Olto's body was lying face up on the ground, his shocked eyes devoid of their usual cheerful life. A sickly yellow foam coated his lips, the sand around him was sprinkled with blood, and worst of all, there was a large open wound in his chest that still leaked.
Nobody ran forward to help him, for they knew there was no point, and they were all too paralysed with shock to take even the first step. Olto was gone. Torn put a hand to his head and turned away, Jak held his breath in disbelief, and a silent tear fell down Ashelin's face. For the first time, there was not a single sound on the whole island, and nobody could find their voices or their minds, unable to comprehend this terrible, unpredictable sight.
Finally, the long silence broke when Jak asked the only words he could muster. "How did this happen?"
But nobody could answer. Torn looked like he had just been shot, and Ashelin was visibly trembling. The numbing, uncomprehending horror spread between them contagiously.
But then, Olto's body disturbingly began to twitch, and Jak, Ashelin and Torn all looked on as something black and hideous began emerging through the hole in his chest. First came long, prickly legs, and then a hairy, glistening body. It was a spider, a huge, ugly spider, coated red with blood and pulling at a piece of inner flesh that was still attached to something. Perched atop Olto's defiled body, it then became aware of the others surrounding it, and hissed fiercely.
They backed away from it uneasily, gripped too tightly by fear and shock to react in any other way. Torn's back hit one of the trees, and above him, something cracked, and a shard of it fell at his feet. They all looked up, and saw the sphere of bark at the very top of the tree breaking open and giving birth to a second spider, much bigger than the one that had slain Olto. Free of its casing, it glared down through the leaves upon the figures in the camp with all eight of its predatory eyes.
A sudden, terrible realisation breached Jak's fear. At last, he understood what those treetop spheres were, those curious growths that had puzzled him ever since his first day on this island.
"They're eggs!" he breathed with wide-eyed horror. "Spider eggs!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
More were breaking open all around the camp. Then suddenly, something dropped behind Jak and Ashelin, and they span around to face two even larger spiders, blocking off the route of escape to the beach. Their eyes sparkled hungrily, their pincers clicked and hissed, and they looked ready to pounce.
Then panic took over.
"RUN!" Jak bellowed.
He and Ashelin both bolted at the same time just as one of the spiders leapt between them. Leaving their fallen comrade, they all sprinted into the forest in a consuming fear, desperate to escape the horror they had just witnessed. But behind them, they could hear the rapid pursuit of the spiders' pattering feet. They were giving chase!
"Just keep running!" Jak yelled.
"Where?" Torn shouted back.
"Anywhere!"
Within seconds, they had broken through to the Precursor dome, but they ran straight past it, Torn around one way, Ashelin and Jak the other. When they met up on the far side, they crashed into the undergrowth again, and the world became a frantic, terrifying blur. Wild brambles tore at their legs, roots threatened to trip them, and sharp branches whipped their faces, but they fought through it desperately, not caring where their feet took them.
At last, the forest thinned out and they emerged into a clearer area, their clothing ragged, their skin scratched, and their chests pumping painfully. They could endure no more and go no further, and here they dared to stop, standing together protectively and listening tensely. The sounds of pursuit had died away. Here there was complete, deathly silence, save for their own heaving breaths. Finally, they relaxed a little.
"I think... we've lost them," panted Torn, holding a painful stitch in his side, but he warily surveyed their surroundings, aware that he could be wrong.
They were in a protected area beside a tall, moss-covered rock. He recognised it; this was where Ashelin had found him on the day their first raft had failed, when he had stormed away in anger. Unpleasant and shameful emotions still lingered here, but they were nothing compared to the great sorrow that now descended and smothered them all, as the loss they had just suffered began to properly sink in. It hit Ashelin first and the hardest, and still breathing painfully, she slumped down into the very spot Torn had once occupied, her back against the stone.
"Olto... no!"
There was both anger and despair in her quivering voice, and she clutched at her head hard, her broken nails biting into her scalp through her lank hair. Torn and Jak looked round to her, both feeling the crushing pain as well, as if a part of themselves had died too. It was so bad it made them feel sick.
"This is wrong," said Torn heavily, his shoulders sagging. "He didn't deserve to end like that..."
Jak could say nothing, his emotions blurring his eyes. Olto's death was hitting him just as hard as Daxter's, and the sight of his two usually dauntless friends almost breaking down only hammered the stake in deeper.
