Darkness enfolds me, cold, quiet, and still. Then it stirs, creeping towards me. Powerful, rippling muscles. Glowing golden eyes...

I awake with a gasp beneath a leafy canopy in a four-poster bed. Sweat soaks the soft sheets and blanket. I flop back on the pillow, willing my heart to slow.

"What the hell was that thing?" I murmur aloud. It takes me a few moments to stop trembling. But once I do, I start to feel the effects of the night before creeping up on me, and I groan. I knocked back a couple more cocktails after coming back up from the beach, mostly to calm myself down. The throbbing pain behind my eyes tells me that was a very poor idea. Not to mention the effects of the late night in general. It occurs to me to wonder what time it is. I fumble for my phone on the nightstand beside me.

9:27am. And still no cell service. I check for a wi-fi signal, but there is none to be found. Not even a secured signal. I sigh and put the phone down. Might as well get up, I guess. I push back the covers, stumbling into the bathroom.

I turn on the shower and gulp some water from the sink while I wait for the stream to get warm. It doesn't take long, and I strip and step under the soothing water. The strong pressure feels like a gentle massage. The shower is stocked with exotic floral body washes and shampoos. I savor the fragrance as I scrub the sweat from my body and rinse the chlorine from my hair. I should have done that last night. Blonde hair and pool water usually don't mix. But so far my hair hasn't turned green. Sooner than I want to, I turn off the water and step out onto the mossy green bathmat. I gulp more sink water. I make the bed—because I haven't seen the housekeeping staff anywhere, either—pull on some clothes, and hang my towel to dry.

By the time I've finished brushing my teeth, the headache is fading, and my stomach is starting to growl. I take a few more gulps of water, tuck my room key into my pocket and wander down to the hotel restaurant.

I'm greeted by a chaotic scene, and a cacophony of smells from the buffet table.

"Uh, Raj," Sean says, "when you said you were going to cook breakfast, I figured, you know, pancakes and bacon. Not...what is this, again?"

"The Raj Hangover Special 9000! A perfect scramble of eggs, potatoes, oysters, and bananas, topped off with pickle juice. Trust me, dudes, it'll cure your hangovers before you can say 'this tastes gross and weird.' Just try it."

"...This tastes gross and weird," Jake mutters.

Zahra grimaces. "I do not want this in this place, I do not want this in my face."

"Y'all are missing out," Craig declares, shoveling in another mouthful. "This shizz is delicious!"

"I once saw you eat a rock," Michelle says flatly.

"That was a dare, and I won ten bucks!"

As they notice my entrance, my classmates go quiet.

"Well, well, well," Jake drawls. "If it isn't the Girl Who Cried Monster."

"Seriously, Alodia," Raj laughs. "You shut down the party faster than the cops back home."

"That's what you care about?" Estella sneers.

I smile sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I know I kinda freaked everyone out last night."

"Pfft. Didn't freak me out," Craig insists. "Nothing freaks Craig out!"

"Craig, let Alodia talk," Sean chides.

"...That's pretty much it. I promise I'll try not to ruin anymore parties."

"Good!" Raj says. "Because tonight, we're running it baaaaaack!"

Everyone laughs. I join in, but I stop when I notice Estela looking at me with disappointment.

"Hey, stranger." Diego sidles up to me, holding a plate piled high with Raj's sizzling hangover cure. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. It was just...a rough night."

"Care for some breakfast?"

I eye the plate in his hands warily. The concoction looks like pureed scrambled eggs and smells like salted fish. "...I don't know if I should."

"It's actually not bad." He grins as my stomach growls audibly. "And face it, you need to eat something. Let's get you a plate."

I relent, and move to the buffet table where I fill a plate with pale yellow salty-fish-scented goop. I fill a glass with orange juice.

"So, uh...I hate to give you a middle school flashback, but what table should we sit at?"

I look around for two empty seats. At one table, Michelle asks Raj and Craig where the resort gym is. At another, Aleister, Grace, and Zahra are discussing something Grace found at the beach. I drift over to the first table. I know Michelle hates me, but I like Raj, and I don't have anything against Craig. Besides, I can probably follow their conversation better.

"Hey, guys. I heard you talking about the gym? I'd totally be down to hit that up."

