lifeless troubles by sharon cruz (best books to read for young adults TXT) 📕

I smiled, well tried. “I know.” I said. And we hugged again. “But you shouldn’t have let the raft go.” Bert added after the hugged and I looked back as we both then witnessed the raft disappearing into a forming tsunami. “Never mind...I’m glad.” Bert said. So now its man vs. nature...
No matter how high or low the obstacle was, we went through hell just trying to survive. You may think we would be dead by now but we weren’t. We didn’t give up. At times we did nearly drown but we tried to keep our head out of the water. We tried...
So what happened?... well there’s this thing called faith that helped us.

CHAPTER 4: HOME SWEET HOME?

When I woke up, I felt like was drowning or swimming or dying. Seagulls flew around in circles above me as I blinked my eyes again and dared myself to sit up thinking I was either under or above the ocean. But realized only to be on solid ground. Solid sandy ground. I quickly stood up to feel light headed and having sea legs. I looked around to where I was at to only notice I’m on an island. A strange island that I thought never existed. It was beautiful yet it looked mysterious and dangerous. Soaked and now covered in sand all over my body, I heard someone groan below me. When I looked down it was Bert, he looked horrible! His knee was bleeding nonstop through his pants and he looked sickly pale. I quickly knelled down beside him. “Oh my god Bret, are you okay?” I asked. He just moaned in response. I took off my t-shirt to reveal my black bra. I ripped the shirt and pulled up Bert’s soaked pants and tied it around his infectious knee. After it was secured I pushed away his blonde hair out of his face. I was so glad we both survived, what seemed like an unbeatable event. I looked up at the dark palm trees and thought what lay beyond them...
The clouds lightened up as the sun set. I was up the whole time making a small shelter for Bert and I to sleep in tonight. Meanwhile, Bret lay there in pain and nothing much I could do. “I know, hang in there buddy.” I said to myself as I quickly went along, tying and bringing steady wood. By night fall, I was done and I got Bret and helped him inside. “You need to rest.” I said to him as I aided him. Propping his leaf- handmade pillow nice and high for him and place a huge palm tree leaf on him, I myself was ready to go to sleep for the night. So as I lay beside Bert and began to close my eyes, in the distance i heard an odd howl. Not a dog or wolf but like a different animal...
I even heard the leaves of the trees shuffle in the distance. Nervous, I listened and waited. It stopped and was gone. “Weird.” I thought...

CHAPTER 5: THE HAPPENING
The next morning, when I woke up the sun bleed through the leaves of the shelter I made. Sitting up and noticing that Bret is gone I went looking for him. Worried, I went in the mysterious looking woods. Pushing the leaves aside I step on lumpy sand, that every time I walked in it, it would swallow my bare feet. I slipped through small openings since all I really could see were palm trees laying slimly to the side. “Bert! Bert! Where are you?!”I called. No answer. I tried again, “BERRRRRRTTTTT!” nothing...
I sighed and became more frustrated than worried for Bert. “He should have let me know.” I mumbled to myself. Twigs lie around the looking forest and it was so dead silent. Just as I walked deeper into the forest, something stabbed on my foot and I yelled in pain and jumped back to see what it was. I bend down to notice an animal bone. Examining the strange bone I bent down to examine closer. “What the-”I began to say until I saw dark blood trickling down the small hill and down to the bone. “Crap.” I said and examined my own foot. I sat in the sand and paid attention to my foot when I sensed something. I looked up and only that moment I saw a figure but quickly rushed away. The picture I had in my head was neither animal nor human. It had piercing red-goldish eyes but the head was something I never seen before and unexplained even for to describe. Creped out, I stood up and looking back as I walked away. But one small problem I now faced. I’m lost. I clenched my fist “Nooo” I said it myself. But I kept walking. “Bert! Please Bert answer me!” I yelled out inside the island. I retraced my steps and that’s when I bumped in Bert! Thank god! “Bert where have you been?” I asked my sweaty best friend. In his blue eyes I saw fear and not apology. “What’s wrong?” I asked getting the hint. “We have to get out this fucking island now!!!” Bert said and grabbed my hand so ruffly as he pulled me away. At least it looks like his leg is better. “What the hell are you talking about?!” I asked him panic starting to rise. Looking all over him he had blood all over his body. Halfway covered. Bert pulled me in and said, “shut up...they will hear you jac.” Bert whispered. The look in his eyes were crazy... I‘ve never seen him like that before. He pulled me inches away from his face. “Who?” I asked. “I can’t explain we just need to get out here first.” Bert added. I just shut my mouth and followed him. After a while we went in circles and were going nowhere and I pulled my hand away from his strong grip. “Jaclyn what are you doing?” he asked. “No what are YOU doing Bert; we have been going around in circles for like almost 30 minutes.” “Trying to find a way out!!”He yelled. “Don’t yell at me; first explain what happen and why you are cover in blood!” I yelled. Bert said, “While you were sleeping, I went to explore the island to try to find my way around and get to know it here and as I did I ran into these freaky 10 foot monsters thatcouldn’t possibly be human or a normal animal, it was freaky and deadly and had these...these red goldish eyes.” Bert said and before he could continue I tuned out and stop Bert. “I’ve seen that.” I said. “What?” Bert asked. “I’ve seen those eyes before the description you made I’ve seen it...this morning.”

