Fishing with John

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<div align='center' style='font-size: 250%;'>\ ''Gone Fishing'' <img src="images/loneboatedit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> [[Start]] </div>

A waitress comes over to you and asks to take your order. You tell her that you’re waiting for a friend, and she offers if you would just like to order a drink first. You order: [[A black coffee|Next Passage][$choice to 1]] [[A sweet tea|Next Passage][$choice to 2]] [[A glass of water|Next Passage][$choice to 3]]

You stare out of the window, zoning out and getting lost in your thoughts. Suddenly you’re interrupted as the waitress brings you your drink. <<if $choice is 1>>You take a sip of coffee. It’s bitter and tastes more like warm water than anything else. You add two sugars, hoping that the sweetness can cover up for the staleness of the flavour. <<elseif $choice is 2>>You sip your sweet tea, and the flavour lights up your tastebuds. There’s something special about how sweet tea is made in the South. It’s something that can’t be replicated anywhere else. The refreshing drinks takes you back to warm summer evenings sitting out on the porch, watching the people pass by. <<else>>You gulp down your water, feeling thirsty from the walk here on this warm morning.<</if>> [[Find something to pass the time |Pass the time]]

<img src="images/mapedit.jpeg" width="500" height="700"> To pass the time, you examine a map of the local area and all of the nearby rivers and streams that you had picked up along the way. You soak in the information, asking yourself why you had never questioned the history of these places before. The Waccamaw River is 140 miles long, crossing through North and South Carolina. The course of the river itself is deeply tied to American history. The river is named after the indigenous Waccamaw Nation and was greatly important in Native American culture. The lower course of the river opens up and connects to the ocean at Winyah Bay. It was part of a valuable commercial route, at the time that European settlers had arrived in what is now the United States. During the 19th Century, rice plantations were set up along the river, dependent on the labour of enslaved Africans. The river embodies a congregation of people in a troubled land, with a dark history. [[Continue reading the map |Enter John]]

Before you can get back into reading the leaflet, you hear a bell ring as the door swings open. You turn around to set your eyes on a tall, stocky, bearded man. The sound of his heavy fishing boots hitting the old wood floors echoes throughout the empty diner. He makes his way towards you, saying nothing but he smiles. [[Greet him |Converse][$choice to 1]] [[Wait for him to say something |Converse][$choice to 2]]

<<if $choice is 1>>You smile back at him and put out your hand for him to shake it. “John,” you say, “I almost didn’t recognise you.” “I could say the same to you, except you haven’t changed much at all.” he responds. <<else>>You smile back in silence, waiting for him to initiate some type of formal greeting. He sighs, “it’s good to see you, pal. It’s been a long time.”<</if>> You examine his face, looking at how he’s aged. His wrinkles cut deep into his skin and his beard is just long enough to almost be considered overgrown. His voice has also become deeper than you remember, evolving into a more gruff tone. [[Catch up with him |Order food]]

Before you can get in another word, he cuts you off and says, “Let’s eat something, we can catch up on the boat.” He signals the waitress over for her to take you order. “What would y’all like to eat?” she asks. [[Pancakes |Food arrives][$food to 1]] [[Eggs and bacon |Food arrives][$food to 2]] [[Biscuits and gravy |Food arrives][$food to 3]]

You both order your food and the waitress leaves, you attempt to make small talk with John to fill the silence. It’s an awkward silence to you, but he seems perfectly comfortable. “You always have enjoyed silence, haven’t you?” you ask him. He nods, “that’s also what has kept me coming back to those waters to catch those fish every year.” He pauses. “I’ve witnessed many strange things from the confines of my little fishing boat, but none of those things can keep me away,” he mumbles, vaguely. As you are about to ask him what he means, the waitress arrives with the food. <<if $food is 1>> She drops a plate stacked with pancakes dripping with golden syrup in front of you. "Enjoy your meal!" she says. <<elseif $food is 2>> She places a large plate with two sunny side up eggs and three rashers of bacon in front of you. "Here ya go," she says. <<else>>She puts down the plate of biscuits and steaming hot sausage gravy and leaves.<</if>> [[Start eating]]

You pick up your knife and and fork and start cutting into your food. John had ordered the eggs and bacon and had practically inhaled his food, before you even realised. He must be really excited to get out onto the water. [[Finish your food]]

