The fire changed the cave.
Orange light rolled over the uneven walls, softening their harsh edges. The air was still damp, but the cold no longer seemed to reach straight into the bones.
Kai sat beside the flames and opened a can of meat.
He cut a portion into thick slices, threaded them onto a straight wooden stick, and held them over the fire. The fat began to hiss. Soon, the surface darkened and the smell of hot meat drifted toward the entrance.
Sora tried not to stare.
She failed.
Kai noticed, but he didn't comment. She had already drunk some water, and the worst of the immediate danger had passed. Still, she looked exhausted, and the smell of food made her hunger harder to ignore.
He turned the stick so the other side could cook.
“Eat when you're ready,” he said. “Don't rush it just because you're hungry.”
Sora blinked. She hadn't expected the advice to sound so ordinary.
“I'm fine.”
“Your stomach disagrees.”
He broke off a small piece of chocolate and ate it while the meat finished cooking. The energy helped, but he knew the supplies wouldn't last forever. Every mouthful had to count.
As he watched the fire, he thought about the people below.
They had water bottles, cans of food, and several opportunities to gather useful supplies. Instead, many of them had spent the afternoon collecting expensive watches and bags. They had assumed everything would be returned to normal by midnight.
That assumption was becoming dangerous.
At the edge of the forest, Tyler was still searching through the debris when his hand struck something round.
He froze.
The object was heavier than the rotten coconut they had opened earlier. When he shook it gently, liquid moved inside.
Water.
His heart lurched.
He dragged it out of the undergrowth and examined the shell. It looked firm, and the fruit sounded full. This one might actually be good.
He found a sharp piece of rock and began working at the weaker end. His hands were scraped and aching, but he kept going until a small hole opened in the shell.
A fresh, sweet smell escaped.
Tyler almost cried with relief.
He bent toward the opening.
A shoe struck his lower back.
Tyler sprawled forward into the stones. The coconut rolled away, and Kael snatched it up before he could recover.
“Found something good and planned to keep it to yourself?” Kael snapped. “That's not how we do things.”
“I found it!” Tyler gasped. “I was the one who opened it!”
“And now I've found it.”
Kael's voice left no room for argument.
He lifted the coconut and pressed the opening to his mouth. The first swallow was glorious. The cool liquid eased his burning throat, and for a moment he forgot everything except how desperately he had needed it.
He forced himself to stop after several mouthfuls.
Then he wiped his lips, rubbed sand across his mouth to disguise the dampness, and hurried back to the main camp.
Tyler remained on the ground, staring after him.
The anger was almost enough to keep him warm.
Almost.
Kael reached Elara with the coconut held carefully in both hands.
“Ms. Voss! I found something for you.”
Elara looked up from the black screen of her satellite phone.
“Water?”
“Fresh coconut water. I searched the trees myself. I didn't even drink any before bringing it to you.”
The lie came easily.
Elara took the coconut and drank. There was no elegance in the way she swallowed, no concern for the mud on the shell or the blood smeared across its surface. She drank until the liquid was gone, then tipped the fruit back to catch the last drops.
Lila Hart watched with desperate eyes.
“Please,” she whispered. “Could I have just a little?”
Elara lowered the empty coconut.
“There's nothing left.”
Lila turned away, too exhausted even to argue.
For a few minutes, the water steadied Elara's breathing. She looked at Kael with renewed approval.
“You did well.”
Kael straightened, trying to hide his exhaustion.
“When we get back to the mainland, the sales director position is yours,” Elara promised. “And I'll personally arrange a five-hundred-thousand-dollar bonus.”
Kael's face lit up.
“Thank you, Ms. Voss. I won't forget this.”
A short distance away, Tyler had returned to the camp. He heard the promise and understood exactly what had happened. His fingers curled into fists, but he said nothing.
The coconut had not only been taken from him. It had bought Kael another promise of wealth and power.
The sun finally disappeared.
The temperature dropped below ten degrees, and the wind became sharp enough to cut through the survivors' damp clothes. Lila huddled close to Javi, shivering. Elara folded her arms over her chest, but the thin fabric offered little protection. Even Kael, who had spent years barking orders at people, had begun to shake uncontrollably.
Then the smell reached them.
Warm, savory, unmistakable.
Cooked meat.
Everyone looked up toward the cave.
A steady orange glow shone through the vines. Beyond the opening, Kai's silhouette moved beside the fire as he turned another piece of meat.
For a long moment, Elara said nothing.
The sight was unbearable. A low-ranking intern who had spent his days carrying boxes and being ordered around was warm, fed, and sheltered. The people who had once considered themselves superior were freezing on wet sand.
Elara rose unsteadily.
“Make a fire,” she ordered.
Kael stared at her. “Here?”
“Where else? Look at him!” She pointed toward the cave. “Kai can make a fire. Why can't you?”
“Ms. Voss, we don't have dry wood.”
“Then find some.”
“The wood is soaked. We tried opening coconuts, and—”
“I don't care what you tried!” Her voice cracked. “Someone here must know how to do something useful.”
Kael glanced at the others. No one met his eyes.
Elara drew a breath, gathering what remained of her authority.
“Eight hundred thousand dollars,” she announced. “I'll pay eight hundred thousand to whoever can get a proper fire burning here. Once we're rescued, the money will be transferred immediately.”
For a few seconds, the group seemed to regain its strength.
Eight hundred thousand dollars was a fortune to most of them. It could clear debts, buy homes, and change lives.
But it couldn't make wet wood burn.