The Island In The Mist: A Dinosaur Thriller

by C. G. Mosley

  He began to lead her toward the hallway that led to her cabin, and she didn’t protest.

  “Lucy said you guys were finished,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry…I feel so stupid.” Jonathon glanced over at her and saw a few tears rolling down her cheek. Her rollercoaster of emotions was beginning to exhaust him.

  “It’s okay, Annie,” he said assuringly. “Everything is fine, you get some sleep, and we’ll pretend like none of this ever happened.”

  He opened the cabin door and was relieved to see that Lucy was already asleep in the top bunk. Annie clumsily sat on the edge of the lower bed and Jonathon kneeled down to snatch off her hiking boots. When he rose again, he discovered Annie’s eyes were closed and her relaxed breathing clearly indicated she’d already fallen asleep. He grinned and gently laid her over, then pulled her sock-covered feet up in the bed. He covered her with a blanket then tiptoed back into the hallway.

  As he shut the cabin door, a sound caught his attention, and briefly startled him. He stopped and listened closely. With the exception of the subtle hum of the ship’s engine, there was nothing but silence. Just when Jonathon had decided his ears were playing tricks on him, he heard the sound again. It sounded like someone crying. His first thought was Annie. He placed an ear against the cabin door, but heard nothing. The muffled crying continued, but it was not originating from Annie and Lucy’s cabin. He peeked into his own cabin and found Silas in a deep sleep. The only other cabin occupied was Frank and Travis’s, and he felt pretty confident that those two weren’t emptying a box of tissue either. The cries continued periodically, and the only place left to look was one of the two doors that remained at the end of the hallway. He did confirm that one of the doors was a bathroom, but he still didn’t know what was behind the other one. He studied the door a minute, trying to decide what to do next. He couldn’t imagine who it could be. He knew that Angus, Captain Blackstone, and Denny were up on the bridge. There had to be someone else on the ship that he and the others were not aware of. He carefully walked toward the door and reached for the handle. His heart began to race as he twisted it, anticipation welling up in him.

  “What are you doing?” Angus called out abruptly from behind him.

  Jonathon snatched his hand away from the handle and quickly turned to face him. “What is behind this door?” He did his best to sound calm, but failed miserably.

  Angus’s expression turned into concern. “Are you alright, Jonathon?”

  “Yeah, I’m alright,” he snapped. “Just tell me what is behind this door.” His voice was rising along with his anger.

  Angus held up a finger to his mouth. “Jonathon, please…there are people trying to sleep. Don’t be so loud. Why do you want to know what is behind the door?”

  Jonathon walked toward Angus and got in his face. “Tell me who is behind that door, right now!” His face was mere inches from Angus’s and he stared right into his blue eyes.

  Angus stared back and grinned. “You think someone is in there?” he asked, pointing to the door.

  Jonathon nodded.

  Angus shook his head and smiled widely. “For heaven’s sake, go open the door, Jonathon,” he responded, amused.

  Jonathon spun on his heel to face the door; he grabbed the handle and opened it quickly. The room was dark, and it took a long moment for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he saw nothing but a row of crates and boxes stacked neatly. The back wall was covered with a metal shelf with a wide variety of non-perishable goods. His head swiveled back in forth, desperately searching for someone in distress. He didn’t see anyone and the crying had ceased ever since Angus arrived.

  “It’s a storage room,” Angus said softly behind him. He placed a hand on Jonathon’s shoulder and gripped it tightly. “You need to get some sleep, you’re exhausted.”

  Jonathon continued to stare into the room, ignoring Angus. “Is anyone in here?” he called out, hoping someone would respond to prove he wasn’t crazy. No one did.

  “What makes you think someone is hiding in there?” Angus asked.

  “Someone was crying,” he answered through clenched teeth. Jonathon pulled away from Angus and entered the room. “The sound was coming from inside here,” he insisted, pointing both hands to the floor.

  Angus stared at him a moment, then chuckled awkwardly. “Jonathon, you haven’t been on many boats have you?”

  “What? No, I haven’t. Why?”

