Night on Terror Island

by Philip Caveney

  ‘So how’s Terror Island?’

  ‘Huh?’ For a moment, Kip had the impression that Dad could somehow see where he was. Then he realised, he was only talking about the film. ‘Oh … right! We’ve had a great first night. Packed out, very nearly a full house.’

  ‘That’s excellent news,’ said Dad. ‘I was worried takings were going to drop.’

  ‘I told you it would do well,’ said Kip. This felt weird. He was walking along a jungle trail, pushing his way through overhanging leaves and vines, and he was making small talk with his dad. Meanwhile, Rose was getting further and further away. ‘Look, Dad, I really need to get on,’ he said.

  ‘Get on with what?’

  ‘Er … somebody spilled popcorn in the foyer. I need to tidy it up.’

  ‘All right. Just stick Rose on for a moment, OK?

  ‘Er … right.’ Kip looked over his shoulder at Beth and beckoned to her to catch up with him. ‘OK, Dad, I’m putting Rose on now,’ he announced. He held the phone out to Beth. She was shaking her head and making gestures with her hands that said, No way! Kip covered the phone with his hand for a moment, still staring intently at Beth. ‘You’ve got to,’ he whispered. Then he raised his voice slightly. ‘Rose,’ he said, ‘Dad just wants a quick word with you.’ He thrust the phone into Beth’s hand. She lifted the handset to her ear as though it was a bomb that might go off at any moment. Kip heard a tiny insect-like voice as Dad asked a question.

  Beth looked like she was walking on broken glass. When she spoke it was in a squeaky little voice that sounded, Kip thought, not so much like Rose but a constipated fairy.

  ‘I’m fine, Daddy.’ she squeaked. ‘No, we weren’t watching the film. I hate scary films.’

  Dad’s voice said something else.

  ‘Oh yes, we’re having a lovely time. I’ve been doing some colouring in. What do you mean, I sound different? I’m not different. Well, I’m not. No, I’m just the same as ever. Honestly.’ A pause. ‘Oh, all right then. Kip? Daddy wants to speak to you.’ Beth thrust the handset back at Kip, looking daggers at him. He lifted it to his ear.

  ‘Er … yes, Dad?’

  ‘What’s wrong with Rose?’

  Kip swallowed.

  ‘Nothing. She’s fine.’

  ‘She sounds funny.’

  ‘Do you think so? Well, I’m not laughing. She’s making me miss the film.’

  ‘Yeah, don’t start on about that. Anyway, I should be back around ten-thirty for the end of the movie.’

  ‘That’s fine, Dad,’ said Kip. ‘You take as long as you need.’

  Just then the Communicator on his hip began to flash.

  ‘Look, Dad, I’ve got to go. Somebody’s come out for more popcorn.’

  ‘OK. Catch you later.’

  Kip rang off on the mobile and pressed the button on the Communicator.

  ‘How are things progressing?’ asked Mr Lazarus in his earpiece.

  ‘Not great. I just had a phone call from Dad in Blackburn. I answered it without even thinking.’

  ‘Oh dear. Do you think he suspected anything?’

  ‘I just about got away with it … But never mind about that! We missed Rose on the beach. She’s already left. Now we’re walking along some kind of trail. Can you see us?’

  ‘No. I’m further on into the film, watching Rose and the others. They’re on the same trail I think, but further along it. I did warn you about the editing. The film must have jumped to a new scene just as you were touching down.’

  ‘Well, what should we do?’

  ‘Keep moving. If you step up the pace, hopefully you’ll catch up with her before too long. Rose is with a blonde woman, who seems to be looking after her.’

  ‘That’ll be Kara Neetly, I suppose. OK, you’d better ring off. Call me if anything comes up.’

  ‘I will. Good luck.’ The Communicator went dead. Kip glanced at Beth. ‘Bit creepy in here,’ he observed, but she didn’t reply. The trail was getting narrower and the jungle seemed to crowd in around them. There were sounds here, the rhythmic chirruping of insects, and a kind of hypnotic croaking sound.

  ‘What’s that noise?’ asked Kip nervously.

