Chapter Four: ParkerIt was dark. Not just the dark you see at night lying in your bed, but the kind of dark that freezes you with fear that there might never be light again. The kind of dark that squeezes your lungs...choking out any breath.
Add on top that exhaustion, hunger and dehydration and you would find a perfect case of sheer terror. Not to mention you were crammed into some sort of box, with no hope of getting out.
Parker Eaton wasn’t even sure he was breathing now. Every breath was a forced thought. His limbs had already grown stiff with numbness. He couldn’t feel his feet. And what was worse; his hands were tied behind his back. Parker had no doubt his feet were as well...but of course, he couldn’t feel them, not mention move them.
Three hours ago he’d worn himself out screaming. So his voice was now gone. Only one thing kept him living; the small hole above his head. Second by second it leaked air into the tiny compartment. Stale air, yes, but air.
Like anyone, his mind whirled with terrible assumptions of how he would eventually die. Alone and slowly.
Someone was taking revenge. He’d already figured that one out. He had a dozen enemies in San Francisco who would gladly see him done away with. Parker was not a professional gambler, no, he was a professional actor. But he couldn’t help getting a thrill out cheating people out of their money. Now perhaps he was paying dearly for it.
But what kind of psycho would tie a sleeping man up in a box and leave him there to wake up in absolute terror? Parker couldn’t remember falling sleep...but he must have. How else did he get here?
The last thing he remembered was drinking at the local pub. Of course he must have gotten drunk...and then this had happened when he was out of it.
His resolve to live was weakening as the hours ticked by. With the numbness of his limbs, came a numbness of the mind.
He’s was nearly frozen now, with full belief that whatever life remained would only be within this ghoulish nightmare.
Then a voice spoke.
Above his head? Next to his ear? Inside the box?
He had no idea. A voice just spoke. It could have been a man’s or woman’s...Parker had no way of telling.
The voice said,” You will trust in me before the end, Parker Eaton. Remember that...when all hope fails, you will trust me.”
Parker felt himself tremble. That is what little he could feel of his body trembled. He could not stop it. A massive presence seemed to surround him inside the tiny box.
He did not understand the words...but he knew something, or someone was outside his tiny prison.
“Get me out of here,” he tried to scream, but only a breathless whisper escaped from his lips.
Silence was all that followed. No footsteps, not voice, no nothing...
His breathing began to increase, as the panic returned.
Without warning his box was suddenly suspended as if on thin air. And then he felt himself hurled by a great unseen force. Head over heels his box began to catapult. Parker weakly tried to brace his body against the brutal jarring. His head smashed against the top of the box, shooting flashes of pain through his skull. Parker groaned, losing his grip. Every feeling in his body came alive, as his bones, skin and limbs were smashed again and again against the flimsy wooden walls of his box-like prison.
Then, with out warning, the box crashed into something solid and shattered. Parker’s head and left shoulder made direct contact with the jagged side of a granite boulder.
He fell to his back, amidst the splintered ruin of the box. Vaguely he felt the soft cushion of feathery grass and gravelly sand beneath the splinters. He smelled the breeze of a summer night. Then he saw a dark sky, barely lit by shadowed stars, and the silhouette of two palms trees.
Then this new world faded to nothing but black....once more.
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Christine
It was the lap of the tide that awoke Christine the next morning. She rolled over, slowly opening one eye at a time. Then moaned as she realized the nightmare had not been ended by a night’s sweet rest. Pushing herself up Christine glanced around. Both Ryan and Kasim were still sprawled out on the beach, sleeping soundly. Ryan’s bare chest rose and fell with even breaths.
The sun was peeking over the endless ocean line. Emery was no where in sight. Christine stumbled to her knees, brushing away the sticky sand. Her eyes ran along the coastline.
No human figure.
Where could Emery have gone? Into the forest?...surely not. No doubt to relieve herself. But girl had been given last watch. She should be within calling distance.
Christine rose to her feet, trying to decide whether or not to wake the boys.
“Emery,” she said in a soft voice, stepping away from the shield of the boulders.
The early morning breeze sent chills skittering down her spine as it lifted her golden hair off her shoulders.
“Emery...” she repeated and then stopped.
The dark-headed girl was sitting on the opposite side of the rocks, staring out to sea. Both arms hugged her bare knees.
Emery glanced up at Christine’s voice.
“It’s beautiful,” Emery breathed softly,” I can’t believe I think so, after yesterday.”
Her dark eyes gazed dreamily towards the rising sun.
Christine tucked both hands into the pockets of her shorts and softly tiptoed forward. She leaned against the rock bedside Emery.
