Flotsam and Jetsam

"Okay, our main goal for today is to find fresh water. With the little water we have, we need to get that done before tomorrow. Please don't get lost, that would be the worst that could happen. If you are unsure of yourself, don't go deep into the forest. In the long run, we're looking for a spring or a small stream, but in the short run, any pond will do. Make sure to be back well before the sun sets."

I nodded to the Jensons to follow me down the beach. We walked half a mile down the beach before entering the forest. The other three groups had more or less entered the forest right where we started. No need to have four groups instead of three search that area.

The forest was between the beach and a steep, rocky mountain. Because of that, finding water would be no problem at all. The area was full of small rivulets running down from the mountain face. We were overjoyed when we discovered the first and agreed that it was the most delicious thing we had ever tasted. After the third rivulet, the novelty began to wear thin.

"Okay, let's try the next step and look for food. I planned to start with that tomorrow, but while we're here, we can just as well start."

Both of them nodded and I realized that, apart from praising the water, they hadn't said a single word since the introductions. They were either rather shy or still overwhelmed by the situation.

Now that the most urgent problem had been solved, I relaxed a bit. I looked around, tried to take stock. The Jensons watched me patiently. We weren't very far away from the beach, maybe half a mile. Here, nothing hinted at the sea being nearby. The heat was stifling, the jungle was thick, there was no wind at all, the air seemed almost too thick to breathe.

There was a cacophony of bird sounds and a rich bouquet of smells, containing a substantial amount of decay. The vegetation was so thick that this felt like a small chamber inside a labyrinth. The ground was sloped, but not necessarily towards the sea. The rivulet seemed to flow at a roughly 45° angle to the shore. This would make navigating in here more difficult.

Just a few yards from us, I saw a banana tree and immediately knew that we were going to be all right. The variety of plants was staggering, and I was certain that my experience would help me find other edible plants as well.

Satisfied, I nodded towards the Jensons.

"Okay, we have what we need. Let's go back to the beach."

Surprisingly, we were the first group to return. We had walked the farthest before entering the jungle and it had been easy to find water, so I had expected the others to return long before we did. Still, we were alone on the beach. The Jensons soon wandered off to take a look at something on the beach, which gave me the opportunity to take one of the machetes and hide it in the outskirts of the jungle.

After a while, the Jensons and the first group returned. As water had been easy for us to find, I had expected them to be happy when they returned, but that didn't seem to be the case.

The first to return were Otto Kendall, Andreas Lawson, and the Claymoores. Colleen was clearly limping and being supported by her husband. Andreas had managed to acquire a nasty wound on his forehead. How the hell had they managed to fuck up that badly on a short walk?

They reported to have found no water, but Colleen had stepped on some root and Otto had carelessly released a branch that had whipped Andreas' forehead. Shit. If those people improved just a little bit, they'd reach the 'useless' status. Right now, they were worse than that.

The next to return were the stokers. They strolled along the beach like they didn't have a care in the world and reported to have found a small pond.

"That's good, but a rivulet would be better," I remarked.

"Find one or shut up," Liam barked back, surprisingly aggressive. I wondered if they had cooked up something in the jungle.

"It's okay, Liam," I tried to calm him down. "We found a nice rivulet."

He just nodded, grunted and turned around. I didn't expect him to thank me on his knees, but I had hoped for a bit more than that. The others were more enthusiastic, though, and the good mood lasted until we realized that Anne, Helene, Liz and Harold were still missing.

"Shit," I muttered. This was like herding cats. "Emily, Richard, can you find that rivulet again and fill up our canisters?"

They looked at each other, then at me questioningly. They clearly had no idea where we had been and I thought that they probably would be complete dead weight on this island. Emily looked like she was about to cry.

"Okay, who's going to look for them while I fill up the water?"

"You're on your own there, man," Liam laughed. "I'm not going to go anywhere today. We stokers brought those rations, so they're ours anyway. Not my problem."

Shit. Already things were starting to fall apart. The stokers were questioning my authority, they didn't want to share the rations, one group was missing and I was the only one able to get water.

