Dark Island Book 1 (Complete)

Chapter 12

A strong gust of wind blew Ronnie’s untamed hair. “Yep, this place is deserted as a ghost town.”
“Think the whole island is like this?” I asked, cocking a brow.
“We won’t know for sure until we explore the other side. Want to hunt for a village or something?” Ronnie reached down, picked up a coconut, and shook it.
“There’s no point sticking around here wasting time. We need to find help.”
“But the jungle’s an easy place to get lost in,” said Harold
“The number one rule of being lost is to stay put.”
I nodded. “I agree. We should stay here for now.”
Ronnie stripped of the husk of the coconut, and then pounded it against a sharp rock until it burst open, splitting in half, and revealing the milky white flesh.
Ronnie stopped fussing with the coconut and glanced up, frowning. “Why do you guys think it’s such a great idea to hang out here? What if there’s help on the other side of this island?”
“And what if there isn’t?” I said. “We don’t want to miss a plane. It might be our only shot at going home. Leaving this spot is stupid, not a chance worth taking. You guys do whatever you want, but I’m staying right here.”
“So am I,” said Harold.
Ronnie scooped up a chunk of fleshy white fruit and popped it in his mouth.
“Well then, it’s settled. If you and Harold are staying, then I am too. Splitting up would be a bad idea. And I’m not leaving my two best friends behind.”
Harold grinned and gave him a fist bump.
Ronnie gave a smile, tipped the coconut back and took a gulp, then handed it to me.
“Thirsty?”
“Are you kidding? I might down all the juice in one swig.”
Ronnie laughed. “Save some for Harold.”
I took a long sip, made a face, and handed the coconut to Harold. “Fuck. It’s bitter.”
“The brown ones always are.” Ronnie placed his hand on the rough bark of a palm tree. “I’ll have to shimmy up and snag us a green one. They’re way sweeter and have more juice.”
Harold sipped from the coconut and glanced up. “We might need to think about setting up a camp if help doesn’t come in a few hours.”
“Wait…you mean, like, spending the night? Here?  On some unknown deserted island beach? My stomach fluttered. I watched the waves crash against the shore.
For a moment I forced the quiver back inside. “We can’t survive out here. We do not have any supplies-no food or water. All we have are the shirts on our backs and a bunch of bitter coconuts. Not to mention the mosquitoes.

Harold took a thin piece of driftwood and poked through a mound of dried mud on the side of a palm tree. He shoved his hand inside the hole and slowly pulled it out. A squirming mass of termites climbed up his hands.
I jumped back. “Fuck sakes, Harold. Have you lost your mind?”
Ronnie nodded at me, rubbing his chin. “The dude’s got guts. I’ll give him that.”
The crawling army is obliterated into brown goo as Harold rubbed both hands together. I cringed as he smeared it all over his face, arms, and legs suntan lotion.
Ronnie flashed him a smug smile. “Maybe Jack could get your back.”
“After I do yours first,” I retorted. “So what’s with the bug juice anyway?”
“It’s bug repellent, courtesy of Mother Nature.” Harold grinned, wiping his hands on his shirt and shorts. “Natives throughout the world have used it for centuries.”
“Harold’s expression grew serious. “The point is, we can survive out here if we have to, vanquish fear and panic. Value living. Remember your goal, getting out alive.”
“That’s so motivating,” I said.
Ronnie gave Harold a fist bump. “Dude, that rocks. Where did you get it from?”
“It’s a quote from my dad’s U.S. Army Ranger Handbook.”
Harold spoke with such confidence I almost believed him, but the doubts nagging at the back of my mind wouldn’t shut up for long.
Harold pointed to the termite nest. “Anybody care to try it?”
Crushed termites? I shuddered. “No way am I rubbing dead bugs all over me.”
“You will if those mosquitoes are big as dragonflies.” Ronnie’s mouth tightened into a grim line.
“Heck, I’ll even do it.”
My stomach dropped. Swatting at those freakishly huge insects with my bare hands wasn’t going to cut it.
“This is all so crazy.” Starring at the termites scurrying along the tree bark. “You’re sure that this is going to work?”
“Positive” said Ronnie
“I’ll be back.” said Harold. “I’m going to head into the jungle and look for fresh water.”
“What? You said we should stay together.”
Harold took a deep breath and blew it out. “Don’t worry. I won’t go in deep.”
He turned and walked away, almost into a huff.
Ronnie ran after him, pulling me along. “Go without me? I do not think so. I’ve been dying to check this place out.”
“yeah, we’re coming too.” I was not going to let Harold contract some tropical virus or flu all by himself. Besides, I did not exactly like the thought of staying on an isolated unknown beach all by myself.

Birds noisily chirped and monkeys squealed as I pushed through a tangle of elongated dark green leaves. My jaw dropped in awe. Huge purple and pink begonias, bromeliads and orchids lined the rainforest floor. A gentle mist hung in the air and insects swirled in the rays of light filtering through the towering vine-draped tree ferns growing in groves like giant umbrellas on sticks with ten-foot leaves.
Ronnie glanced around. “It’s like we’re in some sort of adventure movie or something.”
We forged our way through and hiked deeper into the dense jungle. The thick aroma of fresh earth and exotic flowers lingered in the air. I took a few steps through the vegetation until I slipped and fell sideways, bursting through clusters of large leafed plants and down a rocky hill. Somehow, I needed to slow my decent. Reaching out my hands, I desperately tried to grab a tree, a log-anything to stop my gravity-induced momentum. Rocks flew up from under me and branches slapped my face, arms, and legs. Finally, I stopped rolling when my back and head hit something hard, the jolt sending shudders through me. I drew in a sharp breath and reached behind me, running my fingers along the bark of a tree. I rubbed my pounding head and blinked, groaning, vision. I glazed up at the humongous maroon colored leaves with tiny green flecks looming over me.
Harold and Ronnie’s shouts echoed through the jungle.
“Jack! Jack! Are you okay?”
I had just opened my mouth to answer when I felt a tickling sensation on my head. Looking up, I let out a bloodcurdling scream. Multiple hairy legs slowly twitched, eight beady eyes glared with menace, and gigantic pinchers wiggled. The spider was ridiculously big, the size of a basketball-the Godzilla of arachnids. When it lurched forward, I gasped, pushing back on my elbows until my back smacked against the tree trunk.