The Island

by Michael Bray

  After escaping the cave, it became apparent that it had taken them off course and come out deeper into the jungle. They were backtracking now, Chase keeping the sun roughly ahead and to his right where it had been when they first came out on top of the cliff face. The shadows had elongated as the sun made its steady descent towards the horizon line. They needed food and water, but Chase had no idea where he might find the former. Water he would be able to get when they reached the gorge they had seen from the cliff top. The waterfall had plunged into a pool there, and he clearly recalled seeing Ryder and Perrie’s footprints in the soft mud. Food wasn’t going to be so easy. He couldn’t begin to imagine how many calories they were burning, how much energy they were sweating out as they traversed the unforgiving landscape. He couldn’t speak for the others, but he was feeling weaker and weaker with each passing hour.

  Food.

  A hamburger or a hotdog. Maybe a sandwich and a cold beer.

  He started to salivate, and wiped a forearm across his mouth. Thinking about it made things worse. He wondered if Ryder had any food. He suspected he might have. He was, after all the only one of them with any survival experience. He would know where to look. Dinosaurs weren’t the only creatures inhabiting The Island. Since they entered the jungle they had seen birds, spiders and snakes, rodents and even monkeys flitting high in the branches and safely out of reach of the dinosaurs. It was still so hard to comprehend. Two different evolutionary timelines had been thrust together by a man who had both the money and the vision to attempt it. Whether it was crazy or stupid was another matter entirely, and not something he cared enough about to consider. He ducked under and overhanging branch, and pushed aside a huge green leaf, then was blinded by the shimmer of sunlight on water, giving the pool the impression that it was on fire. The cliff face stretched high above them, the craggy gorge to their right, a thin trail cut through the hundred foot walls on either side.

  Elation. Chase never expected to feel it at such a simple thing as the sight of fresh water, but even so he did. Water meant life. Life meant survival. Survival meant his chances of winning would increase. He hurried to the edge, dropping to his knees in the soft mud of the bank and cupping his hands, drinking the cool liquid, splashing it on his face, soaking his hair.

  It was divine.

  Even Alex seemed relieved. He filled his water bottle in between cupped double handfuls of water. Chase looked at Moses, who was sitting on a rock, staring at his dirt-covered feet. He had no interest in water. His expression told a different story. It was an expression which said his feet had let him down, and as a result had put him at risk. He caught Chase’s eye.

  “You cold?” he asked.

  Chase glanced at the blue skies and burning sun. It must have been almost thirty degrees Celsius. He shook his head. “No, not at all.”

  “I’m cold,” he replied. “Can’t get warm.”

  Chase nodded, thinking back to the cave. How Moses hadn’t taken off his shirt before getting into the water like he and Alex had. He could imagine how walking through the dark tunnels with wet clothes clinging to him could have brought on all kinds of problems. Hypothermia being the key potentially life-ending illness.

  “Don’t look at me like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like I’m a dead man,” Moses replied. “Don’t count me out yet.”

  Chase was spared from having to reply by Alex, who stood stretching his arms out by his side. “We should make a move. We’ll be losing daylight soon.”

  Chase looked at the gorge they were about to cross through, no more than a jagged eight foot cut through the sheer rock face. If they were to encounter anything inside it, there would be no running. No escape. They would have to face it, and with no weapons.

  “Why don’t we stay here tonight?” he suggested, not sure if he was mentally strong enough to go on any further.

  Alex shook his head. “Do I need to remind you what happened last time we strayed for too long near a water source? If we stay here, it will be like putting up a sign saying the buffet is open.”

  “We’re all tired and hungry. We don’t know how long this passage goes on through the rock. Plus, we have no weapons.”

  Alex grinned, lighting a fire in Chase’s gut. “Something funny?”

  “No, not really. It’s just that you seem to like to complain a lot.”

  “I thought I was raising a valid point.”

  Alex shook his head. “You’re still not thinking straight. You have to see this for what it is. This isn’t an island. Not in the truest sense. It’s a set. We’re the actors. Trust me, I think you’ll find that passage ends right about when we need it to.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  Alex grinned, one eye squeezed shut against the sun which was turning everything orange as it fell slowly from the sky. “Because there are millions of people watching us right now. The powers that be are unlikely to want us to die because of the environment rather than the monsters.” He walked towards the gorge entrance, sweat glistening on his forehead. “You coming or not?”

  Chase didn’t reply. They both knew that he was. As with everything, Alex had been right again. With more reluctance than he cared to admit, Chase and Moses followed Alex into the gorge and whatever awaited them within.

  TWO

  It was cooler and progression was easier as they made their way through the narrow path. The sun was kept off them by the high walls, and without tree roots to traverse, walking was easier. Alex led the way, still bobbing along with the awkward sloped-shouldered gait. Chase was in the middle, content not to have to either lead or talk to anyone. Moses was falling back, unable to keep up the pace. He was walking with a very definite and pronounced limp, his teeth gritted in half hopeless determination. He was unravelling before their eyes, each step further inland seeming to ebb a little more of his life force.

