Tanner+F

=__Mystery Island __=



__ Chapter 1 - The Arrival __
Lying on the bleached branny beach, the mystic waters of the open ocean splashed against a young man’s scarred face. His eyelids twitched as his body rolled over, only subduing himself to more agonizing pain brought on by the sharp sense of saltwater seeping into his wounds. A grimace swept across the young man’s face. The sudden pain brought back vivid memories of his violent past, causing his head to vigorously shake. As fast as the memories occurred, they disappeared, leaving the man’s body motionless in the sand.

 A few miles down the shore of the island, a woman grasped the shriveled blue arms of two other girls and pulled their shivering bodies onto dry land, away from the looming dangers of the cold ocean. As soon as they reached the safety of the shore, the woman threw down the arms of the girls she saved, leaving their limp bodies stranded in the blaring heat of the sun.

“You’re welcome,” the young woman said sarcastically as she wandered off into the distance.

 “Th tha thanks,” one of the girls managed to mutter as she coughed and choked on the remaining saltwater that had found its way into her system. No reply came. “Hey!” she yelled at the figure walking away. She heard nothing in reply.

 “What do you want?” the woman snarled as a cold shaky hand was placed on her shoulder.

“Um, I just want to talk,” replied the girl as she noticed that the woman’s dirty and torn jacket had the name Cadence stitched in it. “I see your name is Cadence,” she squeaked as she pointed to the name on the jacket. “My name‘s Emily, by the way,” she spoke as she stuck out her hand for a handshake.

“Yes, my name is Cadence, but if it’s alright with you Emily, I’d enjoy it if you left me alone,” spoke Taylor as she rejected the respectful gesture and limped past Emily, disregarding her.

“Leave you alone?” replied Emily as a shocked expression lit up her face. “Look at where we are!” she hinted at the dense green forest and the towering mountains which stood behind them.

Annoyed, Cadence spat back, “What are you trying to get at?” as she thought about how nice it would be to just lie down and have some relaxing time to herself.

“Well, I’m pretty sure we’re on an island,” Emily paused, “in the middle of nowhere,” she continued, “and I’m assuming that nobody knows where in the world we are, so I conclude that you, that girl back over there, and I, have to manage to survive on this island until we are rescued.”

A ghost-like look brushed across the now panic stricken face of the young woman as the sudden realization hit her as fast as a striking snake. Tears started to well up in the eyes of Cadence. At first they trickled down her cheeks slowly, but soon she was panting and couldn’t control the rush of emotions that exploded from inside her. Her feet crumbled from beneath her like old rotten tree trunks as she keeled over and was caught by the soft hands of the sandy beach.

Emily left Cadence alone and took a few small steps back, planting her feet in the hot grains of sand, and regarded her surroundings. The ocean water burned with a bright orange tint as the rising sun cast a glimmer of light upon the vast sea below it. To her side, the forest buzzed with life as countless numbers of animals mingled with each other among the dense vegetation which shielded them from the harsh rays of the golden sun. Emily lowered her throbbing head and held it in her tattered hands. Had anyone else survived the crash? she wondered. Maybe there were others who needed help, or who could help her. Where are we going to live? How are we going maintain proper nourishment? How and when are we going to be rescued? All these questions flew through Emily’s mind as she stood with her head in her hands. A ball of anxiety welled up inside of her as she pondered the endless number of situations that she could encounter on the island. Dropping her hands from her pale and tired face, Emily slowly exhaled, calming herself.

