ith its elegant thatched roofs and infinity pools blending seamlessly into the horizon. The journey had been long, but the moment Jake and Saman
g Jake's hand. After months of planning and s
umbrella. "Welcome to Azura Paradise Resort. My name is Daniel, and I'll be taking care of you during your stay." After a bri
d view of the azure sea, and a hot tub that invited whispers under the stars. The ceiling fa
glass doors to the balcony. The afternoon sun cast a golden
ng shadow moved beneath the water's surface, larger than any fish he'd seen before, but when he blinked, it wa
eyed the lush surroundings. They changed into more comfortable clothes and se
ong exotic flowers. Other guests lounged by the pools, cocktails in hand, their faces relaxed in carefree bliss. Y
following a narrow trail that led to a secluded cove. The beach here was different-wilder, unta
ace in the brochure," Jake said,
"It's beautiful tho
tide line. Jake bent down and picked it up, brushing away the grit. It was an unusual piece, circular withsaid, holding it up
ybe we should turn it
first," Jake suggested, pocketing t
tching them from the tree line-a woman with long, dark hair that whipped around her face
spered, suddenly eager to retu
with tense efficiency, their smiles not quite reaching their eyes. At dinner, Jake and Samantha sat at a cand
he mentioned showing the pendant to their server. "Let's just enjoy o
bols he couldn't decipher, its surface warm against his skin. "I need to know what
from Jake's fingers like a weight tethering him to the mysteries that lay ahead. Every step felt
leaving only whispers that fluttered like the palm fronds above. Their room, which had once seemed like a sanctuary, now felt
aybe we should just leave in the morning? Th
st run away." The pendant called to him, a beacon of
e silence. Samantha tried to sleep, but every creak of the building or rustle outside had her on edge. Jake, however
, followed by a muffled voice calling out in distress-a v
as she grabbed Jake's a
wing off the covers. "Stay
atever lay beyond their door alone. They crept out onto the balc
ed path that led away from their suite. Against their better jud
-a man, his face obscured by long hair, gasping for breath.
Jake asked, kne
. "They're coming... they want it back... th
upted from the palms, twisting and spiraling towards the trio. Panic surged
pendant and propelling them both into a full
ried by the wind. They could feel the eyes of the island set upon them, as if nature
erge, who had so cheerfully welcomed them, was nowhere to be found. The once v
Samantha's voice was st
to find out what the pendant means. It's the key to this," he s
emerged from the shadows-a figure with long, flowing hair that mirrored the wom
oice that echoed like a distant memory. "You must choose: fight
lunging them into darkness. In that moment of blindness, Jake felt Samantha's hand torn from his grasp, her scream piercing the night before being suddenly si