Island Of The Cryptids

36

The tower was looming in the distance, its top circular and broken. It looked like the Stratosphere tower in Las Vegas, just without all of its vibrancy and activity. It was rundown, and lots of vines manifested on the rusting walls.

Carlin and the others approached it. They jumped down from a large rock, landing in a pit of silt. Kaeli was less mopey now. She flushed her face with hard determination, and the group walked along.

They had seen no cryptids since the one that had killed Manuel. Carlin wasn't sure whether to take it as a good or bad sign. They were so close to the location that Hadden had described, and it filled him with excitement.

This was his playground.

Dawn bloomed in the sky, and vibrant, exuberant hues of amber and gold painted the horizon. Honey-colored beams of light shone off of the sun as it reached into the sky, illuminating the last of the stormclouds. It was tremendously beautiful, Kaeli thought to herself. Had the island not been horrific, she might have admired it more.

They came to the base of the tower, unsure as to walk in or not. Jake moved towards the door, but Carlin shot out an arm and shook his head.

"We need to stay focused, and we need a plan," he explained.

"We're not even sure the Explorer is here," Jake said.

"But it's better than waiting out there, you hear me? We need to just look a little, that's all."

The group walked over to the edge of the cliff. They peered down at the valley, basking in awe. The waterfall ran just below their feet, a few yards to the left. The river flowed through a smaller valley, obstructed by towering rocks from where they stood. The bottom of the valley was filled with shimmering crystal blue waters and thick with muck. The trees swayed in the breeze, and the rocks glimmered with the sheen of water.

Out of one of the holes peeked a cryptid. It looked directly at them, its features now fully visible. It didn't call for anything, or attack them. It just stared at them. Inviting them in.

Down on a rock terrace was the Explorer. It sat upright, its parts mangled and ripped from the attack earlier that night. A precarious pathway led down to it, and it was right next to one of the holes.

"I bet our phone is in there," said Carlin.

"One of us has to get it then," Kaeli reminded. "Or all three of us." Carlin shook his head.

"Too risky. I say one of us while the others create a diversion."

"Who's that gonna be then?" Jake asked. Carlin looked at him.

"You went to get the phone the first time, and you did a great job. You were fearless and brave. I need you to do it again."

"No way!" Jake shouted. Carlin placed his hand over Jake's mouth, silencing his scream, then pulled it away for him to speak.

"I'm not doing that," he said firmly.

"Don't worry, Kaeli and I will make a distraction. We'll climb down to the valley, go right up to the caves, make some noise, and then escape through that chasm over there."

Carlin pointed to a small ravine that sliced through the hills. It was too small for any cryptid to fit into, but just the right width for a human.

"Jesus fuck," Jake whimpered.

"You can do this, friend," Carlin coaxed. Jake was playing right into his plan. He would make Jake scared, play his friend for a little bit, and isolate him. Then, when he was alone with Kaeli, he could go to work. Jake would be so piss-scared that when Carlin came back, he would just be flooding with emotions. Then Carlin could play with him. It got him giddy just thinking about it.

"Give me the gun," Carlin demanded. "It's a better noisemaker than defense weapon. I highly doubt a pea-shooter handgun like this could knock out one of those things."

Jake handed Carlin the gun.

"Let's go."