Persona (The Island Book 2)

by Amy Cross

  They're dead.

  All of them.

  Spotting another dead body on the ground nearby, I make my way over and see to my surprise that it's Leanne. Her eyes are wide open and there's discoloration around her neck, as if she was strangled.

  At least someone managed to fight back.

  Maybe there are more.

  Maybe someone managed to escape.

  Just as I'm about to turn and look at the other huts, I realize I can hear a scream in the distance. With Ben's gun still in my hand, I make my way around the edge of the clearing and over to the fence on the far side, and now I can hear the scream more clearly, along with a couple more. Clambering over the fence, I start to make my way past the tree-line. The first rays of morning sun are starting to appear now, spreading a low, misty light through the forest, so I make my way cautiously, in case someone spots me. Keeping low, I head toward the source of the screams, and finally I drop down behind a tree when I realize I can see figures on the ground up ahead, along with another figure who seems to be kneeling next to them.

  Peering around the edge of the tree, I have to squint to see properly. A flash of pure anger ripples through my chest when I see that the kneeling figure is Harold. The four on the floor are all women from the town, and I quickly recognize Miranda and Natalie. The figure next to Harold, meanwhile, has a bloodied belly, but I finally realize that it's Elizabeth. Squinting a little more, I try to make out the fourth figure.

  Suddenly I see her features.

  It's Iris.

  I don't know how, but Iris is back.

  I look down at the gun in my hand and see that the charge is low. These things can pick up power from the sun, but part of the charge unit is cracked and, besides, the long night means it'll take a while before the gun can fire much more than a few more shots. As I examine the casing around the trigger, I start to feel as if I've handled this type of weapon many times before, back in the -

  Suddenly an agonized cry fills the air, and I look around the side of the tree just in time to see that Harold seems to be cutting Elizabeth's belly open. Realizing that I can't waste another moment, I get to my feet and hurry toward them, while aiming the gun directly at Harold's face.

  Just as I fire, he glances in this direction and sees me. He ducks out of the way and grabs a gun, quickly firing back at me.

  I step behind a tree as the blast misses by a couple of inches. Several more blasts flash through the air, hitting the ground a little further away. I wait, taking slow, deep breaths in an attempt to stay calm, and then I duck down before peering around the edge. At first I don't see Harold at all, only the four women staked to the ground, but a moment later I spot movement behind one of the trees. Several more energy blasts slam into the ground next to me and I take cover again.

  Checking the charge unit on my gun, I realize I only have two or three shots left for now.

  I need to make them count.

  Stepping out from behind the tree, I fire at Harold just as he tries to grab something from the ground. I almost hit him, but he ducks out of the way just in time.

  Great.

  Two shots left at most.

  Trying to stay calm, I realize that I need to find some way to draw him out.

  “You should be careful firing that thing, Asher!” he shouts suddenly. “You might miss and accidentally hit one of these lovely ladies! Why don't you put the gun down instead and we can talk? You and I have so much to discuss!”

  Suddenly there's the sound of a shot, and I hear a cry of pain. Looking around the side of the tree, I see that he's blasted Elizabeth, leaving a smoldering wound in her chest. He takes aim at Iris, but I quickly raise my gun and fire, hitting him in the shoulder and sending him crashing back to the ground with an agonized grunt. Before I can fire again, however, he shoots back at me and I'm forced to take cover.

  Checking the gun, I see that there's just enough charge left for one shot.

  I wait, my mind racing as I try to work out what to do next. I'm sure I was in worse spots during the war and somehow I managed to get through them, but maybe that was down to pure luck. Even if it wasn't, I don't remember enough of my training to make a move.

  “He's gone!” a voice calls out suddenly.

  I freeze.

  This could be a trap.

  “Asher, he's gone!” the voice shouts, and I realize it's Natalie.

  “He ran!” Miranda adds. “Asher, help!”

  Peering around the side of the tree again, I spot Harold in the distance, stumbling away while clutching his injured shoulder. I raise my gun to fire, but I know I won't be able to hit him from this range so, instead, I hurry over to where the others are pinned to the ground. When I reach them, I see that metal spikes have been driven through their hands.

  “Everyone's dead!” Natalie stammers, with tears flowing from her eyes. “I think a few people got away, but he burned the rest!”

  “I know,” I mutter, shuffling over to check on Elizabeth but quickly seeing that she's dead. Turning to Iris, I feel a rush of relief when I realize that although she's badly hurt, she's conscious. “This is going to hurt,” I tell her, crawling over and immediately pulling the spikes from her palms. She gasps, but then she sits up and helps me as I do the same for Natalie and Miranda.

  Finally, once they're all free, I turn and look toward the spot where I last saw Harold. He's clearly wounded and he chose to run rather than fight, but I have no idea where he might have gone.

  “They were screaming,” Miranda sobs, as if her mind is shattered. “He burned them to death!”

  “Get the survivors back to Steadfall,” I tell Iris, turning to her. “Fix up your wounds and wait for me there. We'll work out what to do when I get back.”

  She tries to tell me something, but her lips are moving too fast for me to understand.

