The Island Experiment

Chapter 15 Another One Bites The Dust

                               Chapter Fifteen

                    Another One Bites The Dust

                    Matty whispered into the leaders ear,"I just got the order Chance, you're to leave camp just after dark. The raft will be waiting, at the fishing hole for you. You're going home, your camp life is over."
     Chance was torn about the order,"I hope you leave soon Megel, my thoughts and prayers are with you."

            Jake cried himself to sleep,he was not the only one. Chance didn't go to bed that night, like Cat and Rochelle, he had vanished.
     Jake hid under the blanket,"leave me alone Kyle, I'm never coming out. What's the sense of trying?One by one, we will all be taken. People will look to me, to lead them. I'm no leader, I'm a coward,a kid that hasn't grown up yet."
     Kyle lifted the blanket,"you Jake Clearlan, are no coward. I will punch anyone in the face, who calls you one. If you don't want to be the leader, you don't have to be one. I will take charge, better me, than Kevin or Ronny. The girls and Steve, are not aggressive enough to do it. Get out of bed, and put your big girl panties on,that's an order."
             Kyle stood in front of the group," I know you're all afraid, another member of our group has vanished. We can't give up, no matter how hopeless it seems. From now on, we travel in pairs, no more letting down our guard. We carry weapons, at all times. Anyone you don't know, don't approach them. If they attack you, maim or kill them. I have stepped up as your new leader, from today on, we are training in self defense."
     Steve had never seen such a sexy man before, Kyle's masculine, aggressive attitude, left him breathless.
     Amy was thrilled, she didn't have to be the leader.
     Lizy fretted, violence would become a way of life, on the island.
     Julie was just as afraid, as before.
     Page looked forward to, kicking one of the guys in the crotch.
     Ronny could care less who the leader was,as long as it wasn't him.
     Kevin was on the wrestling team at school, and did some kickboxing. He feared no one, he would fight to the death, if need be.

            Kevin had reservations, about what he was asked to do,"are you sure about this Kyle?"
     Kyle's confidence shined through,"yes do it already Kevin."
Kevin released all three of the turkeys, watching them walk away.
     Kyle patted the teen on the back,"don't worry Kev,I see things differently than Chance did. The turkeys make more work for us, let them roam free feeding themselves. If we're still here months from now,we can always hunt the turkeys, if they run away. Just like the chickens, they will lay and hatch eggs
     Kevin couldn't shake the feeling, that Chance wouldn't have let the turkeys go.Perhaps the new leader, wasn't the right person to lead them?
           Ronny was reluctant to do as told,"are you sure about this Kyle?"
     Kyle pointed at a rooster,"yes Ronny I'm sure,they're only nine people, and twenty two chickens. Twelve of them are rooster, that can't lay eggs. We only need two rooster, it makes no sense to feed,water and clean up after, ten extra we don't need. Ronny free ten rooster."
     Ronny freed the ten rooster, from the chicken coop. He felt a pang of guilt, knowing that Chance wouldn't like it.
            Amy spoke her mind,"freeing the goats is a bad idea Kyle, we make butter from their milk."
      Kyle reasoned his thinking,"it takes six hours to churn butter, that goes bad, in a little over one day. Add the time spent feeding, watering and cleaning up after the goats.If they are free to care for themselves, it means more free time to relax. Just set the goats free Amy."
     Amy did as told releasing the two goats, she felt bad knowing Chance wouldn't have done so.
           
            Jake reeled in his fishing pole,"are you sure about this Kyle?,"
     Kyle gave his best smile,"fishing every day doesn't make sense Jake, three days per week is plenty enough. We have plenty of other food sources, we don't need to eat fish every day. Why spend time doing a chore, that doesn't need done?"
       Jake did as Kyle asked of him, but felt bad, that he was doing something wrong.
           Lizy was confused,"you're telling me Kyle, not to boil the laundry anymore?"
     Kyle explained further,"it was necessary before, but now you have laundry detergent, there is no need to boil dirty clothes.Cold water will get the clothes clean, in less than half of the time."
      Lizy did as told, but felt bad knowing Chance would disagree.
                     Steve served fresh fruit for breakfast as told,"are you sure about this Kyle?"
     Kyle used his charm,"why waste food and time, cooking three meals each day. If fruit isn't eaten it rots, by making it breakfast instead of a snack, more is eaten at once.By cooking only two meals each day, food and time is saved. The eggs will now be lunch, they won't go bad."
             Steve served fresh fruit breakfast as told, feeling lazy and guilty.
                    The group didn't like the changes Kyle made, but they had more free time to socialize.
                Kyle never forgot about the offer, if he could somehow become the group leader, the ten thousand dollars would be doubled. Kyle had done the impossible, if he could just hold onto the leader position.

