Trekking back, I felt the haze of the island slowly steal the fresh air away from me again. As I made my way down the sandbar towards land, what I feared was confirmed. The island’s atmosphere itself was toxic. It was impossible to tell from the inside, but it was evident stepping back into the blanket of heavy air. It thickened the closer I got, tickling my throat unpleasantly on its way down. I just hoped that my system was replenished enough by now that I could withstand the effect. For long enough, anyway. I just needed a short window to tell the others, and then we could all make our way down the sandbar together, to the “safe zone” and devise a plan…

Armed with a new sharpness to my mind and body, I was optimistic.

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