Chapter 8: A 'not so' lone survivors.
Few hours later, Nathan and Lara woke up on the dried river creek surrounded by massive trees around them. The first one who woke up was Nathan, so he drag Lara to the side of the river, to a shelter under a giant tree.
While Lara still asleep, Nathan tried to find some food. Luckily, he found a fresh mangosteen tree, with the mangosteen itself ready to be harvested. Not long enough, Lara woke up, and find Nathan slicing the mangosteen using his blade.
"Are you hungry, Lara? I got some fresh mangosteen, do you want some?"
"Ugh, maybe. But mangosteen's sour right?" Lara ask question to Nathan while she holding her bumped head.
"Well, not so but, what else can you eat in here?"
"Okay, I take one. Give me the mangosteen, Nate." Nathan then give Lara a clove of sliced mangosteen.
While they're enjoying the mangosteen on the side of the river, Lara starts to chat with Nathan about the endless island illusion that they were saw on the plane."
"We're never getting out of this island, Nate."
"Wha? Don't tell me you're drunk because of the mangosteen, Lara." Nathan scoffs at Lara's statement.
"I've been through a lot worse than this. It was the Yamatai, Nate. And the events in here just the same as the Yamatai." Hearing Lara's statement, Nathan try to optimize Lara about what is happened in here.
"Please just tell me you're really missed your friend, back in Yamatai. This events won't be a nightmare as in Yamatai, Lara."
"You have no idea what I've been through Nathan. Trust me, there's something cursed in this island that won't let us escape from here. Do you realise why we keep turning the same airfield for the fourth times Nate? There's something isn't right about this island Nathan, Don't you feel it?"
"That was just a coincidence Lara, there's no such thing as curse, or a black magic, or a something that really superstitious in this island. There's just survivors in here. Nothing more, nothing less. We'll get out from this island as soon as possible. Sully will call for another rescue and we're getting out from here, Lara." Lara know that Nathan still think logically about what people think. So Lara try to rebase Nathan's mindset.
"You're searching for logical answer when there's none. I made the same mistake once, and I'm never stop learning from it, Nathan. I'm not talking about how we're getting out from this island. I'm talking about something that hold us in this island. I'm not asking you to believe me, I'm asking for your trust, Nate. It's okay if you don't want to follow me for the next walk, I'm not blame you too if you're not going with me. Everyone's made their choice, and I should give you a choice about now Nathan." Nathan starts to think before Lara starts to walk away from Nathan.
"Lara, let's go, I'm with you. But I don't want you to talked about what was happened on the plane. I'm going with you now, I want to see the truth of these island."
"Okay Nathan, but I want we're going alone right now, you and me Nathan. And if you get separated from me, don't try to find me. I'm the one who need the answer, I'm the one who want to go to this Island. Don't worry about me too, I can take care of myself."
"No Lara, it's too dang–"
"There's no excuse Nate, I thought I just mention that we all made a choices in here. It's my choice, and you have no right to lecture me. It is my decision about what do I want in these island, it's your call if you want to come with me or not." Hearing what Lara's statement, Nathan then try to undestand and exhales heavily about her statement.
"Okay, okay, as you wish Lara. But we do this together, alright? Just you and me Lara. Anyway, these mangosteen really sour, I need to drink first. You're welcome to try the river water anyway." Nathan then filled his empty canteen with the river water, followed by Lara drinking the river water. That water looks clear enough to be drank.
After they're done drinking, they continue their journey into the deeper jungle. While they exploring the jungle, they were surprised saw a man that dressed with a white torned t-shirt with the ripped out green cargo pants. As soon as possible, both of them aim their weapons at the man. Nathan with his Browning HP Mk III, and Lara with her makeshift bow. Spontaniously, the man raise his both hands at Nathan and Lara.
"Don't shoot me. We all in the same side in here." Said the man slowly speak to Nathan and Lara.
"Who are you then? What are you doing in here?" Nathan ask to the man as Nathan pull the pistol hammer backward.
"Just like what I say, we all in the same side in here, a survivors, just like you both. Can I take my hands off now?" The man ask to Nathan and Lara.
"Slowly, what's your name then?" Nathan grant the man wishes, as he holster back his pistol, followed with Lara holster back her arrow and bow slowly.
"I'm Captain Andrew Locke. From the 32th JSOC division. Just call me Locke in here."
