The Island From Hell

Chapter 23

Moxxie may not have had the most experience with the outdoors but he was certainly not uneducated on the means of survival. Having spent his childhood and teen years as a nerd who had a fear of nature and things bigger than him, he read a lot of books about survival and the ways people lived before technology was discovered. Not to mention he always tended to go overboard with packing supplies which in this case, was required.

"And to think they laughed at me for packing a ten-gallon copper pot, aluminum tubing, and a roll of cheesecloth." Moxxie chuckled bringing forth said items from his bag.

"So what's all that going to do dear?" Millie asked him.

"These light of my life, are what I'm going to use to turn this murky, muddy, germ infested water into clean, pure, fresh, drinking water. I just need to get a fire started to boil it over, boiling is the key to cleaning water."

"In that case I'll handle the fire."

Millie gathered up sticks and stones, put them into a pile, and started rubbing them together as hard as she could until she got a spark. She then fed the spark leaves, turning it into a flames. Moxxie filled the copper pot with the dirty water from the nearby creek, placed it over the fire to boil, and constructed a flask for purification.

"Now we just we have to wait for the water to finish getting purified." Moxxie said.

"How long will that take?" Millie asked.

"I don't know. I've never done this before, but I'm sure it'll work."

"Okay, but what do we do about him?" Millie said, referring to Blitzo who was still futilely trying to climb the up the cliff to get the honey.

"Don't just stand there! Give me a boost Pablo!" He demanded of the rock he had befriended in his delirious state. "Don't back sass me!...No you're completely useless!"

"I think maybe we should try to help him get some of that honey or he'll eventually get himself killed." Moxxie said. "And I am getting really hungry."

"So am I, but how are we supposed to help?"

As Moxxie started to think of a solution, he looked up and down the cliff about three times, went through his bag, looking at all the supplies inside. Then he looked around at the trees and the vines. That's when he got an idea. He quickly started to gather up all the vines he could find, braiding them together to make one vine that was bigger and thicker. Next he pulled a tree branch from its trunk, snapping it clean away, and began fashioning some kind of weapon with it by sharpening the edge with the pocket knife. He tied one end of the vine tightly around the branch and approached the cliff, making carefully aim at the crack at the top.

"Let's hope all those years of going to the shooting ring finally paid off."

Moxxie threw this makeshift spear upward with all his might, the spear was a direct hit into the crack and it stuck. Moxxie pulled on the vine, it was sturdy and strong, it would hold him.

"Here goes." Moxxie took a deep breath and started to climb up.

"Be careful honey." Millie warned him. "Remember, upper body strength was always a struggle for you."

"Don't worry Millie, when it comes to climbing a rope, it's all about determination and will power. It had nothing to do with strength."

"For your sake, I certainly hope so."

"Hey Millie, you didn't tell me your husband was half spider." Blitzo slurred.

Millie just face-palmed.

"Alright Moxxie you can do this." He told himself as he climbed. "Just don't look down."

He pulled tight on the vine rope and arched his back, straining his forward and up higher and higher. He broke into a sweat the higher he went. Millie also began to sweat immensely as she anxiously watched her husband reach the top. Just one slip up and he was a goner.