Four problems and I had to decide which one to tackle first. Feeling too tired for an argument with Liam, I decided to look after the missing group first. The sun was about to set and they probably didn't want to sleep in the jungle.

"We'll talk later, Liam," I just said. His laugh didn't seem exactly worried as I left for the jungle.

In bright daylight, this was a maze, but now, in the twilight, it was almost impossible to find my way. Defeated, I had to return quickly after shouting their names for a while. Hell, this was ridiculous, I could as well have shouted from the beach. The stokers' smirks upon my return told me that they seemed to agree. Great. Another dig at my authority.

Liam and his buddies were each sitting on one of the provision boxes. This was not about comfort; they were staking their claim. I looked around and saw a group of weak, insecure people standing around them. If the stokers decided to rule this small world, none of us were going to stop them. I was the only opponent worth mentioning, and I was alone.

Shit.

I decided to worry tomorrow and looked for a place to sleep. I had the choice of sand under a tree or sand under a tree. I chose the sand one and fell asleep in seconds.

I awoke in the morning, feeling not as tired anymore, but hungry, dirty and cold. I looked around and saw others, still sleeping on the beach. Liam was already awake, though, and he sat on one of the boxes again, guarding them and smiling cruelly at me.

"Morning, bosun. Feeling hungry?" It seemed he wanted to have this out with me as soon as possible. He had the muscles, he had the food, he had allies. I felt too powerless to contest him, should he claim the rulership. If he did, it would technically be mutiny. I felt the need to check if he was willing to take that step.

"Morning Liam. No sign of the missing group?"

"None."

"We'll just give everyone a bit of breakfast and then start searching."

He just looked at me, smiling calmly and not moving from the box. I sighed.

"Liam, we really need to work together here. This is going to be difficult enough without us fighting each other."

"Fight? Who's fighting, bosun?"

"Okay then. Get up from that box and let's portion the rations."

"No way, bosun. These boxes are mine."

"These rations aren't yours. They are the property of the Pacific Shipping Company."

"Not anymore. I salvaged them."

"Liam, I am the highest-ranking survivor. What you're doing is called mutiny."

"Jacob, Jacob... So melodramatic. This is 1955 and that," he pointed towards the wreck, "is not theBounty." I was a little surprised he knew about that; I never thought he was the reading type.

"Doesn't matter, the law is still the same. Liam, if you do this, I see two outcomes. One, we're going to be rescued. In that case, you're going to be tried for mutiny. You certainly know the sentence for that." To be honest, I didn't, but I wasn't going to tell him that. I doubted that it still warranted a death sentence. "Option two, we're not going to be rescued. We will only survive by working together. Your mutiny won't help you as those rations won't last long anyway."

Okay, the last argument wasn't that strong, but nothing better came to my mind.

"And that's why I'm going to keep them."

Damn. All my reasoning either went over his head or he just ignored it. I looked around and noticed that everyone was watching us. My authority was already in shambles.

"Hey! They are back," someone exclaimed. I saw that it was Lawson and we all tried to see what he was pointing at. Sure enough, four tired persons stumbled along the beach towards us. At least one of my problems was solved.

"What happened?" I asked them as soon as they were near enough.

"That idiot happened," Liz spat, pointing at Smythe. "He tried to be the macho man, telling us to shut up and follow him. He knew what he was doing, he said. All he did was get us lost in record time while leading us farther away from the beach."

"I brought you back again, please don't forget that, my dear," Smythe pleaded.

"I'm not your dear, you moron." Wow. That sweet, sophisticated woman could sure spit out quite a bit of venom if necessary. I began to like Liz. She was obviously intelligent, she was damn good looking and she didn't take any shit from anybody.

"God, am I hungry," she continued as if nothing happened. "Have you already eaten?"

"No one has," I replied. "Liam has decided to keep the rations for himself."

"And my buddies," he smugly added.

"Okay, I'm your buddy. Now get your ass off that chest, man," Liz countered, clearly not being intimidated by his size.

"Wait a moment, missus. You're hungry now and say that you're my buddy. What if our dear boatswain says we do that, but I want to do this? Who will you follow then? Me or him?"

