14

He is a prostitute. A substitute for the missing women. They provide relief and cater to the men's preferences. Hence, they all look like a girl, act like a girl, and thrive to be a girl. Though, the others thoroughly prefer the men-to-men relationship, he was not one of those. Someday in the future, he wanted his own family and a woman to spend his life with. Him being a prostitute is just a job to him. Doesn't matter if he has to submit to the other men's pleasure, he knows what he wants. After all, it was the norm in the district and being a prostitute was drummed into his brain since he was ten.

Still, something about the hermit was pulling at him. He doesn't know what it is but it is quite strong. It is reeling him in. in terms of reeling in, he was following the markers he left quite well; however, he could not spot the hermit. He was already far from the beach and is in the middle of the thick foliage and tall, wide trees.

The hermit might be reeling him in but at this moment the man just totally disappeared. What's the use of the marking when he can't find him? The markers can only go so far.

"Damn it." he crisply cursed. He finds himself again in a precarious situation. It would be useless to cry for help since he could have caught the animal's attention in the process instead of the hermit.

Thinking hard, he started living markers after they left the area where the devastation occurred caused by the storm. He thought leaving markers in those areas was not important since the destruction itself is the marker. Unfortunately, the markers he left were already exhausted and he can't see the destruction anywhere. There are no uprooted trees strewn on the forest floor or muddy soil. Everything was tranquil. It should calm him down, but it made him feel the opposite.

"I followed the markers well, what the hell." He said to himself, doubting his sense of direction. Whether he should take a couple more steps away from the last marker he traced or stay there and return back to the beach, he's unsure. He did look back at the direction of the beach but all he can see is the same damn trees and foliage.

"Oh fuck." A series of expletives escaped from his lips when he finally noticed that the markers seem to merge with the foliage. He concluded right there and then that breaking small branches as a marker was a stupid idea. Every yard, he would sneakily snap a small branch or two to mark his way, useless.

Now, even if he wanted to go back to the beach, there was no way he would be able to find his way with the things around him looking the same. Groaning in disappointment, he would be stuck in this place forever without anyone's knowledge. Probably, he would be a tasteful snack for the animals roaming this area.

"Where am I going to go?" He asked himself after a few minutes. Mulling, he temporarily chose to stay where he was, he sat down on a rock and leaned against a tree. Organizing his thoughts, finding the hermit would be next to impossible for now. He is lost.

The hermit was a different breed from the rest, Langdon bet his long hair that the man could find his way home around the main island without a sweat at all.

He placed the burlap bag on his lap. Thank the heavens, that the hermit packed him enough provisions to last him a day or two. He looked at the direction of the beach once again and thought to himself that maybe this is destiny's doing.

"Maybe, fate is telling me that I really should stay with the hermit. That may be the reason why I couldn't find the markers anymore." He mumbled to himself. It was a foolish thought, but it was enough to put a little vigor in his wilting mind at the moment. He could not think of anything but death.

Resolved strengthened a little bit, he should walk a little farther and maybe he could see the area hit by the storm again. From there, he is confident that he can find the cave since it was on high ground, and it can be easily seen from a distance because the storm pretty cleared the area. The first thing that the hermit always did is find a shelter. He might as well do it too.

"Alright, let's do this." He murmured, cheering himself a little and boldly took a step away from the last marker he made. Better try surviving than wait for death like a sitting duck.

***

Tahlia was making quite a progress walking home. She was already away from the beach, maybe more than a mile, give or take. The distance was getting wider, and the feeling of guilt kept on growing.

She knows.

The prostitute was leaving markers, she noticed it after they left the northeastern area. It was a beginner's way of leaving markers, but it is only useful when you're already used to the forest and you know the trail like you memorized your own face. For a vast forest, it would be confusing.

And she made it worse by covering the small branches he broke. She removed the snapped branches without being obvious and intentionally diverted his direction. To lessen her gnawing guilt, she set the new markers in a way that it would lead him back to the beach. If he would follow it religiously then he would be in a district in a few days.

Shaking her head to chase the thoughts away, she set her guilt aside and resumed walking. Instead, she thinks of the big hot meal that she would be having the moment she set her foot back in her own dwelling. The roasted meat she'll enjoy and the sweetened cold lime juice she'll savor.

A bath. A very much needed bath that she would leisurely take in the small stream near her dwelling. She almost drools at her own thoughts.

'Someone's dying while you were thinking of luxury, you dipshit,'

She paused and swore altogether. Her inner thought just broke her fantasy right away. The devil and angel in her mind were always arguing about the things that she does, however, it seems that both sides of her consciousness were united. Both devil and angel were criticizing her decision of intentionally leaving the man to his own devices. Mislead him.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she looked back behind her, and tried to calm her nerves. She is sure that the prostitute was smart enough to think of his safety and would cross the sandbar instead of traversing the forest in foolish notions.

Steadying her breathing, she nodded her head affirming her decision and continued walking. She was able to walk a good distance when she heard flapping above her. Recognizing the sound, her face broke into a grin and looked up to see Mice, one of her animals.

"Hey, you are safe." She exclaimed in happiness. The thought that the eagle was possibly caught in the storm terrified her. The bird was, after all, scouting the northeastern part of the island.

She widened her stance and steady her form, waiting for the massive bird to land on her shoulder. He is heavy but it was nothing that she's used to. She raised the bird after all.

A series of bird sounds ensued in swift rhythm, it sounded urgent, grave. Right at that moment, she understood what the bird was trying to say. Dread slowly starts setting in.

"Shit." she gritted her teeth in anger. Anger at the inconveniences the man was causing in her monotonous life.

"Watch him, Mice." She told the eagle before launching him up the sky. The bird made a loud squawk before soaring up the sky once more. Eyes keen on the bird's direction, she quickly followed the bird, half-running.

She was not sure about the urgency just yet but the devil and angel in her head were already berating her to no end, beating her down. Conscience is really troublesome.