Detarru Island_The Gates of Hell

by Mickey Deymon

  “We need to get moving. Our flight is at 11 am,” Nathan informed us.

  After I ate breakfast and showered, my dad and I loaded the suitcases and all the equipment in Craig’s truck. We left in Nathan’s car and Craig drove the truck behind us. Everyone sat in their seats looking out through the windows, wordlessly, while I stared blankly at the road.

  The Airport

  We arrived at a private airport, which was about an hour away from home.

  It wasn’t like JFK, or La Guardia, which you go through bag checks, then check in, and wait for your plane at the terminal. This was a smaller and older airport. Instead of pavement, it had a long and narrow dirt runway, and three big airplane garages. There were two mini jets, and a chopper.

  I recognized one of the planes. It was a 2007 Hawker 400xp. The reason why I even knew that was because I used to collect toy planes when I was a kid.

  Nathan pulled over by the smallest control tower I’d ever seen. There, we met up with another group of people. They were probably my father’s archeological team. They seemed prepared and they carried a load of gear. There was a skinny tall woman who was very attractive. She had long blonde hair, pretty nice lips and amazing gray eyes. One of them was a short old man with gray hair. He looked fragile.

  The other two looked like Robocops. When we all gathered by the plane, Nathan introduced us all, starting with ‘Blondie’. Her name was Rebecca Taylor. She was a biochemist and a biological engineer. Her job was to study bacteria and other different living microorganisms that lived around dead bodies in tombs or something. Robocop-looking dudes were Joseph and Gregory. We weren’t told what their job was in this project, but they looked like bodyguards to me. The old man’s name was Matt. He was our pilot. How could someone his age possibly be allowed to navigate one of these Hawkers?

  Then again, I wasn’t the one pointing that out. He smiled politely as he introduced himself to us and asked, "Are we all here?"

  “Yes,” Nathan said.

  “Where’s the rest of the crew?” my father asked.

  During an expedition, you would need a mineralogist, some excavators, a chief of mechanics, and in case we got stuck in a cave or something, a demolition expert. Unfortunately, none of them were there. Even if they were, we weren’t going to be able fit in that Hawker. The craft was designed for eight passengers.

  Craig took out his cellphone and started calling people. I overheard him talking to someone. “How’s everything coming along? What? How come no one mentioned this to me before? Jesus Christ, Fred… Okay. Give me about an hour, I’ll be there soon.” Craig turned to my dad. “Alright guys. I have to go.”

  “What’s going on?” my father asked.

  “Apparently, everyone’s flight was delayed, including mine, and it looks like we’re gonna be stuck at JFK for a few hours. So, I guess we’ll see you all in Africa,” he said.

  “Alright! Keep me posted.”

  “Roger that!” Craig got in his truck and drove off. I heard a dog barking in the distance.

  Matt smiled and faced the control tower.

  “Here boy! Here Milo!” he called.

  Out of nowhere, a huge brown and black German Shepherd came running up to him. It stood on his hind legs, and with his front paws, he leaned on Matt’s chest. He started petting him lightly on his furry head. Oddly, this dog had the strangest eyes.

  He had red eyes.

  They seemed to glow, or maybe the sun was bouncing off in such a way, creating such effects. It was pretty cool.

  “Ladies and gentleman, this is Milo,” Matt introduced. I started petting the cute dog as well. I actually liked him!

  “Will he be joining us?” I asked.

  “Absolutely! Thought we could bring him along. He’s highly trained and certified. He could be of great use tracking things. Definitely great to have, in case any of us gets lost or something.”

  Nathan spoke first and said, “We must leave now.”

  We loaded our gear and suitcases in the plane. I was the first one to enter the aircraft. After all these years, I’ve never had the chance to actually see one of these models from the inside. I was dumbfounded. The craft had a vertical squared oval cabin design with a flat cabin floor. There were center club seats, with seven individual passenger chairs. On the forward right hand side, there was a combination of refreshment galleys and baggage closets. There were sliding cockpit doors on each side.

  I was so enjoying this.

  My mother wasn’t. She didn’t make much conversation, or try bossing me around as usual. She looked worried. She found a seat and sat there quietly. I sat next to her and then asked her what was on her mind. She just stared at me expressionlessly.

  “Mom?” I snapped my fingers and she finally focused.

  “Huh?” she said. “What’s the matter, hun?” she asked strangely.

  “Just checking up on you. I kinda lost you there. Are you okay?” I asked, concerned.

  “That woman,” she said while looking at Blondie.

  “Rebecca Taylor? What about her?”

  “She looks familiar.”

  “You know her?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered.

  My dad joined us and sat across from us.

  “Hey kiddo. Are you excited?

  “Kinda.”

  “Well, I’m freaking out,” he said nervously.

  “Why?”

  “If all goes well, we will find what we were looking for.”

  “Then why are you freaking out?”

  “Because once I find him, I won’t know what to do to with him.” He laughed. All I could do was smile back.

