The Lost Ones

Chapter 10

"Jesus Christ!" Kit cried when he swam back up to the surface.

His whole body, from his toes to his entire face, stung from the lake's piercing, icy touch. I thought this goddamn lake was hot! But like the rest of the island, even the simple pool of water was unpredictable.

Swearing in his head, he slowly continued to push his way across the lake. The rain felt like tiny bricks being poured all over him and the clapping of the thunder made his ears go deaf, not to mention the water that was already in both his ears and nose. If this isn't hell on earth, I don't know what is!

Then about halfway through the lake, the rain had stopped. Kit looked up and saw that the storm clouds had ended right above his head. He could see the clear, galaxy-like skies again. Behind him, it continued to pour hard and there was a flash of lightning that looked like it struck the water, but Kit didn't feel the effect of the zap.

It felt like an hour had passed when Kit finally reached the other side. He threw himself onto the dry soil, wrapping his arms around himself, shivering madly. He was sure he was going to die of hypothermia, but within a few minutes, his body regained its warmth and he felt the muggy, humid air all around him.

He slowly sat up. A few feet away from him was the raft. Where were you when I needed you? He groaned in annoyance and stood up to look around.

It was like he was on a completely different island. Not only was the current weather a stark contrast from the weather across the lake, but the landscape had diverged from a tropical isle filled with fruitful trees to a barren land with decayed, ancient-looking buildings scattered around.

Kit examined the structure of one building. Though most of its columns were either fallen or cracked, he recognized that the style of the building was similar to Greek architecture. Was he on an island in Europe?

But the architecture of the building that stood one-hundred feet behind it made him reject that assumption. With its crimson-painted walls, the temple sat shorter than the towering Greek columns. Kit rubbed his fingers over what appeared to be Chinese letter carvings.

Not far from the temple was a massive pyramid made of limestone with two pharaoh statues sitting upon thrones at each side of the blocked entrance.

"Egypt," Kit told himself. He rubbed his eyes. "Did I die in that lake? Where in the world am I—literally? It looks like every country is here."

He continued walking around the spacious land, estranged but still amazed at the enigmatic buildings. They were all deteriorated and dead, just like the barren soil they stood on. Everything was silent except for Kit's own breathing and his footsteps.

He came to a stop when he saw a deep, wide valley containing a beautiful, colossal Victorian mansion. It had blush pink vinyl sides and charcoal roofs. Connected to the second floor was a tower with a conical roof and a balcony that circled around the entire house.

Kit wanted to get a closer look. It was a good thing he had an excuse to. He was supposed to be looking for Skye and she couldn't have been inside any of the other buildings because they were either completely ruined or had their entrances blocked. She also seemed like someone who would want to take shelter in a mansion like that, having been raised as a rich, spoiled girl in a privileged family.

At the corner of the valley, he found a convenient flight of long, narrow stairs made of rocks and dried mud. It seemed almost too convenient. If there were stairs leading to the mansion, that must have meant someone used to live there...or was still living there. There was only one way to find out.