The girl seemed subdued, nearly gentle in the early morning light. Christine guessed a night’s sleep had changed them all.
And it was breathtaking...
Streaks of orange and pink danced across a light purple sky. The waves of the tides crashed against the beach one after another, in a relentless rhythm of beauty. The smell of the salt water was heavenly.
Christine shook head, confusion crashing her back into reality.
“We’ve must find a way off this place.”
Emery slowly raised her head to stare at Christine.
“First we should find out why we are here.”
The girl’s words slowly faded into the waves. Christine was silent, staring at the bubbling water.
The truth sunk in.
This island had a purpose...they had a purpose for being here. It made absolute no sense...but then it did.
“If you think about it too much its makes you crazy,” Christine said, letting out a sigh.
Emery merely nodded.
“My family is probably going crazy, right now, with worry,” Christine couldn’t help saying.
Images of her strong father with his stern smile flitted through her mind...of her gentle mother who still insisted on calling her every night to say goodnight and her obnoxious brothers with their never ending jokes. All fading fast into life she felt was already slipping from her fingers.
Emery’s cold voice jolted her back to the beach.
“It wouldn’t matter where I am, no one is worried about me.”
The girl stood to her feet and brushed past Christine.
Christine let her go, wondering at the bitterness to Emery’s tone. In fact suddenly she found herself angry as well...though she could not understand why.
A slight wind began to blow off of the ocean. Not ready to join Emery who was beginning to wake the two young men behind her, Christine began to slowly walk along the beach line, letting the cool waves lap at her ankles.
And that was when she saw the sprawled figure laying among the boulders nearly a hundred yards towards the western end of the beach.
Well, at least it looked like someone was lying there. Christine threw a glance back over her shoulder, nearly yelling out an alarm to others. But something stopped her.
What if it was just a piece of driftwood?
Driftwood?
Christine picked up her pace ever so slightly and hurried forward.
If it was another person would they be torn up as Emery was...or worse, dead?
The closer she approached the more she was convinced it was a human being. Behind her
Christine could now hear the curious shouts of Ryan.
Reaching the edge of the rocks, Christine stared wide-eyed. It was an another young man. He was lying motionless face down, among the rocks. His dark clothes, jeans and a t-shirt, were torn and muddy. She couldn’t see any blood.
Christine knelt, hesitantly touching his back. She started, realizing the guy was breathing.
Gripping his arm she rolled him onto his back, revealing a starling handsome face. Nearly too perfect to seem real.
Dark hair was matted against a high forehead. And huge purple bruised marred the left side of his temple.
Christine swallowed hard, and turned glancing back at the campsite, where the others were emerging.
“Christine what is it?” she heard Ryan holler.
Christine just raised one hand, motioning for him come over. Then bending she listened to the stranger’s heart beat. Deciding he was only unconscious, Christine slapped his face, weakly hoping he would come to.
The young man groaned, eyes beginning to twitch.
Ryan was about fifty paces away now. He saw the figure lying across the rocks, and shouted for Kasim and Emery.
Suddenly the young man’s eyes flew open, and one hand jerked out violently grabbing Christine’s wrist. She screamed in terror, trying to jerk away.
Ryan’s footsteps quickened across the sand.
“Who are you?” the young man demanded between clenched teeth, his words spoken with
distinct British accent. His dark blue eyes were wild with terror.
Christine winced in pain at his tight grip, but tried to answer.
“It’s all right...I’m not gonna hurt you.”
His hold did not loosen.
“Let go of me...” she grunted.
“Christine!” Ryan shouted stumbling towards her. He stopped in surprise staring down over her head at the stranger.
The grip on Christine’s wrist slackened at the sight of Ryan.
“Where am I?” he asked, gaze jerking between the two of them, like a hunted rabbit.
“It’s an island,” Christine said,” We all trapped here.”
Kasim and Emery came racing into sight, skidding to a stop at the edge of the rocks. Both were staring in surprise.
The question danced through everyone’s eyes but the British stranger’s.
How many more were on this island?
The stranger released Christine’s wrist, seeing the others. Then with a moan he closed his eyes, easing back down onto the rocks, one hand covering his face, as if to block out the nightmare. Not unlike the reaction they all had experienced.
Christine stood, shrugging, glancing at Ryan for help. She didn’t know what to say to him. Ryan did not look too confident now.
Emery was turning away, a look of bitter anger flashing in her dark eyes.
This was not fair to any of them....why did they deserve all this?
Strangely enough it was Kasim who stepped forward, helping the young man to his feet.
“What’s your name?” he asked the dark-headed young man.