  “Iris,” I continue, “I don't have time. We'll do this later!”

  I turn to go after Harold, but she grabs my arm.

  “Iris!” I hiss, looking back at her.

  “I don't think he's running,” she mouths. “I think it's a trap. He's trying to lure you away.”

  “He's hurt,” I reply. “He's getting desperate. Please, Iris, I can handle myself. Right now, I need you to get back to town. Put out the fires, see if there are any more survivors. Ben's dead and I saw Leanne's body, so we only have to worry about Harold now.” I wait for her to reply, but I can see the fear in her eyes. “I'm going to go and make sure Harold can't cause any more trouble.”

  She taps herself on the chest.

  “You can't come,” I tell her. “Please, Iris, I'll be fine, but you have to take Natalie and Miranda back to town. Do you understand?”

  She pauses, before nodding.

  “I'll be back soon,” I add, turning to follow Harold. “I can deal with this asshole.” Stopping suddenly, I turn back to her. “I didn't think you were coming back. Deckard said you'd make it, but I...” My voice trails off for a moment as I realize that I should never have doubted her. “Did you find that other town?”

  She nods, but I can see from the expression in her eyes that something's wrong.

  “Get back to Steadfall!” I tell her. “I'll find Harold.”

  With that, I turn and make my way between the trees. I might only have one shot left in this gun, but one shot is all I need and, besides, I've got my knife and my bare hands. If I let him go, there'll always be a risk that he might come back, so I have no choice.

  I have to finish this.

  Chapter Forty-six

  Iris

  “They're dead,” Natalie says, her eyes filled with shock as she looks into another of the smoldering huts. “They're all...”

  Her voice trails off for a moment, before she turns and vomits. Dropping to her knees, she lets out a series of sobs. I make my way over and reach down, putting a hand on her shoulder, but I know there's nothing I can do.

  Glancing into the hut, I see a pile of burned corpses, and I spot one skeletal face in
particular before finally turning away.

  I've seen enough death and pain for one day.

  Nearby, Miranda is sitting on the muddy ground with her head in her hands. Whereas Natalie is crying loudly, Miranda seems to have gone the other way, disappearing into her own sense of shock. Again, there's nothing I can do to help, so I simply make my way across the clearing, tramping through ankle-deep mud until I get to the spot where Asher's old Steadfall sign has somehow managed to survive, high up on one of the posts.

  Hearing movement nearby, I turn and see a couple of figures approaching cautiously through the forest. My first instinct is fear, in case somehow Harold had more people with him, but after a moment I realize that it's just a few survivors from Steadfall heading back to see if it's safe to return now. They look lost and bewildered, but at least they're alive. I guess Harold was wrong when he thought he'd managed to round everyone up.

  “Are they...” George asks cautiously as he gets closer. Clearly shocked, he looks around at the devastation. “Did everyone get away?”

  I pause, before shaking my head.

  “Is it just us?”

  I nod.

  “What about Asher?”

  I want to answer him, but I can't. Instead, I turn and look back over at Natalie, who's still sobbing on the ground.

  “Are those bodies?” George asks, heading to one of the nearby huts before stopping and turning back to me. “Are we really the only ones who survived?”

  “I heard them screaming,” Olivia adds, coming closer. “I didn't know what to do, so I just hid.”

  Looking out at the forest, I wait for a moment, hoping that I might spot more people wandering back this way. There's no sign of anyone, however, so I guess any other survivors have probably just kept running, trying to get as far from here as possible. I don't blame them for that. Steadfall is in ruins, and it's hard to believe the town can ever recover. At the same time, we built it up from nothing before and we can do it again. Looking up at Asher's hand-carved sign, I see that the edge has been singed by flames, but that the main part is still intact.

  Just as I'm starting to wonder where to begin the recovery work, however, I hear a faint thumping sound in the distance. We all turn, and a moment later we spot a helicopter heading for the island.

  Chapter Forty-seven

  Asher

  There's still no sign of Harold, but after a few minutes I spot a familiar tree and realize that this is the spot where I saw Ben using some kind of communication device.

  Heading over to the side of the tree-root, I reach in and pull out the device. I don't specifically remember using anything like this before, but at the same time I seem to have some kind of instinctive understanding of how it works. I guess there are still plenty of buried memories in my mind, memories that I can't recall right now, but maybe in some way I'm able to remember a few things. There's a blinking red light on one side of casing, which I think means an emergency call was sent. I guess Harold came by this way and sent for help. It only takes a moment before I'm able to get a channel open on the device, and I hear a brief burst of static followed by a buzzing sound and then a faint hiss, which can only mean one thing.

  Someone has picked up the other end of the line.

  “This is Asher,” I say after a moment, my voice trembling with anger, “calling from the island. Do you hear me?”

  I wait, but there's no reply. I know someone is listening, though, and I'm pretty sure it's someone on the mainland.

  “I know what you did,” I continue. “I know about the people you sent to disrupt our lives here. I know you wanted to make sure towns couldn't grow and prosper. I know you sent thugs with guns and other weapons, and you taught them to spread disease, and you broke every goddamn rule you -”

  Catching myself just in time, I realize that I'm in danger of going on a long rant.

