42. Part 11 - New Friends.

[Chinaren]

By Chinaren.

[Saint]

Consumed!

[Chinaren]

Thanks Saint.  Get 'em in whilst it's hot people!

[Saint]

Saint spotted a bat.

[Chinaren]

Saint spotted a bat.

Dagnamit. I thought you'd gone. 

Point to Saint.

[Saint]

  Stupid like a fox!

[Chinaren]

  Stupid like a fox!

   Ah, the Simpsons.  A quote for every occasion.

[Chinaren]

Mmm, a tie.  Anyone wish to breaky? 

[NicTei]

Mmm, a tie.  Anyone wish to breaky? 

NicTei spotted a pumpkin.

[Chinaren]

Point to Tea!

[Chinaren]

However, the poll is still tied! Anyone?? 

[Thunderbird]

I'd like to help ya there C'ren but... already voted 

[Chinaren]

I'd like to help ya there C'ren but... already voted 

Darn you!  Darn you all to heck!   

[Thunderbird]

He can't help any with the vote, but at least T-bird spots spooky eyes.

[Chinaren]

Point to T!

[NicTei]

Yeah.  Leave it up to Tea to save the day.  You'd better be grateful, you unruly lot!!

[Chinaren]

Thanks Nice! 

Older brother takes it then!  Poll is closed and I'll be working on this asap, assuming life gives me a bit of time. 

[Chinaren]

The Story so far:
 Ian has awoken on a desert island after somehow surviving a horrific plane crash.  Stumbling through the jungle he meets Brad, and the two then discover a mysterious half buried orb like structure.  
Leaving the thing unopened, they return to the beach and settle down to rest, but sometime in the night, Ian wakes and finds Brad has disappeared.  
Going in search of his missing comrade, he runs in to a young girl who seems to be unable to speak.  Venturing further he encounters the remains of the orb, which has apparently exploded.  In the remaining crater is a small box, inside which is a strange black egg which cracks, allowing some kind of pink worm to crawl into his ear, whereupon he faints.
He wakes up and the group heads towards smoke, which turns out to be a pig cooking.  Brad wanders off as A and Ian consume some pork, but are interrupted by a rustling from the brush.


~

“Come on, this isn’t funny.”  Ian squinted into the dark shadow of the treeline.  

There was no response.  

“Maybe it was a rabbit, what do you think A?”  He looked at the girl, who shook her head slowly.

“A squirrel then?  Do they have squirrels on desert islands?”  Ian looked back at the bush and sighed.  “I know I’m going to regret this.”  

Raising the knife he stalked forward, approaching the bush via a circular route.  The bush remained solidly bushlike.  

Tensing, Ian gritted his teeth and with a warlike shout, leaped at the undergrowth.  

There was nothing there.  

“Well, don’t I look like a fuckinghellshit!!”

A large figure had jumped out of the undergrowth, using a far more effective leap than Ian had.  The newcomer landed on Ian’s back, slamming him down into the surprisingly hard ground and knocking the wind out of him.

“Ahhhhhh!” Ian screamed.  He ran out of breath and opened his mouth for another go when a knife, his knife, snaked around and held steady at this throat.  He closed his mouth again.
A shadow fell over him, and he managed to squint upwards, to make out the slim figure of A, who was standing and looking down at him.  

“A!  Run!  Get help!  Go girl!” Ian cried, sounding like a character from a Lassie film.  A remained where she was.

Ian took a deep breath, not easy with his assailant kneeling on his back, and attempted to calm down.  If A wasn’t running, maybe there was hope yet.

“So, er, Mr. Attacker, I mean no harm.  I come in peace.”

“You eat pig.”  The voice was deep and harsh.

“Yeeeessss?” Ian ventured, seeing no real point in denying the fact.  “Though I’d like to point out so did A.”

“A okay, she sister.”

“Oh.  Ohhhh.”  Ian’s eyes widened as he took in this new piece of information.  

“You capture her, maybe hurt her!”  There was a worrying tone of anger in the voice.