  “Think about it, Erick; think about the many things we’ll be able to learn from this ancient being.”

  “Or, you could just hand him over to area 51 and have them experiment with the thing. At the end of the day, the whole world will know about your research and you’ll be a famous old man in our history books.” I patted him on the shoulder as we both laughed, while Mom was still sitting silently, looking out the small window.

  Blondie was already seated with the guards, while Matt was testing the engines. I heard him say over the speakers, “Good morning, everyone! This is your captain speaking, I will like for all passengers to take your seats, and strap yourselves in. We will be ready for departure in about 10 minutes.”

  Nathan came inside the craft with Milo on a leash. He took the dog to the back of the plane and put him away in his cage. He then sat next to my dad.

  Out of curiosity, I started observing all the crewmembers. Blondie and the bodyguards were having a secret conversation of their own in the back. Once in a while, they would look up, and stare at my dad, or at me. They definitely were talking about us.

  Like, thanks for making it so obvious.

  The engines turned on, and we started moving. The craft got in position at the start up lane, then we were cleared for takeoff.

  The craft lifted up, and we were flying over New York City in minutes. I decided to just close my eyes and relax for a while.

  Chapter 5

  Hours Later

  I guess I must have fallen asleep throughout the whole flight. When I opened my eyes and peeked through my window, the sun was already setting over the horizon.

  That was super fast.

  We were still another 2 hours away from Africa, and there was a huge time difference. It was probably like 6 pm already. I looked around the cabin, and found my mom and dad, sitting together, having a conversation with Nathan, and Blondie was on her laptop doing whatever biologists do.

  I got up to use the restroom when Blondie called out to me.

  “Hey, kid?”

  I glanced at her. She smiled, and motioned for me to sit with her. I looked around, not sure if she actually meant for me to sit. Then I walked over and asked, "
How can I help you, Miss Taylor?”

  She looked up, smiling.

  “Oh I just wanted to have a conversation with you. Do you mind?”

  “No, not at all, Miss Taylor.” I sat next to her, awkwardly.

  “Please, call me Becky.” She extended her hand to shake with mine. I took it, and introduced myself.

  “My name is—”

  “Erick,” she finished. “Erick Ross.”

  “Uh, yeah.” I smiled shyly.

  “I know a lot about you.”

  The woman was gorgeous. Those beautiful gray eyes were locked on mine as she spoke. I’d never been intimidated by anybody before, but this time, I was.

  “Perhaps Nathan or my father told you about me,” I continued.

  “Negative, I’ve been watching you and your father for quite some time now.”

  Well that was creepy.

  She picked up her cup of coffee from the cup holder next to her seat and took a quick sip, with her eyes still locked on mine. She was not only making me nervous now but she was also making me very uncomfortable.

  “Then you must be a fan,” I said playfully but deep inside, I was thinking she was some kind of stalker.

  “Haha, no not at all, Erick. You see, your father has a passion for this research, and finding Satu has been his only obsession.”

  “Yeah pretty much,” I agreed.

  “Does he know how important this research is to the world?”

  “It will change history, if that is what you mean,” I said.

  “Not history, the future! Now that is my obsession.” When she said those words, she made a hand gesture, as if to say ‘The whole world depends on it’.

  That sounded ominous in a way. Especially the part where she admitted spying on us all along.

  “So you work for my father?” I asked, searching for answers.

  “No. I work for Dr. Jeff.”

  “Oh.”

  “He needed an assistant. So, he brought me along with him on this research.” She spoke in this professional manner that you would think she worked for the government or something.

  Or did she?

  “How long have you known Nathan?” I questioned. I wanted to ask as many questions as I could. I wanted to know who she was and what’s really her purpose in this research.

  “Six years. We actually met at Glenwood Spring University.”

  This was very new to me. Nathan never mentioned her before. Perhaps she was indeed an old friend he happened to contact for this quest.

  “I don’t want to bore you with my stories.” She continued, “Why don’t we just talk about you? What are your thoughts about this Satu?”

  I really didn’t have an answer to that question. I took a deep breath to be able to choose my words carefully. Then I gave her a sideways look and said, "I've been asking myself that question for a while now. To my father, this is one of his greatest findings. Like you said before, it has been his obsession but I think this is wrong.”

  “Why is that?” She looked intrigued.

  “Because it has taken my father almost 10 years to find this thing and it was hidden for a reason. I believe that reason is no good.”

  “So why won’t you tell your father what you think?” She took another sip of her coffee.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “If I do that, it will probably discourage him. I prefer to support him every way I can. It’s the least I can do?” I gave her a sly smile.

  “You’re a good kid, Erick.” She stopped typing and leaned closer to me. Her face was a few inches from mine. I was so nervous I didn’t even breathe. It’s like I forgot how to.

  “What about The Chosen One?”

  Just how much did she know about this research?

  “Who?” I spluttered, blushing and shy.

  She noticed my nervous expression so she backed away slowly.

