Summer kills

As the storm finally subsided, leaving a thick, heavy silence in its wake, the group knew they had to do the unthinkable. With hearts heavy and bodies drained, Jake and Liam set to work, digging a shallow grave for Ethan in the sand outside the cave. Each movement was slow and laborious, the reality of what they were doing weighing down on them with every handful of earth they displaced.

Jake's hands were raw, his fingers bloody from the effort, but he didn't stop. The physical pain was a welcome distraction from the agony in his heart. Liam worked beside him, his injured shoulder barely holding up under the strain, but like Jake, he pushed through, fueled by the need to give their friend some semblance of peace.

Neither spoke as they dug. Words felt useless, inadequate. The only sounds were the soft scraping of their hands against the earth and the distant roar of the ocean, a reminder of how isolated they were, how far from home. When they finally finished, they gently laid Ethan's body in the grave. Jake couldn't bring himself to look at his friend's face one last time he didn't want this to be his last memory of Ethan. He wanted to remember him as the lively, adventurous person he had been, not as the broken body lying in the sand. Liam, too, kept his eyes averted, his jaw clenched tight to hold back the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

They covered Ethan with the earth, the finality of it striking them like a physical blow. When it was done, Jake placed a large stone at the head of the grave, a makeshift marker in this desolate place, something to remember Ethan by. Nearby, Ruby sat on the ground, holding Olivia in her arms. Olivia was curled up against her, her body shaking with silent sobs. The grief was almost too much for her to bear, and Ruby could feel the pain radiating from her like a tangible force. But she held her close, offering what little comfort she could, even though her own heart was breaking.

"It's going to be okay, Liv," Ruby whispered, though she wasn't sure she believed it herself. But the words needed to be said, if only to give Olivia something to hold onto, a lifeline in the midst of the storm of emotions.

Olivia didn't respond, her face buried in Ruby's shoulder. She was lost in her grief, the pain of losing Ethan tearing her apart from the inside. Ruby could feel her friend's tears soaking through her shirt, and she tightened her hold, wishing there was more she could do, wishing she could take away even a fraction of the pain.

"We'll get through this," Ruby continued, her voice soft but firm, trying to instill some hope in Olivia, even as doubt gnawed at her own heart. "We have to... for Ethan, for all of us."

But the words sounded hollow, even to her own ears. The island felt like a grave itself, a place where hope had died along with Ethan. Ruby looked over at Jake and Liam as they finished their grim task, their faces etched with sorrow and exhaustion. They were all broken, but they had to keep going, if not for themselves, then for the memory of the friend they had lost.

As the boys finished, they walked back to where Ruby and Olivia sat. Jake knelt down beside Olivia, his face drawn with grief. He gently touched her shoulder, his voice low and filled with sorrow.

"We buried him, Liv," he said softly. "He's... he's at peace now."

Olivia looked up at him, her tear-streaked face a mask of pain. She didn't say anything, just nodded slightly, her eyes hollow and empty. The light that had once shone so brightly in her was gone, snuffed out by the tragedy they were now living.

Ruby continued to hold her close, her own tears silently falling as she tried to be the rock Olivia needed. But in that moment, as they all sat together in their shared grief, the weight of their loss felt almost too much to bear.

The island was quiet now, the storm having passed, but the silence was heavy, oppressive. It was a silence filled with the echoes of what they had lost, the friends they would never see again, and the terrifying uncertainty of what lay ahead. In the cold, dim light of the cave, the four survivors sat huddled together, trying to warm themselves with the scant heat from the fire they had managed to build. The fruits Jake had brought back from his search were barely enough to stave off their hunger, and the rain outside showed no signs of letting up, its relentless downpour only adding to their despair.

Ruby shivered uncontrollably, her teeth chattering as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "It's freezing," she whispered, her voice trembling not just from the cold but from the lingering shock of everything they had endured. "We need to find a way to stay warm."

Jake, sitting closest to the fire, nodded in agreement, his own body shaking despite his efforts to stay strong. "We could try cuddling together," Ruby suggested, glancing around at the others. "It might help... body heat and all."

The idea was met with quiet nods. Desperate for any semblance of warmth, they all scooted closer to each other, forming a tight circle. Jake wrapped one arm around Ruby and the other around Olivia, who was still eerily silent, lost in her grief. Liam, nursing his injured shoulder, leaned into the group, trying to absorb what little warmth he could.

For a moment, it seemed like this might work. They huddled closer, the warmth of their bodies offering a brief respite from the biting cold. But soon it became apparent that it wasn't enough. The chill seeped through their clothes, and the cave, with its damp walls and unforgiving stone floor, offered little protection from the elements. They were still shivering, their teeth chattering in unison.

"This isn't working," Liam muttered through clenched teeth, his voice thick with frustration and desperation. "We're still freezing."

Jake sighed heavily, running a hand through his wet hair. "I don't know what else to do," he admitted, feeling a deep sense of helplessness. The idea of being unable to protect the group, to keep them safe and warm, gnawed at him. Liam, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly looked up, a strange intensity in his eyes. "There's... there's another way," he said slowly, his gaze shifting between the others. "It's not ideal, but... we're running out of options." Ruby frowned, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Liam hesitated, the words sticking in his throat. He knew how it would sound, how desperate it would make them all feel, but the situation was becoming more dire with every passing moment. "We need body heat... real body heat," he finally said, his voice low. "The only way we're going to generate enough warmth to keep from freezing is... if we have sex."

A heavy silence fell over the group, the words hanging in the air like a cold, damp fog. Ruby's eyes widened in shock, Jake looked away, clearly uncomfortable, and Olivia seemed to sink even further into herself, retreating from the harsh reality of their situation.

"Are you serious?" Jake finally asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Liam, this... this isn't the time for jokes."

"I'm not joking," Liam replied, his tone deadly serious. "Look, I know how it sounds. But this isn't about anything more than survival. We need to stay warm, and if we don't... we could die out here."

Ruby swallowed hard, her mind racing. She understood the logic behind what Liam was saying, but it still felt surreal, like something out of a nightmare. They were all exhausted, cold, and terrified, and now they were faced with a choice that felt impossible to make.

"I... I don't know," Ruby stammered, looking to Jake for guidance, but his face was a mask of uncertainty. "I mean, it makes sense, but..."

Liam leaned forward, his gaze steady. "We need to survive, Ruby. That's all this is about. It doesn't have to mean anything more than that."

The weight of the decision pressed down on them, the tension in the cave thick enough to cut with a knife. They were trapped between survival and the remnants of their dignity, each option as daunting as the other.

Finally, it was Olivia who broke the silence. She looked up, her eyes dull but resolute. "If it's what we have to do to stay alive," she whispered, "then... then we do it."

The others looked at her in surprise, her words cutting through the fog of indecision that had settled over them. Ruby nodded slowly, and Jake, though still uncomfortable, realized there was no other choice.

"Okay," Jake said quietly, his voice heavy with the weight of their shared decision. "We do what we have to do... to survive."

And so, with the cold pressing in on all sides and the rain outside showing no signs of stopping, the four of them made the choice to survive, no matter how desperate the circumstances. The cave, once a place of safety, had now become the stage for an act of sheer survival, where dignity was sacrificed in the name of life, and the bonds between them were tested in ways they had never imagined.