Chapter 3: Resurgence
Screaming is heard from all over the island, enough to wake up every single predator that may lurk on the island, nearly enough to cause an earthquake. The screams echo beyond the island and onto the sea, a place where nothing cares about the name that's being screamed with such despair; Thomas. His sudden disappearance has sent everyone into a desperate frenzy, causing everyone's duties to be forgotten in an instant before Jorge and Vince to start commanding people to help search for him; not only because he's 'The Cure', but because he'd do the same for everyone else, no matter who they were. Minho, Gally, Frypan and especially Brenda are terrified of the possibilities; he could be dead, or worse, dying at this very second while they're unable to do anything about it. The more time that goes by, the more and more terrified and hopeless they're all feeling. Especially Brenda, who's heart is struggling to stay in place, and her tears struggling to stay in her eyes.
"THOMAS!" Brenda screams for probably the thousandth time, rain flowing down her soaked clothes. "FUCK! THOMAS! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Brenda," Gally says. "We'll find him because if anybody can survive literally anything, it's Thomas."
"We'll find some leads soon, Brenda," Frypan adds. "I guarantee it.
"We haven't seen the mountain lion, Thomas seemed ready to kill it," Minho comments, moving through the tracks he last saw Thomas, spotting something on a nearby rock. "Guys, I found blood, enough to be from a solid head wound, but not enough to bleed out from."
"Any blood trails?!" Brenda questions, feeling the soft earth turn softer by the second. "Minho?!"
"The trail is small, ends quickly, the rain must've washed all of it away," Minho growls, kicking at the ground. "Shuck! God damn rain!"
"WE HAVE TO FIND HIM, MINHO!" Brenda snaps. "THIS STORM IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE AND WORSE! VISIBILITY IS ALREADY A STRUGGLE, THEN IT WILL BE OUR ABILITY TO HEAR ON ANOTHER! IT'S LIKE A TROPICAL SCORCH!
"I KNOW!" Minho snaps back. "I DON'T PLAN ON GIVING UP ON HIM! TRUST ME! RAIN, HAIL OR SHINE, WE WILL FIND HIM!"
"Oh god," Brenda sighs, feeling Gally's hand on her shoulder.
Three Weeks Before
"Thomas?"
"Yes, Brenda?"
"Were you scared- when you were- dying in the Carrier?" Brenda questions as they lay together, watching the morning sunrise. "Ah Jesus, that was- I'm sorry, Thomas, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's okay Brenda," Thomas pauses, squeezing her hand. "In all honesty- I wasn't scared- I was ready- to be honest. That night I failed to save two of the best people in my life, so when I was bleeding out, I felt like I deserved it; that I deserved to die."
"Thomas, there are some things you couldn't change, Newt and Teresa- they died saving the world- saving you; something they would have haunted you for if you didn't allow them to do so. You need to understand that- they were prepared to give their lives for not just you- but for everyone."
There's a pause between them, but Brenda cuts that short. "I was terrified. Just seeing how pale you were, how much blood you were losing, it terrified the shit outta' me, Thomas. I didn't know what to do, I placed as much pressure on the wound as I could, but you kept bleeding. It took hours before you finally went into a stable condition, by that, I was in tears. I wanted to kill you for terrifying me, Thomas, I still kinda' hate you for doing that to me."
"Brenda."
"What?"
Thomas leans over to Brenda and grasps onto the side of her face, kissing her on the cheek, waiting a few seconds before pulling back and leaning back onto the ground. Brenda wastes no time snuggling back into Thomas, the sun finally reaching their freezing bodies and warming them up, bringing new life into their day. Sharing their mornings together was always enjoyable for Thomas and Brenda, but that morning felt different, it felt like the first spark to an unknown flame they are yet to experience. Either way, they weren't going to let anything ruin their time together, even the awkwardness that sometimes follows.
"We're safe now, Brenda, and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon, especially if that means leaving you."
"You promise me?"
"Brenda," Thomas smiles, staring into her dark brown eyes. "Of course I promise you."
The storm rages like a furious God, the wind tearing at the trees and the roots beneath them, forcing Brenda, Minho, Gally and Frypan back to the camp. Everyone was reluctant to find themselves back on the tracks to the camp, but the possibility of hyperthermia and predators hunting in the night has forced them to do so, even if they wanted to fight against the idea. The raging storm makes it difficult for everyone to hear one another, especially when they need communication the most.
"MINHO!" Brenda screams. "I CAN'T FIND THE TRACK!"
"WHAT?!"
"OVER HERE!" Gally screams, shaking his arms for some extra attention. "THIS WAY! HURRY UP! I DON'T NEED HYPERTHERMIA ON A TROPICAL ISLAND!"
"OH SHUCK OFF, GALLY, I'LL MAKE YOU SOME CHICKEN SOUP IF YOU GET SICK!" Frypan growls. "LET'S SHUCKING GO, YEAH?!"
"JESUS CHRIST! WE NEED TO FIND THOMAS?! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS WEATHER?! GOD DAMMIT WE NEED TO DO GOD DAMN EVERYTHING!" Brenda screams at the top of her lungs, probably scaring away any predator that may have been stalking them. "FUCK! FUCKING FUCK!"
"BRENDA!" Minho screams. "PLEASE, WE NEED TO STICK TOGETHER IF WE'RE GOING TO GET BACK HOME! ARE YOU WITH US, BRENDA?!"
The group only gets a nod out of her, but that's enough for now, allowing them to make their ways down the resurfaced path, towards the flickering lights that are their home.
It took what felt like hours to find their way back to Paradise, in reality, twenty minutes at most. However the hunger pains and exhaustion has found the better of the group, and as much as they want to fight it, they need to rest and eat something. With their clothes soaked and covered in mud, they have to change before they can find themselves some food and in their tents. Brenda knows she won't be able to sleep knowing that Thomas is still out there, somewhere. Minho, Frypan and Gally desperately want to look for their lost comrade, but they can't, they're running on fumes; a runner needs fuel in order to complete their tasks, that's what Newt used to say, but they don't have any, neither do Vince and Jorge, who are ordering everyone to find themselves some food before going to sleep. Jorge finds himself straight to Brenda, embracing her in a tight hug, her body shaking, and not just from the weather.
"It's going to be okay, Hermosa chica," Jorge says in an attempt to calm her. "We will find him, he's out there, I promise."
"I know he's out there, I'm just scared we won't find him in time."
"He may find us, Brenda, he may find us before we can find him."
Before she can say anything, an inhuman scream can be heard from the beach, a scream of what sounds like more terror than pain, as well as relief. Brenda and Jorge run back into the torrential rain and towards, joined by Minho, Gally, Frypan, Vince and many others. As they reach the wet, sandy ground, they're stopped by the sight of someone at the edge of the beach; standing uneven, bloody wounds covering most of their pale body, shaking from the weather and the terrifying experiences they've clearly gone through.
"Thomas?"
"Br- Brenda- BRENDA!" Thomas screams at the top of his lungs, eyes maniacal, like he's completely lost his mind, before finally collapsing onto the ground, continuing to speak. "N- Newt. Ter-esa. Chuck. A-lby."