by M H Ryan
“Crap,” I said.
“Language, Jack,” Aubrey said as she kept paddling.
“There’s birds on the island. Lots of them. They’re in the trees,” I said.
Sherri walked up next to me. “Can I take a look?”
“Sure, tell me what you see.”
She took the scope and spent a minute scanning the island with it.
“They’re nesting. This isn’t good. You think we saw aggressive behaviors from them before? Wait until we get near their nests,” Sherri said.
“Freaking, fraking birds,” Aubrey groaned.
“They weren’t there a couple days ago,” Benji said.
“Probably a cycle. You guys were lucky to get off that island when you did,” Sherri said.
“Well, shit, what now?” Aubrey said.
“We could be sneaky. I see a cliff edge near the shore where we might be able to land on unnoticed,” Kara said as she stared at the water.
“Smart, I see it, and I bet you’re right,” I said.
“Risky business,” Benji said. “But whatevs. We’ve gotta eat.”
Sherri laughed. “I’m getting butterflies just thinking about it. I say we go for it.”
“Remember the raid we did on Sigma Kappa?” Benji said. “It could be like that.”
“We got caught!” Aubrey said.
“Yeah, but like, barely,” Benji said with a shrug.
I took the scope back and looked at the trees near our landing spot on the shore. I didn’t see any birds near it. They could see us coming in from a way out. Heck, they could have seen us right then, but if they thought we were a threat, they could easily fly over and attack us on the water, an idea that actually terrified me.
“We’re going to land on the shore. We’re only five minutes away from it, so no talking and stealth paddles as we get closer. Stay low as well, no sudden movements.”
They all agreed, and we went back to our stations. I pushed the pole, feeling the sandy bottom and shoving off it.
The sharks around us were getting closer as we neared the shore, and one of them even bumped one of our outriggers. It shifted the raft, and Kara covered her mouth, nearly dropping her paddle into the water. She mouth a “sorry” before going back to her paddling.
The calm waves pushed us onto the sandy beach, where the raft came to an abrupt stop. Kara pitched forward, but I grabbed her arm, pulling her back from the edge. A small whimper escaped her, and she looked up at me from behind her hair that was covering her face.
“Thanks,” she whispered, out of breath.
A wave rolled by, and she stumbled toward me, falling into my chest. She stayed there for a second, and I held onto her, making sure she didn’t fall. She seemed rather clumsy.
“You okay?” I whispered.
“Yeah, thanks,” Kara said and took a step back from me.
We pulled the raft a few feet onto the shore, leaving it off enough that the water wouldn’t carry it away but close enough for a quick exit if needed. Then we all got our weapons off the boat and looked up at the rocky cliff wall before us. At least the birds hadn’t made an appearance.
“Only two of us should go,” I said. “Who’s the stealthiest?”
Benji raised her hand. Aubrey rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.
“Okay, me and you, Benji,” I said. “Just a bit further down the beach, there’s a lagoon, I’m sure you remember it. From there we can cut back behind Mount Baldy and get to a few trees near the shore.”
“I remember,” Benji said.
“Good, just follow my lead, and try to step where I step,” I said.
“Okay, I trust you.”
We gathered a few bags. If things went well, we could make multiple trips. Ideally, we’d fill the raft with food. It made me realize we should probably make some baskets. Add another thing on the mental to-do list.
“Good luck, guys,” Sherri said with a big smile.
“Thanks,” I said and hugged the girls. Even Kara lined up for a hug.
Then Benji and I headed down the beach and climbed a broken pile of rocks leading out into the ocean like a crooked finger, creating the lagoon on the other side.
Even though I’d seen it before, the picturesque lagoon took my breath away. Benji grabbed my bicep and grinned at the array of colors flickering through the crystal clear water. A golden fish swam between some coral and then a red fish swam near it.
