Episode 2 - First Encounter

The sun hung low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the wreckage scattered along the beach. Ethan groaned as he sat up, blinking through the haze of pain and disorientation. His clothes were damp with seawater, and the air smelled of salt and burning metal.

“Ethan!” Liza’s voice cut through the fog, sharp with worry.

He turned to see her running toward him, her hair disheveled her face streaked with dirt. Relief flooded through him as he scrambled to his feet, his muscles protesting with every movement.

“Liza,” he breathed, pulling her into a hug. “Are you okay?”

She nodded against his shoulder, her breath shaky. “I’m fine. You?”

“I’ve been better.” He managed a meager smile before looking past her. The remains of the plane lay in twisted ruins, smoke curling into the sky. His stomach twisted. “The others…”

“We need to find them,” she said firmly.

Together, they combed through the crash site. Grant was slumped against a piece of debris, wincing as he clutched his ribs. Daisy was nearby, sitting on the sand with a dazed expression.

“We’re alive,” Grant muttered, his voice laced with disbelief. “Barely.”

Jason crouched beside him. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Grant stood with a grimace, testing his balance.

Ethan glanced around. “We can’t stay here. We need to find shelter and figure out what’s next for us.”

The group moved cautiously into the jungle, the dense foliage swallowing the sounds of their footsteps. The air was heavy with humidity, and the distant calls of unseen animals echoed around them.

“This place is unreal,” Daisy said, her voice trembling.

“Yeah, like Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs,” Grant quipped, earning a half-hearted glare from Daisy.

Ethan led the way, his senses on high alert. Every rustle of leaves and snap of a twig made his pulse quicken. They didn’t know what was out here—or if anyone else was.

After what felt like hours, they found a small clearing. Ethan dropped his makeshift pack—a strip of fabric tied around salvaged supplies—and ran a hand through his hair. “Alright, let’s regroup here for now. We need food, water, and shelter before nightfall.”

“Liza, Daisy—can you look for anything edible? Fruits, berries, whatever we can eat.

Grant, see if you can find a source of water nearby.”

“What about you?” Liza asked.

“I’ll try to figure out some kind of shelter. Meet back here in an hour.”

The group split up, each of them venturing cautiously into the jungle. Ethan worked quickly, clearing a space and fashioning a crude shelter out of branches and leaves. He glanced at his watch. It had been nearly an hour, and the others weren’t back yet.

Suddenly, Liza and Daisy emerged from the trees, their expressions tense.

“What happened?” Ethan asked.

“We saw something,” Liza said, her voice low.

“Smoke. Not from the crash—this is deeper in the jungle.”

Jason frowned. “A campfire?”

“Maybe,” Daisy said, her eyes wide. “But it means someone else is also here.”

Before Ethan could respond, Grant stumbled into the clearing, his face pale. “Guys, you won’t believe what I just saw.”

“What?” Ethan asked, his stomach tightening.

“There’s a guy… out there. He was digging something, like he was burying it.”

Ethan's mind raced. Smoke. A mysterious figure. Suddenly, their situation felt a lot more dangerous.

Ethan motioned for the group to follow him, his movements deliberate and silent. They crept through the jungle, staying low as they approached the area Grant described.

Through the thick foliage, they saw it: a man, muscular and rough-looking, crouched by a freshly dug hole. His clothes were grimy, and his eyes darted around nervously as he covered the hole with dirt.

“What’s he doing?” Daisy whispered.

“No idea,” Ethan replied, his voice barely audible.

Before they could observe further, movement to the left caught their attention. Another group of men appeared, their footsteps hurried and their expressions sharp. The man by the hole stiffened, quickly brushing off his hands and stepping away from the site.

Ethan motioned for the group to back away. They moved slowly, careful not to make a sound, until they were far enough to whisper.

“Who were they?” Liza asked.

“They didn’t look friendly,” Ethan said grimly. “And I’m guessing they’re not out here on a sightseeing tour.

“What do we do now?” Daisy asked, her voice trembling.

Ethan looked at his friends, the weight of their situation sinking in. “We stay out of sight and figure out what’s going on. Whatever they’re doing out here… we don’t want to get in the middle of it.”

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