  ‘Tree frogs, I think,’ said Beth. ‘You get them in jungles.’ She watched a lot of nature documentaries and prided herself on knowing about this kind of stuff. She was looking around, her expression one of delight. ‘This is amazing,’ she said. ‘I always wanted to go into a jungle. What country do you think we’re in?’

  Kip didn’t have the first idea. He was leading the way, peering along the narrow track, which twisted and turned through the thick ranks of vegetation. It was almost unbearably hot in here, a sweltering humid fug that made trickles of sweat run down his spine. It was also, despite the full moon, a lot darker than it had been on the beach. He tried not to think about how Rose must have felt being made to walk along here. He wondered how far ahead she was and hoped that he’d catch up with her before much longer.

  Rose was hot and scared and fed up with trudging along the dark jungle trail. The sun had now slipped below the horizon and the light was fading fast. She was beginning to realise that this wasn’t some kind of dream she was having. It all felt far too real for that. She clutched Tamara’s hand tightly and looked around apprehensively. She wasn’t sure how long they had been walking like this. All she knew was she wanted to be home in her own room, with her dolls and her cuddly toys. She looked up at Tamara and said, ‘How much further?’

  Tamara looked down and Rose could see that her pretty face was streaked with grime and sweat.

  ‘I don’t know, honey,’ she said. ‘We’ve just got to keep going.’

  ‘What I wouldn’t give for a flashlight,’ muttered Captain Holder.

  ‘Good job I grabbed one just before the ship went down,’ said Jade. She reached into her pack and pulled out a heavy torch, which she handed to him. He looked at her with new respect in his eyes.

  ‘How come you didn’t mention this earlier?’ he asked her.

  ‘I was saving the batteries,’ she told him.

  He smiled, turned back and switched on the torch, directing a powerful beam of light along the trail. They started walking again.

  ‘I don’t like it here,’ said Rose. ‘There’ll be bugs.’

  ‘Ah, don’t worry about them,’ said Tad. ‘The snakes will eat all the bugs.’

  Tamara fixed him with a look.

  ‘Now is probably not the time to be cracking jokes,’ she said.

  ‘Oh, excuse me all over the place,’ said Tad. ‘And besides, I wasn’t joking. I’m simply stating a fact. A tropical rainforest like this is sure to have a high number of snakes. Big ones, I should think.’

  ‘Will you shut up?’ snapped Jade.

  Tad looked crestfallen.

  ‘I was only saying,’ he muttered.

  ‘Well, don’t,’ said Rose.

  A few moments later, Captain Holder, who was walking at the head of the column, slowed a little and looked back over his shoulder.

  ‘There’s a building up ahead of us,’ he announced.

  ‘What kind of building?’ asked Tamara.

  ‘Hard to say. There’s no lights or anything, place looks deserted.’

  Now the trail opened out in to a clearing and the column of people was able to spread out a little. Rose could see the building that Captain Holder had mentioned; a modern-looking, three-storey structure that seemed strangely out of place in this primitive setting. It was encircled by a high chain-link fence topped by razor wire; and at intervals along its length were huge signs showing yellow lightning bolts, a sure indication that at one time the fence must have been electrified. But they could see that the huge set of metal gates set in the centre of the fence had been smashed open, as if by incredible force.

  They walked closer, staring up at the shattered gates.

  ‘What do you suppose happened here?’ murmured Tad.

  ‘Looks like something very powerful came through those gates,�
� said Captain Holder. ‘A truck maybe.’

  ‘But it’s electrified,’ said Jade.

  ‘I’d say it was once upon a time,’ admitted Captain Holder. ‘But I reckon somebody switched off the juice.’

  ‘How do you know?’ asked Tad.

  ‘I don’t for sure, but if anybody feels like grabbing hold of the wire to test it, be my guest.’ Nobody took him up on his offer. They walked in through the open gates and stood looking at the front entrance of the building. Above the door, a paint-blistered sign swung from a rusted-iron bracket. It was just possible to make out the words US MILITARY in faded yellow letters.

  ‘Must be some kind of research centre,’ said Tad. ‘Hey, maybe there’s a phone or a radio inside. We could call for help.’

  ‘I wouldn’t count on it, so I wouldn’t,’ said Sam, grimly. ‘Place looks like it’s been empty for years, so it does.’

