Survivor Story - Kong: Skull Island (Captain James Conrad Love Story)

10. Graveyard

Slivko was running to embrace the group of soldiers emerging through the trees towards them.

The very small group of soldiers.

 "I never thought I'd see you guys again!"

"I thought you were crazy," Brooks told Randa.

"I wish I had been."

"Is this all that's left?" Tilda asked, shocked. 

"What you see is what I got," Packard confirmed. 

"We lost one too," James told him.  

"Good to see you, fellas." Marlow stepped forward.

"Who the hell is this?"

"We picked up a hitchhiker." 

"Lieutenant Hank Marlow of the 45th Pursuit Squadron of the 15th."

"You've been here since World War II?"

"Yes Sir. Did I miss the parade?"

"Well I'll be damned.  Snap to, Lieutenant." The two saluted each other. 

"We're going to bring him home with us. If we follow this river, we'll make it to the boat, and we'll make it to the North shore in time."

"The ploat," corrected Slivko. 

"That sounds good, but we're not leaving just yet."

"Sir?"

"Still got a man out there, Conrad: Chapman. He was downed West of here."

"West?!" cried Marlow.  "We can't go West! That's where those skull things live!"

"Your Skull Crawlers?" said Tilda. 

"Yeah those! You're gonna need a lot more guns if you want to go West."

"I think we should listen to Marlow," said Mason.

"She's right, he's been here the longest, he knows this place," agreed Tilda. 

"Thank you," said Marlow.

"Hey, your job is finding lost men, right?" Packard said to James, who sighed, looking torn.

"Okay, Sir. But if we reach the position and he's not there, we don't send out a search party, we're back here by nightfall, understood? In twenty-four hours we have to be on the other side of this island."

"Roger that, hear you loud and clear." The Colonel turned to his soldiers.  "All right, you heard the man. Moving out in ten."

"This is a good group of boys," said Marlow. "We're all gonna die together out here! Yeah, you're a good group of boys to die with - you shouldn't have come here!"

-------------------------------------------

"Do you think there's any chance Chapman could be out there?" Tilda said softly to James.

"It's a very slim chance. But I can understand not wanting to leave anyone behind."

She nodded, then turned to Mason who had been very quiet.  "You all right?"

"Yeah, it's just, I can't find my film rolls."

"Oh. Could they have fallen out of your bag? We have been doing lots of running around."

"Pretty unlikely."

The group had stopped.

"Are those bones?" asked one of the soldiers, nodding to the giant pieces sticking out of the grass.