“Yeah, y’know, locked up.”
“Oh.”
“Are yooou hungry?” Ruby asked. “I maaake an exccellent casserrrole.”
I was hungry—very much so. “Yeah, actually. Need any help?”
“No, I prefer to cooook alone.”
“She’s a very good cook,” Calla said as Ruby left for the kitchen. “She knows Julia Childs’s recipes by heart.”
“Why did you bring cookbooks with you?”
“I didn’t, but someone on a yacht had them. Over the years, I’ve scavenged through the junkyard for supplies. You’d be amazed what you can find out there.”
“I’ve seen plenty. No one ever said anything about you in the village, not even Eleanor.”
“I like to keep to myself. I told Eleanor that I was heading up the island for answers. Since I never came back, they must’ve thought I’d died. I intended to go back, but then I found Ruby and decided not to return.”
“Why?”
“She needed me as much as I needed her. She’s been alone for over five hundred years, living on the fragment. She survived the Vikings by planting those smelly trees. The Vikings were afraid of them. Even so, I’m shocked she’s lived this long.”
“How come? Can’t she defend herself?”
Calla shook her head. “Ruby may appear intimidating but her body is very soft. She succumbs to injury very easily, which is why I have plenty of salve around.”
I was reminded of the alien’s spongy skull.
“Her level of intelligence is something we can never reach, but her physical features are as brittle as rotten wood.”
“When did you find her?”
“Fifty-three years ago,” she said with accuracy. “While I was out exploring, I came across her ship. That’s where I found her. Like you, she scared me, and I scared her, but eventually, we started communicating. She was so lonely. She’d had no contact with anyone other than her dead brother. The Neanderthals are terrified of her. She saw me as no threat, though. Since then, we’ve studied the fragment together. Two scientists from separate worlds, working side by side. With my strength, I could gather samples she couldn’t, giving both of us a chance to find out more about this place than we could ever have done alone.” She laughed softly. “I suppose, in this case, I’m the brawn and she’s the brains.”
“And you’ve never found a way out?”
She expelled such a long sigh I thought she’d never stop exhaling. “I’ve studied this place long enough to know there’s no way out. My advice to you is to accept the fragment as your home and stop this fruitless search before you end up dead—or worse.”
A flush of disappointment spread through my entire body. After some time, Ruby called us in for dinner. I ate, and Ruby was right. She did make an excellent casserole.
Chapter Twenty-eight
The casserole was delicious but it rested heavily in my gut. Calla’s discouraging news left me feeling completely hopeless. I could’ve eaten a cream puff and it would’ve sat like a brick inside my stomach. If a scientist slams the door on any possible escape from the island, that’s a wrap. After all, I’ve never heard a report of someone describing a gloomy island surrounded by a museum of lost ships. Hell, there were people trapped in the Bermuda Triangle dating back hundreds of thousands of years. Nobody had gotten out—nobody. Why would I be any different? All I wanted was to find a way out, but maybe I had delusions of grandeur. Maybe I aimed to achieve where others had failed, leading the way to freedom for future generations of Bermuda Triangle prisoners.
No, it wasn’t that, I was simply in denial. I longed for home, longed for something familiar—the sight of the sunset from my back porch, the welcoming feeling I got from my friends’ faces, and the sound of my mother’s laugh.
After dinner, I put salve on both my cuts, then went outside, put my shoes on, and admired Calla’s beautiful garden. I’d offered to help with the dishes but that was a task Ruby preferred to do alone. She hadn’t eaten what she’d cooked, but she’d enjoyed a salad with vegetables and dead insects from a jar.
“I’m glad you came by,” Calla said, joining me. “You caught me up on current events.”
During dinner, I’d answered her questions about the outside world since 1947. Her last contact with anyone had been the WWII soldiers who’d helped build her house. Ruby had remained hidden in her ship until they’d left.
“Before you leave, I must ask you for something.”
“I won’t tell anyone about you or Ruby,” I promised.