Michelle scoffs. "Oh, sweetie, did you think I was talking to you? I'm going to the gym because I want to work out, not watch you have another meltdown."

"Hey!" Diego says. "At the peak of her gymnastics career, Allie was in the gym about five hours a day!"

"Slight exaggeration. And I hardly had a career." But I flash him a grateful smile.

"Come on, Michelle," Raj chimes in. "Go easy on Alodia. We're all stuck on this island together, we might as well get along."

"Pfft. Says you. I don't get along with anyone I don't want to."

"Craig, dude, you don't get along with anyone, period."

"He's got you there," Michelle says.

I cover a chuckle by stuffing a forkful of egg goo into my mouth. ...It's like eating a pile of mushy salt with fish, banana, and egg aftertaste. If only I weren't so hungry. I gulp the rest of it before I can taste too much.

"Hey, you got that down pretty quick," Raj remarks. "Did you like it?"

"...I'm going to be tasting that in my burps all day."

"Absolutely!"

At that moment, the door swings open, and Lila enters, looking bright-eyed and flawless.

"Good morning, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your lovely breakfast in our five-star restaurant. But I might've found out what happened to all the guests." She pauses to let us react, but we're all waiting for her to continue.

"...Well?" Jake prompts. "Spit it out, Dimples."

"Well, I went into the staff office to look for information. One of the computers in there, the one used for island-wide broadcasts, was still running. It turns out exactly two days ago, at 3:45 PM, someone used the emergency broadcast system to trigger a full evacuation of the hotel."

"An evacuation?"

"It's a standard procedure at all Rourke International resorts. In the event of a natural disaster, the guests vacate the premises and head to a secure shelter."

"A natural disaster?" I snicker. "You mean like Raj's cooking?"

Craig laughs. "Ha! Buuuuuuuurn!"

Raj presses his fist to his chest. "Ouch, Alodia. Major ouch."

Lila blinks. "Yes. Well...questionable cooking aside, the evacuation procedures here were designed specifically to handle only certain cases. A hurricane, a viral outbreak, or Mount Atropo finally erupting."

"Yeah, well, I don't see any hurricanes, virus, or lava flows," Jake says skeptically.

"So, why trigger the evacuation procedure?" Sean asks.

"False alarm, maybe," Quinn suggests. "But in that case, why hasn't anyone come back?"

"Perhaps everyone is still at the shelter," Estela says thoughtfully. "Lila, where is it?"

"I...don't entirely know. I've never actually been there. But the signs on the trail say we'll find it if we hike north for a few miles."

"I'm in," Jake says.

Lila blinks again. "I'm sorry?"

"You're going to go look for it, right? Well, I'm coming with you. The rest of these kids are having fun playing Home Alone 2: Island Boogaloo, but I was already supposed to be in Cancun. I'm losing cash every second I waste here."

"I will come as well," Aleister says. "I...I'd like to get the lay of the land around here."

"I want to go too!" Quinn chimes in. "I'd love to help out and see some of the sights."

"How about you, Princess? You coming?"

I start a little. "...Me?" Involuntarily, I think of the thing I saw in the shadows last night. "Well...I..."

Jake waves a hand. "Hey, don't worry about it. If you're scared, you're scared. Just stay back here with the rest of the Goof Troop."

"Wait! I'm coming, too."

"You are?" Diego raises an eyebrow at me. "Why?"

I shrug. "I want to see the island. This hotel is great, but there's so much more to see. I want to see the jungles and the ruins and the waterfalls."

He smirks. "And the creepy bomb shelter that is almost certainly full of zombies?"

"Exactly!"

"Fine, fine. I'll go with you. But only so I can say 'I told you so' when something horrible attacks us."

I grin and give him a thumbs up. "That's the spirit!"

"All right, then!" Lila claps her hands. "Let's head out!"

A short time later, four of us follow Lila down a winding path through the rainforest. Jake and Aleister lag behind. Quinn, looking angelic in a white blouse with a white bandana tied like a babushka over her copper hair, skips ahead a little ways to marvel at the flowers on the trees and bushes. The flowers glow with a soft, colorful light. When I first saw them, I thought they were lightbulbs, something draped over the foliage like Christmas lights. But the glow is coming from inside the petals themselves.

"Unbelievable," Quinn breathes. "These colors, these textures...they're like something out of a dream."

