Chapter 7

 

            My eyes shot open. Pain exploded in my lungs bringing a rush of colors. It felt like my insides were lined with cotton. I couldn’t breathe. I gasped and coughed, sputtering sea water everywhere. The ocean air stung my cracked throat, sending me into repeated fits of coughing.

The colors began to form images. I rolled off the raft into the water, book still clutched in my hands. It was warm like a giant bath tub. All at once, flashes from the night before flitted through my mind. The storm, the book, Rose.  

            I pulled my self up onto a large boulder jutting out of the sea. Waves sprayed up, slapping against my face.

            Rose had rolled onto the edge of the raft. She looked like she was okay though. I set down Suzie’s book in a cranny and climbed to the top of the boulder.

Fear sank deep into my bones. Jesus! A massive island towered over the sea. Trees, hills, and a beach encircled a center mountain reaching up into the sky. All of the trees swayed, their feathery leaves waving in the breeze like a friendly welcome. There weren’t any signs of other people. Most of the crew was floating on their backs in shallow water near the shore. I spotted Harvey floating next to Dad. Dan was a few feet away. The Chine was sprawled out on a piece of deck not far from us. “Maybe he’ll know what to do,” I thought.

            I scurried off the rock to the piece of hull. Rose was waking up. I splashed some water to help. Her eyes fluttered opened. Most of the light from them had faded. Pasty streaks of makeup dribbled down her cheeks.

            “Where are we?” she muttered.

            What was I supposed to answer?      

“Dan’s over there and so is Dad. Let’s start getting the crew awake.”

            “Dan? Where’s Dan?” she asked. Her eyes moved back and forth, searching my face like he was going to appear on my forehead.

            “He’s over there,” I pointed.

            “Is he alright?” She asked.

            Hell, how was I supposed to know?

            “Yea, he’s fine. Just help me get the Chine awake. He’ll know what to do.”

            “Wait, are you okay?”

            “I’m fine.”

            “I thought I lost you.” The words echoed over and over again in my mind, finishing long after she’d stopped moving her lips. I shook my head, trying to stay awake.

            I went out alone. The water grew darker as I swam farther out. Soon, I couldn’t touch the bottom. You get that feeling like your safety rope to shore is being pulled tighter and tighter as you go out. I wouldn’t have been able to reach him if I wasn’t so tired. Fear has little place in you if you don’t give a damn.

            Soon, I reached the Chine. D****t, he wasn’t moving. I’d poked him, punched him, and slapped him, but he was out cold. There was no other way to do it. I grabbed the side of the deck and started dragging it to the rocks. My legs kicked freely in the water like there was nothing below me at all. That’s when you start to worry, when you don’t have to be careful. Fear started prickling against my skin, but I just kept going. It was a long, slow process, but I’d finally managed. Rose had already awoken by the time I was back. She was crouched at the top of the boulder, peering at the island.

            “Rose, help me get him awake,” I said.

            She didn’t answer.

            “Rose!”

            “Shh.”

            Suddenly, I realized there was talking on the beach. I rolled the Chine onto the boulder and kicked the raft away from the rocks. Now there was laughter.

            “May the lord bless you! May god—”

            “Shuddap sailor. How many men in your crew,” a voice asked.

            There was silence. I crept up the rock. Two men stood over the sailor on the shore. One was dressed in tattered captain’s clothes and the other was decorated with white jewels. The jewels against the one man’s tanned chest made him look native.

            “I asked you, how many men,” the captain said.

            “About 20,” the sailor said. “There was a terrible storm. Barely any survived.”

            The captain looked around at the floating men.

“Who’s the captain?”

The sailor pointed to Harvey.

            “Thank you so much sir! I was afraid we’d be on this island for ever,” the sailor said. 

            The captain whispered something to the native. He nodded and returned back to the forest.

            “Sailor, we’d like to welcome you to our island.”

            “Oh thank you so very much!”

            The captain put his arms around the sailor. He was whispering into his ear and the sailor was crying on his shoulder.

            Something caught my eye. I had to squint, it was so bright. It was as intense as the sun, coming from the captain’s hand. Then, I realize what it was, but it was too late. A cry echoed across the sea. The sailor crumpled to the sand. Blood ran from the Captain’s knife, staining the white coral sand.

Whooping came from the forest. It matched the sounds of drums, a constant sound that claws at your gut. Natives and white men poured out onto the beach. They shrieked and hooted. My blood felt like ice burning my veins.

“S**t. Rose, get to the other boulder.”

The attackers splashed through the water, spraying it everywhere. Their battle cries startled some of the crew awake. You could see the crew’s faces turn from confusion to fear. Wrinkles spread across their cheeks and their eyes looked wide in horror. One native reached a clump of sailors. He let out deep growl and raised his spear and jabbed it through one’s gut.

