Juliet

Before

From my tiny window, I gaze at the ocean below. The horizon is spectacular with no land in sight. I never get used to its beauty. Traveling always makes me feel like this … as if I’m becoming attune with nature itself.

I don’t know why; I just like getting out there. In the real world.

Not being inside the lab.

I shiver at the thought of having to spend every single day of my life cooped up in some refrigerated basement chem lab. I don’t know how my co-workers do it, but I guess they really love the microscope. Me? I much prefer to go into the wild.

Study the animals and the plants in their own habitat where they belong and coexist perfectly. Like a well-oiled machine but without the pollution or noise.

I smile to myself, thinking about all the things I’m going to see. I wonder if I’ll discover a new type of plant or even a whole new animal species. That’d be amazing, but I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

Even if what my boss said about the uncharted island part is true, that still doesn’t mean there will be anything we haven’t seen before.

I can’t help but feel a little excited at the prospect of doing some research out there. When my boss told me I was selected for the program and that we’d be going to one of the most remote areas in the world, I practically peed my shorts from excitement.

Normal people would be terrified but not me.

And he knows that. I’m pretty sure that’s why he asked me to go.

I prefer it out here, anyway … far away from the bustling cities and loud noises.

Into the wild.

“Approaching,” a voice resonates through my headphones, and I clutch them tightly to my ears to be able to hear him.

When I look out the window, I see an island come into view. A grin from ear to ear appears on my face as I can’t control my giddiness anymore. I’m that excited.

“So … excited?” a fellow researcher asks.

He told me his name before we got in together, but I forgot again. I don’t mean to; it just happens. I have memory problems when it comes to remembering things about … people.

“Of course,” I reply with a grin, trying not to sound totally distracted even though I was.

“Don’t get too excited,” another one chimes in. “We have to set up camp first.”

I nod.

“A little foraging won’t hurt us,” the researcher says, winking at me.

“Foraging?” The other man laughs. “Jesus, Ollie, this isn’t some LARP game.”

Ollie … that’s right. That’s his name.

He grins. “Why not? I know we’re there for research, but we can have a little fun too, can’t we? I mean, what’s the harm?”

“We aren’t paid to have fun,” the man says. “We’re there to work.”

“Who says I can’t do both at the same time, Pete?”

Pete raises his brow, grimacing.

“Dude, chill,” Ollie says. “I’m joking. Relax.”

“Right …” Pete says. “As soon as we land, we’ll set up the tents and our gear, then get to work.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Ollie jests, but the moment he sees Pete’s stern grin, he immediately stops smiling.

I look away, not caring for their petty arguments.

I just want to be there already.

And from the looks of it, we almost are.

“Seat belts on,” the voice rumbles through the headphones. “Prepare for landing.”

I can already see the beach up ahead, along with the trees and the thick jungle they’re a part of. We’re flying across the island to a designated spot on a hill with a flat surface, so it’s easier to land. The pilot expertly flies us across the luscious jungle and closer to the hill.

Just as we pass over it, a loud bang jerks me from side to side in my seat.

* * *

“What happened?” Pete screams as the pilot tries to stay in control.

There’s no response.

Another bang follows.

With a pounding heart, I look out the window.

Something flies right at me, smashing into the front and side windows, and I scream.

I can barely keep track of what’s happening. From the corner of my eye, I spot the pilot… unconscious. Something is lying on the controls … a mangled animal.

My mind must be playing tricks on me.

Adrenaline rushes through my body as we make a turning maneuver, barely avoiding a ledge. Panic shoots through my veins, and my stomach curls into knots.

The metal around me creaks.

Bile rises in my throat.

We’re flying sideways.

Floating through the air.

Squeals mix with loud warning beeps.

I close my eyes as the metal scrunches and screeches against the cliffs.

Something breaks off. At the moment my eyes flash open, a piece flies past my window.

A piece of us.

While I hold my seat for dear life, the door is ripped off.

Ollie’s seat belt comes undone, and he falls out like a piece of paper flying away with the wind.

Just like that, he’s gone.

There’s no time to process.

No time to think about what just happened.

Because we immediately crash into the trees.

Leaves and branches bounce off the windows, scratching them, marking them …

A few rocks on our way break the last bits off.

The windows crack and shatter.

My seat belt comes undone, and I’m flung toward the front.

Everything happens so quickly. I can’t do anything but feel.

I always thought death would be a fight. That I’d be able to struggle, to overcome it.

But this … this is like being swallowed alive.

In pain and barely conscious, I lie on the ground.

There’s nothing but screams.

An explosion right behind me follows.

Then … nothing but silence.

* * *

Lock

Now

I grasp my spear and immediately bolt after her.

If I wasn’t so busy rolling up the ladder, I would’ve noticed she ran, but I didn’t.

Stupid.

I should’ve paid more attention to her, but I honestly didn’t think she would run. That she’d be too scared to even try.

Guess I was wrong.

I track her down by following her footprints in the mud. They’re messy and completely random. It’s as if she ran without knowing why or where. As if she panicked.

I fear I may not get to her in time, but I can’t let the jungle and its animals swallow her up. Not now that I’ve finally decided to keep her.

But the animals here are wild.

They will attack at any moment, without warning, and it’s messy.

And bloody.

Fuck no.

Over my dead body.

She’s mine now. I decided to keep her, so the animals will have to stalk some other prey. If they get in my way, I’ll hunt them down.

The closer I get, the more agitated I feel, and I’m getting pumped up by the chase. I need to find her quickly before the sun sets. She doesn’t know how to navigate this jungle like I do, especially not when it’s dark.

I run as fast as I can, darting through the jungle like a tiger.

However, the moment I spot the red color of the top she was wearing, I stop in my tracks and turn.

I approach the bushes and push them aside.

There she is, in the middle of the overgrown leaves and plants.

Her body limp, and her eyes closed.

She’s out.

Did she fall?

Or did she pass out from something else like a wound?

I grasp her and pull her up, but she still doesn’t come to.

Damn this woman. If she stayed put, none of this would’ve happened, and she’d still be awake. What if something happened? I wasn’t there to save her. She shouldn’t have run.

I sigh as I lift her and throw her over my shoulder.

Nothing I can do to change it now.

She ran even though she said she wouldn’t.

I guess I can’t trust her words.

So I’ll trust my own strength and intuition instead.