Castaways by Brian Keene Read Free Book Online Page A

of the fucking week— storm or no storm. You and your English buddy."
    "I've told you before," Stefan said, "I'm not English. I'm Welsh."
    "Whatever. We still kicked your ass during the Revolutionary War, bitch."
    Raul, Stefan, and Jeff feigned shock, but before rhey could respond, Stuart appealed for silence again.
    "So all of you are staying, correct?"
    The contestants nodded and shrugged.
    "Okay. Then on behalf of the producers, the network, and Roland, I'm glad to hear it. And keep in mind, they don't even know for sure if the storm will hit us directly. Ivan may turn out to be much ado about nothing. It might just be some winds and rain. Mark, Jesse, and I will be here with you. I've also got a satellite phone. We'll be in constant contact with the ship, should an emergency arise."
    "Do all three of you have one?" Richard asked.
    "No," Stuart said, "just me."
    "Well, I know who I'm sticking close to then."
    Sal elbowed him in the ribs. "You can stick close to me tonight."
    "You guys are something else," Ryan said, shaking his head. "I mean, seriously, you make me look straight, and I fit every gay stereotype there is."
    "You can stay close, too."
    Ryan grinned. "You're not my type, Sal."
    "Okay," Stuart said, "if there are no further questions, we need to do a few more one-on-ones. Matthew, you're up first. Please follow Mark and Jesse. And let me remind the rest of you—the interviews are totally confidential and off-limits, so please, no eavesdropping or being sneaky. Find something else to occupy yourselves until we're done. Stefan, we'll need you when they're finished with Matthew. It should be about forty-five minutes or so. No more than an hour, I'm sure."
    "Fine," Stefan agreed. "I'll stick close to camp."
    "And then we'll get to you, Roberta," Stuart said. "But it will be a while, so feel free to do something else until then."
    She nodded.
    Matthew stepped forward, spear in hand, and followed Mark and Jesse into the undergrowth. The rest of the group dissolved again into their various cliques and alliances. Sal and Richard gathered their crude fishing implements—netting, a few sharpened sticks they used as both spears and poles, and some hooks they'd won during a challenge—and headed for the beach. Stefan's group settled in around the campfire, stirring the coals and building it up again. As Sal and Richard departed the camp, Stefan called out to them.
    "Where are you gents going?"
    "Fishing," Sal told him.
    "Bollocks. Do you really think that's wise, what with the possibility of inclement weather and all?"
    Sal shrugged. "Storm or no storm, we've still got to eat. I don't know about you all, but I'm frigging sick of rice. We'll be back before the rain starts."
    "Be careful of the tide," Jeff warned. "It might be rising already. Don't want you guys getting washed away."
    "We'll be fine," Richard assured him.
    After they were gone, Jerry pulled Becka, Shonette, Troy, and Ryan aside. Sensing something good, Stuart followed them, backup camera in hand.
    "Okay," Jerry said. "This storm bought us some unexpected time, but we need to take advantage of it. Who wants to work on Roberta? How about you, Becka?"
    Becka hesitated. "I don't know, guys. I'm not very good at all this duplicity and sneakiness."
    "You can do it," Jerry said. "It's just like playing chess."
    "I suck at chess. My brother used to beat me all the time."
    "Do we even need Roberta?" Ryan asked. "I mean, we've got seven of us in our alliance. We control the vote, so what's the point of swaying her?"
    "Insurance," Jerry said. "Let's be honest—if Stefan's group approaches one of us, can we really be sure someone from our alliance won't switch sides?"
    "I fucking won't," Troy spat. "Fuck that limey cocksucker."
    "No," Jerry agreed, "I don't think you would, Troy, but we can't say that for certain about everyone
    else. Richard and Sal, for example. So adding Roberta would just give us extra insurance. Plus, it might be good