The sound of the jet taking off behind Milo was ear-splitting, making her cover her ears harshly. Despite her manual blockage to the fine nerves in her eardrum, the thoughts racing in her mind made the outside noise comparable to a flute's melody. 

Rye's expedition? Fetching a Naga? 

There was no way Milo heard him correctly. There was no way Milo even read the invitation correctly. She needed to get her ears checked and then her eyes, because what was happening was far from what she could ever hypothesize. Nothing made sense, why would she be invited to such a... a scam? She could confirm one thing though: Rye was delusional. 

Her lungs constricted in her chest as panic rose, her fingers suddenly feeling cold.

She needed to leave- yes. Whatever ticket brought Milo here, she needed a refund in the form of a booking back to California. Milo quickly turned around to stomp back up to the jet, only to realize mid-step it had taken off without them. 

Shit. 

She'd been stranded on the island with nothing but the scammer/crazed Rye and the items in her luggage. 

"This is stupid! I am not staying on this dumb island in some tent like a wild animal! I'm a doctor for crying out loud!" 

Milo's shoulders jumped up at the shrill coming from the blonde she still hadn't got the name for. She and nearly a dozen others were waltzed up against Rye, her face in particular an unhealthy shade of red. Her sunglasses were pulled up into her hair, her eyes almost equally crazed in disbelief and fury. 

"This is not an expedition! We were promised technology, food, housing, and you expect us to what? Just shack up and defend ourselves? Lead by you of all people? What even are your credentials to own this kind of property and manage this 'project?'" 

Rye's pinched expression grew more aggravated by the second, Milo's eyes catching the slight tick of his jaw as he barely kept the smile plastered on his face. It was like time had froze upon his declaration and now began to thaw around them, leaving trickles of reality seeping into everyone with a growing panic.  

The blonde didn't sense his souring mood, pointing her acrylic finger at him, "If you don't get that jet to turn around right now, then I will have you arrested for fraud."

Rye's large chest rose as he sucked in a deep breath, his tone even yet Milo couldn't help but notice how his stiff posture and searing eyes contraindicated it heavily. As much as he tried to appear joyful and uplifting to the group, the air around him fell heavy. He was like a penny being stripped of its copper, leaving behind unsettling traces of a cold piece of metal. 

Milo didn't trust him at all.

"I promise that I am more than just credentialed to lead you all on this project, and I'm even being gracious in offering you the minimum to survive. If you don't like it, you are welcome to entertain yourselves independently."

The blonde scoffed, whipping out her phone only to furrow her thin brows in confusion. In seconds, her expression seemed to switch from confusion to realization. Milo couldn't help but pull out her phone too, her eyes slowly trailing to the top left hand corner of her iPhone. Although Milo had the presumption that Rye didn't believe in installing any form of cell service, thinking of it was different than experiencing it. 

In the blink of an eye, any hope of getting off the island seemed to vanish into the thin air, reality sinking in that it was just a group of real-world scientists and nature itself- with Rye as their only hope in returning.

When she looked back up at him, he already had a smirk on his face. "Like I said, I offer protection to those who will follow, and if you don't... well, let's see how long you last until the next jet comes."

Milo felt her throat tighten. If they didn't follow his 'rules' and go along with his crazed mission, then they'd be left for the wolves. 

"This is scary." Kim whispered next to Milo, her fear evident in the shaking of her voice and hands clutching her suitcase handle. Gone was any form of happiness and excitement in both of them, and Milo nearly jumped in her shoes when Rye pointed his gun to the sky and fired a shot. Kim shrieked in surprise, whipping her head back to Rye who stared at the now silent group. 

His boots clopped in the mud as he walked slowly down the line, hands plastered behind his back, gun tapping the meat of his adjacent thumb. "Now that thats taking care of, its time for you to introduce yourselves to me. I need names, brief background in what you study, and most importantly- your skills. Go."

He pointed his fat finger at a short, brunette man the furthest out of the group. The boy couldn't have been older than eighteen, Milo having no idea how he got invited on the expedition in the first place at such a young age. He stuttered on the spot, lips quivering together as his eyes darted everywhere but on Rye. He hand nervously scratching his head before Rye cleared in throat and began to tap his foot into the ground impatiently. 

"I-I'm Tim. I study bacteriology and virology, and my s-skills are microscope procedure, gram staining, and..." His voice was so quiet that Milo had a hard time grasping some of what he said, his mannerism and nerdy interests reminding her of herself when she was younger. 

Rye didn't share the same sentiment, quickly cutting off Tim's nervous rant, "You'll be cooking and a laundry maid until further notice. Next." Rye barked, pointing his finger at the next person. 

