Futazon Island

Pain. Thirst. Muscles aching all over. Sunburn. Hunger. Headache. The taste of sand.

The unpleasant sensations came in a rush as consciousness returned. Waves lapped at Luis’ feet as the familiar sound of the tides filled his ears.

The young sailor rolled over on his side, coughing and hacking. The nasty combination of salt water and mud were heavy in his mouth. He retched and spat until he’d cleared them out as much as possible. Even spitting wasn’t easy. He had precious little water in his body left to give. He tried to open his eyes but the sun blinded him. He held up one of his arms weakly, blocking the bright rays until his eyes could adjust.

He was alive. It was a miracle. The fickle sea had cursed him with the world’s worst luck and then gifted him good fortune in the span of just a few days. The storm had come so suddenly. Taken the ship completely by surprise. Luis was lucky he had time to put on a life jacket and grab a ring buoy before the ship capsized. He’d clung to the ring for dear life as he was sucked into the howling storm; knowing it was his only hope.

The ring was gone now, but the life jacket remained. He unclipped it from his body and tossed it further up the beach. Luis got on hands and knees and crawled until his lower body was no longer kissed by the ocean currents. He collapsed in dry sand and rested for a spell.

Yes, he was alive, but for how long? Was this island inhabited? Doubtful. Was it big or diverse enough to support human life for any length of time? Luis looked up and down the coast. It stretched on for a great distance in both directions and there was a fair amount of plant life. That was good news, at least. He hadn’t landed on some tiny speck of land with two trees.

Even if it had been a tiny island, he would’ve been grateful. His co-workers had been scattered to the gale-force winds and crashing tidal waves just like him. He doubted any of them had been as lucky. There was a long shot chance that a friendly ship had rescued some of them, but most were either adrift on the ocean, dying slowly or already at the bottom of the sea. Luis had won the lottery to hit land.

In the dark recesses of his mind, he’d feared something like this would happen eventually. He knew well the risks of being at sea. Luis had been working on the ocean most of his life. Orphaned at a young age, he’d worked jobs all over Latin and South America. Fisherman, deckhand, harvester, day laborer; you name it. He’d served on various cruise lines as well, though he didn’t care for those jobs. The hours sucked and the pay was pitiful. The guests were often rude and shitty tippers.

Now, in the prime of his life, he was stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere. His will to live was strong, but his body was exhausted. He would get up soon and start exploring; see what he had to work with. He just needed to rest a little longer.

Luis had been marching inland for a half hour, as best he could estimate by the movement of the sun. That sun beat down on him mercilessly. Thankfully his scalp was protected by thick locks of short, dark hair. The rest of his body was faring less well, turning an even darker shade than normal. He was used to working in the blistering sun, but without a source of fresh water it would soon become a problem.

He’d seen no fresh water yet or any kind of vegetation he felt safe trying to siphon moisture from. He had no tools to speak of. His clothes were roughed up even worse than his skin. The white shirt and dark blue trousers were in tatters around him. He needed to find some food, water and shelter soon or it was going to be a very rough night.

As he continued on, he was pleased to come across a foot path. It was the first sign that human life was here or, at the very least, had been here previously. Luis followed the path without hesitation, hoping it would lead to shelter and friendly company. As he crested a hillside, he saw what looked to be the remnants of an old camp. In the center, a ring of stones designated a fire pit. In the middle of the pit lay a pile of old junk.

Empty cans. Depleted foodstuffs. A broken watch. Random trinkets. Was there anything worth salvaging? He strode forward, eager to inspect the pile of rubbish.

SNAP

His feet were snagged on some kind of cord and he let out a confused yelp as he fell face-first. The crack of splintering wood and the stretching sound of rope and sinew filled his ears. Before his body could hit the ground, a thick web of ropes leapt up from the sand and consumed him. The tight net surrounded him, closing in on both sides. A crude pulley system lifted his cocooned body into the air and suspended him between two large trees.

’FUCK!!! Should’ve known!’