Though they were all hardened soldiers who had witnessed many of their own men slaughtered horrifically in battle, the sight of Olto's mutilated body was still strong enough to leave deep scars, because he had become so close to them during their difficult time on this island. They had all worked, lived, and survived together as a team, and Olto's unconquerable cheerfulness had served as a much-needed lifeline for them on numerous occasions, banishing the gloom that plagued them and pulling them through their dire situation with hope and camaraderie. But now that was all gone. He had been killed, right when they least expected it, and the morale perished with him.
"He was a good man," Ashelin said blankly.
"A fine soldier," said Torn in unconscious response.
"And a great friend," finished Jak.
Another terrible, mournful silence fell, drowning them in grief as they each privately battled with their inner emotions. This was unbearable. They all felt like traitors for just leaving his body behind like that. Why had they run? Why didn't they stand and fight off those monsters? Was there something they could have possibly done to save him?
Suddenly, a disturbance in the bushes broke the moment, and everyone tensed up again. But before they could work out exactly where it had come from, a lone spider burst through the foliage and launched itself straight at Ashelin in her vulnerable position on the ground. Her eyes widened in fright, and her reflexes were only just quick enough, as she batted it out of the air with a strong left forearm within inches of her face. It hit the ground on its back, its legs writhing grotesquely.
Torn was about to jump forwards to help, but Ashelin was on her feet in less than a second, and with a vengeful cry, she stomped down hard upon the spider's exposed thorax. It screeched as its body was crushed sickeningly under her boot, but Ashelin did not stop there. Her anger took control, and she stamped again and again and again without mercy, until there were only small fragments and a dark stain in the grass.
"That's for Olto!" she snarled, spitting on the destroyed corpse.
She stood there for a moment, heaving with anger and breathing sharply through clenched teeth. Jak and Torn had witnessed the whole thing, and her unshackled rage actually frightened them. Torn tried approaching her slowly, while Jak returned his attention to their surroundings, knowing that if one spider had followed them, then others might too.
"Ashelin?" Torn asked cautiously. "You alright?"
Ashelin's breathing slowed, her anger subsided, and then she let out one long, deep breath. "Yeah... yeah, I think so."
"Heck of a kill though," said Jak impressively.
Ashelin scowled. "I sure hope that was the one that killed Olto."
There was a cold hatred in her voice that was enough to chill even Torn and Jak, but they both sympathised with her emotion, understanding it completely.
"Just what in the hell's going on here?" said Torn seriously, eyeing what was left of the spider. "Where did these things come from? Have they been hiding in those trees all this time?"
"I don't know. Maybe," said Jak, without disrupting his vigil. "But we'd better get moving. More could turn up at any moment."
"It doesn't matter," said Ashelin dangerously, drawing her gun and cocking it ready. Killing this first spider had given her confidence and a tempting taste of vengeance, and now she was ready for more. "I'll kill them all."
"Easy, Ashelin," said Torn with both hands raised placatingly. "I don't blame you at all, but we've got to be careful. They killed Olto, and they could just as easily do the same to us. We're barely armed, and we don't know just how many we could be up against."
"You're right," added Jak, still keeping a strong eye out. He raised a finger. "Listen..."
Through the silence of the deep woodland, they could hear the faint crack, crack, crack, as more spider eggs hatched, coming from every direction at once.
"Those spider egg trees are all around the island," said Jak." If they're all hatching right now, there could be hundreds of them."
This was what caused Ashelin to reconsider, imagining the possibility that they could be trapped here in the middle of the island, surrounded by a barrier of carnivorous spiders that blocked their only escape. Though all three of them were experienced and competent fighters, Olto's death had crippled their resolve and made the danger all the more palpable. Facing that many potential enemies was tough enough even when they were properly prepared for it, but here they were caught unawares and vulnerable, with only one gun between the three of them, nowhere near suitably equipped for full-on battle. As much as she desired to continue dishing out payback on the monsters that had slaughtered Olto, she understood now that fighting back was not worth the risk, especially if Jak thought so too, the unmatched warrior that he was.
She gave a heavy, exasperated sigh. "Then what are we going to do?"
Torn saw only one answer. A good commander knew when to fight and when to retreat, and this was definitely not a time to fight. They had to get out of here, and he knew how.
"Jak, did I hear you testing those zoomers earlier? Do they work?"
Jak looked back at him, and at once they were both thinking the same thing. "Oh yeah, they work all right," he said with a growing, bold grin of understanding.
Torn's hopes were secured. "In that case then, we're getting out of here. Right now. Today's the day we escape this island."
All their eyes met, and they all felt the significance of this decision.