“Eeen! Ja guza!,” he cried and twisted the spear, wrapping the sailor’s stomach around the blade. The white men stumbled through the water lead by a gigantic man wielding a hammer. His fist looked the same size as the hammer head. He swung it round and round with his gnarled, scarred hands, shattering skulls as he went. Small natives with skin pulled tight against their ribs stomped on sailor’s heads, holding them underwater until they stopped twitching. 

Yelps of pain crowded the air. The stench of rotting intestines poisoned the sea breeze. Stab after stab, metal shrieked against bone.

I turned to Rose. She’d changed. The once distraught eyes turned into blue slits of rage. Her jaw jutted outward, forming long creases down her chin. She clenched her teeth.

“Scott, get the Chine to the other rock, I’ll follow.”

I didn’t dare question. I leapt from the boulder, crashing into the water. Waves came in like blankets, beating against my chest. I rolled the Chine onto our piece of hull and began pushing him to the cluster of rocks farther out. Everything was behind me, the yelling, the screaming, the blood. I kept pushing the hull, hands shivering. The rocks neared. The water became colder. My pants chafed against my legs.

The cries were still ringing in my ears. I couldn’t tell if it was still going or I was just imagining. The rocks neared, their mud caked faces glistening in the sun.

 “What? What is this?”

The Chine awoke.

“Just stay calm. We gotta get to the rocks.”

He glanced at me, groaning. Then, he looked back. His eyes turned from slants to big, hollow circles.

“S**t,” he whispered.

Shouting came from the beach. “Hey! Their getting away! Get them!”

I looked back. The natives were swimming out to us, heads held above the water like shark fins. Water beads stuck to their leather faces.

Suddenly, the Chine dove into the water, heading for the natives. He propelled himself through the water with powerful arms, sliding gracefully over each wave. He looked like some kind of elegant whale heading directly for a school of sharks.

I didn’t know what to do. I peddled backwards in the water, keeping an eye on the Chine and my destination. All I knew was that I had to get there.

            Rose was still perched on the boulder. She waited until the natives had passed and then jumped on one from behind. He howled as she sunk a dagger deep into his shoulder. Blood spurted out in all directions.

            On the beach, the captain was barking more orders. More and more natives surrounded the two fighting heroes. The Chine swung his mighty fist, while Rose made quick, stabbing movements. It was a futile attempt and they knew it. More and more natives piled onto them until the mass of people sunk into the sea. When they came up, the natives had the Chine and Rose bound at the wrists.

            By then, I had reached the rocks. I crouched behind one of them, determined to see what was going to happen.

Clouds of red dispelled out from the shore, each growing redder as it hit another dead body. On the beach, thirteen men (and one woman) were lined up, bound to a long, thick log. The captain strolled down the line of men, eyeing each up and down. He was talking to the native I saw earlier, giving instructions.

            Rose pulled against one of them.

            “Get off me!”

            Even from behind the rocks, we could hear the captains booming voice.

            “You are now my prisoners. You will not be able to escape. You will obey me and my command or meet punishment. It will behoove you to be honest with me, men?”

            He went to the first man.

            “State your name.”

            The man kept a fixed gaze on the sand. His eyes glanced up and then back down.

            “Charlie,” he said in a small voice.

            The captain went down the entire line until all of them had spoken.

            The captain looked across the line of captives. He smirked.

            “Take the seven them to the temple”

            The natives untied the seven of the crew and lead them up into the forest. Harvey, Dad, Dan, Robert, the Chine, Rose, and one man I’d never seen, were among them. The captain followed.

            The huge white man I saw before gripped his hammer. A small, thin, rat eared white man looked at each of the remaining captives. “Batter up Curley,” said the rat one. The huge burly man stretched his arms backwards, thrusting out his big, hairy, barrel chest. One after another, a dull thump came from the beach. Each one made me cringe. “Looks like no home runs today Curley,” the rat one squealed.

            Curley kind of grinned, his lips drooping to one side. Everyone left the sailors hanging on the log with their necks broken back like their body wanted to drop, but their head wanted to stay upright.

Silence passed with each minute. I looked back at the beach. It was empty like when we had come, no signs of life. They took Dan, Rose, Dad. I couldn’t let them get away with it. I needed to find a way to get them back. Nothing came to mind. A voice deep inside of me whispered that there was no way to do it. There was nothing left if I didn’t try. I dived in. Cold water shrunk my face into squinting wrinkles. I began the swim to shore, being careful to avoid the rocks. I kept thinking that when I stuck my head up, I’d see a mass of bloodthirsty natives on the beach, throwing their javelins into the air. Fear hollowed out my insides, but I kept going with my head down.