Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1094

Chapter 1094: Chapter 1094

Her eyes were wide and wet, and she clutched her own arms as if the sound were burning her from inside.

"What are you doing?" Rose demanded.

Susan looked straight at her. "Fighting."

Rose screamed.

It wasn’t human. It wasn’t even animal. It was the sound of roots tearing from the earth and fire bursting from drowned lungs.

The others collapsed. Zoey convulsed. Layla’s mouth opened but no sound came out. Natalie curled into a ball and covered her ears.

And Rose staggered back, her body flickering, yes, flickering, like her form wasn’t holding together. For a split second, they all saw what was underneath.

A dark shape. Twisted. Coiled. Smiling with far too many teeth.

Then it vanished.

The clearing fell silent.

Susan collapsed to her knees.

Sophie rushed to her. "What was that?"

"I don’t know," she gasped. "It came from inside. I didn’t think, I just remembered it."

The others were waking slowly. Zoey opened her eyes, dazed. Layla blinked, confused. Natalie clung to Jude, crying.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded, trembling. "I think... I think I’m back."

Emma exhaled. "We need to move. Before she returns."

But it was too late.

Rose’s voice echoed from somewhere in the trees.

"You think you’ve won?" she purred. "I’m not the only one. I’m just the beginning."

And then the forest screamed.

Emma flinched as the trees seemed to exhale all at once, a long guttural moan twisting through the leaves. The scream that had echoed just moments before was gone, but it left behind a weight in the air, thick as humidity, pressing on their chests. Jude held Natalie close as her trembling eased, but her fingers still clutched his shirt like she was bracing for a storm. Sophie stood back-to-back with Emma, eyes scanning the forest for any movement, heart thudding against her ribs like it wanted to bolt out of her chest.

Susan knelt at the center of the clearing, her breathing shallow but steady. She looked spent, like the song she sang had taken more than just her breath. Jude moved to help her up, but she waved him off gently and rose on her own, swaying only slightly.

"Did it work?" Natalie asked, her voice hoarse.

Susan looked to her, then to Zoey and Layla, who sat disoriented beside the mossy stone. "Something pulled loose," she said. "Not everything. But something."

Zoey blinked, rubbing her temple. "I feel... weird. Like I’ve been underwater for days."

"You were," Sophie said gently. "But you’re back now."

"I don’t remember what happened," Layla murmured. "But I keep seeing Rose’s smile... and it makes me want to smile too."

Emma’s hand gripped the sharpened stick tighter.

"Then don’t smile," she said. "Not unless you want her back in your head."

They didn’t have time to argue. The forest had quieted, unnaturally so. No birdsong. No rustling leaves. No insects chirping. Just silence.

"We can’t stay here," Jude said. "It knows we’ve touched it."

He led the way back toward camp, Sophie helping Susan, Emma flanking their rear, and the others in a loose line in between. Layla and Zoey walked stiffly but followed without resistance. Natalie remained close to Jude, her hand gripping his tightly.

As they passed beneath a low-hanging tree, something wet dropped onto Jude’s shoulder. He stopped and looked up. Nothing was there. No canopy. No birds. Just sky. But the wetness remained.

A smear of black.

Like ink.

Sophie touched it and recoiled. "It’s not sap."

They hurried.

Back at the camp, Grace and Lucy were sitting side by side near the fire pit. They looked up as the others returned, their eyes serene, movements slow and deliberate. Their smiles spread like ripples in still water. Calm. Too calm.

"Welcome back," Lucy said, her voice like velvet over glass.

Grace tilted her head. "You found them."

Emma stepped forward. "We need to talk."

But Grace just stood, brushing off her knees. "Later. We were just about to prepare dinner."

"Don’t touch the food," Susan warned, her voice sharper than before.

The change in her wasn’t subtle. She’d lost her gentleness somewhere in that forest and replaced it with something harder, forged in the echo of that ancient hum.

Lucy raised a brow. "Why not?"

"Because I don’t trust you," Susan said. "And I don’t trust what’s inside you."

Grace smiled, but the expression faltered for a second. "That’s harsh, Susan."

"I’m not interested in kindness anymore," she said, walking past them. "I’m interested in who’s still real."

They ate cold fruits and fish stored from the previous day, avoiding anything touched by Grace or Lucy. It wasn’t a decision they discussed, it was unspoken, heavy in glances and subtle positioning around the fire.

That night, no one slept.

Not really.

Emma stood watch with her sharpened stick. Jude lay beside Sophie, Natalie between them, her breath shallow but peaceful. Zoey and Layla curled close, their hands brushing occasionally. They seemed normal again. But every so often, Layla would twitch, eyes fluttering like something inside her was still fighting to reclaim control.

Susan sat upright by the fire, humming under her breath.

In the early hours, just before dawn, Grace disappeared.

Lucy was still at the fire pit when Jude stepped outside.

"She went into the woods," Lucy said without looking up.

"Why?"

"She heard her name."

Jude’s stomach turned. "From who?"

Lucy finally looked up. "You know who."

Emma was already up, dressed and armed.

"I’m going after her," she said.

Jude shook his head. "Not alone."

Sophie, Zoey, and Natalie emerged from the hut, still sleepy but alert.

"Let’s go together," Sophie said. "We’re stronger now. We know what to look for."

Layla hesitated in the doorway. "Should I come?"

Emma gave her a long look. "Only if you’re really with us."

Layla nodded. "I am."

They left Lucy behind. She didn’t protest.

The morning light barely filtered through the thick canopy. The woods felt alive, twitching at the edge of their vision.