“So you know then what I’m talking about.” Bert said and I nodded. “So that’s why we need to get out of here.” He added. “But we’re lost.” I stated and Bert looked at me and then looked around. He finally sighed knowing that I was right. He fell against a tree and slumped down covering his eyes. I kneeled down beside him. Taking both his hands from his face he looked at me and I said, “We will get out of here. We will survive.”

Smiling, he pulled me into a hug and kissed my neck. “I hope so.” He added. After our hug we heard rustling behind me. Both of us quickly turning around we stayed quiet. Bert pulled me close to him. So my back was touching his firm chest. The rustling continued as a 7 foot beast came out slowly. It was hairless but it’s head was like a tiger. A white tiger. It moved swiftly and was looking directly at me. It stood like a gorilla but it’s body was not. It had black and red eyes. It came closer and closer. “Holy sh-” Bert was going to say but stop when it stopped. There was a moment of silence and it stood there waiting to see what we would do. My heart raced so fast I was so scared. Bert’s leg was beginning to shake since he sat squatting down.my hand went over his leg and tried to hold him still. It didn’t work. I had my eyes on the beast and I swear I saw an evil grin upon his face like he was saying, “I’m not going to move”. Finally, Bert’s legs gave out making both of us fall. That moment I looked at the beast one last time and we ran! We ran as fast we could but the beast was so close. He was right behind me and I freaked out so bad I had to ditch Bert but he followed and the beast continue to follow us. At one point, I did a zigzag but still was on our tale. Then I would go one way and the beast would crush the trees and palm trees like there was no tomorrow. You may think by this time the beast would of catch us and we would be dead but you are wrong. As a team, Bert and i jumped through ever log and broken tree stump, we would swing every vine and fall on the ground rolling down numerous of hills that was there. But we would never stop. We ran and i could feel the ground thumping where the beast ran behind us and just as the beast was about to grab ahold of me, I fell on purpose, followed by Bert as we went tumbling down this great hill. The beast fell with us and was rolling faster and breaking everything in it’s path. I screamed as I tried to grab everything in my way but I would slip or it would break. Ahead, I could see that there was a dead end. A big one... “NOOOOO!” I yelled and as I changed my position into sliding mode. I was surprise my bra didn’t rip off or something cause I was running into sharp things like bones, dirt, wood pieces, and sand. Bert was behind me but when I looked back just in time he found something to hold and had a good grip while I was still sliding down to my death. Getting closer and closer and at the last minute I saw a bark and made myself slide faster and quickly I grabbed the bark and my body was thrown off the side of the end of the dead end hill and i hung on tightly as the beast tumbles over to it’s doom...

CHAPTER 6: DEATH STARE

My hands were beginning to cramp as I held on the branch. “Jaclyn!” I heard Bert yell. “BERT! HURRY! I CANT HOLD ANY LONGER!!” I yelled louder. Within minutes Bert was above me and he pulled me up by my arm and I pulled myself up as well. Once I was safe, Bert pulled me off the ledge to a safer spot. Immediately, I pulled Bert and began to cry. Bert hugged me and kissed the top of my head...
Later that day, we walked trying once again to find a way out. We were tired, bloody, dirty, sore, and scared. I was quiet the whole time we walked as Bert grabbed my hand and kissed it. By the time the sun set, we were walking at night. Bert made a fire and we sat around it warming ourselves... “Are you okay?” Bert asked staring at me. I shook my head. “No...I just had a near death experience Bert.” he lowered his head and looked at his feet. We stayed quiet again. But it wasn’t when I heard Bert’s stomach growl. We both started bursting out laughing. “I’m hungry.” he smiled, “me too.” I added. Bert stood up and I stood up as well. “where