"I've never seen anything like it," I agree.

"Beautiful, right?" Lila says. "Due to its geographic isolation, La Huerta has one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet, boasting flora and fauna not found anywhere else."

"Sure thing, Minnie Mouse," Jake grumbles. "Keep spewing that Rourke International propaganda. I ain't buying it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aleister snaps.

"I'm just saying. All the brochures go on about how this place is some sorta Disney paradise. But drink in the right dive bars, and you'll start to hear rumors about what really goes on here. Criminal plots, illegal experiments, folks going missing...all kinds of crazy."

Quinn wrinkles her nose. "Conspiracy theories? Really?"

"Laugh it up, Pippi Longstocking. While you were busy tweeting about your pumpkin spice latte, I was flying covert missions over Kandahar. Once you've peeked behind that curtain...well, let's just say there's some things out there that would blow your mind. The pretty purple flowers you're ooh-ing and ahh-ing about? They might just be sizzling with radiation."

"That is preposterous!" Aleister cries.

"What do you think, Princess? You trust this place?" I hesitate a moment, eyeing the flowers. Then I back away. Jake nods approvingly. "Knew I could count on you."

Aleister rolls his eyes. "Tell me you don't believe his conspiracy theory prattle."

"I don't know what I believe, but I say better safe than sorry. Unique ecosystem or not, flowers should not glow like that."

"Well, I still think they're beautiful," Quinn says with finality. "And I'm not going to let some conspiracy theory keep me from appreciating that."

She plucks a flower and puts it to her nose, inhaling deeply. ...Oh, my God, she is adorable. Diego elbows me lightly.

"What's with that goofy smile?" he whispers.

"Oh, shut up, Diego," I hiss back, feeling myself blush.

Ahead of us, Lila stops suddenly and looks around in confusion. "...This...doesn't make any sense."

"What?"

"Well, the signpost said the shelter should be right here..."

"Oh, great!" Aleister groans. "Even the tour guide's lost. What do they pay you for, again?"

"Tactical scouting 101 kids," Jake says. "Get to high ground. See that rocky cliff over there? I'm checking it out."

"Oh!" Quinn exclaims. "Do you hear that? Sounds like a waterfall nearby. The shelter might be near that."

"Or you just want to go check out the waterfall," Diego quips.

"Or that," she agrees sweetly.

"I really think we should stick to the trail," Lila says. "The shelter might be further ahead."

"We could split up," I suggest. "Cover a little more ground."

"I'll stick to the trail with Lila," Diego says.

Aleister crosses his arms stubbornly. "Well, I am staying right here. I see no reason to traipse around on some fool's errand."

"Well, y'all know where I'm headed," Jake says. He looks at me. "You wanna keep me some company, Princess?"

"Uh...yeah. Sure."

"Stay within shouting distance!" Lila calls as we split off.

Jake and I head off through the undergrowth towards the hilltop. Jake moves easily through the dense tangle of leaves and branches. He deftly hops a log and slides under a low-hanging branch.

"Impressive. You do this a lot?"

"Get stranded on mysterious islands with a group of plucky college kids? Gotta say, it's a first."

"I meant, go hiking, walk through jungles, that kind of thing. You seem pretty confident in the outdoors."

"I grew up in a Louisiana town so rural it wasn't even on the map. When it comes down to it, the swamp and the jungle ain't so different."

"Probably not as many gators out here though."

"Less gators, more jaguars. I'll call it even. How about you, Princess? This your kinda scene?"

"Actually, yeah. I mean, I admit I grew up in the SoCal suburbs, but I love the outdoors. The blue sky overhead...the fresh air...that soft sea breeze... I should probably be more freaked out. Especially after that...whatever...I saw last night. Being out here, like this, I don't know. I can't help but feel happy."

Jake raises an eyebrow at me. "That why you came along with me? You felt like a nature hike?"

"Well, you invited me. And...I guess I felt safer following you than 're confident. You're capable. And you seem to know what you're doing here more than she does. Or any of us for that matter." I pause. "...Come to think of it, why would you ask me to come along?"

He shrugs. "Because I can already tell you're going to be the horse to back here."

"I...what?"

"You're smart. Maybe not book smart. At least, not as much as Draco Malfoy back there, or...what's her name with the glasses?"

"Grace."

