Josh+C

Joshua Columbus ** Island ** ** Chapter 1: The Crash ** Finally, I can relax. This vacation to New Zealand is going to be fantastic. As my second in flight movie “__Predators__” begins, the stewardess asks if I want a drink; I decline, but ask for a roast beef sandwich. After dry, tasteless, military rations for several months even everyday food tastes delicious. Quickly, the intensity of the movie rises; the protagonist realizes he is being stalked by an invisible predator so he bolts for his life, pushing himself to his limits. I can almost feel his heart beat and all of the sudden I feel the aircraft shaking! Consequently, the seatbelt light illuminates and the oxygen masks descend from the ceiling. “What’s happening?” I hear myself say, in an out-of-body kind of way. My answer came sooner than I thought it would, and the gravity of the words takes me off guard. “We are experiencing air turbulence; brace yourself for impact!” My survival instincts take command and everything is a blur. I grapple for my carry-on luggage and the life jacket. All the storage compartments burst and luggage rains down. I feel something, probably a small suitcase, attack me on the head, but my adrenaline is pumping so hard it doesn’t affect me and I cannot sense the blood trickle down my head. It finally happens. The plane collides with the water. Things and people (including me), fly all around the cabin. My roller coaster ride eventually terminates and the world spins around crazily until it fades out. Pain, stinging my arm, my head, and my whole body causes me to wake up. I have no idea where I am, but then it all comes back to me: the plane, the shaking, hitting the water. Questions fill my mind. How did I survive? Where could I be? A quick look through the window fills in the blanks. The plane landed in a coral reef, which stopped the plane from sinking. The coral reef is beautiful and the water is topaz blue. In the distance I notice a tropical island. I make the decision to head toward the island as fast as possible. As I turn away from the window, the condition of the plane shocks me. Dead bodies are strewn everywhere and the entire plane is turned upside down. It appears everyone is dead, but I check their pulses on their wrists anyway. No pulses found – all are dead. The emergency hatch is open, so my hopes begin to rise. Perhaps someone has survived this tragedy? Have they made it to the island? I collect my bag, which contains rations, my firearm, some other things I might find advantageous, and head out to my future on the island. If my situation were different, I think I might enjoy my time on the island, because all colours of the rainbow are found here. Birds in varying hues of red, and yellow are flying above the coconut laden trees. I pull myself away from the beauty of my temporary residence and focus on surviving and to see if there are any signs of life on this island. I decided the first thing to do is to find the highest spot on the island to scope it out. To the left side of the island I observe a volcano, the view from there is probably the best, so I start my trek to the summit. I’ve been walking for three hours and am almost there. The volcano towers over me, blocking out the sun and almost everything else. I notice something at the base; it looks like a cave so why not explore that for potential shelter? On the inside of the cave it’s inky black, but I can make out some drawings on the side of the wall. Together, they make what looks like a map of the island. On the map I can make out the volcano, a bay, beaches, and a body of water separating a large part of the island from the smaller part. I decide that I should head over the bay; it doesn’t seem that far away. As soon as I get to the bay, my heart skips a beat. There is a camp – what a welcome sight! Someone has set up a tent made crudely from a tarp, and there are ashes from a recently extinguished fire. I realize I have gotten too excited, too early. What if this is a hostile camp? Rapidly, I get rid of my tracks and hide in the forest, waiting for the people to return so I can determine whether they are friends or foes. The sun is setting when two women appear on the beach. They don’t look like a threat, but I remain hidden for just a little longer, just in case. The dark-skinned females start their fire and cook something I can’t recognize. Suddenly, hunger overtakes me, and I’m reminded that I haven’t eaten since the crash. How long was I unconscious? One day? Two or three? That’s it, the decision is made – hunger overrules safety this moment. “Hello,” I begin, trying not to sound threatening. My efforts were in vain, for they jump up in the air as if they’ve seen a ghost. Without hesitating, the ladies reach for a weapon and I try to back peddle to explain my appearance. “I’m from the plane that crashed; aren’t you too?” I think I recognize them from the flight, and hope they acknowledge me or else I may have to defend myself, and that would not go well for them. After they hear what I said, they quickly turn their backs to me and whisper amongst each other. A minute ticks by, and finally they reply, “Yeah, we were on that flight that crashed, but we’ve been here for two days!” “Two days?!” I exclaim, “I just woke up this morning and have not eaten anything since the crash; do you mind sharing some food with me?” They generously give me what I need so desperately, and my hunger is satisfied with roasted coconut. We share our stories, our backgrounds, and what had transpired since the crash. Afterwards, we discuss ways to survive on this island. My first idea is to keep the signal fire going, just in case a ship or plane passes by. We decide to take shifts; everybody has one two and a half hour shift during the night. I get the last shift, from 5-7:30 a.m.   