"We can't stay here," Torn continued seriously after a few seconds of no reaction. "Sooner or later those spiders are gonna find us, and I don't think we can fight our way out of this one. We'll be overwhelmed. The zoomers are our only hope now, and we've got to reach them."
Ashelin looked like she agreed, but there was doubt in her eyes. "But the zoomers are on the other side of the island from here," she said worriedly, questioning herself again as to why they had run, "And the camp could be crawling with those spiders by now."
"I know, it could be bad," Torn accepted. "But we've got to go back. All our supplies are there and we'll need them once we're out on the ocean. The quicker we get moving, the better chance we have of escaping here alive. Now who's with me?"
He held a hand out in front of him, and after a few seconds, Jak placed his on top, and then Ashelin hers. Here they were, united as one against what could prove to be their greatest test of survival yet.
"We will escape this island, and we will get back home," said Torn with inspiring determination. Then they all withdrew their hands and placed a closed fist over their hearts: the Freedom League salute of solidarity.
Their goal was clear then: reach the zoomers and use them to escape, but it would be easier said than done, and it would require all the bravery and ability they could muster. They were being forced to flee the island before they had properly prepared for their journey, and they had no way of knowing just how many spiders could be prowling the forests and beaches right now.
"So how're we going to do this then?" Jak asked. "What's our plan?"
"I see two options," said Torn, his quick military mind analysing the situation. "We can head back through the forest. It'll be slow, but we could use the thick undergrowth for cover. Or we can head out to the coast. We could move quicker along the beach, but we'd be out in the open and more easily spotted."
Jak and Ashelin considered it for just a few seconds. "Let's take the forest," they both voted.
Torn agreed with them. "Yeah, that was my choice. Should be the safest option." He paused and scraped a hand damp with sweat over his rough chin. "Alright, here's what we'll do. First we'll make for the dome, and then from there we'll try and reach the camp. We'll gather up as many supplies as we can carry, and then make a run for the zoomers."
"And if we encounter any spiders?" asked Ashelin.
"We'll defend ourselves if we have to," said Torn, "But I'd prefer to avoid drawing attention to ourselves as much as possible. Escaping undetected is our best shot, before any more of them realise we're here."
"Fine with me," said Jak. "But... which way's the camp?"
That was a good question. In their blind running fear, they had lost their bearings and orientation, but Torn tried to figure it out.
"We came from this way, didn't we?" he said, looking to the dense wall of foliage they had crashed through, but from this side it looked almost impassable. How did they ever get through it the first time? Even if they did get back through it, there was a chance they might run straight into the other spiders that had chased them from the camp.
"We'll have to go around it and find an alternate way back," Torn decided, and with their intentions set, they all took a few moments to psychologically prepare themselves.
Torn finally got his shirt back on and drew his knife from his belt. "You ready?"
Jak and Ashelin nodded. This was it.
"Alright, let's go."
Sticking close together, they disappeared into the shadows of the trees, keeping their eyes peeled and their ears sharp. The island's peaceful atmosphere had completely changed to one of ominous and restless foreboding. For several minutes they encountered nothing, but they could hear strange, unsettling noises and movements all around, as if the whole forest had come alive and was whispering with ill intentions.
Ashelin squeezed the handle of her gun in reassurance, prepared to use it at the first sign of true danger. "I don't like this," she whispered, her eyes scanning the gaps between the trees. "It feels like we're being watched."
As they continued deeper still into the woodland, their continuous diligence put a strain on their senses. At the rear of the group, Jak found himself actually wishing that something would attack them, to end this dreadful cloud of unknowing. The rest of those spiders could show up at any moment, but where were they? He was expecting to have encountered some by now. Were there really not that many after all? Or had they not ventured this deep into the wood yet, still clustering around their trees at the coast? Or had they just been incredibly lucky in avoiding them so far?
But then they heard movements really close, and they all ducked down into the bushes, out of sight. Through a small gap in the leaves, they saw the unmistakable shapes of three spiders crawl into view, and pause not far ahead of them, chattering and scratching the blanketed earth with clawed feet.
Jak and Torn dared not to make a sound, but Ashelin slowly aimed her weapon through the leaves, ready to fire. Torn pushed the gun down with his hand, and Ashelin read his silently moving lips: "No. Wait for them to pass."
The spiders lingered for about a minute that felt much longer, as if picking up on some scent and searching the forestry for prey. The three friends lying hidden waited fearfully, their hearts pounding so hard that they feared it would give them away. But then the spiders abandoned whatever interest they had apparently sensed, and scuttled off again into the shadows of the deep woodland.
