Monsters In The Mist (The Island In The Mist Book 2)

by C. G. Mosley

  “Not your problem,” he replied. “I’m not going to tell you again to get off this barge. Whatever happens next is on you.”

  Jonathon looked back toward the beach and thought of the men on the ship holding the assault rifles. There was absolutely no reason for them to let him go because he was absolutely no use to them. A chill ran up his spine as his imagination began to run wild. The bottom line was that he wasn’t going to do Lucy any good at all if he was dead.

  “Good luck,” Jonathon whispered, and he suddenly turned and dove into the water.

  As he swam he could hear Mr. O shouting in Arabic and he even heard Hardcastle shouting back at him, though he could not make out anything that was said. He figured that the man—for whatever reason—had decided to help him escape. Maybe Hardcastle wasn’t as bad of a guy as he thought. Perhaps the good fight he’d given him had earned his respect. For what it was worth, Jonathon decided that Glenn Hardcastle had certainly earned a little of his.

  Chapter 35

  When Jonathon finally made it back to the beach, the first thing he did was check on Eric Gill. As he’d suspected, the man had bled to death right where he’d left him on the sand. Jonathon sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He noticed his hat lying on the ground next to the large trailer that the Sarcosuchus had been on a short time earlier and scooped it up. The realization that his hat had been missing made him chuckle and it was a testament to just how busy he’d been. He had no idea that he’d even lost it.

  Jonathon knelt beside Eric and stared into the deceased man’s lifeless eyes for a solid minute. Although he’d created a nightmarish situation—and sure seemed as if he was about to commit murder—Jonathon could not help but pity the man. It was a tragic end for him, and Jonathon was pretty certain that the last person Eric thought would kill him would have been Annie.

  “Were you really gonna kill me, Eric?” Jonathon asked the dead man. He genuinely wanted to know. It was then that he began to notice a dozen or so Parksosaurus dinosaurs approaching from the jungle. They were seemingly aware of the freshly dead mammal on the beach.

  “I ought to leave you here for the dinosaurs to eat,” he grumbled, but then immediately felt guilty for saying it. As bad as he was, Jonathon didn’t feel that the man deserved an ending such as that. Angus Wedgeworth? Maybe…but Eric? No—not at all.

  Instead, Jonathon stood up, dusted the sand off his pants, and retrieved the very same jeep Eric and Hardcastle arrived in. He then carefully loaded the dead man into the back of the jeep and caught glimpses of the tiny dinosaurs watching his every move. They didn’t frighten him, but all of the eyes focused on him was somewhat unsettling. After slamming the tailgate and climbing back behind the wheel, Jonathon sped away toward the road that led back to the compound.

  ***

  Annie ran out the front door of the medical ward as soon as she heard Jonathon piloting the jeep through the gate. This scared him as his first thought turned to Silas. Was he dead too?

  “What’s wrong?” he asked as soon as he brought the vehicle to a stop.

  “Is Eric alive?” she asked, her voice quaking.

  Jonathon gripped the steering wheel tightly and stared forward through the windshield for a few seconds as he contemplated how to approach the question.

  “Annie,” he said softly as he climbed out. “You did nothing wrong—like I said earlier, if you hadn’t shown up, I’d be—”

  “Oh my God,” she said as her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. “I killed him, didn’t I?” The tears began to flow.

  Jonathon sighed and reached out to embrace her. “He killed himself,” he said, desperately trying to console her. “Eric didn’t give you much of a choice in the matter.”

  She continued crying and buried her face in his chest. In between sobs, she looked up at him and said, “I just couldn’t sit here wondering what was going on. That’s what I did the last time we were here—I just couldn’t do it again. I decided I had to face my fears, and now I’m wondering if I made a bad decision.”

  Jonathon shook his head and smiled. “And as I said…I for one am very thankful that you showed up when you did. If you hadn’t made that decision, you and I wouldn’t be talking right now.”