She gave me a grateful smile. “Are you sure you want to leave so close to dark? Ruby makes a wonderful omelet.”
“I have to take someone back to South Village before something kills him.”
“I see.”
“Why do you think Abby brought me here?”
Calla shrugged. “I haven’t the faintest idea. Perhaps she hoped I could tell you the way out of this place. I think she tried asking me once years ago, after she realized I wasn’t going to hurt her.”
“Were you able to get her to understand that there isn’t any way off the island?” I hated to sound so dead serious with the question, but it made me realize the bitter truth.
“No, I wanted Ruby to speak to her. Ruby only needs minutes to learn any language. But Abby has always been afraid of her.”
My disappointment dropped to an all-time low. It seemed even the Ancient Ones wanted out, and Abby, so desperate to find answers, had delayed her hunt to bring me here. Travis, Eric, and Phil were dead. Khenan was missing and Point-Blank had lost his mind, all because of my stupid quest. I should’ve gone alone. I might have died but it’d be better than carrying such a heavy sack of guilt around for eternity.
“You see that bush over there?” Calla asked, pointing to a shrub with fiery red leaves. “Pick some leaves and rub them on your skin. Keep yourself safe from the fleas on your way back.”
Calla invited me to come back the next time I was in the area. I thanked her for her hospitality and waved goodbye to Ruby through the kitchen window, then headed to the campsite, rubbing the leaves all over myself.
My body felt heavy. Maybe it was the strain to keep my feet from slipping out from under me as I descended the decline. Gavin stayed close but said nothing. I didn’t mind. I wasn’t in a talkative mood. At that point, I didn’t care if I fell and broke my neck. I felt lower than shit. Lower than any level on Earth that shit could sit on. My friend, possibly two of them, were dead, along with two good-hearted soldiers, all for nothing.
As I descended, Abby appeared. Her many years of sneaking up on her quarry had given her the ability to come upon me like a shark in water. She startled me but I didn’t show it.
She grunted and made her usual cryptic sounds. I could do nothing but shake my head with a dreadfully long face. She bowed hers low. I wished I could tell her that she and her family would be happier on the island, especially now that the Vikings were dead. The outside world had changed so drastically, it would be impossible for them to adapt to it. She and her tribe would most likely end up in a laboratory, prodded at. How could I make her understand that?
I turned to leave. With a bone-fracturing grasp only she could apply, she gripped my arm. Her sudden hold nearly sent me off-balance, forcing me to grab a tree to keep from falling on my ass.
“What?” I asked sharply, steadying my feet.
She tugged on my arm and made guttural noises. She wanted me to go in the opposite direction.
“I have to get someone,” I explained—hopelessly. “He’s in danger and it’ll be dark soon.”
There was blood on her hands—dried blood, but I still didn’t want her touching me. But she pulled on me, dragging me in the other direction by force. I decided it would be best to follow.
We went down the island slope, past the smelly trees, and a little farther, until we came to a small cave. Abby put a finger to her lips, indicating that I should remain quiet, and slowly approached the mouth of the cave.
“Whoa,” said Gavin, “look at this dude.”
Sitting on a short boulder was a man. His hair reached the small of his back and his long beard reminded me of Dusty Hill from ZZ Top. His clothes were tattered and his hands had scabs on them.
“Hi there,” I said, not caring if he freaked out on me.
He didn’t. Instead, he raised his chin and said, “Can you help me get back? I don’t like it here.”
“Where are you from?”
“Originally, Boston. I got stuck here during the war. We were building a village on the shore, I think, but me and some pals came up here and it all became a blur.”
“Did you help build a house on top of the island?”
He shrugged. “Don’t remember. I don’t remember much of anything. I’ve been—what’s the word—in limbo? I’ve tried heading back to shore but I kept coming back here.”
He was most likely one of the sixteen who’d helped Calla build her house. The six at the village had somehow managed to find their way back. The others had probably been killed by Vikings.
