Dark Island Book 1 (Complete)

Chapter 25

I jumped back like a startled cat. Crap! I was so caught up in the moment that I had forgotten all about Ronnie. My head swam. Peering through the vegetation, waiting for my mind to kick into action, but it took it’s time. I remembered seeing him running past the burial grounds.
I started running, hoping he’s okay. “Ronnie! Where are you?” I shouted as I scattered through the jungle. Out of nowhere came a familiar sound. A voice I recognize.
“Jack, I’m here. I’m okay,” said Ronnie, running toward me.
“Are you okay man? And why didn’t you listen to me when I told you to stay put! You could’ve gotten us both killed!” I said.
“I’m sorry man. Everything happened so fast. I mean-“
“No, I don’t believe this,” I said, cutting him of. Ronnie just frowned, saying nothing.
“Look Ronnie, I’m sorry for lashing out okay, but you are my responsibility. I was the one who dragged us all into this shithole of a mess.” I thought maybe I didn’t sound convincing enough, because Ronnie didn’t seem to react to what I was saying. But I knew being angry at him wasn’t going to help. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
“Now, let’s get out of here, we still need to find Harold and get the hell out of this place.

***

Seconds had passed that felt more like hours as we tried to find our way through the jungle.
“I think we’re lost,” said Ronnie gazing through the clearing.
“You know Ronnie, we could climb one of these trees, using these cone-looking things.” I put my hand on one of the protrusions. “They’re sort of like hand and footholds, like a rock-climbing wall.” I then put my hands on one of the branches, pulling it, testing to see if it could hold our weight.
“They could get us up to the lower branches, and then we could get a better view of the island.
Squealing monkeys scrambled above me from limb to limb, branches snapping beneath their feet, sending blue leaves sailing in the air.
“I hope you’re not scared of those little guys,” I said, trying to break the tension a little. The problem wasn’t the monkeys, but heights. Ronnie was deadly afraid of heights. Ronnie walked to the strange tree, and tried several protrusions.
“I think they’ll hold our weight, Jack.”
I hoped that climbing the tree would provide us with a more helpful view of the landscape so we could figure out where we were. Moments had passed, and I am already on my way up the tree. My attention drifted downward at Ronnie.
“Careful!” I called out. “Some of these cones are rotted out.”
“Thanks for the heads-up man,” said Ronnie.
“Why don’t you just wait here? I’ll go further up and check things out.” I said. As much as he thought he could climb this tree, he’d be more comfortable with his feet planted on the ground. Heights just weren’t his thing. He shook his head.
“No, I’m coming with you. I don’t  want to be alone down here. What if some of those Asmats decides to show up? I will just have to face my phobia head on. I mean, we have seen worse, even survived worse, so I’m going with you,” said Ronnie. The bark felt cold and smooth to the touch as I grabbed hold of another cone-like protrusion, lifting myself further upward. Somewhere behind me, Ronnie groaned, but I knew it was not from exhaustion. “Don’t look down!” I yelled. One by one, we shimmied up the trunk until we reached the blue leaves. I stopped to take a deep breath and then continued clambering upward, branch by branch, until my arms felt sore and my legs threatened to buckle underneath me from the effort. I climbed as far as I could until the small limbs became too thin to support my weight.
***

