Wraith

Chapter 04: Darkness

Chapter 04: Darkness

Despite my injured state, I made it to the eastern shore of the island in good time. An orange sun was slowly vanishing over the horizon as if sinking into the depths of the sea. Waves topped by white foam crashed against the rocky shore in pounding thunder, spraying water in all directions. One section of coastline didn't reflect the incoming waves; the breakers vanished on contact.

Looking over the edge, I watched a wave flow under the rocky outcropping where I stood. I'd learned from the island map there were caves on the western coast, but I didn't want to use any the defenders already knew about because they might search them. The underwater cavern I'd discovered wasn't on the map, so it was safer than any of the others.

Waiting for the next incoming wave to pass, I took a deep breath and jumped in. The saltwater burned like fire where it touched my injuries, but I growled away the pain and forced myself to keep swimming.

The submerged tunnel widened into a small cave. The angle of the passage was a gradual upward slope, causing the full force of the incoming waves to be reduced to nothing before reaching the cavern. The sound of the pounding surf was still audible, coming through the rock walls in a muted form. Sunlight illuminated the waters and cast rippling lines of reflections across the cavern ceiling.

As I climbed out of the water, I hunched instinctively as the ceiling was only an inch above my head, and the thought of hitting my skull against the rocks made me cautious. Looking behind a sizable boulder, I found a small depression the proper size to stretch out and still be hidden from anyone who came through the tunnel.

I was tired and sore, but I couldn't rest yet; my wounds needed tending, and I had to plan for the possibility of my resting spot being discovered. Although the caves listed on the island map didn't include the one I'd found, I didn't want to wake up with guns pointing in my face because I'd been too tired to take a few precautions.

Carefully removing my camouflage jacket and shirt, I winced in pain as the flexing muscles over my ribs aggravated my injury. I pulled out my knife and began cutting my shirt into appropriate lengths. I started with the longest strip I could manage, wrapping it around my arm and tying it off. Holding one end between my clenched teeth, I pulled with my good arm. Pain exploded in every direction through my right arm as the bandage cinched tight.

Folding a square of cloth into a thick pad, I braced for the agony before pressing it firmly against my ribs. The wound didn't fail to live up to my expectations, and it felt as if my whole side were collapsing in on itself. The saltwater lingering on the material didn't help any either. My pulse was pounding, and my breath came in quick gasps. Holding my left elbow against the pad, I used my right hand to string a line of my cut shirt around my torso, tying it off to hold the improvised bandage in place.

After I had finished binding my injuries, I took a moment to regain control of my breathing and to let my heart slow down. Sleep clawed at my mind, trying to drag me into its painless embrace, but I couldn't stop now. One more thing needed doing.

I removed the laces from my boots. Tying one end of each lace together in a firm knot, I threaded the long strand through the trigger guard on my sidearm. One end of the shoelace I secured in the crevice between two large stones, and the opposing end, I wrapped around a sturdy piece of coral. The entire length of shoelace was stretched tight below the waterline, but my gun was wedged against the rock floor with its barrel pointing to the ceiling. If anyone came sneaking into the cavern, their disruption of the water would prevent them from seeing the bootlaces before tripping over it and firing the gun in warning.

I slowly and painfully put my jacket back on over my bandages. It was still wet from my swim, but I needed the extra layer. Settling into the depression on the cave floor, I curled up in a ball, trying to conserve my body heat. The water on my skin and clothes was already leaching it away, and as night came, the temperature would drop. Outside the protected depths of the thick jungle, the cold ocean breeze would plummet the temperature further. If I couldn't keep warm, I might not survive the night.