Luis wrestled with the thick weave of ropes for a few minutes, but it was pointless. They were way too strong to pull apart. He had no knife. The top was cinched closed by his own weight and he couldn’t reach it anyway. There was no one around and there was no telling when whoever set the damn thing would be back to check on it.

“HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO?!?” he screamed at the top of his parched lungs. But there was no answer. “ANYBODY OUT THERE?!?!?”

The young man sighed.

’Well, I wanted to rest more. Guess I got no choice now... ‘

*****

“Ow...”

Luis felt a light jab on his ass and his weary eyes opened. Mosquito bite? Was one of the ropes digging into his butt? He was too tired to care. He started to drift back off.

“OW!!!”

The jab returned, more insistent this time. It was definitely something sharp. He fought through the mental cobwebs of heavy sleep and twisted himself in the netting. Looking down, he realized he wasn’t alone. He couldn’t make out many details through the thick net, but he saw an outline of what looked like an absolutely mammoth woman. She’d been poking up at him with a spear.

“Hey! I’m awake! That hurt ... jeez!”

“Hands!” she shouted.

Luis forced his fingers through the webbing and wiggled his fingers. “See? I’m unarmed! Believe me, if I had anything, I wouldn’t still be up here!”

She studied him for a few moments, then lowered her spear. The woman seemed satisfied.

“Can you get me down? I’d really appreciate ... Hey! Where are you going?!?”

The woman tromped off, disappearing behind one of the large trees that was holding up his prison.

Long moments passed and nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the cocoon lurched, bringing him closer to the ground.

“Whoa!”

Seconds later he heard a cord snap and he fell the rest of the way. The netting swung to the ground and dragged him through the dirt.

OOOF

Once he recovered from the impact, he began flailing through the netting. There would be an opening since it was no longer bound at the top. Before he could find it, the woman returned. She pulled the top open further and cast aside one half of the net. Luis looked up at his savior and was stunned.

She was a massive woman and cut like a bodybuilder. Well-muscled arms and shoulders, chiseled abs and impossibly strong thighs. She was naked aside from a loin cloth and some survival gear slung around her body. Her perky breasts hung out proudly. In addition to the powerful physique, she was quite beautiful. Wild, dark brown hair surrounded her head in thick waves. Though stern in their look, her shimmering eyes were the color of almonds.

“Stand!” she ordered, pointing her spear at him once again.

“Yeah, alright...” Luis said, getting up slowly. “Lucky I still can after that.”

He put his arms up in surrender, not wanting to antagonize the hulking woman. In addition to her impressive figure, she had almost a full foot of height on him. He studied her a second time, his eyes zeroing in on the water skin at her side. At least, he hoped it was water.

“Lady, can I please get a drink? I’m dying here...” he said, pointing at her leathery flask.

“Water?”

“Yes, water! I need! Please.”

She loosened it from her gear and handed him the skin. Luis uncapped it immediately and poured it down his throat. It was only half full, which meant there was no doubt he was downing the whole thing. Normally he would’ve asked first, but in his bone dry state, he didn’t feel bad about it. The giant woman smirked at him.

When he’d gulped down every drop, he handed it back to her. “Thanks. I’m Luis. I was shipwrecked. Is this your home?”

“Loo-eese?” she asked.

“Yes, Luis. That’s my name. What’s yours?’

The woman tapped herself across the chest proudly with the side of her spear. “Hayko.”

“Nice to meet you, Hayko. Hablo Espanol?”

She looked at him quizzically. It seemed she was a woman of few words, but at least she spoke a little English. Hayko reached into one of her pouches and pulled out a black leather strap.

“Are you the one that set that trap? I’m sorry if I set it off by acci--- H-HEY!!!”

She approached him swiftly and took him in her strong grasp. He pushed back at first, but in his weakened condition, he was in no shape to resist. Even at his most fit, there’s no way he could’ve fended off the huge woman. She wrapped the strap around his neck in short order and buckled it behind him.

“What the?!? What’s the deal?” He tugged on the makeshift collar now fixed tightly around his neck.

Hayko picked up her spear and pointed it at him again. “You wear. Safe. No wear. No safe.”