  “You better come look at this,” Alex called from ahead, his words rolling off the walls as he stopped walking. Chase jogged to meet him, wishing he hadn’t seen what was waiting for him.

  Blood.

  It stood out against the sandstone. It spattered the walls and lay in clumpy drying pools on the floor. Perrie was lying against the wall, one arm bent up against the rock face. Her skin had already started to discolour and turn a purplish blue. Flies danced and buzzed around. Where her face had been was a mess, a bloody pulp of mangled flesh and white shafts of bone. Against the opposite wall, in the shade was the body of a velociraptor, its throat slit. It was obvious there had been some kind of struggle. Chase looked at the floor and tried to make sense of the animal and human footprints alike. He felt sick. When Ellie had been killed it was quick, and they had been forced to move on before they saw any of the aftermath. This was a different situation. Chase felt sick. Seeing what remained of her, nothing but an empty vessel left there as food or the flies, brought home how serious a situation they were involved with. This was the same fate that awaited all of them. There would be no ceremonious burial. No dignified send off. Just the harsh reality that was death. He glanced at Alex, his face unreadable as he stared at the carnage, his eyes focussed on the velociraptor rather than what remained of Perrie. Moses didn’t look quite so shocked, and based on his past, Chase could understand. He had, after all seen death. Dealt with it daily.

  “Dinosaur must have gotten her, then she killed it and died as well,” he said, just because he was desperate to break the silence.

  “No,” Alex said. “That’s not what happened here.”

  Both Moses and Chase looked at him. Alex ignored them. His eyes were scanning the scene, flicking from corpse to corpse.

  “What do you mean?” Moses asked.

  Alex pointed to the floor. “There were at least three velociraptors in here according to the prints in the blood. Looks like they came the way we did, attacked from the rear.”

  He pointed to the dead raptor. “Ryder killed that one. Slit its throat. Left it for dead. At least one of the
others attacked the girl. Look at the claw mark on her leg. It’s sliced to the bone. After he’d killed the one by the wall there, he came over and fought them off. If you look at the tracks there by the wall, the footprints double back. They ran. Ryder did a good job.”

  “Not before they killed her,” Chase said.

  Alex shook his head. “They didn’t do that. Ryder did.”

  Chase stared at Alex, then looked back at the body, trying to see whatever Alex did that told him the answers.

  “The rock. By her head. See it? With the blood on it.”

  Chase nodded.

  “Palm sized. See the hair and skin on it?”

  Chase nodded again.

  “Now look above her, on the wall. See it?”

  Chase complied. He could see it. A handprint in blood. A man’s handprint. When it was all put together, it was all too easy to visualise. Perrie wounded badly, maybe begging for help. Ryder seeing an opportunity, a chance to shorten the odds. Straddling her, grabbing a good palm-sized rock. Holding her down with the right hand while he brought he rock down over and over again with his left, obliterating her face. When it was done, and the rock had been tossed aside, he had put a hand on the wall to push himself upright, leaving the bloody marker behind before he went on his way.

  “Jesus, this is insane,” Chase muttered.

  “It’s the game. We all knew we’d have to play it.”

  Chase glanced at Alex. “You think this is funny?”

  “Isn’t it?” Alex fired back. “A bunch of dead men arguing about morals. Surely you see the humour in it. Still, her loss is our gain. At least we have food now.”

  Chase took a step back, staring at Alex.

  “Relax, not her,” he said, nodding towards the dead velociraptor. “That. Plenty of meat on there that we can take with us. We can eat tonight.”

  “What about Ryder?”

  Alex looked down the length of the canyon, then back the way they had come. “Not much we can do about him now. We just have to be ready. He’s done the hard part now and has killed. The next time will be easier.”

  THREE

  They camped there in the ravine, and as they sat around the crackling fire, eating the smoky dinosaur meat, they could almost believe in hope again. Chase was amazed at just how such a simple thing as having a full belly could boost morale. They had all been reluctant to eat the meat cut from the dinosaur, at least until they smelled it cooking, the fats hissing and dripping into the flames. Their stomachs quivered and growled, and even if the meat had been rancid, they would have still eaten it. As it was, it had been delicious. As relaxed as they were, they were also wary. They knew Ryder was out there, and could be watching them. Alex was sleeping, preparing for his night watch. Moses and Chase sat by the fire, staring into the orange glow, each of them contemplating both where they were and where they might be tomorrow. Moses had removed his boots and socks, getting some air to his feet. Chase could see why the older man was having so much trouble walking. The heel of his left foot wasn’t too bad. It was pink and blistered, but looked otherwise okay. His right however, was shredded. The skin was bloody and raw all the way from the heel up the ankle. It was swollen and discoloured, and was weeping clear pus from tiny ruptures. Although it had been masked by the cooking meats, now that they had eaten, the smell of his foot was impossible to ignore. It was bad, and they both knew it.

  “Not looking good is it?”

  Chase looked at Moses, who was watching him stare. Chase averted his gaze back to the glowing embers of the fire. “No, no it’s not.”

  “Still can’t get warm. Think I might be coming down with something.”