A bird crashed into the water like a spear, creating a massive splash and obscuring the view of it. A moment later the bird popped up out of the water with a red fish in its mouth. It flew up and back to the forest. By some luck, it didn’t notice us or care.
“What the hell?” Benji said. “If they attacked our raft like that…”
“I know,” I said. “Let’s just keep moving.”
She let go of my arm and nodded.
We walked on the broken trail of rocks leading up to Mount Baldy. I kept an eye on the sky and tree line. I could see the occasional movement up in the canopy, but the edges seemed to be clear.
The wet rocks became dry and green moss started to cover many of them. I stopped and helped Benji cross a large divide between the rocks. We reached the edge of the forest, where the rocks disappeared under the dirt and foliage.
I stepped onto the dead leaves and was glad to hear they were soft enough not to crunch under our feet. Benji tapped my shoulder and pointed at the banana cluster hanging from a nearby tree. I gave her a thumbs-up and walked over to it while getting my knife out. She adjusted her bow and arrows while getting a bag out. I cut the bundle of bananas off the tree. They were green, but soon they’d be ripe.
The whole bundle wouldn’t fit in the bag, so we separated them individually and stuffed what we could in the bag. There were plenty more bananas on the tree, but I wanted to grab a variety of fruits if we could.
A rustle of leaves nearby jerked my attention to a bird flying out from a nest it was building. I could see the twisted branches and grass stuffed into the nest. It was a huge nest, probably four feet around. Leaves rained down from the bird’s actions, falling to the forest floor.
I glanced over to Benji to see an arrow nocked in her bowstring, ready to fly.
“It’s gone,” I whispered. “But it will be back soon.”
A cluster of orange trees grew in a clearing near the banana tree, and I plotted a smooth path to them. We got to the tree, and I used my knife to cut the ripe oranges from the tree. We had filled another bag when Benji rapidly patted my arm and pointed.
“Mango tree,” she said, nearly out of breath with elation.
“Okay,” I said.
It was deeper into the forest, but how could I really say no to Benji? She looked as if she might burst from excitement, and it rubbed off on me as well. I was happy to be doing this with her. I took the second to take her in as she gazed at me.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re just so beautiful and amazing,” I said.
“Jack, you’re going to make me blush,” she said, her cheeks reddening.
I smiled and wanted to laugh. She was just so cute when she got embarrassed.
“Let’s get those mangos,” I whispered.
We walked past the orange trees and made it to the mango tree. I glanced back and realized we were deep into the forest now. Above us were many trees with complete nests or partially built ones. Above the canopy, birds flew around, padding their nests and gathering materials. One even swooped down between branches and landed on an incomplete nest not far from us. It had a stick in its beak and stuffed it into the nest, weaving it around the outside before taking back off.
I let out a breath. “We’ve got to get out of here,” I whispered.
“Just a few more,” Benji said, pulling on a mango.
I cut it free and then did the same with a few more. Benji grabbed them, stuffing them into our last bag. With it full, I took two of the bags from her while she kept the one with bananas.
&nb
sp; The trees shook with activity, and I spotted several more birds in their nests. Leaves fell around us, floating to the forest floor. Beams of sunlight shot through the canopy and hit the floor, giving us plenty of light to see our way out.
Crouching low, I walked toward the way out and got to the clearing with the orange trees. I felt exposed there. What was above us could easily kill us with a single dive attack. More clatter and movement in the trees above us gave me a jump. I dared a glance up when I saw a bird flying below the canopy with a twig in its mouth. We made eye contact, and my heart stopped. Just keep moving big guy. I’m not worth it. Just getting some fruit.
My telepathy was weak. The bird flew down, dropping the stick on the ground and landing about twenty feet in front of us and the place we were headed. Its base emotion of working switched to that of anger and another feeling of something else, maybe duty. As if the thing knew it had to protect its nest and that of its friends.
“Shit,” I said and raised a hand.
“Should I kill it?” Benji said, bowstring pulled back.
