Cerulean Found

Chapter 97 - The Great Beast of the Island

The Mooreaya tug harshly at the ropes in order to get Josh and I to move forward. I try to dig my feet into the ground and hold myself in place, trying not to move. I don't want to go anywhere with them, especially knowing that wherever it is they are taking us, we are to die. They pull violently at the ropes and I am forced to walk forward or be pulled.

"How do you know that the Erycon will stop hunting humans after... after eating us? What will stop her from hunting you?" I yell to Traverse.

"I don't know. But I do know that all it takes is one human to supply a young Erycon with enough blood for their full growth and development. We got lucky with the two of you! Surely that will tide the young one over," Traverse says with an eerie chuckle. "Now, enough questions. We must be quiet or we all will end up eaten," Traverse says, as he signals to one of his men.

A moment later a blue cloud of dust appears and I am forced to walk through it. When it vanishes, I try to speak but can't. I am mute, once again.

We leave the openness of the beach at Cerulean Bay and start to make our way through the jungle. Once again I try to buy some time. To be still and bury my heels into the ground. My attempt to make the journey hard on the tribe is short-lived and unsuccessful. They instantly see what I am doing and hoist me up into the air and carry me through the trees. Four tribesmen hold me up. Two at my arms and two at my feet. I attempt to turn my head to see Josh, but I can't find him. I can't even call out to him because of the magical powder they used on me. All I can do is silently cry as they carry me to my death.

I stare up at the tops of the trees and watch as the sun struggles to shine through the canopy. It's strange seeing the world from this new vantage point. Despite my fears and the state of panic I have entered, the journey is somewhat tranquil. I'm glad my last few minutes are peaceful.

I've never thought about death more than I have in the past year. I came to this island to help save my mom so she wouldn't lose the battle against cancer. Little did I know it would be me who would lose in the end. I wonder how long it will take. Will it hurt to die? Will I feel anything?

This whole mess we are in is my fault. Sabra tried to warn us and I was too headstrong to even attempt to care. This could have been prevented. This is not how things were supposed to happen.

The canopy above starts to clear and the sky becomes more and more visible. With every step I see less green vegetation until finally all that is above me is the bright sky filled with white puffy clouds. At the sight of the heavenly sky, a tear streams down my cheek. I know what this means. I am going to die and my death is fastly approaching.

The tribesmen drop me down onto the dirt ground and I fall to my knees. I look around and see that we are in a small valley. The jungle grows all around us, but where we have gathered is barren of any trees or vegetation. It is a vast plane of nothing but dirt and weeds. And a fire pit with five large wooden posts circling around it.

I finally spot Josh. He is ten feet away to my left. The look of anger on his face is terrifying. When his eyes meet mine, his expression softens and he smiles.

"Tie them up," Traverse calls out.

The tribesmen then usher us to the wooden posts, placing us across from each other. They turn us so that our backs are facing the fire pit. I cannot not see Josh from where I am. And I still cannot speak. Another tear rolls down my face as I realize I am to die alone, with no one to comfort me in my final moments. I am going to die and be able to tell him how truly sorry I am forever dragging him into this. The tears continue to stream down.

They begin to tie my hands behind my back and around the wood. They do the same with my feet, ensuring that I am secured tightly to the post and unable to move.