The air was cool and dark; the stars were just beginning to fade. Huddled beside a rock, I worked robotically, totally aware I was in a mental free fall. I felt nauseous and shaky, like I’d downed too many energy drinks at once. Two nights ago, I’d heard a distinct roar, throaty and wild, like a lion in the Atlanta zoo. But for all I knew, the roar belonged to a dinosaur. At this point, anything seemed possible, except sleep.
Last night had been the worst yet. First I’d heard roars, then sounds I couldn’t identify. Not a roar, not a howl, but more like an inhuman cackle. It lasted forever, echoing through the darkness. I didn’t know what the heck it was, and I didn’t want to find out. All I knew was thatsomethingwas out there in the woods, somethingother than just the random goat that kept sneaking up on me in the night. Something I didn’t want to meet.
As I forced another frond into place, I tallied my personal scorecard. Eleven nights of freaky darkness. Five with visits from the nocturnal goat, two with prehistoric roars, and one with creepy cackles. And eleven long days without solid food, decent sleep, people, or shimmers. I thought I’d seen a shimmer yesterday, moving south on the black sand, but I wasn’t certain. I wondered if the zebra was real. If any of this was real. There’d been no rain, and the weather didn’t change. Each day was sunny, clear, breezy, and quiet.
Worse than the silence was the isolation. I thought again of Hell. Or purgatory. Or something else, possibly worse, and I was in it. And yet it was the most beautiful nowhereland I could imagine. The sunsets were gorgeous: brilliant fire shooting across the water until the sun fell into the sea, and the sunrises were just as stunning. Naturally I was awake for both since I couldn’t sleep. The sand was as black as coal, the water as clear as glass. Farther from shore, the water turned to glittering aquamarine as it stretched toward the sky, vast and breathtaking.
It was too beautiful to have all to myself, and yet I did.
Whose clothes are you wearing, Charley?my mind whispered.Whose skull did you find?Maybe I wasn’t alone, but I sure felt like it. Home seemed light-years away.
I wondered what my mom and dad were doing right now. Were they putting up flyers with pictures of me? What about Target? Did the parking lot have security cameras, and if so, what would they show? The shimmer? Me fainting? I prayed they hadn’t captured me naked. Then I realized it didn’t matter, because whatever the Target-cam had recorded, it wouldn’t help anyone find me here. The only person who could get me out of here was me.
I stared at my wilted net in shock.
When had I switched from escape to survival? I hadn’t explored indays. I’d stuck near my shelter, conserving energy and spending the heat of the day out of the sun.
No more.
I’d leave. I’d go back to the red rock field and look for shimmers; they were the only clue I had. But if I wanted food, I’d better grab it now.
I gave myself one day.Thisday. To gather food, then either way, I was gone.
The sun woke, rising quickly. A bird soared overhead, and in a flash of survival brilliance, I decided to hunt for nests. If I could steal some eggs, I could suck out the insides like I’d been draining coconuts, a primitive version of a protein shake.
After stashing my net, I strode along the tree line, heading south. To my dismay, my goat broke from the trees and followed me. Yesterday I’d made the mistake of tossing him fruit rinds, and he’d escalated his stalking ever since.
“Shoo!” I scolded.
The goat looked at me like I was crazy. Determined to ignore him, I continued walking, scouring the trees for nests, but each time I glanced back, the goat was still there. With my luck, he’d scare off the very birds I was trying to track.
Down the beach, a handful of birds circled, lazy and watchful. More clustered on the black sand—like vultures, but smaller. They were pecking at something on the ground. Mindful of the skull, I approached warily, but the goat charged ahead and startled the birds. One dived at my face. Jumping back, I screamed.
On the sand, the birds shifted. Through the gap, I saw a horseshoe crab carcass.
Just a crab, I thought with a rush of relief.
Could I eat raw crab?I gagged at the thought; the answer was no.
I moved toward the sea, giving the crab and its scavengers a wide berth. My persistent goat took the high road, trotting along the tree line.
The rising sun spread across my shoulders. I walked slowly along the water’s edge, soaking up the warmth, and I’d just geared myself up to head back into the cool shade of the trees when a spotted animal leaped from the tree line. The size of a large dog, it moved like a cat, low and fast, like a crazed mutant cheetah. Still airborne, the cat-dog sank its teeth into the goat’s flank, flicked its jaw once and threw the goat to the ground. The birds scattered; the goat went down without a fight. The spotted animal tore into the goat like this was a National Geographic special.
WHAT WAS THAT?my brain screamed.
I backed into the water, terrified the animal would decide my goat was just an appetizer to the main course of me. Submerged to my neck, I moved parallel to the beach, willing myself invisible and keeping an eye on the cat-dog. It was wholly focused on its goat feast. When the animal was a mere speck, I left the water and raced to my hideout at the edge of the trees.
Forget eggs, fish, and my plan to leave in the morning.
I’d had enough of this secluded bay, where animals roared and people died and goat-killing animals leaped from the trees without a sound. I was getting the heck out of this freaky placenow, before the next predator came after me. I. Was. Done.
I took off my chest wrap, squeezed the water out, and put it back on, thankful the cloth dried quickly. Moving with desperate efficiency, I ate my last greenfruit and washed it down with water stored in my hollow coconuts. I drank them dry, knowing I’d refill them on my way. My half-finished net lay under a bush at the sand’s edge. I dragged it out, found my dagger, and, peering through the leaves, I cast one final look at my beach.
Then I nearly fell through the bush in shock. Two boys were walking down the beach.Mybeach.
And they were coming straight toward me.
CHAPTER
