He wouldn't ever tell anyone this, but once he was out of earshot of the other lads, Zayn had cried. And this wasn't because he was on his own, but because he had to leave the four boys behind. He considered returning to the camp and telling Louis that it was all a big mistake and he'll never try and leave them ever again, but he knew that wouldn't be right. He knew that he needed to do this. So there he was, walking around the forest, constantly looking over his shoulder and even though he could see nothing, it felt as though there were thousands of eyes watching him.

Zayn shook the thought out of his head. He couldn't be thinking about such scary things when he was in the woods--well, to be more correct: alone in the woods with nothing but a pair of cheap scissors to defend himself. He decided to focus on the good things such as how it wasn't as hot as the island in the forest of overgrown trees. Or, how it was shady so he could look up and his eyes wouldn't feel like they've been attacked by Satan himself. Or, how peaceful it was without Louis telling him all of his life problems and Harry asking him advice to fix things between him and Louis.

Although he hated to admit it, Zayn felt better being off on his own. Yeah, there was a more likely chance of him dying, but at least he wouldn't be eaten by Liam or Niall when worse came to worse. In a way, he felt better having it this way; he was dependent on only himself which meant he was less likely to disappoint someone else. The best part of everything though was that he didn't have to worry about hurting anyone else. He couldn't even begin to think about what life would be like if he was the reason one of the other boys died. The thought of watching one of them die made him want to cry (more so if it was Niall since he had a soft spot for the blondie).

Zayn heard a twig break and quickly turned his head around to see what had caused the noise. A turkey stared at him, cocking it's head to the side. Zayn thought about killing it, but quickly shook his head, knowing there were berries he could munch on not too far away. He turned on his heal and walked in the other direction, ignoring the bird entirely.

Not too far down the road, Zayn came across the berries he had seen a few days before. He looked them over, making sure they looked like edible ones he remembered from that survival magazine he got for his birthday a few years back. (His father was always bad at picking out presents for him.) When he decided the berry was okay to consume, he picked a few and placed them in the middle of a piece of cloth. He tied the cloth and then put the berries in his backpack so they were out of the sun and had a less likely chance of shriveling up like raisins as he walked.

He hopped from rock to rock, avoiding mud when he could. It must have rained a while ago, he had thought to himself. He nearly slipped on one of the rocks, but quickly regained his balance, his heart beating a bit faster. It suddenly occurred to him that if he were to fall and hit his head, there would be no one to help him. Harry wouldn't be there to serve as a paramedic. Louis wouldn't be there to try and catch him. Niall wouldn't be there to talk nicely to him as Harry fixed whatever was damaged. Liam wouldn't be there to make sure he stayed awake. He would just have to lie there. He'd just have to stare at the trees as he died.

He tried to stop thinking about the other boys as he continued to walk further and further into the forest, but it was proved to be unsuccessful. He stopped and sat on a log that had fallen. He munched on a few berries and took a sip of the water bottle he had packed. He should have taken more, but that would have left the other with nothing. He looked around at all of the tall pine trees. He wondered how they had gotten here or if the island had just grown with them there.

He questioned if there were ever other people on the island, if him and the other four weren't the only ones to have visited the island for a long period of time. Surely they couldn't be the only ones. Maybe there were other boys, maybe some girls, too, that had crashed landed. Maybe there were older adults that knew how to get off, or how to at least survive with what they have.

He thought back to the book he was forced to read as a Sophomore: Lord of the Flies. It was a shit book, at least he thought so, but he did like the hidden messages that relate back to government and rule. What is the best way to rule, anyways? Is it through a dictator? A queen or king? Or a president elected by the people for the people? Maybe the best way to rule is without an executive branch and basic laws for everyone to follow. Was there even a best way or just a way that worked for certain countries and groups of people?

Zayn didn't have the answers so he was left to just imagine what sorts of chaos would break with each option. He came to the conclusion that it didn't really matter to him at the moment considering he was stranded on a deserted island with really no clue as to where he was going.

He simply walked straight ahead, taking a few turns when it felt right. He was doing well on his own for it being his first day out and about. He had plenty of water left and he could keep it that way if he continued to take little sips. The forest was filled with bushes that grew berries and, if he ever needed to, he knew there were always turkeys and other game roaming around the area.

For the first time since he had left camp, he thought that he could really do this; he could survive the island all on his own.

.

Back at camp, Liam finished up his fourth blanket, realizing that was all he needed since Zayn had left. He let out a sigh and laid down onto his back, looking up at the canopy above him. The sun still peaked through a few cracks in the fabric, but he could always fix that later. He was surprised he wasn't running out of thread that fast. It felt as though he had gone through all of it, but he was delighted to see there was still plenty more to use.

Liam had to admit he was beginning to miss Zayn. Just a few hours since he's been gone and already he's sad that the ass wasn't there to give rude comments on Liam's work or how he looked (not that any of them looked really good). He was really missing his friend and just really wanted to see him once more and maybe this time he could say goodbye.

While Liam laid under the canopy, Harry and Louis were down by the shore fishing. It was a cool morning and both of them wanted to see if they could catch anything for lunch or dinner (hopefully both). Louis looked out at the water, seeing a few fish jump around a ways out. Harry watched Louis, even though it sounds creepy. He liked watching Louis in this state: laid back, just hanging out as friends. He really liked seeing Louis when he wasn't crying or mad at him.

"You look good today, Lou," Harry said. Now, you couldn't really call his statement true since Louis hadn't bothered to bathe in the water for three days which lead his face and the rest of his body to be covered in a thin layer of dirt. His hair was a mess and his clothes were wrinkled and smelled like his sweat, but all of them smelled that way (even pretty boy Harry). For being only a senior in high school, he was growing some serious facial hair. Okay, so maybe it wasn't like a full on beard, but it was just enough to start bothering him.

Louis laughed. "Yeah, touche, hottie," he said with a wink. Harry chuckled along with him because, yeah, they both looked pretty disgusting, but they were both able to laugh about it. Louis kind of liked seeing Harry not trying to impress anyone with his fancy clothes and perfect hair. He liked seeing Harry's curls loose, wild and growing long. He also liked the fact that Harry had to take a woman's shirt and roll it up to be a bandana to keep his hair out of his face. It made him seem more human--less perfect than he wants everyone to think.

"You know, I'm getting kind of tired of fishing," Harry said. He pulled in his hook and placed the rod further away from the water so the waves wouldn't take it away. "I think we should go for a swim, or a bath, both really."

Louis looked over at Harry and slowly his lips turned into a smile. "I might just have to take you up on that offer."

So after Louis pulled in his hook and did the same as Harry by placing his rod further away from the water, the two boys started stripping off their shirts and shorts, leaving their boxers alone. Niall watched as they screamed and splashed each other. He couldn't help but laugh and point it out to Liam. "You think they'll end up together?" Niall asked Liam.

Liam laughed, "there's nothing telling me they won't."

Suddenly Louis came running up toward the two that were talking under the canopy. He grabbed both of their wrists with his wet hands and pulled them up. "Come on, losers, we're going swimming!" Liam and Niall glanced at each other and then laughed, stripping to their boxers as well.

They deserved a little fun after all.

.

Question: How do you think Louis and Harry will end up together? If and when they get together, how do you think things will change among the group?