Island Of The Cryptids

24

Tucker's pained wails awoke the three other men in the cabin. They stirred in their seats, Manuel emerging from Kaeli's cozy jacket, and Jake pulling his head off the wall.

"FUCK!" he wailed with a shivering whimper. "The morphine wore off, oh God,"

Carlin wiped the crust of sleep out of his eyes and reached into the overhead compartment. He rummaged around in his bag, then pulled out the morphine container.

"Alright kiddo, here's your meds," Carlin said, extracting the clear serum from the bottle. "But you only get it on one condition."

"Oh fuck what?" Tucker gasped. He was panting now, feeling all the pain of his broken limbs and jagged cuts.

"Don't worry, nothing bad. I just need you to tell me what we need to do in order to fly in the morning." Tucker wheezed.

"Alright, okay." He breathed very heavily, panting as he sat upwards, wincing with every tiny movement. "I don't think I can fly, but you might be able to, with your expertise and all. I could provide guidance and whatnot. Think you can handle it?"

"Of course I can. Is that all?"

"No," Tucker breathed. "The rear compartment to the plane is still open. We need to shut it. But the problem is, the Captain had the remote when he got... Taken."

"Can't we just slam it shut?" asked Jake. Tucker violently shook his head.

"No, not a chance. It's electrically powered, and will stay down unless we disable the hydraulics systems on the plane. That would also disable the emergency brake, and we would roll right off into the jungle."

"Well, is there any other way we can get it shut?" Tucker nodded.

"You have to use the command module. Simple stuff. But the plane is in recharge mode because the Captain and I started pumping it full of gas earlier." Tucker paused. "Oh fuck."

"What?" Tucker looked wide-eyed at the three men.

"The plane has been filling up with gas for the past three hours. It's on recharge mode, and we're burning the battery. Any minute now the battery is gonna shut off and the power is gonna cut."

"Fuck me," Carlin said. He quickly reached into the overhead compartment again, this time pulling out a heavy flashlight.

"This is bad..." Manuel said.

"Very," said Jake. "The fuel's probably spilled out of the tank by now, too. I once left my car plugged into a gas pump at a rest station and then went to use the latrine. I got stuck in there for a little bit and when I came out half the parking lot was drenched in it."

"I know," Carlin said, flicking on the flashlight. He lobbed the morphine needle towards Tucker, who caught it ecstatically and jabbed it into his arm, moaning in pleasure.

The white beam panned outside the window towards the hose that was outside of the plane. The ground glinted with a sparkling tint, reflecting off the wispy wavelengths that ran across the liquid. The rain had ceased, and nothing obstructed their vision.

Something moved.

"What the fuck!" Jake shouted. "Did you see that?"

"I did, it looked like the gleam of a claw," said Carlin. He retreated into the aisle as thumping noises came from behind the plane. He turned off the flashlight, and threw himself prone onto the aisle. Manuel and Jake did the same, and Jake huddled up underneath one of the tables.

Tucker flipped the radar beacon to the motion tracker. It blared its rapid bleats, warning everyone that something was outside.

"Tucker!" Carlin hissed. "Cut the power!"

Tucker didn't need to be told twice. He pulled the power switch, and everything went black. Fingers of moonlight now filtered through the clouds, beaming down in through the plane windows. There was a thump outside. Then a growl.

A monstrous head lowered by the back window of the plane. Its jagged teeth stuck out of its jaw, clamping onto its lower lip. It looked ferocious, and even bigger than the thing that attacked Tucker. There were obviously more than two of these things.

It inched along the side of the plane, its eye scanning the windows as it peered in, looking for signs of life. It bumped against the wing, and the plane jumped. As it rounded the wing, its footsteps grew more distant as it thumped away. Manuel watched it through the windshield. It was gigantic. A towering carnivore, a truly threatening creature. A cryptid.

The cryptid tipped its snout up into the air, then scratched its head. It actually scratched its head, Manuel thought to himself. Its hands were so long and flexible, and its claws were so sharp. Perfect for grabbing.

It set its sights on the shack at the back of the runway, and Manuel felt a beady glob of sweat roll down his forehead. It was going for Kaeli.

The thing thumped away, and the men reluctantly stood up, careful to not make any sudden movements. Tucker let out a sharp hissing sound as he breathed. Carlin grinded his teeth.

"We need to save her!" Manuel cried. "It's going to go over there and kill her, and she is going to die!" Carlin looked at him. Manuel was on the verge of tears.

"We have to," Jake repeated.

"No we don't," Carlin said, turning to Tucker. "Flip the power back on."

Tucker hit the switch. Nothing happened. Carlin cursed.

"How else are we gonna get off this island now?" Jake whined. Tucker sat forward, his eyes loopy again.

"I took a satellite phone with me in the car," Tucker explained, his voice distant and elated. "It might still be back there." Jake darkened at the thought of going back to that clearing.

"How are we going to get out there if that thing is still prowling around the runway!?" Jake blurted. Carlin pondered. Tucker shifted, raising a finger.

"There are supplies in the back room," Tucker said, pointing. "I've got the keys for that door. We can use whatever."

"We need a distraction," Carlin said bluntly, and the men stared each other down. The thumping footsteps continued. Manuel gulped.