  The old man closed his eyes and nodded. He moved in front of Jonathon and placed an arm around him. “This particular ship is very, very old. At night, when it’s very quiet, you’ll hear lots of creaks and moans. Someone that isn’t used to that sort of thing could mistake the sounds for something else.”

  Jonathon stormed away and out of the room. “No, I’m not crazy…I heard crying.”

  “Okay,” Angus called after him. “Okay, fine. Then where exactly is the person that you heard crying?”

  Jonathon stopped walking away and peered back into the room. Angus stood in the center with his arms outstretched. There was no one else in the room and he still didn’t hear any more crying. Angus approached him again.

  “You’re just tired. I know you have a lot on your mind,” he said softly.

  Jonathon wanted to argue further but thought better of it. The old man was right; there was no one else in there. The explanation he gave certainly made sense. It became more and more obvious his mind and his ears were playing tricks on him.

  “I think I just need some fresh air,” he said, sounding defeated.

  “Good idea,” Angus said. “I think I’ll join you.”

  The two men strolled up the stairs and stood near the railing on the bow of the ship. The damp wind blew sharply against them, and it was cool enough that Jonathon wished he’d brought a jacket. He had to remove his hat, for fear of the wind swiping it off his head. The full moon’s silver splendor projected a bright column of white light across the surface of the ocean. Bethany seemed to be traveling directly into the reflection, as if the moon was showing them the way to the island. Jonathon took a deep breath of the moist Atlantic air and felt rejuvenated.

  “Beautiful sight, isn’t it?” Angus said, pointing at the moon over the horizon. The stars were scattered across the cloudless sky, completing the perfect scene.

  Jonathon nodded. “Yes, it really is. I’ve never seen a sky like this before.”

  “This is just the beginning. What you will see tomorrow will top anything you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” Angus said proudly.

  “Yeah, we’ll see,” Jonathon responded, refusing to concede that he was actually beginning to believe the old man. He moved his foot to the side and bumped into a large red gas can. There were several other gas cans beside it and stacked on top of it. He’d noticed them when he boarded the ship, but hadn’t thought much about them since. “What’s up with all the gas cans?”

  Angus glanced down at the stack of cans. “Those will provide our fuel for the ATVs.”

  Jonathon allowed a slight grin to appear on his face. He hoped Angus was unable to see it in the shadows of the dark. When he was a child, he’d spent a lot of time on a four-wheeler his dad had gotten him for his eleventh birthday. His weekends were usually spent motoring through whatever mud holes he was able to find in the woods behind their house. “You didn’t say anything about ATVs,” he said calmly.

  “Well, to be honest, I’m not sure how much use they will be to us. The jungle may be too dense to pilot the vehicles where we want to. Travis will probably have to spend a great deal of time cutting us a path.”

  “Actually, I think there’s a good possibility there may be plenty of places to drive them,” Jonathon replied.

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yes, you have to remember that if dinosaurs live on the island, there are going to be trails and paths the animals frequently travel to get around. Considering that there are possibly a lot of large dinosaurs on the island, many of the paths will probably be quite wide.”


  Angus stroked his chin, and smiled broadly. “That’s great news, Jonathon. Thank you for that.”

  Jonathon shrugged his shoulders.

  “However,” Angus continued. “I couldn’t help but notice the wording you just used.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You said ‘if dinosaurs live on the island’ and ‘there are possibly a lot of large dinosaurs on the island’,” he said, turning to gaze across the ocean.

  “You should really give up,” Jonathon replied. “I’m not believing anything until I see it with my own eyes.”

  Angus just gave a friendly smile in response, realizing it was useless to argue about it right now.

  Jonathon was about to head for bed when he suddenly thought of one other matter he needed to discuss with the old man. He decided it was a good time to bring up the situation with Travis and Lucy.

  “Angus, something is bothering me, and I think you need to know about it,” he said.

  Angus’s expression turned serious. “I’m listening,” he answered, anxious to hear what he had to say.