  A heavy wooden door barred the way. Captain Holder walked up to it and tested it with one powerful hand. There was a bit of give in it. He glanced round and saw a length of iron bar lying on the ground a short distance away. He fetched it and, handing the torch to Tad, he jammed the pipe into the door and began to exert all his strength to try and prise it open.

  ‘I think this is called breaking and entering,’ observed Tad.

  ‘So sue me,’ grunted Captain Holder through gritted teeth. The door opened surprisingly easily, making a scraping sound as it did so. Now they could all see that it had been half off its hinges and bore the evidence of having been forced open some time back. Somebody had simply closed it again.

  Captain Holder dropped the metal bar, took back the torch and examined the inside of the door. ‘That’s odd,’ he said. He indicated a huge metal bolt that nobody had bothered to use. ‘If somebody had slid that across, I’d never have got it open.’

  ‘I guess that means that there can’t be anybody in here,’ observed Tamara.

  ‘But the door was closed,’ reasoned Tad.

  ‘Maybe from the outside?’ suggested Jade.

  ‘Unless there’s somebody inside but they’re too stupid to know how to use a bolt,’ said Tad.

  Jade laughed. ‘Who could be that dumb?’

  ‘Number Tails,’ said Rose, remembering the creatures she had seen in the trailer, and everybody looked at her.

  ‘What’s that, honey?’ asked Tamara.

  ‘Number Tails,’ said Rose. ‘You know, like big monkey men?’

  ‘What is she on about?’ muttered Tad.

  Captain Holder directed the beam of the torch into the building, revealing a scene of complete devastation. Everything was wrecked beyond repair. The floors were littered with piles of debris and a sparkling layer of broken glass. A wheelchair lay on its side, one wheel twisted and crumpled. A couple of ancient-looking computers lay in a corner, the screens smashed, the plastic casing shattered.

  ‘What happened here?’ asked Tamara.

  ‘It was Number Tails,’ said Rose. ‘They look like big monkeys but they’re scary like monsters.’ Everybody looked at her again.

  ‘Monsters?’ cried Sam. ‘Why do you keep saying that?’

  ‘I saw the rotten trailer,’ said Rose.

  ‘The trailer?’ muttered Tamara. ‘You mentioned that before. What trailer?’

  ‘The rotten trailer for the rotten film!’

  Her companions exchanged puzzled glances.

  ‘What’s she talking about?’ muttered Captain Holder.

  ‘She seems to think we’re in some kind of movie,’ said Tamara.

  ‘Interesting,’ said Tad. ‘That sounds like a form of dementia. Unusual in one so young.’ Everyone ignored him.

  ‘We are in a movie,’ insisted Rose. ‘Only, I’m not supposed to be in it. Just you lot. I don’t know how I ended up here, but I did. And I know this is where the monster-men are. The Number Tails. I saw them chasing people.’

  ‘Hey, quit that, kid,’ said Tad. ‘You’re beginning to freak me out.’

  ‘That makes two of us,’ said Captain Holder. ‘Come on, let’s check inside. Everybody stay together.’

  He started forward into the room, broken glass crunching beneath his boots.

  ‘Think there’s anybody else in here?’ murmured Jade.

  Tad shook his head.

  ‘I’d say that’s highly unlikely. There’s no signs of life whatsoever.’

  Just then, they heard a noise from somewhere up above them – a deep grunting sound.

  ‘What the blue blazes was that?’ asked Captain Holder.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  KIP AND BETH came to a halt on the jungle trail. They stood there, looking fearfully around in the cold light of the full moon.

  ‘What was that?’ asked Kip quietly. They had both heard it – the sound of vegetation stirring, as though something large and heavy was moving through it.

  ‘Probably some kind of jungle animal,’ said Beth.

  ‘Such as?’ asked Kip.

  ‘Er … well, it depends which country the island’s in. It’s a rainforest, so it could be a tapir, or a jaguar …’

  ‘Or a sabre-toothed tiger,’ said Kip. ‘Remember, they were in the trailer?’

  ‘Oh, but the creatures in this film are just CGI,’ said Beth, ‘computer animation. They couldn’t be like … real’. She looked at Kip. ‘Could they?’

  Kip’s grim expression must have said everything.

