by Michael Bray
Not wanting to see it anymore, and wary of the attention of the dinosaurs across the water, he retreated into the trees, unable to shake his disturbing train of thought.
As bad as it was, the constant put downs, the sly comments about how he would never amount to anything, or how he would be the one to let the family name down (his two brothers were both serving in the army, a fact that Ryder’s father used against him at every opportunity). Ryder saw The Island as a way to prove his father wrong. He had been brought up with the survival skills he thought he would need, and was sure that it would be enough to win. Of course, that was before he knew what they were facing, before the rules were changed and everything stopped being about trying to get one up on his father and about actual survival. He wasn’t a killer. That wasn’t his intention. It also wasn’t something he thought he would be able to do until he had gone through with it. Even so, the thought of Perrie’s terrified face as he stood over her, rock in hand, when she had realised that he wasn’t there to help her, but to hurt her, the sound of the rock connecting with her skull, the hot, bitter taste of blood, the wet crunch as her skull softened, were things he knew he would never forget.
The ultimate irony of it all was that the one act that had repulsed him, the one thing he would have done anything to avoid having to do, was probably the thing his father was most proud of. Ryder could see him in his mind’s eye, sitting in the armchair in the den, TV turned up way too loud due to his hearing not being so good anymore. He would have a beer in his hand, a Miller or a Bud, and would be perched on the edge of his seat, dirty burgundy baseball cap pushed back on his head, smiling at his son’s actions. Proud at last that little Ryder had finally grown a set of balls.
It was because of this particularly grim train of thought that he lost concentration, and snagged his foot on a tree root as he tried to step over it. Hi heart lurched as he pinwheeled, desperately trying to right his balance as he pitched forward, losing the brief battle against gravity. He fell, tumbling and rolling down the steep embankment, grunting as stones dug into him, a loose rooster tail of dust and leaves accompanying him as he fell. Even though it was a sudden incident, he was still aware enough to remember his survival training.
Tuck the elbows, protect the head. Stay loose and don’t try to fight the fall.
It seemed like it lasted forever. His world finally came to a stop, leaving him face down, legs angled back up the hill the way he had come. He lay there for a moment, quiet and letting the loose leaves and stones settle around him.
Silence.
He assessed his body, knowing that a broken leg or foot would spell disaster. He waited, forcing himself to be thorough. He moved his fingers and arms, then his ankles and knees. Finally, he sat up. It was then, when he took in his surroundings, that he realised that there were more secrets to The Island than just the dinosaurs. He stared, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Had he stayed on the trail, he would have walked straight past it, as this was something not meant for the eyes of the contestants. It was a game changer.
He stood and brushed himself off, then turned and scrambled back up the hill, wanting to get as far away from what he had seen as possible.
TWO
The gorge opened up into a large open valley, which all circumstances aside, was stunning. It was still early, and a light morning mist hovered over the ground. The sun, just rising, was a deep, fiery red, and had just begun to illuminate their world. The ground sloped away into a natural bowl of sorts. The water source which had been their constant companion ended here in a large watering hole. Around its edges, a herd of large dinosaurs grazed beyond them, more forest awaited, the trees sloping uphill. On the horizon, barely visible, was the south wall.
“Those things are big,” Moses said, still catching his breath. “They look dangerous.”
“Ankylosaurs,” Alex said, cupping his hands to see against the rising sun.
“They dangerous?”
“You don’t want to get hit by one of those tails, put it that way. Imagine a big, angry, carnivorous rhino and you’ll be somewhere close. Best we avoid them if we can.”
“We need water,” Chase said. “In this heat, hydration is important.”
“I ain’t going down there,” Moses grunted.
“If we give them a wide berth, we should be okay.” Alex tore his eyes away from the grazing dinosaurs, and looked at Moses. “What’s the matter, old man? You starting to lose your nerve?”
Moses met his stare. “There’s no shame in being scared.”
