Chapter 10: Isle of Thugs

The twins discover another aspect of the island and how its systems work, but soon discover that trying to get a closer look is a bad idea.

Days after winning the Shipwreck Village Games, the Simmons twins were busying themselves lounging in their hut-turned private jet. They figured that their best bet would be to give Mike Jr. and Josephine their space, seeing how they didn't appear to take their loss very well.

Mark Jr. took advantage of the natural light that entered the cockpit and busied himself rereading one of the several novels he had packed with him, though by now, he could probably recite all twenty-five chapters of it by heart if he so desired. Meanwhile Justine had just finished painting all twenty of her nails in the color of red wine, much like her mother's, and had her feet extended through one of the openings in order to let them dry. At the same time, she was also applying some lipstick of the same color, also like her mom's.

"Ugh." she grimaced as she peered outside.

"What is it?" Mark Jr. asked, eyes still glued to his book.

"I just spotted one of the chefs gutting a wild boar for lunch, and I already regret watching it," Justine explained.

"Pfft, you think that's disgusting? I remember Dad once told us a story about how in the time between when we were born and when we turned one, Mom would cook with her own breast milk," Mark Jr. groaned. "Even when we had guests eating at the manor with us, she still did it. Thank God no one found out, huh."

"Blecch, how could I forget that one? Oh, and what about that story where Mom cooked her own placenta as a substitute for Easter ham after we were born?" Justine shuddered a little, before spotting a couple of familiar faces on the ground. "Hey look, it's those windbags we beat the other day. Wonder what they're up to now."

"Can't we just ignore them this time?" Mark Jr. rolled his eyes as he peered outside as well.

"You saw what they did back in the Shipwreck Village Games. They're clearly troublemakers, and what if they were to cause more trouble? Captain Jones clearly doesn't give a s**t about them, and if he won't bother to at least keep an eye on them, then who will?" Justine argued.

"Well... you do raise a good point there..." Mark Jr. uttered. It was once in a blue moon when his sister would prove him wrong about something.

"Of course I do, now let's go!" Justine hopped up and put on some flip-flops.

---

Meanwhile on the ground, the Seymour twins were busying themselves strutting around the village. Mike Jr. retained his usual cocky smirk, while Josephine scanned the place with her usual bitter, condescending scowl.

"Ah, I keep forgetting how surprisingly nice it is out here in the middle of nowhere," Mike Jr. sighed. "Here I thought we'd be all alone on this island. Starving to death, braving the elements, and most likely fighting until we end up eating each other, but nope. These chumps did all the surviving so we don't have to. All we've gotta do is kick back!"

"Well now. Seeing how you're so optimistic about our situation, why don't you think of something to do? Cause I'm bored out of my mind right now." Josephine rolled her eyes.

"Maybe we could gorge on some of that street food. You just might grow some b***s if you start eating more." Mike Jr. sneered.

"One more comment about that, and I'll castrate you!" Josephine threatened. "Besides, the day I eat a cricket is the day I give up on everything."

"Well hey, it was only a suggestion," Mike Jr. replied with an uncaring shrug.

"Uh-huh. Sure," Josephine growled.

Following their brief banter, the twins made their way beyond the village boundaries and into the jungle, unaware that they were being followed. They continued walking until they came across a tiny white sand beach that they'd never noticed before. A cluster of blackish rocks could be seen not terribly far from the shoreline, and on that cluster was something that looked a little out of place.

"Say, uh, something looks a little off to me," Mike Jr. commented. "You know that uncomfortable feeling you get when you see someone wearing two very similar shades of the same color in close proximity to each other, and the only way you can tell they're different shades is because they're next to each other? That's kinda' what I'm feeling right now."

"...Good to know. But as for me, I think I can see a black flag over on those rocks." Josephine pointed across the water. "I think I can see a skull and cross-bones on it too."

"That's what I meant," Mike Jr. argued.

