The Getaway

Chapter 4: The Island

I stood on the beach where we arrived a moment longer while I took in the sight of the small island and all that was on it. There really isn't much you can see over all the trees. It's amazing how quickly things can change and turn your whole world upside down, I thought to myself as I continued to scan the new terrain.

"Alex, are you coming?" Cole shouted when he looked back to find me in the exact place he had seen me last. He  was peering out from behind the tree in front of him. He had already made it to the beginning of the forested island.

I break my gaze away from the treetops to look toward Cole. "Um, yeah. I'm coming." I say as I slowly begin to walk toward Cole and follow him into the canopy of trees.

It was surprisingly dark under the protection of the plants. They didn't let any light through their large green leaves that spread above us like a roof. There was a small dirt path that Cole was following. As I thought of what he said when we got here, I start to become more and more curious with every step I take deeper into the island. 

Every where I stepped along the path, there were roots popping out of the dirt. They seemed like they were just waiting to grab someone's ankles and pull them down. I begin to watch my feet while I walk through, because every time I look up, I trip and fall. When I look down to see what I have tripped on, I see nothing but dirt and those strange looking roots off to the side of the path. This place just gets creepier, darker, and colder as we go along. While I kept tripping over nothing (as far as I can tell), Cole was navigating easily through the jungle-like terrain. I know I am a very clumsy person, but there is no way that I am tripping this much over my own feet. 

I thought I heard a noise, like some kind of bird somewhere nearby. Until now, the island seemed uninhabited by anything. The only thing that could be heard before was complete silence except for the sound of our feet as we walked. Cole must have heard the noise too, because he began to quicken his pace. By the looks of things, he knew what that noise was and whatever it is is bad news.

It felt like we had been walking for ages and everything here looked the exact same as where we were when we first entered. Were we just going in circles? From the beach,  the island didn't look at all big enough to take this long to get to wherever exactly we were going, even if it was on the opposite side of the island. 

Cole still hasn't said a word since we started walking and it is kind of unsettling. He is not much of a talkative person, but at least he could explain where we were going. "Cole, where are we going? And why did you say I was like you and 'the others'?" He looked back at me with a panicked look. 

Up ahead, there was a break in the trees where light shone through. All that was blocking us from seeing what else was in the opening was a curtain of vines.We were almost to the blanket of vines when there was a loud crash behind us. Maybe that was why he was being so quiet. "Get down!" Cole yelled just before a giant bird swooped down, barely missing us. It swooped down a few more times.

The last time the large bird swooped down, it's talons had scratched along my arm. I cried out in pain. There were two long, deep cuts along my entire arm. Then the bird flew off above the treetops, nowhere to be seen afterwards. 

Cole checked my arm after the bird was gone and said, "It's alright. It's healing." I have huge gashes in my arm that probably require stitches. It may be healing, but not quick enough to keep me from bleeding to death.

Cole could see the panic in my eyes as I examined the scratches myself. "Alex, just focus on something else for a minute. The cuts will be gone before you know it."

I don't believe him, but I focus on the dirt covered root by the edge of the path, and I think I saw it move. It must be because of how much blood I'm losing that I have begun seeing things. I look back at my arm when I think of the blood and see nothing there. It was as if I had never been scratched at all. How did I do that? I looked back to the root to see if it really did move. Sure enough, the root was slowly retreating back into the darkness of the trees. Well there's another question added to my list of questions for Cole or whoever it is he's taking me to.

Cole must know something about that giant bird that attacked us. And why did it only attack me and not him? He helps me up after he sees that my arm is fully healed. "See, I told you it would heal." Cole said proudly.  I have one question on my mind that I could ask him right now as I continue to stand here in disbelief of all the events that just occurred.  

"What was that thing?!" I asked, now even more afraid of this place then I was before.

"It's a phoenix." A voice called out from the other side of the vines. I look back to the vines to see an older man approaching us. "She protects the island."

The older man watches me for a moment, then steps closer to me with arms outstretched before saying, "Welcome home Alex."