The Beach

The two of the kept watch in silence. Susan didn't know what to say and it didn't look like Eliza was going to say anything earlier. The only sounds came from the waves crashing into the beach and the occasional nighttime insect. It was strangely peaceful, if you could ignore the uneasy feeling of being watched.

Susan didn't know what it was, but ever since they had begun their night watch, she'd been unable to shake the feeling that someone or something was watching them. She kept it to herself, not wanting to trouble Eliza with what was probably her brain being silly. The out of nowhere, Eliza began to hum a tune. It was soft and calming.

Susan unknowingly swayed to the familiar tunes, reminding her of long hours spent with her sisters. You were never too old to enjoy a cartoon after all.

Eliza muttered a sleepy, "How much longer until sleep time?"

"An hour maybe," said Susan. "Not very long."

Eliza continued humming, starting on the Tiny Toons theme song when she heard her shriek. Susan snapped to face her. Could her feelings have been right this whole time?

But there was nothing.

Week 6 --- Post 1/5 --- 196 words

As soon as Eliza shrieked, the others shot up, asking what happened and where it was. Eliza jumped up, leaning against the tree shakily, and gripped her walking stick defensively. She pointed in the darkness.

"Some-Someone tapped me on the shoulder," she said. "I heard a man's voice. He said, 'How do you do?' "

Eliza peered into the darkness, straining her eyes. But there was nothing there. She looked at the others.

"I swear I heard a man. It wasn't Susan," she said. She turned to the girl. "Did you hear anything?"

Before Susan could answer, Eliza took a few steps forward. Her mind instantly cleared.

"Guys, I don't think we're alone on the island."

Week 6-- Post 2/5-- 115 words

Jack looked at Eliza suspiciously before sighing and giving her the benefit of the doubt. He glanced at their surroundings, but he didn't see anything unusual, although it was hard to tell in the dark. They were lucky there was it was almost a full moon so they could see.

"I didn't hear or see anything," Jack said, doubt creeping back in his voice. He turned back to Eliza as his posture relaxed from the initial scare.

"Eliza," he said, not even noticing that he was addressing her like she was his five year-old daughter. "No one's on the island besides us."

He wished that were not the case, though.

Jack sighed. "Let's all just get some sleep," he said in a tired voice, laying back down. "We've had a long day. We could all use some rest."

Week 6 -- Post 2/5 -- 138 words

Eliza looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Some-Someone tapped me on the shoulder," she said. "I heard a man's voice. He said, 'How do you do?' Susan peered into the darkness that Eliza was pointing at. Still nothing. Not even a shadow. She wanted to dismiss at as Eliza having a bad dream but her instincts were telling her otherwise. Someone, something was watching them.

As Jack and Moira both muttered versions of "What is it?", Eliza swore that she'd heard a man. She turned to Susan.

"Did you hear anything?"

Susan opened her mouth to reply but Eliza came to a sudden halt as if she'd suddenly realized something. "Guys, I don't think we're along on the island," she said.

Jack didn't look convinced. He seemed to relax as he looked around the empty forest. He advised them to get some rest and lay back down. Susan looked at Eliza.

"I didn't see anything but things definitely don't feel right," said Susan, "I feel like something or someone is watching us. I don't think I'm getting any sleep soon."

Week 6 --- Post 2/5 --- 180 words

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Moira said in response to both Susan and Eliza. It came across as harsher than she’d intended, but you couldn’t blame her, not when it had been anything but an ordinary day. In fact, that was an understatement. It had been a traumatic day for all of them. So she didn’t blame Eliza and Susan for thinking that they were alone on the island.

She just didn’t believe them, and thought Jack was in the right. “I agree with Jack,” Moira said. We should really try to get some sleep. Never mind that she still didn’t think she was going to be able to sleep. “If anything, there are probably animals,” said Moira. “But definitely not other people. Let’s not worry about it too much.”

Week 6 — Post 2/3 — 127 words

Wincing under Moira's comment, Eliza rubbed the arm holding her stick and released the breath that she was holding.

"There's no need to look at me like that," Eliza snapped to Jack. "I wouldn't make something like that up."

Eliza laid down on her side and turned away from the others, using her arm as a pillow.

"Anyway, it was probably my eyes playing tricks on me," she said, yawning. "It was a tough day, and my nerves are frazzled. I'm going to go to sleep now."

Eliza said the last line firmly, not wanting to dwell on it any longer. Hopefully, the others got the hint.

"And in this cartoony, we're invading your tv," hummed Eliza under her breath. She rolled her walking stick under her free fingers.

The trees meshed into black nothingness as Eliza's eyes closed.

Week 6-- Post 3/5-- 139 words

Jack was grateful that Moira seemed to be the sensible one here, but he didn't blame Eliza and Susan for being scared. He did admit the woods were a bit spooky, and considering everything that happened today, it was expected to be nervous. The faces of the dead were not something one could easily forget, especially when sleeping.

He sighed as he noticed that Eliza seemed to yawn and lull herself to sleep. Jack sat up slowly, shifting his tired gaze to the others. "Get some rest, Susan," he said. "I'll take the first watch."

He sat up straight and scooted towards a tree. "You too, Moira. Mind if I wake you up in a few hours to take the second shift?"

He had to repress a smirk as he almost, almost said out loud in a sarcastic tone: "Don't worry, I'll protect us from the ghosts."

Week 6 -- Post 3/5 -- 147 words

It took Moira a moment to process what Jack had said.

