A deafening roar shook the air as the massive wave crashed against the land. Rocks and soil crumbled under the force, trees toppled, and the tidal surge consumed everything in its path. One subordinate was too slow; his foot slipped, and he tumbled toward the collapsing mudslide, about to be swallowed whole. A hand shot out and grabbed him; with a forceful yank, he was pulled back to safety. Simultaneously, his gaze flickered toward the opposite mountain peak where Felicia stood.

Felicia felt his eyes on her, but the storm's raging chaos drowned out all sound. She could only gesture for them to keep moving upward. There was no time for hesitation; no one dared to look back. Every second counted as they sprinted toward the hilltop. As they neared the peak, the thunderous crashing of waves began to subside, bringing relief to Felicia and her men.

"Phew," one of her men breathed shakily. "That was way too close. If we were even a second slower, we would've been swept away."

But something was amiss. Despite the catastrophic event, the ship anchored offshore had made no contact. This, combined with the island's strange magnetic interference disrupting signals, meant they had completely lost communication. Felicia wiped away water droplets clinging to her eyes. "Rest for ten minutes," she said. "After that, we'll go higher and try to find a different way off this island."

"Yes, ma'am," her men replied.

One quickly dusted off a flat rock and gestured toward Felicia. "Ma'am, have a seat."

"Thanks."

Just as she was about to sit, the ground shuddered, and she froze. As she felt the tremor, her expression shifted slightly. "Oh..."

The next moment, she lost her footing. Everything went black, and she lost consciousness. A narrow fissure remained where she had been standing.

When Felicia woke, she finished the sentence cut short by her fall: "…fuck." Could anyone be more unlucky?

She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her ankle. The swelling was bad, though she hadn't broken any bones. She glanced up, but the opening she'd fallen through was gone. She must have been carried far by an underground current.

She found herself in what appeared to be a pitch-black, silent, and unsettling cave. Her phone had no signal, but still held some power. She switched on the flashlight, instantly regretting it. Snakes. The entire place was filled with snakes.

Every hair on her body stood on end. She squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to move. Startled by the sudden light, the snakes slithered away, their movement filling the cave with a rustling sound.

Felicia took a deep breath, pushing aside the pain. Escape was her only priority. However, as she opened her eyes, she found herself face-to-face with a snake with golden eyes. She was speechless.

"Come on," she begged internally. "Be a good snake and pretend you didn't see me."

On the verge of tears, she reached for the dagger at her thigh; if the snake attacked, she would defend herself. But strangely, the snake didn't strike. It simply stared at her, unblinking.