“Hands,” I said. “Use your hands! Come on, we gotta get back to that boat!”
Both Starr and I paddled. My only thought was the fear of losing one of my hands or having a shark chomp down and pull me under. I feared the same would happen to Starr. That terror kept me paddling through the shadowy water without stopping. I had no idea if the sharks came for us or not, at least not until we were safe on the yacht.
“Jesus, man, you’re alive,” Starr said, catching his breath.
I looked into the water, where the raft rode on the small waves we’d created.
“I told ‘em,” he said in his Alabama accent. “I told them idiot Coastguardsmen you didn’t crash.”
I looked at him. “I did crash. Come on, I’ll tell you all about it on our way home.”
Chapter Thirty
The saliva in my mouth dried when I used the word home to describe the island. It sickened me because I finally realized it was true. Starr, on the other hand, thought I meant Miami.
“Wait,” he protested, “I want to explore this place before we go back.”
I shook my head pitifully. It was sort of shitty to throw a heavy word like home at him. After all, I’d just come to terms with my own defeat. “Were you searching for me?”
“Yeah.” His eyes traveled around. “Jeez, look at this place. Where the hell are we?”
“In the Bermuda Triangle,” I answered grimly. “The storm that brought your plane down was manifested by a fragment of our second moon that grew into an island.”
Starr craned his head over to me with an are-you-serious expression. “Sharp, have you lost your mind?”
“I did, a little,” I said mildly. “How long have you been searching for me?”
“For us,” Gavin said irritably. “You weren’t the only one who went missing.”
“The first week you were missing, the Coast Guard and rescue pilots searched. All us guys at the airport went out looking. Then a month went by and it dwindled to just us pilots. After the second month, it came down to me and a few others guys. We thought you were dead, but every weekend, we still combed the area, hoping to find some trace of your plane. What the hell were you doing flying near Somers, anyway?”
“I wasn’t anywhere near there,” I said, surprised.
“We received your mayday call and tracked the signal approximately sixteen hundred kilometers southeast, buddy.”
“It takes three hours to reach Bermuda.” I pointed out. “Gavin and I were in the air barely an hour.”
Starr considered that a moment. “You’re right. Our records show you took off seventy-two minutes before your mayday call. You vanished from our scope seconds afterward.” He looked at his torn chute hanging like tissue paper off the cargo ship. “Maybe there was some kind of glitch in our system that day.”
“No,” I said thickly, “there was no glitch. The island used its power to suck us in like ants through a straw.”
I knew he thought I was crazy. I’d been in his shoes when I’d first arrived. Hell, if I’d had a straightjacket, I’d have put it on Jean Laffite when I’d first met him.
“You’re scaring me, Sharp.”
“I think it’s best you come and see for yourself.”
We found paddles on the yacht and rowed through the junkyard on the life raft. I let him take everything in and answered any questions he had along the way. He asked about the old ships and planes. I told him but he didn’t believe me. Then we came across the jet plane where I’d discovered the pilot’s body and showed him. I thought that would help get it through his head what this place was.
“Holy shit!” he said when he saw George. “How long has he been sitting here? And why is he wearing a World War II pilot’s uniform?”
“He is a World War II pilot. He’s been in this plane for the last sixty years.”
Again, his expression changed to an are-you-trying-to-pull-a-fast-one look. As if I had freaking built everything around us just to pull a prank.
“I’m serious,” I said with as much strength in my voice as I could afford. “When people die here, their bodies don’t rot unless they’re killed or the body is disturbed. If that happens, their soul follows you forever.”
“Forever?”
“Yeah, the island allows us to live forever. There are people who’ve been trapped here since the prehistoric age. The island feeds off our energy. It needs us and won’t allow us to leave. Got it?”