“Let’s walk by it. Maybe it will be like the last ones and just follow us.”
The bird stood tall and extended its long colorful neck.
“Kill it,” I said, but it was too late.
The bowstring twanged and the arrow flew. I watched it fly straight for the bird, but before it reached its target, the bird let out a loud screeching sound, sounding the alarm. The arrow struck the thing in the neck. It dropped to the ground, and another arrow hit it right in the chest, silencing the last few peeps from it.
The forest above us had been relatively silent up to this point, but now it became a chorus of breaking branches and screeching birds. The whole island’s emotions shifted from the brainless work of instinct to a full-out war cry. It felt like a fire-breathing down on me from above. I knew we only had seconds before they figured out what had happened and where we were. The beams of light shifted and scattered as the birds took flight around the upper parts of the trees, trying to locate us.
“Run!” I said.
I took off with Benji right at my side. We didn’t get ten feet before the birds started landing near us.
“Follow me,” I said, running through a bush and jumping over a rock.
Benji kept with me, step for step. An arrow flew out in front of me, striking a bird in the chest. It flopped around on the forest floor as we ran by.
I skidded to a stop as a flock of the colorful birds landed at our exit. I glanced back to see more of them walking toward us. They were cautious—good. It meant they weren’t totally fearless of us.
“What are we going to do?” Benji said, moving in a circle with the bow in hand.
I spotted a clearing toward Mount Baldy and had a hard decision to make. More birds were landing behind the ones that were already there, and soon, the only path out of there would be blocked, and then we’d be screwed.
“You’re not going to like this, but follow me,” I said and ran toward the cave with the monster croc.
Chapter 24
A giant bird ran near me, snapping its beak and squawking. Behind it were a dozen more of the winged demons. I made sure Benji kept right next to me as I pulled my knife out and jumped up to a tree branch.
I swung the knife down on the branch, cutting through it a couple inches. The rest would be up to my weight as I grabbed onto the wood, and slammed myself back toward the ground. The branch snapped with a loud crack, and I fell with it. Benji had me, grabbing me by the arm and keeping me on my feet. I adjusted my bag of fruit and kept running.
This moment gave the birds a second to close the gap to the sides of us. Soon they’d be in front of us, all around us, and we’d have no choice but to fight them. Too many. We wouldn’t make it.
“What are you doing?” Benji asked, glancing back at the leafy branch.
“The cave,” I said, while running with my branch.
The thick bush of leaves and branches sticking out of every direction would hopefully be enough. If not, this would be over quickly.
I saw the dark opening at the bottom of Mount Baldy and made a straight line for it. The birds were now a clatter of noises, and the trees above were a stirring of falling leaves and moving birds.
We jumped over a few rocks, and I pushed Benji to get in front of me. I felt a beak hit the back of my leg. Fortunately, it didn’t get a bite off, but it gave me a burst of speed that almost sent me past Benji.
The cave was sandwiched between a few dark gray rocks with an opening large enough for these birds, but probably only one at a time. Benji slid right into the rocky opening, pulling her fruit bags with her as she did. I was right behind her, turning around as I slid in with my branch behind me.
I pulled the branch in with me. The wider part of it got stuck in the hole. I pulled on it, bringing it in and wedging it a few more inches.
Through the branches and leaves, I could see the bird that most likely was the ankle biter. It bit at the branches before it got poked in the mouth with a branch. It backed up with a squeal, but I saw many more around it. They were hovering, pecking, trying to get in.
“We don’t have long,” I said, and with that, realized we had just jumped into a croc pit without even looking.
Benji had her bow pulled and ready, while I had my knife out. The cave ramped down into a fairly large cavern. The light from the entrance provided a little bit of light but not nearly enough for me to get comfortable.
There were too many shadows, too many dark places that I couldn’t see. Too many hiding spots for the croc.
“Hello?” I said, my voice echoing. Who did I think was going to answer?
