“Food?” Lei asked Rhee after he sat down across from her.

  Rhee was tempted to reject the offer but realized how hungry she actually was and accepted the moss-colored jerky. While it still tasted like decayed flesh, at least this time she didn’t feel like she would gag on it.

  Ishin looked around before asking Chen, “Where’s Six?”

  “I’m honestly not sure.” She took a drink from one of the refilled water skins and wiped her arm across her forehead. “He’s supposed to be somewhere nearby watching the west.”

  “I’m right here,” Six said merrily, walking towards them from the trees. A twig was tucked behind his ear, and he was juggling three glowing coins. “Good news. No signs of people that way.”

  “Put those lights out,” Chen snapped. “Or do you want everyone nearby to notice you?”

  The glow around the coins dimmed, and Six caught them in his hands. “I said no signs of people.”

  “And Vampire Monkeys? Or an ape?!”

  “None either,” Six answered with a single shake of his head. “Is that water?”

  “Yes,” Ishin replied. He held out one of the skins to Six. “Want one?”

  Six spun around and then dropped onto his rear, facing away from them. “I’m good.”

  Rhee just stared at the back of the strange man.

  No wonder they didn’t trust him to lead us back.

  “Looks like we’re all back,” Wei Long commented as he arrived beside them. Rhee hadn’t even noticed his approach.

  “Did anything happen while we were gone?” Ishin inquired before tearing at a piece of dried meat.

  “She’s awake,” Chen answered, still standing. “Other than that, nothing.”

  “Sometimes nothing is good,” Six called back, still not facing the others.

  “Right,” Ishin said dryly. “Anyway, I recommend we stay here for the night.”

  He wants to stay in the forest?

  “I agree,” Chen said. Her attention drifted to the ashen canopy, streaked with orange light. “We can figure out how to get back tomorrow.”

  “You want to stay in the forest?” Rhee asked. It made no sense to her. What if they were ambushed by more Vampire Monkeys?

  Ishin’s expression was tired. “I don’t think it’s smart for us to risk traversing the forest at night while Wen Mei is still unconscious. And while we don’t really know how to get back.”

  “We don’t need to get all the way back,” Rhee pressed. “We could just reach the coast. Vampire Monkeys won’t attack us there.”

  “She’s right,” Lei added. “Didn’t the other alliance people tell us that?”

  “That might be true during the day,” Wei Long countered. “They did say the Vampire Monkeys—and hopefully the same is true for Vampire Apes—are sensitive to sunlight. But at night, they’ll attack us whether we’re on the beach or in the forest.”

  That’s true. Heavens, I should have thought about that.

  “We also don’t know how far away the beach is from here,” Ishin added. “And most of us are injured. Resting here will let us recover a little without risking getting further lost. Maybe by tomorrow Wen Mei will wake up and can lead us back.”

  Rhee considered the bandages and wounds that covered her friends. Aside from Wei Long, Six, and herself to some degree, everyone else was injured. Looking closer, she noticed signs of fatigue across their faces: Chen was pale, Ishin had dark circles under his eyes, Lei’s forehead was beaded with sweat and even his smile looked forced, and Wei Long’s right eye twitched.

  “I’m okay if we rest here,” she finally said.

  “Glad we agree,” Ishin replied. “We should take watch shifts. I suggest in pairs.”

  “I can take the first watch,” Rhee volunteered. “I’ve slept enough.”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “I’ll join you,” Lei offered.

  “You need rest,” Wei Long told him. “All of you. I’ll watch with Zhu Rhee.”

  Rhee was glad when Lei didn’t try to argue. Of them all, he looked the worst.

  “Six and I can take the second watch,” Ishin suggested. A little louder, he called out, “Does that work for you, Six?”

  Six was now lying flat on his back. He lifted an arm with a thumbs up.

  “Then Lei and I will take the final shift,” Chen decided. “We should sleep in the center,” she pointed to where Wen Mei lay, “while the two watchers guard opposite ends.”

  Rhee rose to her feet. Remarkably, she felt a little stronger after eating the strip of jerky. “Very well. Now please, everyone, get some rest.”

  “Time to wake up,” came Chen’s voice.