Torn slowly began to rise from hiding, checking that the creatures had really left the area. There was no sign of them, and he wordlessly beckoned Ashelin and Jak to follow. That was a close call. They crossed where the spiders had moments ago been prowling, and thence into the undergrowth again.
They encountered no more for some time, but the forest still felt as uncomfortable and hostile as ever, and soon they started to feel lost. These were the least-visited parts of the island that they did not know so well; nothing here was familiar, and it all looked the same. The longer it took to find their objective, the more their doubts and uncertainty grew.
"Are you sure this is the right way, Torn?" Ashelin whispered.
But Torn had a plan. He knew from the rough direction they had taken that they must be heading around the island in a clockwise direction. That meant that the Precursor dome had to be lying somewhere through the thick foliage to their right, and if they went left, he knew they would eventually arrive at the coast. But they did not want to go that way yet, into the perilous line of spider trees that encircled the woods. Sooner or later though, he knew they would have to break through it to get to the sea, but for now, all they had to do was continue on their current course bending gently rightwards. He paused in a small clearing just to re-orientate himself and double-check.
"It can't be far now. Just keep going. Yes, this way."
They continued further, and Torn's hunch proved accurate. Very soon, they caught the familiar glint of orange metal through the trees up ahead.
"There!" hissed Torn. "That's the dome."
With their goal finally in sight, the heavy feeling lifted somewhat, and they picked up the pace a little more. The dome stood before them now, but here they paused behind some bushes at the threshold of the trees where the sunlight could not find them, waiting and listening. The area around this side of the dome seemed deserted, but in the open air above them, they could hear the disturbing sounds clearer than ever. The entire island was waking up, and it made them reluctant to leave the relative safety of their hiding place. But they had to move on.
"Are we good?" asked Jak, who was keeping his eyes backwards in case they were being followed.
Torn gritted his teeth. "Alright, we've not got far to go now. The camp's just round the other side. We just have to go for it."
He took one last long look into the open area. Nothing.
"Alright, come on."
Stepping out into the open, they immediately felt dangerously exposed and vulnerable, and they moved as quietly but as quickly as they could, searching for the opening in the forest that would lead them back to camp. But then suddenly, a chilling hiss froze them to the spot, and a spider appeared right atop the dome's summit, looking prepared to leap down upon them. Ashelin took instinctive aim with her weapon and fired. A concentrated eco projectile hit the spider squarely in the eyes, and it screeched and reeled and went tumbling backwards into the shaft.
But the gunshot echoed across the whole island, treacherously revealing their presence. For a moment there was answering silence, but then the forest seemed to tremble, the noises around them intensified, and there was a rapid rustling of leaves closing in on them from all directions.
"They're coming!" said Torn in alarm. "Move! This way! Quick!"
They broke into a run, but they did not get far before they were seen again.
"Ashelin! To the left!" yelled Jak, as another spider came leaping out of the trees. Ashelin saw it just in time, and with another deft shot, it fell down dead.
Then, they found the cut leading back to their camp, but they were forced to skid to a halt as an entire cluster of spiders came streaming through it, attracted by the sound of the gunfire. Their path was blocked, and more were breaking through the bushes all around, flooding in from all sides. There was no avoiding it now; they had to fight and defend themselves!
With their backs to the dome, they prepared to face the surrounding swarm. Ashelin kept on firing fiercely, preventing any spider from coming within five feet of her. To her right, Torn brandished his knife and slashed at any that came too close, severing legs and fangs. Jak found himself snapping a branch off a nearby tree, and was swinging at the attacking insects, knocking them back into the bushes they scuttled out of. They battled bravely until only a few spiders remained, and these stragglers seemed to sense that their prey was too powerful, and they began to back off, hissing and spitting venom. Ashelin still fired after them, taking out a few more as they scuttled away back into the trees again, but some escaped. Then the area around the dome was quiet. The three warriors stood back to back, listening to the unnerving silence, as the twitching corpses and body parts of their defeated foes littered the ground around their feet.
At last, Ashelin lowered her smoking weapon. "That... was satisfying," she breathed. Her bloodlust and thirst for revenge had been quenched... for the moment.
"Everyone alright?" asked Jak, still watching the tree line. He was sure there were still many eyes on them.
Nobody was hurt, but Torn's focussed mind was only on their objective. "Come on! The way's clear. Now's our chance! Through here, quick! We're almost back to the camp!"