“No! No no no!  I just bumped into her in the forest.  She was running from an explosion, a big bang.  Boom!  You understand?”

“You make A go boom?”  The knife edged closer.

“NO!” Ian screamed.  “No, A no go boom!  A good girl!  Ian good boy!  Ian and A friends!  Me Ian,” he added as an afterthought.  A’s brother didn’t seem to sharp.

“Ian good?”  

“Ian good,” Ian confirmed.

“Ian good?”  This time the question was directed at A, who nodded and made a face at her brother.

There was a pause, and then the knee was removed from Ian’s back.  He moaned in relief.  

“Ian good.  Maybe,” the voice said, as Ian’s shirt collar was grabbed and he was yanked roughly to his feet.

Trying his best not to choke, Ian turned to meet A’s sibling.  The brother was big, a veritable gorilla of a man.  Clad in a loincloth made of some kind of dirty animal pelt, the rest of his muscular body was uncovered by clothing, though much was matted in an almost animal growth of hair.  Despite the large frame, the man didn’t appear to be very old.  Somewhere approaching twenty Ian guessed.  

The brother’s face was handsome, a strong, square chin was covered with a mass of black beard.  His hair was long and wild, and dribbled down over the huge shoulders, tumbling halfway down his back.  

“Ah, so.  Hi there.”  Ian swallowed and put on what he hoped was a non-threatening smile.  “My name’s Ian.”  He held out his hand.  

And found himself sailing through the air.  His flight was cut short by the intervention of a tree, which he’d barely had time to slither down before the man was looming over him again, raising the knife.

“You attack B!  You die now!”

Ian squealed like a girl as the blade glinted in the sun, beginning its journey down.  

The end never came.  He opened his eyes and saw A standing between them.  She was looking up at her brother, whose name was apparently B, and making quick, sharp gestures with her hands.  

B stepped backwards and hung his head, looking ashamed.  

“B sorry,” he mumbled.  “Sister say you okay.  B not hurt you now.”

Not entirely reassured by the addition of the ‘now’, Ian nodded, and attempted to stagger upright.  “That’s okay B,” he croaked.  “An easy mistake to make.”  He stretched his back, which was complaining about the abuse.  It clicked, sending a sharp pain through his body.  

“Let’s go back to the beach eh?” he said, waving away the growing swarm of mosquitoes that seemed to gather about him every time he ventured into the jungle.

The three made their way back to the pig, which was as they left it, though slightly more cooked than before.  A immediately cut several more pieces and gave them to her brother, who wolfed them down hungrily.  

“So, B is it?”  Ian said after the man had eaten the meat and the two were sitting on the boulders again.  The sun was beginning its journey towards the horizon, and the heat was beginning to fade.

“B my name,” beamed B.  “I give name to self and sister.”

“And very imaginative they are too,” Ian agreed.  “Tell me, er… B.  How long have you been here?  On this island?”  He waved around at the surroundings.

“A and B been here long time.  Since before A was born,” B replied.  He smiled at his sister, who was busy cutting more pig off and bundling the pieces in a large leaf of some kind.

“Before...?”  Ian thought this through for a moment.  “So, your mother and father were here with you?”  

B looked sad for a moment.  “Ma go away when A come,” he said, wiping a tear away.  

“Oh, I’m sorry B,” Ian said.  “Where’s your father?”

“Da go to the dark place.  Not come back.”

“Dark place?”  Ian didn’t like the sound of that.

“Yes, bad place.  Same your friend go to.”

“What?”  Ian leaped to his feet.  “Brad?  You see Brad go to dark place?”  He shook himself, annoyed with his use of pidgin English.  “Big man?  Dressed in an annoyingly smart suit?  Smarmy?”

B nodded.  “He go towards dark place.  Dark place bad,” he repeated.

“Ah crap.”  Ian sat down on his boulder again.  “What’s this dark place like B?  Have you ever been there?”

B drew back, a scared expression on his face.  “B scared!  B see one time, but run away when monsters make noise!  B not go back.  No one come back from dark place!”

