A sense of eeriness overcame Elle as she peered off onto the glistening, vibrant ocean. She couldn’t shake off a lingering sense of evil being near.
Eva awoke and took a minute to sit up. Her face was still swollen from the blows Barry had unleashed on her. Elle noticed Eva’s movements and made her way toward her.
“How do you feel?” Eva asked as the young girl approached.
Elle looked at her, “I feel like you’re the one that needs to answer that.”
In her hometown, people considered Elle an eccentric 16-year-old girl. Her views about life were strange to her peers, some considered them dogmatic. She was a knower, someone who had special access to an innate understanding of the world.
When she was a girl, before they lost the world to Gilligene IV6, she would ride her favorite red bike by a blue house that sat just before the exit of her neighborhood. Anytime she rode by, a mourning dove would zip by and land on the railing of the porch, singing. The wind would hit the beautiful chimes that draped from the roof, that played a tune she associated with things being well. Her ears never missed the tune any time she passed that home.
Elle, after hearing it, knew that the day was the same as the one before. The house belonged to a 70-year-old man named Mr. Danner who was venerable by all who lived in the neighborhood. He was very kind to Elle. Her afternoon talks with him were coveted moments where she could share her perspective on things. Mr. Danner was always happy to listen to her go on and on.
One day she rode by the house and the wind didn’t strike the chimes like it normally did. The mourning dove didn’t land on the porch and sing. It lay there lifeless.
From that moment on she knew that the world had changed, and that her and Mr. Danner’s afternoon talks were now a thing of the past.
“Well, I’m doing fine. But I mean, if you want to talk about it, how are you coping with your father’s death?”
Eva was invested in Elle. She reminded her of her younger self; bright-eyed, bold, and serious. She was a child at heart, with a wondrous mind.
“Yeah, I’m coping all right. I mean, I was distraught about it, but after I fainted, I woke up with a pressing feeling that it was for the greater good that he died.”
Her answer confused Eva. Maybe Elle was now experiencing some stage of grief; a mixture of denial and the other one. She couldn’t figure it out.
She placed her hand on Elle’s back. “Why do you say that?”
Elle moved closer to Eva. “I have a feeling there is more to this island than meets the eye. I had a weird dream. More like a nightmare. We should be careful here. We shouldn’t wander off alone.”
Elle’s eyes held a grave look.
Eva looked around the beach for Asher and Barry. They were throwing rocks into the ocean. Barry glanced at her, an indifferent look on his face.
“Elle, I lost someone too. I never knew my father, but I had someone I loved, and he died. I didn’t want to believe it. I thought it was a hellish dream, that if I pinched myself, I would awake in my bed, and he would be asleep beside me.”
Elle retreated. “You think I’ve lost my mind? Listen, I love my dad, but he would never kill himself. He has been through way worse than being stranded on an island. Any moment he would’ve fixed that boat and we would sail away to this new colony.”
Elle crossed her arms over her chest, reminiscing, “We shouldn’t have agreed to explore the island. I should’ve pressured him to fix the boat. I was always too good at pressuring him.”
Eva inched closer to Elle and held her in a hug. “That’s what I mean. You are not at fault. I blamed myself too when Brandon died.”
Eva let go and Elle moved away and said, “Do you know what a Leviathan is?”
Jonah approached from behind, his face buried in his notebook.
With a mouthful of canned vegetables, he mumbled,, “I do! It’s an ancient sea serpent!”
He set the can on the ground and took a seat. “Have any of you seen Sergio? He left to get us some food this morning.” he said.
“No, I haven’t seen him,” Elle said. Eva shook her head.
“Well, that’s strange,” Jonah said.
Elle pressed further, “An ancient sea serpent?”
She sat on the ground next to Jonah. “Yes, my child! It’s a grisly creature, normally found in Hebrew mythology and folklore. Known to be ferocious. Its fierceness prevents man from taming it.”
Elle bit her bottom lip, gazing out at the ocean. “Can it talk to you?”
“What do you mean?” Jonah questioned. “I mean, can it make you do things you don’t want to do?”
Jonah paused in thought. “I don’t think so, it’s just a creature some say exists, others thought it nothing more than a fantasy.”
Before Elle could respond, Eva bellowed, “NO!”
Catapulting her body into the air, Eva sprinted to where Barry and Asher were playing.
The boy lay still on the bed of rocks, father standing over him. In his hand, a medium-sized rock raised over his head. He was ready to deliver the second blow.
Elle and Jonah whipped their heads in the same direction and sprung off the ground, sprinting toward the rocky shore.