"Now YOU wait a moment. You're surely not going to blackmail this group into following you, using that food?"

"That is exactly what I'm doing."

"You have to admit that Jacob is a competent leader."

Everyone was following their exchange mesmerized. She had balls of steel, and they probably admired that as much as I did. Apart from me, she was the only one daring to question him.

"That might be, but he's not me."

"So, you have his experience in the jungle? You know which plants are edible? You know where we can find water?"

"No, no and no, I admit that. I know where the pond is, though. It is not far from here. We could set up camp right here."

"How many rations do you have anyway and how much are you willing to share with your followers?"

"I guess you'll have to trust me, little lady. Remember, I also have machetes." He was smirking at her. For the first time, Liz looked unsure of herself.

"Jacob? What do you think?"

"As far as I'm concerned, what Fincher has already said and done constitutes mutiny. I can easily survive in the jungle, even without his stuff." I hoped that nobody saw my own doubts about that. I still didn't know for sure how many edible plants were out there. "I still hope that he'll see reason and that we had better work together if we want to survive this.

"Look, Liam, let's stop this shit, okay? Get your ass off the box, let's distribute some food and water and work together to survive."

I never saw it coming. The transition from walking towards him and lying on the beach and watching the clouds was instantaneous. I turned my head and saw Liam calmly taking the machete, lifting it above his head, ready to kill me.

"Stop!" a female voice shouted. Amazed, I looked at the pretty and obviously spunky lady who held his arm. Liz again. Wow, she sure had guts. He could have brushed her away like a fly or even killed her, but for some reason, he didn't. This gave me the opportunity to get to my feet and put a little distance between us.

"Leave him alone," she exclaimed in a determined way and she looked really adorable while she did it. "I'll follow your lead, but leave him alone. Let's not start this with killing someone."

"I'll deal with you later," Liam calmly explained while he shoved Liz away in an almost gentle way.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds. We had just witnessed an open mutiny and an attempted murder. This was clearly not the best start for a group after a shipwreck on a remote island.

"I'll follow Liam," Smythe suddenly exclaimed enthusiastically. Well, shit.

"Me too."

"Yeah. We need food."

"Sorry, Jacob."

Everybody joined in, but Liz and her friend Helene. Liz just looked at me and Helene looked at Liz.

I just nodded. "Do what you need to do, Liz. I'm okay. I'll survive. Hell, I'll even survive much easier without a group to take care of."

"I'm sorry, Jacob, but I'm hungry."

"It's okay, really," and I meant it.

"Good luck, Jacob," she solemnly said.

"Same for you." I was reluctant to leave, as I had just discovered how much I liked her, but I had to do it nonetheless if I planned to live long enough to enjoy her company again.

I turned around and went straight into the jungle, purposefully not entering next to the rivulet. I didn't want Liam to know where my base would be until I had found another safe place.

I retrieved the machete without a problem as Liam seemed to have forgotten about me as soon as I entered the jungle. From my hiding point in the forest, I watched them as they tried to organize themselves while Liam started his rulership by barking a few random orders.

I felt sorry for them because they'd have to live with him, and for myself as I felt excluded. I had tried my best to do my duty, but I had been driven away. From a rational point of view, I understood them. They were frightened and Liam was the strongest and he had the food. Still, I felt a bit betrayed.

I watched Liz in particular, not just because she was the only one who had stood by me, but also because I realized that I had developed a bit of a crush on her. She stood there, forlorn, watching the edge of the forest, while Helene was, in turn, watching her. It didn't really seem to be a friendship among equals, it seemed more like Liz keeping Helene alive and guiding her through her life.

There was nothing I could do now to help them, at least not then. Wistfully, I turned around to take care of my own problems.

The first night was a bit terrifying. I spent it sitting on a tree trunk, surrounded by weird noises and total darkness. Small animals seemed to creep on the forest floor around me. I had no idea what kind of animals populated this island and how many were poisonous. I felt more alone and vulnerable than ever before in my life and finding sleep was unthinkable. In short, I felt miserable.

