by Alan Spencer
"She loved me," Pierce argued. "It could've worked; we could've kept trying. We were happy. She would've been my wife if she hadn't died."
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Shark said. "It never would've worked anyway."
"One day," Hard Case said, "she would've had to end it. Deny it all you want."
Skeeter went for the throat. "It doesn't matter. She's dead, you're going to be dead, so why think about such things?"
Pierce's blood boiled. He flew into a rage. "Fuck you all! Why do I keep seeing you people? Get out of my head! Get the fuck out of my head!!!"
Pierce was sobbing hard. He couldn't get over Angel. They would've made it work. They loved each other. But it didn't matter. She was dead. Burned up in the plane wreck, and gone forever.
The real issue was the most complex.
How could he move on with his life after Angel died?
The grief came to him in a flood.
"I have to stop feeling sorry for myself. This isn't the right way to deal with grief. I can't keep talking to dead people. It's not healthy. It's not sane. Get out of my head, and stay out of my head. I have to take this island on my way."
The mercenaries vanished.
Angel appeared for a moment before hiding into the abyss of Pierce's mind.
"You're right, Pierce. You must solve your own problems now. It doesn't mean I don't love you. You must find Susan, and somehow stay alive."
When Angel disappeared, Pierce sobbed some more before falling into an exhausted sleep.
Fever Dreams
Pierce suffered fever dreams. He relived parts of his life in an overwhelming onslaught of horror. Pierce was surrounded by flames as he turned over the pieces of a wrecked plane. The flesh on his arms and back were singed. The rage of flames intensified, as did the pain of first-degree burns advancing into second degree. He kept digging and digging, and all he came up with was more flames, and gasoline-soaked wreckage. Angel was in there somehow, buried. Pierce kept burning, and burning, and burning until he looked down at both of his hands. They were bared to blackened skeleton.
Then Pierce was in an empty boxcar. He was checking out leads on a case as a private detective. Pierce was supposed to track Sarah Paulson's husband to determine if he was cheating on her. He followed Mr. Paulson to an empty boxcar in the downtown part of the city. It was then Pierce realized the figure was actually Sarah Paulson, dressed in a trench coat inside the boxcar. When Pierce entered the boxcar, she was undressing herself down to nothing. Sarah tweaked her nipple, and threw her head back to tempt the detective into a fling. The whole job had been a sexual game for Sarah. Her husband wasn't cheating on her. She was cheating on him. This much had happened in real life, but what the fever dream added was the heart beating on the outside of her body. The muscle pumped fresh spurts of hot blood down her naked breasts and body.
Pierce was thrown from that horrible vision to another. He was knocking on a door belonging to an apartment building. His job was to locate a missing teenager for two concerned parents. They weren't sure if she was a runaway, or if she had been abducted by somebody four days ago. Pierce was tracing her last steps, and was about to talk to the missing girl's boyfriend, when the door he was about to knock on shot open. It was Willy, and he lunged for Pierce. Both hands were wrapped around Pierce's throat. He couldn't breathe. The life was slowly leaving him as every process in his body was constricted.
"Choke and die! Nobody one-ups Willy! Nobody nobody nobody!"
Pierce removed his .38 pistol from his holster, and emptied bullet after bullet after bullet into Willy's midsection. Willy only laughed as his guts were torn up by hot lead.
"You can't kill ol' Willy! I'm going to choke you to death, and then I'm going to feed you to those cannibals! Fresh meat! I'll cut your dick off, and feed it to them! Then your balls. I can't wait to hear them pop in their mouths!"
Still choking, everything was going dim in Pierce's eyes. All he could see were crosscuts of Willy's face in the darkness. Somewhere, a light beam half-painted the madman's face. From a flashlight maybe, he thought. Pierce wasn't sure what to make of it, he was paralyzed under the powerful weight of Willy's body. No way to save himself. Both of Willy's hands squeezed so hard Pierce thought the man meant to rip off his head.