  “This makes my head hurt,” she complained, closing her eyes. A strong breeze blew across the open lot and her red locks partially covered her face. “I just want to go to sleep. Then I want to wake up and find out all this was just a bad dream.”

  “Me too,” he replied softly. He then grabbed her by the shoulders and gently forced her to look at him. “How is Silas?” he asked unable to contain the worry in his tone.

  Annie bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. “He’s still alive,” she replied, sounding both relieved and grateful. “But just barely. The nurse here did all she could, but he needs a hospital. He nearly bled to death.”

  Jonathon looked to the heavens and said a quick prayer of thanks. It was good to get some good news for a change. He looked around the compound—it looked deserted.

  “How many people are still here?” he asked.

  Annie scrunched up her face as she pondered the question. After a moment of thinking she said, “There is the nurse, George—Silas of course.” She paused. “Probably another five employees total.”

  “Alright, I want you to round everyone up and tell them that Eric is gone—I wouldn’t go into much more detail than that. Tell them that if they want to leave, they’re welcome to come along with us back to the mainland, but we’re leaving in fifteen minutes. I don’t think it’s safe to stay here,” he said.

  “And if they refuse to leave?” Annie asked.

  “Then they’re on their own,” he replied with no emotion. “Tell me where Silas is.”

  Annie looked back toward the door she’d just came out of. “The medical ward is the first door on the left,” she said.

  “Okay, meet me back at the jeep in fifteen minutes,” he replied, glancing at his watch.

  Jonathon stormed through the entrance and immediately made his way into the clinic. The first thing he noticed was Silas lying on a gurney in the center of the room. His skin was pale and he suddenly looked very old and frail. His appearance was unsettling, and unfortunately, the relief he’d felt when Annie told him Silas was still alive was beginning to fade and turn into despair.

  “How is he?” Jonathon asked.

  He’d never seen the woman seated at the small desk in the corner of the room before. She was middle-aged, Hispanic, slightly overweight, and appeared to be exhausted. She had been leaning back in her chair, massaging her temples when Jonathon had entered the room. It did not appear that she even realized he was in the room until he spoke.

  When she heard his voice, the woman became so startled she nearly jumped out of her chair. She placed a hand on her chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

  “He’s not good,” she finally said, her words heavy with somber. “I’m just not equipped to deal with someone that has lost as much blood as he has.”

  Jonathon nodded and stared at his unconscious friend. “Do you think he can survive a boat ride back to the states?” he asked.

  The woman got up from behind her desk and walked to the opposite side of the gurney from Jonathon. “It’s possible,” she replied. “But his odds are decreasing with every minute.”

  “I figured so. That’s why I’m taking him out of here right now,” he said, determined.

  The woman looked at him, puzzled. “I’m sorry, sir, but who are you?” she asked.

  Jonathon looked up at her and smiled. “I’m Jonathon Williams.” He held out his hand. She shook it and then he said, “Silas came over to the island with me, and I feel responsible. I’ve got to make sure he gets the best possible chance to pull through this.”

  “I’m Sandra Martinez,” she replied. “And I’m sorry, but I have to ask…who shot him?”

  “Glenn Hardcastle,” Jonathon answered. As he said the name, the rush of c
onflicting emotions made him nauseous. Hardcastle had stuck his neck out for him and allowed him to escape, but he also came very close to taking Silas’s life.

  Sandra winced when she heard the name. “That’s not surprising,” she replied. “I’ve always been a little terrified of that man.”

  “Really?” Jonathon asked. “Why is that?”

  Sandra raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever met the man?” she asked, placing a hand on her hip.

  Jonathon chuckled. “Point taken,” he replied. He then began unlocking the wheels on the gurney with his foot. “Sandra, I’m not going to force you to do anything,” he said as he moved toward the end of the bed. “But I’m about to take Silas here off the island and back to the mainland. I’d really appreciate it if you’d join us.”

  Sandra looked at him, puzzled by the request. “This is my job. I can’t just leave or Mr. Gill will—”

  “Eric is dead,” Jonathon interrupted. “He was shot also. I’m going to take his body back to the states.”