  “I think it will be extraordinary to find out where the Detarrunian hero is? Don’t you think?”

  “Most definitely!” I said, still a bit timid and confused. I wasn’t sure what she was talking about anymore and I needed to use the bathroom but I didn’t want to be rude, so I excused myself and stood up. As I was about to head down the corridor, she grabbed my arm and said, smirking, "It was nice meeting you, Erick.”

  Really? What’s with the smirk?

  It totally reminded me of Larry. It’s like they know something you don’t.

  I smiled ineptly.

  She let go of my arm, and continued doing what she was doing on her laptop.

  Was that her way of hitting on me?

  I know I’m sexy and all, but really? She didn’t have to go to those extremes. She could’ve just asked me out. Well actually, that’s messing around with a minor, but I didn’t mind. I mean, the lady was hot, but boy was she creepy. As I thought about what just happened, I walked down the corridor, and saw the German Shepherd in his cage. He was lying on his side, while he waved his tail in a very slow and calm motion, sort of like cats do.

  As soon as I came close to him, he opened his eyes and stared at me. He was so adorable. I wanted to pet him. His red eyes kept looking right through me. Then I remembered the glowing red eyes I saw by my window a few days ago. The image in my head gave me chills, so I backed away and jogged quickly right into the restroom.

  It felt good and relieving! But enough of that.

  I got out of the restroom and walked back to my seat. Nathan was talking to Matt this time in the front cabin. Rebecca was still on her laptop and the guards were seated in the back eating our flight meals. My mother was asleep and my dad was reading a book alone. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to tell him about the strange dream I had the other day, and about Rebecca. Not about her hitting on me part, but about how very well informed she was about his research.

  As I spoke to him, he listened quietly. When I finished, he crossed his arms around his chest and frowned. His mind was working. He usually does that when he’s trying to figure something out. While his jaw muscles worked, he looked at me, then at nowhere in particular. Suddenly, he focused on me again and said, “How could she possibly know about The Chosen One?”

  “Who’s that?” I asked, still confused.

  “The Chosen One was the only person who had the courage to rebel against Satu. He did not possess any powers nor was he as strong as him, but it was said that he built an army and defeated Satu in a massive battle. Soon after, the beast was defeated; Satu was imprisoned and taken away somewhere in the island, hidden forever so that no one was able to free him again.”

  “How come you never mentioned this before?” I asked, wanting to know more.

  He looked at me for a second.

  Our moment was crushed when our craft shifted a few degrees sideways and then we were hit by turbulence. It was as if we were being shot down by a ground assault. The lights were flickering and I saw a glimpse of my mom waking up and grabbing on to her arm rests. Dad and I held on tight too.

  The turbulence stopped for a few seconds, then came back. We were flying straight through a storm. It was definitely cloudy out there. We were going to go through a hell of a flight.

  “Everyone, this is your captain speaking. Fasten your seat belts,” Matt spoke. “Please remain in your seats. We will be flying through heavy clouds for a few minutes. We will be landing on Detarru Island in about half an hour.”

  Wait a minute?

  I turned to my father for answers. He was infuriated. I saw his frustration in his face but he held his thoughts till landing.

  Detarru Island

  It was nighttime on the island. How can I describe it?

  It was beautiful!

  Even in the night, I could still see the ocean under the bright moonlight, and make out the dark shadowy mountains. They l
ooked like a long gigantic snake tail all across the island.

  There was a nice gentle breeze, a warm tropical wind that blew in my face. We all got our gear and gathered at the center of what seemed like an outside terminal. There weren’t any airports or security staff.

  It was empty.

  No tourists, no pedestrians, no buildings and no streetlights. It was completely isolated. It may have been an abandoned airport or maybe this island was just now developing into a modern society.

  Heck would I know.

  I’d never been to this Island before. I remember paying attention to my science classes when I was homeschooled. I’ve always been a geek when it came down to planets, stars, Earth and the solar system but never heard anyone mention this place before.

  I overheard my dad arguing with Nathan in the front of the craft. He wanted an explanation for landing on Detarru Island. However, Nathan was not answering his questions. My mother wasn’t happy either.

  “I need to show you something,” Nathan said trying to convince my dad. “It’s very important that you came.” Dad glanced at Mom and she started shaking her head.

  “What is it?” Dad finally asked.

  “I can’t tell you, Jack. I have to show you in person. Otherwise, you won’t believe me. If you don’t like what you see, then we can head back and continue our flight to Africa,” Nathan assured him.

  Dad stood there for a while thinking. “Jesus, Nathan, you better make this quick, our crew is waiting for us,” he finally said.

  Nathan had a truck parked at the other side of the mini airport. He instructed us to wait for him at the center of the terminal. My dad volunteered to accompany him.

  Matt asked me to let Milo out of his cage. I went back inside the plane but Milo was gone. The door was not forced or damaged, so who let the dog out? I looked all over the plane and searched the perimeter but there was no sign of him. I asked the crew if they let him out but none of them did.