Hell in Our Paradise

Chapter 6

22nd August 1990

I was awoken from my slumber in a state of sweat, my breath heavy and fast. I could feel my heart racing and my eyes wide. All I could remember was I was being chased, on the island, by some kind of monster, some kind of... beast? Except in this version of the island I was alone, isolated. Thank god it was just a nightmare... right? My eyes darted to my right, phew, Annie still slept peacefully, her chest falling and rising softly, a small smile formed on her coloured lips; her dream must be going a lot better than mine. How is it that lately I've been waking up earlier than her, so annoying. I wiped my drenched forehead with my shirt, I needed to go clean myself up I was a sweaty mess. Gross. I'd never usually had nightmares, of course when I was younger I did but not in the recent years, odd. It stuck on my mind, everything that had happened. The fear the buried itself deep inside me as I ran from the thing, my legs moved but I couldn't control them. That's a weird sensation if you've ever felt it. Just before I woke up I had appeared by a mirror in my nightmare world, I saw myself, yet I wasn't myself, I was the beast; and with me stood every boy on this island, us all the beast as one. It didn't mean anything though, just a bad dream. It somehow made me feel quite grateful that I hadn't ended up alone in this experience, I'm not sure I would've made it.

I silently stretched my aching limbs, I probably slept in an awkward position. I then stood up, and swiftly left the hut, leaving the peaceful sleeping girl alone for yet another morning. I made my way over to the fresh-water lagoon, hoping I'd be alone as I wanted to shower without any hassle. I usually showered in mine and Jack's spot as the waterfall was great for that, but the walk was too long for it being this early; I was barely awake as it is. I tried to step cautiously, keeping my head hung low and my eyes stuck on the floor, I didn't want to trip over and hurt myself because I wasn't concentrating. In a matter of minutes the water flowed at my feet, I quickly stripped down to my underwear, and jumped in with a splash. My plan worked, as the shock and adrenaline of the icy water rushed onto my skin and I was immediately fully woke. I gently rubbed my face, trying the clear all pores of my night terror. I wish I could just wash it out of my system.

After a few minutes of playing around in the fresh water, I hauled myself out and back onto the rocks. I then wandered off back to the beach, but not the same beach I had just come from. I let the hot sun beat down on me and dry me off, then I clothed myself again. Washing the sweat and sand off of my body felt nice, I felt much more free again, like a heavy weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I dipped my toes in the cool sea as I walked back to camp, the coldness stopping me from overheating in the harsh rays of sunlight that pounded down onto my body. As I approached the main area, I could already see many people had risen, I was no longer the only one awake. I grabbed my breakfast from a pile of fruit someone had gathered next to a tree, I'm guessing whilst I was gone. It was a smart idea, easier than going into the jungle every time someone got hungry, if we restocked it regularly that was. I gulped down my last piece of mango as I watched the boys start on their duties for the day. I saw Annie giggling at something Ralph had said, she was twirling a piece of her long, dark locks as she smiled up at him. They made me smile. I kept people watching, it was much more interesting than you'd think.

My eyes stuck on a brunette boy sat on a large boulder near the jungle, his curls rested on his head, a few stray ones falling down onto his delicately tan skin, his cheeks a prominent blush. Eyes as bright as the sky, blue as the ocean, and always full of life. Simon. I jogged over giving him a warm smile.
"Morning Si." We exchanged a small side hug as I hopped up onto the large rock and sat next to him.
"Good morning Lay. Sleep well?" He asked, I noticed Laymon was still perched on his shoulder, cute.
"Not really, had a nightmare." I chuckled slightly at the immaturity of having bad dreams at my age.
"Oh so that's why I saw you rush off into the jungle early this morning. Also you don't have to be embarrassed about the nightmare thing, I've had one every single night since we've been here." He gave me a reassuring glance which made me reach out for his hand and gave it a little pat.
"Thanks Si, that's makes me feel better. Why were you awake so early anyway?" I quizzed the boy, intrigued on what the answer would be.
"Well, Benson had quite a rough coughing fit, which woke me up. He doesn't seem to be improving in health sadly, but I'm not giving up hope yet. I then I couldn't get back to sleep so I decided I'd go feed Laymon." He smiled at me, I could see the sadness in his eyes about Benson though.
"Hey it's okay, with your care I'm positive he will make it out of this Si." I pulled him into a hug that lasted a few seconds, I rubbed the boy's back slightly. A thought popped into my head making me chuckle slightly.
"What is it?" Simon muttered, his voice muffled slightly in the crook of my neck.
"How would you even feed Laymon?" I asked, Simon then joined in on my laughter at my silly question.
"Well, it is rather odd. I place him somewhere on a tree where there's crickets or bugs nearby, then I let him do the rest." We pulled apart and both laughed a little more.
"That does make sense I suppose." I stated, finally pulling myself together.