  Sandra’s expression turned to obvious panic, and Jonathon could imagine how it all sounded to her.

  “Look,” he said softly. “I know we just met and you have absolutely no reason to trust me—but, I’m asking you right here and now to do just that…trust me.”

  “Did you or Glenn shoot him?” she asked, staring at him.

  He shook his head. “No. Actually, Annie Wedgeworth did—and she did so to keep Eric from killing me. He’s not exactly who you probably thought he was.”

  Sandra was taken aback. “But Annie is his girlfriend!”

  Jonathon sighed and looked at his watch. He was running out of time—Silas was running out of time.

  “Sandra, I realize this is all a lot to process and it must sound absolutely nuts, but I’ve got to get Silas some help. Now I’m prepared to go without out you, but there are a couple of things you should know,” he said. “Firstly, Silas’s best chance of making it is going to include having someone with medical training on board with us—and that is obviously you. Secondly, your former boss, Eric, was selling dinosaurs to a really bad man, and he’s going to be back for more. I’m fairly certain that you don’t want to be here when he returns.”

  Sandra stared into his eyes for a few seconds and then slowly dropped her gaze toward Silas. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then nodded. “Okay,” she whispered. “Give me a couple of minutes to gather some medical supplies that we may need and I’ll meet you outside.”

  Jonathon immediately felt relief and he reached across the gurney and grabbed Sandra’s hand. “Thank you,” he said with as much sincerity as he could muster. “You’re making the right decision—for both of us.”

  ***

  As it turned out, aside from Sandra Martinez, none of the other Gill Enterprises employees dared to desert their jobs, and even seeing the lifeless body of Eric Gill wasn’t enough to persuade them. In a sense, Jonathon understood their position just as he had with Sandra when she was reluctant to go with him. He was a stranger to them, and if they were aware of his presence, he was certain that Eric Gill and Glenn Hardcastle had not painted a very pretty picture of him. As much as he hated to leave them on the island—because he truly believed it wouldn’t end well for them—he was also aware that getting the other people that were close to him off the island was a priority.

  It was a bittersweet moment for Henry when Jonathon and the others returned to the ship. He was more than happy and relieved to see his son arrive unharmed, but then his emotions flipped upside down when he discovered the condition of his new friend, Silas. Jonathon was met with a barrage of questions from his father, and his answers basically rehashed everything that had occurred after Henry and Charlie had left them on the beach.

  With his father caught up on Silas’s fragile state, it was Jonathon’s turn to ask questions regarding Charlie’s well-being. He discovered that her condition had improved significantly since he’d seen her last, and she was now conscious and speaking. Sandra looked her over and proclaimed that aside from a possible concussion, a fractured arm, and a possible broken rib, Charlie was going to be just fine.

  “Are you regretting coming to the island yet?” Jonathon asked her, taking a seat beside the couch where she’d been resting.

  “I’m past that phase,” she said with a forced smile. She held up her wrist and showed him her watch. “I wanted to alert my C.I.A. contacts, but I couldn’t—the watch was damaged.”

  Jonathon shrugged. “That figures,” he said. “I was hoping to get them on Mr. O’s trail as soon as possible. He got away with the Sarcosuchus.”

  Charlie frowned. “Well, you know as well as I do that he will never be able to control that animal. That thing is going to make a meal out of him.”

  “Yep, but that’s not what I’m worried about,” he replied. “I’m worried about what innocent person will be the next meal—and the meal after that.”

  She shifted onto her side and the pain made her wince. “I will contact the authorities as soon as we’re back on the mainland,” she said through gritted teeth. “He won’t get far.”

  “Glenn Hardcastle is out there with him, and believe it or not, I think he wants to stop him,” Jonathon added, almost as an afterthought.

  Charlie was surprised. “I don’t buy that,” she said. “I spent a lot of time with that man, and he never gave me a reason to trust him.”

