by Ky Tyrand
Before long, Lexi moved everything down to the ground, finding an awkward way to stand on both ends of the bamboo trough while getting a respectable amount of leverage to dig into it with the stick. It was terribly exhausting, but the girl knew that she needed to keep going. Her body was already fatigued beyond belief, and her shoulders began to burn just a few seconds after she started. But she could tell that the wood was heating up. Lexi fought off the pain and forced herself to press on.
She began to see smoke, inspiring her to not give up.
Lexi knew that if she stopped now, the wood would cool almost instantly, and she’d have to start over.
A twig snapped, somewhere nearby.
It was barely audible over the sound of the downpour, but Lexi was instantly on alert. There was no wind. Nothing that would make that sound on its own.
The girl didn’t know what to do. She kept rubbing the sticks together. The prospect of starting over again seemed overwhelming.
Another snap, closer than before.
Crap. She couldn’t ignore it. Maybe it was someone who could rescue her?
Lexi dropped her stick and picked up the Imperative Rod, frowning as the smoke disappeared.
It better not be one of those monkeys.
Or an alien.
Or a freaking dragon.
The girl left her fire starter on the ground and crept behind the tangled tree. With a firm grip on the alien device, she hid, silently, listening for every noise.
All Lexi could hear was rain, and the thumping of her own heart, until … another crunching sound.
Closer.
A dark form appeared from the foliage, pushing its way through the leaves.
Cursing her poor vision, Lexi’s fist went to her eye.
Please, don’t be a dragon.
It was a person.
5
Through the tiny crack between her rolled up fingers, Lexi saw the man emerge from the jungle – tall and soaking wet from the rain. A long black beard, which looked like it hadn’t been cut in years, pushed through the leaves ahead of him. Tattooed arms poked out of a sodden leather vest – muscular, but freakishly hairy.
Drenched tan pants tucked into leather boots covered his lower body, which moved in an unusual way; like he had some kind of limp or injury.
All-in-all, he looked very odd, and Lexi was in no hurry to run out and announce her desperate situation to him.
The girl watched in silence as he approached her tree, wishing that she was wearing more than she was.
Does he see me? Does he know that I’m here?
The closer the man got, the more frightened Lexi became.
Something wasn’t right about him.
It was more than just the unusual attire – nobody should wear that much brown – and the off-putting hair …
He stepped out of the rain, under the cover of the twisted tree.
Lexi swore that he was staring right at her, but he stopped and looked from side to side.
His eyes.
Something was wrong with his eyes.
They had no color. NO color. They were white where they should have been … anything but white!
Lexi didn’t move a muscle. She didn’t even breathe. Her only hope was that her pounding heart would not give her away.
The man appeared not to see her – how could he with those colorless eyes? – but unexpectedly tipped his head back, sniffing in a deep breath of air. It was so loud that Lexi could hear him inhaling above the sound of the rain.
He stopped with his head tipped back, holding the air inside his lungs.
Rain, or drool, or snot – something wet and gross – spit out of his face when he tipped his head forward and exhaled.
His white eyes looked straight at Lexi.
The girl dropped her bare-fist-scope and spun her back against the tree, shrinking into the trunk while willing the white-eyed man to go the other way. She listened for his footsteps to tell her that he was leaving – nothing to see, here – but all she could hear was the stupid rain.
Lexi turned and cautiously peeked around the tree…
He wasn’t there.
Her heart didn’t know whether to slow down or speed up.
She leaned farther out, expecting to see the man lumbering one way or the other. But he was gone.
That doesn’t make any sense.
She’d heard him coming a mile away, crunching sticks and snapping branches. But now he was silent?
There was jungle all around the tree, but the bearded man hadn’t been moving quickly enough to have disappeared into the foliage by now. And surely she would hear him.
Something wasn’t right.
Lexi tightened her grip on the Imperative Rod. He had to be nearby, and she’d whack him with it if she needed to.
She scanned the area, looking for any sign of the bearded man. Or for a direction to run. She wanted to be away from here. To be home, safe in her room. But without knowing where the man was – or where she was, for that matter – Lexi feared running straight into his yucky, hairy arms.
What do I do? What do I do?
The girl tried to stay calm. But after dealing with smelly aliens, a hungry dragon, and now a white-eyed weirdo, Lexi didn’t think she’d ever be calm again.
The tree.
Lexi looked up at the massive twisting of branches and vines, wondering if she’d be able to climb it. There was a time when she could have. Back when she was strong. But that was long ago.
The roots extended out of the trunk quite high up, so there were places for her to put her feet. Even just to get above black-beard’s reach would make her feel more secure. She had to hop a bit to get her first handhold. Once she did, Lexi realized that she had no way of holding the Imperative Rod. The girl needed both her hands if she stood any chance of climbing this monstrosity.
She considered leaving it at the bottom. But what if White-eyes takes it? Or another monkey? Lexi had no way of holding it. She didn’t even have any clothes to tuck it into. Except … the girl tried sliding it into her bikini top. It freed her hand enough to get the next grip. She pulled with all her might, feeling the fatigue of banging rocks and trying to start a fire. Lexi was moving up. Barely.