I fall into a deep sleep, but awaken when one of the girls tell me, “It’s your turn to watch.” I go to the warm, glowing, fire but my eyes do not want to stay open and it is a struggle to stay awake. Eventually I succumb to the temptation of slumber and return to my dreams. It seems as if only a few moments have passed when I am stolen away from my sweet dreams to the sound of two ladies screaming: “Our camp is on fire!” ** Chapter 2: Forest of the Dead ** Trees are eaten alive by the consuming monster of orange and yellow flames. The girls frantically gather their few possessions then sprint as fast as they can away from the fire. Instinctively, I seize the tarp and try to beat the flames out with it. The air is hot and I feel my face burn. I push through the pain and continue my firefighting. Out of the corner of my eye I spot something move. The girls already left, and animals would have surely been scared away from the fire, so what could it have been? I send these thoughts to the far reaches of my mind because I need full concentration if I am to win this fight against this monster. Sooner than I expect, the fire goes out, and I finally have a chance to take inventory of the damage. Approximately seven trees are blackened with ash, and the frames of the makeshift lean-tos are charred. With my trained eye I pick out the trail of debris and try to trace it back to our cooking fire that I so unprofessionally abandoned while sleeping. But I can’t. There is nothing burnt around the fire pit and there is not even a flicker. Then it dawns on me…our little cooking fire could not have caused this destruction. It was at least ten feet away from the vegetation and well protected by rocks; there is no chance flames could have spread. I would have died from burns, as I was right beside it. It was no accident; someone had to have done it on purpose! Suddenly, I remember the cave in the volcano. What if someone inhabits that dark place? Someone must have drawn the map of the island on the cave walls, and what if that person is still alive? I have to check…I have to know who started that fire. While walking through the forest toward the cave, I listen to the many sounds of the mysterious tropical paradise. Toucans “caw” in the distance and monkeys swish through the trees, pulling on vines as they screech. Then, an unexpected sound: “Ptu-ng!” “What was that?!” Before I can answer my audible question I hear it again. “Ptung, ptung….thump!” The thump occurs directly behind me. I turn, and embedded in the tree, quivering back and forth is an arrow. I duck for cover and pull out my gun, as now I fear for my life. My eyes dart everywhere surveying the scene, searching for any sign of my enemy. Although I can’t see him, I assume he sees my gun, as I do not hear any more movements. My mind recalls a similar situation. I was on a reconnaissance mission that was supposed to be top level security, but someone had leaked and my squad was ambushed. We were ransomed, and we all lived, but I felt terrible my country had to pay for my mistake. I swore nothing like that would ever happen to me again. With renewed vigor I hop from tree to tree slowly inching closer to where I thought the arrow came from. The feeling of invincibility comes over me as I search for the enemy. The sound of crinkling leaves behind a tree is music to my ears. Instantly I know it is the enemy. I put a solid shot from my gun into the tree and say: “Put down your weapon and come out from behind the tree with your hands behind your head.” Nobody responds, so I put two more shots into the tree again and repeat. The silence is deafening, and now I grow increasingly impatient, so I yell: “If you don’t come out now I am going to….” “You’re not going to do anything!” Chills come over me as I hear a raspy voice. I feel the enemy breathing down my neck and in a lightning quick maneuver I spin around and deliver a kick to the enemy’s legs. I look down at what I’ve done and I am very shocked. It’s a woman! She is wearing ripped sack cloth, vivid paint designs cover her face and piercings in her nose and ears give her a tribal appearance. I remember her weapon and I focus on her as a danger. She may limp for the next several days, but she is still a threat. I back away slowly, planning my exit, but she moans. “Don’t leave me here!” her voice calls out, “I can be useful to you.” “And how can that be?” I challenge her.