He casually rubbed his chin. I’d never seen him surprised before, as if fighting in the Gulf War kept him from ever being caught off-guard. I’d hoped for the laid-back version of Starr, rather than the in-your-face screaming one. I even worried he’d shake the dead pilot. Deep down, I didn’t expect him to. Starr was a man in his late-forties, filled with life experience, not some naïve teen who enjoyed testing the boundaries of a warning. Instead, he moved his head this way and that, studying the ships and planes that were within eyesight. It seemed like I was slowly getting through to him.
“Where do you live?” he asked.
“In a village. There are three of them. One is South Village, another is North Village—where I stay—and there was one on the other side of the island, but the people were butchered a couple days ago.”
He gave me another peculiar look. Again, not one of surprise, just a peculiar one. “Show me the island.”
The fog had grown more opaque as the day dragged on. I’d wanted Starr to see the island at a distance to absorb its full effect but I had to settle with a close-up view. When we reached the beach, I realized how hungry I was.
“Come on,” I said. “It’s getting late. We need to get back before the stingrays come out.”
“Stingrays? The pussycats of the sea?”
“They’re more like bloodthirsty cougars around here.”
It had been a long day and I couldn’t believe how anxious I was to get back. During our walk, I kept myself occupied by telling him everything I knew about the island, about its rules and the strange wildlife. I even told him why I’d been in the junkyard when he’d crashed. He listened and asked questions, but never seemed shocked by anything. His acceptance of everything disturbed me. The only thing I withheld from him was what I knew about Calla and Ruby. I’d promised to keep them a secret and I intended to honor that promise.
A mix of emotions came over me—sadness that he, too, had gotten caught by the Atlantic Pyramid’s trap, but also happy to have him around again. Any suicidal intentions I felt after returning from the forest left me just from him being there.
I told him the villagers would hold a Welcoming party for him, giving him a chance to meet everyone. I knew he wouldn’t mind, he’d always been a social person. To mingle with the Bermuda Triangle crew would be a real treat for him.
We had an hour left of daylight by the time we reached the village. I noticed the population had grown. I recognized several faces from South Village, even Worley. I asked Carlton about it as he stood by the newly-finished docks.
“They’ve come to help bring ships in, just like you suggested.”
I’d completely forgotten about that. The soldiers had already cleared away many of the small fishing boats and brought them up to shore to make room for the yachts and other larger vessels.
“It’s going to take time to disassemble and reassemble the mess,” Worley explained. “You want to help?”
I volunteered myself and allowed Starr to make up his own mind, which he agreed to. I couldn’t tell if he grasped the entire situation or not. With him, it was always hard to tell until it was too late.
Carlton said they planned on having a feast with the soldiers and the other people from South Village who’d come to help. Throwing together a Welcoming for Starr would be no trouble.
When I brought Starr up to my hut, he noticed Tommy Pine’s body beneath the back porch. “There’s a guy down there.”
“I know. I haven’t gotten around to covering him up yet. Don’t worry, he’s dead.”
�
�Jesus,” Starr said, stepping back inside. “Got any other demonic lawn ornaments I should know about?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve decided to live by the docks if I can find my own ship. If you want this place—”
“No way,” he said, shaking his head and waving his hands. “I’ve got no desire to share a room with a dead guy whose brains are all over the place.”
“We’ll need to find your plane so you can collect any supplies you have.”
I wanted to keep myself busy with anything I could think of, especially now that I’d accepted I’d never leave the Triangle. I couldn’t stay still and think about that without it driving me crazy. I needed to ease into that cold hard fact, allow myself to slip comfortably into my prison before there was nothing but living to do.
“Yeah, I do have some things I should get,” Starr said. “Maybe my radio will work.”
“It won’t. This place drains electrical devices. Not even batteries work.”
“Damn, that means I can’t play my MP3?”
I grinned.