They ran onwards onto familiar and well-trodden ground, not daring to hang around here any longer. Now their adrenaline was really flowing and it drove them on, but the noises in the trees were alive again and more riled up than ever. They may have driven the spiders back for now, but they knew that they would inevitably return, likely in greater numbers, and then they might not be so lucky. The entire island now knew they were here, hunting them down. But the closer they drew to their campsite, they found themselves feeling growing apprehension rather than safety; they knew what awaited them back there, and they would be forced to again confront the horrors they had fled from. But they each swallowed their fear and bravely continued, knowing it was the difference between escape and death.
When they emerged through the trees and stopped, they dreaded to find more spiders waiting for them, but the camp was deserted. Pieces of broken eggshells littered the sandy grass and cracked underfoot, and up in the trees, there were still several ominously unbroken. Out on the unprotected beach, there lay a clear line to their goal; the zoomers remained untouched but dangerously exposed in the open. Olto's body, however, had disturbingly disappeared; only a few bloodstains in the sand remained.
"He's gone!" said Ashelin with shock.
"Ashelin, we can't go looking for him," Torn reiterated. "I'm sorry but there's not enough time. Come on, we need to grab our supplies and get to the zoomers while we have a clear shot."
"What about the artefacts?" asked Jak.
Their eyes all fell upon the heap of loot, and they paused in momentary doubt. They could only really afford to take what was necessary, but none of them wished to part with the treasure they had worked so hard to obtain.
"Just take as many as we can carry," Torn decided. "But essentials first. Hurry! We don't have much time."
They got to work immediately. Jak took responsibility for gathering up the food, stuffing all the fruits they had left into his backpack, and then he disappeared inside the shelter to search for anything that had been missed. Ashelin found her weathered jacket and put it back on, and then began sweeping up random artefacts into the Precursor bag they had recovered from the dome. Meanwhile Torn stood guard, keeping a vigilant eye out on the surrounding area and frequently glancing up at the foreboding eggs in the trees that had not yet hatched. At the same time he tried to make sure they had everything necessary for their journey on the ocean: food, the medical kit, their clothes... but there was something missing... something important...
"Where's the water flask?"
"Here it is," said Jak, finding it knocked aside and hidden beneath a fragment of shell. "Uh oh."
Torn tensed up and Ashelin reached for her gun again. "What is it?"
Jak shook the flask in his hand, and it made only the faintest swish. "It's almost empty."
Torn growled at this setback, and their momentum slammed to a frustrating halt. They could not leave the island without any water, and they all knew at once what this meant. They cast a wary glance back the way they had come. There was no other option: they would have to venture back into the perilous forest again, back to the lake to fill the flask before they could escape.
"I'll do it," Jak volunteered bravely. "I'll get it filled."
"We'll come too," said Ashelin at once.
"No," Jak argued. "If we all go, we're more likely to attract attention. You need to stay here and keep this way clear so we can escape."
"Jak, you can't go back in there alone!" Ashelin protested, unwilling for them to be separated from one another at such a desperate time as this. "We need to stick together!"
"It'll only take a minute," said Jak persistently, already unstrapping his backpack full of fruits. He forced it into Torn's hands. "Here, keep packing things into this and prep the zoomers. If I'm not back in two minutes, you need to get out of here. Just get on the zoomers and go."
Torn looked out to where the three vehicles lay shining on the sand, wishing they could just run to them right now while they had a clear shot. The riled noises in the trees were getting closer. Though he didn't like this any more than Ashelin, he knew that Jak was right, and arguing with him would waste precious seconds. This was a necessary risk, and he was the best man to undertake it.
"Go on, Jak," he said in capitulation, "But we're not leaving without you."
Jak accepted. Ashelin tried to argue again, but she could think of nothing to say that would blunt the steely look of determination in Jak's eyes.
"Trust me, Ashelin," he said, looking directly at her. "I can do this."
Ashelin looked pained and powerless as Jak began to step back towards the forest path. This was just suicide! But then she reached out and stopped him by the shoulder. Jak expected more resistance and to have to rationalise his actions to her again, but instead Ashelin looked at him with calm understanding.
"Jak, wait. Take this." She took his other hand and placed her gun into it, closing his fingers around the handle just as she had done with the beacon that had saved his life on the day of his exile from Haven City, so long ago. The memory of it was reawakened in both of their minds at this instant. She was not going to lose him again.
"Hopefully you won't have to use it, but just in case. Be careful, alright?"
Then she quickly kissed him on the cheek. A warm and genuine smile momentarily fluttered onto Jak's face, but then it was replaced again with the hard and determined look that Ashelin now reflected straight back at him. He nodded once, and they both understood his objective.
