Emilia
Sunday, May 8th, 2022 (47 days after the Shutdown)
Branches scratched her skin and her exhausted limbs cried in pain as she forced them to take her higher. The rustling leaves overhead whispered secrets of the canopy, and at last, her head broke through the top.
Wind, now more pronounced than before, pulled her thick hair from its bandana and sent it dancing to its tune. The scent of the trees’ earthy foliage freed her from the miasma of the polluted water that encircled the island. Taking in a deep breath, she felt a peace washing over her. She knew that it wouldn’t last when she descended but for a moment it was all hers.
Emilia was near the west end of the island, where the cottage and the former caves were before her father collapsed them. And beyond the natural harbor, a strip of land across the water stood as a silent promise of a better future. Not for lack of trying but after 2 days of fumbling with knots, her sorry attempt at building a raft lay unfinished in the cottage garage. What had spurred her into action was her ill father’s ominous message.
Run… You must get off the island.
It was the last thing she heard him say before he relapsed into being possessed by the demons from the meteor. When she went to check on him a few days ago, there was no rationality left in him, no signs of recognizing his own daughter.
He’d charged the door separating them, growling like a wild beast. His hammer that the meteor had transmuted into was forgotten but that was probably for the best. No one aside from her, Jefferson, and Katherine knew about it since they were all present when it was used to kill the shadow monsters the crew members called, “Banshees”.
If only we never found that stupid hammer in the first place… she thought, wistfully.
They might have been stuck in the crater where the meteor had crashed, trapped in the water by the Banshees, but at least her father would’ve been safe. Ever since he touched it, something alien had started controlling him. Whatever it was, it was the source of the barrier along the island that had killed all the fish nearby thereby causing the entire crew to be in a predicament.
18 days.
That’s how long it took for a 12-man crew to eradicate every animal on the island. On an island perhaps 200 meters across and isolated from the mainland, the local population was already limited. There were no other predators aside from a small family of foxes, so with the stomachs thinking for them, Marcus and his crew trapped, strangled, and stoned everything that moved. They smoked it, dried it, and did every method of preservation they could think of.
The elderly first officer, Mr. Daniels, had argued that it wasn’t sustainable but what did they care about long term when they could eat now? Their lack of foresight came back to bite them in the ass.
There were only a few smoked rats left, the fuel they used for the filtration device to transform seawater to freshwater onboard their ship was on its last barrel, and they couldn’t fish.
Worst of all, as food became scarce favoritism came into play. The real power on the island was held by Marcus and his goons meaning the remaining 2 officers were nothing more than figureheads. With their naturally larger physiques, they attracted the majority of the crew and those who fell in line with them were rewarded. Larger food portions were given to them even though it was Katherine’s traps that caught the majority of the animals.
There was nothing on that island for them any longer. She wanted to leave, but despite how much he’d changed, Emilia couldn’t convince herself to abandon her father. So she held on.
Even when Marcus forced them to leave the ship and settle in the cottage for a lousy reason, she held on to the slim hope some miracle would happen. If she waited long enough, maybe the barrier would disappear.
How idiotic would I have to be to think that would work when it's been growing darker?
Taking a deep breath, she descended back to the forest floor.
Walking through the forest no longer held the magic it once did. Aside from a few, the rest of the trees had withered and dried without any rain for the past month and a half. To top it off, every morning mist from the contaminated ocean covered the island in a thick layer making the entire place inhospitable for the first few hours.
Covering her nose as she returned to the seaside cottage, she wondered what was happening to her father. Marcus had threatened to kill him but no one was crazy enough to mess with him. The last time she checked on him, she was shocked to see that his body had grown larger when everyone else was starving. The fucking hammer again. She could see it glinting around his neck in its cross form, softly glowing. He’ll – or whatever he’s become – survive… I’m sure of it.
The dirt road guided her back to the cottage.
“I’m back…” she announced as she shut the door behind her.
Jefferson and Mr. Daniels would still be asleep by now while Katherine would do her best to forage for edible plants such as tubers and boil them with their remaining water.
Ah, I forgot to pick some up! I’m sure Katherine collected enough.
As she entered the kitchen, a familiar scent hung in the air. Memories that she tried to bury of the day her father had gone berserk and killed the Chief Engineer resurfaced in her mind. Blood.
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Rushing to the hall, photo portraits of the previous owner lay cracked on the floor. The hauntingly distinctive smell of blood grew stronger as Emilia called each of their names. She found them in the last room.
The smell of iron assaulted her nose as she stood at the scene.