  “Your boy Travis is making Lucy very uncomfortable.” Jonathon said as he leaned on the railing. “He’s making me uncomfortable too.”

  Angus shuffled his feet nervously. “How so?”

  “Let’s just say he’s taken a liking to Lucy, and he’s been very vocal about it.”

  Angus nodded, his gray eyebrows slanted with disapproval. “I see,” he said. “That isn’t acceptable for him to behave that way. You two are my guests and you will both be treated with respect. I assure you that I will handle this in the morning.”

  Jonathon could tell Angus was very serious, and though he appreciated the concern, he didn’t want things to escalate either. “Thanks, Angus, but please don’t make too big a deal out of it. I don’t want the guy ticked off at us the entire time we’re out here.”

  Angus held up a reassuring hand. “Don’t worry. I know how to handle him. You both have nothing to worry about.”

  “Thanks, I really appreciate it,” Jonathon replied, and he held out his hand. Angus looked at the gesture, surprised. He took his hand and shook it, a wide smile appearing on his face.

  “Don’t get too excited,” Jonathon quipped. “I still don’t trust you.”

  Angus’s smile disappeared. “Of course you don’t. Not yet.”

  Jonathon slapped him on the back and trudged off to retire for the night. “I’m off to bed, see you in the morning.”

  “Sleep well, Jonathon, and remember if you hear crying—”

  “It’s just the ocean. Yeah, I know,” he cut in without looking back.

  Angus stood alone on deck and continued to gaze out across the peaceful ocean. There was an unsettling knot in his stomach, and he felt like he’d just dodged a major setback to his plan. Jonathon heard crying and his ears did not deceive him. It wasn’t the ship and it wasn’t the sea. He glanced over his shoulder up at the bridge towering above and gave a wave to Captain Blackstone. He waved back and began talking to Denny. Angus glanced at his watch and estimated it had been about five minutes since Jonathon had retreated to his cabin. He spun around and quietly made his way below deck; there was a situation he needed to address in the storage room. He crept down the hallway and carefully turned the handle, doing his best to remain as quiet as possible. Once the door was shut behind him, he reached for a small flashlight on the shelf next to the door. He clicked the light on and directed the beam to a large wooden crate that was padlocked shut directly in front of him. His free hand reached into his trouser pocket to retrieve a key chain with six keys on it. After flipping through a couple of keys, he found the tiny silver one he needed and opened the lock. The top of the huge crate hinged backward and the flashlight illuminated the inside. Osvaldo and Armando were crouched down on opposite corners of the crate. There were a few empty soda cans and potato chip bags scattered on the bottom between them. They both looked up and squinted at the bright light. The moisture glistening on Armando’s cheeks confirmed that he was the one Jonathon had heard crying.

  Angus shoved the flashlight an inch from Armando’s nose, and if he wasn’t so afraid someone would hear, he would’ve smacked the young man hard for nearly screwing up his plan.

  “Boy, I’m only going to say this once…I hear another peep out of you, and you will be swimming back to shore. Do I make myself clear?”

  Armando bit his lip and nodded.

  Osvaldo suddenly reached up and snatched the light away from Angus. “You threaten him again and he won’t be the one you have to worry about making noise,” he snarled.

  Angus stared down coldly at the two of them, and then jerked the flashlight back. “Go ahead…you know what will happen. You, your grandson, and everyone else on this ship will be shot and thrown overboard. I swear, I don’t understand why you’re making this so hard. You do what I ask and you and your grandson will be fine. It’s pretty simple. I don’t, however, have a whole lot of patience. You should know that by now. I don’t want to hear another sound out of either of you or Armando will be thrown to the sharks. Don’t test me on this,” he said sternly.

  Armando closed his eyes and bit his lip. The boy wanted to cry, but held it back with all his might. Osvaldo slid over to his grandson’s side and put a comforting arm around his back. He looked up at Angus, rage clouded his eyes.

  “We will be quiet and I will cooperate. Just leave Armando alone,” he said softly.

  Angus flashed an evil grin. “Very well. Get plenty of rest. Tomorrow is your big day.”