She decided to go walk back down the shoreline to check on the other girl that she had been with earlier. As she strolled back along the beach, her footprints briefly corrupted the calm of the sandy shoreline, but the peace was swiftly returned as the tide crept upon the beach, erased the sign of life, and moved ever so softly back to the tip of the sea. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back on the other side of the island, the young man had managed to slither up the sand to where the perfection of the beach met the chaos of the forest. He sat perched upon a fallen tree, his legs stretched out in exhaustion against the sand. The thick constricting army apparel that stuck to his sweaty wet body allowed him to blend in to his surroundings, a survival advantage he thought. Instantly, his mind switched into survival mode. Survival lessons that he had previously witnessed will come in handy now. A mental checklist formed in his mind. Make a fire, collect food, find water, build shelter... the list kept going.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Other survivors?” he questioned as his head spun, looking around him for other signs of life. Nobody was in sight. “I guess it’s just gonna be me here, trying to survive until I’m found.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">His face turned gloomy as he thought about his wife and kids at home, waiting for a call from their daddy to let them know he had a safe trip. He thought of his two baby daughters and his toddler son, Sarah, Jessica, and Tanner Jr., and not being able to kiss their heads goodnight before they go to sleep. An image of his wife, Taylor, flashed through his mind, almost bringing tears to his eyes. Already he missed her, and it had only been a few hours that he hadn’t seen her. How long will he be able to go without his lover, his soul mate?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The short greasy hair on the top of his head parted as his tanned callused hands stressfully rubbed at his skull, looking for answers of what the future holds for him. A nauseating pain came over the young man; the heat mixed with stress had already started to take its toll on the castaway. Ignoring the problems associated with the situation the man was in, he crawled beneath a dried out dark red bush and laid his aching head on the crumbly black soil. Slowly his eyes shut, enabling his tired body to rest for the adventures upcoming.

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__ Chapter 2 - Introductions __
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">As his eyes moved away from his book, Tanner noticed that the Fasten Seatbelt light had flicked on.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">A static sound came from above, “This is your captain speaking!” An eerie silence swiftly swept through the cabin of the plane. “Please fasten your seatbelts! We have stumbled upon a storm and our only option is to tough it out and go right through. So please everyone stay calm and brace for impact. Thank you,” spoke the captain of the plane as the speakers above clicked off and the static sound vanished.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just as Tanner brought his book back up to his face, the plane violently jolted up, sending Tanner’s muscular body flying across the hectic cabin. Lying in the middle of the aisle, Tanner’s head throbbed with pain. He was unaware of the screams echoing through the cabin. His normally excellent vision became blurred and started to fade to black.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Hey! Hey! Are you okay?” were the last words he heard before his mind shut down.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> ___

