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The air around the huts was still and wet with cold. A light mist clung to the edges of the trees, and the weak fire barely crackled anymore. The meat, Mari’s meat, still hung near the back wall, waiting to be eaten
Gen crouched by the fire, poking the embers with a half-charred stick. The smell of cooked flesh clung to everything.
“I can’t tell if it’s still her or just rot,” she muttered.
Tai rubbed her arms and shook her head. “It’s, it’s what we got.”
“its enough for us to survive.” Melissa added, sitting down beside them.
“We shouldn’t have to do it again,” Van said, watching the smoke drift up through the trees. As the group lifted their eyes to her “We’re not out yet.”
“Natalie said the weather’s lifting,” Tai offered. “They’re circling again. We saw the plane.”
Natalie came closer, arms crossed tight across her chest. “They’re up there.” Her jaw was tight. “The weather's been holding them back, but they’ll be back. He said to watch for the lights.”
“So… rescue is really coming?” Gen asked quietly, almost like she didn’t want to say the words too loud.
Natalie nodded
Shauna scoffed from where she stood near the edge of the clearing. The rifle was leaning against the tree beside her. Her eyes looked darker than usual, set back into her skull with exhaustion and something worse.
“Rescue’s always coming, Until… it’s not!” she said mockingly.
“We’re not starving,” Melissa said gently. “We can wait. We’ve waited this long.”
Shauna looked at her like she was stupid. “And what? Wait until we run out again? Wait until someone else gets desperate and wanders off like Crystal or Javi or Natalie?” Shauna said seeing Travis stiffen
“I came back,” Natalie said sharply. “I came back to save you, us.” she said staring at Lottie, who just looked down, continuing to eat
Shauna stepped forward and let the deck of cards drop onto the stump between them. The slap of them hitting wood was louder than it should have been.
“The wilderness doesn’t wait. It doesn’t care if we’re ‘almost rescued.’ If it wants something, it takes it. That’s how we survive.”
“We don’t need this,” Melissa said. “This isn’t survival. It’s cruel.”
“If we don’t pull,” Shauna said, “we’ll find out what the wilderness does when we disobey.” she said, grabbing the cards once again, signaling the group to pull
No one moved.
“If no one moves or pulls, I will just choose myself, as queen.” She looked around, no emotion
Tai breathed in, stepping forward, everyone looked at her. knowing that this wasn’t one of Vans rigged drawings, but something real
Safe. Tai let out breath of relief and stared at Van who gave a small smile
Robin followed. Her hands shook.
Safe.
Then Britt.
Safe.
Travis
Safe.
Van.
Safe.
Melissa.
She paused just a second too long.
Safe.
Then Gen. Her hand hovered over the deck. She looked up at Melissa, a flash of something between panic and hope then pulled.
She turned it over.
Queen.
Melissa made a sound like her breath had just been stolen.
“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no…”
Shauna was already reaching for the gun.
“I’ll run,” Gen said suddenly, backing away. “Just count! Please just count!”
“You drew,” Shauna said. Her voice was flat. Final. “The wilderness chose.”
“Shauna! We count, it is the rule.” Nat said
Gen didn’t wait for permission.
She turned and ran, boots slipping in the wet dirt, crashing into branches, hair whipping behind her like a ribbon in the wind.
“Shauna!” Melissa screamed, lunging forward. “Please!”
Shauna raised the rifle.
The shot rang out through the trees.
“No…No! Gen!” Melissa screamed as she ran to Gen who looked down at the blood soaking through her shirt, bullet straight through her shoulder
Gen was losing blood fast.
