RETURN

by S. C. Deutsch

  Ana’s entire body was trembling. It had started as soon as she caught Jax, getting worse the longer she stood. Ana eventually dropped to the ground like a rag doll, lying on her side while her body spasmed uncontrollably. Jax had curled up alongside, giving Ana something to focus on as she tried to slow her racing heart and still the spasms that wracked her body. She reached out and stroked Jax repetitively, concentrating on nothing but the feel of her companion’s soft fur. When her muscles finally relaxed and the breathing slowed and evened out, Ana rose shakily and slowly made her way to the lone palm located a short distance away. Curling up under it, Ana fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, Jax once again curling alongside.

  7

  Chapter 7

  Week 2

  Day 6

  Ana was heartily tired of sand and sea. The last two days had been monotonous, the scenery never changing. Sea to the right, jungle to the left, and sand with occasional palm trees in front. She spent most of the time in a daze, only half-aware of her surroundings, the constant thirst and ever-present hunger consuming her thoughts. Concentrating on nothing more than placing one foot in front of the other, Ana hoped the pair would soon locate fresh water and some food.

  She had left the cliff immediately after waking up, once again forgetting to plan ahead. Neglecting to take any coconut meat before leaving the jumble of rocks, Ana was now paying the price for that oversight. The lone tree they had slept under the previous night was bare of any of the fruit and there were no other palm trees in sight. When she realized her mistake, Ana had approached the jungle, hoping the dread had been left behind, only to find it as strong as ever. Not desperate enough to enter it in search of food and not wanting to lose two days backtracking to retrieve some fruit, Ana had gathered up her things, settled Jax on her shoulder, and left immediately.

  The pair trudged for miles under the baking sun, Ana still limping a little, before finding a palm tree that sported a stalk with coconuts. Looking up, Ana cursed at herself again. There was no way to crack the fruit open unless she carried them back to the cliff, which was now days behind them. Ana had huffed noisily and dropped to the sand under the tree, taking a break while considering what to do next.

  It was Jax who showed Ana the way. The coconuts she had opened previously had all been ripe. They were large, heavy, and the outer shell was covered in brown, hairy fibers. The coconuts on this tree were not, still being green and smooth, and slightly smaller in size. She didn’t know the difference between mature and immature coconuts, but Jax did. While Ana was busy calling herself names and cursing under her breath, Jax had climbed the tree and gone to work on the stalk. Once the little animal had chewed through it and let the entire thing drop to the ground, Jax had scrambled down and dragged it over to where Ana was sitting.

  “Sorry, furball,” Ana sighed, glancing at the stalk. “There’s nothing I can do.”

  Jax shot Ana an annoyed look, pointed to the knife first, then to the coconuts.

  “Seriously?” Ana laughed. “You think I can work miracles? Well, I can’t. There’s no cliff to throw them against and unless I can start a crack wide enough to slip my knife into, I have no way of getting it open. Sorry, Jax, but you are out of luck.”

  Jax looked at Ana as if she were a child and mimed cutting the top off. Ana, frustrated that Jax wasn’t listening, decided to show the little creature that attempting to cut the coconut open was impossible.

  Except it wasn’t. The coconut, being immature, had a thin skin, and Ana was able to cut it with a little effort. The meat was almost nonexistent, but the center was full of a thin watery juice.

  “Oh,” Ana said quietly, feeling bad that she had doubted her companion once again. Looking over, she apologized to her companion. “I am so, so sorry, Jax. Sometimes, I am too stubborn for my own good. I am an idiot for not listening to you. Again. You, on the other hand, are to be thanked for putting up with me. And thanks for showing me this. You may have just saved both our lives!”

  To make amends, Ana handed the first coconut to Jax before opening another for herself. While the small amount of meat did little for her hunger, the juice worked wonders for the thirst, and Ana greedily cut a second one.

  Feeling much more refreshed, if still a little hungry, Ana stored the remaining five coconuts in the pack, struggling a little to get the flap closed, before hoisting it over her shoulders. It was heavy and Ana had to lean forward slightly to compensate for being thrown off balance, but she wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. With fresh water being scarce, Ana needed to make sure there was something on hand whenever possible.

