text: “I thought you said this island was uninhabited!?” “It is,” Alessia squawked back at me. “Then what the fuck was that?” Alessia let a beat pass. “By the looks of it a bunch of murderous naked people that we don’t want to be heard by.” I paused. Taking a moment to breathe and lower my volume. “Okay. But... shit.” I could feel myself shaking, my heart punching against the bottom of my throat. My eyes were both drawn towards and disgusted by the red stains on the beach. “You okay?” Alessia asked. “No.” Alessia flinched slightly at the venom in my voice, and I took another few seconds to compose myself. “But I will be. How are you?” “Honestly? A little relieved I didn’t have to do it.” She looked down at the detonator by her feet. “I would’ve but... didn’t want to.” I nodded, looking around at the island. To my right a straight plunge down to the ocean and a series of ragged rocks. To the left, nothing but dense forest. I stepped up to the ledge, looking down the cliff. “We can probably get down again.” “Even if we get down right now, the tide’s not coming back for hours. We’d be sitting on the beach hoping those bastards didn’t come exploring. And if they see us clambering down...” I sucked air between my teeth, imagining being halfway down the cliff face with those baying bodies beneath me. “So what do we do instead?” Alessia eyed the path along the top of the cliff leading into the forest. “It’s not too bad through there. Wait till nightfall, go through the forest, get down to the beach that way. Meanwhile, find some shelter at the edge of the trees.” We detached the wires from the detonator and let them fall down the side of the cliff, before carefully dropping the plunger into a bush so we could get through the forest unencumbered. I followed Alessia’s lead and we walked down the gentle sloping path towards the forest, camping out by resting against the first row of trees. I watched the day wane slowly in the west, the sky turning from blue to orange as the sun dipped across the horizon. When the protection of darkness arrived, we ventured into the woods. As soon as we passed through the first few layers of trees, it quickly became a near pitch black. Above me, I could see occasional glimpses of stars, but the canopy was thick, and little light penetrated. I could see movement; make out Alessia shifting against the background in front of me, but all else remained a mystery. We moved in silence, trying to avoid detection. Still, we couldn’t help the noise of our steps crushing twigs, or errant arms brushing against branches. Every few paces we stopped, listening to the forest around us. Each time there was silence. Though after a while the darkness began to play tricks on us. The branch snapping beneath my feet became a shout from across the forest, the shifting soil, the growl of a would-be attacker. Then I heard what sounded like a distant whistle. It was faint. I shook my head, dismissing it, telling my ears to focus and not lose myself in fantasy. The sound came again, this time a decibel louder. I could feel a slight hesitation in Alessia’s step. But she kept walking. Then a howl. A loud, high-pitched, trill sung out into the night air. We both stopped on the spot. Another howl called back. A message sent across the forest. The noise was like no other I had heard. It was a high key but it resonated deeply, the sound forced out across the dense woodland. I tried to imagine my own body making the noise, stretching my throat in some way to create such a shriek. It wasn’t possible. All I knew is that whatever made that noise, wasn’t human. “What was that?” I whispered as loudly as I dare. “I... have... no idea.” I had never heard such unsteadiness in Alessia’s voice before. I could hear her swallow, as she dared to move a pace forward. “It sounded far away. Let’s hope it stays like that.” Step by step we regained the confidence to move, wearily putting one foot in front of the other as the hill began to level out. Another couple of minutes and gaps began to appear between the trees as the soil became looser and dryer, unable to support the packed foliage. Moonlight could be seen hitting the ground, a faint grey tint illuminating what was previously void of light. Ahead of us, the trees continued like this for another hundred metres or so, before the treeline stopped. The edge of the forest. The start of the beach. Our pace increased, the promise of freedom drawing us towards it. Our heavy footsteps grew louder as we pushed towards the sanctuary of Alessia’s boat. And it was too late when the dreadful realization hit me that the noise of feet against the ground was too loud to just be our own. “Stop!” Everything beneath my neck turned to ice. My head merely slumped against my chest. We were caught. We would have to fight, and maybe die. “Who you?” I turned slowly to find five men and women staring at me. However, they weren’t naked like the attackers on the beach. They wore simple furs around their waists and torsos. Some were clearly deer, others were a shaggier fur, a pale color indistinguishable in the limited light. “Who you?” the one at the front repeated. “We’re leaving,” I said slowly. One of the other members of the group stepped forward, patting the front one with the side of a long, pointed stick. “Look. Klader,” he said, pinching his furs and pointing to us. The first man, the leader of the group, nodded. “We’re no one. You can let us go,” I said slowly. “You are trouble. Corruption.” The leader readied the wooden spear in his hand. “You vapen?” I looked at the man confused. “Vapen!?” he barked. Realizing we didn’t understand, he reached over and tapped the end of his stick. Making a small thrusting motion. “Weapon.” I muttered. Alessia nodded, reaching into her belt and pulling out her knife. The man pointed