            It was hard changing to conform,to a new leader's ideas of, speaking badly about an old leader's concepts. Chance would have compared it to, a new president taking office. Kyle was as different, from the old leader,as night and day.
            Kevin laid on the beach relaxing,"I never thought I'd say this Ronny,but I miss doing chores.Relaxing three days per week, sure is boring,it gives me too much time to think."
     Ronny day dreamed,"I wonder what else, Chance would have, told us to build?We could be surfing right now."
      Kevin joined in on the fantasy,"I think about Chance every morning, when I'm squatting over a hole, trying to do my business. Chance never helped us, finish the out house."
     Ronny felt the sand on his back,"I miss Fluffy and Jack, I hated letting them loose, when Kyle made me do it."
     Kevin's thoughts went to the girls,"I hate, not having the same days off as the girls.I think they resent us, only fishing, while they do the rest of the chores. Jake and Steve only cook, and Kyle does nothing at all,but order everyone around."
     Ronny sat up looking at his friend,"we should be happy, all we have to do is sit on our butt's. The goats,chickens and turkeys, didn't run away. It saves so much time, not cleaning up after them,feeding and watering them. With less birds, the girls only have to, replace the palm prawns, every ten days."
      Kevin closed his eyes blocking the sun,"we can make excuses all we want, but the truth is, that the girls are being treated poorly, compared to the guys.It is only a matter of time, before they rebel, we need to pick a side, before that happens.The question is, do we choose the side of strength or do we choose the right side?
            Jake chopped vegetables with his ex,"Steve I needed to get you alone, I don't really need help making stew. Amy and the girls, each talked with me separately. The gist of it is, if I don't become the leader, the girls are forming their own group. Shed camp isn't far enough away, from the guys to suit them.If they leave for beach camp, half of the supplies go with them.There are only four girls, way less of them than the guys. There is no way, Kyle will allow them, to take more than fruit and vegetables.I doubt the girls would survive, living in a bamboo shelter, it gets so cold there at night."
     Steve was torn,"Kyle made good changes, that make sense. I think Chance gave us, unnecessary work to keep us distracted and busy. The only problem I see, is dividing the chores fairly. We go to Kyle as a group, stating our demands. I will speak to Kevin and Ronny,I'm sure they will agree with the demands. If the girls leave, they would worry about them, and miss them.It would be far more safe for the girls, if they stayed with us as well."

            After arriving back at swim camp, it was too late to cook. The group sat together eating fruit.
     Jake spoke for the group,"Kyle I have something to say for everyone here. The chores aren't divided equally, the girls do far more than the guys do. The girls are threatening, to move to beach camp,unless they are treated fairly. All of the group but you Kyle, has voted to get rid of you as our leader. I am now the leader of swim camp, I will treat everyone with respect, regardless of their gender."
     All of the group was shocked, there was never a vote to remove Kyle as their leader. There was never a vote, to make Jake, the new leader.If need be, they would take that secret to their graves. The subject was never mentioned between them.
     Kyle casually sipped his cup of water,"if the group wants a new leader,there is nothing that I can do about it.I only wished that the girls, had come to me about it first. I officially step down from my position, best of luck Jake."
          Kyle had done everything he could think of, to get fired from, his boring thankless job. The contract stated, that if Kyle became the leader, he would double his ten thousand dollars. It mentioned nothing about how long he must keep the job.

            Matty spoke back to the voice, coming from the tree speaker,"Chance is that you?How can this be you?"
    Chance was in a panic,"I wasn't sent home, Cat is here with me. I have to go they're coming."