You rush to catch up with him and finish you food since he's clearly not super interested in a conversation right now. Once you both finish your meals, you pay for your food, tip the waitress and walk towards the car. John drives an emerald green pickup truck. You can just about tell that it's green, although the finish of the car has mostly come off and it doesn't look very shiny anymore. You load your bags into the truck. [[Get in the truck]]

<<audio "countrysong" play>> You both get into John’s pickup truck to drive to the river. He turns on the radio, which softly plays a country rock song. You look out the window as the trees merge into one another turning into green shadows that follow your car. To distract yourself from the silence you observe the objects that he has in his car. [[Check the side view mirror |side]] [[Look at the rear-view mirror |rear]] [[Look at the dashboard |dash]]

In the side view mirror, you can see John’s fishing boat. It’s a large canoe, with some signs of wear and tear. The paint on the sides is faded and there’s a large chip on the on the right side of the boat. Probably not something to worry about, though. [[Look at the rear-view mirror |rear]] [[Look at the dashboard |dash]] [[Tune into the radio |radio]]

Hanging from the rear-view mirror is a small pendant shaped like a bald eagle. The man is a patriot, after all. [[Look at the dashboard |dash]] [[Check the side view mirror |side]] [[Tune into the radio |radio]]

On the dashboard is a pair of binoculars and a pile of leaflets from outdoor retailers. [[Check the side view mirror |side]] [[Look at the rear-view mirror |rear]] [[Tune into the radio |radio]]

<<audio "countrysong" stop>> John stops the truck, and you realise you’ve reached the river. You help him unlatch the canoe from the trailer and load your bag and the fishing equipment onto the boat. You both forcefully push the canoe out into the water, letting out a deep chuckle as it makes a splash. John jumps into the boat causing it to rock heavily from side to side, but still maintaining his balance. He extends his hand out to you so you can stabilise yourself as you get in. [[Get in the boat |Talk in the boat]]

Inside the boat, he gives you a life jacket, which you swiftly put on. You’re not exactly afraid of water and you consider yourself a good swimmer, but there’s something about the depth of these waters that has always made you feel uneasy. You notice that John doesn’t put on his lifejacket, but when you ask him, he says, “I’ve been out here so many times, that if I were to drown, I wouldn’t even try to save myself. This river is my home.”

<<cacheaudio "countrysong" "audio/countrysong.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "amenshort" "audio/amen.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "heavywind" "audio/heavywind.mp3">> <<set $hasPocketKnife to false>> <<set $hasCompass to false>> <<set $hasFlashlight to false>>

You look up in a daze. “What? Did you say something?” You ask him. “Yes,” he responds, “I asked if you wanted to head down the left stream or the right stream?” [[Left stream]] [[Right stream]]

<img src="images/abandonedboatedit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You both row the boat and it turns steadily towards the left. This part of the river is lined with sandy banks, old rice fields and in the distance, sparsely laid out plantation houses. You hear the whispers of the wind that blows through the rice plants, like a it has a secret to it wants you to know. You pass an old boat that was abandoned. It was entirely broken-down. Parts of the boat had deteriorated and began to rot, and you wonder to yourself what happened to the passengers. Was there something that forced them to abandon their boat? Maybe they just got stuck and had to swim back? [[Ask about the boat]] [[Ask where you’re headed]] [[Keep rowing]]

<img src="images/chapeledit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You both row the boat and it turns steadily towards the right. This part of the river shifts into a swampy wetland. It’s populated only by trees and overgrown grass. You’re startled when a bird suddenly flies out of the trees and in your direction, before swooping upwards and flying away. It caws loudly but the sounds fades as it disappears into the greenery in the distance. Eventually John stops rowing. “We can stay here now,” he says. He stops the boat by an abandoned chapel that floats on the marshes. [[Comment on the marshes]] [[Comment on the chapel]] [[Help John set up the fishing gear]]

<img src="images/bassedit.jpeg" width="500" height="700"> Soon after, you feel a tug on your fishing rod. You brace yourself, sit back and start reeling in the wire. Once the fishing hook resurfaces, you pull out a small striped bass. [[Complain |Complain about fish 1]] [[Be a good sport |Laugh at fish 1]]

