"Mason!"A terrified Noah shook his brother, trying to wake him up. The older boy slowly opened his eyes and looked at him groggily. Dawn was breaking outside the window."Get up, something terrible has happened," Noah said. Mason sat up, realizing he was in the same room where he'd woken up on their first day."Daniel is dead."
The words hit him like lightning. Even though he hated Daniel, he never expected him to die. And not on the very first night since they arrived on the island.
"What? What do you mean he's dead? What happened?"
"He was murdered."
Mason's face went pale, his eyes widening in fear.
"Someone killed him? So there's a killer among us? And the one who dies is the man I suspected the most... Who did it, Noah?"
The blonde boy stared back at him grimly.
"I don't know, but I'm scared none of us will leave this island. The worst part is… we can't trust anyone but each other."
"Where's his body?"
"In front of the hotel."
Mason jumped out of bed and hurried to the door. Noah followed him, though he dreaded seeing the corpse of their former friend again.
The sight was horrifying.
Daniel's body lay beneath a tree. Tears welled up in Noah's eyes. Mason furrowed his brow. He immediately noticed the marks on the neck.
"Someone strangled him. It wasn't a girl—she wouldn't have the strength," he said, glancing at the shattered window nearby."Something happened here. If we're going to accuse someone, it's got to be Jake and Will."
"What if it wasn't them?" Noah asked nervously.
Mason gave him a sharp look.
"You think someone else is here? Someone hiding… hunting us?"
"Nancy said that, aside from us and Daniel, she hadn't seen anyone else. But she asked if I trusted the crew. Do you remember who was piloting the yacht? If all of us are here, where's the yacht? Where's the captain?"
Noah shivered.
"We were high but… Mason, wasn't it been piloting the yacht? Are you sure someone else was even there?"
Mason stared down at Daniel's body.
"Maybe Daniel was working with someone. Perhaps they fought and… It's no coincidence he died first."
A scream pierced the silence behind them. They turned around to see Betty, terrified. The redhead girl collapsed to the ground, hands covering her mouth as she stared at the body.
"He's really… dead?"
"Looks like he was murdered during the night," Mason replied.
Her hands began to tremble. She remembered what she saw through the window—Daniel strangling Will. If she hadn't intervened, Will wouldn't have survived. But the worst part was Daniel's look… and the loud snap of the window slamming shut.
She burst into tears.
"She saw something," Noah whispered. "I know her too well."
Mason approached her, trying to calm her down, but she shoved him so hard he fell over.
"Don't touch me! You're all monsters!" she screamed, jumping up."I didn't do anything to you! I just want to go home!"
Sobbing, she ran toward the beach. Noah looked at his brother and followed her, certain she would talk once she calmed down.
***
Jake opened his eyes.He had no idea how he ended up in this room, but he quickly recognized it—it was the same one where he'd found his grandfather's photo on the first day.
Something felt off. The hotel was buzzing with life. He walked to the door and opened it slightly.
The hallway was full of people. They were laughing, talking. Their clothes looked like something out of the seventies—women with teased hair and heavy makeup, men in old-fashioned suits.
Jake stepped out. No one seemed to notice him. He passed by them like a ghost.
He peeked into an open room. Inside were three people: two men and a woman. One of the men seemed like the leader—smiling, but with cold, commanding eyes.
Jake's heart froze.
"George! How long are you going to keep us waiting?" the man called out.
Jake was confused. George? That was his grandfather's name.
Uncertain, he stepped inside. A giant portrait of the man who called him out hung on the wall.
The same man he'd seen in the old photograph.
"Sit with us," the man said. Jake sat on the couch. The woman beside him looked like a porcelain doll—beautiful, and much younger than the men.
"Even though we just got married, we have an announcement," said her husband.
"Already getting divorced?" the man from the painting joked.
"James, be serious," he scolded."Marie is pregnant."
Jake felt a sting of jealousy. He didn't know why.
"Congratulations," he said stiffly. "I'm happy for you."
He looked at Marie. She stared back, her gaze strange—like she knew him better than he knew himself.
And then he woke up.
He was still in the room with the photo of his grandfather. The hotel was silent and abandoned again.
It was just a dream.Or was it?
***
Nancy sat on the stairs.She felt like she was about to faint. She couldn't look at the body under the tree. Jennifer and Will stood nearby, both clearly shaken.
"I don't understand what happened," Jennifer whispered."Is there really a murderer among us?"
Will stared ahead in silence.
"Where are the others? Do they know yet?"
"I doubt it. I couldn't sleep all night. I don't know how they can sleep in a place like this," Jennifer said, trembling.
"Just because you didn't sleep doesn't mean the rest of us didn't," Will snapped."I need to talk to Betty."
"Why? Does she know something?"
"I just need to."
"You're acting weird," Jennifer noted. Nancy looked at him suspiciously.
"You're nervous."
"How the hell am I supposed to act?! We're standing next to a dead body! Maybe I'll be next! Someone brought us here to kill us!"
Nancy felt herself shrinking inside. It was a nightmare.
"I told Mason already, but I'll say it again," she said quietly."I think there's someone else on this island. Someone who lured us here. Someone who wants us dead."
"Sweetheart, a friend can stab you in the back, so don't be so sure of yourself," Jennifer muttered."You can't trust anyone here."
"And you trust Jake?" Will asked bitterly."You look at him like he's the only one in the world."
Nancy thought of Mason. Did she trust him because she was in love? Were her feelings clouding her judgment?
Jake burst out of the hotel. He looked around and then stared at Daniel's body.
"I know who he was. But I don't understand why he was the first to die," he said stiffly.
Jennifer walked over and took his hand.
"Jake, what are you talking about?"
"Our grandfathers… they owned this hotel. They were business partners. And now Daniel is dead. Am I next?"
A strong gust of wind blew.Everyone shivered.
Things were getting more complicated.
Was the killer really among them?
Or had the past returned… to settle old scores?
One thing was certain:They were not safe.