"Maybe I won't feed you to the cannibals," Willy rasped. "There are no rules here on this island. A body's a body, right? A shame to waste it. A man can do a lot with a corpse. I like to play games. Yeah...I think I'll keep your corpse, Pierce. I'll invade every part of you before I feed you to the things out there."
When Willy shouted "YES! DIE!" The man's eyeball fired out of the socket like a bullet from a pop gun. The eyeball did three bounces, and dangled on a pink string. Willy released Pierce's throat. Pierce surged awake from his dream state.
But it wasn't a dream state!
Pierce was sucking in air to save his life for real. Thinking fast, he located a loose rock, and smashed it against the side of Willy's head. Willy was still balancing the orb with two hands when the stone's blow forced him through the wall of falling water. Willy splashed down into the water on the other side.
Pierce located the source of light: an industrial flashlight. He picked it up, and moved to the side of the waterfall to look out at the water. He scanned the light in every direction. Willy was gone. He couldn't believe how close he came to dying.
You have to snap out of it. You can't go to pieces now. There has to be more people like Willy out there. It's not safe. Get your head out of your ass.
Pure darkness painted the jungle. He clutched the flashlight, but what good would that be in finding food and water? Whether it be Willy, or some other psycho who worked on the island, or the jungle itself, he was in the crosshairs of everything.
Pierce listened to the water crash down. He heard nothing from Willy. Pierce wasn't sure what to do now in the dark of night. It wasn't until he turned around that the light caught something very important.
A Helpful Clue
The wadded up hiking pack was covered in splashes of dried up blood, but that didn't stop Pierce from searching its contents. He located a canteen of water and drank gratefully from it. He also located a protein bar, and ate it slowly so as not to make himself sick. The food and water lifted his spirits instantly. There was a pair of binoculars and a pad of paper. He searched the pad of paper, reading the pages of notations about the island. It didn't take long for Pierce to realize this was Lee Branch's hiking pack.
The notebook explained how Lee's boat was attacked by masked individuals who gunned down his crew. Lee was alone, and his boat was sailing through fog aimlessly until he reached the island. Lee escaped a group of persons who tried to take him captive. He was attacked by everything Pierce had experienced so far. The last page was the sketch of a crude map. It showed Pierce's position at the waterfall. If he went down a trail headed east for a mile, he would run smack into an electrified fence that led into a base.
In the notes, Lee described the base as an unknown place of operations. What, or who, resided in the building, Lee couldn't say. The man had guesses. They were living quarters for the workers who maintained and secured the island. It was also a business office and a facility that dumped and stored illegal chemicals on the island. Whatever else went on here, Lee wanted to find out.
Judging by the blood on the pack, Lee was located before he could answer any of the questions on his mind.
Where did Lee and Susan get their information on the island? He didn't remember Susan ever telling him their source. Pierce couldn't help but think this was a trap for groups who might get caught up in their illegal business. From what Susan told him, the bottom of The Green Project was starting to give. The cause was near its breaking point. This secret island had the backing of some very powerful people who would love for The Green Project to be terminated.
What am I supposed to do against them? Pierce thought. The enormity of the problem for one man was impossible to dissect in his prese
nt situation.
I can't expose what's happening here. That's the thing. Let's pretend you locate Susan, get the hell off of this island, and somehow return home. Who would we tell that could help us? There would be so many roadblocks and assassins out there to keep the island a secret. You will never see the end of it until they kill you.
No, I can't leave this island. I can't run away and live happily ever after. That's been squashed.
Okay, I can't run from them. I have to destroy their base. I have to make it impossible for them to come after me.
I have to take out everything on this island.
Skeeter, Shark, and Hard Case appeared in the flashlight's glow. They didn't say a word. This time, they regarded Pierce with respect. They agreed with Pierce's assessment.
Every bad guy had to die.
