ISLAND ILLUSIONS (#2 PARADISE ISLAND duology)

--nineteen--

They hobbled over to the boundary, as close as they could get without being out in the open. Monsters were there, to their surprise and detriment. Several of yellow-eyed creatures stood watch, guarding the sparkly pink surface, though their gazes were all turned in the same direction.

The cave; they're all focused on it and whatever the fuck is happening inside.

Before they got too near the suspecting monsters, Miles and Kera squeezed together in a bush, hiding. Patrek hid behind a giant tree trunk, sliding sideways every few minutes to peer over at the monsters.

"They're not moving," he said in a loud whisper. "What do we do?"

Miles winced. "I don't think we can get any closer, at this point." He scanned the area for one spot, any spot that wasn't infested with furry creatures that were waiting to devour his intestines. "If we can find a space to stand and yell to anyone on the other side—"

Kera burst out of the bush before Miles had a chance to stop her. She kneeled—not that she could remain straight anymore, with her extensive injuries—and crawled in the direction of the monsters.

"Kera!" Miles hissed, but she ignored him, moving forward. She wasn't bothering to mask her footsteps, her boots crunching over fallen leaves, and moans escaping her mouth as she wobbled side-to-side. Not only was she not stable, but the ground was still shaking beneath them, as if about to tear apart into a life-altering earthquake.

Quake or no quake, Kera didn't stop her progress towards the monsters. Something told Miles not to go after her, to wait; and sure enough, as she came within view of a cluster of monsters, Miles realized they weren't looking at Kera. They hadn't budged, hadn't deigned to give her a single glance. She was within feet of them, then inches, then crouched right in front of them—still, nothing happened.

"Holy shit," said Patrek, shooting out from behind the tree.

Miles was too far to grab his arm, to warn him that this weird tactic might have worked with Kera, but it likely wouldn't with Patrek or Miles.

To his surprise, though, Patrek's appearance in the monsters' field of vision also did nothing. Their eyes were wide open, gloomily glowing in a halo around their dark bodies, and yet it was as if they were blind.

Patrek turned around and waved Miles over. Teeth gritted, Miles took a few steps forward, redressing himself. He cracked his back, and stared at the monsters, not letting them out of his sight as he proceeded.

Soon enough, all three of them were standing in front of the barrier, encircled by freaks who'd either opted to ignore them as they were no longer fresh prey, or who were oblivious because they were under some spell caused by Jessa.

Or the aliens, themselves. Maybe they told the beasts to hold off on eating us until they arrive? Because they'd rather watch the feast, of course.

In a bold move Miles didn't quite appreciate, Patrek waved at one of the monsters, right at its face. "Wow, it's like I'm invisible," he said, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"Kera?" Ignoring Patrek's taunts—if they chopped his hand off, that was his own fault—Miles checked on her, placing a hand to her overheated forehead. "Are you okay?"

She shrugged, offering a grimace. "Okay enough."

"Can you..." Miles' face contorted. "Can you hear them growling, still? Do you know what's going on, why they don't give a shit about us? The growling stopped on my end, but you..."

"It's me," she said, watching Patrek hop from foot to foot, still taunting the monsters, who were still unresponsive. "I'm becoming one of them, and I think my scent masks your scent. That, or," she sent a fleeting glance towards the path leading to the beach, "something bigger is going on over there, and they're waiting. Yes, I hear the growls, but they're growing fainter by the minute."