“How have you survived all this time?”
He turned to Abby and pointed at her. “She brings me food once in a while. Rubs red leaves on me every day. I think she’s tried taking me back, but she’ll only go so far before she leaves. I end up back here again. I don’t like it here. I hear them whispering.”
That caught me off guard.
“I wonder how many fleas got to him,” Gavin remarked.
“Hear who?”
“Dunno. I never see them, but I hear them at night inside the cave.”
I studied this so-called cave. It didn’t appear deep. The jagged walls were in view from where I stood. The hanging moss swaying in the cool breeze indicated that something was hollow behind the wall.
Gavin peered in, then turned to me and shrugged. “Looks safe to me.”
“Mind if I go inside and take a look?”
“Go ahead. Just wipe your feet first.”
Honestly, I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. I decided it was best to act a little silly and wipe my feet rather than start some unnecessary drama by not respecting his wishes.
Once I scraped the mud off my shoes, I stepped into the cave. The cool breeze became more forceful.
The cave wasn’t so much a cave as it was a shallow indentation in the island. The low ceiling forced me to duck, and after two steps, I reached a back wall. The hole was enough for a decent shelter from the rain, but I couldn’t imagine trying to sleep on its hard floor.
I followed the breeze with my hand, which brought about an odd sensation that ran up my arm, raising the hair on it like an electrical current. A few openings between the stones were near the ceiling and hanging moss blocked the majority of the pale light coming in from the outside, allowing shadows to claim most of the upper territory. One opening was large enough for my hand to fit through. Inside, it was bumpy and I slid my entire forearm in before I reached a dead end. There must be a hollow space beyond the wall but not enough to indicate that it was a tunnel. The whispering was the man’s delusion. Other than that, there was nothing worth investigating. I stepped back out.
The man turned to me and said, “Hello, can you help me get back? I don’t like it here.”
He told me his name was Henry and followed me back to the campsite. Abby had split while I’d been in the cave and I had no idea if I’d ever see her again. Gavin helped keep an eye on Henry, and at times, I had to backtrack to keep him from heading back to the cave. Every time I had to, he forgot who I was and asked me to help him get back to the village. It wouldn’t have been so bad if we headed straight for the shore, but I had to get to the campsite and collect Point-Blank. I was glad Abby had brought me to Henry, though. Helping him back to his friends gave my life meaning.
When we reached the campsite, my heart lodged in my throat. Both Travis’ and Eric’s bodies were missing. The place reeked of decay from the dead Vikings. Animals had already torn into them, while thousands of insects had burrowed into their flesh.
After learning about the island, I wondered if it also fed from the energy of decomposing bodies. I was sure if it did, it wasn’t as plentiful as living energy.
“Wow, look at that,” Henry said. “I remember having a rifle like that.”
I turned my attention to him as he picked up Travis’ WWII rifle.
Where had the bodies gone? I wondered. I didn’t believe animals had dragged them away, although in a place like this, anything was possible.
I looked over to where Point-Blank had stood. He was no longer there. I checked on Henry. He was rummaging through Eric’s bag, unconcerned with the blood he stood in.
Gavin gave me a thumbs up. “I’ll watch him.”
Confidant that Henry was safely occupied, I searched for Point-Blank. I found nothing, although the ground where he’d stood was disturbed. The leaves had been kicked up, exposing footprints in the dirt. It seemed like he’d been dragged away. I saw no blood, just the remnants of a struggle. I kept my fingers crossed that whoever had taken him and the others had been friends.
Fat raindrops fell in the blink of an eye. Between the oncoming darkness and the muddy trek down, it was a very tricky journey. Henry followed me. I brought the vine rope we’d need at the drop-off, but lowering Henry was no easy task. He couldn’t descend the rope himself, which forced me to tie it around his waist and ease him down. Once my own feet touched the ground, I caught him staring into the thicket.
“Come on, we need to keep moving,” I said.
“Do you think she needs help?” he asked.
