The woman searched for water when several burly men abruptly blocked her path. A man stood to the side, observing her with an inscrutable expression. Her eyes narrowed, and primal fear surged within her. Panic-stricken, she stumbled backward, realizing there was no escape. His gaze remained fixed on her as he closed the distance.
Maurice, known for impulsiveness, dredged up a memory. He understood her terror, and why his subordinates recognized her.
“So, it’s you, Abbie.”
The woman flinched. Abbie, a struggling actress who’d once risen on her looks, had secured Stephan’s assistance. However, she’d failed before completing her first major role and lost everything. Desperate, she’d begged Maurice for protection, only to be cast aside. She’d disappeared, and now, here she was.
Maurice was unsurprised but uninterested in her past. “How do you leave this island?” he asked.
Abbie laughed, a bitter, suppressed chuckle escalating into unrestrained hysteria. Her eyes burned with hatred. “You think you can escape? You can’t. No one can. Once you're here, you're trapped. Give up!”
“Maurice, you never thought you’d end up like this, huh? Karma? You destroyed me, and now you’re stuck here too. I don’t know why you came, but you’re never leaving!”
Maurice’s patience snapped. He signaled his men to restrain her, but before they could, the ground trembled violently. An earthquake. The island was moving!
The sudden upheaval caught everyone off guard. Even Abbie froze, her laughter replaced by fear and despair. “It’s sinking! We’re all going to die! No one can escape!”
Maurice grabbed her face. “What do you know? Talk!”
From their arrival, escape had seemed impossible. Now, the island threatened to collapse. Abbie shook her head, her eyes hollow. “This is a cursed land. Those who come can never leave. The villagers said the island would sink, never to resurface…”
Maurice released her in disgust. Was she insane? Before he could speak, waves crashed against the island, swallowing everything in their path. They were swept away.
Felicia and her team arrived as the wave struck. Though drenched, Felicia was unharmed. “Run! Higher ground!” she yelled, shoving a dazed man. The others fled toward the hills.