The island seemed to pulse with a dark energy as Edward and Victoria stood in the eerily silent camp, the weight of their grim discovery pressing down on them. Paul was gone, James and Lillian were missing, and the ancient ritual they had uncovered was still shrouded in mystery. Every instinct told them that time was running out.

Victoria tightened her grip on the box of pages they had found, her eyes scanning the jungle for any sign of movement. “We need to find them,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “We can’t let them get picked off one by one.”

Edward nodded, though the fear gnawing at his gut made him hesitate. The island felt more alive, more threatening, as if it were actively working against them. “We have to be careful. Whoever—whatever—is doing this, they’re using the island to their advantage. We can’t afford any more mistakes.”

The two of them set off in the direction they believed James and Lillian might have gone, moving cautiously through the dense jungle. The path was treacherous, the thick underbrush grabbing at their clothes and slowing their progress. The sound of their footsteps seemed deafening in the unnatural stillness, and every shadow felt like it was hiding something sinister.

As they walked, Victoria’s mind raced. The pages they had found held the key to everything—they were sure of it. But the ancient script was unlike anything she had ever seen, and the sense of wrongness that emanated from the pages made her skin crawl. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were meddling with forces far beyond their understanding.

After what felt like hours of searching, they heard a faint rustling in the bushes ahead. Edward motioned for Victoria to stay behind as he crept forward, his makeshift weapon—a sharp stick—raised defensively. As he approached, the rustling grew louder, and he prepared for the worst.

But it wasn’t an attacker he found. It was Nina, her clothes torn and her face pale with fear. She was crouched low, clutching a large stick, her eyes wide and panicked. When she saw Edward, she nearly screamed, but he quickly motioned for her to stay quiet.

“Nina, it’s us,” Edward whispered urgently. “What happened? Where are the others?”

Nina let out a shaky breath, relief flooding her features. “Edward… Victoria… I thought… I thought I was alone.” She looked around nervously before continuing, her voice barely above a whisper. “James and Lillian… they went after Paul. I tried to follow them, but I lost them in the jungle. I heard something… something following me… I ran and hid here.”

Victoria knelt beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We need to stick together. We found something… something that might help us understand what’s happening. But we have to find James, Lillian, and Paul first.”

Nina nodded, though her fear was still palpable. “This island… it’s like it’s alive. It wants us to die here. I don’t know how much longer I can take this…”

“We’re going to get through this,” Edward said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. “But we have to move quickly. Whatever is out there, it’s not going to stop until we’re all dead.”

The three of them continued their search, the oppressive atmosphere growing heavier with each step. The jungle seemed to close in around them, the air thick and humid, making it hard to breathe. The further they went, the more the sense of dread intensified, as if they were being drawn toward something terrible.

Finally, they stumbled upon a clearing, and what they saw made their blood run cold.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

James and Lillian were there, standing at the edge of a large stone platform—another ritual site, hidden deep within the island. But they weren’t alone. Paul was there too, kneeling on the platform with his hands tied behind his back. His face was bruised and bloodied, and he looked up at them with desperate, pleading eyes.

“What’s going on?” Edward demanded, stepping forward. “What are you doing?”

James turned to face them, his expression hard and unreadable. “We caught him trying to escape. He’s the one behind all of this, Edward. He has to be. We’re going to end this, once and for all.”

Lillian’s face was pale, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and determination. “We have to stop the ritual, Edward. If we don’t, we’re all going to die. This… this is the only way.”

Victoria stepped forward, holding up the box of pages. “We found these. They’re part of the ritual. We need to translate them—there might be a way to stop this without more bloodshed.”

James shook his head, his grip tightening on the knife in his hand. “We can’t take that chance. The island… it’s cursed, and Paul is part of it. We end him, we end the curse.”

Edward could see the fear in James’s eyes, the way the island had twisted his mind. He knew that fear was driving them all to the brink of madness, but he also knew that killing Paul wouldn’t solve anything. It would only further the ritual, push them deeper into the island’s dark grasp.

“James, listen to me,” Edward said, his voice steady despite the panic rising in his chest. “This isn’t the way. We need to think this through. The island wants us to kill each other—it’s part of the ritual. If we do this, we’re playing right into its hands.”

Paul, sensing that his life hung in the balance, spoke up, his voice trembling. “Please… I’m not the one doing this. You have to believe me. Someone’s using me as a scapegoat. This island… it’s trying to turn us against each other.”

The group stood in tense silence, the air thick with anticipation. The decision they made in the next few moments would determine their fate—whether they would succumb to the island’s dark influence or find a way to break free from its grip.

But before anyone could make a move, a low rumble echoed through the jungle, the ground beneath their feet trembling slightly. The island itself seemed to be reacting to their presence, the very earth warning them of the danger they faced.

Victoria’s eyes widened as she looked at the stone platform beneath Paul. The symbols etched into the stone began to glow faintly, pulsing with a sinister light. The ritual was already in motion, and time was running out.

“We need to get off this platform,” she urged, her voice filled with urgency. “It’s starting—whatever this ritual is, it’s starting, and we can’t be here when it finishes.”

But James, caught between his fear and the pull of the island’s dark influence, hesitated. “If we leave now… if we let Paul go… what if it means the end for all of us?”

Edward stepped forward, grabbing James by the shoulders, forcing him to meet his gaze. “Trust me, James. This isn’t the way. We need to get out of here, regroup, and figure this out. If we stay, we’re all going to die.”

For a moment, it seemed as if James might give in to the island’s whispers, but finally, he nodded, his grip on the knife loosening. “Alright… let’s go. But we keep him tied up until we know for sure.”

Relief washed over Edward as they quickly untied Paul from the platform, dragging him away from the glowing symbols. The group retreated into the jungle, the ground still trembling beneath their feet. The island’s dark presence seemed to follow them, a constant reminder of the danger they were in.

As they made their way back to camp, Victoria couldn’t shake the feeling that they had only delayed the inevitable. The ritual was still in motion, and whatever ancient power the island held was growing stronger by the minute.

When they finally reached the camp, the group collapsed in exhaustion, the weight of the day’s events pressing down on them. But they knew they couldn’t rest for long. The island’s secrets were still buried, and the ritual was still incomplete. If they didn’t find a way to stop it, they would all be dead before the sun set again.

As the night fell once more, casting the island in deep shadows, the survivors huddled around the fire, the box of ancient pages sitting ominously between them. The answers were within their reach, but so too was the final, deadly act of the ritual.

And somewhere in the darkness, the true killer watched, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.