As you shift your attention to John, you find him repeating religious prayers over and over, mindlessly in a daze. He's looking out at the water ahead of him with a dead gaze. You watch him in terrified awe for a few minutes, trying to decide whether or not to intervene. You wonder if you're just hallucinating, or if this has something to do with the unease you felt a few minutes ago. [[Try to bring John back to reality]] [[Wait until he's normal again]]

You start rowing further out into the river. “So, what have you been doing all these years?” you ask, genuinely. It's nice to be able to catch up with someone after not seeing them for a long time. Especially someone who grew up alongside you. “I’ve been keeping busy. Working on the farm, every day. Just sticking to the routine.” He responds. “When I have any free time, I tend to come out here, row along and catch some fish.” [[Ask him about his farm]] [[Ask him about the Waccamaw River]]

“What’s so special about the Waccamaw? Why not spend some time fishing in the other rivers nearby?” Since reading about its history, the Waccamaw has piqued your interest. “I think the Waccamaw is just different. It’s alive. It speaks to me. I’m just drawn to it in a different way.” [[Ask how a river could be alive |"Alive?"]]

“How is the farm? Are you working all alone?” You ask. “Up until a few months ago, we had hired a farm hand, but that kid was no good. Always up to something, causing trouble, not really working. I had to get rid of him, as I figured I could just do the work myself. It's less of a hassle and I don't have to deal with the financial downside of paying for a good-for-nothing farm hand,” he chuckles. [[Ask him about his family]]

"Alive?" You ask, in confusion. "That's very poetic." “Yes. Alive. It’s as if it whispers to me and calls me here.” [[Ask about what he said at the diner |"What about the strange things that you mentioned earlier?"]]

You ask him, "what about the strange things that you mentioned earlier?" He looks around before answering, as if to check if someone could be listening in. “Well, it’s just silly little things. Related to local legends and all. I’ve definitely experienced it myself. Stories about ghosts and ghouls. There’s certainly some strange energy around here.” [[Be skeptical]] [[Respectfully laugh it off]]

You smile at him and say “I’m not sure I can really get behind all those stories. I’ve never believed in those legends, even when I was a kid. I think some Southern folks can just be a bit superstitious, that’s all.” “We may be superstitious, but I’m telling you, I’ve seen it for myself,” he says, seriously. [[Look around]]

You let out a laugh, "and I suppose Bigfoot has also been spotted around here too, huh?” “Of course not, Bigfoot, the Lizard Man, none of those things are real. But there’s a dark presence surrounding these waters. I just try to be respectful when I’m fishing,” he says, seriously. [[Look around]]

You notice that you have now drifted quite far away from the riverbank, and as you look around you realise just how vast the river actually is. The fishing canoe looks so small compared to the water that surrounds it and you start feeling a sense of panic wash over you as it begins to feel claustrophobic inside the boat. There’s no way to get out, you’d have to row back at least a few miles, and the river is so wide and so bone-chillingly cold that swimming is just not an option. [[Try to snap out of it]]

<img src="images/marshedit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You try to focus on the feeling of the wind on your face, concentrating on the motion of rowing, hypnotising yourself through the repetitive movement. It doesn’t help. It now feels like river is slowly becoming less wide, it starts to feel like the riverbanks are narrowing. Yet, the narrowing doesn’t stop. Until John calls your name. [[Answer John]]

“How is your family doing? Didn't you used to work with them on the farm?” You ask. “Well, you know Pa passed away quite some time ago, and Ma hasn’t been the same since. Most days now, she tends to spend the day sitting in her rocking chair by the window, just staring out into the wilderness. She doesn’t say anything, she just seems to zone out for hours. I have to remind her to eat. I try to take care of her. I imagine she must be feeling pretty lonely, now that Pa is gone. It’s made her almost catatonic.” His voice softens as he continues, “I can relate to the loneliness, but I try not to let it get to me.” You feel bad for not having reached out more often, but you’ve been so busy with the move and with your job and your family. You can’t imagine what it’s been like for John. [[Ask him about the Waccamaw River]]

<img src="images/dineredit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> As you walk downtown to the diner, memories of your childhood come flooding back. Your mind vividly recalls the bike rides around the neighbourhood, playing at your friend’s houses, walks along the coast. Being back here almost makes you wonder why you left in the first place but you knew you couldn’t stay. There comes a time where you just have to go. This town stopped feeling like home. Your planned meeting time was 10:30am, but you were so nervous, you rushed yourself out of the house and got there at 10am. “I guess, I’ll just wait for 30 minutes," you think to yourself. [[Enter the Diner |Diner]]