Pierce drank more water and allowed enough time for his body to recharge before he set out with the flashlight. He followed Lee's map to the perimeter fence.
Path in the Dark
The night was active with strange jungle noises. Pierce knew there were dinosaurs and cannibals out there waiting for the right opportunity to devour his ass. He didn't use the flashlight. Instead, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness enough so that he could take a slow trek to his destination.
Pierce stopped and stayed low to the ground. He crouched behind a tree when he heard the sound of tires rolling. The vehicle stopped about twenty yards ahead of him. The jeep's headlights painted the jungle with blue-white light, and the two men in painter's suits were combing the area with a giant spotlight. They were talking about Pierce, then their talk strayed to Willy.
"Willy hasn't reported back in an hour. Either he's playing with himself, or the asshole got himself eaten. Wouldn't be the first time we lost one of our best in something's stomach.
"Hey, if we have time, you know where that velociraptor's nest is? We should set it on fire. Or how about we shock the shit out of the un-hatched eggs with electricity until they explode? That passes the long nights."
"There's time for that shit later. We need to find that guy on the run. He's out there somewhere."
"Unless he got eaten."
"Willy reported having seen the intruder near here. The bastard wouldn't say where, he wanted the guy to himself. Willy's probably just having himself a good old time while we're busting out backs trying to track down his ass."
"We can have fun too. Fuck Willy. Let's blow up some eggs."
"You know what? You're right. We deserve some fun too."
Pierce crouched lower to the earth when the light crossed over near where he hid. The light continued without stopping. After five more minutes, the two henchmen revved up their jeep, and drove somewhere else.
Pierce didn't waste a single moment. He kept moving in the direction the map instructed. Pierce was surprised how it was only a matter of minutes before the jungle thinned out, and he stood in front of the fence lined with barbed wire.
He could hear the hum of electricity.
Pierce couldn't jump the fence or cut the wire.
"Nice try," Skeeter said. "Looks like your plan to save the day has already collapsed."
Shark was meaner. "You could never be a mercenary. Sure, you're a private dick who can dig in trashcans and take pictures of cheating husbands, but you're no warrior. You're not a real man. Nice try. I'm sure if Angel was still around, she'd do it for you."
Hard Case agreed. "She always had bigger balls than you, man. I bet when you guys screwed, she was always on top. I bet you took it real good."
Pierce was breathing harder. His blood flowed fast with pent up rage. Pierce refused to bottle it up any longer.
"Why the fuck are you here? I'm tired of seeing you assholes. I'm only trying to do the right thing. Fuck you! I don't need you anymore. I don't want to die anymore, you hear me? I'm willing to fight for what's right. You haven't done a damn thing to help me. Angel's gone, and there's no bringing her back. I have to wake up and face reality. It wasn't my fault I couldn't save her, I nearly burned to death trying to rescue her. It's not my fault. I can't have her because she's gone, but it doesn't mean I have to die too!"
The mercenaries vanished. Then Angel appeared. She smiled at him. Tears gleamed in her eyes. "You finally said what you needed to say, Pierce. I'll always love you. Never forget that. Now go save Susan. I'll always be with you, but you're on your own now. Start a new life. You only live once, Pierce."
Angel drew him close, kissed him real hard like a lover, and disappeared.
Pierce had to take in the moment before returning to reality.
He stood in front of the fence with the night sounds of the jungle filling up the air with deadly possibilities.
The problem remained the same.
How could he save Susan?
Better yet, how was he going to get over the fence without frying his ass?
Pierce took several steps back to get a wider view of the fence. Beyond the barrier, he could see lights on inside the brick buildings.
All you have to do is get through that fence, and you can really start looking for answers.
Pierce was going to walk along the fence border and search for any breaks or ideas, when his foot hit something. He stubbed his toe. A surge of pain crawled up his foot like a hot coil.
Whatever it was, it was rock solid.