  He carefully lowered the lid back into place and locked it back down.

  The sound of the door closing was a relief to Osvaldo. He continued to hold his grandson, saying nothing. There was nothing to say. He shook with anger, and he knew what he had to do. Some way, somehow, he had to kill Angus Wedgeworth.

  Chapter 12:

  A ringing bell ripped Jonathon out of his slumber and he quickly sat upright on the bed. Unfortunately, the ceiling wasn’t very high and his head cracked it hard enough to rattle his teeth. He slapped a hand against his aching head and clenched his teeth in an effort to keep from cursing. Silas rolled out of the bed below him and stood up abruptly.

  “What the devil is going on?” he snarled.

  The bell continued to ring and it seemed to be originating from the lounge. It sounded like a hand-held bell. Jonathon threw his tired legs off the bed and landed on the floor with a thud. He glanced out the small round window and noticed sunlight. Apparently, this was their wake up call.

  “I guess it’s time to get up,” he said, groggily.

  “Well, I need a second before I go out,” Silas said.

  “Why is that?”

  “Because if I go out right now, I’m gonna shove that bell right up—”

  “Whoa,” Jonathon cut in. “Say no more…take all the time you need,” he said, chuckling.

  They sat in the cabin a few more minutes and listened as Annie and Lucy came out moaning and groaning about having to get up. Jonathon took particular notice to Annie complaining about an awful headache. He wondered how much of last night that she remembered.

  Finally, they too trudged outside and were pleasantly surprised when they entered the lounge. The small table in the middle displayed a hearty breakfast that seemed to boost everyone’s spirits. Angus stood near the table (annoying bell in hand) and motioned for the four of them to sit down. They all did, and the eggs, sausage, and pancakes tasted as great as they looked.

  “This is really nice,” Jonathon complimented, pointing his fork at Angus.

  “This is the last good meal you’ll get until probably late tomorrow. I want you all to enjoy it. And the credit belongs to Denny. He is terrific in the kitchen,” Angus replied.

  Jonathon nibbled on a chunk of sausage impaled on the end of his fork and he glanced across the table to Lucy and Annie. Lucy flashed him a smile and Annie never even acknowledged him. To be fair, she didn’t acknowledge any
one. She didn’t seem to eat much either. All she did was sit there and massage her temples, no doubt a consequence of her alcohol abuse the night before. He felt a small amount of pity for her, but he was also somewhat relieved that her thoughts were solely on her aching head, and not the awkward event that happened on the table they were presently eating on.

  “You girls sleep well?” he asked.

  Lucy had a mouthful of pancakes and nodded. She was clearly well rested and eager to see some dinosaurs. Annie picked her head up and it was the first look he got at her eyes. They were bloodshot and her face was puffy. She wasn’t nearly as beautiful as she was the day before.

  “Please kill me,” she pleaded, and then bowed her head down again.

  Jonathon and Silas looked at each other simultaneously. It was all the both of them could do to keep from laughing uncontrollably. Lucy shot them both a disapproving look and shook her head.

  When they finished breakfast, Angus stepped forward again with a stack of paper in one of his hands. “There is one more order of business before anyone gets off the ship,” he said.

  Jonathon crossed his arms. “And what’s that?”

  “As you all know, your protection is a top priority of mine. Frank and Silas will both be armed with rifles. We will take every precaution imaginable to guarantee your safety on the island.”

  Jonathon purposely let out a loud sigh.

  “I’m waiting for the but,” he said.

  Angus glared at him, and bit his lip to keep from telling Jonathon what he really felt. After a brief, awkward moment, he continued.

  “But,” he said, giving another piercing stare at Jonathon, “this is an island full of dinosaurs. There is still the slight possibility that someone could become injured.”

  “Or killed,” Jonathon added.

  Angus ignored him. “Each of you will need to sign a waiver before you set foot on the island.”

  Jonathan watched Lucy’s eyes, and prayed she would rethink things now that the moment of truth had arrived. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the response he so desperately wanted. She was the first to reach out and take the waiver. There was no hesitation whatsoever.