"I'll be right back."
Then he was gone, back down the shaded path to the dome and out of sight.
"I sure hope he knows what he's doing," Ashelin muttered fearfully, already feeling immediate misgivings about letting him go off on his own.
"He'll be fine," said Torn, trying to be reassuring, but in truth he was feeling just as much apprehension. "He's got through worse scrapes than this before. Come on, you heard him. We need to keep packing."
They returned their attention to their supplies, continuing to pack what they needed in subdued but hasty silence. They were almost ready. The bag of artefacts was getting full, but due to its unique and unexplainable properties, it was not heavy and felt like it could still take much more. Torn was still trying to think if they had forgotten anything, looking alternately around the camp, then out to the zoomers, then up at the trees, and down the forest path. Still no sign of Jak.
But then suddenly, no more than a minute after he had left, gunshots tore through the forest and they both looked up in fright, feeling their impact even from here.
"Jak!" shouted Ashelin, understanding at once that he must be under attack, but the only answer she got was more gunshots. "Torn, he's in trouble!"
She immediately abandoned what she was doing and darted for the trees, but before Torn could stop her or follow, there came another threatening crack! from above them, followed by another and another, as a fresh wave of eggs began to hatch all across the island. The sound froze Ashelin in her tracks, and then she found her path suddenly blocked by another spider that had dropped down in front of her. She reached automatically for the absent weapon in her empty holster. Without it she felt naked and vulnerable, but she reacted quickly and leapt back, her hands finding the extendable rod artefact from the pile, and she gripped it tightly in defence. If she had to go through these spiders to reach Jak, then so be it.
"Come on!" she growled, but the spider in front of her showed no intimidation and sprang forwards. She swung the rod and sent it flying back into the leaves.
Behind her, Torn drew his knife out again, ready to join her and renew the fight. But he found himself occupied by yet more spiders that dropped down from the trees and scuttled through the bushes into the campsite. A whole new swarm had found them, much more than last time!
"This is bad!" he shouted, kicking an attacking one away from him. "There's too many! We'll be overrun if we don't get moving now!"
"But we can't go without Jak!" Ashelin yelled, clubbing another spider into submission. "I knew this was a bad idea. Jak! Come on! Where the hell are you?"
They continued to fight, but above the violent noise in the campsite, they could hear the gunshots drawing promisingly nearer. And then, Ashelin caught sight of Jak's shape racing down the path at full speed. He was shooting backwards over his shoulder, and gesturing frantically ahead.
"Go!" he roared, his voice fraught with a panic that it rarely ever showed. "Get to the zoomers! Now!"
He blasted his way through the last of the spiders that separated him from Ashelin, and then he threw the water flask to her. She caught it, and could feel the heavier weight of water within. He had succeeded, filled it right to the brim, but now the entire island was closing in on them!
"Alright, time to go!" Torn ordered as soon as he saw Jak re-emerge. "Grab the stuff and go!"
Still fighting off the increasingly numerous insects, they swept up all the belongings they could carry. Torn dodged one last spider and dashed out onto the sand, followed closely by Ashelin, their hearts thumping painfully. The zoomers lay right ahead of them unobstructed, but when Ashelin glanced back over her shoulder, she could see that Jak was not following.
"Jak! What are you doing?" she bellowed in disbelief, her pace slackening unexpectedly.
"They're too close! We'll never make it in time! I'll hold them off!" Jak shouted back from the edge of the camp. "Get the zoomers started! Just go!"
He'd shot at one of the long sticks from their collection, setting it afire, and was brandishing it before him in sweeping motions. It kept the spiders at bay, afraid of the flames, and he held his ground, occasionally still firing whenever a spider dared to get too close.
Fighting her urge to turn back and aid him, Ashelin forced herself to keep running, praying that Jak was going to be safe. When she reached the zoomers, Torn was already in a saddle flicking switches, and the blades on his zoomer began to turn. Ashelin shouldered the bag of artefacts and swung a leg over the one beside him.
Back at the camp, Jak was still holding off the spiders, but soon there were too many for him to handle, and the gun's energy was almost out.
"Wait, what am I doing?" he said to himself. Now was the time to run!
He hurled the depleted weapon at the leading spider, cast the burning branch to the sand at his feet, and then span on his heels and sprinted out into the open. He only hoped he had bought Ashelin and Torn enough time for the head start they needed, but had he taken too long to save himself? Would this be his last sacrifice?
