Part 56: Day Ten
Mia smiled, as she awoke. She had to admit she had never slept more comfortably while on the island. The grass was a welcome change from the beach. She opened her eyes, rubbing her face. Mia wondered if she might be able to tear up some of the grass and carry it back to the beach, making a bed with it. She leaned up and twisted over to warm her hands by the fire. She blinked when she realized John was gone.
The young Lakota girl immediately stood up, seeing as she was all alone in the grassy field. There was no sign of John anywhere. She found herself not breathing. Mia gripped her arms, feeling her heard swell up with terror. Where was John? Why did he leave her alone? “John,” she whispered.
The fire flickered before her. No other sounds were in the immediate area. Mia’s eyes swelled up with tears. She never felt more scared in her life. “JOOOHHNNNN!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
She heard no reply. She immediately grabbed her backpack, and started stuffing her items she found in the suitcase yesterday. Mia tried to keep her wits about her. If she ran in the next few minutes, then whatever took John might not get her. She quickly put on her backpack and started running toward the woods where they came in. “MIIIAA!” John called to her.
The young woman turned around, seeing John coming from the other side of the woods. He had on his bow and quiver, jogging towards her. Mia then broke down, crying and collapsed. The archer finally arrived at her, scooping her up in his arms. She cried profusely, holding onto him. John stroked her hair, doing his best comfort her. “It’s okay,” he whispered, “You’re all right?”
“Where were you?” she cried.
“I was in the woods, looking for us some breakfast. I found some by the way.” He smiled, handing her two bananas.
She took them, trying to stifle her crying. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb. I am so sorry, Mia. I was only gone 15 minutes.”
Mia took a deep breath, and finally managed to calm down. She wiped her tears one last time, then peeled her banana and took a bite. As she munched on it, she looked up to see John’s smiling face. “Considering everything that has happened,” Mia whispered,” When I saw you gone, I assumed the worst.”
“Considering what I found in the woods, it’s understandable.” John pointed behind him.
“What do you mean?” asked Mia.
“While I found the bananas, I found something else very strange.” John paused, then laughed, “I am using the word strange too much. What is another word for strange?”
“Weird?” asked the Lakota girl.
“How about bizarre? Yeah, that’ll work, I found something bizarre over there.”
“Shall we go see?” Mia said.
John helped her up and began to walk through the grassy clearing. The fire was still going but it was so small, it wasn’t going to spread. After a few seconds, they made their way toward the entrance of the other woods. John pushed pass the bushes. He walked a few ways while Mia followed him. He gently turned back to her and whispered, “Brace yourself.”
Mia shook her head, ready to see whatever he was going to show her. John then walked a few ways and turned, looking up. The young Lakota girl looked up and saw what he saw. He cupped her mouth with hand backing up.
In the trees was a dead man, who had obviously been hanged.
Mia looked closer at him. He was a male, with green army fatigues. He was missing one of his combat boots. His skin was a dark purple, like he had been dead for sometime. Mia squinted her eyes onto the name batch on his jacket. It read Porter. John then pointed up toward the dead man’s face. “He’s blindfolded.” He mentioned.
“Why would someone hang a blind folded man?” Mia whispered, “He knew he was about to die, why bother to not see it coming?”
“I’m gonna get him down,” John said, walking over to the other side of the tree.
Mia paused while she heard John untying the rope from the base of the tree. She looked up again at the hanging corpse. By the color of his skin, she took a guess that this man was probably dead ten, maybe twenty years. The fact that people had been on this island, not only now but in the past was amazing. Then the body dropped abruptly as the rope cave way. The rotten corpse collided with the ground, then making a metal thud. “What was that?” asked John.
Mia looked at the object that fell from the body as it hit the ground. It was an all too familiar weapon. “John, he has a gun.” She pointed.
John walked over and found the gun sitting in the dirt. He kneeled down and picked it up, examining it. “Hmm,” he muttered, “Standard 1911, .45 Calibur gun.”
John clicked off the switch and pulled up the clip to the automatic pistol. He looked it over a few times, then stared down the spine. “Wow,” he whispered, “I think it’s full.”
“Wait a second, it’s full?” Mia was growing confused, “Why would a man who was gonna commit suicide hang himself if he had a loaded gun? It would be have quicker to shoot himself.”
“Maybe if he didn’t commit suicide?” John speculated.
“If that was the case, then who hanged him? And why leave him with a loaded gun?”
“Just another mystery to add onto our pile,” John reloaded the gun and handed it to Mia, “You know how to use that?”
“Not really. And I kinda don’t want to.” The Lakota girl confessed.
“Then put it in your backpack. We’ll give it to Tony when we get back.”
“Tony?” Mia gasped, “John, I hate to remind you of this, but. . he’s blind.”
“True but he was also in the military. If there is anybody on the beach that knows about guns, it’ll be him.”
Mia placed the gun into her backpack, and placed it back on. John smiled, then motioned for her to follow him. He proceeded to walk back into the clearing, but Mia paused. That wasn’t the plan. “John, we should be going this way.” Mia pointed, “If we are to find the thin grass.”
“Sorry, Mia but we’ve run out of time.” John said, tapping his watch, “I promised McKay we’d be back by the afternoon. If we leave now, we can arrive in a decent amount of time, so he won’t be looking for us. I couldn’t keep it on my conscious if he got lost while you and I were back on the beach.”
Mia silently grunted. He had a valid point. She didn’t like it but it was a valid point. The Lakota girl began to follow him through the clearing, back the way they came toward the beach. She knew the whole key to understanding this place would be to find the Hatch. The bald man was counting on her, she knew it. Then Mia had a fleeting thought. The bald man was in her thoughts, guiding her toward the hatch and defending her from the three masked men.