  ‘But, that’s mental,’ said Beth.

  Now there was another sound – a deep rumbling growl that seemed to shake the ground beneath them.

  ‘That doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard on the Discovery channel,’ admitted Beth. ‘Maybe it’s a—’

  She broke off. They could hear something crashing along the trail behind them. They turned to look.

  A long way back along the trail, a sabre-toothed tiger was coming after them – a lithe, tawny-coloured creature with powerful legs and jaws that looked like they could bite through steel cables. Even at this distance, they could see the long curved teeth that gave the beast its name glittering dangerously in the moonlight.

  ‘Oh my God!’ whispered Beth. ‘I think that’s supposed to be chasing the actors, like we saw in the trailer. Only …’

  ‘Only we’re in the way,’ said Kip grimly.

  ‘What do we do?’

  ‘RUN!’ yelled Kip, and he took off, as fast as his legs would carry him. Beth needed no second bidding. They raced along the narrow track, blundering through overhanging vegetation. Kip’s heart was hammering in his chest and he felt a cold sweat of fear breaking out all over him.

  ‘Press the button!’ he heard Beth gasp.

  ‘No way!’ he said. ‘We’re not going back without Rose! If we bale out now, we can’t save her. She’ll be stuck in this film for ever.’

  ‘Yeah, but listen …’ Beth blundered into a bush and let out a string of colourful swear words. ‘Being eaten alive won’t help the situation!’

  Kip was going to shout back an answer but at that moment, he slammed headlong into somebody who had just stepped out of the bushes to his right. It was like running in to a brick wall. A jolt of pure terror pulsed through him. A huge, muscular figure was towering over him and a hideous ape-like face stared blankly down into his eyes.

  Kip just had time to think that this wasn’t very promising and then a huge pair of hands clamped themselves around his throat. He was being lifted from the ground, his legs kicking frantically. He had a grandstand view of a prominent forehead and a mouth full of misshapen yellow teeth. His nostrils filled with the smell of intense body odour. He reacted instinctively, brought his feet up, planted them against the creature’s chest and pushed with all his strength. In an instant, he tore free of the powerful grasp, but as he fell backwards he was aware of something around his neck that threatened to choke him. Almost instantly, the resistance was gone and he was falling backwards into Beth. Both of them collapsed on the ground.

  ‘What is it?’ gasped Kip.

&
nbsp; ‘It’s a Neanderthal,’ said Beth’s voice right beside his ear. ‘A caveman.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Push the bloody button!’ yelled Beth.

  Kip lifted a hand instinctively to grab the Retriever – and then realised it was no longer there. He looked up in mute horror as he saw that the Neanderthal had it. It was dangling by a length of chain from one of his huge hands, the crystal glinting like a jewel in the moonlight.

  ‘Oh hell,’ said Kip. A roar from just behind them, they snapped their gazes around to see that the sabre-toothed tiger was almost upon them – but just at that moment, an ear-shattering roar from the Neanderthal stopped the creature in its tracks. It turned aside and disappeared into the undergrowth.

  Kip and Beth turned back, not sure whether to be grateful or terrified. The Neanderthal stood over them, staring defiantly about and grunting loudly as though challenging the sabre tooth to come back out and take him on. Then he seemed to notice the Retriever dangling from his fist. He stared at it and gave a grunt of surprise and cradled it in his other hand. As he did so, one huge thumbnail caught the metal cover and flipped it open, revealing the button with its pulsing red light.

  ‘Don’t touch that,’ whimpered Kip. ‘Please.’

  The Neanderthal ignored him. His huge thumb pressed the EXIT button and then the creature’s whole body seemed to shimmer and dissolve, right in front of Kip’s astonished eyes. Quite suddenly, he was gone.

  ‘Where the heck did he go?’ gasped Beth.

  Kip had a pretty good idea but didn’t feel that now was the time to discuss it in any detail. He was horribly aware that the tiger was still out there somewhere, maybe observing them from the cover of the undergrowth. As if to enforce the point, there was a low rumbling growl from somewhere behind him and a sudden stirring in the bushes. He struggled back to his feet.

  ‘Come on,’ he said. He grabbed Beth’s hand and they carried on running, the two of them blind to anything but the desperate need to escape.