When the Dead Still Call novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Too Much

In the end, they simply gave up. That was it—done.

When Gianna caught wind of what had happened, fury bubbled inside her. How could people be so petty? Why was it that no one wanted to partner with her? The thought gnawed at her relentlessly, sparking a fire of resentment.

Once she returned, she was determined to tell her brother everything. She swore she would make sure those girls never found success in entertainment again. The bitterness in her heart was as sharp as a blade.

Meanwhile, hunger gnawed at everyone relentlessly. Stomachs growled loudly, an unrelenting reminder of their predicament.

“I’m going to check near the stream,” Amelia said, pulling out her army knife with practiced ease. She began sharpening a wooden spear, her movements confident and precise. “Maybe I can catch some fish.”

Less than half an hour later, Amelia returned, proudly holding two plump freshwater fish. Her hands moved with skill as she cleaned them, skewered them on sticks, and set them over the fire. The scent of roasting fish quickly filled the air, comforting and mouthwatering.

Patricia watched in admiration, eyes wide. “Amelia, you’re seriously amazing!”

Amelia flipped the fish effortlessly. “Out here, the most important thing is to keep your strength up. Eat before it cools.”

The drone hovering nearby captured every moment, and the livestream chat exploded.

[This teammate is such a boss!]

[Amelia’s skills are unreal!]

[Please, teach us survival tips!]

Compliments flooded the feed, all directed at Amelia’s competence and calm.

In stark contrast, Gianna sat miserably on a rock, refusing to help collect firewood. She grumbled nonstop, “My feet hurt. This sand is filthy. Does anyone have sunscreen?”

Bella finally snapped. “Gianna, shut up! This is an island, not your living room. If you want food, you better do something to earn it. No one’s here to serve you.”

Gianna shot back stubbornly, “I’m not even hungry.”

She’d rather starve than eat anything Amelia cooked. That would only give Amelia more ammunition to laugh at her later.

Gianna was convinced the production team wouldn’t let her go hungry. But this time, she was dead wrong.

After filming for a while, the crew packed up and left, leaving only the drones to record. The director had made a deliberate choice: if the cast saw the crew around, they’d rely on them and lose authenticity. So, the staff hid off-site, appearing only if someone was truly in danger.

That meant no one was coming to feed Gianna.

She realized this fact far too late.

By nightfall, her hunger was unbearable—her stomach felt like it was eating itself from the inside out.

Because she hadn’t contributed to gathering resources, she didn’t even have shelter.

Recalling her previous error, she stopped after a small handful.

As she turned to leave, she caught Gianna eyeing the fruit in her hand.

“Want some?” Amelia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gianna stuffed her hands in her pockets, sneering. “Who needs your stuff?”

There was plenty of fruit around; she could pick her own. She didn’t need Amelia’s fake kindness. Now Amelia was pretending to be nice just to look good for the cameras. Disgusting.

Amelia shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

She continued walking deeper into the jungle.

Gianna snorted, moving to another tree and stretching up to grab some fruit herself.

She bit into one, juice dripping down her chin, her eyes lighting up at the sweet flavor.

Starving, she didn’t care about anything else and devoured seven or eight berries in quick succession.

“So good,” she murmured, surprised at how tasty the wild fruit was.

Though the situation was grim, the small sweetness was a momentary comfort in her misery.