The sun blazed overhead, its scorching rays beating down mercilessly on the rocky island. Hidden in the bushes, thousands of grasshoppers chirped in a constant, monotonous drone. Leaves rustled in the hot wind as small lizards with emerald-colored scales darted away from Edmond's footsteps. In the distance, wild goats leaped gracefully between the cliffs.
Despite all the life around him, Edmond felt utterly alone on this isolated island, as if guided by some divine hand. An inexplicable dread crept over him, the kind of paranoia that makes you feel watched even in the middle of nowhere. The feeling was so overwhelming that just as he was about to begin digging, he stopped. Setting down his pickaxe, he grabbed his rifle and climbed to the highest rock to scan the horizon.