“Wonderful,” Ian said.  He poked at the sand with his foot and looked up at the sky.  It would only be an hour or so before it was dark.  “How far away is this dark place?” he asked.

B shrugged.  “Long time little bit,” he said.  “Not close.”

“Not very helpful,” muttered Ian.  He dug into his bag and pulled his towel out, wrapping it about him.  It was getting cold.  

“It is Brad,” he reasoned.  “He’ll probably smarm the dark place monsters to death.”  Still, his conscience nagged at him.  Looking back the way they’d come, back towards the crash zone, he considered the chance of rescue.

“Bugger it,” he said.  

>>>>>>

Okay people, a-not-quite-as-paranoid-as-I-was-planning-on-writing-him brother, the report of a Dark Place, and night is approaching.  

What’s the next course of action here?  

Oh, and any thoughts on what this dark place is also welcome!  

<<<<<<

[NicTei]

I'd say he decides to go rescue Brad, but only in the morning.  The dark place is a brothel set up in the middle of the forest cave.  A cave.

Oh, and I, NicTei, hath spotted a pumpkin!

[Chinaren]

Point to the Halloweeen spotting NiceTea!

And a cave for sure.  Any idea what's in it? 

[Angel]

Hmm, I agree with Nic.
Goes to rescue him in the morning and it's a cave.

[Chinaren]

Sho thing there Angel. 

Two for a cave in the morning.  Other suggestions still welcome!

[fly][/fly]

[NicTei]

Perhaps it's a giant bat, unlike the tiny one I just spotted?

[Thunderbird]

As soon as the character was introduced, I had a feeling his name was going to be 'B'... how did I know... He was quite entertaining.

As for the dark place... hmm... I was thinking a cave as well... but maybe instead, it could be the remains of a plane wreck, a smaller private plane.  Or perhaps it's simply a shady spot in the jungle.  Or a rift at the base of the mountain.

As for what's IN the dark place?  (I'm NOT going to suggest a tomb of an ancient sumerian god...)  But perhaps the ghost of a woman who died while PMSing?

[Chinaren]

Oooooh!!  Didn't think of plane wreck or a shady space. 

And I like your Sumerian god idea.  It would kind of fit in with the plot, although with a small twist.

So, I'll leave this for any more suggestions before erecting a poll. 

[Chinaren]

Very well, a poll has been erected.  Drink the vodka of voting!

And any ideas for what/who's in the Dark Place still welcome! 

[Chinaren]

Mmm, wreck seem popular, and it's given me an idea, so I think I'll declare it the winner an start writing!  Thanks for participating!

Expect another chapter... soonish. 

[Chinaren]

The Story so far:
Ian has awoken on a desert island after somehow surviving a horrific plane crash.  Stumbling through the jungle he meets Brad, and the two then discover a mysterious, half buried orb like structure.  
Leaving the thing unopened, they return to the beach and settle down to rest, but sometime in the night, Ian wakes and finds Brad has disappeared.  
Going in search of his missing comrade, he runs in to a young girl who seems to be unable to speak.  Venturing further he encounters the remains of the orb, which has apparently exploded.  In the remaining crater is a small box, inside which is a strange black egg which cracks, allowing some kind of pink worm to crawl into his ear, whereupon he faints.
He wakes up and the group heads towards smoke, which turns out to be a pig cooking, started by A’s big, simple brother, B.  B tells them that Brad has headed off to the Dark Place, a place from which no one ever returns...

~

Ian looked at his merry band.  A young girl who couldn’t, or chose not to, speak and her idiot older brother.  

“I’ve worked with worse,” he muttered, untruthfully.  Drawing himself upright, he addressed his, for want of a better word, team.

“Right then fellows,” he announced, in his best sergeant major tone.  “Here’s the plan.  We rest here overnight and then go after Brad early in the morning.  After a bacon breakfast of course.”  He looked at B, who was picking his nose.  “I don’t suppose you have any eggs to go with the bacon do you?”

B looked at him blankly, his digit still wedged into one nostril.