The young man glanced around, eyes sweeping the girls first as if seeing them for the first time, pausing on Ryan next...then stopping at Kasim.
“Parker,” he replied shortly, still looking scared.
Christine did not recognize the name.
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Parker
He didn’t remember taking drugs, but suddenly Parker felt that something like that had to have happened while he’d been out drunk. He wished he could just close his eyes again, vainly bring back the darkness from before. Could it chase away this reality?
It felt like reality.
Four strangers were staring wide-eyed at him. Bruises covered his left shoulder and forehead. Waves crashed against a beach. An island stood to his left.
“Hey, listen, man. We all in this together,” said Arab looking guy,” and this is all real.”
Parker turned, catching a gaze with the young blonde who had first woken him up. He must have frightened her to death, grabbing her wrist like that. He felt bad about it now, she was exquisitely beautiful, even covered in dirt. So was the other girl, he also noted, though he was not altogether as fond of brunettes as he was of blondes.
Parker rubbed his forehead,” I’ve been trapped in a box for days...” he began, but then stopped, wondering why he was telling them this.
Maybe, because they are the only human beings around, dummy, his mind told him. But how did he know they were real?
“Look I hung in net for hours...” the Arab guy replied.
“ I was torn up and nearly dying when these two found me,” the dark-headed girl pointed out, indicating the blonde and the second guy.
Parked glanced at them, slowly feeling himself relax. The box was indeed gone now.
“You don’t look hurt,” he said.
The brunette rolled her eyes.
“The water healed her,” the second guy explained.
“It did? How?” the Arab guy was now the one looking lost. That made Parker feel better, at least he wasn’t the only one.
Everyone appeared uneager to answer this. Finally the blonde spoke.
“We don’t know.”
Parker a shot a look at the Arab,” You haven’t been here long I gather?”
“Just since last night.”
There was a moment of awkward silence.
Then the blonde spoke again,” I’m Christine,” she held out her hand, a soft smile creasing her face. Parker was taken back as he slowly slipped his hand into hers.
Introductions were made all around, and they led him across the sand towards their campout.
Parker followed, oblivion wracking his brain.
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Emery
Emery sat down in the sand against the rock, covertly eyeing the new guy. He looked suspicious. Too cute and too naive. But then again, that was just her. There others seemed to accept him easily enough.
That’s your problem, Emery, you never trust people, she chided herself.
“We need to hike around this island...” Ryan was saying,”...see what it offers by way of protection and provisions. Maybe afterwards build up a signal fire to attract boats.”
“Boats?” Emery said cynically.
“If we were dropped here on purpose, don’t you think whoever it is will keep us here on purpose, without a chance being given for rescue.”
Ryan’s cheek twitched his eyes dropped to hers.
“I’m trying to hopeful, here, you could help by agreeing.”
Emery rolled her eyes,” Sorry.”
“Are you sure this is an island?” Kasim asked, putting some more wood on the fire.
“Yes, we’re pretty sure,” Ryan crossed his arms confidently,” the girls and I walked all afternoon yesterday. The beach went straight for nearly a two miles and then curved inward. We could see no connection to a land mass.”
“Ok...wait,” said Parker, raising up his hands,” How long have ya’ll been here?”
Everyone turned towards him.
Of course, he wouldn’t know.
Emery nudged Christine,“ You tell him, you and Ryan have been here the longest.”
Christine looked uncertain, even a little confused, but she quickly explained her experience since waking up. Ryan added his own side.
As they ended, Parker was cradling his head, wearily.
“I can’t take this...”
Emery rolled her eyes, disgusted with his cowardice.
“Look, kiddo, we’re all having to take this...so buck up. Help us figure out what to do.”
The guy slowly raised his deep blue eyes to meet hers, and they flashed with anger as he cussed at her.
“...you’ve had nearly twelve hours to let this sink in. I’ve only had ten minutes. You were healed miraculously. I was smashed inside a box. Don’t tell me to buck up.”
Emery nearly threw one of the sticks at him.
But Christine’s touch on her arm stopped her.
“...stop it. You are just gonna make things worse,” Christine broke in, tossing Parker a glance.
Strangely the blonde’s words silenced the new guy.
He turned his face away to the other young men.
“Ok....” Ryan began again,” Lets started walking around the island. We will leave this fire here as a land marker, so we’ll know when we’re back around.”
Everyone seemed to agree to this, though Kasim did point out, it could be days, if the island was
big.
Trying not to dwell on this thought to long, everyone stood to their feet. Then with Ryan leading the way, they started their trek down the beach.
