I let out a pained groan as the scattered sunshine pierced through the trees. It was day again in a flash. I made it through the night relatively well, but now that I’m awake, I can only wonder how I slept at all.

  My finger was throbbing, seems the wound I got the night before will stick with me for a while. My body was cold, with the only warmth coming from the damp sand that clung to me through the night. Not much comfort in that. Not to mention the thirst. Every breath left the taste of blood in my throat. I’d like a sip of water more than anything.

  I could feel an anxious heartbeat well up within me. I can’t escape thoughts of death. I feel so terrible, I almost want to cry. I fucked up so badly yesterday. It all feels so hopeless.

  No, I can’t have that attitude. I’m pretty healthy. A rough day like yesterday is definitely gonna take its toll, but nothing serious. Yes, that’s right, I just have to get some water. That’s the only permanent issue on the docket. If I figure that out, then I can manage the other issues. One step at a time.

  I stood up and began wiping off the remnant sand. There was blood strewn across the ground, and my shirt, which I’d wrapped around my hand, was dyed a deep burgundy. Thinking back on it, I was so manic yesterday. Now that I’ve had some rest and time to reflect on it, I really can’t understand my thought process.

  I think it was reasonable to come back to the lagoon. That made sense, and was a good starting point, but what was next? Right, thoughts about diving into the lagoon looking for some great landmark that might save me. Kinda strange that something like that would cross my mind.

  It got worse after that as well. I remember vividly when I was pacing back and forth, desperately looking for a message in the lagoon. I eventually landed on the lagoon being a compass, and found the point it was centered on. I can’t really doubt the result; at least it feels real, but the process doesn’t make much sense.

  I walked over to the map I had inscribed into the tree. It felt sort of worthless. I wonder why I was so convinced that I would forget the location; even without the map, I remember the sensation of the center perfectly fine. Come to think of it, I don’t feel the pull of the lagoon that I felt yesterday.

  Inquisitively, I ended up looking into the lagoon again. When I was walking the length of the island, the only time I could feel the lagoon was when I was near it. Even just now, I couldn’t feel it when I was a few meters away from it. I wonder if it’s a distance thing.

  I edged closer and closer, keeping an unshakeable focus as I looked into the chasm. I could feel it again. The pull, the desire to dive to its depths. Exactly like yesterday.

  I don’t know for how long, but I just stood there, unmoving. I couldn’t tell, but my mind was drifting. Thoughts flooded into my brain. I might have ended up in the same state as yesterday if a nearby branch falling to the ground hadn’t jarred me awake.

  I sprang backwards, scurrying away from the lagoon until I was a few feet into the vegetation. I get it now, the lagoon is messing with my mind. I knew that it had supernatural powers, but I didn’t consider how those might have been affecting me. It also makes sense now that I consider that there was never a peep from the native wildlife around the lagoon. I don’t know what this lagoon is, but I can’t stay near it.

  …

  I was at a loss again. I cut through the forest to the beach after the realization, but now that I’m here, I can only lament my situation. The lagoon, the map, those were my lifeline. I don’t understand what either of them means now. All I know is that they cannot be trusted.

  I looked at the forest. When I cut through it a moment ago, I realized just how difficult it is to traverse it. Whether it’s the overgrown roots, the low-hanging branches, or the undergrowth that covered anything in between, it really is a jungle.

  The deeper parts are probably worse as well. I could only imagine the thickness of the vegetation and the venomous snakes and poisonous insects that await.

  Still, what can I do? The clock is ticking. I haven’t drunk a sip of water in over a day. I also sweat and bled a ton yesterday, which is taking a notable toll on my stamina. Thinking reasonably, I only have until the end of today to find a water source. If I don’t manage that much, then it truly is over.

  What next. My options are limited, so I can hardly call anything a plan, more of a desperate heave. At any rate, I do have some ideas.

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  For one, I should stay as far away from the point on the map as possible, which means sticking to the north side of the island for the most part. It hurts to abandon my efforts from yesterday, but I’ve gotta limit my risk where I can.

  I also have to cover myself as much as possible. The foliage will be difficult to navigate, and there’s also the risk of cuts or bites as I travel further, so my pants and shoes are gonna have to take me far.

  As for my upper body, I only have a blood-soaked t-shirt. I could still wear it, but I’d have to worry about the possibility of my finger getting infected, and it’s not like it would cover my arms anyway, so I might just have to take a loss here and go shirtless.