“Never mind.”  Ian sighed.  “I think I’ll make an early night of it.  There’s nothing on TV after all.”  He reached for his bag and withdrew the blanket he’d stuffed in there before they left the crash site.  After a few moments consideration, he spread it out on the sand near the fire and, with the smell of roasting pig wafting over him, settled down to sleep.



The Moon floated below, as he hovered there in space, the blue ball of Earth peeking over the horizon.  Below, somehow visible in the dark, debris settled around a newly formed hole.  

He twisted about.  The sun swung through his vision, and he could see it clearly, blazing away as the massive nuclear reactions generated the energy that enabled life.  It arced past, ignoring him, as stars tended to do, and now he was looking out into deep space.  Somehow, though you’d be hard pressed to spot it even with the best of the Old Technology, he could sense the shadow.  

It was moving, slowly but definitely, like a hound sniffing the wind, still uncertain, but taking steps towards its quarry.

It was coming.  They were coming!

~

Ian screamed and sat bolt upright, heart racing, breath coming in rapid, shallow pants.  

“Jesus!” he panted.  

Slowly coming to his senses, he tried to calm down, trying to remember why he’d awoken so suddenly.

Looking about, he saw nothing obviously amiss.  The pale light of pre-dawn was filtering over the horizon, allowing him to see A and B, still asleep on the sand.  A was nuzzled up to her brother, who was curled protectively around his little sister.  The naked woman was standing looking down at him, and the pig hung over the fire, which…

Naked woman?

~

Ian screamed and sat bolt upright, heart racing, breath coming in rapid, shallow pants.  

“Jesus!” he panted, and then realized what he’d just said.  “What the hell?!”  He looked around, holding his head, which was throbbing.  

The pale light of pre-dawn was filtering over the horizon, allowing him to see A and B, still asleep on the sand.  A was nuzzled up to her brother, who was curled protectively around his little sister.  

“Shit,” he breathed, turning and looking the other way.  

There was no naked woman watching him, just the pig, hanging over the dark fire.

“One can hope,” he muttered.

Staggering to his feet, Ian made his way over to a clump of bushes and relieved himself.  That need met, he stumbled down to the sea and splashed cold water over his head.  

“Wooo!  Better than a shower,” he gasped.  

Stretching, he looked out over the sea, which glinted in the early light of the day.  He took a deep breath, marveling at air that was free of pollution.  Now all he had to worry about was his headache, and surviving on a desert island of course.

“How hard can it be?  An idiot and a young girl can do it.”  Turning, he made his way back to camp, where he spent several minutes trying to get the fire going again.  

His efforts were interrupted by A, who had silently awoken.  He stood back as she re-arranged the fire somehow and, by dint of furious blowing, managed to reignite it.  She added several twigs from the reserve pile and then sat back, admiring the flames as they devoured the sacrifice.

“You must teach me to do that,” Ian said, sitting beside her.  She nodded absently in way of a response.

The two of them watched for another five minutes as the fire took, fed by the skillful ministrations of the girl.  Once it was burning at an acceptable level, she stood up, collected some large leaves and the knife, and began cutting slices of breakfast off the animal.

“Lovely,” said Ian, rubbing his hands together.  “Now, I don’t suppose you have any coffee to go with that?”

~

“Ahhh!”  Ian stopped and leaned against a nearby tree, clutching at his head.  “The pain had been mounting steadily as they had hiked through the jungle towards the Dark Place, led by B, until a sudden sharp stabbing had been so urgent it forced him to stop.

After a few moments A and B realized he wasn’t following any more and backtracked.  

“Ian okay?”  B asked.

“Ian… not okay,” Ian gasped back.  He sank down to the leafy ground clutching at his head to try and stop it exploding.  “Aaahhh!”

A touch on by his ear made him open his eyes, and he saw A standing over him.  She held out a finger, which was speckled with red, blood he realized.  

“I guess the worm thing is hungry,” he moaned.  “Looks like… ahh, looks like you two will be on your… own again soon.”  The effort of speaking sent white streaks of lightning through his cranium.  