  Jonathon pondered what she’d said and wondered if he had indeed been duped.

  “Well, all I know is that he bought me enough time to get away,” he replied. “Whether he had my interests in mind, or his own, he still seemed to do his best to make sure I got back to the beach unharmed.”

  Charlie closed her eyes and repositioned the pillow she’d been resting her head on. “I guess we’ll find out more when the C.I.A. catches up to them,” she said, and she yawned.

  “You sound pretty confident that they’ll find them,” Jonathon replied.

  She opened one eye and peered at him. “Trust me…it’s pretty much a certainty,” she said.

  Although it got off to a rocky start, the voyage back to the mainland was for the most part uneventful. Silas had regained consciousness and even managed to talk Henry through getting the ship going and in the right direction. As they drifted further away, Jonathon took a stroll onto the stern and took one last look at the mysterious island shrouded in mist. It was almost impossible to see it thanks to the camouflage the mist provided, but he knew what to look for. He watched it and didn’t blink until the ghostly presence disappeared over the horizon. He wondered if he’d ever see it again—and secretly hoped he never would.

  Chapter 36

  Silas survived the trip back to the states and began receiving blood transfusions shortly after arriving at Mercy Hospital in Miami, Florida. The medical staff gave their assurances that his condition was improving and that they expected him to fully recover from his injuries, but it was going to take some time. There was a great deal of questioning from the staff as to why Silas had a gunshot wound, and they noticed that Charlie had significant injuries as well. Jonathon was unsure what to say, and since his face was now showing a great deal of bruising from his fight with Hardcastle, he wasn’t sure if they’d believe anything he said even if he tried to come up with an excuse.

  Fortunately, Charlie intervened and gave the staff a telephone number for one of her contacts with the C.I.A. A short time later, a short man in a black business suit showed up and spoke with the hospital staff. He later questioned Jonathon and all of the others that had escaped the island. Each of them cooperated and told him everything that they knew about Eric Gill’s operation.

  When the man was finished with his questioning, he made sure to get everyone’s contact information and left a business card with his information it. Each of them was told—politely, yet firmly—that they had to make themselves available for further questioning when needed. After spending what Jonathon estimated to be a total of six and half hours at the
hospital with them, the man finally left.

  After receiving medical attention of her own, Charlie urged Jonathon and Henry to head home so that he could see after Lucy. At first, both of the men were adamant that they needed to stay longer for Silas, but after further urging from Annie, they finally headed home.

  “I’ll let you know if anything changes and of course when he is going to be released,” Annie said as she walked them to the elevator.

  Jonathon shook his head and reached out to embrace her. “Thanks again for saving my life,” he said. “If it hasn’t occurred to you yet, by saving my life, you also saved Silas’s.”

  She pulled back from him, surprised. “I hadn’t thought of it that way,” she said. “That’s a far cry from what I did the last time we were on the island.”

  He smiled at her. “Exactly,” Jonathon replied. “If you ever begin to feel guilt, you think about that.”

  Once he and Henry finished their goodbyes, they left the hospital and took a bus home to Jackson.

  ***

  The long ride allowed Jonathon and Henry plenty of time to discuss how they would handle things when they arrived back home. They were both fully aware that Julianne would greet then with a flurry of questions regarding their whereabouts over the past few days. They decided the best course of action would be for Henry to take his wife aside and gently explain everything that had happened while Jonathon met with Lucy and gave her the water they’d all risked their lives to get.

  As expected, as soon as they entered the house, Julianne became hysterical.

  “Oh my God, what has happened to your face?” she asked, running to Jonathon. She gently grabbed his head between her soft and delicate palms.

  Jonathon could see the utter worry in his mother’s eyes and suddenly felt guilty for putting her through it. She still appeared to be as well put together as she’d ever been. Her hair and clothes were just right, and her trademark pearl necklace adorned her neck. Even her makeup was as perfect as ever. Yet, there was no mistaking the turmoil in her eyes. She’d been worrying for quite a while now—it was very obvious.