“Wish I had my phone,” Benji said. “My eyes are adjusting, though.”
Mine were too. What was just a dark section of the cave, I could now see a large, round rock, sticking out from a dark brown wall of dirt, or maybe sandstone. As more of the cave revealed itself, I saw that all the walls were curved and rounded, as if water had run through it for centuries, smoothing out all the rough edges.
“Follow me,” I said. “I think there is an exit.”
The cave floor leveled out and become brown sand as we reached the bottom. The space itself was large, twice the size of my bedroom growing up, and ten times the size of the room I had on the Veronica.
I spotted two paths that we could take, like dark portals on either side of the room.
The birds pecked at the branches. I could hear them cracking them and thrashing the leaves. I wasn’t going to move fast. This was just the type of place they’d warn you about in summer camp, like stepping on a rattlesnake because you’re looking at the sky. I wasn’t about to step on a croc. It’d snatch me up in that mouth and roll around with me until I was meat Jell-O.
I closed my eyes and reached out mentally, feeling the spaces. The one on the left, I felt nothing, but the one on the right, I felt something. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it was alive. Perhaps it was the croc, sleeping, or some other animal, but at least I knew which way I didn’t want to go.
We passed the large room and headed to the opening on the left. We went down about a dozen feet as it narrowed, with smooth, slick rocks. At first, it got darker, and then I saw what I was hoping for, light at the end of the tunnel.
“Ha,” Benji said, jumping up and down. “You’re such a genius. How did you know?”
“Yeah, I knew the whole time. I wouldn’t let my girl get hurt.”
With the rest of the space visible, we knew the croc wasn’t there. It must have left or was hiding so well in the cave, we missed it. Either way, I was happy to get to the light. At the end of the tunnel, rocks were piled up near the end, but I could hear the ocean and smell the fresh air coming in.
Near the bottom, the light shone through, making the white sands radiant. I knelt down, looking through the hole, and spotted the blue ocean. The gentle waves were rolling in, and not one bird was on the beach. I wasn’t exactly sure where it was, but I knew we were clo
se to the girls.
“Think you can fit through there?” Benji asked.
“Are you saying I’m fat?” I said.
Right then, I heard a crack and whoosh sound. The other end of the tunnel brightened and the sounds of the birds filled the cave, echoing around in a dizzying array.
“Crap,” I said, and shoved Benji toward the hole.
She pushed her bags, bows, and arrows in front of herself and squeezed through. I really wish it had been easier for her. I leaned into the cave, seeing Benji’s face at the other side.
Behind me, I heard the scraping of the talons against the rock walls and bird beaks clacking against the stone.
I scooted forward, feeling the rocks touching me all around. I got half way through when I felt the resistance against my body. I pushed harder, but only moved an inch, and then I couldn’t move at all.
“I’m stuck,” I grunted as I struggled to move.
The birds were in the hall now, and I already knew they had a taste for my exposed calves. Damn me for having such shapely legs.
“Move the sand,” Benji said pulling out my bags and getting into the tunnel with me.
I tried to pull the sand with her but I couldn’t bend my arms back.
Then I heard the birds. They had to be right behind me, as their noises were in high definition.
“Pull me!” I said.
With a bit of the sand removed from under me, Benji grabbed my arms and yanked as I gave everything I had to move through the opening, but I didn’t move. I wasn’t going to get through, and the realization hit me like a gunshot.
“Go,” I said. “I’ll make sure they don’t get through.”
I felt them in the hall right behind me, full of rage. They had spotted me and now were creeping forward, making sure I was the easy target they believed.
“I’m not leaving you, Jack.”
“It’s just like Krull, or Goonies. I held the rock so you can go.”
“Fuck the movies,” she said, tears falling from her face.
A bird pecked at my shoe, and I winced.
“They’re going to eat you, Jack! Get out of there!” Benji screamed in near hysterics.
