Queen Of The Castaway Isle

At the largest professional outdoor store that her phone could direct her to, Sophie spent like money like a rich woman.

She spilled it.

Some of the items she selected, like off grid specialty items, were so large that she had to have associates hold the items in front for her. The good thing that there was same day delivery so she didn't have to load them into her own overstuffed car. She gave them her address and paid upfront and then was free to shop.

She carefully tried on hiking boots, not bothering to look at the price tags. When she found suitable ones for herself, she bought two pairs, one in her size and one in June's. After picking out that they each had at least two pairs of hiking boots and some durable leather sandals she went to purchase the same for her brother.

Boots, she loaded them up on thick rubber boots. They would need it badly for every type of terrain on the island but it would be especially useful in rivers and paddies.

Of course, she did not forget to buy a lot of good quality socks for everyone. Socks were always in low stock and were often the most requested items in shelters. It was no different on that island.

Some of the sandals were rather unfashionable, but they were made of strong material and had good soles and support, which was more important.

It was actually good if they did not appear very attractive or fashionable. It may be advantageous at first but if you were not a woman capable of protecting yourself, it would make them a target of the worse kind. Her sister's beauty was hard to hide but it was possible.

When they first washed up ashore, the sister sand many other women were ill-prepared. Most of their luggage was vacation clothes and pretty items that did not last well.

It was also very hot and humid, most had no choice but to dress skimpily to keep cool. Later on, they simply had no choice, their clothes had worn way.

Even if everyone was in the same state of wear and tear, some people could not help but look.

Especially those lecherous men, though they kept their hands to themselves in the early days. Tensions, stress, and hormones would rise and if they failed to woo whoever they were interested in consensually, sometimes it would get violent. Until it always got violent that is.

Sophie shivered. Later, she would deal with those shitstains later. Right now all she could do was try to keep her family safe, fed and comfortable.

For clothing, she selected some trusted brands of waterproof and insulated jackets for each of them as well as coats and rain jackets. Things to protect them from rain and the chill at night as well as the sun's harsh rays.

It was a little cheesy but she even bought them all Savannah trail vests with plenty of protected pockets. Who cares what they looked like as long as it worked.

Then she bought a variety of trail pants and convertible pants and shorts. Even pairs of waterproof overalls! Anything that was good quality and could protect them from the elements, yet not overheat the wearer. Again she was looking for durability and usefulness, not fashion.

She did not dare to be stingy and bought many spares in one size larger than their appropriate size.

In the u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r section, she bought even more! Just like socks, there was never enough of these little items. Rather than packs of cheaper items, she would buy multiples of the much more expensive material

For her sister and her, she bought comfortable high coverage sport bras to last them. For her brother, she loaded up on rashguards and sweatproof quality shirts that they could all fit.

They already owned swimwear but she chose surf suits and sea leggings for them all. These would last far longer and protect them far better when she had to fish or be in the water.

If not for her urgency she might even say she had fun spending money as freely as water. Never before in all her life had she gone on such a shopping spree. If she was truly 21, she would be delighted but also coughing up blood from the prices.

The shop was so large that it has a wonderful travel section. She knew the kind of fashionable but flimsy clothing her sister had packed and thus bought a lot of linen, stretch blend dresses and versatile clothing in subtle feminine and neutral colors. Despite being shorter than her younger sibling, as sisters, the two were about the same size give or take.

For her brother, she bought plenty more outdoors quality men's apparel in a size or two larger than him. The rough labor of the island would bulk him up in the first two years he stayed alive. Sophie was not simply guessing when she said he would continue to grow. She could not measure him then exactly but he would shoot up to at least 6 ft.

Done with clothing she moved on to accessories. She chose two appropriate sized backpacking packs, one for her and one for her brother to carry onto the plane. They would use these to store supplies for the first couple of days, avoiding opening their luggage as much as possible.

Then she selected some waist packs, even though they were expensive for their small size it was very convenient additional storage.

Polarized sunglasses easily went into the cart with multiple spares. So did some not so pretty but durable sun hats and bucket hats with straps and 360 covers. Snake guards were luxurious that no one else would have. Gloves were easy to lose so she bought multiple strong pairs of work gloves and waterproof active ones in both her sibling's sizes.

For herself, she had to buy from the kid's section due to her hands being too small.

It was a joke they would always tease her about, how the eldest was the smallest sibling. It no longer bothers her like it once did, what matters is that her much larger baby siblings stayed safe and healthy.

While she was in the hiking accessories section she threw in her cart water cleaning tablets, life straws, hydration tablets, and valves. There was fresh water to be found but when they couldn't access it, these water filters would be lifesavers.

In the camp gear section, she bought the pack of slim portable solar cookers and some small stainless steel grill racks. She struggled in the cookware but finally settles on a hard-anodized cooking set meant for backpacking. It was not very large but that was the point. Sophie did not intent to feed many people, only herself and her family, allies if needed.

Attempts at stone pots and pans were a pain and having this set, in addition to the previously purchased cooking gear, would certainly improve their lives.

Then there were the camping dinner wear and utensils sets for each of them. They were a mix of metal and synthetic easy to clean material. She only bought 3 because she did not want others to misunderstand and intrude in their inner circle.

As a treat for herself she threw in a couple of foldable pot kettles, they were really very convenient things. They could be flatted or expanded to hold 1.3 liters and were very lightweight.

In the food section, there were many things Sophie had never saw before and was unfamiliar with.