  The pair walked from the time they woke until it was almost too dark to see, only stopping for a brief siesta during the heat of the day. They were not always able to find green coconuts, so Ana made sure to restock whenever possible. Her thirst never completely abated, but with the coconuts, it was manageable. Ana was more concerned with food, knowing she couldn’t survive forever on coconut meat. She needed protein.

  It was now the third day of walking and Ana was starting to feel weak. Unless they were able to find some sort of solid food, Ana felt there would be no choice but to enter the jungle. She tried not to think about it while the pair trekked on, staring at the ground as she concentrated on the other issues that continued to demand her attention. Ana’s lack of awareness almost cost her her life.

  Jax’s tail suddenly tightened around Ana’s neck, causing her to cough. Stumbling, she tried to loosen it enough to breathe. Jax was digging her claws into Ana’s shoulder, causing Ana to wince when the pinpricks drew blood. She stopped walking and looked up.

  A young boy, maybe thirteen or so, was blocking the way forward. His clothing was tattered and he had smeared mud lines down his cheeks and across his forehead. His hair was slicked back with some sort of paste, making it shiny and hard. More importantly, he held a long stick with a sharpened bone point tied to the end. That stick was now pointed straight at Ana’s chest.

  Ana stared at the boy uncomprehendingly, then looked around. The area did not look familiar and neither did the boy. Not that she expected to recognize anyone since children came and went all the time, but she didn’t remember any of the kids from the camp looking this ragged or painting their faces in such a manner. Ana also didn’t remember seeing any weapons fashioned into spears, although the idea that the camp might have done so in order to fish did occur to her.

  “Um, hello,” Ana said, holding her hands up with the palms forward to show she meant no harm. “My name is Ana.”

  The boy, not uttering a sound, jabbed the spear. Ana took a step back and tried again, asking the boy his name and where he was from.

  Ana needed to know immediately if the boy was living in the camp. The new directives had included explicit instructions regarding any interactions with the residents of the small settlement. Until she found out where he came from, Ana couldn’t proceed interacting with him further.

  The boy, still not answering, took a step forward and jabbed again.

  “Hey. Hey!” Ana said, backing while still holding her hands up. “I’m friendly. I just want to know your name.”

  In reply, the boy let out a shriek, which sent Jax flying off Ana’s shoulder and up the nearest tree. The boy waited a fraction of a second, then attacked.

  Ana gaped, startled into immobility for a moment. At the last second, her training kicked in and she darted sideways, rolling as she pulled the knife from its sheath. Regaining her feet, Ana crouched, watching the boy warily.

  The boy, surprised at her agility, stumbled and almost fell. Catching himself, he whirled and jabbed again. Ana, timing her response, grabbed the spear behind the head and pulled it towards her. The boy was yanked forward, losing his balance and letting go of the spear in the process. Ana tossed it away and looked directly into the boy’s eyes. What she saw there dashed some of the hope she could reach him, and her spirits sank at the realization. She knew she had to continue trying despite the madness clearly l
urking behind the fury, but Ana was rapidly losing confidence that the situation would resolve itself peacefully.

  “Okay, okay,” Ana said softly, hoping the gentle tone would soothe the boy’s anger. “Listen, I don’t want to fight, and I most certainly don’t want to hurt you. I just need to know who you are.”

  Holding the knife defensively in front of her, Ana continued softly talking, dismayed that it seemed to be having zero effect. Instead of responding, the boy reached behind his back and pulled out a knife that looked exactly like the one she was holding. Crouching, he tensed, then leapt forward, knife held out in front of him.

  Ana was caught by surprise and reacted an instant too late. The boy sliced as he landed, catching Ana’s arm and leaving a cut that began bleeding immediately. She cried out in pain and backed up, blood dripping from the wound and leaving red splatters in the sand.

