Survivors (Stranded) Read Online Free PDF Page B

tight scroll, slid it into the bottle, and sealed the whole thing up again.
    It was stupid to throw a bottled note into the ocean. It was babyish, and impossible to think that the note might actually reach someone out there. If Carter, Buzz, or Vanessa knew she was doing it, they’d probably laugh her right off the island.
    But none of that mattered. Above all, she kept thinking about something her mother liked to say.
If you don’t try, you’ll never know
.
    It couldn’t hurt, anyway. Even just writing the letter felt good, like making a tiny connection to the real world back home.
    Looking toward the horizon, Jane held the bottle in both hands. She gave it a quick kiss for good luck and threw it as far as she could. It splashed into the ocean, several yards offshore, and bobbed there, not going anywhere for the time being.
    Jane watched for a few seconds more, then turned away and headed back to the ship. She’d done what she could. The rest was up to luck.

    Carter stood perfectly still.
Don’t move, Benson,
he told himself
. Not even so much as a twitch.
    It was dim in the woods. The sun had started to go down, and everything was washed in the pale blue color of dusk. But one thing stood out. It was the tan-and-black-banded snake, slithering off the tree in front of him.
    It moved slowly off a low branch, taking its time. Carter wondered if the snake was aware of him or not. If so, it didn’t seem to care. The thing had never seen a human before—that was for sure. It was just going about its business, heading for the carpet of leaves and brush on the forest floor.
    Carter’s heart raced with adrenaline, but there was no fear. He was too hungry for that. He’d heard of people eating rattlers before. Why not this one, too? It was at least three feet long, and thick. Which meant
meaty,
Carter thought. Its tiny black eyes were barely visible on either side of its flat, triangular head.
    That was what he’d aim for—the head. But first, he needed a weapon.
    Keeping his feet planted, he looked around for anything he could easily grab. A gray fist-sized rock sat in the weeds just a few feet away. It was smaller than he would have liked, but it would have to do. Moving slowly, he crouched down and picked up the rock with his good hand, never taking his eyes off the snake.
    Now, he waited. The snake paused and advanced, paused and advanced, working its way toward the base of the tree trunk. Eventually, it slid onto flat ground, where it stopped again.
    This was his chance. Any doubts he might have had were drowned out by the sharp, empty ache in his stomach. In one fluid motion, Carter dropped and brought the rock down on the snake’s head with all the strength he had.
    It was a direct hit. But the snake reacted with a speed of its own. Its tail and back half kicked up, coiling around Carter’s leg. He felt a squeeze on his thigh as he jumped back. His fingers wrapped around the snake’s leathery body, and he whipped it off his leg, dropping it to the ground again. Without pause, he stepped forward and pinned the thing with his sneaker.
    For a full minute or more, the snake’s body continued to move. It writhed under his foot, slowly curling and uncurling, until finally, it went still.
    Carter looked down at his kill. He prodded it with his toe to make sure it was dead. Then he picked it up and turned to go.
    It was only as he headed back to the ship that his nerves started to kick in. His hand trembled as he walked, with the lifeless snake hanging in his grip. He realized he’d barely breathed the whole time, and his lungs worked to catch up.
    I can’t believe I just did that,
he thought. Some animal part of him had taken over. It all happened in a blur.
    But now, one thing was clear above all. He knew what was coming next.
    Dinner!

CHAPTER 6

    O ther than microwave popcorn, Vanessa had never been much of a cook. But since Carter had made the kill, and Buzz was keeping the fire, she volunteered to do something