The Island

(Chapter 7) All Wrong (Revised)

Day breaks and just before we leave, I'm given a knife and instruction on how to play my part.

The journey is long and is all uphill.

Questions fill my head, "Why do they protect it? Their just animals, how would they know to protect a source of food, almost like they are farming it."

He pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, "They are a lot smarter than you think. If you give them a door, they'll open it, you put them in a maze they'll communicate with each other and get out quickly. They form families, enemies, friends and even communities of Raptors, societies. They've evolved to the point that in a contest between the intelligence of monkeys and dogs they will win by a mile. Their intelligence is very dangerous, I'm just glad they don't know how to use guns."

We reach the summit of the mountain and camp, overlooking a valley below. Trees cover the surface, towering mountains suround the area like a huge bowl.

The man tells me that all those trees yield that precious fruit. 100 thousand for each fruit.

Is it wrong to hold such power to yourself or is it wrong to steal things that don't belong to you?

The sun rises again wanting me to wake up, but should I? A backpack lands on my lap and the man whispers, "Its time of day when they don't have too many guards.

My body lifts off the ground with some hesitation, but excitement. Today may be the day I go home.

We slowly hike down the mountain. We slow our pace even more the closer to the valley floor we get. I even spot a figure run across the trees, it zigzags across the plain. The man lifts his gun and begins to head out into the trees. He lifts himself into the tree and signals me to hand him the backpack.

Before I can even take to backpack off, the branch supporting his weight gives way and he tumbles to the ground with a great loud thud. He quickly lifts himself back up and tells me to run.

Our feet take us to our right staying near the wall of trees. I ask him why we are running, but he just continues to run.

He jumps over a boulder and pulls me in, "Be very quiet." With his finger he covers his mouth.

My eyes adjust to something behind him and before I know it the man turns around and fires at the Raptor. It squeals in pain and falls to the ground.

Before long two more Raptors pop out into the clearing, ready to go for the kill, but are held back by the gun.

The next thing that happens seems to go in slow motion, like something out of a movie. My mind sends a pain through my body, like its saying that I'm doing the wrong thing and I slap the gun right out of the mans hand. He looks at me in fear before a Raptor leaps forward and tackles him to the ground. The screams that soon follow silence confirms my own fear.

I'm next.

I slowly back away from the three Raptors, one covered in the blood of its victim.

I turn to my side and clench, ready to accept my fate, but when I look back all three Raptors have disappeared.

I drop the backpack on the ground and begin to run back up the mountain. When I reach the camp the other man asks what happened to his friend.

I tell him that he was killed by the Raptors and when he hears the roars that come from the valley he lifts himself up and begins to run down the mountain. I follow him back to the camp near to beach, but when he gets there he holds a gun to my head, "If you follow me, I will put a bullet in you."

When I plead with him, wanting him to take me with him, he doesn't listen and just disappears into the forest.

I kick the dirt and punch the tree to my right. I fall to the ground and look up into the sky, "Why do you want me to suffer. . ." When I don't get an answer from God I the take a knife and hold it to my throat, "Well, I'm not suffering any longer."

Before I can finish the job something crashes against the back of my head sending me to the ground.