The Mystery of Corpse Island

Chapter III - Arrangements

                    "Tell me anything, grandma!" I hesitantly replied. "Before I go, there is something I want you to do." My eyes lit up and my tears stopped itself from producing more. "You see, there is a unique flower which can only be found in Corpse Island. I heard interesting stories about it." My heartbeat dropped at the moment she said "Corpse Island". "W-wait... Corpse Island?" I muttered. She nodded and I sat there in disbelief. My grandmother wants me to go to Corpse Island to get her a flower which I knew nothing about? What if the news were lying, what if there was no flower, what if it was poisonous? Okay, I need to stop myself from overthinking. Grandma knows what's best for me. Her time wasn't very long, so I needed to start as soon as possible. "Grandma, I am going to go get that flower no matter what it takes. I need to get going. Love you!" I assured her that I will be fine.

                         That night, I began asking some friends if anyone were interested in joining me. As expected, many opposed my decision. Although to my surprise, a few of my friends agreed to join me in this dangerous adventure. Those friends included Jenny, Thomas Cobble, Tom as we call him and Marco Oakwood. I was highly astonished to learn Tom was joining because he doesn't ever attend any sort of group activities. He was always quiet yet intelligent; we call him the "mastermind" of the group. Marco is the enthusiastic guy, he is the "light" of the group and somehow never runs out of jokes. Jenny was the "fun" one, she is the most "normal" one yet she is exciting to be with. Well, they were the only ones who agreed to join anyways. We spoke about it all night long. We were lucky enough not to have school next day due to unexpected maintenance check.

                           It was the start of Wednesday, we agreed to meet up at 14:00 in Pozon Cafe. It was an informal meeting so there is no need of fancy attire. As I arrived, I inspected my surroundings to notice they haven't arrived yet. I glanced at my clock which states 13:50. Great, I have 10 minutes to gather my thoughts. As I sat down, lost in thought, I heard the jingle of the entrance bell. I snapped out of my thoughts and saw my friends smiling and greeting me. I smiled back as they headed towards the table. As they took a seat, I couldn't help but notice the excitement on their faces as well as the fear in their eyes. It was a mixture of great fright and uncontrollable excitement, I thought as I read their facial expressions. "So, about going to Corpse Island-" Jenny casually said but Marco immediately covered her mouth. We got  mean glares from the other people in the cafe and it was quite embarrassing. They began murmuring thoughts to each other which didn't feel very comfortable. I cleared my throat to get my friends' attention as they snapped their heads towards me. I gestured a "C"and an "I" with my hands for them to get the idea to call the dangerous area C.I to make it less suspicious. I peeked behind my friends to check if anyone still cares, to my relief everyone went back to their business.

                           For the next hour, we were discussing on the survival plan we will follow. It is tough to create a strategy to a frightening place that we never laid a foot on, so we didn't quite know what was heading our way. We were in a state of predictions and assumptions to the point we concluded that everyone must stick together at all costs. If someone got damaged, we assigned partners to help each other and accompany one another in times of urgent split-up. We listed the things we needed for this one day, or possibly two or three if things didn't work out, to keep us up. "A water bottle and a flashlight  for each of us, a couple of snacks, paper and pencil, first aid kit, extra clothes and a...camera?" I asked. Jenny smiled in embarrassment and added "I'll carry it if it is too much!" "Not at all!" I reassured her with a smile. Her face lit up and her eyes sparkled with joy! It made me feel better in a way to be honest. "Let's get this straight; we meet at Sand Dunes Harbor at 7:00 sharp on Saturday. There will be a ship named Alexandra VI which we will rent. We all bring money, one of us pays it then we split our share in the ship." We nodded in agreement and gave each other a lively high-five. It was a course of adrenaline rushing inside our veins. This was the life-or-death decision that will forever change us. We were daring ourselves to risk the comfort of our homes to a whole new level of danger with lots of unexpected twists and turns. We parted our ways and waved goodbyes.

                   I was heading back home, I was thinking of our crazy plan as my feet led the way. What made me oddly uncomfortable though, was the feeling of being watched; as if someone knew my every move and was constantly tailing me wherever I go. I paused and looked around, there didn't seem to be anyone around except a few neighbors.  I shrugged the thought off as I unlocked the lock of my door. As I entered, I heard what seems to be footsteps from upstairs. "Footsteps? I live alone!" I whispered under my breath. Something didn't feel right. I shakily made my way up, panic surrounding me. As my hand made contact with the door knob, I made a deep sigh and slowly opened the door. I took a short glimpse, there wasn't anything. So I opened the door wide to reveal my bedroom, strange enough I didn't see anybody. I looked around the room before stepping in, hoping that nothing would suddenly jump out. Nothing. I went around my room for a quick observation of any small details. Suddenly, I heard the door shut behind me. I yelped in surprise and as I looked behind, my door was closed tight. I shivered at the sudden fright and I was shaking to the point that my sweat dropped profusely. I shakily made my way around the room and opened every cabinet and door I came across. Yet, nothing was there. 

                       I was about to head out but as I pulled the door knob, I had the worst realization; the door was locked! My heartbeat raced a very fast pace as my face felt like it lost all of its colour. I then heard a loud creak at my desk, which forced me to move backwards. Gradually, I hit the wall behind me as I felt myself sinking in the wall. I saw one of my picture frames drop to the ground. The lights flickered till it was pitch dark inside the room. I was beyond horrified. I grasped the grip of the wall as tight as I can, widening my eyes in hope of seeing what was happening. I was showered in sweat and my skin turned as white as the Arctic snow. I couldn't escape. There was no way out. The door was locked from the outside, which was only possible to do if you have the keys to it. The upstairs room was pretty high and below it was solid ground, so jumping wasn't the best idea. There wasn't any ladder and I couldn't see anything. I breathed heavily and shut my eyes tight while keeping my grasp to the wall tight. I felt some sort of presence approach me. It got closer and closer with every step.

Hello, Mark.