Chapter 18 – Emily

Without thinking, i run toward the sounds of Sierra’s screams.

“Emily!” Aiden shouts and then runs after me.

Soon, the rest of the group is following. I come to a dead stop when I see Sierra. She’s standing over a hole filled with a blackish liquid, tears streaming down her face and still screaming for her sister.

“Sierra,” I gasp, out of breath. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“My sister.” She sobs and points to the large, black hole. The smell here is a hundred times worse than it was back where we just were. I gag and fight the reflex to throw up. Sierra’s still crying too hard to say anything else.

Just then, a hand reaches out of the hole and grabs my leg hard enough to cause me to fall backward. And then I’m being yanked toward the hole. I scream and kick at the hand holding my ankle, but it’s not working. I grasp and claw at the ground, hoping to find something I can hold onto. Panic squeezes the breath from my lungs. This is it—I’m going to die. “No!” I scream. “Help! Sierra, help me!”

“Emily!”

In the next moment, Aiden’s hands are under my arms, and he’s trying to jerk me away from the hole. Tom and Larry are on their hands and knees, reaching for the hand wrapped around my ankle. They grab her hand and yank and pull, but Sienna’s fingers slip through theirs. Sierra drops to her knees and lets out a gut-wrenching wail.

I yank my knees to my chest and then bury my face against Aiden’s shoulder. He wraps his arms around me, and I sob.

“Shh. It’s okay. I’ve got you,” Aiden whispers in my ear and strokes my hair.

I can’t stop shaking. I cup my hand over my mouth, push Aiden away, lean to the side, and throw up.

Aiden rubs my back. “Are you okay?”

I nod and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

Sierra lunges toward the hole, and Tom grabs her before she gets too close. “Let me go!” She twists around and tries to jerk out of his hold. “I have to get her out of there.”

“It’s too late.” Tom has her in a bear hug, making it impossible for her to get away but that doesn’t stop her from trying. “She’s gone. And if you go in after her, you will be, too.”

My racing heart makes my nausea worse. Sweat beads on my brow, and I shiver. Aiden wraps his arms around me again, holding me close. His body heat helps the chill working through me. When I don’t feel like I’m going to throw up anymore, I release him and take a small step back.

“Here.” Aiden hands me a bottle of water. “Take small sips.”

I nod and take the bottle. My hand trembles, and I spill a little down my chin.

“She’s not dead!” Sierra is thrashing against Tom’s hold again. This time, he releases her. She collapses on the ground and buries her face in her hands.

Tears burn my eyes, and I blink to keep them at bay. I can’t begin to imagine what Sierra must be feeling right now. She and her sister have been inseparable, and now Sienna is dead. My mind wanders back to that morning in the airport, to when my brother hugged me and called me Emmy. Tears slip down my cheeks, and I hastily wipe them away. What would I do if Erik died? The thought is too much, and I force it out of my mind.

“What happened?” Tom asks, his hands on his hips as he looks to me for answers.

“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “I heard Sierra scream, just like everyone else did. When I got to her, she was standing there crying. Then Sienna grabbed my ankle.”

“Ugh, that smell.” Marjorie covers her nose and mouth with her hand. Her eyes are wet, but I’m not sure if that’s because she’s crying or because the stench is making her eyes water.

“What is that?” Bob leans cautiously toward the black hole. “Is that animal feces?”

“Uh, yeah, what kind of animal digs a hole to poop in?” Larry asks.

“No animal I know of,” Aiden says. He’s still by my side, hovering as if he’s afraid of what will happen if he leaves me alone.

“Because an animal didn’t do this. Humans did.” Tom frowns and looks over his shoulder as if he expects someone to be there.

A chill works through my veins, and I suppress a shudder. Instinctively, I look around, too, suddenly much more aware of my surroundings. Aiden steps closer and puts his arm around my waist. I lean into him.

“Then that means… She sank like she was in quicksand.” I take a deep breath, my thoughts disturbing and morbid. “That is big enough to swallow a whole person. Whoever did this has been here a long time. A hole that size and that full doesn’t happen overnight.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Tom drags his hand through his hair, and I notice the worry lines etched around his eyes. Have those always been there?

Sierra rocks back and forth on the ground. “I want to go home,” she repeats.

