by Dori Lavelle
“He’s coming.” I could almost hear the wheels in Owen’s head turning, searching for an answer to our predicament, a way out from between the rock and a hard place. He nodded, and his face relaxed. My lungs collapsed with relief. Owen would save us. He had to. I couldn’t die now, not like this. Owen couldn’t die. We hadn’t come this far for nothing.
Owen pushed his body forward and pointed to the boulder. A message from him to me.
I shook my head, confused. I’d always sucked at reading gestures. He jabbed his thumb at the boulder again. Something inside me clicked as the message reached me, his silent words forming an image in my mind. I nodded and shifted forward through the dirt, twisting my body around, then placed both my hands flat on the rough rock. I bowed my head in a nod. By the time Owen did the same, the footsteps were getting closer.
One. Two. Three. A pause.
“Look at you two pussies hiding. You think a stone will save you? You fools.” The venom in his voice traveled on the wind and curled itself around my throat. He couldn’t be more than twelve feet from us. “The race is over. You’re both done… dead, you hear?”
“Now,” Owen mouthed.
I pushed my whole weight into the stone along with Owen. But nothing happened. The boulder didn’t budge an inch.
“You really thought I’d let you go that easily? You don’t know me at all.” His feet shuffled. “Now get the fuck out of there, you bitch. Let me fuck you while he’s watching, and then I’ll kill you both.”
Blocking out Alvin’s words, I pursed my lips. We tried again, the sharp edges of the stone digging into my soft palms. The boulder gave a few inches. Owen stretched a leg behind him, digging a foot into the ground for added leverage.
“Harder,” Owen whispered.
Our next shove left me gasping and dizzy, but it was worth each drop of sweat.
The boulder moved out of our reach and went tumbling down. As it slid down the slope, its momentum caused other small rocks, boulders, and dirt to follow its lead. The boulder rolled, racing for Alvin, who was clearly visible to me now. He didn’t move right away. His gun dropped to his side, and his eyes widened as the debris rumbled toward him. Before it reached him, he aimed at us and took another shot.
Then our rockslide sent him running for cover, fleeing to the other side of the mountain.
Chapter Eight
Alvin's last shot wasn’t a complete failure—it grazed Owen’s arm. Half an inch and it would have hit him. As soon as we got to what I thought was a safe distance from Alvin, I turned on Owen, fury biting through my veins, my body clenched tight with rage.
“You almost got killed. Why are you here?” Tears burned my eyes, searing the surface of them. “I need you, I need your help, but I’m putting you in danger. You have to go. Save yourself and get the cops. Alvin will come back. I don’t want you dying with me. You'll make it out of here faster if you leave me behind.”
He wrapped his hands around my shoulders and turned me to him. I almost tripped at the sudden movement. “I’m not going anywhere. There’s no way you can do this on your own. I came all this way. I’ll be damned if I leave without you.”
“You think you know him from the little you saw, but you have no idea just how dangerous he is. Please...” I shook my head sadly. “Please just go, because I cannot—I will not be able to forgive myself if something happens to you. I cannot have another person’s death on my conscience.”
If Owen left me alone, the chances of me making it out of Alvin’s island alive were slim. But my mind wouldn’t stop counting the corpses I’d left in my wake, all the innocent people. Dying alone would be a small price to pay to avoid dragging Owen to the grave with me.
I stepped away from him and his hands dropped to his sides. “Owen, I’m not worth saving. I’m getting everything I deserve.”
He threw his hands in the air. “That’s messed up. I don’t get why you’re suicidally guilty. You don’t deserve to die—not like this. No one does.” His brow furrowed. “Now stop being stubborn and let’s get out of here. Like you said, Alvin will be back.”
The rage inside me melted, but it didn’t disappear as I followed him. I couldn’t let him continue believing I was a good person.
“I tried to kill him, Owen. I tried to kill Alvin,” I said. ”What he’s trying to do to me is justified.” A thorn grazed my arm and I flinched, but it did not sway me from sharing the truth. Hot tears cut trails down my cheeks and dripped off my jaw.