"I'm Drake, Nathan Drake. Call me Nate or Drake."
"It's good to see you Nate, anyway who is this young girl?" Ask Locke as he offer his hand to Lara to shake her hands."
"The name's Lara." Answer Lara, as she shake back Locke hand.
"Alright, it's dangerous out here. Let's go find a shelter." Said Locke to Nathan and Lara.
Three of them starts walking to find a shelter. They walked for about 3 kilometre, finally they found a shelter too under a cliff.
"Alright son, how you could get stranded in these island?" Locke starts to create a warm chat while is't start to raining outside.
"I think it's a fair start if you start telling your story, Locke." Replied Nathan to Locke.
"Alright, here we go. It's all start when on the year of 2007. At first, there were 5 of us, the 32th JSOC team. All of us was on the run to chase and eliminate the African warlord Weraabe Al-Sofyan, and he's hiding in these island. We managed to silence Al-Sofyan forever, but we never get out from here. We have called for every possible rescue party to come and pick us up. But every rescue party that we called say that this island is an uncharted island. We started to think to live the rest of our life in this island. For 3 years, I've learn the island, and all of the point of interest of this island. Until one time, I learn a place in this island called the Waterfall of the Living. It is rumoured that this waterfall can free us from this island. But we never find the waterfall. Until all of my team dead. I just can regret, why I'm taking these mission. The mission just took 10 minutes to complete, but it took forever to figure out how I could get out from these island." Locke tells his story how he could get stranded on the island.
"Actually, we're just one call away from something that block us from our freedom. We just need to find something that doesn't allow us to escape. If we just find something superstitious in this island, we all just need to destroy it, and we can get out from here." Lara comment to Locke story, while Nathan Drake try to burn some dry wood to create a campsite in there.
After Locke hearing Lara's comment, suddenly Locke act just he try to get out from the shelter, when it's raining like hell on outside. He's gesture makes Lara suspicious about Locke, even Drake starts watching Locke strange behaviour, while Drake still try to create a campsite in there.
"Umm, you both stay in here first. I have something to do. I'll be back soon." Said Locke, as he walked away from the shelter to the rain.
Locke was far from the shelter, and in that time too the campfire was lit up by Nathan. After the campfire done, they starts to sit down on the ground with they leg crossed. In this moment, Lara starts to talked about her suspicious feeling about Locke to Nathan.
"I don't trust that man, Locke. When I talked about how we could get out from here, he's just trying to get out from here, and he said that he'll be back soon. It's been 20 minutes, and he's not coming back. I had a bad feeling about this man Nathan."
"Same as me too, Lara. How if he actually got a whole men come down and track us down in this shelter? We better get going Lara."
"We'll go later Nathan, I still needa a cozy fire and some warm feeling." Lara refused while she warming her hand on the campfire.
But before, she get her cozy fire and a warm feeling, both of them hear somebody's talking to a group in distance. When the group came closer to them, they saw about 4-5 people in group, each of them equipped with assault rifle. Looks like those group come to find Nathan and Lara.
"I hate it when my bad feeling always right." Nathan talk to himself. As he and Lara run to the jungle through the thunderstorm .
They run away as far as possible from shelter, until they found a cave and take for another shelter in the cave on a small trench. For the last time, Lara like to explore the cave where they take for another shelter. But this time, this cave is diferrent.
"Nathan, there's another tomb in this cave."
"Even in this secluded cave? Okay, let's check it out." Said Nathan while following Lara to the tomb.
They walked into the inner part of the cave, and they found a stone arch with another relief forged on the stone wall. When they're entered the arch, they're amazed saw a big hall surrounded by relief that forged on the stone wall, with a worship altar and the human-size statue of a woman, standing on a statue of a dragon.
"Nathan, this statue, I think I see it already."
"Something reminds me about this statue, I remember we talked this already Lara."
"Hey, it must be the cursed Ror–"
Before, Lara said the Roro Jonggrang, someone speak it first. He was hidden, in the shadow of the big hall.
"You're right Lara. You're absolutely right. And you have something that we need to escape from this island." Said the mysterious man.
"Who are you, ghost man?" Lara ask to the mysterious man, as he walked out from the shadow to represent himself. Turns out, it was Locke. Lara instinct was totally right about Locke, back on the shelter.