The woman next to him was more tall and athletic, her short hair cropped and pinned above her shoulders jutting out of her tank top. She looked more prepared than anybody, a huge backpack slung over her shoulders with who knows what inside. At first, her eyes widened as she looked sorrowfully at Tim and then back at Rye, thinning her lips together. 

"I'm Charlotte, I have a Masters in Ecology- I'm knowledgable on environmental behaviors and regulations, collecting specimens..."

"Have you ever trapped a snake?" 

She blinked her eyes several times, murmuring hesitantly, "Yes, a few vipers and cobras in my conservation trips to the Sahara."

Rye's unsettling smirk made Milo shift on her feet nervously. 

"Welcome aboard Charlie! You'll be joining me in the hunting party." 

Charlotte didn't offer any response, not that Rye was expecting any. It went on like that as he slowly went down the line of scientists, interviewing them and then quickly determining their place as a hunter, cook, laundry maid, medical help, and even supply prep. Out of the handful, only a few he designated apart of his little 'hunting party,' Milo growing more nervous the closer and closer he got to them.

It would be better for her to stay at the camp, Milo determined. She couldn't risk being out there with him as a guide. She'd play it safe until she could return back home, together instead of in pieces by some cat or infected with some virus from all the tropical amoeba floating around the island. 

I'll just say something simple like what Tim said- that I'm a chemist who only works in a lab. 

When Rye made it to Milo, she answered with basic information and was immediately promoted to cook. Not that she minded the degrade, it was a win her book!

But when Rye looked at Kim, she was a sweating mess. She looked like she'd pass out in the matter of seconds, his impatient eyes boring into hers like she was a mouse and he the cat. 

"I-I'm Kim. I study environmental science and I collect samples of the environment for research purposes and studying..."

"What kinds of samples?" Rye interrupted.

Despite them barely knowing each other, Milo was practically screaming in her head for Kim to stop. Kim wouldn't be able to make it out in the wild alone, she'd known that the moment she met Kim. Sure she'd be able to collect a few plant samples and be a major help in writing detailed, fascinating reports in a protected lab. But this wasn't a regular mission- Kim would be used as bait out there and Rye would happily leave her for pickings. 

"Like plants, dirt, and a few bugs. And fishes." She whispered meekly. 

He didn't answer immediately, looking Kim up and down critically while tapping his foot on the ground. Milo bit her lip in worry, Kim's eyes widening as he declared his verdict like a death sentence.

"Hunter."

"A-are you sure? I don't think I can trap snakes." Kim responded meekly.

But Rye was already onto the next person, ignoring her doubts and Milo was nearly fuming. She wanted to curse herself for prying, but Milo couldn't just stand here and let Rye run an innocent person to the ground. And on top of that, Kim clearly articulated that she didn't think she'd best suite as a hunter. 

"I don't think she'd make a good hunter." Milo declared loud enough for him to hear. 

Rye's eyes nearly snapped to hers, a glowing interest flickering in those dark, soulless eyes. He turned back, boots slapping into the ground slowly until he was standing in front of her point-blank. His breath fanned the front of her nose in hot breaths, remnants of what smelled like Tuna lingering in the air.

"That's quite a declaration for a cook." He quipped, eyeing Milo like she was scum of the earth. "Do you think you could do better?"

Milo gulped, blinking her eyes free from the embarrassment of the other people's curious glances. Shut up, shut up, shut up...

"She said she didn't want to hunt, so let her be something else." Milo answered, dodging his question.

But he didn't like that. Rye took a step closer, Milo scruffing her nose at the unpleasant body odor coming off him. She didn't like the way his eyes looked down at her, wishing she was just a fraction taller to not make the intimidation so bad. 

"This isn't about what you want, this is about what I think is best. Like I said, IF you don't like my verdict, you are welcome to live independently. I'd love to see how long you last as a... chemist." He chuckled darkly

Milo's chest quivered in a tight knot. Off to the side, she could see Kim shaking like a leaf, Milo's resolution shifting towards selfless or selfish right. As much as she wanted the safe walls of camp, could she live with herself knowing Kim may or may not live after the mission? Or maybe she was wrong entirely, maybe Kim could make it out alive out there as long as she played it smart. Milo shouldn't answer for her, she should let Kim be off on her own and make decisions. 

But what if the roles were switched? Would Milo hope someone would stick up for her in a possible life and death situation?

Could Milo live with herself if Kim didn't return back on the jet with her? 

Licking her lips, Milo looked back up and mustered up every ounce of courage thrumming alive in her chest, "I'm not just a chemist. I'm a researcher, reader, and experimenter. And I breed and study snakes."