“That’s bullshit.” He continued walking. “There were things you did in the past that I didn’t approve of, but attempting to kill someone? I don’t believe it.”
I opened my mouth to say more, to make him understand, but something ahead of us caught my attention. The sun hit it, causing a million sparkles. A stream.
“Water.” I clutched Owen’s arm.
He turned to me, eyes dancing, and we ran toward it. We dropped to our knees before the life-saving liquid. Neither of us spoke again as we refilled our three bottles and dropped them back in the sack.
Then we leaned forward, dipped our hands in, and drank our fill. Crisp. Cool. Refreshing. Heaven.
A contented sigh escaped my lips as I washed the hot, sticky humidity off my face and neck, drenching my shirt in the process—it would keep me cool for a while.
Satisfied, I sank to the soft grass, the palms of my hands behind me, the lush blades tickling my palms. Owen lowered himself next to me with a loud sigh of his own.
“I feel as though I’m born again.”
“We are.” I lifted one of my hands from the ground and swung my knees in his direction, resting them between us. “Owen, you don’t have to believe what I told you earlier. But it’s true. Alvin and I went to school together, and I was editor of the school paper. I used it to reveal something incriminating about his mother.” I licked my lips. “I destroyed his life… lots of lives.” I inhaled sharply. “Alvin is hungry for revenge.”
“What did you reveal? Who in their right mind would go this far to avenge a childhood grudge?” He bent his head and picked our sack off the ground. “Shit.”
“What? What?” My heart picked up its pace. Was Alvin near again?
“I want you to stay calm, you hear me, Chloe?” He slowly lifted himself off the ground, pulling me up with him.
My eyes darted from side to side, searching for danger in our vicinity. “What’s going on?” My whisper was louder this time.
“A fer-de-lance.” He gazed toward the stream.
I was about to ask him what a fer-de-lance was when I followed his gaze to the edge of the stream. There, my eyes met those of a snake.
***
I clapped my hand over my mouth to kill a scream. The snake, which was about four feet long, had a broad triangular head, and was marked by a series of black-edged diamond shapes bordered in a lighter color.
Every nerve in my body pressured me to run. I wanted to—my mind screamed for me to do it—but fear paralyzed my body to the point it failed to move. I wanted to breathe. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything.
Owen stood between me and the snake. He moved slowly back. Once his body touched mine, I came alive. I took one step back and then another, following his lead. Did the snake sense my fear? How far would it let us get before it struck? My chest ached so badly, I might end up having a heart attack before it even touched me. My stomach turned and my skin crawled as it moved. The snake’s beady eyes stayed fixed on us as it slithered in our direction.
Owen continued moving me further away, whispering furiously that I should not move too fast, that I should remain calm. I heard the sound of his own fear in the folds of his whispers. His ragged breaths confirmed it. I took a few more steps back, praying I would not step on another snake. I watched it over Owen’s shoulders.
Finally, Owen bent down, still moving. I knew what he was about to do. He wanted to pick something up. A stick? I recalled reading an article about it being a bad idea. I wanted to warn him, but my wo
rds deserted me.
The moment Owen’s fingers touched the stick at his feet, the snake lifted its head and stuck out its forked tongue. Owen straightened up slowly, avoiding sudden movements, and pushed me away from him until our bodies no longer touched.
“Go.” He didn’t glance at me. “Do it. Now.”
“No.” My chin trembled “I can’t leave you alone.”
“I said leave.” His whisper was a pitch higher, the words pushed through gritted teeth.
My stomach knotted, but I did as I was told. On weak knees, I managed to move to a tree and hide behind the trunk, all the while watching Owen and the snake, my heart pounding in my throat.
Please don’t let him get hurt.
A strong urge to pee hit me as fear course through me.
Not now.
I did my best to ignore it, to hold it down.