* * *
Starr set off to explore the village while I changed into clean clothes and took a nap. I was beat and my head swam. My chest tightened with sickness as I lay down. When Starr woke me, my symptoms were worse. I coughed and my muscles ached. I sucked it up and joined him for dinner. I had soup there. I didn’t care what was in it. I just needed something hot. I spoke to Doctor Sam West about how I felt and he instructed me to eat what I could and get some rest. In the morning, he’d bring me crushed leaves to ease my headache and syrup from a plant root for my cold.
I took his advice. I ate the soup and left Starr at the table. He didn’t mind. He was sharing war stories with the crew of Flight 19. Starr was much more interesting than I’d been at my Welcoming. I went back to my hut and lit a candle on the single table.
“I need to tell you sssomethiiing,” Ruby said.
My soul nearly slipped away from fright. “Ruby,” I said after collecting myself, “what are you doing here?”
“I need to tell youuuu sssomethiiiing. It’s imporrrtant.”
As she spoke, shiny clear fluid ran down her arms, chest, and legs, and dripped on the floor.
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
Her waxy eyes dropped to her arm. “Yesss. Coming all the waaay here hasss wounded me.”
Her feet were the worst. I took a step toward her. “I’ll mix up some salve for you. Do you need to sit for a while?”
“I don’t sit,” she reminded me.
“Oh, right.”
I offered to get her a damp cloth to clean up what I guess was blood from her body and she accepted. As I searched my survival bag, hard rain dropped from the sky.
“I should have told youuu thisss when youuu came to ussss,” Ruby went on as I pulled out a washcloth from the bag. “Calla didn’t want youuuu to knooow.”
“Know what?” I asked, walking out to the back porch to dunk the washcloth into a water bucket. I wrung it out and handed it to her.
“Youuu must understaaand when I tell youuu that Calla only wantssss to protect meee,” she explained while cleaning the wounds on her chest.
“What?” I said before my ears caught the shouting of people below.
Alarmed, I went out to the front porch and looked across the village to see everyone scrambling for cover. A storm had slowly swept over the island and only then reached the people at the feast. I turned my attention to Ruby. She now stood on the back porch, quenching herself in the rain.
“What do you know?” I inquired.
“Weee told youuu the islaaand isss a fragggment from a living mooon and there is no waaay to leeeave. That may not beee entirely so.”
I stumbled back a bit. “Whoa, wait a minute. Not entirely so?”
She gave a slow nod. The rain slid off her large cranium like off a balloon. “The fragggment has a life sourrrce. The energggy can beee felt beneeeath my feeet. I belieeeve this life sourrrce may lie underground.”
“Underground? How far?”
“I don’t knooow. I’ve never been able to explore any caaaves by myssself.”
I pounced on the word. “Caves? Jesus, of course, the holes in the ground. The hole Phil fell in. Why didn’t I . . .”
I’d never given much thought to the strange holes around the village, the ones we used as toilets. Not even when the breeze in Henry’s cave had made the nerves in my arms tingle. How could I or anyone else have missed it?
Footsteps pounded toward the hut. Minutes later, Starr rushed in, sopping wet. “Wow, does it always rain like this?” His voice trailed away to nothing when his eyes locked on the eight-foot alien standing on my back porch.
“Starr, don’t freak out,” I said, rushing to the door to close it. “She’s a friend. She won’t hurt you.”
“I caaan’t hurt youuu.”
“It . . . talks?”
Now he was surprised?
“She talks,” I corrected sternly.
He flashed me a wide look. “It’s a female?” he whispered.
“Can’t you see her vagina?” I said.
I didn’t expect him to look, but he did.
“Damn,” he said, going back to his casual tone, “looks like she gave birth to an elephant.”
“I’ve neverrr givvven birrrth,” Ruby returned.
She and Starr were getting off on the wrong foot. “Ruby, this is my friend, Starr. Starr, this is Ruby. She’s an alien.”
“Ruby? Ruby the Alien?”
“Just Ruby,” I said. “And she risked her life to come here to tell me something.”
“Why is she standing in the rain?”
