Part 77: The Followers
John and McKay ran as fast as they could through the jungle. They had finally cleared the waterfall but continued running. They had no idea how fast these Masked Men were ahead of them. McKay continued to stop and check the ground for foot-prints, batches of torn ground and broken branches. Any indication they came through there. John stopped to catch his breath and the Australian stopped to check on his friend. “You okay, John?” he coughed.
“Never . .ran . .this . .much . .in my life,” he grasped for air.
“And here I thought you were an Olympian.” His friend joked.
“Up yours, man! I was an Archer, not a track runner.”
The two friends laughed at their mutual joke. McKay scanned the area but couldn’t see any other way they might have went do. John could see the uncertainty in the Australian’s face. “Have you lost the trail?” he asked.
“Maybe.” He muttered, wiping his mouth, “We’re on their turf. They know these jungles. I am only doing my best with what I have.”
“Then your best is all I ask, McKay,” John huffed.
“C’mon, let’s check over here.”
McKay swiftly strode through a collection of bushes. Then he came across a small clearing. He looked around and then blinked. One of the branches near him had a wrong color near its tip. He walked over to it and examined it. As he bent down, he noticed a familiar substance. “Blood,” he said, feeling it on his fingers.
“You think . .you think they hurt them?” John said in panic.
“I don’t think so, “ McKay said, shifting his upper arm toward the branch, “This looks like . .like more like a scrape. Like someone came this way but didn’t know enough to avoid the branch.”
“Or couldn’t see it?” John raised his eyebrows.
“Tony,” McKay whispered.
The two friends then followed the ground and broken branches, finding three more than had small spots of blood on them. McKay then pointed to the ground. John could see the foot prints in the soft dirt, followed by small pits near the prints. That was Tony tapping his cane in the ground. The two friends ran as fast as they could following his steps.
After twenty minutes, stopped seeing as their was a hole in the ground. They caught their breath at that point. McKay then kneeled down, examining the hole. He looked downward but could not see a bottom. Reaching over and taking a nearby stick, he dropped it into the pit. He waited to see if it reached a bottom but he didn’t hear it. “Mother,” he whispered, “I hope Tony avoided this.”
John then blinked, “I think he did. Look over there.”
McKay turned and saw another clearing with a small white circle in it. The two friends then walked over and looked at it. They saw the familiar sand from the beach, with had a drawn arrow and T. They both looked at the direction the arrow was pointing. McKay gasped at the sight of the destruction that made a path into the distance. John blinked and blinked, then whispered, “The Polliwog.”
“Yeah, nothing else could have made that kind of damage, “McKay pondered, “But . .that sand message means Tony is following this path. WHY?”
“You don’t think . . you don’t think he’s actually following the Polliwog, do you?” John asked.
“No. That’s crazy. Why would he? I would freaking stay away from it, if I saw the damn thing.”
“But Tony is following it, or following the path it left behind. We know nothing about the Polliwog and we know even little about these masked men. What if . .what if they are connected by something? What if it’s returning to them?”
“Returning to where they live and thus returning to Eddie, Mia and Taylor?” McKay scoffed, “that is a HELL of a gamble, John.”
“Tony obviously believes it.” The archer pointed out.
“But what if he is going down the wrong way?”
“I trust my friend to make the right decision.” John said proudly.
McKay shook his head. In all honesty, he trusted Tony too. He was even amazed he managed to make it out this far. If he was going this way, is he really going the right way? Or is it some kind of trap. The Australian didn’t know but he knew he had to help them get them back to the beach. “Might as well follow it,” he grinned, “The damn monster tore up any trace of a path from the men anyway.”
The two friends, after catching their breath, ran hard it to the torn underbrush. As they ran, McKay made a joke about Tony being a Human Tuning Fork.
-------------------------------------------------,
Tony continued to follow the Polliwog. He tapped his cane on the ground, following the tearing of the woods the monster left behind. The blind doctor was tired and thirsty but refused to give him. He could feel the great beast was helping him. After everything he had felt and heard it was the only thing that made sense on that crazy island. Hopefully the monster might even “punish” the masked men for taking Eddie, just like the little boy suggested. Tony continued to follow the massive sounds of trees breaking.
Then they stopped.
Tony paused. He felt his heart quickening. The sound of the destruction followed by the sound of utter silence was eerie. He slowly snapped his fingers near his ear, to make sure he wasn’t deaf all of a sudden. He heard no more trees breaking and no more guttural breathing of the Polliwog. “Hey!” he called to it.
Nothing.
Tony started to walk forward. He held out his hand, seeing if he could touch it. Why would the monster stop all of a sudden? Tony continued to walk forward and then stopped, as he leg touched a fallen tree. Then he reached out with his cane and waved it around. He could feel he was striking trees and bushes that were not yet destroyed. It could only mean that the Polliwog was gone. But the circumstances of how it left was what collided all reason inside Tony’s brain. “No,” he whispered, “No way, no (beep)ing way! That monster just didn’t disappear into thin air.”
He waved his arm and cane around. It was clearly gone. “Dear God, what is that thing?” he whispered, as he ventured into the bushes.