to the ground and Alessia dropped it by her feet. “What do?” one of the other islanders asked. “Kill them,” a second replied. The leader shook his head. “Leviathans find out, then we dead too. Think we skadad.” “Befri?” “Leviathans likely know. They alltid know. We befri, we guilty. We take them to the river,” the leader said, his eyes still locked onto mine. “Then Leviathians definite know.” “Our best hope. Give avsta. Show fortrond. Leviathans forgive.” “Admit tech to Leviathans?” One of the group said, walking in front of the leader. “Yes.” “And if Leviathans kill us anyway?” “Why would? We show commitment to nature. Offered avsta.” Silence returned to the group. Happy there were no further protestations, the leader turned to us. “Okay. You with us.” He pointed to the forest. I looked over to Alessia, wondering if we should run. She gave the smallest shake of her head and walked in the direction we were told to go. The man looked up to the sky. “Too dangerous at night. Varg. Ovan. Wait by the water for morning.” At a small stream the leader walked over to a tree and pointed to it with the spear. I walked slowly, delaying putting myself between the pointed end and the trunk. I shuffled up slowly against the tree as Alessia leaned against the other side. The man nodded downwards. I interpreted the gesture and began sliding down the tree, staring at the man’s face as I inched down the trunk in case I had not understood the gesture. As I reached the floor, I could feel the cold forest earth press against my thighs, the moisture of a night’s dew seeping through the trousers. The man walked over, standing mere inches from us, looking straight down. I craned my neck up to look at the giant looming over me, wide pupils framed by an unruly beard. “You move. You die.” I nodded. The man walked over to the others and muttered something. After they were done a woman walked over and sat down at right angles to us both, ready to keep watch. I felt a rustling as Alessia shimmied against the trunk behind me. I turned my head to the right, whispering away from our watcher. “You got another knife or something?” “Nope,” Alessia said. “What then?” “Getting comfy. Might as well try and sleep.” “What?” The words came a bit too loudly, and I could sense the eyes of our watcher narrow. I faced forward, allowing the suspicion to dwindle. Only once it felt safe to do so, did I turn back. “Sleep?” “We ain’t escaping. Not now. If we get a chance to make a move, it’ll be tomorrow and we’ll need energy.” “So you’re going to sleep while they could kill us any second.” “If you’re quiet I will.” I took a deep breath in, resisting the urge to argue. Instead I joined Alessia in her plan, slouching against the tree, getting as comfy as possible. Sleep came in small spurts - a brief thirty-minute cycle here and there before the discomfort or the realisation of my jeopardy hit me. Between the moments of shuteye, I watched the stars through the gaps in the trees as the celestial bodies made their journey across the earth. The final sleep was interrupted by a loud cry of “Wake” from the man leading the group. My eyes opened slowly to the dawn. I peeled my back away from the trunk, the vertebrae burning as they were ripped from the bark and curled back into their regular position. “Wake. Time to move,” the man shouted once more. I nodded that I understood. However, he was uninterested in giving me time, moving the spear to his front. “Move,” he barked, teeth bared. I jolted myself forward, letting out a small groan as my body clicked into place. I pulled myself to my feet and brushed off the remnants of the forest floor from my clothes as Alessia appeared from the other side of the tree. “How’d you sleep?” “I’ve had better,” Alessia said, crooking her neck. “Quiet,” the man said. “You front.” The man pointed to his left with the spear. We walked a few metres in front of the men and women, the spears pointed at our back. I kept looking over my shoulder, wondering if they were likely to charge and end us at any given second. I began to feel my spine twitch, small points on my back becoming warm with the anticipation of being pierced by the sharp pieces of wood. There were no true paths here. Navigation came from finding the largest gap between the trees and listening to the instructions given by our captors. After a few hours of trudging, we were completely disorientated. The low spring sun couldn’t be seen through the tall pines around us, and the constant shifting from left to right meant I had no idea which direction we were heading, or where the beach would even be were we to escape. However, as the trek continued, our captors seemed less immediately concerned with us. And I took the opportunity to take half a step closer to Alessia, now narrow enough for a whisper to carry. “Where are they taking us?” “No idea.” I let out a small huff and looked over my shoulder. A brief thought flashed across my face, and Alessia seemed to catch it. “Don’t...” she said, rolling her eyes. “What?” “You’re going to try and talk your way out of this aren’t you?” I refused to respond. Instead I paused, counted to five, and turned to face our captors. “Where are you taking us?” I saw Alessia’s head fall backwards, her gaze pointed to the heavens. “Leviathans.” “Who?” “Leviathans watch over the island. Keep connection with nature. You ruin that.” “We’re not here to ruin anything-” “Your klader. Your knowledge. Your hair. Your words. All corruption from nature. If we not give you to Leviathans we at risk. Keep walking.” The man jolted his spear an inch forward, just enough for me to turn and scurry a few steps. “What would they even do? These... *Leviathans*... if they knew you spoke to us and let us go.” “Kill us.” “What?” I said, spitting out the words. “You cannot return to nature