"I knew we couldn't trust you." Said Lara to Locke.
"Why you couldn't trust me? I think I already said that we all the same in here. Just survivors. But you, you have something that can free us from here. You just don't agree with my plan."
"I never agreed with a stranger's plan before. And I don't know what you talking about." Said Lara to Locke.
"You will agree, Lara. NICK!" Suddenly, a man grab Lara on her neck from behind. Another men grab Nathan from behind too, and lock them in hands. Locke then wield his combat knife, and starts place it on Lara's neck.
"Will you Join? Croft?" Lara didn't answer anything.
"Screw you." Replied Lara to Locke, followed by Locke start to slice slowly on Lara's left neck. Feeling all those pain, Lara can only screams. But as Lara starts to scream, Drake's starts to shout at Locke.
"WAIT! It's in my left pocket." Locke's man start to get something from Drake's pocket, turn's out it was the Eye of Brahmana. After the Eye is given to Locke, Locke start to figuring his next plan, as he read the sanskrit in the top of the Eye.
"Get his pistol." Locke told his man to get Drake's gun from his holster, and give it to Locke. Strangely, Locke cut off the rope that tying Lara's hand.
"Lara, kill him." Order Locke to Lara, with he gave Drake's gun to Lara.
"No, no, no Locke, I can't do this Locke please. Don't force me to do this." Lara begged to Locke as she starts to sob.
"Can't or won't Lara?" Said Locke as he get one his men gun and aim it at Lara's head.
"No Locke, stop it, don't you hurt her! you ain't killing her! Don't do this Locke please! Lara, just do it. It's okay. It's not your fault anyway. Do it. Kill me. NOW!" Drake try to prevent Locke from killing Lara, while Lara starts to crying.
But before Lara pull the trigger, Locke stop aiming his gun at Lara, and start to place the Eye of Brahmana under Lara's cheek, and when her tears fall of from her eyes, Lara's tears landed on the Eye of Brahmana. Suddenly, the Eye starts to glow on bright blue, and the diamond inside the Eye starts to opened with a sparkling water inside it. Slowly, Locke bring the water to the Roro Jonggrang statue.
"Soon, when this water splash on the princess, She will free us all. KILL THEM BOTH!" Locke order his men to kill Nathan and Lara, but before the do, Lara starts to fight those men and shoot Locke using Drake's pistol, but she missed, and Locke drop the sparkling water to the ground. Unfortunatley, some little amount of the water sparks to the Statue of Roro Jonggrang.
"Nathan, are you okay?" Lara asked to Nathan about his condition, as she cut the rope that tying Nathan hands.
"I'm fine Lara, We have to get out fr–"
Before Nathan stop speaking, they saw the statue's finger start to moving, followed by the hands until the whole body moving around. The statue is now completely lived, and breath like a normal human being. They know this statue gonna be their main enemy, so Lara gives back Nathan pistol and Lara starts to get the pistol from one of the Locke's men that has been knocked out by Lara.
"What the hell is that?" Nathan talks to himself, as they both starts to shoot at the 'petrified' Roro Jonggrang. Locke was in Jonggrang side and start shooting at Nathan and Lara, while the Jonggrang starts to grab a stone, and suddenly, a lot of sharp textured stone spawned from the stone floor and trying to stab Lara and Nathan's foot. While Locke still shooting at them, he starts to speak with Jonggrang with the ancient Javanese language.
"Sing Mulia, Nyong Urip nggo ngayomi kowe, nyong iso ngrewangi kowe mateni bebendune nang jero awakmu." Locke says to the Jonggrang in ancient Javanese language means: 'My princess, I lived to serve you, I can help you to destory the curse inside your body.' So the princess reply Locke statement in ancient Javanese too.
"Nek kowe wani nglomboni, kowe tak dadikna watu!" Reply Roro Jonggrang in ancient Javanese that means: 'If you dare to lie to me, you'll be petrified!'
Suddenly, the dragon statue starts to live, like the princess, the dragon starts to flap its wing and starts to airborne then the dragon escape from the cave with Roro Jonggrang on it's back and Locke on it's back too. Now the only problem is Nathan and Lara has to escape from Locke's men, as they being shooted by Locke's men. Lara and Nathan escape from Locke's men and they both tripped by a stone then fell of and slide on the slippery ground and end up by falling into a river.