I stayed at the rivulet for two days, surprised and relieved that Liam and his buddies hadn't been in a 'hunt Jacob' mood. Ruling his little kingdom obviously kept him busy.

Sleeping in the jungle was definitely uncomfortable and probably unsafe, so I looked for other housing options. As I explored more, I found a perfect, secluded cave with a nice spring nearby by literally stumbling into it. The fall down the slope into the clearing was damn uncomfortable but well worth it. I had my own small slice of paradise. A small clearing, a cave to keep me dry and even a tiny stream of fresh water. All the comforts of home.

By the next evening, I had explored most of the island except the mountain in the center, which just didn't seem worth the effort.

After I had made my cave as nice and comfortable as I could and made sure that I had a solid stock of fruit, it was clear that things would get pretty boring soon. The only diversion might have been to climb the mountain, but I felt no burning ambition to do so. Besides, I didn't want Liam to see me up there.

There were so many edible fruits that I didn't even bother to try the ones I couldn't clearly identify. I had used the machete to make a few wooden spears and was pretty confident that I would be able to catch a fish, given enough patience. The problem was that I didn't have fire, so the fruit diet would have to suffice for the time being.

I rationalized that it was important to gather as much information about the group as I could. Know your enemy and so on. The simple fact was that I wanted to watch Liz and make sure that she was safe. The even simpler truth was that I felt terribly lonely and isolated and longed to be among other human beings.

I approached the area where we had landed for the first time in weeks. They had set up camp right where we had originally reached the shore. This made no sense, at least none that I could see. The place had just one advantage that I could see: no one had to bother walking somewhere else. That seemed like laziness in the extreme, which was something that might cost them. For me, this was quite convenient as the camp was next to a very dense part of the rainforest. Their attention seemed to end right at the edge of the jungle, so I could watch them comfortably and safely.

I could be so near to them that I could hear each word, it was almost as if I was still part of the group.

To my relief, I spotted Liz and her adoring shadow Helene, and they seemed well. Liam seemed to have forgotten their earlier spat. They were sitting in what was supposed to be their camp, like everybody else. My one-man cave was luxurious, compared to this display of pure misery. All they had done was to place palm leaves on the ground to sit on. We had experienced a few heavy rain showers in the days before and I had been thankful for the shelter of my cave. I didn't envy them for having to endure this and their miserable mood seemed to confirm this.

Interestingly, the group seemed to be divided. Liam pranced around, listlessly followed by his entourage, Pattinson and Holloway. To my surprise, Emily followed him around as well. As he lectured nonsense about building houses from branches and leaves, she was the only one clinging to his every word. Emily's husband Richard, who had saved her life after the shipwreck, sat among the miserable group of hangers-on, helplessly watching the degrading spectacle.

Another small drama was unfolding near Liz. On her left side was her constant companion Helene, as expected. On her right side, Harold Smythe was constantly trying to get her attention. She obviously disliked him but had no way to get away from him. Whenever she moved a bit, he followed immediately until they had bodily contact again.

I was surprised to see the quiet Helene finally exploding.

"Smythe, you filthy gold digger. Take your slimy fingers off her, will you?"

I stored the new information in the back of my brain. Liz; seems to be rich. Harold; wants to be rich. Group; seems to be divided into a few true Liamists and hangers-on, who just want to survive. Although Liam was still busy inspecting his kingdom and prancing around on the beach, I thought it might be better to retreat before I was caught.

A few days later I had perfected my lurking technique. I had three spots to choose from, varying in safety and distance from their camp. Watching the group had become an addiction. I was still banned, but I was at least taking part a little bit in whatever they were doing, which still wasn't much, to be honest. Liam still followed his strict do-nothing strategy. A few banana peels were lying around, so they had at least found some limited source of food.

The dress code had changed a bit, meanwhile. I had long since lost my shirt to the prickly vines and opted for a casual topless look. I had no problem walking barefoot in the jungle anymore. My small rivulet helped me, keeping my single garment clean at least.

Liam had obviously decided to go for the full fake pirate look, complete with a red bandana and a grim expression. All that was missing was a parrot on his shoulder and an eyepatch.