Torn looked round as Ashelin started up her vehicle, and finally saw the true scale of the hunt. Spiders were now flooding out of every opening in the line of trees up and down the entire beach, turning the sand black with their teeming mass. There had to be hundreds! In the middle of it all was Jak, an insignificant speck in the centre of a tidal swarm that was fast surrounding him. He ran furiously, his face contorted and pained from fear and exertion, but his pursuers were gaining, and soon he would be swamped from all sides like a boat in a stormy ocean.
"He's not gonna make it!" Torn gasped with dreadful realisation.
Ashelin looked back and beheld the dire scene, the spiders hot on Jak's heels. They were all around him! Baring her teeth in fury and determination, she revved the handlebars on her zoomer and swerved it back round to face the trees. "Come on! We've got to help him!"
She shot off with a screaming noise, and Torn quickly did the same in a last desperate attempt to save their friend. On their zoomers they felt powerful and untouchable, and they passed Jak on both sides in a cloud of sand. The foremost spiders of the pursuing swarm halted before the loud, deadly spinning propellers, and then scurried backwards over the ones behind them, sending the horde into a scattering disarray. The ones further back screeched and snapped their pincers, unable to get close.
"Go, Jak!" Ashelin shouted over the din of the two engines.
Jak found he now had a clear path to the last zoomer but did not slow down for anything. Though his chest throbbed and his legs were burning, when he was close enough he took one massive leap into the saddle and activated the propellers in a single fluid motion.
"Let's go! Now!" he shouted back.
Ashelin and Torn did not hear his voice with three primal engines now roaring together, but they glanced back and could see that he was now ready. They turned around just in time, for some of the spiders had now gained the daring to start attacking the vehicles and try to pull the riders from their seats, and they continued to chase after them as they sped towards the open waters.
"Keep going!" Jak yelled from the leading vehicle, Torn and Ashelin not far behind him. But even now they were not yet out of danger. The spiders were encircling them again. Some of the ones that had spread out in their scattering had regrouped with the many others at the rear, their ranks swelling once more, and they were moving quickly out in front of the zoomers to head them off. A line of them stood between the ocean and the approaching vehicles, forming a last desperate barrier to prevent them from escaping. They were screeching ferociously in defiance and their front legs were raised high.
"Hang on!" Jak bellowed.
The three survivors pushed their vehicles to the limits and ploughed right through the spiders, chopping them to pieces on the front propellers. Blood and body parts sprayed upwards, splashing in their faces, but they kept going in a straight line until they saw water rushing beneath them. They had broken over the shoreline and were cresting the low waves.
When Ashelin next looked back over her shoulder, the beach was far behind them, connected only by a wide wake that streamed out from the tails of their zoomers. The sand was lined with black spiders who could not follow; many screeched angrily after them, while others tried to pursue into the shallows, only to be tossed back by the waves or drowned.
"We're clear!" Ashelin shouted climactically. "They can't follow us now!"
Torn and Jak looked behind as well, but did not stop. All three of them kept zooming along together as one without slowing down, out over deeper waters and beyond reach, but wide, euphoric smiles were growing on their faces with every metre they left behind them. The wind was in their hair and a great feeling swelled in their hearts. Then Jak could contain himself no longer, and he let out a long yell of triumph as they screamed out over the open ocean.
"Wooooooo! Yeah!"
He punched the air with his first, and soon Torn and Ashelin were cheering along with him. They'd done it! They'd escaped the island and the clutches of those spiders! Then finally they slowed to a hovering standstill far from the island, and pulled up alongside each other and laughed, sharing high-fives from the saddles.
"Well done, guys!" cheered Torn. "Well done!" Then he shouted back at the island. "You think you can eat us? Pah! Not likely!"
Their hearts were still beating fast and their breathing still deep, but now away from the danger their emotions began to dim with every passing second, shrinking to a quiet buzz. All three of them stopped and took a gaze upon the island that had been their home for the past long weeks. Viewed from a distance, it looked peaceful and quiet, and the top of the dome was clearly visible above the trees, a small light glinting in the sun.
Jak leaned forwards, finally able to relax, and rested his arms upon the warm vibrating body of his vehicle. "It's over!" he breathed, still feeling the pulsing pain of exertion in his chest. "We made it!"
"Well... not all of us," Ashelin said, suddenly solemn.
Torn and Jak remembered, and then silent reverence fell over their spot on the ocean, in memory of their lost friend who had died so undeservedly. Gazing mournfully upon the island, it hurt to know that his body was still back there somewhere among the spiders. Ashelin most of all wished she could have brought him home, or at least given him an honoured burial, but there had been no time. The soldier in her understood that in times of crisis such as this, they had to focus on saving those who still lived. But still... he would be dearly missed.