“What the hell are you doing, Barry?!” Jonah yelled.
Before any of them could step their foot on a stone, Barry dashed the rock upon his son’s head with a terrible thwack .
Horror plagued their faces. “Barry! Oh God! What…”
Eva struggled to get the words out, as she sank to the ground, grabbing at her shirt; she struggled to stay composed.
“Barry!” Jonah inched toward him.
Unfazed by the brazen action he had committed, he began mumbling the same words under his breath, “Flee, flee, flee.”
With empty eyes he stared at his dead son. The child’s blood ran down the rocks and into the ocean.
Nightfall was upon the island again. The dark sky danced like a twinkling jewel.
Jonah, Elle, and Eva stood huddled together near the shore. Barry was far behind them, his hands and feet bound by a rope. A piece of cloth with holes covered his head. The trio thought it smart to tie up Barry for fear of him trying that with anyone else.
Asher’s lifeless body still lay on the cobble rocks. Neither one of the three had mustered up the courage to look at his body. They were recovering from the wrestling match with Barry.
After he had struck his son dead, Barry went on a rampage. Lunging at Jonah, trying desperately to get to him. He struck Jonah down, cutting him just above his eyebrow.
That was when Eva mustered the courage and charged at Barry from behind. She swung her arms recklessly, her fists hitting home every time.
The sudden barrage of blows to his face dazed Barry, but he quickly realized his strength and grabbed Eva by her neck. He threw her down and climbed on top of her. Eva fought back, scratching at the air.
He was choking her.
He said, “We must flee. The fallen ones must never be free.”
His grip got tighter around Eva’s neck. As she looked into his eyes she saw nothing. There was a hollow gaze, like he wasn’t aware.
Elle screamed in the background. She knew this was her moment. If Barry kills Jonah and Eva, it would just be him and her. She knew she wouldn’t stand a chance with him alone. She tamed her composure and searched the ground, finding a medium-sized rock with a jagged edge. She picked it up.
With all the courage left in the world, she struck Barry in the head.
They all gazed at the line where the night sky and the ocean touched; searching in hopes of an understanding of it all.
Elle broke the crushing silence.
“We need to bury Asher,” she said.
“We can’t just leave his body on the rocks like that,” she added.
Eva’s eyes welled up and she gently massaged the area of her neck where it felt tender, where Barry had tried to kill her.. She looked at Elle and tried to force words out of her mouth. None came.
Jonah stayed silent.
Elle took a deep breath and continued, “Well, I’m gonna bury him. Then we need to figure out what we’re gonna do, alright?”
Elle walked away from them and headed to the rocks. She trained her eyes on Barry who was making subtle movements in the distance. Elle still felt as if the cloth covering his head and his restraints weren’t enough.
She was taken aback at the sight of the child. She wanted to run away but she did everything in her power to touch the child’s hand instead.
She carried him towards the base of the cliff, laid him gently on the ground, and began digging next to her father’s grave. She found some sticks and pieces of rope scattered in the dirt and made a cross. She placed the boy’s body in, covered him up with sand, dug in the cross, and said a prayer for both of them.
Elle felt a tap on her back. Her eyes shot open. The light of day rushed upon her vision, bringing with it a sharp headache. It took a moment for her to adjust. When she did, she realized she’d been sleeping right next to the graves.
“Are you okay, Elle?” Eva asked.
Elle turned around and saw both Eva and Jonah staring at her and said, “Hey. Yes, I’m fine. Wh…Where are you guys going?”
Jonah approached closer and squatted before Elle. “We are going to find Sergio. He hasn’t returned since yesterday morning.”
Elle let out a brief sigh. “Okay let me…”
“No. You don’t need to come. Eva and I will go and you can stay here and keep watch over Barry,” Jonah interjected.
Elle stood up. “Absolutely not, I am not staying here with that psychopath who just murdered his son.”
Eva attempted to side with Elle, but Jonah spoke again, “Elle, listen to me. I made sure the rope was tied tight and secure, and his face was covered. He’s not going anywhere.”
Elle shook her head and said, “Nope! If he is not going anywhere then there’s no need for me to stay here alone with him. I’m coming with you.”
Jonah attempted a third rebuttal before Eva intervened. “Listen, she’s right. There’s no need to leave a 16-year-old girl alone with a man who murdered his son in cold blood.”
“But he is tied up. Someone should be here in case a ship goes by,” Jonah said.