<img src="images/itemsedit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You planned to meet John at an old diner in Georgetown, grab a bite to eat and drive down to the river to fish. Before you head out, you’ve got to pack your bag. John says he’ll provide you with the fishing gear but told you to bring any other essentials you might need. You’ve almost packed everything, but you have a little more room in your backpack. There are some things set out on the table, which could be considered essential. Now you’ve just got to choose. You decide between [[the pocketknife]], [[the compass]] or [[the flashlight]].

It's your first time going back to South Carolina in five years. Your old friend John Solomon has reached out and invited you for a fishing trip. You haven’t seen him in over half a decade since you moved many states away to live in Colorado. You thought it would be nice to catch up with an old friend and go fishing on the Waccamaw River like you used to when you were a kid. [[Continue |Packing]]

<img src="images/chapeledit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> “What a quaint little spot to build a chapel. It’s pretty secluded, I imagine it wouldn’t be very easy to get out here for a service,” you say. John responds, “I agree, but I think that why I like it. Sometimes, I’ll just anchor the boat, get out and head into the chapel. I just like to sit there sometimes and contemplate.” Then he pauses. “When I asked someone in town about it, they said they don’t really hold services there anymore.” [[That makes sense]] [[Why is that?]]

“I hated these marshes as a kid. I thought they looked horrible and smelled even worse, but now I appreciate their strange beauty. Sometimes being away from home helps you appreciate it more,” you ponder. [[Help John set up the fishing gear]] [[Comment on the chapel]]

John passes you the fishing equipment. You set up the rods and wires and place the bait on the end of the fishing hook. You toss your fishing line into the water, waiting patiently for something to bite. [[Wait |Wait for fish]]

Not giving it too much thought, you respond, “I suppose that makes sense, it seems like a bit of an inconvenient location.” [[Help John set up the fishing gear]]

He turns to you. “Well, from what I heard. It’s something to do with the Pastor. He wasn’t a good man. A hypocrite. He shunned a lot of the members of the community for things he would do himself. He ran that church like a tyrant, often breaking down in fits of rage. He didn’t allow members to do certain things, like drink alcohol, although everybody knew sobriety was not his friend.” You tut, “he sounds like an asshole.” "You shouldn't speak ill of the dead, my friend," John says flatly. You apologise, "I'm sorry, I didn't know." He chuckles, "it's okay, how could you know? Besides, they say the dead never really leave anyway." [[Help John set up the fishing gear]]

You mumble under your breath, “Wow, all that struggle just for this little guy?” [[Try to catch some more]]

You laugh, “Hey! Not too bad for the first fish I’ve caught in years! [[Try to catch some more]]

You throw the fish into the cooler and add some bait to your hook again, swinging your hook out just a little bit further into the water. A few hours pass, and you and John have had a few beers by this point. He’s caught some pretty big fish, and you haven’t done so badly yourself. He decided to row back towards where you came from since it’s getting late but not straying too far from the chapel. He swears this is one of the best spots on the river to catch fish. The sun is starting to set, and the temperature begins to cool. The shadows of the trees are getting longer, and they seem to move out of their own will. You do a double take and realise that the wind is causing the leaves to slowly sway. You feel the presence of a thousand eyes on you, which sends a shiver down your spine. When you look behind you, a sense of vertigo makes you feel like the greenery is spinning around you. [[Focus on the water]] [[Focus on fishing]]

You try to concentrate on the water flowing beneath you, but watching it is giving you motion sickness. You hear John mumbling something under his breath. [[Focus on John]]

You grip the rod so tight that your knuckles turn white. You hope that by holding on tightly, it will ground you in reality. But it doesn’t. You then hear John mumbling something under his breath. [[Focus on John]]

<<audio "amenshort" loop play>> After a few minutes, his demeanour doesn't seem to change, you try to wait a bit longer, but he seems to be stuck in a loop. [[Call out to him |Call out to him again]]