“I know everything about this island. You cannot survive without knowing what I know,” she boasts. “Like what?” I query. “Like where the fresh water is located, or where the trees are that have the most fruit, and where shelter is.” I tie her hands up and push her forward as I mutter: “You better be useful and not try to hurt me again, otherwise, I’ll leave you on the top of the volcano.” Though I lost my sense of direction, I decide to take the lead, and head north, I think. After about an hour the trail seems less worn and soon I hear trickling water flow. Before I can set foot into the welcome sight of a river, she cries out, as if her life depended on it: “Beware! Don’t set foot in this river! On the other side is the forest of the dead!” ** Chapter 3: Traps **

“Forest of the dead? What kind of freak are you?” I yell at her.

“I speak the truth, and the peril that lies ahead cannot be Comprehended,” she whispers.

All of a sudden, off in the distance, amidst a barrage of sounds, I hear a scream of terror and instantly I realize that someone is in danger. Could it be one of the girls? Do I go after them? I remember the piercing warning of the witch doctor and weigh my options. There is no choice but to take a chance and try to help them escape from whatever caused them to scream. I start to leave but resistance tugs at the rope attaching me to the witch doctor.

“What are you doing? Did you not heed my warning? Do you want to walk to your death?” she warns.” The Forest of the Dead does not have mercy on anyone that trespasses its borders.” She shook her head in disbelief toward my actions and began chanting something in a strange language. She would not come with me and she would be a liability if I let her go, so I bind her wrists and feet securely to the trunk and roots of a jungle giant which overshadows us. I am now free to pursue rescuing whoever is out there screaming and I lunge through the murky shallow waters that I must cross to reach the forest of the dead.

The screaming has now become a faint echo but the direction it emanated from is still clear in my mind and that direction guides my every move. As I near my destination, the sounds of the forest canopy ring out in a deafening silence. The jungle that is normally teeming with life has become paralyzed. All seems still except for the sound of lamenting weeping from which the source is now apparent. Crouched over, I see one of the girls rocking back and forth observing something in complete horror.

“What happened? Who was screaming? Was that you?” I investigate.

No response. She just keeps her pendulum-like rocking; then I realize she isn’t just staring out at space, but at something in particular. I stand right behind her so I can see from her perspective…she is staring at a hole in the ground. I have no idea how I didn’t see it earlier. It is a decent sized hole that is cleverly hidden in the foliage, only visible from certain angles. Still, it is strange that she is so fixated on the hole. I walk closer to the hole, carefully, so as not to fall in, and more of the hole is revealed. At first, the tips of pointed spears standing straight up appear, lying underneath are dead animal bodies. Observing the animals, I wonder if perhaps this is a hunting trap that the witch doctor used.

“This is probably why she didn’t want me to go up here, to keep me safe from the hunting traps.” But quickly, this idea is obliterated from my mind, because my eyes have tracked the hole even further down and I see not only animal, but human remains shish-ka-bobbed on the spears. One of the spears holds something recognizable to me; actually //somebody// I know – it’s the body of the other girl! I take more specific notice of my surroundings and note traps everywhere, intricately crafted and expertly hidden in trees. Now I get it – this is the witch doctor’s hunting ground; she is not hunting animals, she is hunting people! There are a myriad of traps for any trespasser on her island. It is clear she is out to kill and she intentionally manipulates everything to accomplish her deadly goal. Did she use reverse psychology to get me here?

All the incidents of the past couple of days haunt me and quickly I rehearse them in my mind to see if I can somehow mentally get ahead of this evil creature. Surely, if she ever had a shred of human decency, it was gone long ago. How could I not have seen her as a more serious threat before? She did shoot an arrow at me. I have had enough; it is time no longer to be the prey. The hunt is on!

Swiftly, I run to the girl to see if she can help me get the witch doctor, but she is an emotional wreck. I tell her to get out of the Forest of the Dead as hastily as possible and to keep her eyes out for traps.

She snaps out of her state and objects, “No, don’t leave me. I can be of use to in catching the witch doctor.”

I start to head out of the forest and it occurs to me that I may have underestimated the witch doctor and she’s probably able to escape somehow from the bonds I tied her in. My plan will be to use her traps against her, and hope that the girl is useful enough to help me out. I survey the traps the witch doctor set earlier, and cover the holes, so she doesn’t know if she has really caught anything. Then I work on setting similar traps for the witch doctor on the path leading to where she is supposed to be tied up against the tree. Silently I dig. Quietly I make rope out of thin branches as I see she has done. My accomplice helps in whatever way she can. She takes her turn making ropes, and creating a surface of foliage to hide the traps and give the appearance of peaceful forest paths.

Of course, I have a gun, and I will not hesitate to use it, but the witch is wiley and it would feel so satisfying to get her at her own game. How many people’s bodies has she desecrated? Perhaps others from my plane crash have already been taken. We wait, having set many traps, quietly in the heights of the dense forest.

It doesn’t take long and we hear a shrill cantation, no doubt from the witch doctor. She is obviously free, uttering curses and running like the wind, searching for her prey. From our vantage point, she looks so small. Suddenly, she stops and does a double take on the trail, staring straight at one of our traps, no doubt wondering how it got there. I break into a cold sweat as she creeps closer to our trap. Left, right, left, right, around the trap she steps!

One after another, she successfully avoids all the traps we made. With an air of confidence she backs away from yet another snare, only to step…into…the very same trap she had made with her own hands that we had covered up earlier. Through the spear her body plummeted, landing on top of the girl that she had murdered! Pierced to death by her own creation.