Get some rest, Susan. I'll take the first watch. You too Moira.... mind if I wake you up in a few hours?

Moira shook her head. Truthfully, she still wasn't sure she was going to be able to fall asleep. She had her chance when she'd been starting to drift off and Eliza had screamed.

"Thank you," she said. "I appreciate it."

That was when Moira put two and two together. Of course she knew right away he was the man she'd seen at the bar, and later at the dance lessons. With his wife, now certainly dead.

He must be going through a lot too. She closed her eyes and tried to dream of a space and time far from here and now.

Week 6 -- Post 3/3 -- 132 words

"Don't be ridiculous," came Moira's voice from behind them. Susan jumped at the tone. She suggested that it was probably animals making the noise and suggested they needed to get some sleep.

Next to her, Eliza didn't look too happy.

"There's no need to look at me like that," she snapped. She lay down on her side, facing away from them. She let out a yawn and announced she was going to sleep, agreeing that her eyes were probably playing tricks on here. Susan let out a sigh. As much as she wanted to agree with all of that, her instincts screamed otherwise. Given that her instincts had been proven right earlier that day, she wasn't going to just ignore them.

Jack then stepped into take charge of the situation. He sat up, telling Susan to get some rest and volunteering to take the next watch. Susan gave him a small nod, and decided to lay down. It wouldn't hurt to at least attempt to get some sleep.

Week 6 --- Post 3/5 --- 168 words

Eliza had been asleep for probably an hour until she felt something crawling on her.

She opened her eyes and reached up, brushing what she felt was a bug off her shoulder.

Well, I can't sleep now, she thought. Jack was still up, keeping watch, but she didn't want to strike up a conversation, so she stayed in her position.

Eliza traced the dirt quietly. She didn't feel like humming herself to sleep, lest she disturbed the others. And the woods were far too quiet. The experience she had shaken her too much to utter a sound.

It was probably just an animal, Moira's voice echoed in her head.

Animals don't say, 'How do you do?' thought Eliza grumpily. Underneath her head, her arm was getting tired. She would have to turn around if she wanted to get comfortable.

Under the guise that she was sleeping, Eliza turned around, facing the others. She tucked her other arm under her head and snuggled into it.

Please let the morning come, she thought desperately to no one.

Week 6-- Post 4/5-- 185 words

Before Jack had passed off the second sleep shift to Moira, the only eventful thing that happened was an animal -- a rabbit, he assumed -- jumping through the bushes. Like Moira said, Eliza likely saw an animal. A rabbit. Monsters truly were real.

The rest of the night crawled on by. Jack awoke at the crack of dawn despite only getting a few hours of sleep. Although he was extremely exhausted, it was still hard to not sleep restlessly not knowing where his wife was.

He nodded a good morning over to Moira before getting up and gesturing for her to follow him. "Let's find water," he said softly to not wake the others up.

He saw some coconut palm trees lining the beach. For now, they can crack those open to drink. It's not sustainable long-term, but it'll work for now, while also providing calories.

Week 6 -- Post 4 -- 145 words

Susan lay there still trying to go to sleep. She'd turned away from everyone so that they would all assume she was still asleep. The ploy seemed to have worked so far because Jack started moving about getting ready to keep watch. It looked like Moira had agreed to take the shift after that.

She started to hum a low tune to herself, hoping that was going to help her sleep. It was the same one she had once upon a time used to help her sisters get to sleep. Of course if she used it now, she would just get a pillow thrown at her. She laughed lightly as the memory came to her. And then reality interrupted, reminding her that she was all alone on this island with four strangers she barely knew.

Week 6 --- Post 4/5 --- 135 words

Not for the first time that day she hoped that her mom and sisters were doing well. It had been long enough now for the sinking of their ship to have gotten out to the media and she knew that Susan would be among those that were presumed dead. She could just imagine their faces. And all of that would be nothing compared to what her father might be feeling. If he believed she was dead he would never forgive himself and blame her 'death' on him. She really, really needed to get off this island.

She turned her thoughts to less depressing territory, her new companions. If she was ever getting off this island, they were going to play a massive role in that.

Week 6 --- Post 5.1/5 --- 125 words

They'd been a bit of a mixed bag for her. Eliza had been very kind to her so far. She quite liked the girl, and admired the way that she'd gone about things ever since she'd been on the island. She almost seemed like one of the many superheroes she spent hours watching with her sisters. She'd buried her own best friend and managed not to completely break down, she'd cooked them food and she'd done it all with a twisted ankle. And she'd somehow managed to deal with Susan being nearly useless without any harsh words whatsoever. Helping her out was the least that Susan could have done.

The adults of the group were the ones that didn't quite rub Susan the right way. She wasn't quite sure why but she felt a lot better hanging around with Eliza.

Week 6 --- Post 5.2/5 --- 140 words

Maybe it was the fact that neither Moira nor Jack had taken Eliza or herself seriously. She would swear that something was certainly not right with the woods they were in but both the adults, much like adults had rejected the idea without any proper evidence which she realized was fair but she still wished they'd been a little more open to the idea. After all, they weren't exactly in a normal situation at the moment. They had after all survived a shipwreck from a situation that you would not survive ninety nine times out of hundred.

She let out another sigh. On the plus side, Jack seemed to be someone who'd been in such situations before and that would help out a lot in them getting off this island.

Week 6 --- Post 5.3/5 --- 130 words