  “It didn't work,” I add after a moment. “Leanne and Ben are dead, and Harold's about to join them. It's over.” I glance around, to make sure that there's no chance he might jump me, and then I look back down at the device. “The same thing will happen to anyone you send to interfere in the life of the island,” I continue. “A lot of people have died today. Good people, people who suffered at the hands of your agents, people who came here because you promised that they'd be left alone. I want you to know that it doesn't matter who or what you send next, we'll fight them. We'll fight anything you try to do, so the best solution would be for you to respect the idea of the island and leave us alone. Do you understand?”

  Again I wait, but the only reply is the hiss of the line. After a moment, however, I hear a faint clicking sound, and I know that there's someone listening to me. Just a coward who won't even speak up.

  “Steadfall will always be defended,” I say firmly. “The island, too. So if you want to try something, maybe -”

  Suddenly I realize I can hear a sound in the distance, thumping through the air. When I turn and look between the trees, I immediately start to worry that maybe I'm having another flashback, but a moment later I realize that it's actually the sound of a helicopter approaching the island. They never usually make drops so early in the morning, so I figure there's only one reason it could be here.

  Harold called for help, and now he's being evacuated. He's running like a coward.

  “Not so fast,” I mutter, tossing the communication device aside and then hurrying through the forest, heading toward the sound of the helicopter in the distance. I almost trip and fall several times, but I manage to keep going until I see the ocean glittering under the morning sun, just a few hundred feet ahead. I make my way forward cautiously, constantly looking around in case I spot Harold, but finally I get to the edge of the forest and look down at the beach. A moment later I hear the helicopter getting closer, and I duck back to make sure they can't see me as they soar high above the tops of the trees.

  Hearing a rushing sound, I turn just in time to see a red flare launching into the sky from nearby, which I guess must be Harold's way of letting them know where to find him. With the gun still in my right hand, I hurry between the trees, desperate to get to him before he has a chance to be rescued, and finally I spot him up ahead, standing on the beach and waving at the helicopter with his remaining good arm. When he turns to look up toward the sky, I see that I got a good shot when I hit his shoulder, and he's clearly badly hurt.

  Checking the gun, I see that I definitely have one shot left, but probably no more than that.

  I have to make it count.

  As I make my way along the edge of the beach, I stay low so that Harold won't see me approaching. I could probably take him out from here, but I want to be absolutely certain that I don't miss. I can hear the helicopter getting closer as the flare continues to burn in the sand, and I know I don't have long left before he'll be rescued. Finally I scramble down onto the beach and aim at his back, but at the last moment I realize I want him to see me before I pull the trigger. Somehow, deep down, I feel a strong sense that I can't shoot a man in the back. He still has a gun in his hand, but I know I can fire before he has a chance to threaten me. I take a few steps closer, and slowly he turns around as if he's sensed my presence.

  “You took your time,” he says with a faint smile, his voice sounding much more frail now, as if he's in immense pain from the wound on his shoulder. “I was actually starting to think that you weren't coming after me.”

  “We were supposed to be left alone,” I say firmly, with the gun aimed directly at his face. The wind is picking up all around us now, and I can hear the helicopter getting closer over the tops of the trees. “That was the deal! We came to the island to get away from the rest of the world!”

  “The rest of the world wanted to keep an eye on you,” he says with a smile.

  “The rest of the world promised -”

  “The rest of the world lied!”

  I pause, resisting the urge to pull the trigger and end his miserable life right now.

  “Do you want me to
explain it to you?” he asks. “Is that why you haven't finished me off yet? Or is there some other, deeper reason you can't quite explain? Do you want me to tell you exactly why they sent me, and why I worked with such slow, painful precision?”

  I adjust my finger on the trigger, ready to fire if he tries anything.

  “This was all for you, Asher,” he continues. “I persuaded a reformist branch of the government to send me here, I told them we needed to crush any attempts to build a new society on the island, but that was really just a cover story. I enjoyed the work, of course, but I was always keeping an eye out, waiting for the inevitable day when I found you. Every time I walked into another town, I wondered if I was finally going to see your face again. I knew, I just knew, that you'd still be alive somewhere in this miserable place.”

  “What are you talking about?” I ask, convinced that he's trying to distract me. “We never met before you came to Steadfall!”

  “Didn't we?” His smile grows. “Come on, Asher, you were right all those years ago. It really is possible to recover the memories they wiped after the war. I managed it, and you were always smarter and stronger than me.”

  I open my mouth to tell him he's lying, but deep down I can feel something clawing at my gut.

  “We fought so long and so hard, Asher,” he continues. “You, me, Collins... Mads. Do you remember Mads? We fought in one of the most successful units the army has ever seen, and what was our reward? Beached alone due to a tactical error, and left to be slaughtered. The others all died, Asher, but you and I survived. We should have been treated like heroes, but instead they just wiped our minds and shoved us back out into society.” Slowly, cautiously, he takes a limping step toward me. “It took a while, Asher, but finally it all came back to me. And I can see from the look in your eyes that it's coming back to you, too. Everything we went through... No-one can take that away!”