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Hey! Hey! Are you okay?” a woman shouted as she shook at a man’s limp body, lying under the bush.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The brightness of the sun blinded the man as his puffy and swollen eyes opened to the sight of three young women hovering above him. His head was pounding and he just wanted to go back to sleep. Where was he? Who are these people?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “Hi I’m Emily, and this is Cadence and Kiran,” spoke Emily joyfully as she pointed to the other two woman she was kneeling on the beach with. “We’ve been searching the whole island this morning looking for survivors; you’re the only person we’ve found.” Emily was glad they had found this man. She didn’t know who they would rather find on an island than a strong handsome man dressed in military apparel.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Survivors?” the man asked, his face covered with a confused and alarmed expression.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Yes, do you remember the plane crash?” probed Emily.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Uhmm,” the man had no words to deliver an answer as he rubbed away at the puzzled look on his dirty and bruised face.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Well that’s not important anymore,” replied Emily. “What’s important is that we survive on this island until someone comes and rescues us.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“As if that’s ever gonna happen,” snarled Cadence sarcastically.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“We need to have hope!” screamed Emily, sending a chill through the island.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Whatever,” mumbled Cadence, shaking her head. She stood up and turned her back on the others and began to stroll back down the shore.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“By the way, my name is Tanner,” the man stated. He stuck out both his hands into the sand as he pushed his beaten body up. He took a step but his legs collapsed, his body flailed back down towards the sand.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh my gosh!” Kiran and Emily shrieked simultaneously. They both rushed to Tanner’s side and helped him back up to his feet. They slung his bulky arms over their slim bony shoulders. Tanner looked like a ragdoll as his head hung low and his feet slid limply through the fine grains of white sand while the two women carried him back to the main beach.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Once back to the main beach, they gently laid Tanner down beside the pile of supplies that the women had managed to scavenge from the wreckage of the crash. Wiping the drool off of his chin stubble, Tanner propped himself up to observe the island. Straight in front of him, the peaceful blue of the ocean went out as far as his eyes could see. The tranquil yet chaotic sounds of the forest boomed behind him. Tanner turned around to a wall of green brush and trees that towered above him, bringing back memories of his hometown of New York. His gaze couldn’t penetrate past the wall of vegetation in front of him so he wasn’t able to gain a full understanding of his new home. I will venture into the forest later, he thought.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Cadence!” Emily and Kiran shouted together. “Come over here; we need to talk.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“What’s taking her so long?” jawed Kiran impatiently.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">A few minutes later, Cadence appeared. Her beautiful blonde hair reflected the light of the sun and shimmered as it flowed in the wind. Tanner’s heart skipped a beat and a passionate feeling of love flowed through his body as he stared at Cadence’s tanned body poised against the bright blue sky.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I found this,” added Cadence as she held up a maroon coloured Swiss-Army Knife.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I have that exact same knife,” blurted out Tanner as he patted the pockets of his camouflage cargo pants to make sure he still had his. He stuck his hand inside a pocket of his pants, only to see his fingers stick out a hole in the bottom. “I think I might have lost mine in the crash,” he uttered embarrassingly.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Well, I guess this must be yours,” responded Cadence as she threw him the knife and winked.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Thanks,” expressed Tanner as he blushed.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Anyways, let’s get down to business,” Emily declared, putting an end to the flirtatious behavior of Cadence and Tanner. “Since we’re on an island we’re gonna need to have food and water and shelter. We’ll have to start on that to-.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“It’s getting dark fast,” interjected Tanner as he gestured towards the fiery ball in the distance beginning to hide below the horizon, “so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I noticed you girls found a tarp. I can get that set up right now so that we have shelter for tonight.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“That would be great,” replied Cadence as she stroked Tanner’s arm and bit her lip, “thank you.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tanner leapt up, being careful not to collapse again. “I’ll get right to it,” he announced while grabbing the tarp, “and I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">He walked over to a large tree and hooked a corner of the tarp onto a sturdy branch. I guess I’m going to have to be the provider for these women, he thought to himself laughing. He wasn’t sure if being the only male survivor would turn out to be an advantage or a downfall to his survival on this island. Tanner managed to hook all the corners of the tarp onto tree branches; it would be good for one night he thought. Even just these few minutes of working had exhausted him substantially. He leaned against a tree, trying not to collapse again. The warm climate of this island had already started to take its toll on Tanner’s body. He knew he needed food, and especially water. He wouldn’t be able to last without these two life essentials. That could wait a few hours, he thought; right now he needed rest.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Cadence, Emily, Kiran,” Tanner hollered, “The shelter is done.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The three girls crept over to the shelter and rested their heads in the sand. The island soon became dark and the shelter was silent. Cadence crawled over towards Tanner and placed her head against his sweaty wet and warm chest.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Her body jerked as she heard a rustling sound in the bushes. The breaking of branches and crinkling of leaves poisoned her sleep.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“It’ll be okay,” whispered Tanner into Cadence’s ear. “I’m here to protect you.”

