Nhi & C {Volume I: Infectious Island}

Chapter 2: Shattered Reality

I knew something bad was going to happen even before I saw Natasha, or any of our friends for that matter. You know how you get this feeling, that get-the-hell-out-of-here-and-hide feeling? That feeling was so intense inside me I almost ripped Nhi's arm off trying to pull her away; back the way we came. "No, wait, what are you doing?" She sounded distant. "We need to get out of here." She snapped to attention. "Yeah, we should. I just...I just feel like something isn't right..." I sighed. "I know. Nothing is right." She shook her head. "No, literally, with the wreckage, shouldn't there be...shouldn't there be bodies." She looked like she was holding back tears. As was I, upon realization that the blood on that spike and dripping from the exterior of the boat had probably belonged to one of our friends. "Let's just go back to where we were. We have a lot to sort out. Like, since when does champaigne cause memory loss?" She groaned in agreement, her brow furrowed. "I know! Oh my gosh...I still can't believe we drank..." I sighed, regret swelling inside me. "Me either. I really wish I had just said no like I usually do. Why didn't I just say no? If I was sober, then maybe we wouldn-"Nhi cut me off. "No. I won't let you blame yourself for this. I mean, hey, you might've had the first drink of your life and subsequently ended said life, but that's neither here nor there right now." I gasped upon remembering why we had come over here in the first place.

"Nhi, you're right.

"I am?"

"No. Well, yes, but...I think I saw Natasha over here." That's why I came over here." She perked up. "Yeah, that's right! Where could she have gone?" She scanned the beach behind us. "We should try to find her" I grabbed Nhi's hand, and turned towards the docks, bumping right into Natasha. She was facing away from us, an she didn't look much better than we did. Then I noticed the harsh, rasping breaths escaping her mouth. Natasha slowly turned to face us, the movement very jerky and unsteady. Nhi let out a strangled scream. All I could do was scramble backwards and make a weird choking-gasping sound. It was Natasha. Was. A terrifyingly gory version of her stared back at us with blank eyes. Her face was tinted a pale blue, with a busted lip and a slashed cheekbone. Her skin (the parts of it that weren't covered in blood or rot) was pale, veins prominent under her skin like sickly green and blue roots. Her burgundy hair was matted to her head in a mess of bloody clumps. But her midsection was what made me certain that it was her blood on that spear of rock. There was a jagged tear a bit left of her belly button, ripping completely through the flesh just above her hip. Her kidney had been sliced open, a thick, brownish-black liquid  out of it. Her right arm was ripped to shreds of pale flesh, and her hazel eyes that had once been sparkling with rebellion were now staring behind me, at Nhi. She started stumbling towards me, as if her limbs were asleep. A dry, gravelly screech of anger ripped from her throat as I scooted out of her reach. She reached out to grab me again, her jagged nails just missing me by an inch. "Nhi? Nhi!" I scrabled to my feet and pulled Nhi up by her shoulders. She just let herself by picked up, as if she was in a trance. Natasha got a little to close for comfort and I kicked her knee, hoping to buy us some time. Her knee hyperextended with a squishing snap. She crumpled to the ground, still clawing at the sandy ground, growing more frantic. I turned towards Nhi and  found her frozen in fear, her gaze turned towards the forest. I shook her gently as tears started spilling from her eyes. "I think I just found our friends..." I followed her gaze, and upon seeing what was stumbling and crawling out of the forest, I let out a blood chilling shriek of terror.