RockFord Island

Chapter Twelve

          Finally, after what felt like millennials, the high-pitched ringing sound is gone—at least I think it is. I can't tell if I just hallucinated the whole thing, or if it really did happen. Either way, my ears are still ringing like bells, and my head is left with a gruelling headache. I still can't believe that crazy bitch hit me with the stone. Christina has not returned to the beach, and quite frankly, I'm hoping to keep it that way. She was acting like some kind of possessed, voodoo demon. Just replaying the scene in my head gives me enough anxiety to last a lifetime.

          The sun is almost finished setting over the horizon as I sit here alone on the beach. I can't deny it's another beautiful sight. The bright, orange sky blisters with rays of elegance and peace, shining down over the crystal-clear, baby-blue water that surrounds the island. I sense so many conflicting emotions while looking at the view, seeing the beauty it produces, yet combined with all the dread that has come along with it. I don't know if I can spend another night on this island. I know I can't.

          I'm so fucking hungry. It's been over thirty hours now since I last ate—nothing but a blueberry muffin right before we left Hanoi with Pierre to venture to the island in his boat. Expecting we'd be safe and happy back inside our hotel rooms the following evening with a fine dinner waiting for us. Even if I did have something to eat, I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep it down. I'm still feeling really nauseous.

          But I can't just sit here any longer and mope around. I've spent enough time on this bloody island wishing things could have been different. Now I need to take action and hold on to that last string of hope still buried in my heart. That tiny, microscopic light of optimism that's keeping the fire inside my soul burning. It's so small. I have to dig down deeper than the bottom of the ocean to find it, but I know it's there somewhere—it has to be. I'm going to look for my brother. I don't even know if he's alive at this point, but if I'm going to die, I'm going to die fucking trying.

          I slowly pick myself up, my body weight feeling double the amount it usually is. My gaze turns to the only place left where Oscar could possibly be—the jungle. I feel a shiver creep down my spine as I stare at the trees and bushes, knowing full well that both Shawn and Christina are still somewhere in there. But it's not going to stop me. They say everything happens for a reason. Maybe I was sent to this island for purposes I am not yet aware of. 

          I begin making my way towards the jungle. Just before the perimeter that separates the leaves and trees from the beach, I notice Shawn's lighter laying there in the sand. It's one of those see-through lighters, where you can adjust the volume of the flame. Assuming he must have dropped it earlier, I crouch down quickly and snatch it up. With my phone dead, I'm going to need another source of light if I want to make my way through the jungle and back before nightfall.

          I take a deep breath and carry on. Flick! My thumb sparks the flame of the lighter. Even though it's not pitch dark in the jungle yet, I make sure to turn the flame up full blast to maximize the scarce amount of light I have to guide me. I walk nice and slow, careful not to let the breeze burn out the flame. The first thing I notice is that the jungle has a whole different vibe to it when it's dark. The once peppy atmosphere is replaced with an eerie stillness, and the once lively sound of birds chirping turns into a superstitious silence.

          "Oscar!" I shout softly. "Are you there?"

          A sound in the distance startles me, enough to make my body jolt and cut the lighter's flame off. Flick! Flick! I spark it again after I regain my composure. 

          After realizing it was nothing, I keep going, this time venturing slightly off the path we used yesterday as a group. Shrubs and ferns graze upon my shins, tickling me as the quietness of the jungle plays tricks on my mind. I notice my head twisting and turning in different directions, almost as if I'm checking to see if someone, or something, is watching me.