Chapter 27

What Darcy did with the radio antenna was nothing short of a miracle.

She'd somehow figured out a way to extend the signal far enough to get a clear channel, and they were now listening to the chatter of a ship's radio somewhere out there on the ocean. The men talking back and forth between themselves were speaking in Spanish, and Scarlet only caught a few words that she recognized. Navío. Capitán. El Oeste.

"Do you think they're nearby?" Robin asked hopefully.

"Keep your fingers crossed," Darcy said, then she started broadcasting the SOS again.

"This could be it," Scarlet said, bouncing on her toes. "We could be getting off this island today. We have so much to do!"

"We have to find Zoe's group," Robin said. "They have to come back here now."

Scarlet nodded. "You can't go, though."

"But–"

"No buts. Krys told you to take it easy. I'll go." Robin looked ready to object, but Scarlet steamed ahead. "We need someone here to keep everyone calm and organized and ready to go. That's you."

"You can't go out there alone," Robin said.

"I'll go too," Simone volunteered. "We'll find Lex and Tasha, convince the others to come back with us, and be back in a couple of hours."

Robin grabbed Scarlet's wrists, her eyes pleading, looking like she was biting her tongue to keep from begging her not to go. But they both knew somebody had to do this job. They couldn't just leave those people out in the jungle because Zoe led them astray.

"Promise you'll be quick," was all she said.

"I'll be back before you know it. I love you."

"I love you too, Scar."

Scarlet kissed her, and then she and Simone headed into the jungle. She pointed out the path she'd followed the last time she found Zoe and they jogged along it for as long as they could see it. When they lost the trail, they just had to guess at which direction the group was most likely to have chosen, and they called out periodically for them.

"What if she's still being unreasonable?" Simone worried, swatting at a mosquito. "What if we can't convince them to come back?"

"Tasha's out here somewhere, and she was briefly under Zoe's spell," Scarlet pointed out. "I think she's going to be the most convincing of any of us, telling them that it's okay to give up on Zoe's food stores lie."

"And if they still won't listen? If they're too far gone?"

Scarlet felt something tighten in her chest. "Then I guess we drag them back kicking and screaming. We're not leaving anyone behind."

The logistics of that were easier said than done. Zoe had a dozen people following her out here, and some of them might be just as sick with malaria as Robin had been. Watching her lie there, tossing and turning, with sweat beading on her forehead, had been the most terrifying forty-eight hours of Scarlet's life. If Zoe's group was in that kind of condition when Scarlet and Simone found them?

Well, she wasn't sure how she'd manage to drag them back to camp, kicking and screaming or not.

They found Lex and Tasha first. The two of them were stopped for a hydration break, and carrying a small pouch full of antimalarial drugs.

"We've been going in circles all morning," Tasha said, frustrated. "It's like they disappeared."

"Maybe Zoe got them raptured," Lex teased.

"It's not funny," Scarlet said, and told them about the signal Darcy got on the radio. "We have to find them now."

"Shit," Lex said, the gravity of it taking a physical toll on her. "Should we split up?"

"No," Scarlet answered quickly. It would probably be the most efficient way to find Zoe and her group, but then they'd have to wander around finding each other before they could go back to camp. "We stay together."

They walked for at least another hour, exhaustion and the heat of the day wearing them all down. On top of all that, the sun wasn't piercing the canopy quite as brightly anymore, and the light in the jungle had taken on an eerie quality. Scarlet was silently praying that another storm wasn't brewing.

It shouldn't have mattered –they should have found the other group and been on their way back by now. It only took four hours to hike the circumference of the entire island, so where the hell was Zoe?

"Start shouting louder," Simone suggested. "They have to be holed up somewhere we just can't see them. Zoe probably won't answer, but somebody in her group might."

After another twenty minutes of that, shouting and pausing and listening, then shouting again, Scarlet spotted a hollowed out papaya skin on the ground, a little meat still clinging to it. "Look. We have to be on the right path."

"Could be from an animal," Lex pointed out.

"Animals don't use tools," Scarlet said. "That was cut open."

"Raina! Alicia! Zoe!" Tasha screamed, louder than Scarlet had ever heard her.

"Hello?" The response was far away and meek-sounding, but Tasha threw her hand out to Scarlet.

"Did you hear that?"

Scarlet nodded quickly. "We're here! Keep yelling!"

"Help!" the voice shouted back.

