Chapter 3
Real?
Sam woke up to the heat of the sun. He cracked open one eye and looked into two faces: the sun and a girl. He looked at the girl's face more because her face covered his from the sun. He tried to talk, but his lips felt glued together. He tried to get up, but his limbs felt dead. One even felt missing. The forced himself up, but the girl gently pushed him back.
"Be still. Don't damage yourself further," she said in a soft voice.
Not wanting to argue, he lay back down and closed his eyes.
Sam woke up again, but not to the heat of the sun. He opened his eyes and found himself in a hut of sorts. He blinked some sand out of his eyes and sat up slowly. His ribs and back hurt, but he continued until he was up. He breathed through the pain and looked at his surroundings again. The walls were palm wood, the top was dried palm leaves, and the floor was sand.
No, Sam, I thought it was crushed cement... he thought to himself.
Sam chuckled at himself and continued to look. There was an opening covered with more palm leaves. He turned behind him, despite the pain, and saw what seemed to be a bar. He looked at the walls again and saw they were covered in pictures with red slashes through them. Sam took a deep breath and stood up slower than he sat up. When he was standing, he felt his back not stretch to the fullest. He continued to stretch his back until he heard a loud crack and felt a surge of pain flare up. His breathed and teared, but didn't yell out. He waited for the pain to stop, which it did after a few minutes. Sam slowed his breathing and looked at the doorway. He started to go out. He moved the palm leaves and felt the cool, almost cold sea wind on his chest and legs. He looked down and saw that he was only in his underwear. He quickly moved the palm leaves back and looked back at where he was laying. There was a chair with a folded pile of clothes. Sam was thankful, but then he wondered how he missed the clothes or even the chair next to where he was laying. He took the clothes and put them on.
What he found out was that they weren't his original clothes. They were something like a robe made of...palm leaves? Sam felt the material again and found it waxy, but soft.
Palm leaves... he thought.
Sam tied the robe tightly. It was a little small, but it covered him. He walked back out. Outside, there was a jungle to his right and the ocean to his left. He breathed in the salty air, still thinking he was dead.
This is too nice to be real life...he thought.
In the corner of his peripheral vision, he saw something move. He turned quickly, but the jungle was silent and semi-still.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Sam called out.
The wind answered by rustling the palm leaves. Sam kept his head on a swivel as he walked up the beach. He was still in a bit of pain, but it was more annoying. A few yards up the beach, Sam found someone resting on a beach towel. He didn't want to disturb her, but he really wanted to know where he was.
"Excuse me, do you know where I am?" Sam asked.
Suddenly he heard the rasp of a sword exiting its sheath. He made his own sword appear in his hand and he blocked a strike behind him. However, the attacker was a floating sword. Confused, Sam threw the sword off and stood there.
"Show yourself," Sam demanded.
"They can't..." came a small voice behind him.
Sam turned quickly to see the girl on the beach towel standing with her arms crossed and a frown on her face.
"They are my invisible servants and you are trespassing on my private part of the beach," she said.
Sam was stunned.
What? was all he could think of.
The invisible servant attacked again and slashed open Sam's back. Sam cried out and fell, dropping his sword. The girl walked closer and kicked his sword into the sea.
"Join me," She said with a echoing voice.
Suddenly, the girl's head turned into Medusa's and she turned him to stone.