"Whatever. Now what say we take a closer look?" Josephine grinned mischievously, before spotting a few abandoned life rafts nearby. "And whaddaya know? Something to help us do just that."

Without wasting another moment, the twins walked over and started to untie one of the rafts. However, they were quickly cut off as they heard some rustling in the foliage behind them.

"Not so fast, windbags!"

"Ugh, I'd never forget a voice as annoying as that one." Mike Jr. rolled his eyes as their rivals emerged from the jungle. "I swear, this island is too small for two pairs of twin celebs."

"What are you two doing snooping around here, anyway?" Mark Jr. asked.

"What are you doing here, four-eyes?" Josephine asked.

"Look who's talking," Justine snarked. "Anywho, we asked first."

"Well if you must know, we were just gonna borrow one of these boats and see what that flag out there is about," Mike Jr. explained. "And if you're here to rub in your fluke of a victory from the other day, then you can just f**k off."

"Nah, we prefer to be good sports. But still, Captain Jones says that those boats are only for harvesting sea life, and he forbids anyone from trying to leave the island," Mark Jr. said. "I dunno why, but I assume it has something to do with staying safe."

"Yeah, well our parents always taught us to do whatever it takes to get what we want, and to not take no for an answer," Josephine said condescendingly. "And we'd really appreciate if you would stop trying to act like our parents."

"Um, what are you talking about? We're just trying to keep you two from causing trouble," Mark Jr. replied as his sister nodded assent.

"Fine. If it'll keep you two from getting your undies in a knot," Mike Jr. grumbled, he and his sister beginning their stroll back to the village.

Both twins harshly elbowed their respective rivals in the torso as they walked past. Having put the Seymour twins in their place for the time being, the Simmons twins simply shrugged and followed them back into the woods.

However, little did the four teenagers know that the raft that had been carelessly untied was slowly drifting out towards the offshore cluster of rocks. Just across the short stretch of ocean, a skinny old man with a floor-length gray beard was busying himself on one of the rocks, dangling a homemade fishing pole into the water as he sat right next to the base of the flagpole that the twins had spotted earlier. As soon as the lifeboat bumped the rock he was on, he was immediately taken by surprise at the noise, but once he spotted the raft itself, his eyes immediately widened.

---

The next morning, Mark Jr. woke up with a big, healthy stretch before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He then aimlessly hovered his hand over the airplane seat in front of him as he searched for his glasses, before finally finding them and sliding them on, adjusting them so the bridge touched his nose. Letting out another yawn, he was startled as Mandy barged into the hut, still in her slightly undersized tank top and pajama shorts, and with obvious panic visible on her face.

"Guys! You gotta see what's happening outside!" she exclaimed.

"Wha... huh? What's going on?" Justine mumbled as she abruptly sat up.

"A bunch of random criminals are invading the village!" Mandy said.

Without a word, the twins immediately bolted for the windows to see for themselves. Down on the ground, the town square was being ravaged by what appeared to be a group of filthy, disheveled adults, armed with machetes and guns, and even some of the town's poison-tipped spears. Various stores were being looted, and countless citizens were running and screaming in panic. Some of the thugs resorted to swiping branches from the lit bonfires in the center of the village and using them to light various buildings on fire. In the case of Captain Jones, he was engaged in a physical altercation with what appeared to be the leader of the resistance; a big and burly coffee-skinned man with a dreadlocked beard, dressed in worn leather with brass knuckles on his hands.

"Wait, what? Where the f**k did those guys come from?" Justine scratched her head.

"Beats me," Mark Jr. replied.

"Simmons twins! Get down here this instant!" Jones abruptly shouted over the chaos, standing over his unconscious opponent. "Seymour twins, you too!"

"Uh-oh," the Simmons twins said in unison as they looked at each other.

---

Once the trio made their way into the town square, they found Mike Jr. and Josephine already waiting alongside Captain Jones; the former two were also still in their pajamas, and appeared to be rather cranky as a result of having been roused from their slumber so soon.

