Where The Wild Things Are [Continuation]

7| THE WARNING

7| THE WARNING

MERLIN! Merlin!”

            She heard her name repeated in urgent tones as someone shook her shoulder roughly. She winced as her eyes fluttered open. Her vision for a split second hazy, then quickly sharpened into focus.

            Gretchen met her eyes. Merlin groaned in response as she tugged her up. Suddenly feeling the tension in the atmosphere she instantly became more alert. “What's going on?” she croaked, rubbing fatigue from her eyes. Gretchen just shook her head, her eyes filled with tears as she pulled her off the cot. “Just see for yourself,” she whispered, leading a limping Merlin out of the tent and into the courtyard.

            Leaves crunched underneath their shoes as Gretchen pointed to bark on a nearby tree. Merlin squinted. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

            Gretchen sighed as she pulled her even further, meandering through the kids that began to circle around the base of the tree. Merlin standing on the thick roots, now looking straight upward.

            In an almost unintelligible scrawl the words read:

            T HE   KI  N  G 

            H  AS  RET  U

                                        R  N E D

             

            Her eyebrows furrowed. She turned to Gretchen to find tears silently slipping down her face. Gretchen caught her eyes, “Do you think that—” but she couldn’t manage to finish her sentence before her lips started trembling as her face tightened. Her eyelids squished together, her lips in a pulled frown as a soft sob escaped her throat.

            The other kids looked at her in fear. Merlin trying her best to take care of the situation; did her best to assure the children. But then Gretchen wailed out a cry, crumbling to the floor as if her body was too heavy to carry. Lara and a few kids then kneeled by Gretchen, now huddled in a ball on the ground, and escorted her away. Lara looked up at Merlin, they both nodded in a mutual understanding.     

            “All right kiddos,” Merlin said in a loud, clear voice to the remaining. Grasping all the kids’ attention again, all eyes on her. All of them filled with fear. “Look, we don’t know any better than you on what that means—”

            “Does it mean Max’s coming back?” one of the kids perked up.

            She stopped short on the question.  She didn’t know how to respond. It was a good question, but it just seemed . . . too far-fetched. Too good to be true, that the legend after years and years of being a figment, a simple character in a story, that he was an actual human being, coming to the Island to save them all.

            The idea itself was hard to grasp, that after years of being trapped on the Island that they could possibly leave. Return to their homes and families.

             Refusing to set her hopes high Merlin sucked in a deep breath, leaning against the tree in question. “I sure hope so,” she said, trying her best to not get their hopes too high. Based on their reaction she didn’t, which comforted her but pained her all the same.

            She didn’t want to see the kids disappointed, though she didn’t want them to be devastated on not returning home. They had stopped crying for them, their families, they had stopped asking the questions of, ‘when can we go home?’ because, in truth, no one knew the answer.

            But the words scratched on the tree were no accident. It was obviously meant for them to see. Merlin’s features contorted in concentration as the kids gradually slipped away.

            What could this mean?

            The rest of the morning was oddly silent. The kids knew something was wrong though didn’t speak of it; the older ones spoke to each other in soft whispers. Gretchen did not peep a word. She didn’t even leave the cot that they plopped her down on in the mid-morning; staring off into space, a patched blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The kids saw this, their faces curious and frightened but didn’t dare comment on it.

            It was by afternoon when a screech from the medical tent awakened them from their trance of confusion and sorrow. Gretchen even flinched in surprise.

            Merlin hobbled quickly, and almost tripped as she opened the flap of the medical tent.

            The newbie was sat upright, eyes wild in fright, dark shadows outlining his eye sockets and crusted blood smudged his skin.

            His breath was quickening, chest heaving in fear, eyes racking the scene to find anything slightly familiar, though of course he found nothing. Dread bloomed in his chest, almost completely unaware of someone leaning at the foot of his cot.

            “Hi,” she whispered.

            The newbie startled, gasped in shock and tried his best to scramble away, but with his injuries all he could do was freeze in fright.

            The girl had her hands up in surrender, “I’m not gonna hurt you, alright?” she mumbled softly. “You’re safe here.”

             After a tense moment he found himself nodding numbly, as he heard curious whispers of others flowing through the tent flap.

            Though he couldn’t manage to speak a word. His tongue heavy in his mouth, numerous questions swirling in his brain and lodged in his throat, but they couldn’t even pass his lips.

            “My name’s Merlin,” the girl said. “What’s yours?”

            “D-Demetri,” he stuttered.

            A moment of silence filled the tense room.

            The girl, Merlin, looked perplexed. Then shook her head and met his eyes.

            “I’m going to ask you a weird question, alright?” she cautiously said, more of a warning then a question.

            She cleared her throat, “What year is it?”

            His brows furrowed and his mouth drew in a frown in thought. Confused. How could she not know? he thought.

            He told her, hesitantly.

            She then gripped the edge of the cot, knuckles white, as if she suddenly lost her balance. An uncomfortable smile tugged at her lips. “That long, huh?” she laughed, but it had no humor in it. It was dry, empty . . . sad even.

            Silence loomed for minutes on end.

            He shifted slightly.

            “How didn’t you know?” Demetri asked, curiosity managing to surpass his terror.

            She shook her head again, that same smile pulling at her lips, it made him feel frightened even more so.

            “Time here . . .” she started, “it’s not the same as back home.”

            Unease tinged his heart and tensed his muscles, keeping him frozen in place. He didn’t know how to express what he felt, but he tried his best to string the words together.

            “Home?”

            He was met with that same unhinged smile.

            “Earth.”

A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I hope you enjoy! :)