Zach+K

Zach K

**Scavenge** chapter one The Awakening Maverick awoke to the grotesque sound of his own violent cough. Gasping for air he opened his eyes and the sun immediately scorched his pupils. He cringed in pain. As he awkwardly rolled from his back to his stomach his bruised up hands stretched down to grasp the burning sand. With tremendous effort Maverick hoisted himself onto his hands and knees, and his clouded mind reflected on the situation. Maverick could hear the sounds of waves crashing against the sand. He finally came to remember where he was and with that he came to recall the previous events that had taken place. He remembered the war, the terrible terrible war nobody wanted to be a part of. He remembered the mission, and how he was so reluctant to accept. He remembered the intense vicious dogfight between him and the cunning Japanese pilots. He remembered the terrifying horrible crash. The squeal of bending metal was still fresh in his mind. The worst memory was the panic-filled fight he had, struggling with the ocean to salvage his wreckage. The plane sank and carried him to the abyss, and he had worked hard to secure some key items and escape. He was then helplessly hurled onto the beach by the merciless waves. Maverick focused on the present situation. He looked left then right and could see nothing but a few miles of white sand slowly dissipating into a thick and savage jungle. At the heart of the island there seemed to be an intimidating mountain towering over the tree top canopy with authority. Squinting, Maverick attempted to see what was at the top of the mountain. His eyes failed him, and so he decided he eventually needed to go to the mounts peak to get an understanding of the island. Maverick took a few steps forward and awkwardly crashed to the ground. Looking at his feet, he saw they were tangled in the rope he had managed to bring to shore from his wreckage. A rush of excitement consumed him as he remembered and started searching for the rest of his belongings he had brought to shore. He found his knife, first-aid kit, and tarp, but not his pocket mirror. Desperately Maverick searched around and when he had almost given up, noticed the uncomfortable bulge in his pocket. Slowly, his hand dug into his pocket and with a sigh of relief he pulled out the small mirror. It was nearly noon now, and with his items safely in his possession he decided he would head out for the mountain. The equipment was heavy and wet, so he dropped everything but his knife onto the beach and marked the sand with a large “x”. Then with a hesitant stride Maverick set out into the thick jungle on his journey. What he had expected to be an active environment full of wildlife turned out to be a dull empty undergrowth populated only by coconut trees and miscellaneous bushes. The jungles lack of life gave him confidence. With caution and curiosity Maverick made his way through what seemed to be miles of unexplored undergrowth. The trek was fairly easy. Finally he came to the base of the mountain. It seemed to be a giant rock and was completely bare of any vegetation. The climb up didn’t look to bad but the decent would be difficult and challenging. The sun was beating down without mercy and with a sudden burst of determination Maverick decided to get the climb over with. Maverick was young, and had an abundance of strength and energy. Looking up at the upcoming challenge he cracked his knuckles. He began scaling the mountain with ease but slowly fatigue took over. His advancement was crippled, and he was overcome with exhaustion. Maverick refused to give up, though, and managed to reach the peak. As he pulled himself onto the peak, he noticed the ground was level and had the characteristics of a nest. Maverick looked around the small area and all he could find was bird droppings. With a puzzled look he wondered where the birds were. The question soon left his mind as he gazed over the mountain side and surveyed the island. The island seemed to be in the shape of a wishbone with the mountain at the intersection. The island seemed large enough that total exploration would be impossible but small enough that the island would be insignificant to the world. The thought humbled Maverick, for he too was now insignificant to the world.

