Vicious Memories

Chapter 93

The rain turned torrential, fat drops falling with the speed and force of meteors. Overhead, the clouds darkened and washed the world into a transparent photograph. The constant scream of rushing water drowned out all other sounds as fear filled my chest with ice.

Alice's hand in mine was a warm anchor, the only thing that seemed to give off heat rather than drain it away.

"Movement," she said.

I pointed toward the cabins, which were barely visible through the curtain of the storm. "I can't see how many. A dozen? Can you tell?"

"Not sure, but it doesn't look like us." She yanked me back when I took a step forward. "Going in won't help. We could make things worse if we don't know what happened."

"They have to be in the caves."

"Then we need to circle farther around and hug the cliff."

More figures materialized from rain, bringing the total to nearly twenty. They moved from cabin to cabin, gathering near the caves.

"Strangers."

Alice hummed in agreement. "Searching the cabins to make sure they're clear. That means the villagers were forced to retreat."

If they're still alive, I thought.

Like any good strategy, we had mapped out several different plans, arranged in tiers, depending on what might happen. First Gabriel and Arun would try to talk to the Strangers; if that failed they would try to scare them off; in the event that it came down to a fight we would lure them into the densest part of the cabin ring and the villagers would come out in waves, the best fighters out front, an overwhelming attack meant to force the Strangers to flee back into the jungle. In the end, if everything went poorly the plan was to fall back to the caves, where all but two of the entry points had been choked off and barricaded.

No matter which variables went rogue, it always came back to two outcomes: fight in the caves and win, or retreat down the cliff and escape into the jungle.

"We'll go to the caves."

"That's step one," I agreed. "We know Bev is lurking somewhere. She wouldn't bring everyone out here for two years just to kill them."

Lightning lit the island like a strobe light, followed a second later by thunder. The rain vibrated as it fell through the air.

My brain was tearing itself apart going over Bev's words, trying to piece together my strange thoughts and dreams. I tried to make all the puzzle pieces fit together, but a crucial part was missing.

Alice took a big breath and tried to wipe the streaming water out of her eyes. "We need to move. If we get to the others we can figure it out together."

"Then let's go."

We wove through the tree line, reached a point where the land dislocated and became the uneven shelf of our village's eastern border. Following this section of the cliff would give us the straightest path to the caves.

With a final grim look at each other, we darted out from the cover of the forest, two shadows passing through a gray world. The rain made us squint. We ran low to the ground, praying we could go unnoticed for the next hundred yards. The monkeypod tree was a skeletal spectator to our flight, and I couldn't help but imagine a look of sadness in its empty and sagging branches, sense its disappointment in the violence taking place all around it.

Wave of dread beat against me, fear that we'd hear an alarmed shout. None came.

"That one." I pointed toward one of the cave's barricaded entrances and we angled toward it.

Alice zipped ahead, her strong legs quickly outpacing me. She reached the barricade first. "It's Alice," she called. "I'm with Ollie. Who's on the other side?"

A pause. "Alice?"

"Is that Mohammed?"

"It is. How do we know it's really you?"

Alice thought for a second. The clouds had deepened to a dangerous charcoal, shot through with webs of twisting black, fine lines spinning and billowing through the sky like poisoned veins.

"Three weeks after we all woke up you disappeared for a few days. When you came back you told us you were scouting the island, but you admitted to me that you actually went to fast and pray, even though you aren't religious."

Another pause.

Then, "Thank god you're okay. Climb over. We can't move this thing."

Alice went first and I followed, placing my hands carefully. The barricade was a jumbled mess of furniture - chairs, tables, tree stumps - and freshly cut logs. Sharp edges turned it into a massive wood porcupine.

When we made it over and dropped to the floor Mohammed looked us up and down quickly, with a woman whose name I didn't know standing at his side. They each held a spear, and several more were stacked against the nearby wall like missiles waiting for launch codes.

Mohammed wrapped Alice in a brief but tight hug. Once released, she eyed the mud smeared across his face with appreciation.

"Three dead," Mohammed said quietly. "More injured, but not badly. We had to retreat after just a few minutes. There are more of us than them, but it was confusing. They came from every direction, and they know what they're doing better than we do. We've been here for half an hour."

"They're gathering outside," I said. "Where are Gabriel and Arun?"

"Where have you been?" He ignored my question. "We needed you. Where's the gun?"

"Gone," Alice said matter-of-factly. "Taken."

"Gone? How? It was our best defense. We had the bullets to take them all."

"Listen, Mohammed." I put as much urgency into my voice as possible. "We don't have time to explain. Gabriel knew we were going. We need to speak to him."

Mohammed's eyes remained uncertain. Alice stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's me, Mohammed. Do you mistrust me all of a sudden?"

The confusion cleared, burned away by the twin suns in Alice's eyes.

"No," he said, "but I have to stay here and guard the entrance. Lynn, can you take them?"

Lynn nodded and motioned for us to follow her.

Water pooled in the dips of the passageways, swirling like glass portals into a darker world. The high walls choked off most of the gray light and brought an early dusk to the caves. The usual sounds of laugher, yelling, and conversation were conspicuously absent, and I shivered.

"Lynn," I asked. "What happened to the dogs? Box stayed behind when I left."

"Most of them took off. Mohammed sent the rest into the woods. Safer out there alone than in here with us."

"None of them stayed behind in the caves? Where exactly did they go?"

"Don't know. The jungle somewhere."

"He'll be fine," Alice said. "He was born here. He can survive a day without you."

I frowned, unsure, hoping that Box was out there somewhere, safe and dry. I felt miserable that it had taken me so long to ask about him. I wondered whether he would come home when the storm passed.

We hooked into a broader passage, entering the southwestern section of the caves where most of the villagers lived. Traffic increased as we neared the main entrance. I was relieved to hear voices around us now, to see dirty faces emerging from the gloom like headlights in the dark.

Slahes of red broke the jarring monotony of color, and I searched the people around me for serious injuries. Mohammed's words floated after me. Three dead. Three dead. Three dead. How many more would die before this was over?

We neared the only cave entrance that had been left open and spotted Cooper. I'd never been happier to see a maniacal and lopsided grin in my life. Someone had wrapped a makeshift bandage around his left bicep.

"Bugger me," he yelled, causing everyone around us to jump. "I thought you assholes were dead."