~ Ooh, it's getting good now! Well, it is for me, I don't know about any of
you. And apparently no one wants balloons for reading and reviewing.
*sniffle* Why isn't anyone reading my story? WAHHHHH!!!!! ~
~ Chapter Three: He Is Among Us ~
I put up my hands. Those spears were a little too sharp for my tastes. "Listen, mates," said Jack, standing up, "We are so glad to find you. We were being chased by some sort of beast back there. I'm so glad we have people here with weapons!" The men started whispering in their language. Apparently they didn't speak english. Then, one of them grabbed me by my arm, and started dragging me off. "Hey!" cried Jack, starting after us. I turned around and looked at him. They grabbed him too. It took three of them, but they started dragging us towards their camp. When we got there, they put us in a hut of sorts, barely giving us time to see where we were. They posted guards outside the flap to make sure we didn't run off. We waited there, holding each other, wondering what they were going to do to us. We waited for about twenty minutes, till finally the flap opened and a tall man walked in. He was darkly tanned, but other than that you could tell that he wasn't like the others in the village. He was an Englishmen.
~**~
He sat down across from us, letting his long blond hair sway freely behind him. He searched us up and down with his deep blue eyes, wild from living here for so long. He could only be about my age, twenty-six. Then he spoke.
"What are you doing on our island?"
Jack looked relieved. "Thank God, you speak english."
"What are you doing on our island?" the man asked again, more forcefully.
"We were on our honeymoon," I said quickly, "We saw the island, and decided to look around a bit. Then we found a body, torn to shreds."
The man did not look surprised. He just kept staring at me. It made me quite uncomfortable for such a man other than Jack to look at me like that.
"We heard screams," I continued, "We ran towards the sound. When we found it, I fainted. It was gruesome. When I came to, I found Jack back at the shore, watching our boat sink. If you want us off the island, I suggest you find us another boat, because that was our only one."
"Well, then," said Jack, "When do we eat?"
I punched him in the arm. "Ow," he said, rubbing it, "I was jus' kidding!"
The man watched all this silently. He sighed, and said, "My name here is Yongo-met, but me real name is Jonathan Dales, from London. I was out, searching for my calling, when my boat wrecked here, six years ago. These people were kind enough to allow me to live with them."
"Well, Jonathan, my name is Melissa Sparrow," I said, putting out my hand to shake his, "and this is my newly wed husband, Jack."
Jonathan took my hand and shook it. Then he shook Jack's.
"My friends, what you have witnessed, not many see and live to tell the tale."
"What do you mean?" asked Jack.
"What you saw, that creature," said Jonathan, "was what the people here call the Urae-eku. Or, in english, "man-shredder". It's been plucking off these people for about two years now. We don't know what it is, or where it comes from. Well, the village priest seems to think it's a god, come to exact revenge on some silly mistake they made years back. No one believes him, of course."
"What did they do?" I asked, curious.
"They tore its temple down, and began to praise another god, which they call Tuso-wen. So now the priest thinks that it's their old god, wanting his dues."
I nodded.
"We've been moving place to place, trying to avoid it, and it's been working, but we are still losing people to it. You, you people have a rifle. Maybe we could kill it with that? What do you think?"
Jack thought a moment. "It's worth a try, now i'ddn't it?"
Jonathan stood up, and walked out the flap. A moment later, he held it back up, and allowed us to walk outside. I saw many women and children walking around, doing their daily chores. They stared at us, as strange as they were to us; we were as strange to them. So we walked to another hut, and smells and sounds of cooking wafted from it. My stomach growled. We hadn't had a decent meal for two days. I saw the hunger come across Jack as well.
We looked around when we stepped into the hut. There were several pots full of stews, boiling over fires. Apparently they cooked for the entire village here. "Dinner is in a few minutes," said Jonathan, "I was in the midst of telling the women how to make a fine bunny meat stew," at this my belly rumbled so loud I could swear that the pots bounced a bit, "when I was interrupted to come talk to you. Now you sit here," he said, pointing at a fur on the ground, "And I will bring you a bowl of food. You look like you haven't eaten in a few days."
We nodded, and a moment later, he came back with two bowls of steaming stew. Jack and I dug in as fast as we could get a hold of them. Jonathan laughed and walked away to continue supervising the feast. Finally, I had to slow down, because the stew was fresh out of the pot and was scalding my tongue.