  I should also try to find a sturdy stick. I always used to joke with my parents about their penchant for hiking sticks, but I get it now. It should be pretty useful. I’m not sure how my balance will hold up with my left hand out of commission, and I’d like something useful to ward off any bugs or animals I might find. Finding one might be a different matter, but I’ll just pick up what’s available as I go.

  That brings me to the last thing. What should I do if I find a source of water? I can’t filter it, of course, so not much to be done there. Guess I could get lucky and find some fruits, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Pretty bleak. I was a civilized man just over a day ago, and now I’m considering drinking out of some muddy watering hole. I should’ve watched more of those survival shows when I was younger.

  Apart from the matter of drinking it, I have to consider what comes after. Whether it’s marking a path to the water source, sticking around, or finding some make-shift container, I’ll need a way to permanently resolve my water problems.

  I thought for a moment, but gave up. The choice will probably be made for me when I get there anyway. It’s time for me to just give it a shot.

  I ran past the lagoon, grabbed and hurriedly put on my clothes, and reached the edge of the jungle. Now, I could only resolve myself to keep going forward, no matter what.

  …

  I was making slow and methodical progress through the jungle. The environment was about what I had expected. The branches scratched my arms and chest as the thick undergrowth clung to my every movement. The intertwining roots left little place for footholds, further complicating my steps. I did manage to break off a solid branch from a tree as I passed, which has served me well in alleviating some of these issues, but the conditions were far from comfortable.

  It only took about a hundred meters for me to see the first signs of wildlife, an insect that looked to be something between a praying mantis and a caterpillar. I wasn’t much of a nature guy, but it felt like it wasn’t poisonous, at least from its muted color scheme. It was large, however. Maybe a bit more than half a meter long, and its height reached halfway up my shin. Creepy, but I guess it’s to be expected from a jungle. I could only hope that everything else is a bit more tame.

  Nothing was tame. Since my encounter with the praying mantis-like creature, I saw a beetle the size of my head climbing a tree, a group of ants, each at least the size of a finger, and a worm that looked to be eating a leaf whole. The sort of creatures that I should be able to squash with my foot was large enough that I’d run the risk of injury in a head-on fight.

  The only thing that looked normal was a golden, black bird perched a few branches below the upper canopies. However, the facade of it being just a regular bird quickly shattered when it dislodged from its branch and flew downwards with ferocious speed. The flapping of its wings more closely matched a hummingbird than a bird of its size as it swooped in on one of the ants I had been observing. It caught the ant just a hair's breadth from the ground before changing its path in an unnatural feat of deceleration.

  It flew away just as quickly as it fell, zig-zagging with immaculate coordination through the trees as it left. It was only a moment, but it was enough to tell me that nothing in this forest was normal.

  Recuperating from the scene, I took a second to sit on a small boulder that poked through the surface of the undergrowth. I hesitated to think of what could be underneath while I recollected myself for the journey ahead. I had made good progress to this point, but I wondered how long that would last.

  Looking upwards, I noticed that the trees were larger and taller than they had been at the entrance. Even the undergrowth seemed to be getting thicker and taller. I guess there was a general theme of the wildlife here getting more extreme, but this is truly wild for an island of this size.

  I could sit in awe for a while if my life weren’t on the line. At this point, I’m not sure how much deeper in I can go. Physically, each step is taking its toll on me, and I’ve had to walk in a zig-zag pattern to avoid the insects I’ve encountered, which has exacerbated the issue. Well, I doubt that will be a viable strategy for much longer anyhow.

  I wonder what’ll happen if I end up touching one of those creatures. I probably have to open the door to the possibility of some of them seeing me as food. I mean, do birds normally swoop from the trees to eat ants? Maybe everything in this forest is a bloodthirsty carnivore that I should kill on sight.

  I smiled at the thought. I’d like to be so bold, but I think I'll just try to slip through without notice, or hope that they don’t see me as prey. Not really the way a human should react to bugs, but what can I do? I can’t exactly test the waters with a little friendly bout. They’ve ignored me to this point; I’ll just have to assume that they’ll keep up that attitude.

  I sat for a moment, twirling my stick in the ground as I hesitated. At least this jungle doesn’t seem to have a shortage of food for me when that comes into play, if that’s any sort of silver lining.

  Feeling that I had procrastinated enough, I stood up. Like always, I’ll just have to put my worries aside and move forward. Thinking on it, I let out a deep sigh. It’d be such a shame if I died after trying this hard.