"Geez, would it kill you ladies to dress more decently?" Josephine scoffed. Her own pajamas were silky, loose-fitting, and covered almost everything.

"Well hey, I'm not complaining!" Mike Jr. grinned, blatantly ogling Justine, who blushed and covered her chest.

"Don't tell me you're lusting over that cream-puff with limbs." Josephine elbowed her brother, prompting Mandy to narrow her eyes.

"Er... no, I was referring to the other chick," Mike Jr. stuttered a bit.

"That's enough out of you two," Jones ordered. "Now if I recall correctly, you four were snooping around the northeastern edge of the island yesterday."

"Well more accurately, those two were. Justine and I just followed them to make sure they didn't do anything reckless," Mark Jr. replied.

"And you clearly did a wonderful job at that, because despite your best efforts, a bunch of criminals were still able to come pouring in from that area this morning." Josephine sneered.

"Moving on, did you guys notice anything peculiar on the northeastern coast?" Jones inquired.

"Hmm, let's see. There were a few tied up lifeboats, uh... oh! And there was also sand and water..." Mike Jr. pondered.

"No duh! We also spotted a black flag on some dark cluster of rocks just offshore." Josephine interrupted him. "We untied one of the boats so we could try to get a closer look, but these fun-cops showed up and insisted that we not do so."

"And for a very good reason. That flag belongs to the people of Isla de los Delincuentes, or Isle of Delinquents, which is made up of those dark rocks. It's where we place anyone who causes trouble within this village. Everyone on those rocks was a criminal who crash-landed on this island, whether they hijacked the plane, or smuggled weapons or illegal products overseas, or just plain acted up," Jones explained. "That stretch of water was the only thing keeping those b******s from coming over here and wreaking havoc, and by forgetting to secure that boat, it allowed them direct access to my village! Not to mention those boats are strictly for fishing, not for exploration."

As he went on his rant, the Seymour twins immediately adopted guilty facial expressions. At the same time, some glass could be heard shattering as several crooks broke into the Jones residence.

"Uh, Captain? You plan to do something about this?" Justine asked.

"Well since you kids got us into this mess, what say you help clean it up, huh?" Jones snarled as the five teens ran off. "I already got the leader, so... what the hell?"

As he spoke, he looked towards the ground, where the criminals' leader had fallen, but he appeared to have vanished.

While he busied himself trying to hunt him down again, the two sets of twins got straight to work in fending off his minions. Mike Jr. and Josephine got to work fighting off various crooks with sheer brute force, making use of punches, chops, and kicks of various types. Once they knocked out everyone in their immediate vicinity, they initiated the same team-move they had used during the Shipwreck Village Games and plowed through a small, close-knit cluster of enemies.

---

Meanwhile, Mandy made her way over to the local store, where she found the heavily-tattooed cashier being cornered and threatened by a tall and lanky thug. She threw a random piece of merchandise at him in order to get his attention.

"Well, well, well, look who wants a piece of me!" the thug grinned.

Without another word, he tackled Mandy head-on, though she thrust both her feet into his torso as he landed on top of her, which managed to knock him through the door of the establishment. She then hurried after him and pounced on top, socking him in the face with a rapid barrage of punches until his head drooped to the side, signifying that he had been knocked unconscious.

This attracted the attention of a small group of crooks nearby, who immediately charged at her. Keeping her cool, Mandy grabbed a handmade broom from off the doorstep and used it like a bo staff, combining its use with her surprising physical prowess. She then stuck the broom into the ground and swung around on it like a pole as she kicked away all oncoming enemies, before bending it slightly and letting go, springing herself towards the last remaining nearby thug that she knocked out with a crushing mid-air shoulder-bash.

"Not half bad for a cream-puff with limbs." Mike Jr. sneered, having just knocked out a particularly large thug nearby.

Mandy said nothing, but glared daggers at him.

