Island Of The Cryptids

9

"I was really nervous for a second there that I'd lost you," Manuel told Kaeli as they stepped out of the jungle foliage onto the pathway. They both hung their heads down to shield their eyes from the rain. Their boots smacked against the mud in beat with the rain. The sky was now almost completely black. Thunder boomed.

"Well thank you for being concerned," Kaeli said. "Not many people would have been." Manuel frowned at the ground.

"Why's that?" he said with a concerned infliction. "You're a likeable person."

"You don't have to be so flattering, you know," she said, almost annoyed with his flirtiness. "But really, I'm not. I've done a lot of things throughout my life that I'm not proud of. I've made mistakes that make people hate me. Sometimes, I can be real mean, even though I don't try to be."

"That's nothing to hate you for," Manuel replied. The rain was very vicious as they walked.

"You've just met me, so how would you know?" she said. Manuel bit his lip.

The low growl of an engine surged down the pathway as high beams blared out of the blackness, blinding Kaeli and Manuel. It illuminated the drops of rain as they fell. There was a grinding noise and a watery sloshing of mud as the car screeched to a halt. The high beams dimmed and the door opened.

"There you guys are," Tucker said, stepping out into the rain. "Where are the others?"

"We were just coming back when it started to rain," Manuel responded. "I don't know where Hadden is, and the rest of them kept going up the pathway."

Tucker cursed under his breath. His spiky black hair was now wet down and clumped on his forehead. His pilot's outfit was see through, and his muscles showed through the thin fabric.

"Alright," he said. "Get in the car."

"What about the rest of the group?" Kaeli asked as she climbed into the backseat. "There's not enough room in here for that many people."

"I know that, ma'am. That's why we gotta head back first. I'll have to make a second trip." Tucker's voice trailed off into a whisper. He gripped the padded steering wheel so tight he thought his knuckles would tear. He breathed in.

"Is there something wrong, Captain Tucker?" asked Manuel. Tucker gulped.

"I know... I know this may sound odd, but... When you were walking, did you ever feel like something was following you?"

The three people went silent. Raindrops drummed on the windshield. The car's wipers swayed back and forth.

"I did at one point," Kaeli said. "It was just a monkey though. Why do you ask?"

Tucker cautiously inspected the treeline. The dark, cramped corridors of the rainforest glowed in the light. The more he watched, the more it seemed to move. He felt a cold rush surge over his body. His childhood memories crept back into his head, an unwanted thought he had repressed for so long. His childish fears of the dark. Every kid had them, but on this island, where there was nothing but darkness, the fear pounded in his chest and throbbed in his head.

"No reason," Tucker assured. "Just scared of the dark."

Tucker pulled a three point turn in the center of the pathway, then swung the car around and drove back towards the runway, mud flying up in his wake.