She started falling to the ground, as Melissa held her, the remembrance of being shot with the arrow filled her brain
everyone stared, watching Melissa scream for help frantically
“What are you guys doing, help me! she’s fucking dying!” Melissa said looking over at Van and Tai, staring with remorse
“The wilderness chose.” Shauna said, staring at the pair on the ground
“That’s how this works Melissa.” She continued
“No! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you and your stupid fucking gun shauna! this wasn’t the fucking wilderness, you shot her! You didn’t even give her time to fucking run!” Melissa said from the ground trying to keep Gen alive, staring at the group
Robin had to turn around, from the crying, Britt comforting her, Melissa still looking around at everyone, her expression unreadable, but you could tell it wasn’t good
“Fuck All of you! there was no fucking point to this! No reason to kill anyone! and you had to go and shoot her” Melissa said, angry
“Mel?” Gen said faintly on the ground as Melissa held her, Melissa looked down and smiled, fighting back the tears
“Hey” Melissa smiled a tear running down her cheek
“Gen stay with me okay? please?” Melissa said trying to hold back tears
“im gonna die” Gen said, eyes faintly open
“No, no i won’t let that happen” Melissa said shaking her head firmly, the tears catching in her throat
“No mel, i’m dying, I know i am. It’s okay.” Gen said nodding her head and smiling as she gets paler
“Gen don’t fucking say that, stay with me”
“Mel, you know when i first met you, i thought you were a total asshole because you didn’t wanna talk to me” Melissa let out a sad laugh as more tears rolled down her face
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“but then… being out here, with you, in the circumstances we are in, I felt safe with you. I- you felt like home when there wasn’t one.” Gen said breathless, smiling, Mel started to tear up more
Melissa’s arms trembled as she held Gen tighter, trying to keep pressure on the wound. Blood was still pouring, warm and slick between her fingers, but Gen didn’t even flinch anymore. Her breaths were light uneven. Her eyes were open but glassy, struggling to focus.
“Stay with me,” Melissa whispered. “Please.”
“I’m trying,” Gen said, so softly Melissa almost didn’t hear her.
Melissa’s hands were stained red. Her face was streaked with tears and dirt. All around them, the others were frozen silent, like statues, watching as Gen slipped away.
“Mel” Gen said eyes starting to close on her
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for caring about me, always caring about others instead of yourself” Gen said, taking deep breaths in between words. Melissa couldn’t handle it, she felt like she was sinking in on herself
“Yeah.. caring about you was the best part about being out here” Melissa said whispering as she looked away, running her hand through Gens hair
More silence
“Mel?”
“Hmm”
“I think” Breath.
“I think, the time spent out here” Another Breath.
“Yeah?” Melissa said patiently
“I think it made me realize that I love you” breath.
Melissa breath hitched
“And not in a silly friend way” Breath.
“but in a way that is too scary to understand” another deep breath
Mel just nodded
“But, is anything scarier than the brinks of dying?”
Mel laughed sadly again shaking her head
“So I guess telling you I love you before I die, in the middle” another breath
“of nowhere, isn’t so scary” Gen said eyes opening to look at Melissa, who was staring down at her
“I love you too Gen” Mel said, tears asking to fall
“Really? You’re not just saying that because i’m dying” Gen said a little smirk playing on her face, making Melissa laugh, as she shook her head
“No, I would’ve told you one way or another”
“good”
more silence
“just promise me you will find someone who treats you with the best attention and kindness ever mel”
“I will”
“and when you get back don’t go to the taco place on the corner by the library, they have really bad tacos” Gen said keeping light to the situation, making melissa cry laugh more
“I’m not ready.” Melissa’s voice cracked. “You can’t leave me. Not like this. Not after everything. We were almost out.”
Gen blinked slowly. “I know.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the others still stunned, still watching from a distance, afraid to move, afraid to speak. Shauna had set the gun down now, staring at the fire, face unreadable. Natalie had turned her back. Robin was crying quietly into Britt’s shoulder.
Melissa leaned closer, forehead resting against Gen’s for a second.
“I don’t think i’ll ever love anyone as much as i love you”
“I know,” Gen said softly, eyes barely open.
Melissa looked at her. And Gen, even pale and dying, looked so steady. So sure.
“Don’t do that thing,” Melissa murmured. “Where you confess a secret and then die.”
Gen smiled. “I’ll try.”
There was a pause.
Then Melissa leaned in.
She kissed her slow, careful, as if the wrong movement might shatter them both. Gen’s lips were cold, but she kissed back just barely. Her hand curled weakly into the fabric of Melissa’s coat, like she didn’t want to let go.
When Melissa pulled away, there were fresh tears on both of their faces.
“See?” Gen whispered. “You’re not such an asshole after all.”
Melissa laughed through the tears. “Shut up.”
Gen’s eyes fluttered. “Mel…”
“Yeah?”
But Gen didn’t answer.
Her body was still in Melissa’s arms. Her chest stopped rising.
Melissa froze, eyes locked on her face.
“Gen?” Melissa said
Gens eyes still partially open, laid lifeless on Melissa
tears started forming and dropping as Melissa realized Gen had died, both bodies shaking from Melissa’s affect as Melissa silently cried, blood soaking all over Melissa.
And then-
“Look.” Misty said pointing at the sky, everyone followed her finger
there it was.
the rescue helicopter.