“Well, I’m not filling that canteen for you. You either come with us and stock up on water, or you don’t. Just don’t be asking me to share later.”
Moses grunted, but said nothing. He was still shivering, and was covered with sweat.
“Alright, let’s do it. Slow and quiet,” Chase said, leading the way down the scrub bank. Alex fell in behind him, Moses a reluctant rear guard.
What had seemed like a good idea from the top of the hill seemed borderline insane as the approached the water hole. The Ankylosaurs herd were huge, and no less agitated. They positioned their three ton frames to face the approaching trio, tails swishing from side to side.
Chase stopped moving around twenty feet from the water. He couldn’t go on. He knew he was once again staring death right in the face. He looked at the creatures, again riding the line between terror and wonder. They were beautiful, almost regal. He was once again struck by the fact that these were real living breathing things. He could see the way their muscles bunched as they dipped their heads to drink. He could see how they blinked, how they breathed. How flies landed on their thick bodies for respite. He could see their tails, the huge, bulky, ball-end of them more than capable of shattering ribs, breaking bones, pulverising flesh. All were things which would snuff them out in an instant. He flicked his eyes to the water, the precious water which they needed.
“What’s the hold up?” Alex said, irritated and curious as to why they had stopped.
“What if they attack us?”
“If we hurry up and get out of here, they won’t. Come on, we’re wasting time.”
It was another chink in the armour of Alex, another glimpse into the fear that bubbled and morphed just beneath the calm exterior mask he wore.
“Nobody’s stopping you. Be my guest.”
There was no expectation that he would do it, Chase said it because he was hoping to frighten Alex off. To his surprise, Alex pushed past him, waked to the water’s edge and started to fill his water bottle. Feeling stupid, Chase followed, keeping a wary eye on the giant creatures less than twenty feet away. Moses hung back, still shivering and grimacing. He had no interest in approaching the water, and kept glancing towards the relative safety of the trees.
Chase filled his bottle, unaware that he was in the exact same spot Ryder had been just a couple of hours earlier. He thought they might just get away with it and avoid a confrontation. He turned to Alex, to tell him that he thought they had all been riding their luck, and froze. Alex was grinning, a wide, white wedge of smile. In his left hand was his full water bottle; in his right, a large palm sized rock.
“Don’t,” Chase grunted, just as Alex threw it overarm at the nearest Ankylosaurs, the rock glancing off its armoured back. Chase drew breath as the ground started to rumble, and the Ankylosaurs charged in retaliation.
Chase was frozen, unable to move as the lumbering animal charged with more speed than he expected. He knew it was over, his time had come. He was about to die.
He was tackled to the ground; Moses crashing into him and knocking him into the soft mud as the huge dinosaur charged through the water and straight through where just seconds earlier Chase had been standing. Both he had Moses started to get up, just as the ankylosaurus half turned and swung its huge tail towards them. They both flattened, pushing themselves into the dirt as the huge tail swung inches over their heads.
“Come on, go now,” Moses screamed in his ear. Chase scrambled to his
feet, pulling Moses with him, but the dinosaur wasn’t to be denied. It lurched towards them, driving them back towards the rest of their herd, who were pacing on the opposite side of the water, spreading out to cut off any escape.
“Can you run?” Chase screamed, wiping wet dirt from his face.
Moses nodded. The two men ran into the shallow water, skirting away from the agitated dinosaur. Ahead, just about at the tree line, Alex waited, watching them from a distance. The ankylosaurs lurched after them, thundering into the water in pursuit. Chase knew he could escape on his own, but Moses was slow, his ravaged feet unable to carry him at any sort of speed that would help them escape. There was no forethought, he simply acted on his human instincts. He shoved Moses away from him.
“Get to the trees,” he screamed, then turned and charged towards the ankylosaurs. There was no time to think about how crazy the situation was. He simply acted. Game or no game, Moses had saved his life twice now, and he wasn’t about to go on without at least trying to repay the favour. He charged at the ankylosaurus, meeting it head on, then at the last second changing direction, relying on his smaller size and speed. The ankylosaurus let out a frustrated grunt, and in a single fluid motion swung its lethal tail towards Chase.
