Enyo sneered. “Shut up, pretty boy.” He stalked closer.
Cirrus grabbed Vivienne’s wrist, pulling her fully behind him.
Enyo studied the Zephyrus crew members, the scar on his face twisting as his sneer spread into a predatory shape. “Captain Garrett, funny how quickly things change out here…”
A cold unease trickled through Vivienne.
“One moment, you think you’ve got everything under control,” Enyo continued, glancing east. “Your crew safe at camp. And the next…” He shrugged. “Well. Circumstances change.”
Garrett’s jaw tightened. “What are you getting at?”
“Oh, nothing.” Enyo’s voice became casual. “Just thinking about how unpredictable this island is. The rainforest. The creatures. The people. Hard to say who’s safe… and who’s not.”
A threat. A warning.Vivienne met Lewis’ eyes, dread mirrored in his gaze.
Enyo saw their exchange and chuckled darkly. “But don’t worry,” he murmured, stepping closer. “I’m sure whatever you left behind… will still be there when you return.”
Then he turned, his crew vanishing back into the mist like ghosts.
Captain Garrett exhaled, slow and controlled. Then, with the weight of command, he turned to the crew.
“We move. Now.”
25
The return journey from the ruins was laden with tension, Enyo’s words lingering like a thunderstorm over the crew. Vivienne’s pulse hammered as every rustle in the underbrush set her on edge. Captain Garrett and Commander Thorne led the way, their pace urgent as they neared the clearing.
Something was wrong.
The usual hum of camp life, voices, clinking tools, movement, was gone. An unnatural silence consumed the air, thicker than the humidity.
Then, the devastating scene came into focus.
The camp was in ruins. Tents torn, supplies scattered, barrels split open, their contents trampled into the dirt. The supply tent sagged in on itself, its canvas slashed and flapping in the breeze. The weapons stockpile was empty.
Cirrus broke into a run, skidding to a halt in the wreckage. “What in the fuck happened?” His voice rang with panic.
Captain Garrett’s expression clouded, his sword rasping free of its scabbard. “Enyo.” He spat the name like a curse.
Of course. Only twenty of Enyo’s crew confronted us at the ruins. The rest had been here.
Commander Thorne flipped a broken chest, his face grim. “They’ve taken everything. Food, weapons. Whatever they couldn’t carry, they destroyed.”
Then Vivienne saw them. Bodies.
More than two dozen sailors lay motionless, blood darkening the earth around them. Faces frozen in agony.
She stumbled forward, her legs threatening to buckle. This wasn’t just a supply raid. It was a massacre.
"Dr. Mercer!" Captain Garrett bellowed.
Melodie dashed ahead, her eyes wide with horror. The doctor, the captain, the commander, and Cirrus darted through the carnage, checking for any signs of life.
Lewis stood rooted to the spot, his hands shaking. “We were only gone a day… How did this happen so fast?”
Vivienne's eyes darted across the wreckage, desperate for survivors. Then, she saw him—Gus, slumped against a shattered supply crate, his face pale, blood soaking his clothes.
“Gus!” she cried, rushing to his side and dropping to her knees.