  Rhee blinked her eyes, not wanting to believe it was morning already. She felt a soft nudge against her shoulder.

  “I’m awake,” she yawned.

  She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. Chen watched her for a moment before walking away to awaken Wei Long, who rested just a few feet away. Overhead, the golden rays of dawn filtered through the leaves.

  Thank the Heavens nothing happened last night. Turns out there was some wisdom to Six’s words.

  Sluggishly rising, Rhee was relieved to find Wen Mei crouched forward but awake as well.

  We can get back now!

  Rhee moved quickly to her side. The usually warm, white-haired woman appeared lost in thought, staring at the ground before her.

  “Wen Mei, how are you feeling?”

  She bent down beside her, practically mirroring what Chen had done for her the previous day.

  Blue eyes, less animated than normal, met Rhee’s. “I’m alright. Thanks. My meridians feel a little sore, but that’s it. I must have used too much qi.”

  Rhee decided against making her relive the events of yesterday. “I’m just glad you’re doing better today. Do you need anything to eat or drink? We have some fresh…we have some water here.”

  “I am a little thirsty.”

  Rhee quickly retrieved a water skin, while the rest of the group was still waking up, and returned to Wen Mei. The white-haired woman took several long drinks as Rhee sat patiently beside her.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Wen Mei’s awake?” Ishin asked from behind Rhee.

  “I am, Ro Ishin.”

  The dark circles beneath Ishin’s eyes had faded a little, but a dark red stain spread across his bandaged shoulder. What’s more, Rhee noticed he was using his spear to support his weight.

  We don’t even have a healer here. How many people have died on this island from untreated injuries?

  “I know you must be tired,” Ishin began, “but are you able to guide us back to the fort?”

  Before answering, Wen Mei examined her surroundings. “I…where are we?”

  “A few miles inward from where we fought the Vampire Ape. We know how to get back there if it helps.”

  Wen Mei nodded. “We’ll have to. Once we’re back there I can take us the rest of the way, but otherwise I’m not sure where we are.”

  We have to go back to that place.

  It was a depressing thought. Rhee didn’t want to relive the horrors of that battle.

  Go Lan’s body must still be there.

  “I’ll let the others know,” Ishin replied before leaving them.

  Some time later, while the sun was still climbing into the sky, their wounded and tired group returned to the site of yesterday’s battle. Once they arrived, everyone remained silent, frozen by what they saw.

  “Where are the bodies?” Rhee asked.

  Only the large corpse of the Vampire Ape lay bleeding on the ground. The rest of the bodies, including Go Lan’s, were missing.

  It was Wen Mei who broke the silence. She stepped forward and let out an exhausted sigh. “More Vampire Monkeys must have come through. It’s a good thing we didn’t remain here.”

  “Are you saying they ate them?” Lei asked with disgust. “Even Go Lan’s body?”

  “Blood is food,” Six commented with a surprising lack of empathy that earned him a glare from Ishin.

  “Six, with all due respect, can you please stop talking,” Chen ground out.

  “He’s not entirely wrong,” Wen Mei said quickly, rubbing her hands down her face. “The Vampire Monkeys do drink blood. But what I meant was that another group of them must have come through here. We’ve seen this before.”

  “Seen what before?” Wei Long asked.

  Wen Mei scratched her head. “They come across dead bodies—or kill someone—and drink their blood. After the body is drained, it transforms into a new Vampire Monkey a few hours later. It’s a disgusting sight, actually.”

  Sounds like it.

  “So you’re telling me that when candidates like us die, those beasts use the bodies to create more of them?” Chen asked, horrified.

  “That’s correct.”

  “What about the Vampire Monkeys we killed?” Lei pressed. “Their bodies are gone too.”

  Frowning, Wen Mei answered, “It’s the same with them. All the Vampire Monkeys need is a body with blood.”

  “That’s…concerning,” Ishin admitted.

  “I hate this place,” Chen spat.

  “We shouldn’t stay around here for long,” Wen Mei announced. She pointed toward the forest. “That way will lead us back. If we hurry, we should be able to reach the fort before evening.”

  “Let’s go then,” Rhee said.

  If there were even more Vampire Monkeys in the area now, she wanted no part of staying behind.

  Why would the sect place such monsters on this island?