  The boy readied himself to attack again and Ana let her training take over, relaxing her muscles while focusing on the nothing but the fight. Crouching slightly and balancing on the balls of her feet, Ana ignored the searing pain travelling down the injured arm as she waited. When the boy finally sprang forward, Ana dropped and rolled, slicing the boy across the calf as she passed. The boy shrieked in pain and turned, fury and bloodlust blazing from his eyes.

  Ana regained her feet immediately and was again balancing on her toes. She did not want to hurt the boy any further, but he was leaving her no choice. The directives allowed her to kill in self-defense, but Ana had assumed that it would only be needed as protection from the creatures here. She never expected to be facing another person, especially a child, who appeared to want to kill her. Ana planned on doing everything possible to halt the attack without causing serious harm or death, recoiling from the idea of killing another person, and she hoped all the hours put into modifying the training done back home would do the trick.

  The cut had sent the boy beyond the point of what little sanity he had left, madness now consuming him completely. Shrieking again, he ran straight at Ana, swinging the knife in an arc before him. Ana dropped again, intending to serve the boy with another cut, but the boy anticipated the move, reacting instantaneously. As Ana dropped into the roll, the boy lowered his arc, slicing her shirt and leaving another cut on her back. Ana screamed again, feeling as if she had been whipped. Panting, she leapt her feet, turning immediately to thwart a possible follow-up attack.

  The boy was smiling at her, showing teeth. He now also bounced on the balls of his feet, waving the knife slowly in front of him. Ana could feel the rage rising and did her best to keep it in check. Losing control could severely impact her reaction time, possibly resulting in serious injury or even death.

  “Hey, c’mon,” Ana implored. still not completely understanding what was going on. “Why the hostility? I don’t want to hurt you and I’m sure we can just talk about whatever the problem is without one or both of us getting hurt. Please?”

  The boys only response to this entreaty was maniacal laughter. He never answered, never dropped his arm, and never took his eyes off Ana. Ana was becoming both frightened and desperate. A mad animal is a very, very, dangerous animal, and right now, the boy’s insanity made her completely unable to anticipate his next move.

  Trying to think this through as quickly as possible without losing focus, Ana moved slowly in a circle in an effort to delay another frenzied attack. She had believed she had been able to figure out the reasons for being on the island as well as the purpose of government’s creatures. But Ana could not for the life of her understand a boy intent on trying to kill her, especially as he had no idea who she was or where she was from. Ana’s previous stay had involved nothing but cooperation between all the children sentenced here as they knew it was the only way they could survive. Ana also had not discovered anything that indicated the government was experimenting on people, although after all she had been through, it would not have been surprising if they were. However, the island itself was dangerous enough already and none of this made sense. If the final goal were complete control over the population with the result that everyone, or at least almost everyone, sent here survive, creating a monster from a child would seem a huge waste of resources. Ana came to the conclusion the boy must have been a survivor who missed his ride back and subsequently went mad.

  “I want to help you,” she said softly. “I really do. I made a vow, and it doesn’t involve hurting anyone. Please, please, put down the knife. Then we can talk and maybe come to some sort of agreement or make some sort of plans. If we can work together, it will help both of us. Please?”

  Ana opted not to divulge anything more as she still had no idea who the boy was or where he was from. Her pleas and requests to him skirted the directive just enough that Ana thought she could get away with what she was saying and avoid being punished for possibly breaking one of the rules.

  The boy, however, was having none of it. As Ana was talking, he tensed, then dashed forward again. Taken off-guard, Ana wasn’t able to drop fast enough, and she put up one hand and grabbed the wrist with the knife as he slammed into her. The pair fell to the ground, the boy trying desperately to break free of her grip. Ana held on as tight as she could, knowing that if the boy was able to wrench the hand free, he would do his best to kill her. Using her other hand, curled around the hilt of the knife, Ana tried to push the boy off as the pair rolled through the sand.