They started to follow the sound, cutting through a thick section of the underbrush and scraping their bare legs along the way. Suddenly, a familiar figure emerged from the bushes.

"Missy?" Lex called.

She looked dirty and weak, and she fell into Lex's arms. "Thank God you came for us."

Scarlet stepped forward, placing a hand on Missy"s shoulder. "Where are the others?"

Missy found enough strength to stand again. She pointed. "In a cave not far from here. Almost everyone is sick, and there's no food. It was all a lie."

Scarlet exchanged a worried glance with Tasha and Simone. "Take us to them, Missy. We need to get everyone back to camp. Darcy's hailing a ship."

Missy led them through the jungle, her steps hurried and unsteady. As they approached the cave, the sound of coughing and moaning filled the air. Scarlet"s heart sank at the sight of the group huddled together, their faces pale and drawn.

Zoe sat at the entrance of the cave, weak and gaunt. Her eyes narrowed as she watched them approach. "Well, well, well," she said, summoning the strength to make her voice drip with sarcasm despite her obvious illness. "Look who decided to come begging."

Scarlet stepped forward, her jaw set. "Zoe, it"s over. We"re taking everyone back to camp."

Zoe laughed, the sound hollow and bitter. "And why would they go with you? I"m the one who"s been taking care of them."

Simone scoffed. "Taking care of them? Look at them, Zoe. They"re sick and starving."

Zoe shrugged, her eyes glinting with defiance. "We're doing just fine out here."

"No, you're not," Scarlet said sternly. She knelt down beside the nearest person, a young crew member with glassy eyes and sweat-soaked hair. "We"re here to help. We brought medicine, and there's a ship coming for us back at camp."

The woman nodded weakly, reaching out to take Scarlet"s hand. One by one, the others began to stir, their eyes filled with a desperate hope.

Zoe watched, her face twisted with anger and disbelief. "What are you talking about, a ship? She's lying to you, trying to manipulate you like she did before!"

"No, that's you, Zoe," Scarlet said. "But that's over now. Your time is up."

Tasha went further into the cave to find Raina and helped her to her feet. Lex was handing out the mefloquine pills and passing around a vodka bottle she'd filled up with rainwater to help wash them down.

"Darcy got the radio working," Scarlet announced to them all. "She's flagging down a ship as we speak. We have to get back to the beach right now. We're getting off this island today."

"Is that true?" Missy asked, eyes full of hope.

"Yes," Simone said. "Now come on, everyone. We have to go."

The few who were still well helped the sick ones to their feet. It was going to be an arduous journey back across the island, but it was the last one they'd ever take.

"I'm not going," Zoe said, pushing herself up the wall of the cave to her feet, then crossing her arms over her chest. "And if you do go, don't bother coming back."

"Nobody's coming back," Scarlet said. "Aren't you listening? We're getting rescued, Zoe."

"Yeah, right," she huffed.

They helped most of the others out of the cave, skirting around Zoe, who was too weak to stop them. Scarlet could read the look in Lex's eyes – leave her if she's so stubborn – but she just couldn't do it. She took the box of mefloquine from Lex, along with the water.

"Look, Zoe, I'm not going to pretend that I like you. You"ve caused a lot of trouble for us, and you"ve put everyone here at risk with your lies and your selfishness."

Zoe scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Spare me the lecture, Scarlet. I don"t need your approval."

Scarlet shook her head, her patience wearing thin. "This isn"t about approval, it"s about survival. You were there the night we found that skeleton. Do you want to be the second skeleton found on this island? Because you will be if you stay out here alone."

Zoe"s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of fear crossing her face before she quickly masked it with a sneer. "I can take care of myself."

Scarlet took a deep breath, knowing that she would have to swallow her pride to get through to Zoe. "I know you can," she said, her voice softening. "But I"m begging you. Come back with us."

She held out the medicine and water.

Zoe stared at Scarlet for a long moment, her eyes hard and calculating. Finally, she let out a dramatic sigh, throwing her hands up in the air. "Fine," she said, taking a pill. "I"ll come back with you. But only because you begged me."

As Zoe popped the medicine in her mouth and brushed past her, Scarlet let out a silent scream and flipped her the bird behind her back. At least she got her moving.

"I'm going to nominate you for a Nobel Peace Prize when we get off this island," Simone said, bringing up the rear. "Maybe an Oscar too."

"I just want a Did Not Kill Zoe Bellfloweraward," Scarlet muttered. "I think we all deserve them."