I sighed. “Don’t worry about that. Listen, she was telling me there might be some kind of underground life source for the island.”
“Okay,” Starr said slowly, “what’s that mean?”
“It means if we can find it, we might find a way out of here.”
“How?”
“By destroooying it.”
“All right, if it’s destroyed, then what?”
“The fragggment will die,” Ruby answered. “Everrryone will beee freee.”
I turned to her. “You should stay the night. We can escort you back in the morning.”
“Thank youuu,” Ruby said.
“We?” Starr chimed in.
I pulled him aside. “You don’t have to go with me, but I have to look into this.”
“Do you even know where to begin?”
I held my breath on the question. I did know where to start but it wouldn’t be pleasant.
“I do,” I answered. “But first, I have to get Ruby home. It’s the least I can do for her.”
Starr leaned in close to whisper, “Y’know, you didn’t tell me about meeting a goddamn alien.”
“I couldn’t. I made a promise not to say anything.”
“Calla maade youuu promise, didn’t sheee?” Ruby said. “Sheee is sooo protective of meee and herrr home. I no longerrr care for my own wellbeeeing. I just waaant this to beee overrr.”
“What do you mean? What will happen to you if the island dies?”
“I will go with it,” she said bluntly. “If the fragggmeeent dies and the boundarrrries break, the air of your worrrld will enterrr. I cannot breeeathe Earrrth’s oxygen. My kind hasss known thisss since weee first caaame to thisss planet.”
“Are we breathing alien air?” Starr asked, startled. “Is that why my chest hurts?”
“Yesss, but alsooo your own air. It’s the perfect mixturrre to keep all life alive.”
“Ruby,” I said, taking a step forward.
“Do not concern yourself with meee. I’ve discusssed thisss with my brotherrr and weee concurrr it’s for the best. I have lived through too many lifetmes and cannot bear another. I used tooo beee an explorer. Now, I’m just standing still. Life has nothing to offerrr meee anymorrre.”
Deep down, I knew exactly how she felt.
Chapter Thirty-one
Later, when w
e were trying to sleep, somebody cried out in alarm. When I opened my eyes, Starr had a man by the shirt collar in the hut. I leapt to my feet just as he slammed the intruder against the wall, cupping his hand over his mouth.
“West?” I said.
I looked back at Ruby standing on the back porch. The rain had since stopped and I’d left the back door open to make sure she was all right. I’d closed the front door, though, which meant West had either walked in on his own or Starr had answered the door. Thankfully, the doctor’s screams hadn’t awakened Ruby.
Starr held West firmly against the wall. West’s bug eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. They shifted to Ruby outside and then to me.
“West,” I said soothingly, “it’s all right, she won’t hurt anyone. She’s a friend. Understand?”
He nodded.
“Sorry,” Starr said to me. “I heard him knocking and answered without thinking.”
How he could forget about Ruby was beyond me. Then again, it’s not every day he helped hide another life form.
“Starr will let you go as long as you don’t flip out,” I said.
West gave another nod of understanding.
“Good,” I said in the same calm tone.
As Starr removed his hand, I held my breath. West didn’t scream and Starr wiped spit off his hand.
“What the hell is that thing?” West whispered loudly.
“She’s an alien,” I explained. “Her name is Ruby.”
As I spoke her name, a series of harsh coughs arose in my throat. I turned away and hacked into my fist. My lungs burned.
“I brought your medicine,” West said, holding up a cooler.
Wiping hot, stinging tears from my eyes, I took the box. “Thanks.”
“Can I . . .” he began. “Can I have a closer look?”
I turned my attention to Ruby. Her bowed head and closed eyes indicated she was still asleep. I didn’t like the idea of showing her off like a circus freak, but if I allowed West to get an eyeful, perhaps I could convince him not to talk. I wasn’t aware of how far I’d go to secure Ruby’s safety, but it wouldn’t be pretty if West threatened to expose her.
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