chapter two Bird of Prey Agitated with his findings, Maverick descended the mountain in depression. The coarse stone felt aggressive to his hands, as if the whole island was angry at his sudden presence. Sweat dripped down Maverick's brow and he became aware of his strong thirst. Maverick had no idea how he was going to get water and became overwhelmed in frustration over his situation. Maverick pitied himself for being stranded. The pity grew towards anger. Why had he been so stupid as to climb the mountain? He had no water, no food, and no means of contacting the civilized world. I'm going to die a stupid death on this stupid island," he muttered. Maverick became furious at himself. Blinded by his uncontrolled rage, Maverick lost his footing and began to tumble down the remainder of the mountain. When he arrived at the bottom, he was on his back in front of a coconut tree gasping for air. the fall had knocked the wind out of him. Maverick lay there moaning and groaning in pain and out of anger he yelled out and kicked the tree in front of him. The tree shook and a small coconut timidly fell beside him. he looked up through the trees and let out a sigh as he gazed at the clear sky. "This is the spot," he said out loud. "This is the spot where i will die".  Maverick continued to look at the sky when suddenly a shadow caught his eye. Something had flown over the trees and was descending near him. In a painful struggle Maverick was able to sit up and lean his back against a nearby rock. The tree leaves rustled as something broke through the canopy. When Maverick looked over he saw an enormous vulture sitting on the ground, eying him down. The birds cold beady eyes stared into Maverick's. "What are you looking at!" shouted Maverick. The bird didn't even flinch and was clearly not intimidated by the roar. Curiously, the bird moved towards Maverick. Maverick's rage turned to fear. He was still in pain and exhausted from his fall. He could feel his mind drifting off. Struggling to remain conscious, Maverick used his last remaining strength to grab a coconut that had fallen and hurl it at the vulture. Maverick's eyes failed him, and he began to black out. The last thing his mind could process was the terrifying sound of a shaken coconut tree. He had missed. The projectile had gone by the bird and bounced off a tree. The impact shattered the fruit and juices went everywhere. *  Maverick awoke slowly. The sun was setting in the sky casting a calming pink light over the island. Although his body ached he felt a lot better. Like a car engine on a winter morning his muscles slowly eased to life. They cracked and popped as he stood up and stretched. Maverick was feeling confident since he was alive and the vulture was nowhere to be seen. The feeling passed as he was reminded of his thirst. His small victory over death was short lived and he sighed deeply. A part of Maverick wished that the bird would have eaten him alive in his sleep so as to spare him the long drawn-out death of dehydration. His mind was going mad, and he decided to go drink the sea water on the beach. As he started to stumble towards the ocean, he noticed the coconut fragments from where he had hit the tree. The ground was damp around the debris. Maverick realized the answer to his thirst was all around him and he began to violently shake the trees. The fruit was falling all around him and he pulled out his pocket knife. Maverick stabbed a hole in the bottom of a fruit. The juice poured out and he drank deep. Maverick threw the empty shell down and began to laugh with joy as he opened another. chapter three Pink Sky Maverick drank numerous coconuts. When he was finished with the juice, he would devour the meat. With his thirst quenched and his hunger satisfied he felt renewed. He decided it was time to find a shelter in case it rained. Calmly, Maverick patrolled the parimeter of the mountain’s foundation in search of any nook or cranny that seemed welcoming. Maverick quickly found a wide cave, and decided it would do. He then set out to the seashore in search of his buried belongings. *  With his items in the cave, Maverick hastily lit a fire using the few remaining rays of sun and his pocket mirror. For the first time since arriving on the island things were going well for him. He was in shelter and had a fire, food, and water. His mind was at peace, and he brought the tarp over his body before drifting off to sleep. * When Maverick awoke he had one thing on his mind, rescue. Maverick decided he would construct a kite out of his tarp, rope, and bandage gauze from his medical kit to signal rescue. He began to fasten the four corners of the tarp together with gauze and then attach that to the rope. It was hard work; Maverick took extra precaution making sure it was perfect. The job was long and tedious; his only breaks came when he needed to refuel his body with juice. It was a rather windy afternoon, and after its completion, Maverick went down to the beach to test his kite. The blue tarp soared high in the sky. Maverick let out a cheer of joy, pleased in his success. Now all he had to do was wait. * Three long days dragged by as Maverick impatiently waited for a sign of civilization. For three long days Maverick awaited the moment he would be given an excuse to fly his kite. For three long days Maverick was disappointed. He sat on the sand from dawn till dusk, peering out at the endless ocean. It wasn’t until the third night that something unique happened. Maverick was sleeping in his cave when he was awoken by a sound. It was a horn, a deep bellowing horn. Maverick was confused at first, but then bolted up and grabbed his kite. It was still dark out, and Maverick could hardly see. He ran blindly into the blur that was the jungle. Breaking through to the beach, he desperately tried to make his kite fly, but it wouldn’t budge. Maverick looked out into the ocean and saw a ship about five hundred meters away. He cried out in frustration and began to sob as his kite dragged in the sand, refusing to cooperate. He was hopeless. His sob was drowned out as he heard vultures shout in the distance. Maverick panicked at the sight of his rescue leaving, and his mind exploded into thought. With an idea in mind, he sprinted back to his cave, back to his fire. As Maverick arrived at the cave, he noticed three figures sitting in front of it. When he got closer, he realized they were powerful vicious vultures. At first Maverick was intimidated, but his eyes narrowed and he went into a frenzy. His pace did not slow down as he picked up a smooth stone. He launched it at the smallest of the birds. The bird stood still as the rock smashed into him, and he accepted his fate and fell over dead. It was as if the smallest of the vultures had given up on fighting when it saw the opponent. Another of the vultures flew off in fear when it saw its comrade’s defeat. There was only one bird left. The remaining vulture was the biggest of the bunch, and upon viewing the death was enraged. The vulture took flight and began racing towards Maverick. The bird was furious and screeched out in anger. The bird’s rage was so great that its flight was uncontrollable. When Maverick ducked, the bird didn’t have enough time to react and stop; instead it flew head on into a tree and crashed to the ground in pain. The three vultures were defeated. Maverick ran to his fire and grabbed sticks engulfed in flame. He took them back to the beach and began to build a great fire. Maverick once again tried to fly his kite and this time he flew it over the fire. The hot updraft shot the kite into the pink early morning sky. Somebody on the boat saw him and a life raft began to make its way to the shore. Maverick climbed in. As he was taken to the large cargo ship he could hear the screeches of many vultures behind him. He did not look back and kept his eyes fixated on the destination, the ship. The screeching died down as he climbed onto the ship and finally he looked back at the island. What he saw was a lone bird, a white dove.