“I’ll take her back to the beach,” Bob offers. He kneels beside her. “Do you want that, Sierra? Do you want to go back to the beach?” She nods, and Bob helps her to her feet.

Tom clutches Bob’s arm. “Do not tell anyone what happened.”

“Why?” I ask before Bob can. “Don’t they deserve to know? I mean, what if they want to come with us next time? Or they take off on their own? For all we know, there could be more holes like this.”

“Until we know what’s going on and who’s responsible for this, we keep it a secret,” Tom says so firmly, no one dares argue with him. He returns his attention to Bob and Sierra. “If they ask, tell them Sierra is ill and you’re bringing her back.”

“And what happens when you guys return and Sienna isn’t with you?” Bob narrows his eyes.

“By then, we’ll have some answers.” Tom scoops his backpack off the ground and puts it on. “Until then, keep your mouth shut.” He turns to head back the way we came. “C’mon, let’s go.”

I glance at Aiden. Is this really happening? How can Tom be so cold and uncaring? Sierra just lost her sister. A girl died! And he’s acting like it’s nothing more than an inconvenience. He’s the polar opposite of how he was last night with me. I don’t get it.

“It’ll be okay,” Aiden whispers, but I’m not sure he believes that. I don’t.

One by one, the group falls in line behind Tom. Once again, Aiden and I bring up the rear, which is fine with me because I don’t want to be around any of them right now. We walk in silence for what feels like an eternity. Each step I take becomes harder and heavier. My left leg itches horribly, and I use my right foot to scratch it. I freeze mid-step and look down.

“Oh my gosh.” I stop and stare at my ankle. “Oh my gosh.” I frantically fumble around in my backpack until I find my bottle of water. I pour the lukewarm liquid on my ankle and scrub at it.

“Emily.” Aiden turns back to me. “What’re you doing?”

“It’s on me.” I scrub harder and faster. “Where she grabbed me. It’s on me.” Tears cloud my vision, and I rub at my ankle so hard, I cry out in pain. “It’s on me.”

“Okay, easy.” He swings his bag around to the front of his body and pulls out a tattered T-shirt. “Here, use this to wipe it off.”

I snatch the shirt from him, douse it in water, and resume scrubbing at my leg. Even when it’s all off, I keep rubbing at the same spot. “She’s dead,” I mumble. “And we just left her there.”

“There wasn’t anything we could do for her,” he says softly.

His words do nothing to calm me, though. “That could have been me. She was pulling me in there with her.” I look up at him through teary eyes.

He brushes a strand of hair from my face, his hand lingering on my cheek. “She was trying to get out, Emily. Nothing else.”

My lips quiver, and I nod.

“Hey, what’s the hold up? She hurt?” Tom calls back to us.

“She’s fine.” Aiden’s reply is curt and stern. “Do you want to keep going? Or do you want to go back to the beach?”

“No, I want to keep going.” If I go back to the beach, I’ll have to see Sierra, and I can’t face her knowing I hadn’t done anything to help her sister.

“Then let’s get moving!” Tom hollers.

Aiden helps me up. I adjust my backpack, and we catch up with the rest of the group. Aiden nudges me to go ahead of him, and he follows closely behind, which I’m pretty sure he’s doing because he’s worried I’m going to freak out again. I wish I could say I’m not going to, but I’m not sure of that fact.

I keep my head down and my pace steady. The once lush, green foliage is turning browner the further we get inland. There’s a funky smell, too. Not like the poop from before, but something stale and moldy. Acidic. I scrunch up my nose then sneeze.

“God bless you,” Aiden says.

My stomach growls, and I open my mouth to ask Tom if we can stop to eat, but then I snap my jaw shut. Knowing we’ve already lost time with Sierra and Sienna, and then I had to stop, he will probably bite my head off for simply asking.

An hour passes. And then another.

“Does anyone else think it’s weird we haven’t seen a single animal yet? Not so much as a squirrel. Or a bird,” Larry says.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Marjorie says. “What do you think that means?”

I glance at Aiden, brow raised, and we share a knowing look. Something is definitely off about this island.

Larry shrugs. “That there’s no food on this island to sustain wildlife. What other explanation could there be?”

“That someone has hunted all the animals and now there’s none left,” I offer.