<<audio "amenshort" loop play>> You stand up, wearily. You're still not feeling your best, but you reckon, you need to help your friend, who seems to be in a trance. You stumble over to him, trying to balance so as to not rock the boat too hard. [[Tap John on the shoulder]] [[Shake him aggressively]]

You approach John calmly, tapping him gently on the shoulder. "John, buddy, are you doing okay?" You ask him. He doesn't look at you and continues his recitations. [[Try to tap him again]]

He stands up, repeatedly reciting the religious encantation he seems to have memorised. He starts stepping towards you slowly. [[Call out to him again]]

"John? Hello?" You tap him a little harder. This time, you manage to get his attention. He stands up, towering over you, without interrupting his recitation of what you've realised is now a sermon. He starts heading towards you. [[Call out to him again]]

<<audio "amenshort" stop>> "Hey, are you okay?" you call out. He stretches out his arms in front of him, wrapping his huge hands around your neck. Gasping for air you try to strike him hard on his arms, attempting to get him to loosen his grip. You're starting to feel woozy as he presses tightly on your neck. <<if $hasPocketKnife is true>>[[Use your pocketknife]] <<elseif $hasFlashlight is true>>[[Use your flashlight]] <<else>>[[Try to escape]]<</if>>

You kick John trying to force him out of his trance, but he's in too deep. He wraps his hands around your neck again. This time, you feel yourself drifting further and further away from consciousness until all you can see is darkness and all you hear is the amplified sound of the water splashing around in the boat beneath you as it rocks backwards and forwards. [[End |Play again]]

<<set $hasPocketKnife to true>> You pick up the pocket knife and pack it away into the side pocket of your cargo pants. [[Go Downtown]]

<<set $hasCompass to true>> You pick up the compass and place it in your front pocket. [[Go Downtown]]

<<set $hasFlashlight to true>>You pick up the small tactical flashlight, placing it firmly in your back pocket. [[Go Downtown]]

You grab the pocketknife from your pocket, and press the blade deep into John's leg. This distracts him enough to remove his hands from your neck, as he lets out a deep guttural scream. You kick him away, sending him stumbling backwards. You grab one of the rowing oars, and hit him over the head with it, and causing him to lose his balance and topple out of the boat. [[Row]]

You grab the flashlight from your pocket, turning it on and flashing it in his eyes. But it isn't enough to distract him. You hit him hard on the head with the flashlight, dazing him for a second, forcing him to let go briefly. [[Use the oar]] [[Kick him |Try to escape]]

You desperately grab the oars and start rowing forcefully. Struggling to manoeuvre the heavy canoe by yourself. After a while of paddling in the darkness, you reach a riverbank. [[Get off the boat]]

<img src="images/survivededit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You grab your belongings and rush off the boat. You finally take a breathe after feeling like you were fighting for you life. You can't explain to anyone what happened on that boat. You're not even sure what happened yourself. You decide that first thing tomorrow morning, you'll head back to Colorado, never to speak of this day again. [[End |Play again]]

<img src="images/abandonedboatedit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You turn to John, “hey, do you know anything about this boat? I mean you’re on the water a lot. What do you think happened?” He furrows his brows, "well, I don’t know who exactly owned the boat, but I know that on this part of the river, it’s not an uncommon occurrence. Every so often an abandoned boat will be left behind, with no one to claim it. I don’t know why someone would do that… Leaving such a precious thing behind.” [[Keep rowing]] [[Ask where you’re headed]]

You notice that John looks like he's rowing mindlessly, robotically even. “Where are we gonna stop, John?” “I’m just looking for my spot,” he responds. [[Ask about the boat]] [[Keep rowing]]

<img src="images/houseedit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> “Here it is,” John stops rowing, “this is the spot.” He stops the boat by an old rice plantation with a large house that overlooks the river. The house is depilated and doesn’t look like it’s had any residents in a few years, it’s overshadowed by an overgrown weeping willow tree whose branches and leaves sway with the wind as if in a hypnotic dance. [[Ask about the fishing spot]]

You can't help but wonder, “why did you choose to come out here, so far down the stream?” He looks out on the water, “I just prefer it here, it’s quiet. I also find that I tend to have my biggest catches in this part of the stream.” “It is quite peaceful,” you agree. [[Start fishing]]

You mumble under your breath, “Wow, all that struggle just for this little guy?” [[Try again]]