While Sophie thought she had bought quite a good amount of rations she did not hesitate long to buy more specialized backpacking food here. She happily purchased a bulk amount of meal bars and energy gels in a variety of flavors. They were not exactly cheap but these items conserved a lot of space while providing a lot of nutrients.

There was some interesting looking dried gourmet food too but since the packs looked bulky, Sophie ignored them and moved in. Instant noodles already took up enough space.

She passed by towels and while she was not interested at first the signs and informational promised they were nano dry. Since the towels were thin and light Sophie did not mind throwing a few of them in her cart as well.

In her mind, she mentally was already planning how to fold and pack everything to fit.

The electronic gear section was a surprise, it was so large and well-stocked she did not need to go to another electronics store. It definitely made up for her disappointment from earlier.

Her first item of concern was a Satellite phone. The plane and flight crew would attempt to contact the outside world to no avail so she did not have much hope either. The signal was messed up in the area they had landed but another satellite with GPS was better than nothing.

Second, came a walkie talkie radio system with earpieces. She selected a simple to use but weather-resistant 4 set, that was one for each of them plus a spare.

Lights were also very important! It was tough relying on firelight or what limited light sources they had. Some solar-powered lanterns, rechargeable tactical flashlights, and headlights would do them wonders. What was amazing were that the solar lanterns and lights system could double as mobile device chargers! She could save space on buying plain solar chargers this way.

She was still worried though and bought some slim but spreadable solar power banks and small portable power generators anyways. Top of the line things a modern camper could buy if they could afford it.

Of course, the fire was still important, and she did not forget to throw in old fashioned firestarters, matches, and lighters that would be allowed on the plane.

Watches were a seemingly out of date thing but Sophie could see the use in them. There were many expensive models in the store but since they had their phones and chargers, she selected some more basic weatherproof analog watches with simple functions such as having a night light, date set and GPS tracker.

That way Mattie, June and her could keep track of one another at all times if their other devices failed or were lost.

Though she had already grabbed life straws and water purification tablets, the more water they had the better. The island has springs and water sources but during the first few days the survivors would be unable to find enough of them. The aircrafts only had so much water and filters, it would be safe to buy their own portable water filter.

She found a military-grade water filter for 3x the price of the average filter in the shop and threw it in her cart immediately.

Onto larger things but softer things, Sophie wanted to improve their sleeping quarters.

They could get some thin blankets, cheap pillows, and seat cushions from the plane wreckage but other than that people would resign themselves to sleeping on the floor and in makeshift or natural shelters. Sophie was very used to sleeping on the hard ground at this point, in fact, if not for her injuries upon the return trip home she would have preferred sleeping on the floor than the hospital bed out of fear and anxiety.

On the island, there were plenty of palm leaves and straw-like plant material. She could wave a mat given enough time. But since she was already here why not invest in some sleeping bags? She had already bought so much camping gear, her excuse could be that she planned a camping trip for her family.

There were hammocks that came in some very compact drawstring bag so she took 5 of those and spare suspension hooks.

Then came the sleeping bags. They came in both 'mens' and 'womens' but Sophie didn't bother with such trivial things. She went straight to the 'mens' section and selected three of the ones she felt was best. For summer nights too hot even for the reverse side of the sleeping bag, she purchased additional silk stretch travel liners. Those could be used on their own or with the sleeping bags to make them more comfortable.

In the past Sophie was personally very afraid of mosquitoes. She would scream when she spotted on and make one of her taller siblings kill it for her while she cowered somewhere far away.

By now she has long got used to what was once her most hated thing. She still feared their diseases and the horrible itching though and made sure to grab a lot of large and single mosquito nets, bug sprays, and citronella candles.

Truly she was spending a small fortune in this shop. She must be their fattest paying customer in a while.

Yet she still was not finished.

There was still the knives and tools section!

Truly the most useful item in any wilderness situation was a good knife. Her brother had his handy swiss army knife and it helped them out a lot. Unfortunately, when he was lured away and murdered, the thief stole it along with his life.

Today she shopped not only for good multi-tools but good tactical knives.

In the outdoors equipment store there was more shapes and variety. While knives could not be allowed in their carry on she could put them in the carry-ons.

She selected from the display case an expensive multi-tool that she knew her brother would not only appreciate but actually know how to use most if not all of the funtions. She chose a simpler tool for herself and an even easier swiss army knife for her sister. For each of them, she took 3 copies of a highly popular tactical knife with a slightly curved tip.

In addition to those knives, she purchased 3 small daggers, 3 pocket chainsaws, 4 machetes, a lightweight 14' hatchet, and a mushroom knife.

There was no pepper spray or tasers allowed on the plane in any way so she skipped that section with some reluctance. However, stun guns were thankfully allowed! She checked the TSA guidelines on her phone and happily threw 3 in her cart.

Finally, she was satisfied and went to pay for everything.

On the way to checkout though she threw in a few packs of extra strength duct tape, paracord, zip ties, small hoes and shovels, and some survival garden heirlooms seeds.

What a shopaholic she has become!

Of course, she was only joking with herself, everything she is rushing to buy now is necessary to their lives on that floating hell.

Before heading home she raided a few more pharmacies using cash, as well some various groceries that could pack. Then made not so last-minute trips to the dollar store, a boutique soap shop, gardening store, and even a dispensary. She had to google and check if some of these things were legal yet in 2017, her memory wasn't perfect.

Even though she used cash in many purchases, such as at the pharmacy, her credit cards were near maxed out.

For her final purchase of the night before her cards failed her, it was taken out dinner. She had promised Mattie his Korean fried chicken after all.