“Yeah, but all the birds, too? I haven’t even seen a spider or a flower. And no one hunts bugs for food.” Marjorie waves her arms around to emphasize her point. “And we just saw a huge hole of human feces. Where are we?”

That is the million-dollar question. Hopefully, by the end of the day, we’ll have some answers. Not knowing is the worst, but combine that with the bone-seeping fear I feel, it’s unmanageable. I want to curl up into a ball and sleep for days, and when I wake up, I want all of this to be nothing more than a horrific nightmare.

Tom stops and holds up his hand for the rest of us to do the same. Then he points to something ahead of him. “Do you guys see that?”

I move to the front of the group to get a better look, and there, a few feet away, is a purplish-white flower, around two feet high, swaying ever so slightly in the light breeze.

“Is that a flower?” Marjorie shoves past me. She laughs.

I smile at her apparent glee. Aiden slips his hand into mine and gives it a reassuring squeeze. It’s refreshing to know something so beautiful could live in such a deserted and ugly place. An intense spark of hope ignites in my chest, and I blow out a pent up breath. Maybe we really will be okay after all.

We’re all so mesmerized by the sight of that beautiful flower—of which no one know its origins or name—that no words are spoken. We seem to do that a lot, be silent. Oddly, it’s not awkward or uncomfortable. In fact, I prefer the silence over the constant bickering and snotty tones.

“Do you guys feel that?” I ask, tilting my head up to the sun. “The air. It’s different. Cleaner.”

“I noticed.” Tom smiles. “You know what that is?” He points to the flower. “That’s a good sign. If a flower like that can grow here, then that means other things can grow, too. Things like fruit trees and crops.” He waves his arm to indicate we should move forward. “Come on. I have a feeling we’re close to something.”

To my surprise, Larry and Marjorie clap. Maybe it’s the way Tom delivered his speech. Maybe it’s the hope that has everyone excited. Or maybe it’s really something in the air. Either way, the unity and comradery passing through the group in this moment is refreshing. In light of everything we’ve been through, harmony and teamwork is the only thing we have right now.

I grin from ear to ear. “This is amazing, isn’t it?” I ask as I gently graze my fingers over the flower’s petals. They feel like velvet and remind me of the purple, crushed velvet pillow I have on my bed. Man, I miss my bed. I miss my blankets and my air conditioning.

“It’s amazing how it’s alive and thriving in this climate,” Aiden says. “It’s very strange. It doesn’t look like it belongs here, so where did it come from?”

I give him a dirty look over my shoulder. “Who cares about how or where it came from? Just look at how its petals are swaying. Like it has no care in the world. Like it can forget about the heat and lack of rain. If only we could all be so lucky.”

“That’s looking on the bright side of things,” he says with a smile. “I must be rubbing off on you.”

“I can’t say I dislike it.” My arm brushes against his, causing a chill to shoot down my spine.

He winks, and I quickly turn my head, not wanting him to see the blush I know is on my face.

“I’m feeling really good about this, guys.” Tom’s steps are getting bigger by the moment, until he’s practically running. “We can’t be too far away from food, water, or even people! We’re going to keep going straight, all right?”

As we continue to walk, the rocks became less frequent, and the air becomes richer, making breathing easier. Something is definitely changing. The entire atmosphere is somehow brighter, more electric. How is that possible?

Twenty minutes later, the scenery completely changes. Clear blue skies. A clean, refreshing breeze. Chirping birds. Green grass. Dandelions!

“I’m not sure I agree with Tom,” Aiden whispers.

“What? Why?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Something about this whole thing just doesn’t feel right. It’s like we crossed some invisible barrier between a dying island and a beach resort. How can one half be so miserable and the other half be so alive?”

I shrug and contemplate his question. He’s right, but I don’t have an answer, and I’m not sure I want one. I don’t want to analyze this situation. I just want to take it for what it is—a good sign. Why can’t he do the same? “Maybe your God is finally coming through for us,” I say.

He laughs.

Tom stops at the edge of a small cliff. He drops his bag to the ground, raises his hands above his head, and whoops with excitement. The rest of us stand beside him and look down at the valley below. It’s completely flat and grassy. Not a single patch of dirt or rocks anywhere in sight.

“Are those…?” Marjorie’s voice cracks.

“Buildings,” Tom says proudly. “Those are buildings.”