The Ruby Hunt

The one-way path

That now makes so much sense! How could I miss that?!" Rose criticized herself, hitting her head to punish herself.
"The crow, the dagger—everything makes sense now," stated Peter, running a hand through his platinum blonde hair. Eddie nudged Peter and Oliver, nodding towards Fletcher to make them look at how depressed he was, sitting alone in the corner, staring out the window.
"I'm so sorry, Atlas. It must hurt you most," apologized Oliver, giving a sympathetic look.
Jade looked around, trying to find a subject to open instead of the grief moment they were having. "Uhh... Eddie! What did you want when you entered the room?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
"Do you think it's now the time for this?!" Eddie replied, a hint of criticism in his voice. "... Wait! It is now the time for this!" he cheered, emptying his pockets and taking out his phone, then the yoyo he found in the cottage, making Jade roll her eyes. "Is that what you wanted? The yoyo? Seriously, why are you still carrying it around?"
"Hey, it's good! But no, no, not this." Then he finally took out an old-ish phone. "This! This is what I wanted. Whose phone is this?" he asked, looking around.
Fletcher straightened in his seat for a better look, then answered, "That's Edna's phone!" He cheered, taking it and trying to open it.
The kids also stood up in their seats to watch Fletcher open the phone.
"But it probably has a password—" but Fletcher swung the phone unlocked in front of Rose.
"Does it have something important?!" asked Oliver, looking intense.
"Open the gallery; it has most of my secrets!" exclaimed Jade. And Fletcher did as told, then suddenly cheered, standing up and making the others follow him.
"What is it?!"
"Edna was taking pictures of the journal all the time! She has each and every page of it; we can still reach Ruby Island!!" cheered Fletcher, scrolling through the pictures.
"But... the pirates are probably at least twenty-four hours ahead," Rose said, sitting down in disappointment.
"C'mon, Rose, you shouldn't give up on anything like that! There's still a possibility they haven't understood the journal yet, or a sea monster attacked them and ate the journal! Think of anything!" argued Eddie.
"Eddie's right. We should try to trace the journal tomorrow and see what happens. And if you forgot, my dad is a chief master sergeant in the Air Force; he could come to us in like two hours, which is pretty good compared to the week we spent at sea. So let's stop the worry and focus again on finding the treasure," encouraged Oliver, determination in his voice.
"Alright, kids, everyone to bed now. We have treasure hunting in the morning. Off you go. I'll take another look at her phone in case I find something important, then I'll go to sleep too," bellowed Fletcher, pushing the kids toward their room.
---
After two days of feeling hopeless, they were ready to begin again. Now, everyone was excited and eager to finish what they had started.
Luckily, their way didn’t take more than three hours, and now, according to the journal, they were in front of Ruby Island. But it wasn't any different from any other island; it was just a land in the middle of the ocean. What was so special about it?
Captain Fletcher expertly brought the ship to a halt, the hum of the engines fading as the crew stepped off, strapping on their gear. The air was thick with anticipation, the unknown stretching before them like an invitation—and a warning. They stepped cautiously into the forest, its tall trees towering above, casting long shadows on them. It seemed unremarkable at first: mud-caked paths and the scent of wet dirt. But something about the silence felt... wrong.
"How come the pirates haven't reached here yet?!" wondered Rose, looking around cautiously.
Captain Fletcher's expression was neutral, but for a split second, something flickered in his eyes—so quick, it was easy to miss.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream shattered the quiet
“AAAHHHHH!!!”
Without a second thought, they bolted in the direction of the sound. It was Peter, pale-faced and wide-eyed, stumbling toward them.
“B-bats! There are bats!!” he gasped.
“Where?” Fletcher demanded, already scanning the surroundings, his hand resting instinctively on his weapon.
Peter pointed, his hand trembling. “Th-that cave… right there.”
Ahead of them loomed a massive, jagged cave mouth, black as pitch, the kind of place nightmares are born. The screeches of bats echoed from deep within.
“This isn’t just a normal forest,” Fletcher muttered, his eyes narrowing. “Everyone, stay sharp.”
They stayed in their places for a while to ensure nothing dangerous was lurking, then without any introduction, Oliver stated, "We should go in there!"
"Wh... what?! What part of 'there are bats in there' don't you understand?" hissed Peter.
"The part where we can't go inside! We're looking for treasure, if you forgot. Where else do people find treasure but in a dark cave?" snapped Oliver at Peter.
"I agree! Let's go!" demanded Jade, sprinting ahead and leading the group, but Fletcher walked in front of her, not wanting to be left behind.
As they stepped deeper into the cave, the dim light from the entrance quickly faded, and they had to switch on their torches to make out the path ahead. Every few steps, they glanced around—forward, backward, even to their sides—just to ensure nothing strange was creeping up on them. The air was thick with eerie sounds that echoed off the cave walls. It almost felt like someone else was there with them, lurking just out of sight. Every little noise made them jump, but they tried to laugh it off—though the tension was impossible to shake.