Pierce picked up a giant bone from a dinosaur. He clutched what looked to be a femur bone for several seconds before it hit him. He was on the ground on all fours, working like a wild man to get the job done. It would take hours to complete the job, Pierce knew, but he didn't care. He was going to dig under the fence to get to the other side.
Part Two: Susan's Big Day
Meet the Man
Susan Branch was standing naked in front of a mirror. The room was the size of a mall's changing room. She was covered in mean bruises along her arms where the hideous men had dragged her from the boat and forced her to hike three miles to their base. Susan could still see the henchmen's unnatural deformity. One man had no skull or skin along his forehead. She could see the man's glistening brains right through a sheath of active mucus. The other goon had two heads. The second head was poorly formed. Its head flesh was the color of a dirty root. The eyes were bloody cherries, and the lips were leathery meat. The head didn't speak, it drooled. The goons had delivered her through several empty hallways with closed off rooms to take her to this small chamber. There, she was told to change into new clothes. Those new clothes were a thin cloth hospital gown that tied at the back and a pair of shoes. She was a captive prisoner. What that truly meant, she would soon find out.
They told Susan to open the door after she had changed, so she opened the door and stood there. Only one of the goons remained in the hallway. That was the two-headed goon wearing a dark blue painter's uniform. He held an electric shock prod in one hand and a leather leash with a studded collar in the other.
On the man's breast, it read "Joey."
The gnarly root head didn't have a name.
"I'm going to put this on your neck, Mrs. Branch. You don't like it, take it up with the boss. Care to take it up with me, I'll jam this shock rod up your ass. My other head wants me to stick it up somewhere else. He's into that kinky shit. Who knows what I'll do when the time comes? If you want to find out, try me, lady."
Susan didn't say a word.
Joey slipped the leather collar around Susan's neck. The goon gripped the leash in his free hand. "Okay, Mrs. Branch. You walk in front of me. Keep a nice pace. Don't try anything funny." He pressed a button on the shock prod. It crackled with a fresh burst of electricity. "Or this goes inside of you. Tell me you understand, and you will obey. Say those exact words, Mrs. Branch."
"I understand," Susan said nervously. "I will obey."
"Very good," Joey said. "Both of us like you very much. I think we'll later become better acquainted. Second head thinks you're very pretty...and I think the same."
Gee thanks, you sick fuck.
I'm so honored.
Susan knew she was alone in this endeavor. Her father explained how these people were nothing more than criminals, and would conduct themselves in a lawless manner. Whatever illegal work occurred on this island, these henchmen were given a certain freedom to do as they wished. That included doing heinous things to the people they held captive.
She had to start thinking about protecting herself. Nobody was here to save her. Pierce Range was dead. He was the first to go down. Pierce was a beacon of false hope; he had disappointed her. Three years ago, Susan thought he was bulletproof, the way he dispatched her kidnappers. That didn't hold true to the present.
Pierce is no better than a washed up drunk.
I can't believe I thought he could help us.
The rest of the team fared no better. Joey and his henchmen friend sent Lords, Staff, and Berkley loose on the island. Joey said they were heading straight to the cannibal area. Whatever that meant, Susan still didn't know. The henchmen only laughed as the members of The Green Project faced certain death.
Susan was taking steps down a hallway now. Everything was clean and sterile. The screams from the other rooms was disconcerting. They weren't human screams. Susan couldn't pinpoint what could've made those horrible sounds. They were high pitched, and unleashing levels of pain unknown to her life's experience.
"You're wondering what those noises are coming from outside? Call it our second security system. Sure, we have an electrified fence around our base, but this is more of a psychological attack on our enemies. What you're hearing are the tortured screams of dinosaurs. We've got areas outside the base designated to showcase our superiority."
Susan was afraid to say the man was crazy, and that dinosaurs were long ago extinct. What she was hearing could've easily represented a tortured monster's plea for it all to end, but she refused to believe what the man was telling her.