Island Of The Cryptids

5

Hadden zipped up his fly, enjoying the alleviated pressure from his bladder. He looked around in the clearing he was in. It was a small area, covered almost entirely by trees. It was extremely dark, but enough light filtered through the canopy to illuminate his surroundings. He could make out the shadowy outlines of some fallen logs overgrown with moss, jagged rocks that stuck out of the ground, the tremendous trunks of trees, the dangling tendrils of the vines, and the small plants that littered the forest floor.

He hadn't wanted to join the other five on their trek. He always preferred to be on his own. Throughout his life, he was never a team player. He was raised alone with a single father, working in a dingy mechanic shop in Atlanta, Georgia. He had been raised with the kindest of manners, but he still gave off a slightly threatening vibe. Despite that, it surprised most people to discover that he was actually quite a softie. He showed care and respect to all those he met, and lived his life as a generous person.

He had nowhere to be after his father had died a few years

ago, so this small flight delay had no effect on him. He would simply open up shop a day late or so, then get right back to business when he returned.

' Being alone most of his youth, he spent a lot of his days alone in his family's apartment. The small, 5 room flat was hardly big at all, but as a small child, sitting on your bedroom floor, it seemed vast. Right out the door was a small hallway, with a bathroom on the end, the entrance to the living room on the other, two closets in between on opposite sides, and directly across from the door was his father's room.

Most of the day, he sat playing with toy cars on the floor, watching NASCAR on the staticky television. He would sometimes get up, walk to the kitchen, pour himself a bowl of Frosted Flakes, then quickly jog back to his room, plop himself on the floor, and return to playing.

But he couldn't do that a lot of the time, because he was restrained by his fears. His fears of the dark. His fears of the room across the hall. His dad left the light off whenever he went to work. The apartment was dark enough already, lit only by a dim lamp in his room, and the faded lights of the living room, and the shady atmosphere outside didn't help much either.

He remembered staring at the dark hole that was his father's door, like it was a portal to another world. A darker, more sinister world. He would stare blankly into the dark, fearing what was in there. His dad had told him it was nothing, that there was absolutely nothing in the world that could come out and snatch him.

So sometimes, he would walk into the room, quickly fondle the wall, flip the light switch, then run back, and be happy that he was enveloped in a cloak of light.

One day, however, after he flicked the light on, he ran back, and sat down. Everything seemed to be going normal, and his mind stopped wandering from the horrid thoughts of what might be in the dark. But then, the light snapped off with an electrical buzz. Hadden's head pivoted like an owl to see what had caused it. No other lights had gone off in the apartment. His heart began beating rapidly, and his breaths turned to erratic rasps.

In the back of the room, something stirred. A large black mass got up and slithered to the corner of the room that was not visible from the door frame.

Hadden bolted into the kitchen, out the front door, slamming it shut, then down into his father's shop where he cried into his arms for an hour straight.

Many years after the encounter with whatever was in that room, Hadden had finally relinquished his fear of the dark. However, trudging through the dark, tangled mess of the jungle on a remote island, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. His eyes darted around from place to place, searching for something, finding nothing.

He figured he could outlast the rain a bit longer, as long as he kept track of where he was venturing. He wanted to overcome the knot that plucked at his stomach, churning his insides. He wanted to abolish the fear that had dwelled in him for so long, and discover a beautiful island.

Hadden heard a branch snap from behind him. He veered around, staring at darkness. Crickets chirped. Nothing was there.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark, silver and black mass shift in the background. He turned to look, but nothing was there.

He thought it was something evil. Something that was coming to get him. But it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, he told himself. It was almost as if the jungle was moving. As if it were alive.