The dense rainforest stretched over high mountains as far as I could see. A soft breeze blew over the colorful canopy of autumn, rustling the leaves on the high tops. I had to remind myself that it was not November, but my eyes could not deny the dazzling display of color splashed across the jungle – colors like turquoise that should not even exist in fall.
I yelled down to Ronnie, “Are you doing okay?”
“I’m right behind you.”
Holding on to the trunk, I gazed down at the view in silence. I cupped my hand over my eyes to shield them from the glaring sun. Just over the treetops, a waterfall cascaded from a mountain into a lake of crystal- clear water, the water shimmering like glass.
The view is just... incredible. I thought. How can something so amazing exists alongside fear and horror? My attention shifted back to the thoughts of what had happened earlier, the two men...the Asmats.
What are they doing here? What is their purpose here? The questions piled up in my mind. If they are the 'Asmats' that John Edward wrote about, who is their 'god' then?
Harold, Joe, are they okay? Are they even alive? No, I have to believe that they are, I must!  I could feel the anxiety slowly building up inside me. No, there is no time to think about all this, we just need to push forward. I said to myself, trying to convince myself.
My attention shifted back to Ronnie.
‘Hey, you okay?” I called out.
Oh gosh! Ronnie! He was fine only a moment ago. I glanced down at the pale figure drawing in deep, ragged breaths, sweating as if he’d just run a marathon. He closed his eyes and did not answer. I knew all he needed was a little time. A few long minutes passed before he slowly looked around. I sat straight, leaning against the thick trunk, as I listened to the squeaking and chattering of the jungle animals.
“I knew you could beat it, Ronnie.”
He gave a weak smile. “I haven’t. I’m just controlling it.”
“Well, you’re doing great,” I said.
Ronnie nodded. “Thanks, see anything yet?”
“I can’t see behind me because there are way too many leaves blocking my view. I will have to climb over there and take a look in a minute. But so far, straight ahead, all I see is just jungle, a big lake, the burial grounds, and that waterfall we heard.
Ronnie finally made it up to the branch next to me.
“Jack! Do you see that?” asked Ronnie. “Something really big is floating out there in the lake.”
I focused my gaze. It looked huge. At first, I had thought that something seemed of, until it appeared above the water. The creature reminded me of a giant turkey.
“I think it’s a vulture,” I said.
Ronnie leaned forward on the branch, trying to get a better look at the bird.
Maybe it is a California Condor. They have the largest wingspan of any bird in North- America.”
I glanced to my side, meeting his nervous gaze. “What are they doing here then?”
Ronnie’s brows arched before he shifted his gaze back to the bird. “Jack, my guess is as good as yours. If Harold were here, he would have probably given us insight on that thing. But with everything that had happened so far, I’m not sure what to say.”
My breath caught in my throat as my mind raced. The bird looked more like some kind of cold-blooded creature than a Condor.
I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them as realization hit. “It’s a vulture,” I shouted.
“Impossible.” Ronnie shook his head.
He could be so stubborn at times, always probing and questioning.
“No, I don’t think so, Jack.” He closed his eyes and then opened them again, staring at the odd creature. “A vulture? No can’t be.”
I could not explain it, but I knew what I was seeing. “I’m telling you it’s a vulture.”
Ronnie’s gaze narrowed. “What’s that?”
Terror gripped me. “This one’s alive!” I watched in horror as two giant wings unfolded in slow motion and lifted up into a V formation, like a bird basking in the sun. Shaking Ronnie’s shoulders, I yelled, “see? I told you!”
Ronnie’s mouth gaped open. “You were right, Jack.”
I could hear the panic in his voice even through my racing heart drumming in my ears. With a splash, the bird scooped up a fish in its claws like some modern-day pelican. It had to have a huge appetite because the fish must have been at least the size of one of us. Surely, the creature was no Condor because the word 'huge' did not even do it justice. The aerial predator resembled half the size of a small airplane. It’s gargantuan size and wings almost reminded me of the mythical dragon on the pages of one of Robert’s books.
The bird suddenly flipped the enormous fish high into the air, threw it’s head back, and swallowed it’s lunch head-first. My jaw dropped and Ronnie shook my shoulder, shouting. “How could the bird even eat something that huge in one giant gulp?”
The giant winged vulture flew toward us and glided on the air between flaps. Pitch-black eyes penetrated through me, sending waves of panic flooding through my body. I had watched the creature swallow that fish whole, and my breath came in ragged gasps as I imagined a beak ripping through my flesh at any moment.
Ronnie gave a loud cry and fell forward on the branch. “Jack! Get down!”
A loud, horrible screech carried through the trees. The beast’s wings fluttered nearby, snapping violently like a tarp in a hurricane, shaking the leaves and branches above our heads.
“Oh man.” My body tensed as I looked up and strained my eyes to see, that cursed sun was too bright. The flapping of wings echoed in my ears. The creature swooped over our heads – a mere shadow on the horizon, but I froze to the spot, my hands clasped around a branch for support. The bird dropped a few feet, blocking the rays of light. Through the leaves, I gazed at it’s dark rough feathery things. The skin on his neck was so thin, almost like that of a bat. For a few seconds, I thought the creature would descent and tear us to pieces, but instead it let out a screech and disappeared into the clouds. I let out a sigh of relief. “That was one big bird,” I was trying to make some kind of joke, but my words were far too shaky to be humorous.
“Yeah, thank gosh it’s gone. I’ve never seen anything like that before...ever,” whispered Ronnie.
“Neither did I.”
Ronnie shook his head, eyes wide open in astonishment. I tried to calm my racing heart, but it was no use. We were on a island, witnessing fear and terror almost around every corner.
I caught a black circular form from the corner of my eye, and turned in that direction. I craned my neck and peered through the leaves, and then scurried across the branches to the other side of the giant tree, when my heart skipped a beat. “Is that a... cave?”