"Right. Grace. But you've got a good head on your shoulders. You're also braver than either Grace or Malfoy, and when it comes down to it, I would bet money you're the one everyone's going to look to when things go sideways."

"You say that like you're expecting them to go sideways."

"I am, Princess. I am."

I can't tell if he means that, or if he's just being facetious "...Are you ever going to call me by my real name?"

"When you've earned it."

"I think you've forgotten it."

"Have not. I saw all your boarding passes in Costa Rica. ...It's Alodia Chandler, right? Or do you prefer Allie?"

"Alodia. Diego's the only one who gets to call me Allie. That's a right you have to earn."

"...Are you and he...?"

"Me and Diego? Please. I've known him since we were in diapers. He's practically my brother. Besides..." I discreetly point towards my pubis. "I'm missing a piece he finds essential. ...Best friend I've ever had, though."

"Thought so. Got that vibe from him."

"Is it that obvious? I know he's not Sean Gayle, but he's not camp, either."

"He's not lisping or limp-wristing. It's pretty subtle. And if you've known him all your lives it's probably harder for you to pick up on since it's all just your friend to you." He pauses. "And I'd be surprised if Sean Gayle hasn't kissed at least a couple boys in his time."

"You think he's bi?"

"I think he's attracted to personality more than what's between a person's legs. Call that what you will."

"For a lone wolf type, you seem pretty confident in your ability to read people. Or maybe it's just your amazing gaydar."

"Well, it is damn amazing. Of course, it's wasted on you."

"What do you mean?"

He grins. "Come on. You're not exactly subtle. If we put Quinn and Sean in front of you and had them bend over, you wouldn't know which ass to stare at."

It takes a moment for his words to sink in. Then I laugh. "You're a brat, Top Gun! What about you, then? What's your pleasure?"

His smile slips. He looks away. "...Been a long time since I've shared my bed with anyone, man or woman." He turns back to me with a wry grin. "Hard to get frisky in a hammock. ...But it don't much matter to me what a person's got in their pants. It's what's in their head that I'm picky about."

I am distracted from responding when we break through the branches and arrive at the foot of a sharp, jagged cliff face.

"If we can just get up that, we'll have a clear view," he says. "How's your rock climbing?"

"Great. I mean...pretty good. Average?" I shrug apologetically. "I'm a gymnast, but I've really only done rock-climbing at the Y. But I never broke anything."

"Good enough for me."

He crouches down and gives me a boost, hoisting me up to a low ledge. Together, we carefully ascend the cliff face, grabbing handholds and sticking our toes in cracks to stabilize ourselves. Before too long, Jake crests the top. I'm just a few inches behind him when the rock I'm holding onto breaks off in my hand. I cry out, grabbing at the ledge, and hook my fingers on the edge. Jake grabs my arms and helps me up.

"Nice moves, Princess. Looks like you learned from the stairs on the control tower."

"Still glad for the help."

We take a moment to catch our breath, looking out over the island.

"...I gotta hand it to this place," I say softly. "It never stops taking my breath away."

"That's the radiation."

I sigh. "You're a real glass-half-full kinda guy, aren't you?" I mutter.

"...I'm on an island owned by Rourke International. Don't trust that they haven't poisoned this place. In the military, I served near some of their mining operations. ...Massive machines that dwarfed skyscrapers. The kind that rob the earth blind and leave it barren."

"...I gotta admit I didn't take you for an environmentalist."

"I'm not. I just think you reap what you sow."

"So...you believe in karma?"

"Doesn't matter what I believe. In my life, karma's made it pretty clear that it believes in me." He pauses. "...Seriously, though...that is one hell of a sight..."

"No weird lights in the sky, either."

"For now."

"Oh, shut up."

"...Hey...what's this?"

Jake kneels and brushes at some dirt. I see something glinting in the sun. I kneel beside him. Embedded into the stone is a square-shaped metallic plate with what looks like the head of a wolf embossed on it.

"What is that?"

"I dunno." Jake frowns, staring at the plate. "There's no writing or anything. Looks like...some kinda wolf?"

"You think it's part of the resort? Like the corporation put it here?"

"Maybe...but why? If it's a warning that there are wolves in the area it's a pretty crap warning, given its location. And I don't know many species of wolves that live in the rainforest."