He dived, slamming hard into the ground, knocking the wind out of himself as the tail swung over his head, and then he was up, sprinting towards the tree line. Moses had just reached them, Alex standing beside him. The ankylosaurus gave chase for a few seconds, earth shaking with each footfall, then gave up, realising that it could never keep up. It retreated back to the rest of the herd. Chase slowed to a jog, heart thundering, and adrenaline making him aware of everything going on around him. He saw Moses, hunched over, hands on knees, coughing and spluttering. He saw Alex, still grinning, still amused. Chase didn’t slow, or hesitate. He threw a punch. It was sloppy, but it hit the target. Alex went down, clutching his nose.
“You tried to kill us,” Chase grunted as Moses leapt in to stop him from doing any more damage.
Alex sat on the floor, holding his nose, blood gushing out and down his clothing. “I didn’t mean to, it was supposed to be a joke.”
“A joke? You think this is funny?”
“I didn’t think they would charge. I thought it might spook you.”
He tried to get up, but Moses shook his head. “I’d stay down there unless you wanna be knocked on your ass again.”
Alex took the warning, and stayed where he was, gingerly touching his bloody nose. “I was right there too. You think I wanted to put myself at risk?”
“You were well clear before they attacked, you made sure of that,” Chase grunted, pulling away from Moses and walking away, trying to calm himself down.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that. I made a mistake, okay?” Alex said, spitting blood onto the dirt between his feet then scrambling up. “I was just trying to lighten the mood.”
“By putting our lives at risk? Nobody does that, nobody sane would do that.”
“Whatever,” Alex said pushing past them and into the trees. “Think what you want.”
Moses looked Chase up and down. Both of them were covered in mud. “You alright?”
“I’m fine,” Chase grunted. “That makes us even.” He followed Alex into the trees, Moses falling in behind him.
THREE
The atmosphere was tense as they delved deeper into the trees. Alex had foraged on ahead, walking with the familiar sloped, shouldered head bobbing motion. Chase was thirty feet further back, still angry and trying to decide what to make of Alex. It seemed like an attempt to have him and Moses die so that he could go on. Such a thing shouldn’t have bothered him, as it was part of the game and why they were all there. They walked in line, the punishing heat of the day not making their progress any smoother. Chase was aware that he had lost weight. The rations had long since gone and they had eaten only once in what was now their fourth day. His clothes had started to feel loose, something which didn’t surprise him. The calories they were burning were far outweighing their intake. He suspected they might be nearing the point where the alliance they had formed would have to end. Moses looked to be fading fast; his feet were a mess, his body breaking down with each mile. He reminded himself that Ryder was still out there somewhere, maybe watching from the trees. He didn’t like that idea. Ryder was dangerous, and had already done what none of them had so far managed to find the guts to.
He had killed, and done so in a brutal fashion. Chase wondered if it would be easy. He thought about how Moses had saved his life twice now, and he wasn’t sure if he could go through with ending his life when the time came.
“Hey, come take a look at this.” Alex was out of sight, somewhere ahead in the curving, dense tangle of trees. Chase broke into jog, weaving around the dense undergrowth towards where Alex had headed. He squinted as the dim light of the canopy exploded into sunlight.
The jungle had opened onto a large, green valley. Birds, disturbed by Chase’s sudden presence, took flight, squawking as they made their leave. Alex was standing there, hands planted on hips, breathing heavily from the exertion of the walk. Chase stood beside him, both of them some way ahead of Moses who was still toiling up the hill.
Chase had no need to ask what Alex had seen. It was plain enough to them both.