Did that mean he was on the plane as well?
The young Lakota girl immediately stood up, seeing as she was all alone in the grassy field. There was no sign of John anywhere. She found herself not breathing. Mia gripped her arms, feeling her heard swell up with terror. Where was John? Why did he leave her alone? “John,” she whispered.
The fire flickered before her. No other sounds were in the immediate area. Mia’s eyes swelled up with tears. She never felt more scared in her life. “JOOOHHNNNN!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
She heard no reply. She immediately grabbed her backpack, and started stuffing her items she found in the suitcase yesterday. Mia tried to keep her wits about her. If she ran in the next few minutes, then whatever took John might not get her. She quickly put on her backpack and started running toward the woods where they came in. “MIIIAA!” John called to her.
The young woman turned around, seeing John coming from the other side of the woods. He had on his bow and quiver, jogging towards her. Mia then broke down, crying and collapsed. The archer finally arrived at her, scooping her up in his arms. She cried profusely, holding onto him. John stroked her hair, doing his best comfort her. “It’s okay,” he whispered, “You’re all right?”
“Where were you?” she cried.
“I was in the woods, looking for us some breakfast. I found some by the way.” He smiled, handing her two bananas.
She took them, trying to stifle her crying. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb. I am so sorry, Mia. I was only gone 15 minutes.”
Mia took a deep breath, and finally managed to calm down. She wiped her tears one last time, then peeled her banana and took a bite. As she munched on it, she looked up to see John’s smiling face. “Considering everything that has happened,” Mia whispered,” When I saw you gone, I assumed the worst.”
“Considering what I found in the woods, it’s understandable.” John pointed behind him.
“What do you mean?” asked Mia.
“While I found the bananas, I found something else very strange.” John paused, then laughed, “I am using the word strange too much. What is another word for strange?”
“Weird?” asked the Lakota girl.
“How about bizarre? Yeah, that’ll work, I found something bizarre over there.”
“Shall we go see?” Mia said.
John helped her up and began to walk through the grassy clearing. The fire was still going but it was so small, it wasn’t going to spread. After a few seconds, they made their way toward the entrance of the other woods. John pushed pass the bushes. He walked a few ways while Mia followed him. He gently turned back to her and whispered, “Brace yourself.”
Mia shook her head, ready to see whatever he was going to show her. John then walked a few ways and turned, looking up. The young Lakota girl looked up and saw what he saw. He cupped her mouth with hand backing up.
In the trees was a dead man, who had obviously been hanged.
Mia looked closer at him. He was a male, with green army fatigues. He was missing one of his combat boots. His skin was a dark purple, like he had been dead for sometime. Mia squinted her eyes onto the name batch on his jacket. It read Porter. John then pointed up toward the dead man’s face. “He’s blindfolded.” He mentioned.
“Why would someone hang a blind folded man?” Mia whispered, “He knew he was about to die, why bother to not see it coming?”
“I’m gonna get him down,” John said, walking over to the other side of the tree.
Mia paused while she heard John untying the rope from the base of the tree. She looked up again at the hanging corpse. By the color of his skin, she took a guess that this man was probably dead ten, maybe twenty years. The fact that people had been on this island, not only now but in the past was amazing. Then the body dropped abruptly as the rope cave way. The rotten corpse collided with the ground, then making a metal thud. “What was that?” asked John.
Mia looked at the object that fell from the body as it hit the ground. It was an all too familiar weapon. “John, he has a gun.” She pointed.
John walked over and found the gun sitting in the dirt. He kneeled down and picked it up, examining it. “Hmm,” he muttered, “Standard 1911, .45 Calibur gun.”
John clicked off the switch and pulled up the clip to the automatic pistol. He looked it over a few times, then stared down the spine. “Wow,” he whispered, “I think it’s full.”
“Wait a second, it’s full?” Mia was growing confused, “Why would a man who was gonna commit suicide hang himself if he had a loaded gun? It would be have quicker to shoot himself.”
“Maybe if he didn’t commit suicide?” John speculated.
“If that was the case, then who hanged him? And why leave him with a loaded gun?”
“Just another mystery to add onto our pile,” John reloaded the gun and handed it to Mia, “You know how to use that?”
“Not really. And I kinda don’t want to.” The Lakota girl confessed.
“Then put it in your backpack. We’ll give it to Tony when we get back.”
“Tony?” Mia gasped, “John, I hate to remind you of this, but. . he’s blind.”
“True but he was also in the military. If there is anybody on the beach that knows about guns, it’ll be him.”
Mia placed the gun into her backpack, and placed it back on. John smiled, then motioned for her to follow him. He proceeded to walk back into the clearing, but Mia paused. That wasn’t the plan. “John, we should be going this way.” Mia pointed, “If we are to find the thin grass.”
“Sorry, Mia but we’ve run out of time.” John said, tapping his watch, “I promised McKay we’d be back by the afternoon. If we leave now, we can arrive in a decent amount of time, so he won’t be looking for us. I couldn’t keep it on my conscious if he got lost while you and I were back on the beach.”
Mia silently grunted. He had a valid point. She didn’t like it but it was a valid point. The Lakota girl began to follow him through the clearing, back the way they came toward the beach. She knew the whole key to understanding this place would be to find the Hatch. The bald man was counting on her, she knew it. Then Mia had a fleeting thought. The bald man was in her thoughts, guiding her toward the hatch and defending her from the three masked men.
Did that mean he was on the plane as well?
posted by Jason | 8:26 AM
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