Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1057

Chapter 1057: Chapter 1057

Jude didn’t answer her right away. He was watching the trees, scanning the outlines of branches as if expecting one to blink back at him. The wind had died down, leaving everything far too quiet. Even the usual chorus of crickets seemed to hold its breath. Layla’s question echoed in his mind. Do you think everyone saw it?

He thought of Scarlet’s pale face in the early morning, of Natalie’s nervous eyes, of the prints in the sand that led nowhere. He thought of the silence around the fire and the way even Lucy had clung tighter than usual to Serena’s arm. Every face had held the same tight look behind their smiles, the same distant calculation. Like they were all waiting for someone else to be the first to say it.

"I think," Jude said carefully, "they’re all pretending they didn’t. But I think we’re all seeing the same thing."

Layla leaned against him again. Her body was warm, grounding. "So what does that mean?"

"That we’re not crazy," he replied. "But also... it’s real."

Layla was quiet for a long time. Then she said, "We’ve never seen anything like it before. Not even close. Not even the things in the forest."

He nodded slowly. "It felt older."

She shivered and he pulled her closer, kissing her temple. "It’s okay," he whispered, though he wasn’t sure it was. She curled against him, and they stayed there as the moon slowly climbed higher and the night deepened into something thick and watchful.

The next morning, things almost returned to normal. Almost.

Breakfast was simple, some grilled fish from the day before, some ripe fruit that Zoey had brought back. The air was heavy with unspoken things, but no one said them. Instead, Stella made a joke about Jude’s snoring, and Susan laughed just a little too loud. Sophie braided Grace’s hair in the morning sun, humming softly, while Lucy and Emma gathered baskets to head east. Everyone moved in pairs or threes, a protective instinct kicking in beneath the surface.

Jude volunteered to go north with Rose and Serena. Not far, just beyond the bend where the old fig trees grew. They said it was for fruit, but really, it was an excuse to move, to feel the world underfoot and test if anything had shifted again.

The walk was uneventful. Too uneventful. The trees felt strange, their bark unusually smooth, their branches curling like fingers caught mid-reach. Serena kept glancing behind them while Rose stayed unusually close to Jude, her usual teasing absent.

They filled their baskets quickly and lingered near the trees.

"I don’t want to go further," Rose said suddenly. "I know we usually go past the ridge, but I... no."

Jude nodded. "We won’t."

Serena touched one of the tree trunks. "This one was different last week. I swear the bark was cracked."

Jude looked at it. The tree was smooth, almost unnaturally so. He pressed his palm against it. It felt warm. Too warm.

"Let’s go back," he said quietly.

The three of them returned with full baskets but full hearts too, full of questions, of tension, of growing suspicion that the island was changing again. Not like before. Not with moving trees or rearranged rivers. This change was subtler. Intentional.

That afternoon, Jude went with Susan and Sophie to the river, mostly to refill their water supply and check the nets. Sophie held his hand the whole way, her fingers tight around his like a tether.

Susan was quiet until they reached the water. Then she crouched beside the net and said without looking up, "It’s moving in dreams now."

Jude blinked. "What?"

She looked up at him. "The thing. The one we’re all pretending we haven’t seen. I dreamt about it last night."

Sophie tensed beside him.

Susan continued, voice steady, "It didn’t chase me. It just stood there. Watching me. And then I woke up, and I knew, I just knew it had really been watching."

Jude knelt beside her. "I saw it too. In my dream."

Sophie whispered, "Me too."

Their eyes met. The connection was instant. Silent. Powerful.

Susan nodded. "So it’s not just waking us. It’s creeping in deeper."

Jude stood, scanned the riverbank, and felt his skin tighten. He didn’t know where the thing came from or what it wanted, but it wasn’t just a figment anymore. It was imprinting itself, nesting inside their minds.

They returned to camp with full bottles and tight mouths.

That evening, the group cooked dinner together to distract themselves. The fire was hot, the food rich with spices, and laughter slowly rose like steam. But every now and then, someone’s gaze would flick to the edge of the trees, as if checking for something.

Jude sat between Natalie and Grace. Natalie leaned her head on his shoulder and murmured, "Scarlet isn’t eating."

He glanced over and saw her by herself, sitting on the ground, eyes on the forest.

"I’ll talk to her," he said, rising.

Scarlet didn’t look at him when he approached. She just said, "I think I saw it again. Right after we got back. I didn’t want to say anything."

Jude crouched beside her. "Why not?"

"Because what’s the point?" she whispered. "No one wants to say it. We all see it. We all feel it. But if we admit it, then what? What if we invite it in?"

He didn’t answer. She was right, in a way. The more they spoke of it, the more real it became. But ignoring it wouldn’t make it disappear either.

"I think we should gather tonight," he said softly. "Not to talk about it directly. Just to be together."

Scarlet finally looked at him. "To feel less alone?"

He nodded. "Exactly."

That night, they lit more torches than usual. The entire group sat in a wide circle, shoulders brushing, a sense of unity humming between them. Someone brought out the small flute Rose had carved, and Zoey played a soft melody that drifted like a lullaby. Lucy and Serena danced barefoot, laughing and twirling, their movements fluid like waves.

Jude sat beside Layla again. She curled into his side and whispered, "Thank you for this."

He kissed her hair. "I needed it too."

For a while, it almost felt normal again. The fear receded just a bit, replaced by connection. They shared touches and glances, quiet kisses and shared food. Emma massaged Grace’s shoulders while Susan braided Sophie’s hair. It was intimate and close, the kind of gathering they hadn’t had in too long.

But as the night deepened, so did the unease.

Natalie was the first to break away, standing slowly and staring at the forest. Then Stella. Then Lucy. One by one, they looked toward the same spot beyond the light’s edge.

Jude followed their gaze.

And there it was.

No one screamed. No one moved. But every face froze.

It stood beyond the light, at the edge of the shadows. Tall. Unmoving. Its form not quite solid. A mass of angles and voids, like it didn’t belong to this world. Its eyes, or where eyes should be, reflected the fire like mirrors.

No sound. No approach. Just presence.

Jude stood, his heart pounding in his ears. He didn’t speak. Didn’t need to. The others saw it now. Together. Not in dreams. Not in private glances.

They all saw it.

The thing stayed for one long moment.

Then, it turned and vanished into the trees without a sound.

Still, no one moved. The fire popped once. A breeze whispered past.

Zoey’s voice finally broke the silence. "We all saw that... right?"

No one answered, but no one needed to.

Jude looked around at the circle, the women he loved, the family they had become. Each face held a mix of fear, wonder, and acceptance.

It was real.

Layla’s fingers found his. "Now we know."

And as the fire burned lower and the night crept closer, they all sat still, each of them wondering the same thing, if the thing could be seen by all of them now... what would happen next?