  Chase nodded. It was warm by the fire, hot even. But Moses was still shivering, his bottom lip trembling.

  “How old are you?” Chase asked.

  Moses didn’t reply at first. He simply stared into the flames, watching them flicker and dance. “Fifty seven.”

  Chase didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to push Moses into talking. To his surprise, the older man went on. “I wish I’d never got involved in all this. I knew I shouldn’t keep pushing my luck.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Moses sighed, and then nodded to his foot. “My body can’t keep up anymore with what my brain wants to do. All part of growing old. Frustrating, you know? It only seems like five minutes ago that I was a young man with the world set out in front of me. Now look at me. A dying old man with a bad foot and maybe pneumonia to boot.”

  Chase glanced over his shoulder at Alex, making sure he wasn’t listening. He was sleeping soundly, snoring lightly as he lay on his side. Chase turned back to Moses.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  Moses shrugged. Chase decided to read the expression as a yes.

  “Why did you save me, back there in the cave?”

  “I wasn’t aware I had.”

  “You could have let me walk on right into the path of that dinosaur. It would have seen me, probably killed me. You didn’t let it. You covered my mouth and stopped me from making a mistake. I’m curious as to why.”

  “Don’t read too much into that. I didn’t intend to do it. In fact, part of me regretted it. But a man can’t completely ignore his instincts. Outside of here, I was a good man. I like to think I still am.”

  Now it was Chase’s turn to be silent. He stared into the fire, unsure how to proceed. “Well, thanks. I appreciate it.”

  It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best he could manage. Moses winced as he shifted position, moving his injured foot closer to the fire. “Besides,” the old man said. “I didn’t want to be left alone with that one.”

  He nodded towards Alex. “I don’t walk at the back just because of my foot. I walk there because I like to see where he is at all times.”

  “You think he’s dangerous?”

  Moses shook his head. “No. Not in a physical way. He’s clever though. He’s strong up here.” He tapped his temple with a bony finger. “In a place like this, that can give someone an edge.”

  Chase half wanted to tell Moses his own thoughts about Alex, but didn’t want to risk being overheard. Instead, he stayed quiet, listening to the hiss and crackle of the fire and trying to ignore the old man’s eyes on him.

  “Anyway,” Moses said eventually. “That’s my burden to bear. Best I get some sleep before my watch begins.”

  “I’ll shout if anything happens,” Chase said, watching the old man as he struggled to his feet and then to where he had set up his small tent on the edge of the glow of the fire. Within ten minutes, the sound of Moses snoring joined that of Alex. Chase sat there alone, enjoying the quiet, staring at the stars and, like Moses, starting to think he had made a mistake.

  A FIGHTING CHANCE

  DAY FOUR

  6:37AM

  Ryder was tired, but the adrenaline still surged through him and spurred him on. He was filthy and still covered in Perrie’s blood. He was still trying to convince himself that he was just playing the game, and this was exactly what had been expected of them when they came in, but he couldn’t deny that he had made a conscious decision to kill her when she was at her most weak and vulnerable. As he ran, skirting around a herd of Ankylosaurs as they drank at a watering hole, armoured backs low, huge ball-ended tails swaying, spiny ridges lining each side of their mammoth frames. Their heads were small, legs short and wide. There would be no survival from them if they chose to attack. He tried to reason with himself that he had saved her. The velociraptors had attacked without warning. Much smaller than their TV and movie interpretations, they were quick, pack hunters, and had come at them from behind. He had managed to fight them off, killing one and wounding another before the group realised this was a fight they weren’t going to win. Even though he had fought them off, they had still wounded Perrie, slicing her across the leg. He wasn’t sure what they had cut, but there was a lot of blood. It was certainly beyond his ability to stitch. A voice in his head told him to stop lying to himself, that he
never had any intention of saving her. It reminded him how tired he had grown of hearing her whine and moan as she finally understood that they weren’t on a set, or in a studio with actors and a director dictating the action. He had been managing to ignore it, but if he was honest with himself (and, as he was alone, why not?) he had been thinking about either ditching her or ending her life for a while. He thought about how it would come across on television, and of the first time wondered if what he had done to her had been caught on camera. He was sure people would hate him, misjudge him for it.

  He paused for breath on the opposite side of the watering hole, the herd of Ankylosaurs keeping a wary eye on him. He took his canteen, which was almost empty. He drank from it, sucking in air, then trudged in the soft mud on the edge and filling up the bottle, sure to keep an eye on the nine-meter-long beasts on the opposite side of the water.

  As much as he had tried to convince himself that he didn’t care what people thought, the truth was that he did. He hid it behind his tough, confident exterior, but he was no different to the others. He had his reasons for being there.

  He looked into the water, which rippled and warped his reflection. If he looked hard enough, he could see his reason for being there.

  His father.

  The worst part wasn’t that his father was a womaniser and an alcoholic, or a man who, no matter how hard Ryder tried, was never pleased; it wasn’t even the fact that he was a strict disciplinarian who ruled his household with an iron fist, usually in the literal sense when the booze had been flowing. The worse was that when he looked at his reflection, he could see the bitter old man he had grown to hate staring back.