once it is corrupted. Only solution? Clear earth and let something else grow.” The man’s words were plain and unemotive. “What are these Leviathans like? Who are they?” “Don’t know. No one does. Leviathans only appear if nature is broken.” “But how do they know if you have?” “Leviathans alltid know” the man huffed. “Leviathans are spirits,” said a woman from the group. “Fly above us. Watching over us.” I caught Alessia’s side-eyeing me as we walked between the trunks. “Sorry?” I asked. The woman continued. “Two years past. Group was cleansed by Leviathans for building homes. One woman survived. Said Leviathans floated above ground. Coloured pure white. And can kill by looking and pointing at you. Leviathans gudars. Spirits.” I saw Alessia wince, trying to keep her mouth shut. “So if you break from nature, spirits of the forest come for you?” I turned to ask, facing my captors once more. “Shut,” the leader barked. “I’m only asking-” “Shut.” The man halted. The others did too, their spears readied. I looked at them, waiting for more information. My heart began picking up pace, preparing itself for whatever was about to unfold. The steady beat became a kick against the inside of my ribs. Then I heard it. The rustling from the forest to my right. Another beat. Another second of silence. Then they came. Four of the attackers we’d seen earlier on the beach ran at us, nude flesh charging towards us with stones raised, jagged ends pointed down. They hit one of our captors first. Rolling with them onto the ground. With the man subdued, they raised the stone high in the air. However, before hell could be unleashed, a wooden spear was thrust into their side, piercing the abdomen. The stone dropped to the floor in reflexive agony. The woman withdrew her lance and its blood tipped end. She turned to face the man on the ground as another of the naked attackers approached from behind. She dodged the first swipe, but the jagged stone glanced off her hip and thigh, tearing deep into the flesh. The woman screamed, holding her left hand to her leg, and reaching wildly with the spear in her right. She got lucky, piercing her attacker by the collar bone. The javelin cut through the shoulder, breaking the skin on exit. The wooden tip protruding into a small dome, as blood pooled around the space. The assailant jolted, and the spear snapped, the wood still embedded in them. They swiped with the stone. The rock caught the same leg. Another bit of flesh torn out. Seeing the danger another spear carrier stepped in, this time dealing a more decisive thrust to the neck. A desperate gurgle escaped the attacker’s mouth as he fell to the ground, liquid life pouring from his lips. I turned to my left as the other attackers were dealt with. Spears snapped against rib cages. So our captors took to using their attackers' weapons against them. Stones rammed into skulls until there was no resistance left. With one final grunt, the last of the attackers was dispatched. The screams ended. Silence returned save for labored breathing. “How you?” the leader called out, turning and examining the group. The others nodded a confirmation they were okay. “All ovan dead?” he asked. Once more, confirmatory nods. “We go, before the varg smell it.” “The varg?” I asked. The man ignored me. “Leave broken spears. More at camp.” Everyone turned to walk. Everyone except the woman with the gash to her leg. She was knelt on her right knee, her left leg bent. However, as she tried to push up to stand, her left leg buckled. She pushed again, this time nearly fully upright, before a yelp left her mouth and she fell to the floor, her outstretched arms cushioning her fall. I looked at her hand, streaks of ruby leaking between the knuckles. I took a step to my right so that I could see her thigh. It looked like it had been ripped away, the muscles and tissues replaced by nothing but blood oozing from shredded arteries. “Can’t walk can you?” the leader asked. “I can try,” the woman muttered, looking up to meet his eyes. The man walked over to her side, looking closer at the wound. He shook his head. “Can’t keep up, can’t come.” He stood up and turned to the others. “Go.” “What?” Alessia blurted out. “We can carry her, easily.” The man’s face tensed as he walked over to Alessia., standing mere centimeters away. “The wound is bleeding. Either bleed out or die from infection.” “That wound is healable. It needs to be cleaned and cauterized-” “Shut!” the man screamed. He threw a fist, hitting Alexia in the abdomen with one sharp movement. She keeled over, the wind knocked out of her. But she didn’t whimper. “Do not speak. Your knowledge damn us all. We leave. We leave now. Move.” I walked over to Alessia and placed an arm around her shoulder, picking her up. “You okay?” She nodded, but with a small wince that she tried to hide. Somehow our situation seemed graver than ever. Never before had I seen Alessia be anything but the most sure person in the room. But in one moment she had been silenced. Perhaps up until that moment, despite all the violence I had seen on Outer Fastanet and elsewhere, I felt some comfort in knowing Alessia was by my side - a calm guide in the roughest storms. It was a comfort that had now been shattered. As we walked off into the forest once more, I looked back at the woman. She held back spluttered tears that knew too well of her fate. Yet the instinct remained. And even as we disappeared among the leaves, she would push off with her leg, crawling a few inches before collapsing again. Eventually the trunks grew too many, and I lost sight of her. She was alone, left to the forest. I turned to Alessia, now standing stronger, but still with a hand held over her stomach. And I wondered how long it would be till we were claimed too. \ Next chapter published 28th October.