"Aw, did I strike a nerve? What are you gonna do, attack me?" Mike Jr. taunted, before Mandy grit her teeth and sprinted towards him, prompting him to run away in fright. "Whoa, s**t! She's faster than she looks! Aaaggh!"

It was only after he tripped on his shoelace and got beaten into a pulp that he finally decided it would be a good idea to shut his mouth and stop underestimating.

---

At the other end of the village, Mark Jr. managed to swipe one of the poison-tipped spears that hadn't yet been stolen, and got straight to work. He rushed in and began to slash the leg of each thug he came across, prompting them to keel over, immediately weakened from the painful snake venom. He eventually spotted the leader of the criminal force and charged straight towards him with a war-cry. The leader immediately noticed this and looked around frantically, before smirking sinisterly and lifting up a fleeing little boy by his shirt. He then used his free hand to hold a machete dangerously close to the boy's neck.

"Hold it right there, you teenage twerps!" he bellowed, speaking in a gruff New Jersey accent. "Surrender this instant, or else I axe off this kid!"

"Wow, using children as a tool to further your goals? Really? What are you, a politician?" Mark Jr. jeered, screeching to a halt.

Before the leader could respond, Justine abruptly conked him in the back of the head with the handle of a machete she had stolen from another crook. This caused him to drop his weapon, as well as the child he'd been using as a dare. Now with him disarmed, the Simmons twins charged in and pummeled him into the ground as Captain Jones calmly walked over.

"Mind letting me do the honors?" he asked holding his hand out.

"Oh, uh, okay," Mark Jr. replied, handing him the spear.

Without saying anything more, Jones quickly slashed the spear across the crime boss' chest, causing him to scream in pure, unadulterated agony for a bit.

"That'll teach you to mess with my village!" Jones finished, dusting his hands off.

Now with the last of the threat taken care of, everyone who had helped fight them off surveyed the town square. The bonfires where meals were cooked were still a mess, and the stands that normally lined the edges were all overturned, though thankfully very little of their merchandise had been stolen. Bunches of civilians who had barricaded themselves in the huts and shops slowly started to emerge, and the few buildings that had been set on fire were doused before they could get too damaged.

"Hey those were some sweet moves!" Mark Jr. said, he and his sister approaching their respective rivals.

"We make a pretty good team, don't we?" Justine asked, holding out her hand to shake.

In response, Mike Jr. merely kneed Mark Jr. in the groin as Josephine punched Justine in the breast. Following this, the two walked off silently.

---

"Well now. I'd like to think we all learned an important lesson today, didn't we?" Captain Jones asked the two sets of twins later that evening.

"Oh, save it, grandpa." Mike Jr. waved his hand dismissively. "We promise we won't do any more snooping around, and we won't utilize any of your precious lifeboats unless we want to help catch fish for the village."

"...Which we wouldn't even dream of doing," Josephine added.

"Well hey, you never know. Maybe we'll get super bored one day," Mike Jr. teased his sister.

"Regardless, I just sent Mandy out to get that loose boat back and fight off any crooks that may still be on the island," Jones stated. "And all those thugs who invaded the town are being served as Happy Hour refreshments tonight."

"Wait, what?! Oh s**t-!" Justine's face morphed in disgust.

"...for the sharks." Jones corrected himself. "In the meantime, I plan to start construction of a large wall around Shipwreck Village to keep out anyone else who might want to cause harm here. Heh, it'll finally give us a reason to use those leftover scraps from all the vehicles that crash-landed here."

"Just one question, though: who's gonna pay for it?" Mark Jr. asked as his sister chuckled.

"I'll just pay the workers by means of the town's taxes, and I'll also double taxes on all items, including coconut milk. And because you're the ones who got us into this mess..." Jones abruptly pointed at the Seymour twins. "I'm going to be tripling that tax for you exclusively."

"Oh, god f*****g damn it!" Josephine moaned as her brother and rivals roared with laughter.