and Oliver are?”

“John? I saw him with two other boys going into the forest some time after we returned. They should be back by now.”

“Do you think they got lost?” With his arm crossed, the white-haired boy paced back and forth around the fire, his brows furrowed. “Damn it, they must’ve went to get water. Leslie, if you don’t mind, can you go find them? You don’t—”

“Of course,” Leslie said, standing up. “I don’t know how they got lost. The brook is straight from the shore.” With a sigh, she took out a large vial of a mysterious liquid, along with a long scrap of white cloth. Pushing them on the sand, she rummaged through her many pockets before shaking her head. “My resources won’t last.” She groaned. “I usually carry more in my pockets. It was just that day. I forgot to fill my pockets before leaving camp.”

She took a sturdy branch from the pile and, around one end, wrapped the cloth into a small ball. With smooth movements, she opened the vial and poured the liquid onto the cloth, allowing it to soak into the cloth before turning the stick and repeating the process until the entire ball of cloth was soaked with the liquid. Throwing the vial back into her pocket, she thrust the torch into the fire. The cloth ball exploded into flames.

“This won’t last long. I’ll hurry.” Leslie started towards the forest.

When Leslie was halfway there, Courtney shouted, “I’ll come with you. The forest is dangerous at night.”

Caelyn nodded. “Can I join?”

Courtney’s eyes widened. But before the girl could reply, Caelyn was already running towards Leslie. Without wasting another moment, Courtney chased after the two of them. Soon the three of them reached the threshold betwixt the white sands and the shadows of the forest.

“We should go back.” Courtney backed away from the blinding darkness. “The forest doesn’t welcome us.”

“If you want go back,” said Leslie, “you can go back. Caelyn, you too. I will go alone. Quickly, decide if you are coming or not. The torch will not last long.” With that said, she stepped past the boundary and into the darkness.

Careful not to lose sight of the torch and its bearer, Caelyn followed closely behind, with Courtney walking beside her. The moment she stepped into the forest, she felt as if had sunken into a bath of ice. Wind blew past them. Though it did not do so with much ferocity, it chilled the flesh as if it had originated from the summit of the highest mountain peaks. The torchlight flickered and wavered in the hands of the wind, which threatened to snuff out the only light the girls had.

The feeling she felt at that moment resembled the first time she had swam to the bottom of the ocean. Her father held her hand, at first. But in her excitement, she shook away his hand and swam as fast as she could deeper and deeper into the abyss. Soon, she was lost, surrounded by endless and eternal darkness. Even after she realized she was lost, she continued swimming, though she didn’t know if she was swimming in the right direction anymore. After a while, she stopped and screamed. No sound came out of her mouth, and no sound came to her ear. No matter where she swam, everything was the same, and nothing was different.

Her father eventually saved her, and they returned to the surface together. They never went that deep ever again. Every time she asked about it, her father would go on to talk about something irrelevant. It was strange. She had never seen her father act such a way. Even if he had caused accidental harm to her, he would try to comfort and apologize. Perhaps she had just dreamed of that event. Perhaps she would never know.

“I’m telling you,” Courtney whispered, “it’s dangerous. You don’t know—we don’t know—what lurks in these shadows.” She had her pendant tightly gripped in both hands, as if she feared the darkness would take it away from her. “Let’s search for them in the morning, please. There might be… dangerous beasts following us right now, waiting for the right moment to ambush us.”

“Okay,” Leslie said, quickening her pace, “then let’s hurry. Damn it, I should’ve prepared another torch.”

Caelyn felt a immense coldness seep through her shoes and to her feet. Surprised, she jumped back and slipped back onto the hard ground. The only sound that she could hear was her own heartbeat and her own gasps for breath. She squinted her eyes and made out a dark pool that glinted in the dim torchlight. Putting a hand over her heart, she took deep breaths to calm herself down.

“Are you okay?” Leslie thrust the torch toward Caelyn and helped her to her feet. A frown, masked by black and orange, filled Leslie’s face. “We… reached the stream, but something isn’t right.” She picked up a rock the size of her palm and threw it, watching as it disappeared into the darkness.

The three of them watched in silence as the torch flickered, waiting for the sound of the rock hitting water. But no sound came.

“Let’s…” Courtney began, but Leslie already grabbed both their arms with her unoccupied hand and pulled them the direction they came from.

The three of them walked at a brisk pace—none of them seemed to be eager staying another moment in the dark forest. Their footsteps and the crackle of the torch were the only sounds that could be heard through the silence. Even the wind had died, replaced by an unsettling stillness. But the warmth of Leslie and Courtney’s touch reassured Caelyn. At least she wasn’t alone in these depths like she was in those many years ago.

“Run,” said Leslie, just before the shadows swallowed them.

Caelyn felt the warmth against her arm fade away, and the only footsteps she could hear were her own. She was alone once again.

Stretching her arms out in front of her to feel for obstacles, she quickened her pace until her steps were even faster than her frantic heartbeat. The uneven ground passed below her, hidden in the veil of night. Stray branches and undergrowth scratched her legs and arms as she ran, like the claws of unseen beasts. As she took breath, icy air slashed at her throat and lungs.

Suddenly, something caught her foot, and before she knew it, she hit the ground. Sitting herself upright against a tree, she took a moment to catch her breath. She had been running for a long time—the camp shouldn’t be too far away. But she could not find the energy to get back on her feet again. Her legs, though numb from the cold, ached. She tried to push herself standing, but her arms shook and collapsed, and she fell back against the hard tree trunk.

A faint noise, resembling the rustle of leaves, pierced the silence.

“Leslie, Courtney,” Caelyn croaked, slumping lower against the tree. She took a deep breath and, in a louder voice, said, “Leslie, Courtney.”

But the silence filled the air once more.

A singular tear rolled down her face. In the end, she was alone once more.

Feeling faint, she covered her face with her arms and closed her eyes.