Owen kept moving back at his slow pace, the stick now extended in front of him. At first the snake continued slithering toward him, but then it stopped and sank its head.
I held my breath, waiting for what would happen next. It could be preparing to attack. Owen kept moving until he was about three feet from the trunk where I hid. My breath came in short, labored gasps now. Would he make it?
I watched as the impossible happened: The snake simply turned away and slinked off, disappearing into nearby bushes. I grabbed my sore chest as air rushed back into my lungs. Owen hurried to me and drew me into a hug. I hugged him back, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck, relief infusing my every pore. He broke the embrace and let out a breath.
He took my hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
We ran for it, our eyes on the ground, hoping not to encounter any more snakes.
Owen later told me that fer-de-lances were among the largest and deadliest snakes. We had been extremely lucky. Come to think of it, we had been lucky in a lot of ways thus far. When would our luck run out?
Chapter Nine
“How are you holding up back there?” Owen turned to glance at me. He had insisted on walking ahead of me again, to make sure we didn’t walk into any kind of harm. Sweat trickled down his temples and the back of his neck, pasting his hair to his skin.
“Don’t talk.” My breath caught in my throat. “It requires too much energy.” We had been walking for ages, taking small breaks every once in a while, but never staying in one place too long, and definitely not sitting on any kind of grass.
He laughed, but it came out more like a sigh of exhaustion. He returned his focus ahead. “I agree. You’re doing great.”
“I beg to differ.” I had found a stick earlier to help me walk. I pushed it into the ground with each step, pressing my weight onto it.
“We’ve got this. We got this far, we’ll make it to the end.” He pulled off his glasses and wiped them on his dirty shirt. “You know what? When you start doubting that, think about how it will feel to be back home, eating good food, sleeping in a comfortable bed.”
A comfortable bed! It had been weeks since I’d slept in one. Definitely one of the comforts I looked forward to. And a nice long shower. “Yeah, that sounds great.” I plucked a leaf from a nearby bush and squeezed it. If only I could eat it. I was so hungry, but we didn’t have much food left.
Owen had warned me against eating any kind of berries we came across. We didn’t have the knowledge to determine which were edible and which were poisonous. On occasion, I had played with the idea of just sneaking a small innocent berry into my mouth without telling him. But I wasn’t interested in dying from stupidity.
We reached a slope too steep to tackle without any help. Owen didn’t seem deterred. He opened the sack and pulled out a rope.
“What are you doing?”
“Remember this?”
“Yes.” One of the things we had stolen from Alvin. At the time I had wondered why he’d needed a rope. Back then I didn’t expect his yacht to be far away. Now I was grateful not to have questioned him.
“This will get us up there.” He looked up the slope and then at the rope, coiling it around his hand.
I raised my eyes to the slope. “How will you get us up there with that?”
“Watch and learn. I hope it works.” He stepped closer to me, so close I breathed in the remnants of his cologne mixed with sweat. He put his hands around me as though about to hug me, but he only tied the rope around my waist. “I’ll tie the other end to myself. I’ll go first and pull you after me, okay? Make sure to hold on tight.” He took my stick from me. “I might need this.”
“Are you sure we won’t end up falling to our deaths?”
“Trust me. I won’t let you fall. I was once a Boy Scout, and watching a couple of survival documentaries helped too.” He paused. “Anyway, this slope can’t be as dangerous as Miles, can it?” He shook his head. “I mean Alvin.”
“I guess not. I never knew you to be the type of guy who watches documentaries,” I said while he tied the rope around his own waist. “You only watched action movies when you visited… us. That and sports, of course.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me. Most of what I showed you was what I wanted you to see.”
As we started to climb, with Owen hauling me up behind him, using my stick and the stems of strong plants to pull himself forward, I gripped the rope with both hands tightly, digging my toes into my sandals so they wouldn’t complicate my climb. Thankfully the sandals had grips on the soles. If only my hands wouldn’t sweat so much. The slippage made it hard to hold the rope tight.