I looked over at Jack, who was scarfing down his food. I laughed and pecked him on the cheek. I was so happy. I was sure we were safe now that we were with a moving village. He smiled and put down his food, taking me in his arms and kissing me like he had days ago on the boat. Oh, how long ago that seemed now. Almost forever. We kissed for a few moments, and then resumed eating. Finally, when we were full, Jonathan ushered us outside of the cooking hut. I was surprised how fast the time had gone. When we stepped outside, it was dark, and there was a roaring fire in the middle of the camp. "Well," I said, following Jonathan over to the fire, "what now? A weenie roast?"
Jonathan laughed. "No," he replied, "It's a celebration."
Jack looked confused. "A celebration for what?"
"No one's been taken since yesterday."
"Oh," said Jack, glancing at me.
"So," I said hesitantly, "Who was it that we found?"
"My adoptive brother."
"Oh, no," I said quietly, putting my hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry."
"It's all right," said Jonathan, patting my hand, "we're used to losing loved ones to it. My adoptive mother was taken six months ago."
"Have you found anything that can stop it?"
"No," he said, looking sullen, "we have no way of knowing what it is, even, as I've explained. There's no way to stop it if we don't know what it is."
He thought for a moment, staring at me. Then he looked at Jack and then to the fire.
"Well," he said, "time for the festivities."
We sat down near the edge of the circle. They started playing instruments, making a strangely beautiful melody that I'd never heard. Jonathan leaned over and explained that this was the mourning song for those lost. Then suddenly, there was a drumbeat, and heavy music followed. People started getting up and dancing around the fire. I looked on, awed. The mass of writhing bodies, surging together, making beautiful art. Then I felt myself pulled in. I moved my body with the others, allowing myself to become apart of it all. I forgot everything, anything. I was one with everything, anything. I felt hands on my hips, a head on my shoulders. "Jack," I whispered, inaudible. I took my hands, stretched them behind my head, and touched his shoulders. But then I stopped. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Jack was wearing a shirt when I left him by the fire. I turned around as best I could, and saw Jonathan standing behind me. I gasped and reached to slap him. There was a roar, and the ground shook. At first I thought it was still the writhing mass of bodies entwined with us, but then there were screams. Those weren't supposed to be there. Then I felt something warm splash on my face and shoulders. I looked at Jonathan, and saw that he, too, had been covered with it. People started running around us, but we were just standing there, shocked. It was blood.
Jonathan looked horrified beyond measure.
"It's here. He is among us."
~ Chapter Three: He Is Among Us ~
I put up my hands. Those spears were a little too sharp for my tastes. "Listen, mates," said Jack, standing up, "We are so glad to find you. We were being chased by some sort of beast back there. I'm so glad we have people here with weapons!" The men started whispering in their language. Apparently they didn't speak english. Then, one of them grabbed me by my arm, and started dragging me off. "Hey!" cried Jack, starting after us. I turned around and looked at him. They grabbed him too. It took three of them, but they started dragging us towards their camp. When we got there, they put us in a hut of sorts, barely giving us time to see where we were. They posted guards outside the flap to make sure we didn't run off. We waited there, holding each other, wondering what they were going to do to us. We waited for about twenty minutes, till finally the flap opened and a tall man walked in. He was darkly tanned, but other than that you could tell that he wasn't like the others in the village. He was an Englishmen.
~**~
He sat down across from us, letting his long blond hair sway freely behind him. He searched us up and down with his deep blue eyes, wild from living here for so long. He could only be about my age, twenty-six. Then he spoke.
"What are you doing on our island?"
Jack looked relieved. "Thank God, you speak english."
"What are you doing on our island?" the man asked again, more forcefully.
"We were on our honeymoon," I said quickly, "We saw the island, and decided to look around a bit. Then we found a body, torn to shreds."
The man did not look surprised. He just kept staring at me. It made me quite uncomfortable for such a man other than Jack to look at me like that.
"We heard screams," I continued, "We ran towards the sound. When we found it, I fainted. It was gruesome. When I came to, I found Jack back at the shore, watching our boat sink. If you want us off the island, I suggest you find us another boat, because that was our only one."
"Well, then," said Jack, "When do we eat?"
I punched him in the arm. "Ow," he said, rubbing it, "I was jus' kidding!"
The man watched all this silently. He sighed, and said, "My name here is Yongo-met, but me real name is Jonathan Dales, from London. I was out, searching for my calling, when my boat wrecked here, six years ago. These people were kind enough to allow me to live with them."
"Well, Jonathan, my name is Melissa Sparrow," I said, putting out my hand to shake his, "and this is my newly wed husband, Jack."
