" Summer just got, a whole, lot, hotter."
...Year - 2042. A breakthrough in the scientific world. An island - a treasure trove of resources that were otherwise considered non-existent, hidden all these centuries behind a cloak of clouds has been dis...
"It's something wrong with the island, you mean?" Chad swipes over his band, working on something. "See, there's still time. Going to the forest is all kinds of danger." he tries to convince us. " We've talked this before. We are not staying back. Whatever might happen, we stay together, we stay alright." Ben says as if taking authority. I know he tends to be quiet more often, but when it comes to situations like this, he knows how to take a stand. I give him a slight nod.
Chad sighs lightly, giving up, "Whatever just happened, it can recur. So, stay alert. If anything goes wrong, connect me over the transmitter. Rhea, stay right behind. Don't go astray." "Alright. We're not 12-year-olds. We know what to do when." I say and get back in my seat.
In minutes we were already into deep woods. The canopy was so thick that daylight could barely reach the forest floor and over that sunlight here is rare because of the clouds that surround the island all the time.
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We continue going deeper inside in silence. The trees dripping with water, and some birds here and there call every once in a while. Regardless of all the life around, the place seemed eerily dead.
June suddenly speaks up, "Guys, I'm not sure if this thing is relevant or not but," she pauses for a moment, " I heard Mom talk to someone on the line about some core energy the other day," she says. We all pay attention to her, " What was it?" I ask.
" Well, I guess you'll judge me. I was basically eavesdropping on the conversation." "It's alright. Just what did you hear?" Ian asks.
"Okay, so I didn't hear it completely. But from the little I could it's something like this island has some, some kind of core energy and, that is getting weaker. And she sounded worried. So whatever it is, it definitely can't be good." She finishes.
" Core energy? You sure you heard that?" I give her a sceptical look. "Yeah. Do I look like I'm joking?" she says pointing her face. "Okay. Core energy. That's weakening. Why the concern? Did your mom leave because of that? Where did Zoe go? Was that an earthquake before? What triggered it? " Ian goes on as if listing down in his brain. " Just what do you think you're doing? " June asks curiously. " Only trying to join the dots, if that makes any sense." he answers.
" What did you just say?" I ask. " If that makes any sense?" " No. About the earthquake." "What triggered it?" Ian recalls. " Yeah. What usually triggers an earthquake?" I answer myself, "Either tectonic movement, or volcanic activity, or it can be induced due to collapse... of man-made structures too." I pensively look up at my band, " This place is unlikely to get tectonic movement. We lie in the Australian plate, quite away from the borders." I run some research, "Nope. Not volcanoes either. It leaves one option. A collapse."
" You're not forgetting the thing about that core energy, are you?" Ben asks me. "What can that have to do with a tremor?" I ask that more to myself than to Ben. " Of course it can. We only don't know about the whole thing." June opines, " We can ask Chad about it. He would know." " No. Don't tell him anything about all this." Ian says sternly. " But why?" " It would only give him another reason to tell us to not go." Ian reasons with her. " You have a point, but we can't keep things from him for long. He knows about this place better than us. He'd learn it, we tell him or we don't." I say pointing out the obvious. Ian looks straight at me in the eye for a few seconds, and then looks away. I could never tell what's on his mind.
" You all okay?" Chad's voice rings through the voice transmitter. " Yeah. All's well." I reply. " Maybe we could use a break. Give the pods a rest." he suggests. Sure, we've been on track for the last ninety minutes. I glance at the others for once to see if they approve it, " Okay." I respond. " Alright. I'm looking for a clearing. We get down there for a while." Chad instructs.
In ten minutes we find a clearing and get down. Only if the situation wasn't like this, I'd have called it a perfect holiday. All kinds of plants were around, grass, short shrub bushes, herbs and tall trees towering over us and the atmosphere though thick, was tranquil. A musty, heady smell of rotting leaves hung in the air. Tiny raindrops keep dripping ceaselessly, as we walk around a bit, without wandering away thanks to Chad being a perpetual reminder.
Nonetheless, I managed to evade his supervision and approach a tree with a beautiful vine growing around it. Its leaves were the size of my palm and were an elegant shade of red.
Breaking through the calm, suddenly, something roared from a distance. I could see the others in the clearing from where I was standing. Chad notices the sound first and looks around frantically probably searching for me. Finally, when he sees me, I look with a big question mark on my face at him. And in a fraction of seconds the ground trembles, and I hear thuds, closing up on me. I freeze and a suppressed grunt sounds from my right about six meters from me. Another growl this time closer. " What am supposed to do?" I lip Chad hoping he understands. " Keep as calm as possible and try not to move." he lips me back. " What is it?" I see June ask him " I'll tell you later." Chad indicates them to get on the pods. June and Ian being closer to Chad's pod, climb in and Ben gets on the other. Chad gestures me with his hand to slowly lie down and crawl back. I try but in vain, it sees me and charges at my direction. I look at Chad with a horrified expression and he lips, "Run to the pod." I dart to the nearest pod, the one June and Ian took. Chad tries to distract the creature towards him, opposite to our pod by moving his hands over his head. It's then that we get to catch a glimpse of the animal through the branches.
A reptile as big as three meters both height and length. Its body probably covered with rough scales, the colour was hard to tell. I could make out the head, longer than broad, set with slit like eyes on either sides of its head, no ears and sharp predator like teeth.
It halts for a moment, only about ten steps from the other pod. It lets out another growl and proceeds to chase that pod as Chad climbs in and it starts moving. I hear a faint scream, it's Chad, " What are you doing?" as if on reflex I start our pod, " Aria! " Ian snatches the controller from my hand. " It can sense motion. Do you want us dead?" Ian reproaches but I still try to get the controller back. " I don't want Ben and Chad dead as well." I try to defend myself knowing how lame I must sound, but still. " Come to your senses. That thing, its a predator. It notices you and consider yourself dead." Ian shakes me by my shoulders.
In a few more seconds the thuds of its footsteps fade away, and we're left in silence.
I sink to the floor of the pod with my back against its wall. " I've let everyone down again, haven't I?" My voice whispers. " Maybe we should go back and come with more people." June says sitting beside me and grasping my hand. " What about them? And Zoe? I can bet we won't get much help if we go back." I say getting up. " I say we.." and I'm cut off by the familiar roar followed by the the thuds of footsteps closing on us. " We need to go." I complete the sentence, take back the controller and start to drive, " Go before it sees us and somewhere it won't find us." Ian says looking back to check if it already noticed our movement. " Shit! Faster Aria, faster." It has seen us.