  She felt herself weakening as the injured shoulder, not quite healed, started to give way. In addition, Ana hadn’t had any real food in days and was rationing the coconut juice. Her stamina was not as great as it had been when she arrived, and her muscles, severely weakened, started to tremble from the strain. The boy could feel Ana’s arm growing weaker and redoubled his efforts, pushing harder against her arm as he snarled at her. Ana feared her wrist would snap but knew letting go would be fatal. Putting all her concentration into holding the boy’s wrist, Ana attempted to bring both knees up, hoping to use her legs to push the boy off. The boy, quickly realizing her intention, reached down and bit her.

  Screaming in both surprise and pain, Ana let go, rolling as quickly as she could before managing to regain her footing. She no longer worried about the harm she might do the boy. It was obvious this was going to end with one of them dead. In addition, Ana was furious, and her anger was once again ruling her actions. Panting, Ana stared at the boy, a mix of emotions rapidly crossing her face. She slowly backed up, dragging the bad leg, and letting the aching shoulder droop.

  The boy, his lips stained with her blood, took his time. Believing she was no longer a serious threat, he smiled evilly and coiled completely before launching his next attack. Ana had been expecting this, exaggerating her condition in order to have the boy let his guard down. Instead of dropping, she tensed and took the impact full on. At the last moment, Ana raised the knife, causing it to slip into the boy as he hit her. Stepping back, she yanked the knife free, blood pouring out of the gaping wound in the boy’s chest.

  Ana took another step back, the shock of what she just did causing her to drop her arms as the knife slid from her grasp. Her fury fled, disappearing as fast as it came, leaving Ana staring blankly at the scene in front of her. The boy, also in shock, looked at the wound in his chest, then at Ana, before dropping in a heap on the sand. Ana rushed over, a large part of her hoping maybe the boy could be saved. Placing both hands over the wound, Ana pushed as hard as she could, telling the boy to hang on. The boy’s eyes started to glaze over as blood dribbled out the side of his mouth.

  “Jax!” Ana screamed in a voice laced with panic. “Jax! Please help! Go find the camp. Find Jan. Find help!!!”

  Pushing harder on the boy’s chest, Ana believed the camp, and Jan, had to be nearby, and she continued to plead with Jax to find it. Jax just stared, bewilderment written on the little creature’s face. Crying hysterically, Ana repeated the order, to which Jax shook her head. Ana tried begging, then demanding, but Jax just continued to shake her head slowly.

&n
bsp; The boy died despite Ana’s desperate efforts. She felt his last breath go out as his body went limp. Sitting back, Ana buried her face in her bloody hands and cried uncontrollably. Jax slowly crawled into her lap, softly stroking Ana’s face with long fingers. Ana cried herself out, hiccupping loudly as she felt a massive headache coming on. Looking at Jax, Ana asked the little creature why she never went for Jan. Jax again shook her little head, regret replacing the bewilderment in her soft eyes. It finally dawned on Ana that the camp was not nearby and that the boy had been alone. She hiccupped again, wiped her nose on one sleeve, and apologized to Jax. Jax climbed onto Ana’s shoulder and coiled her tail, gently running one claw down the back of Ana’s head.

  Hunching over, Ana clasped both hands in front of her and rocked while she spent a few minutes trying to get her emotions under control. When she finally found the courage to look at the body, she wasn’t sure what to do next. Ana had no idea if the government knew if and when a child died here, and if they did, if the bodies were retrieved. She didn’t want to leave him out in the open for scavengers to find but was afraid that dragging him out to sea would also cause him to be consumed. In the end, Ana decided there really was no choice. She was going to have to bury him.

  Ana sighed heavily, a fresh sob hitching in her chest, and struggled to her feet, Jax jumping to the ground as Ana rose. Limping into the water, Ana didn’t stop until it reached her waist. Ducking under, she scrubbed thoroughly, removing her clothing, and rinsing all the blood out before tossing the wet items back on the beach. After scrubbing until her skin stung, Ana returned to the body. Straightening out the boy’s limbs, she took one of her socks and made her way back to the water, wetting the now balled article of clothing until it dripped a steady stream of liquid. Returning to the dead boy, Ana washed his face clean of blood and dirt. Closing his eyes with trembling fingers, she wished him well on wherever his next journey took him. Taking a moment, Ana gathered her courage, then went through his pockets.