Rest, and then move on

Ten thousand dollars is tempting, to be sure - almost as tempting as a free helicopter ride out of this nightmare. But it's not enough... not nearly enough. If it were, she wouldn't be there.

Still, it would be foolish to turn down a chance to get a few hours' peace. Jade pulls out out the first-aid kit, thinking of how Tiffany had used the bandages to support her breasts; Jade doesn't have that problem, but perhaps there's something else in there which she can use to her advantage. The kit is noticeably heavier than the one she had before, and upon opening it, she sees why; there's a bottle of sunscreen in among the supplies.

That was nice of them, the thinks. Of course, they probably only provided it so I wouldn't cover myself with mud again... they want me naked for the cameras. I could really use some sleep, but I don't want to stay too long; once the sun goes down, I can move in the dark and make some real progress. How can I be sure I'll wake up at sunset?

She can only think of one certain way to avoid oversleeping, and it'll have other consequences, but she'll have to learn to live with those. She puts her mouth over the water jug spigot and opens it up, drinking as much as she possibly can. What goes in, must come out, she thinks. In about two hours, I'm really going to have to pee. That'll wake me up. I'll probably also be horny as hell, but at least that part won't catch me unaware.

Jade stretches out on the hammock, and closes her eyes.

By the time the sun touches the horizon, she's on the move.

Her plan to wake herself up had worked perfectly - and she was grateful for it, as her dreams were a disturbing mix of falling, drowning, being chased, and wildly erotic imagery. The reality she woke to wasn't much better, but at least she was in some control of that. She'd relieved herself right there in the shelter, out of spite to whoever had to clean it.

At the last minute, she'd had a brainstorm - she could try to take the hammock with her. It was a loose mesh, no good for any sort of clothing, but who knew when it might be useful? At first it defied all attempts to tear it loose; it was made of some kind of strong artificial fiber which she couldn't tear with her hands or even her teeth. Then she'd glanced at the screen set in the wall, and a good solid smack with a rock had shattered it, providing her with a shard of glass to cut the hammock free. They warned us not to disturb the cameras, she'd thought, but this isn't a camera - not one that's meant to get footage for TV, anyway. She put the largest shard into her first-aid kit; it might come in handy again.

As the sun goes down, darkness comes surprisingly quickly to the island. Jade realizes that she's never truly spent the night away from civilization and artificial lights; even when she'd gone camping as a child, there were flashlights and lanterns and a campfire to keep the night at bay. I never realized how dark it could be at night, she thinks, and shivers even though it's still warm.

Even though it's dark, it's far from silent. The insects chirp loudly all around her, and she can hear waves crashing against the nearby shore. The breeze coming in off the ocean disturbs the treetops, making them sway and rustle. Even so, every footstep she takes sounds like she's walking on bubble wrap.

There's still a bit of twilight left in the sky when Jade comes upon a huge rock that extends above the trees, and she dares to try to climb it. At the top, she gets her first decent look at the lay of the land. Off to her left is a long coastline with a shining beach, extending to the base of a cliff in the distance. To the right, and in front of her, a patchwork of trees and clearings, and in some of the clearings she can see the lights of campfires. Must be the men, she thinks; the girls wouldn't want to advertise their position. For a moment, she imagines what would happen if she came upon one of those camps, with perhaps half a dozen men... she would emerge from the trees, her pale skin glowing in the firelight, and of course they would take her... would they take turns, or would they surround her and have their pleasure through any part of her they could reach? Perhaps one would thrust into her from behind, while another forced his manhood into her mouth, while their companions groped at her breasts from either side -

Jade realizes she's becoming excited, and wet between her legs. No, that's not me, she thinks. That's whatever they put in the food and water. I don't want to be gang-raped!

She forces her mind to imagine a different experience... the memory of her encounter with Tiffany. That was artificially inspired as well, but she prefers to focus on the soft touch of the other woman rather than the violent rape fantasy among strange men. What happened to her? Jade wonders. Is she all right? Did she get away from the man chasing her... did she just run into someone else? In a very real way, she was my first lover... I might not ever even see her again. After a moment, she shakes her head to clear it even of those thoughts.

Looking behind her, she can clearly see the cliff she jumped from, and she's surprised to see that it doesn't look so high from a distance - until she sees the small palm tree at the base of it, giving it scale. That's at least forty feet, she realizes. If I'd looked before leaping, I don't think I could have done it. Kind of like getting into this situation in the first place. But no, I had my chance to leave, and I gave it up. I'm in this to win, more now than ever. I'm going all the way to the prize and no one is stopping me!

The beach is clear of campfires, but it's also clear of significant cover. Jade considers that the final safe house is on "the other side of the island" - indicating that it's close to the shore. If I stick to the beach, I might be able to just keep going all the way around the island until I get there; it's not a straight line, but at least I'd know I wasn't going in circles. Still, anyone could see me out there from half a mile away, and I'm not likely to run into supplies or shelters. The map showed most of those in the interior.

Going through the trees certainly gives me more cover, but it'll be slower going. And where I can hide, so can they; there could be men waiting in ambush behind any tree. But if I'm seen in there, I have a better chance to escape; I can dodge through the undergrowth much faster than a large man. And even though I'm well-stocked at the moment, my food and water won't last forever, and before morning comes I'm going to need to find a safe place to rest. That might be hard to find on the beach.