Chapter 8

"I'm sorry. Did I interrupt you? It was just so itchy. I couldn't help it." A slight blush crept onto Freya's already pale face as she apologized. "It's okay. It's going to hurt a lot next. Just bear with it," Ryan said honestly before spitting out a mouthful of black blood. He leaned in again and sucked another mouthful. He did not stop until the blood he spat out turned red. With each suck, Freya let out a soft moan. Other people would have thought they were having an intimate session nearby. Ryan had no idea how long he sucked on her wound. Soon, Freya's blood finally turned dark red. He let go of Freya's leg and breathed a sigh of relief. "You should be okay for now. But you're not completely out of danger yet. I can't clear all the snake venom just by sucking it out," he explained. "Oh? Then what should we do? Ryan, I'm feeling a bit dizzy now. I feel suffocated, too. Please, save me. I don't want to die," Freya pleaded. She tried to get up but collapsed back onto the ground. Eyes red with tears, she looked at Ryan. "That's because there's still some snake venom left in your body. Don't panic too much." Ryan wiped the blood from his mouth and looked around. He wanted to see if there were any coconut trees nearby so he could climb up and fetch a coconut. After sucking Freya's blood with snake venom, he needed to rinse his mouth with coconut water to avoid getting poisoned. But there were no coconut trees nearby. Then, Ryan remembered they had two coconuts left in the camp. Within just a few seconds, Ryan made up his mind. "I'll take you back to our camp first. Let's go." Ryan approached Freya, crouched down, and let her climb onto his back. Then, he carried Freya back to the camp. As they arrived at the camp, they coincidentally met Nina. "I just finished cleaning up the camp and was about to go find some firewood. Why are you back so soon? Did you find freshwater already? "Who is this? Freya? What happened to her?" Nina asked in surprise. Ryan didn't say anything. He quickly picked up a coconut, smashed it open with a stone, and gulped down all the coconut water. Then, he vigorously rinsed his mouth. After finishing the coconut water, the rusty taste in his mouth disappeared. "Freya got bitten by a venomous snake while trying to save me. So I brought her back here," Ryan explained. He put Freya down and checked her condition. It was then that he noticed Freya's lips were pale. Her breathing was rapid, and her face was turning slightly blue. Obviously, the snake venom in her body was starting to take effect. He couldn't let this go on. Freya would die. "It seems like she's severely poisoned. She's lost a lot of color on her face. What should we do?" Nina placed her hand under Freya's nose and noticed that her breath had weakened. "I'll go out now and find some herbs that treat snake venom. Can you take care of Freya here?" "You go ahead. I'll look after her here. Don't worry," Nina replied without hesitation. Ryan was somewhat surprised by her response. He didn't expect Nina to be so accommodating. Meeting Ryan's gaze, Nina smiled and said candidly, "Don't look at me like that. We're living together in this place. So we're allies now. We should trust and help each other. Besides…" Nina shrugged. "Freya got hurt trying to save you. Won't you feel bad if she died just like that? If you're feeling down, who will go find fresh water for me?" "Hurry up and go. Leave her to me. Don't worry." Ryan's gaze softened as he looked at Nina. Without further ado, he nodded and said in a deep voice, "Okay, we're allies. I'll go now." He quickly exited the cave toward the forest to search for herbs. Generally, since there were venomous snakes, there must be herbs that could treat snake venom. This was something left by their ancestors. However, after searching nearby for a while, Ryan couldn't find any herbs. Just as he started to feel anxious, he suddenly saw a figure flash by before him. The person was muttering to themselves as they walked. Ryan hid behind a large tree nearby and observed closely. He realized he recognized the person. It was the travel blogger, Sherry, who had introduced herself earlier. He saw Sherry sneaking around as if searching for something. Then, he faintly heard the word "water". Ryan paused. Could Sherry have found water? He wondered if he could find water too if he followed her. As he watched Sherry's figure, images of Freya flashed through Ryan's mind. It made him hesitate. Were the snakes on this island mutated? The venom of a banded krait shouldn't be very strong. Freya shouldn't be in grave danger for the time being. With this thought in mind, Ryan decisively followed Sherry. The two walked through the forest, with Ryan following behind Sherry. They passed through a small mountain and circled around to the back of it. Sherry eventually stopped in her tracks. "I found it! It's just as I remembered! It's right here," Sherry's excited voice rang out. Standing not far away, Ryan followed the direction of Sherry's voice. He spotted a small waterfall behind the small mountain. On the ground, there was a crevice about two meters wide, through which water from the mountain flowed down into the gap. Indeed, Sherry had already discovered fresh water before this. Ryan stood there and observed her for a moment. He noticed that Sherry hadn't drunk the water yet. He moved a few steps closer and realized the problem. The waterfall was separated from the ground by a large crevice. It was impossible to reach the water unless one had arms that spanned about 6.5 feet. Of course, that would never happen. Seeing Sherry still lost in thought in front of the waterfall, Ryan walked toward her. "When I told everybody about Yasmine's affair, you asked me to forget it and forgive her. I thought you were a generous person. Now, it seems like you're not so great after all." "I was right, wasn't I, Sherry? You've found fresh water all along, yet you didn't tell them. You left them thirsty on the beach all night," Ryan sneered as he approached Sherry. Sherry had been lost in thought until she suddenly heard someone's voice. She became startled and took a couple of steps forward. Constantly battered by the waterfall, the edge of the crevice was covered in moss, making it slippery. Without realizing it, Sherry lost her footing and slipped down. With a loud crash, Sherry fell into the crevice and hit the ground hard. Judging by the sound below, it seemed like the crevice wasn't very deep. It should be about 6.5 feet deep. Staring at the crevice before him, Ryan was momentarily dumbfounded. He only wanted to exchange a few words with Sherry, but he hadn't expected her to fall in. What should he do now? The sun was setting, and night would soon fall. Should he abandon Sherry here and leave her alone?