Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1117

Chapter 1117: Chapter 1117

Emma hissed, "It’s taken you."

"Taken?" Layla laughed softly. "No, love. It’s awakened us. Don’t you feel it, Jude? The pulse? The heat under your skin? It’s been calling all along."

Zoey added, "You were just afraid to listen."

Jude looked at each of them, at Lucy, at Grace, at Scarlet, now even Stella and Natalie. There was still beauty in them, but it had become strange, distant. Like they were puppets wearing familiar faces.

"I saw you smile," Jude said quietly, addressing Rose. "After you came back from the river. You weren’t you."

Rose tilted her head. "And yet, I’ve never felt more myself."

Sophie whispered, "What are you trying to do?"

"We’re not doing anything," Grace said softly. "We’re becoming."

Natalie’s lips parted. "You will too. All of you. When it’s time."

They stepped back together, the circle remaining unbroken. Then, as one, they dropped their hands and walked away from the firelight, back into the woods, disappearing like mist.

For a long time, no one moved.

Emma dropped to her knees, fists clenched against her thighs. "They’re all gone."

"No," Jude said, breath still shallow. "They’re still here. Just... not alone."

Sophie turned to him, her voice shaking. "You believe me now, don’t you?"

"I’ve never stopped believing you."

That night, they didn’t return to the treehouse. They curled up near the edge of the river instead, under the protection of the wide-rooted trees. Emma couldn’t sleep. Jude lay on his back, staring at the branches above, Sophie curled against his chest. None of them spoke.

In the distance, they could still hear the humming.

Days passed in a strange rhythm. Those who had changed, Rose, Layla, Zoey, Grace, Lucy, Scarlet, Stella, and Natalie, began to appear less and less. Sometimes Jude would glimpse one or two by the river or near the cliffside, walking hand in hand, naked, unbothered by the thorns or the wild creatures.

They were always smiling.

And always watching.

Susan had started to hum now too. And even Stella, who had once been the quiet one, laughed often, usually at nothing. Each night, the fire in the central clearing burned high. They never invited Jude or the others to join them again.

But the temptation to approach grew stronger every day.

One evening, Emma stood abruptly. "I’m going to talk to Susan."

Jude grabbed her wrist. "Don’t."

"I just want to know if there’s anything of her left in there."

Sophie rose too. "We go together."

They crossed the clearing where Susan sat by the fire, alone, running her fingers through long curls of red grass. When she saw them, her face lit up with genuine delight.

"Jude," she purred. "Sophie. Emma. Sit with me."

Emma knelt cautiously. "Susan... do you remember the day we found the river cave? With the roots on the ceiling?"

Susan’s eyes flicked to hers. She smiled wider. "Of course. You slipped and cursed so loudly we scared off all the fish."

Emma let out a shaky laugh. "You do remember."

"I remember everything," Susan said, tilting her head. "That’s what’s so wonderful. I don’t forget anymore. I don’t fear anymore."

Jude sat beside Sophie, eyes fixed on Susan. "What are you becoming?"

Susan’s lips parted. "Better. The way we were always meant to be."

She reached over and touched Emma’s cheek. "You don’t have to be afraid. We’re still us. But more."

Emma pulled back slowly. "That’s not comfort. That’s control."

Susan’s smile didn’t fade.

When they returned to the shelter near the forest, Jude didn’t speak. That night, Sophie reached for him. They made love slowly, as though trying to carve something permanent between the shifting tides of their world. She kissed him with trembling lips, and he whispered her name like a prayer. Afterwards, wrapped in each other’s warmth, Sophie murmured, "Don’t let them take you too."

"They won’t," he said.

But even as he spoke it, he wasn’t sure he believed it.

By the next morning, Emma was gone.

They found no trail, no sign. Just her necklace left by the fire pit.

Sophie was quiet for hours.

Then, one by one, the remaining women returned to the clearing, Rose leading them, Layla by her side, Zoey holding Susan’s hand. Their eyes all sparkled with the same strange brightness. Their voices moved in harmony.

And among them... Emma.

Changed.

The fire crackled as if it were breathing with them, alive and listening. Emma stood beside Rose, the same serene expression on her face that had infected all the others. Her body was relaxed, her hair loose and wild, her eyes no longer sharp with doubt but dreamy, distant, and glowing softly in the amber firelight. Sophie staggered back a step, her breath catching.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No. Not her."

Jude felt a cold knot tighten in his chest. He had hoped Emma would last longer, had trusted her strength, her skepticism. But now she stood among the others, barefoot and bare-shouldered, smiling that same empty, perfect smile. She looked at them like she remembered who they were, but didn’t care.

Rose stepped forward, her tone honeyed. "You see? She’s not lost. She’s finally free."

Sophie didn’t move. She looked between Emma and Zoey and Natalie, her mouth trembling. "What did you do to her?"

Emma’s voice was calm, lilting. "They didn’t do anything. I chose this. You’ll understand soon, Sophie."

"No, I won’t." Her voice cracked.

Jude stepped between them, not sure what he was protecting her from, them or what she might become. His gaze locked on Emma. "Was it you that came to the fire last night?"

Emma blinked slowly. "I came to say goodbye."

"You were already gone," he said. "Before you walked away."

Behind Emma, Stella and Lucy exchanged a look, then turned and melted back into the trees. One by one, the others followed. Scarlet. Natalie. Grace. Even Susan. Only Emma and Rose lingered.

Rose smiled wider. "You can’t fight it forever."

"We’ll try," Jude said.