The Forgotten Island

CHAPTER NINETEEN:

EXPLORING

-Arya-

Time on the island is strange, it seems to pass by slowly, and then all at once. We have been here for six days now, with our days uneventful. Night is another story. Each evening at sunset the forest seems to come alive with noise. Howling, deep and rich, echoes out to us on the beach from deep within. Amidst the howls are occasional animalistic screams, an eerie sort of communication, as one high pitched cry would be answered by others amidst the shadows. All the noises seem to come together, as if in warning for us to stay away from whatever secrets the trees were hiding. It needn’t say more, as I had no intention of going in there while the sun was down, I had more than enough adventures for a lifetime; of that, I was sure. On one night, a violent thunderstorm passed over us, much like the one that tore the roof off our boat after we had evacuated the cruise ship. Here though, there were green flashes that stood out in the overwhelming darkness of night, outlining the strikes in grotesque shapes. Coupled with the haunted screams of the jungle, it was a miracle I didn’t build another boat and go back to the sea just to get away. During the storm, we had been huddling under a camping pavilion which we had found, when a strike of lightning came from almost directly above us. Right after its powerful crack, a large silhouette came falling towards us, and we barely made it out from under the pavilion before a speedboat, with red flames down the side, flattened it out. Without the shelter obscuring our view, it was clear to see that objects were either falling or appearing after each bolt of lightning. The storm was somehow involved in bringing all this stuff here, though how or why, we didn’t know. I wasn’t entirely dismissing the idea that we were already dead and this was some sort of afterlife, though I didn’t bring that thought up to the others. We spent the rest of the night watching the skies to avoid getting smashed by any other incoming objects, crowded together for warmth and trying to stay as dry as we could.

After that night things were indeed quiet, and we spent our days sorting through everything on the beach that was around our new campsite. We put everything in piles by category: Food/Cooking supplies, clothing, hygiene products, household items, and miscellaneous goods. I had been correct in my assumption that we would be able to find just about anything we needed if we just looked hard enough. The speed boat which had almost made us human pancakes, named “Burnin Love”, became a comfortable place of recreation for lounging. There had been an alarming number of suitcases and moving boxes in the area we settled at, and we each now had plenty of clothes, cooking supplies, and camping/sleeping gear. We had set up a few tents and erected a few tarps for shaded areas; we had even found an area rug which we rolled out under the shade by the boat. Overall, it was a pleasant area and although it wasn’t home, we were all content. We still kept a night watch, taking turns watching the sky and the forest line for danger. Although the noises of the wilderness made it hard to sleep the first few nights, we had mostly grown accustomed to it, and could now sleep through the racket. I was currently sitting by the water, watching the waves roll in and out on the sand, drawing a picture of a plant I had seen earlier which I couldn’t identify. “Arrie!” Fish called to me from my left, a playful note in her voice. She lay spread out on a My Little Pony beach towel wearing some ridiculous lime colored bikini we found in one of the suitcases. “Get your gorgeous butt down here and tan with me!” I clutched imaginary pearls around my neck, feigning offense at the idea “Really, Fish??” I said in my best southern lady accent “We are marooned on an island and you want me to tan with you? Why the very idea…is this any way for a young lady to behave?” Her giggles filled the air, infectious as ever. “Whatever, get over here and lay with me before the others get back. Oh, and grab the girls too!” I smiled and rolled my eyes, getting up to oblige her.

Tammy and Nate’a were back at the campsite, not too far away. I liked them a lot, though we likely would not have socialized with one another had we not been involved in this catastrophe together. We each came from vastly different backgrounds, but this experience brought us as close as any family, and I was grateful that if I had to go through all this, it was with good people by my side. Tammy was an incredibly sweet woman in her 40’s, while Nate’a was a firecracker in her low 20’s, always making sarcastic jokes. They made me laugh, especially now that we were all off that boat and feeling more like ourselves; our true personalities were shining through. I called out to them as I walked up, a hand over my brows to block the sun “Hey, you guys want to lay out with Fish and I? She is down by the water.” Tammy turned to me with a small smile, I knew she was worried about those of us who were gone, but she was trying not to show it. We had decided a few days ago that we would begin going out in pairs to see if we could find any signs of civilization or perhaps a means of contacting someone for a rescue. For safety reasons we had settled on being gone for no more than three nights at a time. Val and Chris had been the first team to venture off, and today was the day they were due back. Reggie and Darnell had taken off yesterday in search of a fresh water source and were also supposed to return today. A little time in the sun would be good for all of us as a distraction from the waiting.