I was in no mood to go along with his hallucinations. The downpour had never let up and I was completely drenched. But when I opened my mouth to speak, I saw her. It was the little Viking girl, Sassy. She watched us unblinkingly, holding her doll tightly against her. I became unsettled, aware of what she was capable of.
“We ought to go,” I whispered.
“Wait,” Gavin said beside me. “Somebody’s with her.”
“Who?” I asked, my heart racing.
“Some guy in a Hawaiian shirt.”
Inglewood. His soul now followed her after she’d murdered him.
“What’s he doing?” I asked.
“He’s talking to her.”
“What’s he saying?”
“He’s whispering something like, ‘Shush, Sassy, don’t be afraid of them. Let’s move on.’ Sassy? What kind of dumb name is that?”
Good, I thought, with Inglewood there to calm her, maybe she wouldn’t attack us.
Gavin waved, then said that Inglewood waved back. After a brief standoff, Sassy moved on, vanishing into the thicket. The only evidence of her presence was the crushing of leaves under her feet.
“I think you’re clear,” Gavin said. “Whatever he said to her, he must’ve let her know you weren’t going to hurt her. I’m surprised he could talk, though. His throat was torn wide open.”
We moved on. Darkness came and the rain continued. We finally made it back to South Village, where a few soldiers took Henry off to tend to him. Soon afterward, I found a familiar face.
“Khenan!” I exclaimed happily.
We went to the village’s pub and had a much needed drink. He explained that they’d had a funeral service for both Travis and Eric after the bodies had been brought down. I hoped whoever had gone up to get them had drenched themselves in bug spray.
“Jeez, mon, I t’ought you’d died,” Khenan said.
“I thought you were dead too.” I was giddy with delight. “How do you feel?”
“I ‘ad a bad taste in my mout’ since da ot’er night, but I ain’t seen any more bullshit. You?”
“The same. I guess we were the lucky ones.”
“I’m sorry ‘bout ditching you back dere. It’s just . . . I never been so scared in me life. Not even when me ship got caught in da storm. What we e
xperienced was a different kind of fear. A psychological fear dat tore into my soul. Shit, I was so scared I couldn’t go back to show da soldiers where to find da campsite. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“None of this is your fault. It’s mine. I shouldn’t have dragged any of you with me. Now Travis is dead and I’m right back where I started.” Of course, I didn’t tell him about what I’d found at the top of the island.
“I miss me son,” Khenan said somberly. “I miss me family.”
“I know.”
His eyes lifted from his mug to me. “We all went up dere fer our own reasons, mon. It was wort’ trying. We might’ve lost a great deal, but if we didn’t at least try, we might as well shoot ourselves in da head an call it quits, eh?”
We stayed the night in the village and in the morning, we headed back to our own. By the time we got there, the dock was complete. The only thing left was to bring in the ships.
The dock was magnificent, reaching three hundred feet out to sea and ten feet wide, with twenty extended piers on either side. It looked as though it could hold the entire village population and then some.
I avoided everyone who tried to talk to me, even Marissa. I did tell Carlton to ask the soldiers at South Village to help assemble the ships at the docks. I then expressed that I was tired and I’d tell him everything he wanted to know after I got some sleep. It wasn’t a lie by any means. I was exhausted and drifted away on the floor of my hut the second my head hit the ground. I needed to get some furniture.
By the time I woke, night had come. I drew my aching body up and went out to the front porch. My stomach grumbled. As I looked out into the dark void, wondering how I was going to eat, a very dangerous thought came to mind. With everything that had happened, losing Eleanor and now Travis, I couldn’t face spending eternity homesick and miserable. I decided on a suicide mission.
Chapter Twenty-nine
I now understood why people with a serious intent to kill themselves never said anything. Maybe they dropped hints here and there, but they usually didn’t convey their intentions verbally. It made sense. I mean, why tell people? They’d only try to talk them out of it, most likely put them on suicide watch, delaying the inevitable.
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