You laugh, “Hey! Not too bad for the first fish I’ve caught in years!" [[Try again]]

He’s caught some pretty big fish, and you haven’t done so badly yourself. You and John knock back a few beers as the hours flow by. You reminisce on old times, stealing apples from neighbour’s orchards and play fighting in his parent’s barn. You both burst out laughing when you remember how you two would purposely try to annoy your old neighbour so that he would start chasing you. It was funny because he could never catch up. Suddenly, John stops laughing. “Hey, you know what I’ve just remembered?” [[Continue laughing]] [[Ask what he’s remembered]]

You still can't stop yourself from laughing. “What? When we would steal old Murray’s chickens out of boredom?” You ask. He smiles, but immediately looks serious again. “No actually, it wasn’t that.” [[Ask what he’s remembered]]

“There’s an old tale from around here,” he starts. “It had something to do with the wife of one of the plantation owners.” “What are you talking about?” You say, with intrigue. “Apparently, she had a young son. One day, her son wandered off into the rice fields and he was seen helping one of the slaves. When the mother found out about this she went into a frenzy. She thought that he was bringing shame to their family. So, she pulled him over by his ear to the riverbank and plunged his head into the water, as a sort of punishment. What she didn’t realise was that she was so overtaken by anger, she wasn’t aware of how long she held him under for. The boy died. She killed him.” You say nothing, completely stunned. “Nowadays, people say that sometimes along the sandy banks, you can see a figure of a boy, wandering around, causing trouble” he says in a hushed tone. [[Respond in disbelief |Skeptical]] [[React sincerely |Horrified]]

You laugh it off, “that’s just another one of those local ghost stories. If she had drowned him, that’s something that we could find proof of in a public record.” He hesitates. “Yes, but also no. It’s said that when it happened, the mother and father of the boy did everything they could to hide the story. They claimed he drowned by himself.” [[Back to fishing]]

Your eyes widen in horror. “That’s awful. How could she possibly get away with that?” “It’s said that when it happened, the mother and father of the boy did everything they could to hide the story. They claimed he drowned by himself,” he shrugs. [[Go back to fishing |Back to fishing]]

You both focus back on the fishing rods, in silence. While you doubt the plausibility of John’s story, it’s still quite chilling to think about it. He decided to row back towards where you came from since it’s getting late but without straying too far from the old house. He swears this is one of the best spots on the river to catch fish. Not long after, it starts getting darker and colder. The willows no longer sway gently, but instead, with force. [[Ask John if you should start heading back]] [[Keep fishing]]

You call over to him across the boat, "do you think we should start heading back?" He responds, “I think we’re okay for now, we’ll head back in about an hour.” [[… |wind]]

The wind doesn’t bother you and you know that John knows his way around these waters, so the darkness shouldn’t be a problem. You keep fishing. [[… |wind]]

<<audio "heavywind" play>> Forty minutes pass by, the wind doesn’t slow down. It gets stronger, causing the boat to rock violently backwards and forwards. You pull your hood over your head and both you and John try to stay down, to stabilise the boat. You look around you at the rice plants and the willows at how they dance around with force. When you turn to look at John, you swear you could have seen someone on the riverbank from the corner of your eye. [[Alert John]] [[Look back at the bank]]

“John! John, look! On the riverbank!” you yell. He glances over his shoulder, before turning back to you and screaming back “What? What am I looking at?” You can barely hear him over the the roaring wind. You respond, “I saw something! I think I saw someone?” [[Tell John to start heading back]]

When you look back over to the bank, it's difficult to make out what you saw. The wind is making the trees tremble, and all that’s visible is the foliage that moves wildly. [[Tell John to start heading back]]

<p>You yell over to him, “We need to go now! We need to move, somewhere –anywhere! We can't stay in the middle of the river, it's too windy.”</p> John agrees and throws you an oar. “ROW!” he yells. [[Row |Row2]]

You frantically begin rowing, still trying to stay in sync with John’s movements. The waves are now becoming erratic, and rowing properly is becoming nearly impossible. “KEEP ROWING!” You cry out. [[Row harder]]

<<audio "heavywind" stop>> Suddenly, a wave crashes against your boat, causing you and John to lose balance, destabilising the canoe. The boat capsizes, forcing both of you underneath it. [[Swim to the surface]]