But I would make it to the top no matter what. To hell with pain, to hell with fear.
By the time we reached the top, my body was drenched with sweat, and my heart threatened to crack my chest open.
When we took a look to see how far up we had climbed, my heart shot to my throat.
Alvin stood at the bottom of the slope, preparing to climb up after us. A sickening grin split his face as though he had already won.
“Damn.” Owen clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening. “He just doesn’t quit, does he?”
“Owen, be smart. If you don’t want me to kill you both, throw my bitch down.” Alvin lifted his hands up in the air, ready to catch me. “She’s not worth risking your life for.”
“Fuck you.” Owen picked up a rock and threw it down at Alvin. It missed.
“You’re a lousy shot.” Alvin gazed down at the rock. He laughed. “How will you make it off this island alive when you can’t even aim? Watch out! I’m coming for you.” Alvin started to make his way up the slope. This time there were no boulders around us to use as weapons. Given time, he would make it unhindered to the top, using only his determination and hunger for revenge.
“Maybe the snakes will get him.” I untied the thick rope from around my waist. “I hope there are some in the bushes around him.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the snakes are afraid of him.” Owen coiled up the rope again and threw it into the bag. “Let’s not count on it. Come on.”
Chapter Ten
“I’m so sorry, Chloe. We have to stop.” Owen turned to me. His face had reddened.
“Why? What’s going on?” I looked back at where we had come from, then back at Owen.
“Don’t worry, Alvin can’t be that close. It’s been a while since we left him behind.”
He sank onto a stump and groaned. He looked exhausted. I couldn’t blame him. The climb up the slope had to have taken a lot of energy, and one could only remain strong for so long.
“We have a problem. I think I sprained my ankle.” He removed his boot, his face folding with pain.
“Oh God.” I knelt beside him, tiny rocks digging into my knees. “Does it hurt badly?” I tried to touch his ankle because I had no idea what else to do, but he pushed my hands away gently.
He squinted against the late afternoon sun as he looked up into my face. “Don’t worry about me. This is nothing compared to what you must have gone through.”
I ignored his remark. This wh
ole time it had been all about me. Now he was hurt. Priority had to shift to him. “Can I do something for you?”
He shook his head, prodding his fingers around the injured area. There was evident swelling. “No. But we have to find a proper place to hide.” He looked at me again, his blue eyes a shade darker. “I’m so sorry—we have no choice. I should rest my foot for a while to be on the safe side.”
I nodded and picked up the sack. “I’ll carry this then. You need a break.”
“No, don’t worry about it.” He took it back from me and struggled to stand up. I offered him my hand.
“Stop trying to be brave. I’ll carry the bag.” I reached for his arm and rested it on my shoulders. “Lean on me for a change.”
We searched for a hiding place for about half an hour, heat and exhaustion pressing us down.
“Maybe we should just stop here and create another shelter like yesterday.”
“Or not.” Owen pointed into the distance. “I can’t think of a better hiding place than a cave.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know. Are you sure about that?” Sleeping inside the shelter of leaves and branches had been scary enough. A cave could hold any number of unknown dangers.
“It’s our best shot. We could fool him into thinking we’re still running so he doesn’t think to look inside.”
Goosebumps formed on my arms as we hobbled to the entrance of the nearby cave. My nose wrinkled and I recoiled at the smell that welcomed us. The stale air reeked of wet stone and decaying plants and animals.
“Looks scary inside,” I said. “You sure we won’t find something better?”
“Scary is good. Scary is safe. Miles might think twice about looking for us in there.”
“You could be right.” I breathed in dirt and tightened my arm around Owen.
Together we shuffled inside, stepping over the stalagmites protruding from the floor, and keeping our heads low so as not to bump into the stalactites hanging from the cobweb-covered ceiling. The deeper into the cave we disappeared, the darker it got. But enough light penetrated the darkness that we could see each other. A scratching sound caused me to flinch.