He quickly realized an argument was brewing. Instead of engaging, he threw his hands up and said, “You know what, nevermind. How about this? I will stay here and keep an eye out for a ship and watch Barry and the both of you go into the jungle to find Sergio.”
A brief silence ensued before Jonah continued, “How’s that sound?”
Both girls looked at each other and accepted the new plan.
“Okay, that sounds better. Elle, let’s go!” Eva said.
Jonah mumbled under his breath as they walked away from him. Before they disappeared into the jungle, he yelled, “Hurry back then, the hunger pangs are getting worse!”
The sharp contrast between the vastness of the ocean and of the jungle made it seem as if the Earth was only made up of both topographies. Upon first look at both expanses, their beauty overcomes them, then slowly fades away into a feeling of hopelessness.
Elle and Eva hadn’t even made it fifty feet before they both found it futile to continue.
“Where would he have gone to?” Elle questioned. Eva looked defeated as she surveyed the jungle.
“Maybe if we yell for him, he might hear and call out to us. You think he’s hurt?”
Eva nodded. “No. I don’t think he’s hurt. I think his Marine ways got into him and he ventured far off into the Jungle. But if I’m being honest…”
Elle interrupted Eva, “Let’s find him, possibly on the way we can find food as well.”
Elle had already started walking before Eva could refuse.
The sun moved across the blue sky as the morning shifted to afternoon. After hours of progressing deeper and deeper into the Jungle, Eva and Elle gave up on calling out for Sergio.
They found themselves surrounded by the Jungle. Any views of the beach were now a distant memory. Staring into the jungle was like staring off into a green abyss; an inescapable, unrelenting abyss. Streaks of vibrant color would appear once in a while in the air when the birds zipped from tree to tree.
The sound of the jungle was another world of its own. It was unlike anything they had ever heard before. It didn’t take long before Elle felt the same dread she felt yesterday morning.
“Eva,” Elle said.
“Yes, Elle.”
“I keep getting this feeling that we aren’t supposed to be here.”
Eva looked at her. “Are you okay?”
“No.”
Elle stood up from the log they were resting on. Suddenly the jungle fell silent. All of the birds and creatures in the canopy fell silent. Elle immediately noticed the sudden pause in the atmosphere.
“What… is this normal?” Elle asked.
Elle looked at Eva, who was looking around, “I don’t know.”
The stillness was deafening. It was as if both of them were dropped into a soundless vacuum, only their voices echoed as they spoke.
Before they could say another word to each other, a man’s voice pierced the silence from deep within the jungle, yelling out to them.
“Elle! Eva! Help it’s me, I’m stuck!”
The pair looked at each other in disbelief and Eva yelled, “Sergio!”
A brief pause before the man replied, “Yes! It’s me!”
Energy surged back into the both of them and they began making their way towards the voice’s direction.
Eva hollered, “Sergio! Sergio! Just keep calling out to us, okay, we’re coming to you.”
The voice continued to repeat, “I’m here! I’m here!”
Both of them were in full sprint through the jungle’s rough terrain.
Elle let out a horrified shriek. She fell to the ground and scrambled back, struggling to rip her eyes away from what she discovered.
Eva turned around. She set her eyes immediately on Elle as she made her way back to her.
“What is it?”
With shaking hands, Elle pointed in front of her. Eva’s eyes followed Elle’s direction.
The thick roots of the tree showcased a bloody spectacle.
They found a body. It was deformed.
The pair reasoned that the body was undoubtedly Sergio, but they could still hear the voice in the distance calling out for help.
The girls looked at each other and stood up. They trudged toward the body.
“Sergio?” Eva called out.
There was no reply.
Before Eva could say another word, the distant voice returned with a tone eerily similar to Sergio’s voice.
It began chanting.
“Elle. Eva. Elle. Eva. Elle. Eva. Eva. Eva!”
Eva dropped to the ground. She held her head in her hands, firmly pressing away at the excruciating sound that surged through it.
Elle fell too, her vision blurring. A sort of holographic film expanded all around them, distorting the environment’s natural color. The bottom half of her face was wet. She ran her fingers along her lips and tasted blood. With the brief view she had, she realized it was running from her nose. The film started pulsating various colors all around.
The voice became deeper. Like a low rumbling drum, it continued to chant both of their names until it became a monotone grumbling.
Elle found herself on her back, unable to move, paralyzed by the sound. Her breathing was limited, and she tried to concentrate on not losing it. Every chance of inhalation was worse than the last.
Her eyelids fluttered shut. Before they closed, a silhouette appeared standing over her.