How can I feel this heavy?
Her toes hooked over a knot in the wood, just large enough to get traction on.
She felt something on the back of her leg.
Instinctively kicking at it, Lexi nearly fell as she looked over her shoulder to see what it was …
Holy crap!
It was Blackbeard. Both of his hands were reaching for her, trying to get hold of her leg!
Holy crap! Holy crap!
The girl was able to get a little higher before feeling hands rougher than the tree bark grasping at her bare skin. She heard herself scream as fingers closed around her ankle and … oh my God, he’s trying to BITE me!!!
Lexi frantically tried to shake free, but he was too strong.
What’s wrong with him?
Without thinking, she let go of the tree with her right hand and grabbed hold of the Imperative Rod. Tearing it out of her bikini straps, Lexi clobbered the bearded man with a backhanded swipe that sent him to a knee. Yet, despite the loud thunk, and the recoil she felt through the rod, her attacker didn’t release his grip.
He was going to pull her down.
Her left hand desperately clung to the tree, barely supporting her own weight. There was no way she could hang on if the big man pulled any harder.
The girl tried to shake her leg free, but Blackbeard’s hands were practically crushing her ankle, and didn’t show any signs of letting up. She swung again with the alien rod. No longer able to reach his head, Lexi chopped mercilessly at his hands and arms.
“Get off me, you creep!”
The man’s head tipped back and his white eyes looked up at her. Or through her. Or … somewhere.
He opened his mouth.
His teeth weren’t right. They were rotten but sharp. Lon
ger than they should be.
Lexi’s fingertips hurt where they clung to the tree. She couldn’t hold on much longer.
She swung down as hard as she could, nearly losing her grip entirely.
The rod hit his arm squarely. There was a loud snap this time, not unlike the sounds he was making when he trudged through the brush.
He let out a groan. His grip loosened.
Lexi kicked free of his other hand, jammed the rod back into her top, and pulled herself up.
The girl was barely out of his reach on the thick branch. But Blackbeard was still down on his knees.
As if he’d read her mind, the man stood up.
She needed to climb higher.
The man lunged at her, reaching for her with his good hand as the one she’d hit dangled at his side.
Lexi screamed and reached for a higher branch, clawing at the wood with her fingers and toes. She knew that it wasn’t her muscles pulling her up – she no longer had any. It was pure adrenaline.
Somehow the girl made it the next branch, pulling her feet above the ferocious man’s reach. Looking down, she could see that his legs were kicking at the tree roots, as if wanting to climb but unable to reason out how to do it.
Lexi was not fond of heights. But if there was any chance at all of this psycho climbing onto the branches, she wanted to be higher.
Her heart was still pounding wildly, adrenaline giving her energy like she’d never felt before. Lexi was confident that she could climb farther.
She reached above her, finding a firm handhold, and worked her way up. But as Lexi pulled, her arm caught on the end of the Imperative Rod, popping the other end out of her bikini strap in a way that smacked her in the chin and sent the shaft sliding away.
The girl lurched and nearly fell, barely catching the alien device with her elbow against her torso. She had to readjust, cursing her situation and lack of attire.
Blackbeard was still trying to claw his way up to her. Lexi didn’t think that he could do it, but – he tried to BITE me!
There was no way she was going to sit and wait for some white-eyed creep to eat her. One way or another, Lexi was determined to climb higher. So she slid the rod back into her bikini, hoping to free up her hands. But the girl could tell that it wasn’t going to stay put.
Well, maybe if I had breasts like Tonya Henderson, I’d have something to hold it with!
The man below her made a weird noise. Holy crap! He was on the first branch. He was actually climbing!
Having saved her a moment ago, Lexi could no longer question the importance of the alien rod. It truly was imperative, and the only weapon she had. She couldn’t leave it behind.
So, with her lips curled up in disgust as she remembered the smell of the alien that had given it to her, Lexi put it in her teeth and continued to climb.
It wasn’t ideal, with the ends bumping into her arms and sometimes forcing her to turn her head at awkward angles, but it would have to do.
Though still terrified, the adrenaline that had boosted Lexi up to her perch no longer had the same effect. Her muscles where done.
There was a time when climbing the tree would have been no trouble at all. Back when she did gymnastics. Lexi Robinson was strong then. Before the pact. Before she lost more than she had to lose.
There was a loud thud below her, followed by a throaty groan.
Blackbeard had fallen! He was on the ground, crumpled in a heap. And he wasn’t moving!
Lexi let out a breath, clambering to a wide crook in the tree. Just like Katniss. Except Katniss was brave. And strong. And knew what she was doing. I’m none of those things. Lexi wedged herself into a position that allowed her to rest her muscles. The bark wasn’t overly comfortable on her bare skin, but at the moment, it felt like the best place on Earth. More comfortable than psycho bites, she told herself.