Tony walked a few paces forward. He moved the bushes out of his way. He took a deep breath through his nose, concentrating on any smell that didn’t belong. The blind doctor concentrated on hearing looking for any noises that were not supposed to be around. Then he heard something that gave him pause.
Voices were echoing in the distance.
“Never . .ran . .this . .much . .in my life,” he grasped for air.
“And here I thought you were an Olympian.” His friend joked.
“Up yours, man! I was an Archer, not a track runner.”
The two friends laughed at their mutual joke. McKay scanned the area but couldn’t see any other way they might have went do. John could see the uncertainty in the Australian’s face. “Have you lost the trail?” he asked.
“Maybe.” He muttered, wiping his mouth, “We’re on their turf. They know these jungles. I am only doing my best with what I have.”
“Then your best is all I ask, McKay,” John huffed.
“C’mon, let’s check over here.”
McKay swiftly strode through a collection of bushes. Then he came across a small clearing. He looked around and then blinked. One of the branches near him had a wrong color near its tip. He walked over to it and examined it. As he bent down, he noticed a familiar substance. “Blood,” he said, feeling it on his fingers.
“You think . .you think they hurt them?” John said in panic.
“I don’t think so, “ McKay said, shifting his upper arm toward the branch, “This looks like . .like more like a scrape. Like someone came this way but didn’t know enough to avoid the branch.”
“Or couldn’t see it?” John raised his eyebrows.
“Tony,” McKay whispered.
The two friends then followed the ground and broken branches, finding three more than had small spots of blood on them. McKay then pointed to the ground. John could see the foot prints in the soft dirt, followed by small pits near the prints. That was Tony tapping his cane in the ground. The two friends ran as fast as they could following his steps.
After twenty minutes, stopped seeing as their was a hole in the ground. They caught their breath at that point. McKay then kneeled down, examining the hole. He looked downward but could not see a bottom. Reaching over and taking a nearby stick, he dropped it into the pit. He waited to see if it reached a bottom but he didn’t hear it. “Mother,” he whispered, “I hope Tony avoided this.”
John then blinked, “I think he did. Look over there.”
McKay turned and saw another clearing with a small white circle in it. The two friends then walked over and looked at it. They saw the familiar sand from the beach, with had a drawn arrow and T. They both looked at the direction the arrow was pointing. McKay gasped at the sight of the destruction that made a path into the distance. John blinked and blinked, then whispered, “The Polliwog.”
“Yeah, nothing else could have made that kind of damage, “McKay pondered, “But . .that sand message means Tony is following this path. WHY?”
“You don’t think . . you don’t think he’s actually following the Polliwog, do you?” John asked.
“No. That’s crazy. Why would he? I would freaking stay away from it, if I saw the damn thing.”
“But Tony is following it, or following the path it left behind. We know nothing about the Polliwog and we know even little about these masked men. What if . .what if they are connected by something? What if it’s returning to them?”
“Returning to where they live and thus returning to Eddie, Mia and Taylor?” McKay scoffed, “that is a HELL of a gamble, John.”
“Tony obviously believes it.” The archer pointed out.
“But what if he is going down the wrong way?”
“I trust my friend to make the right decision.” John said proudly.
McKay shook his head. In all honesty, he trusted Tony too. He was even amazed he managed to make it out this far. If he was going this way, is he really going the right way? Or is it some kind of trap. The Australian didn’t know but he knew he had to help them get them back to the beach. “Might as well follow it,” he grinned, “The damn monster tore up any trace of a path from the men anyway.”
The two friends, after catching their breath, ran hard it to the torn underbrush. As they ran, McKay made a joke about Tony being a Human Tuning Fork.
-------------------------------------------------,
Tony continued to follow the Polliwog. He tapped his cane on the ground, following the tearing of the woods the monster left behind. The blind doctor was tired and thirsty but refused to give him. He could feel the great beast was helping him. After everything he had felt and heard it was the only thing that made sense on that crazy island. Hopefully the monster might even “punish” the masked men for taking Eddie, just like the little boy suggested. Tony continued to follow the massive sounds of trees breaking.
Then they stopped.
Tony paused. He felt his heart quickening. The sound of the destruction followed by the sound of utter silence was eerie. He slowly snapped his fingers near his ear, to make sure he wasn’t deaf all of a sudden. He heard no more trees breaking and no more guttural breathing of the Polliwog. “Hey!” he called to it.
Nothing.
Tony started to walk forward. He held out his hand, seeing if he could touch it. Why would the monster stop all of a sudden? Tony continued to walk forward and then stopped, as he leg touched a fallen tree. Then he reached out with his cane and waved it around. He could feel he was striking trees and bushes that were not yet destroyed. It could only mean that the Polliwog was gone. But the circumstances of how it left was what collided all reason inside Tony’s brain. “No,” he whispered, “No way, no (beep)ing way! That monster just didn’t disappear into thin air.”
He waved his arm and cane around. It was clearly gone. “Dear God, what is that thing?” he whispered, as he ventured into the bushes.
Tony walked a few paces forward. He moved the bushes out of his way. He took a deep breath through his nose, concentrating on any smell that didn’t belong. The blind doctor concentrated on hearing looking for any noises that were not supposed to be around. Then he heard something that gave him pause.
Voices were echoing in the distance.
posted by Jason | 12:08 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home