A sat down next to him and put her hand on his knee, looking up at him with a concerned expression upon her face.  From one eye a small glint appeared.

“No…  no, don’t cry,” gasped Ian, wishing the damned worm would hurry up and finish him off already.  “You’ll be… fine.  Just try… try…”  

Everything went black.

~

“…bury him.  B see done before.”

Ian awoke, a surprise in itself, and instinctively clutched at his head which, amazingly, didn’t hurt.  

“You’ll be alright, don’t be such a pussy.”

Squinted up he saw the woman that had been in his dream.  He noted, with some disappointment, she was now wearing a simply gray dress.  Still, there was no trace of a bra, and he could see her boobies quite clearly through the material.  

“Nice tits,” he said.

“Okay, we not bury.  Put stones over, is that okay?”  B’s voice intruded again, and he glanced over at where the large youth was standing, apparently arguing with A, who was making quick, sharp hand gestures.  When Ian looked back up, the woman had gone again.

“Just my luck,” he moaned, and sat up, an act that attracted the attention of A and B.

“Ian live!” shouted B.  A simply ran over and threw herself at him, hugging him around the middle, making it a little hard to breathe.

“I’m okay!  Really!” laughed Ian, trying to disengaged the girl.  

As he endured A’s ministrations, and B’s rather painful back slapping, he wondered about the worm.  Tapping at his crown, he shook his head.  No point in worrying about what he couldn’t change, he reasoned.

Turning to the brother and sister he smiled.  “So, what are we doing standing around?  Don’t we have a Dark Place to visit?”

B’s face fell, but A nodded.  Taking his hand she marched off, dragging Ian along.  

B followed behind, less enthusiastically.

~

“So, that’s the Dark Place is it?”  Ian found a nearby rock and sat down gingerly upon it.

The beach here was shingle, an uncomfortable mix of pebbles interspersed with the occasional sharp, painful, rock.  As he tended his aching feet, he took in the scene.

The waves broke against the large hulk that sat at a forty five degree angle a short wade offshore.  The ‘Happy Merchantman’, as the faded lettering named her, failed to live up to the moniker.

The rusting hulk, it looked like a cargo vessel to Ian’s untrained eye, sat there and Loomed.  The hull was a fading red, too close to blood color for his liking.  High above, the few windows that he could see from his humble perch started back at him darkly, gaping holes into a no-doubt haunted inner space.

To make matters worse, the sky had decided to add to the mood.  Ominous looking clouds scudded under an ever darkening sky, encouraged by a rising wind which threatening to put a literal damper on the proceedings.

“Dark Place,” announced B, like some kind of dramatic narrator.
  
An eery howl emanated from the  hulk, making B jump.  A skittered behind Ian, crouching behind him.

“It’s just the wind,” Ian tried to reassure them all.  

Lightning lit up the sky, sending a flash of illumination over the ocean, which in turn, send large swells to crash against the wreck and the shore both.  Thunder followed a moment later.

 “Great,” said Ian, as B joined A behind him.  “And here’s me without my brolly.”

~

>>>>>>

WooOoOOo!  So, hallucinations, headaches, and now a ‘haunted’ ship!  

It’s early afternoon now (the journey took a while).  What’s Ian’s plan of action now?

If he’s going to get aboard the ship, how’s he going to manage that?  Will he wait for the storm to pass?  Will he see someone or something?

Any and all suggestions welcome here!  

<<<<<<

[Angel]

Angel spied some little eyes in there! They blinked at me! xD

And so to read about this wreck.

[Angel]

I would say that he goes in because he doesn't fancy getting wet. Tries to climb the boat but the 'paint' is wet but of course the paint is actually blood. Gets in and meets an angry tribe of giant monkeys.

[Chinaren]

I would say that he goes in because he doesn't fancy getting wet. Tries to climb the boat but the 'paint' is wet but of course the paint is actually blood. Gets in and meets an angry tribe of giant monkeys.

 

Lovely Angel!  Nice touch with the blood too.  And point to you.