Chapter 1 - The Lost Ones

I WILL NOT FORGET THAT SUMMER OF 2006…

Atticus is fixing the helicopter they were in moments ago. They had an emergency landing and the malfunction could still not be identified. Delilah could only stand and feel anxious since she knows nothing about any vehicle.

“Do you think there is something we could drink here?”

They are almost at the same age so she can easily speak to him in an informal manner.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t been to this small island before.”

“Should I explore the area?”

Atticus seemed unsure with her idea but she insisted on doing something that could help them.

“I know both of our phones are dead. So I won’t go far. I promise.”

“Okay. Be back in five minutes. This place is weird for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s possible we hit something that cuts off our power. But it’s weird because this never happened before. I hope I’m just overthinking it. I’ll run a few tests to be sure.”

Should I begin collecting rocks and begin writing SOS on the sand?

“I hope I can make this thing work before dawn at least,” Atticus added.

“Okay then. I’ll go ahead.”

Delilah wraps around her checkered polo shirt on her waist since the heat is becoming intense now that it is past noon. Delilah walked away without bringing her bag. It would be useless anyway.

The guide says Paloma Resort should be just thirty minutes or less from the airport if I took the boat. I should have taken that route… But my client already paid for the helicopter and for my accomodation. Though it comes as a perk of being a travel writer, sometimes my job could drain me. Ugh. Sometimes I wonder what was the point in all of these? Nothing I do seems to matter.

Delilah walks away from the helicopter and looks around the island for any possible fruit to eat.

“There should be some coconut trees here right? Oh, wait…”

Delilah took out her small pen and small notebook and sketched the position of the two trees that seemed to bend towards each other before she walked inside the forest. She either listed or sketched the landmarks she saw before entering a new territory. It became her habit to create a map while exploring.

Once she entered the forest she kept her notebook and pen again in the back pocket of her cargo jeans. There are no coconut trees within sight so she goes further. She made sure to only walk on a straight path.

“If I can’t find anything to eat here then… I guess we’re doomed. Unless, he finally made the helicopter work again.”

Delilah kept on walking without noticing that the view behind her already started changing. She had entered a dimension that can never be noticed unless the barrier was touched. She believes she was still walking on a straight path. And she only realized what was happening as soon as she heard some distant movements among the bushes somewhere.

“What was that?”

She tried to stay calm as she looked around but again another sound was heard. Something was running towards her. And her initial thought was to return to the beach. But the moment she looked back, she was surprised to see that she lost her way and was now in the middle of a thick forest.

Wait. This can’t be right. I was just walking straight, right? How did I end up in the middle of a forest?

The animal that was running towards her direction is coming near. Delilah saw something dark jump out of the bushes. She ran towards the path where no roots could block her path. Still, no matter how fast her legs moved, the animal behind her seemed to be gaining more distance than her.

“Atticus!!! Help!!!” she yelled. But no one came to her rescue.

She could not dare to look back, she only ran as much as she could. Before she could decide whether she would jump on a cliff or suddenly shift her direction a big shadow appeared from her side. It jumped out of nowhere and for a second Delilah thought it was Atticus.

The man was holding a spear pointing downwards. In a split second, Delilah heard a yelp from a wild animal and saw splashes of blood. The man stabbed it easily through the heart and chopped off its neck using a bowie knife that was strapped on his belt.

Delilah saw everything when she stopped running. The one that was chasing her is a wild boar, and the man who killed it is a barbarian who is now tainted with blood and is looking in her direction.

He only wears a piece of clothing wrapped on his waist. His skin was tanned. His long hair disheveled. But what scared Delilah the most was his build and height. The wild boar that lies on the ground seemed small while he stood next to it. But Delilah was sure the wild boar was almost as big as her if they would be compared in length.

The man moved to face her. She stepped back.

W-where should I run?

She saw the man smile before he spoke.

“Finally, a human.”

Delilah was shocked to see how happy he seemed when he recognized another human was in front of him. But she also realized that he probably meant a new meal had arrived.