Confident that she was stable, Lexi pulled the Imperative Rod out of her mouth and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. The girl had no idea what was going on, or what to do next. But she was safe for the moment.
The roar of the rain eased, allowing her to hear rustling below. Lexi cautiously peeked down. It was hard to see Blackbeard from her spot, but she didn’t dare lean out too far for fear of falling. She could tell that he was moving again, trying to get up.
The girl considered climbing higher, but knew that it wasn’t an option for her. In her condition, it was lucky to have made it as far as she did.
Where is that dragon? Lexi wondered. It wouldn’t suck if it’d swoop down and scoop this guy up. But then she remembered that the monkey had been in a tree when the dragon caught it, just like she was at this very moment. Suddenly the girl found herself looking to the sky for any signs of that monster.
At least this tree had way more branches on it than the monkey’s did. Surely Smaug couldn’t get me through this thick canopy … could he?
Lexi leaned her head back against the tree and closed her eyes. She couldn’t wait to wake up from this crazy nightmare, and laugh all this silliness off.
6
Lexi wasn’t sure how long she’d sat in the tree, waiting for the psycho man to leave and wishing that she was anywhere but here. Judging by how low the sun was, it must be late in the day.
The girl was completely exhausted from all of the madness, especially after climbing the tree. She was beginning to stiffen up, feeling the tight pain in her shoulders and forearms. It’ll be worse tomorrow, she told herself. If I’m alive tomorrow.
The crazy man with the long black beard was still wandering around the base of the tree, trying to find a way to reach her. She thought that he might have given up by now. But he continued to do laps of the tree, staring up at her with those terrifying white eyes. He was so focused on Lexi that he would trip on the tall roots, refusing to take his eyes off of her.
Obviously his behavior was odd. But Lexi began to notice an interesting pattern: he appeared to learn from his mistakes. If Blackbeard failed to climb, or slipped in a certain spot, he would move on and try something different. But that only seemed to last for a single lap of the tree, at which point he would start the process over.
He wasn’t stupid; he was just kind of stupid.
Definitely a zombie. There was no two-ways about it. But his skin wasn’t rotting off. And he did seem a bit smarter than the ones on TV. Oh, and there was that whole ‘white-eye’ thing.
He wanted to bite her. That screamed zombie.
His teeth were actually kind of vampy. Not like fangs, but … more like every tooth was a fang. Like he was hiding a giant piranha mouth behind that icky beard.
Maybe he wasn’t a zombie. Maybe he was a blood-sucking vampire.
Lexi watched him trip again.
Nope, not smart enough to be a vampire.
Either way, the whole thing was super weird.
Despite being out of his reach, Lexi didn’t feel the least bit safe, and was getting terribly hungry.
The girl had no idea when she’d eaten last. How long was I in that UFO? Minutes? Hours? Days? … Weeks?
The only thing Lexi was certain of was that she had been unconscious. She didn’t remember a second of it. At least, not until being woken up by that smell. It was possible that they had fed her somehow. But then the girl began to wonder – if they had fed her, what would it have been that she ate?
Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.
The last thing she remembered eating would do her no good …
Parma’s parents were adamant about eating dinner together as a family, even on the cruise. And she had a BIG family. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. But nobody Parma’s age. Which was why her mother had suggested bringing Lexi.
Every evening they would gather in the main dining room where they would eat together while Lexi nervously tried to remember all of their names in case any of them engaged her in conversation.
She would order the same chicken, rice, and salad dish that she’d discovered on da
y three. Apart from the steak, it was her favorite on the menu. When it came to food, she was far from adventurous. Unless she grew up on it, it was weird.
After dinner, Parma and Lexi excused themselves to get ready for the evening. On the way, they made a brief stop at a quiet washroom that they knew to be meticulously clean.
Without a word to one another, they hooked the pinky fingers of their right hands together, giving them a slight pull. Each of them forced a smile before unhooking their fingers and walking into separate washroom stalls.
That was when the vomiting began.
Stupid girl, Lexi reminded herself. It wasn’t worth it. Not even a little.
Her stomach let out a terrible growl. She needed to put something in it. With a hand on the trunk, Lexi got up, careful not to lose her balance. It was no longer just her shoulders and forearms that were sore – it was her entire body. Not only muscles, joints too.
Lexi couldn’t believe she had let herself get this way. She hated Tonya Henderson and her little clique. Why did we even want to hang out with them? It had already cost Parma, and now it was going to be the end of Lexi as well.
Don’t think about it.
The girl bit down on the Imperative Rod so that she could keep both hands free. There were so many branches on this tree that at least there was plenty to hang onto. She could shuffle down the one that she was on, while holding two higher branches at the same time. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t fall. It wasn’t like Lexi had a ton of spare strength kicking around. If she did lose her footing, it was far enough down to break her bones. And if the fall didn’t kill her, surely Bitey McBiterson would happily eat her alive.
But, from her crook in the tree, Lexi had spotted something that she wanted to check out. Something bright. Something orange. Even focusing through her fist, the girl couldn’t tell exactly what it was. But if there was a chance that it was edible …