You struggle back up to the surface, gasping for air. You look around to see if John has resurfaced but you see no sight of him. You dip your head underwater, opening your eyes to search for your friend. You spot him sinking slowly, and swim against the tide to try and reach him. Once you get to him, you realise he’s unconscious. Something must have knocked him out when the boat flipped. [[Grab him]] [[Leave him]]

You reach out and manage to grab him, his large build dragging you down. You try to swim, but it's difficult to navigate through the water when it's dark and windy like this. <<if $hasFlashlight is true>>[[Take out your flashlight]] <<elseif $hasCompass is true>>[[Take out your compass]] <<else>>[[Try to swim]]<</if>>

You let go of John's body, watching as he sinks below the surface of the water. A feeling of guilt washes over your entire body and you question whether you can even carry on. You know you don't have a choice. [[Swim onwards]]

Trying to keep yourself and John afloat, you reach into your back pocket to pull out a flashlight. You shake it off, hoping that the water hasn't caused too much damage. As if by some miracle, the flashlight turns on, allowing you to see where you're going. [[Keep swimming]]

You reach into your pocket, trying to take out your compass. You manage to pull it out without dropping it while keeping yourself and John afloat. It shows you the way North so you start swimming in that direction, slowly and laboriously. [[Keep swimming]]

You grab onto John, pulling him with you as fight against the waves. He weighs you down, making it difficult to keep your head above the water. [[Keep swimming with him]] [[Leave him]]

You manage to swim a couple of miles out before the exhaustion defeats you. When you reach the nearest bank, you hurl John over it, relieved that you finally reached land. <<if $hasFlashlight is true>>[[Walk around]] <<if $hasCompass is true>>[[Follow the compass]] <<else>>[[Look for somewhere to go]]<</if>>

<img src="images/survivededit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You look around, but it's pitch black. You decide to continue walking, lugging John with you, hoping he will eventually gain consciousness and be able to set you back on the right track. For now, you will walk aimlessly until you find proof of life. [[End |Play again]]

<img src="images/survivededit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You decide to keep walking, lugging John over your shoulder, hoping he will eventually gain consciousness and be able to set you back on the right track. You hope that the flashlight at least lasts you for the duration of the night, leading you somewhere where people are present. For now, all you can do is keep looking for a sign of life. [[End |Play again]]

You push through the exhaustion, looking for somewhere to stop with John so you can both get out of the water. You never reach that place. Overcome by fatigue, you slowly start losing the will to continue swimming and accept your fate. The water is stronger than you. John was right. The river is alive. You let go and feel the freedom of becoming weightless as the water takes you further under. [[End |Play again]]

<img src="images/survivededit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You swim in the dark, hoping to eventually reach one of the riverbanks. You don't really care where. At long last, you swim into a more shallow part of the river. You feel the ground beneath you and try to feel your way towards the bank. Once you get to dry land, you sigh with relief and collapse with exhaustion. You hope you'll survive until the morning because currently, you have no energy to move any further. [[End |Play again]]

You grab one of the rowing oars, and hit him over the head with it, and causing him to fall back and lose consciousness. [[Row desperately]]

You desperately grab the oars and start rowing ferociously. It's much harder to row alone, especially with an unconscious two-hundred pound man with you. Luckily enough, the oar seemed to have knocked him out for long enough because as your reach the river bank, he's still unconscious. [[Get off the boat |Get off the boat 2]]

<img src="images/survivededit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> In the darkness, you pull the boat up the bank. You grab your belongings, leaving everything else behind. Maybe John will wake up tomorrow morning. You hope he wakes up tomorrow morning. Just without a recollection of what happened on that boat. [[End |Play again]]

<img src="images/catfishedit.jpeg" width="500" height="700"> Soon after, you feel a tug on your fishing rod. You brace yourself, sit back and start reeling in the wire. Once the fishing hook resurfaces, you pull out a small catfish. [[Complain |Complain about fish 2]] [[Be a good sport |Laugh at fish 2]]

<img src="images/survivededit.jpeg" width="500" height="300"> You decide to continue walking, lugging John with you, trying ot follow the direction on the compass. You hope John will eventually gain consciousness and be able to set you back on the right track. For now, you will walk until you find proof of life. [[End |Play again]]

[[Play again |Title]]