I slide my phone out of my back pocket and snap a quick picture of the plate. As I tuck my phone back into my pocket, something catches my eye.

"Jake, look! Down by that river over there...the gray building? Sure looks a lot like..."

"A shelter! Hot damn! Good eyes, Princess!"

"Couldn't have got here without you."

We smile at each other for a long, silent moment. Then Jake clears his throat.

"We, uh...should probably head back. Find the others and tell them where to go."

"Yeah. We should. Definitely."

Jake takes a step towards the edge, then looks back. "Gotta say...this was actually kind of fun. Maybe before I fly back, we can go on another climb together."

"Sure. I'd like that."

We regroup with the others and make our way to the shelter. The enormous concrete and cinder building is covered with creeping vines.

"Great job, Jake and Alodia!" Lila chirps. "You found it!"

"I wouldn't go popping the champagne just yet," Diego says. "Anyone else getting some 28 Days Later vibes off this place?"

"It does look a little...dilapidated," Quinn agrees. "How old is this place?"

"It's no older than the resort," Lila says. "I will have to have a stern word with the caretakers!"

"Whole point of a shelter is keeping you safe inside, not looking good outside," Jake points out with a shrug. "Come on."

Lila pushes open the doors, revealing a long hallway that looks just as dilapidated as the outside. Vines snake along the floor, and broken fixtures overhead cough sparks.

"...Empty..."

Jake shudders. "On second thought, maybe Pop Culture Petey was right. This place gives me the creeps."

"I finally get a nickname, and it's 'Pop Culture Petey'?" Diego mutters indignantly. "Everyone else got a cooler one!"

"Not everyone. I'm 'Princess', remember?"

"Anyone else want to go back to the pretty jungle with the magic flowers?" Quinn asks in a small voice. "Anyone?"

Jake kneels and trails his fingertips on the ground. "There's a lot of muddy shoeprints around. They seem recent."

"You mean the guests were here?"

"Well...someone was."

A skittering sound makes us all startle. Jake leaps to his feet.

"What was that?"

I look in the direction the sound seemed to come from. There is a gaping hole in the far wall where the concrete has crumbled. Vines and glowing flowers cover the edges like a wreath. ...Or dried blood on a wound, I think involuntarily.

I approach cautiously, the others gathering behind me. At the edge of the hole, I hesitate. Then I gather my courage and peer inside.

"...There's something in there."

"What do you see?" Diego asks.

Something shifts in the darkness. Two spots of reflected light glint out of the shadows. A pair of eyes.

"There's something alive in there!"

"Certainly it's just a rat," Aleister says most uncertainly. "...Right?"

There's a strange clicking sound that comes from inside the hole, separate from the sound of claws scraping on stone that accompanies it.

"That's no rat," Jake murmurs.

"Allie, is that the...thing you saw last night?"

"...It's..." I'm cut off by my own cry as the shape rushes towards me, its shadow huge on the wall, and pounces into the light. We all whirl towards it, and stop.

A creature about the size and shape of a fox, with violet eyes and ice-blue fur, sits on its haunches in front of us and cocks its head.

"Mrrlk?" it trills curiously.

"...What the...?"

"Oh...my...God!" Quinn squeals.

"What...is it?" Aleister asks.

"Uh, literally the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Quinn answers, practically beaming.

"Okay, can we all officially agree this is not a real animal?" Jake says.

As if understanding, the fox-thing trills sadly, its tail and ears drooping. It backs away from us into a corner, trembling. Frost clings to the walls behind him.

"Huh...it looks scared."

"But what would it be scared of?" I ask. "Us?"

Any reply I might have gotten is cut off by a deep growl from directly behind me. My veins turn to ice. I turn slowly.

An enormous feliform beast is prowling towards us from the shadows, muscles rippling under skin and golden-brown fur. Massive cuspids, each at least the length of my hand from fingertips to wrist, descend from its upper jaw. My heart drops into my stomach. I know in an instant that I'm looking at the creature I saw last night.

"That!" Aleister cries. "That! It's scared of that!"

"You think?!" Lila shrieks.

The fox creature scurries behind me, curling against my ankles.

"Jake!" I cry. "What do we do?!"

Jake looks at me. For the first time, he looks scared. He grabs my hand and holds it tight.

"Don't. Move."