Jungle Fever

The Castle

The Castle

A loud thud echoed through the jungle and into the small cabin in which I lie, waking me from yet another dreamless night. Then silence. Not so much as the sound of breathing, other than my own. I sat up, taking a look around the cozy cottage and noticed something was missing, Lucien. 

Despite the fact that his cottage held the feel of familiarity and safety, his absence didn’t. Slipping out of the bed, I called out, “Lucien, where are you?” My question was answered with silence.  “Lucien,” I called again as I exited the cottage and stepped into the jungle. Still, no answer. I walked through the jungle trying to trace my steps back to the beach. Even if I did end up back with Mace, at least the beach was out in the open.

A replica of the noise that woke me shattered my thought process. What was that? I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to find out either. Turning away from the noise, I bumped into something, something hard. Looking up from my spot on the ground, I saw a man. He was well over 6 feet with broad shoulders that easily put him across the line between dangerous and frightening. “Look into the light,” He said pulling out a flashlight. Not that he should need it, seeing as the sun was still high in the sky.

He moved closer to where I sat, his shadow covering my body. Moving his flashlight down to my face he stared deep into my eyes. I wanted to ask, why do you need to see my eyes? Or maybe even what’s with the light? But I didn’t. The look on his face was in no way intimidating, but it was scared. As if he thought I could hurt him. “Can you stand,” he asked some of the tension in his leaking out of his stance.

“Um, yea,” I said rising to my feet.

“Good come with me.” He grabbed my arm not waiting to hear my response and began to drag me away from Lucien’s cottage and far away from the beach. I would have asked where he was taking me, if I thought that I could change his mind. But since I doubted that, I figured when he turned his back I’d run. I mean I’d probably get lost, but I’d be ok.

Before long he stopped in front of metal gates which seemed to be the only entrance to whatever it was that was on the other side of the island. He spoke in hush tones to the man behind the gate. Though I couldn’t distinguish words I was pretty sure I was the subject, but I couldn’t understand why. I looked down to where his hand firmly grasped my wrist; no way was I breaking his hold.

The gates opened slowly and we had only managed to take four steps before being surrounded by armed men. Their guns pointed directly at me even as the gates returned to their former position. Me and him, him being the one who had brought me here, stood silently in the middle of their swarm for a full ten minutes before someone spoke.

The man had blond hair cut close to his scalp in a buzz cut. His eyes were forest green and filled with fear, though they didn’t move from me, not even for a moment. “What do we do with her?”

Another armed man, this one to my right, spoke, “She doesn’t look dangerous.” He dropped his gun into a more relaxed position as he ran his hand through chestnut curls.

“They never do,” the first man spoke again clearly reliving a painful memory. He stepped closer to me without lowering his gun. “Who are you,” he said slowly and clearly as if he didn’t expect me to comprehend.

“Odessa Smith,” I said in the same tone, still confused by their dialogue.

“And what are you to him,” he said raising his gun inches away from my skull. On the inside, I wanted to scream I had honestly never been held at gun point. I mean I’d seen many of Talon’s and even held one, but never had anyone held a gun to my head with the intent of blowing my brains out. But somehow I managed to stay perfectly still and poise, like a good little model.