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> __ Chapter Three - Beyond the Bushes __
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> __ Five Months Later __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The piercing shrill of a flapping flock of feathered creatures intruded into Cadence’s sleep just as the rising sun threw its arms of light across the glimmering calm of the resting ocean. A moan of pain escaped from her scaly dry lips as her sun burnt eyelids slowly stretched open. Cadence propped her lifeless body up against the back of the shelter and sighed when she saw that the others weren't near.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Might as well go back to sleep since everyone is out and about," annoyingly muttered Cadence to herself. She laid her head back down on the pillow of leaves; the butt of the gun underneath the leaves jabbed into the rough dirty skin of her cheek as it poked through the pillow. She began to cry herself back to sleep. Nobody except Tanner appreciated her presence on the island; she knew this but didn't know how to change it.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">"I hate it here, I hate my life," Cadence sobbed, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I wanna die! I can't live like this." She clenched her fists, both in anger and sadness. She wiped the salty tears off from underneath her puffy bloodshot eyes. Slowly her eyelids fell shut and her mind went blank. Just like the brilliant blue waves of the ocean, Cadence’s thoughts began to drift away.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Emily!” screeched Tanner from the darkness of the jungle. “Grab me the first aid kit!”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Get it yourself,” fired back Emily, annoyed.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I can’t walk,” groaned Tanner in agony. “Can you please just get it for me?”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">At that instant, Kiran hurdled past Emily; she listened for Tanner’s distinct voice. “Tanner, where are you? I’ve got the first aid kit. I can help.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Despairingly crawling on his side, Tanner emerged from the tangled brush of the jungle. His sharp yellow fingernails clawed into the soft ground as he heaved himself out from the sinister shadows. His vision was blurry and his head throbbed. Help. That was what he needed. Continuing to make his way to the safety of the beach, each movement Tanner made led to an even louder and anguishing moan. As soon as he became exposed to the bright light of the sun, Tanner rolled onto his back and his body went limp.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“AAAAHHHHHH! OH MY, OH MY, OH MY!” Kiran screamed so loud that it could be heard across the whole island. “Emily, get over here right now!”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Emily dropped the knife and the stick she had been whittling and slowly strolled over to see what all the commotion was.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Hurry up!” Kiran yelled, her voice trembling and her hands shaking in nervousness.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Emily jogged up and peered over Kiran’s shoulder. The happy emotions that the sunny day brought with it were soon overrun by the shocked and fearful expression that painted Emily’s young face. She stood motionless; her eyes glazed with fear.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“This is worse than last time,” mumbled Kiran, shaking her head.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I know,” agreed Emily. “We better start now.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cadence’s eyes jolted open, and she shot straight up in bed. The alarming screams had awoken her. She grabbed the gun from underneath the leaves and shoved it in her pants. Bolting out of the shelter, she started sprinting down the beach. She contemplated what the screams were caused by. Suddenly, the memories rushed back. If it was what she thought it was, it wouldn’t be good.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">A dazed blurriness swept across Tanner’s mind. He opened his eyes to three blurry blobs against the blue sky above them. His mouth and lips were too dry to attempt to speak. Where was he? What had happened?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Tanner, don’t worry, you’re okay. You just, umm, had another incident,” Kiran assured him; although she didn’t know if he would be okay.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cadence wrapped her arms around Tanner’s waist and flung herself onto his chest. She began to sob. Tears of love and pain dropped on Tanner’s blood-soaked uniform.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Cadence, I think you’re hurting him,” announced Emily and Kiran in unison, almost seeming jealous of the affection shared between the two.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“He’s already been hurt,” replied Cadence still crying. “I think a bit of love isn’t going to hurt him.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The small fight was soon interrupted as Tanner managed to retain his ability to speak. “What happened to me? I don’t, I don’t umm, understand what’s the matter?”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Slowly Cadence got up and took a step back. The three women looked at each other, hopeless expressions on each of their faces.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Well,” spoke Cadence in her soft angelic voice, “you were attacked. Again.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Looking down at his leg, Tanner almost passed out a second time. Just below his knee, his leg had been broken in a ‘W’ shape. Chunks of skin hung loosely from what was left of Tanner’s leg. A pool of blood had formed under his leg and it was already infested with crawling creatures. Dried blood acted as glue for long strands of leg hair that had stuck together. The wound almost looked like an erupted volcano with blood and flesh just spilling out of his leg.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Afraid of what was to come for Tanner, the three women just stared at him blankly. The outer edge of the beach had become unbearable due to the humidity and the blistering heat of the sun. Each woman was drenched from head to toe in sweat; their clothes stuck to their dehydrated and deprived bodies.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Who did this to me?!” Tanner demanded outraged as he began to cry too.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“It’s not so much who did it to you, but what did this to you,” replied Emily nervously.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tanner pondered what Emily had implied but still couldn’t dig up an answer to what had happened to him. The pain was unbearable and he could barely think about what was happening. Examining his leg again, Tanner almost threw up. The sight disgusted him. How could something like that happen? He searched for answers but they couldn’t be found laying here on the rugged beach. Tanner peered back over to the mysterious shadows of the jungle.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just then the bushes near them shook. Noises came from the darkness of the jungle. The shaking of the bushes and trees became more vigorous; the noises became louder.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“We need to get away from here now. We need to move quickly,” announced Emily as all three women and Tanner stared towards the jungle.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">“It’s too late for that,” replied Tanner. He was mesmerized by the thought of what lay beyond the shadows of the jungle.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Suddenly the shadows were broken and the jungle erupted with movement and a blaring grunt.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The women looked at each other and nodded. No talking was necessary to know what needed to be done. Run.

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