"Rest in peace, Olto," Ashelin said. "I'm sorry we couldn't save you."
They all sat there in their saddles, the hum of their engines the only sound.
"Well... that's that then," Jak said at last, bringing the long moment of solace to a close.
Ashelin suppressed her last tear and accepted. "How much food did we get away with in the end?" she asked, turning her attention back to what most immediately mattered.
Torn still held Jak's backpack, and he took a look inside at all the fruits they had managed to escape with. "I'd say we've got enough to last us a good few days... if we use them sparingly."
He knew the medical kit also lay somewhere near the bottom. Ashelin had the water flask still and the bag of several artefacts, but Jak was empty-handed. This was less than he was satisfied with; in their mad scramble for the zoomers they had been forced to leave a lot behind, but they could not go back. They would have to make do with what they had got.
Torn strapped the bag around himself. "We should get going now," he suggested. "We've probably got a long ride ahead of us."
Finally, the three of them turned their heads to the other direction, to the open nothingness of the ocean and the cloudless passage that lay ahead.
"Which way's the city?" Jak wondered aloud. Throughout their time on the island, they had completely lost all sense of direction.
"This way's as good as any right now," said Torn. "Let's just keep going straight and see where it takes us."
Ashelin was ready and took charge, revving her handlebars. "OK boys, let's finally go home. Next stop, Haven City."
They smiled at each other, and as one, they fired up their engines again and began moving, into the sea, into the sun. Behind them, the island faded away into the blue haze of the watery horizon, taking its mysteries and its perils with it.
Author's Note:
There we go, that's the end of it. I hope that everyone who has made it this far has enjoyed my rework of this story. Please leave a review if you did, because reviews are nice. I committed a lot of time to it. But now I must give out some acknowledgements to some special people.
To BlackKitt, author of the Jak and Daxter fanfiction story Keeping Me Alive. The reviews you have written for my stories are the most lovingly enthusiastic they have ever received. Thank you so much for writing them; even today, they still make me feel very special when I read them, and they will be treasured. However, I have had no correspondence from you at all for several years now, in spite of my attempts to reach out to you. I admit that I am worried for my favourite reviewer, and I really hope that nothing bad has happened to you. If you are still out there, please get back in touch and let me know you are OK. I miss you.
To Cacotechny, author of a number of inter-related Jak and Daxter fanfictions. I admire your writing style and enjoy your stories a lot, particularly your attention to details and expanding upon important but oft-overlooked background stories in the Jak and Daxter universe. Your works have provided me with inspiration too, and it has been great to discuss things with you in our messages. I also greatly appreciate your patience for waiting until my stories were re-written. I hope you enjoy them.
To Fire-Lemur, author of the Jak and Daxter fanfiction story Those Magic Changes (Redux). You are a great writer, your work is inspirational, and thank you for your critical eye and feedback which has helped me to strengthen this story and my own writing. And of course, you are also a great illustrator, you draw as beautifully as you write.
To LunaLucrea, author of the Jak and Daxter fanfiction story Schism. Our writing styles are highly comparable, and I admire the amount of detail and thought you dedicate to your storylines. It has given me inspiration for my own writing and parts of my story here and the new one to come. You are also a fine illustrator, and I thank you most highly for your part in helping to re-make my original drawings for my story Separated. I hope that we can continue working together in the future.
To Moon's Envoy, fellow aspiring novelist and author of the Jak and Daxter fanfiction story When Trust is Lost. Your stories and the messages we have shared have helped to keep me entertained and happy through this strange and challenging phase of my life. It has been my privilege to follow your work and to get to know you. You remain one of the most fascinating people I have yet encountered in this world, and I do hope that we can meet each other someday. Until then, you have my sincerest support in all of your writing and life choices. Thank you for all the time you have given me.
To rosyrue. It was a recommendation from Moon's Envoy that led me to your stories, and while many have a very mature tone, you too are a great writer that has given me inspiration and entertainment, and I thank you for that. I thank you also for the intelligent and insightful conversations we have shared through our messages. I wish the very best that life has to offer to you and your family.
To the authors SweetMusicAng3l and elfgirl931. I have not spoken with either of you as much as I have with the other authors I mention above, but I address you both together because your stories have been of great inspiration to me when it came to writing the softer parts of my own stories. I thank you both for your beautifully written words.