Jonathan took my hand and shook it. Then he shook Jack's.
"My friends, what you have witnessed, not many see and live to tell the tale."
"What do you mean?" asked Jack.
"What you saw, that creature," said Jonathan, "was what the people here call the Urae-eku. Or, in english, "man-shredder". It's been plucking off these people for about two years now. We don't know what it is, or where it comes from. Well, the village priest seems to think it's a god, come to exact revenge on some silly mistake they made years back. No one believes him, of course."
"What did they do?" I asked, curious.
"They tore its temple down, and began to praise another god, which they call Tuso-wen. So now the priest thinks that it's their old god, wanting his dues."
I nodded.
"We've been moving place to place, trying to avoid it, and it's been working, but we are still losing people to it. You, you people have a rifle. Maybe we could kill it with that? What do you think?"
Jack thought a moment. "It's worth a try, now i'ddn't it?"
Jonathan stood up, and walked out the flap. A moment later, he held it back up, and allowed us to walk outside. I saw many women and children walking around, doing their daily chores. They stared at us, as strange as they were to us; we were as strange to them. So we walked to another hut, and smells and sounds of cooking wafted from it. My stomach growled. We hadn't had a decent meal for two days. I saw the hunger come across Jack as well.
We looked around when we stepped into the hut. There were several pots full of stews, boiling over fires. Apparently they cooked for the entire village here. "Dinner is in a few minutes," said Jonathan, "I was in the midst of telling the women how to make a fine bunny meat stew," at this my belly rumbled so loud I could swear that the pots bounced a bit, "when I was interrupted to come talk to you. Now you sit here," he said, pointing at a fur on the ground, "And I will bring you a bowl of food. You look like you haven't eaten in a few days."
We nodded, and a moment later, he came back with two bowls of steaming stew. Jack and I dug in as fast as we could get a hold of them. Jonathan laughed and walked away to continue supervising the feast. Finally, I had to slow down, because the stew was fresh out of the pot and was scalding my tongue.
I looked over at Jack, who was scarfing down his food. I laughed and pecked him on the cheek. I was so happy. I was sure we were safe now that we were with a moving village. He smiled and put down his food, taking me in his arms and kissing me like he had days ago on the boat. Oh, how long ago that seemed now. Almost forever. We kissed for a few moments, and then resumed eating. Finally, when we were full, Jonathan ushered us outside of the cooking hut. I was surprised how fast the time had gone. When we stepped outside, it was dark, and there was a roaring fire in the middle of the camp. "Well," I said, following Jonathan over to the fire, "what now? A weenie roast?"
Jonathan laughed. "No," he replied, "It's a celebration."
Jack looked confused. "A celebration for what?"
"No one's been taken since yesterday."
"Oh," said Jack, glancing at me.
"So," I said hesitantly, "Who was it that we found?"
"My adoptive brother."
"Oh, no," I said quietly, putting my hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry."
"It's all right," said Jonathan, patting my hand, "we're used to losing loved ones to it. My adoptive mother was taken six months ago."
"Have you found anything that can stop it?"
"No," he said, looking sullen, "we have no way of knowing what it is, even, as I've explained. There's no way to stop it if we don't know what it is."
He thought for a moment, staring at me. Then he looked at Jack and then to the fire.
"Well," he said, "time for the festivities."
We sat down near the edge of the circle. They started playing instruments, making a strangely beautiful melody that I'd never heard. Jonathan leaned over and explained that this was the mourning song for those lost. Then suddenly, there was a drumbeat, and heavy music followed. People started getting up and dancing around the fire. I looked on, awed. The mass of writhing bodies, surging together, making beautiful art. Then I felt myself pulled in. I moved my body with the others, allowing myself to become apart of it all. I forgot everything, anything. I was one with everything, anything. I felt hands on my hips, a head on my shoulders. "Jack," I whispered, inaudible. I took my hands, stretched them behind my head, and touched his shoulders. But then I stopped. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Jack was wearing a shirt when I left him by the fire. I turned around as best I could, and saw Jonathan standing behind me. I gasped and reached to slap him. There was a roar, and the ground shook. At first I thought it was still the writhing mass of bodies entwined with us, but then there were screams. Those weren't supposed to be there. Then I felt something warm splash on my face and shoulders. I looked at Jonathan, and saw that he, too, had been covered with it. People started running around us, but we were just standing there, shocked. It was blood.
Jonathan looked horrified beyond measure.
"It's here. He is among us."