The truck had been abandoned, driver and passenger doors open. Dirt and dry leaves covered the jeep, its wheels half buried in the dirt. Dry smudges of blood spattered the bodywork on the outside, the rear doors mangled and pushed closed. Alex and Chase shared a glance as Moses hobbled to join them. The three of the stood silent on the edge of the valley, staring at the truck as if it were some kind of magician’s illusion.
“Looks like it’s been here a while,” Alex muttered.
Chase glanced at him, his nose crusted with blood, an ugly cut in his top lip. His punch had landed well. Even so, he still looked fresh and full of energy and vitality. Chase felt a pang of envy.
“Why would there be a truck here. Why would nobody recover it?” Chase said, glancing around.
“Maybe it was too dangerous to come out here for it,” Moses said around his permanent grimace. All three of them looked around. They seemed to be in no immediate danger. The truck looked to have been abandoned. The tree line ahead of them looked clear.
“Look at the long grass around it,” Chase said. “It’s been flattened. Someone was here recently.”
“Ryder?” Alex said.
Chase gave the merest of nods.
“We should check it out. See if there’s anything that can help us.”
“Just wait a second,” Chase said, putting a hand on Alex’s shoulder.
He studied the grass, the way it had been flattened around the truck. That greasy, uneasy feeling rolled in his gut. “Look at the grass around the truck. Whatever he did, he did in a hurry.”
“So?” Alex said.
“So, the trail doesn’t lead anywhere. It doesn’t go off in any direction.”
“You think he’s still here?” Alex whispered.
Chase nodded to the mangled rear doors of the truck. They were closed, hiding whatever lay in the rear. “Maybe he heard you coming and was searching it and had nowhere else to go. Maybe he’s hiding in there.”
“Shit, shit, shit. What do we do?”
There was a moment of absolute silence. They stood and stared at the truck, light, warm breeze ruffling their hair. It was Moses who spoke next, and Chase saw a glimpse of the man he said he used to be some years earlier.
“We have to end him.” As he said it, he pulled the hunting knife from the sheath on his belt. He looked comfortable with it, and like with Alex, Chase saw another man beneath the mask Moses was wearing. One which maybe wasn’t as run down and close to the end as he first thought.
“He’s dangerous,” Chase whispered. “He’s probably seen us now, he’ll be ready.”
“I agree with the old man,” Alex said, taking out his knife. “We need to put an end t
o him now. Besides, we can use that truck. Maybe we don’t have to spend as much time on foot.”
Chase glanced over at Alex, wondering where the timid, shy kid who had been on the boat coming in had gone. He stood now, knife in hand, brow furrowed. He didn’t look afraid, which Chase didn’t understand. After all, he was afraid. It stood to reason that Alex should be too. “Alright,” he said, joining them in taking out his knife. It felt heavy and cumbersome, and wondered why the others seemed much more comfortable holding them. “We outnumber him, which is good. Let’s see if we can get him to come out on his own before we charge in there and end up stabbing each other in the excitement, okay?”
Two nods. Both Moses and Alex were psyching themselves up for the confrontation. Chase just felt sick. The trio approached the rear of the truck, stopping ten feet away from it. There was no sense of any motion or movement. The small gap where the mangled door hung open a few inches was a black void betraying none of its secrets.
“Alright,” Chase whispered. “I’m going to call out to him. See if we can get him out of there. Just be ready.”
Two more nods. Alex and Moses were ready, the tension already unbearable.
“Ryder, we know you’re in there. Just come out.”
His voice rolled across the valley, swallowed up by the environment. They waited, listening. No movement, no response.
“Come on, Ryder. Just come out of there. We want the truck. We won’t hurt you. We’re all armed.”
He felt like an idiot saying it, wondering if he sounded at least a little bit convincing. Still no movement, no response.
“What now?” Moses whispered.
“We go take a look. No choice,” Chase replied, unable to shake the sick feeling in his stomach.
“We should make use of our numbers advantage,” Alex said. He was still determined, knife swaying as he held it at his side. “One each of us should grab one of the rear doors, the other be ready to see what’s inside. Play the numbers.”