Jefferson was out cold, a gash on his temple exposing the bone underneath and Katherine was kneeling on the ground, holding Mr. Daniels’ head in her lap. The old officer was drawing shallow breaths as blood leaked through his fingers. Trying to cover his wound, his hands were trembling and his breathing was growing more erratic.
“How… Katherine?” she asked, taking in signs of a scuffle around the room.
The freckled woman’s head snapped up at the sound of her voice, her eyes red from crying. “Bandages! Emilia, in the c-cupboard there are bandages. Bring them quickly, please! Hurry!”
Running back down the hall to the kitchen, she grabbed the bandages and returned. As Katherine plugged the wound with the cloth, Mr. Daniels groaned and gripped a nearby table leg as Katherine tied off the bandages. After they carefully lowered him onto the bed, Katherine moved to patch up Jefferson who was still bleeding from his wound.
“What happened here?” Emilia finally asked when the two men were treated.
Raising an eyebrow in mock surprise, Katherine bitterly retorted, “Are you being serious? What do you think, Emilia? Marcus attacked us.”
“But why? He didn’t bother us after he kicked us off the ship.”
She weakly smiled but the pain within shone through. “Everything comes to an end, Emilia. I’m the idiot for thinking we could work it out. They came barging in here demanding that we collect plants for them once they saw the food I prepared and when Jefferson refused, they beat him.”
“Captain Oliver wouldn’t let that happen.”
“The captain…” Katherine sneered, her voice dripping with hatred. “Who do you think shot Charles?”
Shot? The first officer was still holding his stomach as he spoke deliriously from the pain. They shot him?
“One of the cargo containers onboard held guns. Now, they’re saying that they expect a box of tubers and roots on the front porch every morning and they’ll leave us alone if we do that.”
The pot Katherine used to boil the roots was overturned on the floor, the last of their freshwater leaking through the floorboards.
“We can’t though. We’re already struggling to find this much.”
“That’s my point. Once they realize that I lied to buy time, they’ll kill us.”
***
Jefferson regained consciousness an hour later and jumped to his feet to profusely apologize to Mr. Daniels for the harm he put him in. Assuring him that it was okay, Mr. Daniels pointed out that the violence was inevitable.
"We were already labeled as auxiliary supplies the moment they banished us so once they ate through their food, I already knew they would expect us to become their hands and feet."
"But now what?" Katherine asked. "This isn't sustainable in the long run. Hell, we won't even last till the end of the week."
While the others pondered in silence, Emilia had already thought of a possible solution. It was one her father and she had reminisced about as a joke, never thinking the day would come when they’d use it.
The secret room.
Coughing lightly to get the others' attention, she looked at them, wondering how quickly they'd shut down her idea.
"I've got a plan."
Laying out the details and specifications of the room, as well as the location, she saw a plethora of emotions on their faces. They were all apprehensive about her idea but blooming on the field of uncertainty, she saw hope in their eyes.
"It could work," Mr. Daniels mused, sitting up straighter in bed. "I knew about the panic room but I didn't think you two had the ingenuity to outfit it. This might work…"
"I'm not trying to say it's a bad idea but yeah… how are you planning on getting past the armed guards?" Jefferson asked as he steadied himself against the wall.
Emilia grinned. "We burn stuff."
***
Nightfall came quicker than they anticipated as time slipped by as they finished their preparations. Throwing the last log onto the pyre, Emilia stepped back as the sparks from the kindling started to spread.
Wordlessly, they ran to the forest. Trees and the undergrowth had suffered a period of decline as their leaves crumbled and their branches withered but they still had enough cover as they neared the ship.
It turned out the bonfire wasn't necessary.
Even before Emilia could make out the fire, on the cliffside in front of where the cargo ship had run aground, a party of 5 men had assembled with guns in hand. Amongst them was Captain Oliver, the two-faced officer, who stood amongst the mob as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Nodding to one another, they set out in the direction of the cottage.
… Were they trying to lynch us while we slept?
As if reading her thoughts, Jefferson gently squeezed her shoulder. "Focus."
Marcus had taken their only remaining lantern with him, so it was by the moonlight that they made their way onto the ship. Moving through the stacks of cargo containers, Emilia heard a labored breath behind her. Mr. Daniels was struggling to keep; the strain from moving his gun wound was becoming too much.
"A-A second… please."
"Shit, he's bleeding through the bandages," Katherine hissed. "I think we're fine for now but if we wait for too long, we'll leave a bloody trail to the room."
"Mr. Daniels, are you clear to move?" Jefferson asked hesitantly.
"..."
Exhaling through his nose, his gray eyes grew focused as he steeled himself for one last push. They made it to the clearing in front of the accommodations building without issue, but as quickly Katherine turned the corner, she withdrew.
“Guards,” she mouthed, raising 2 fingers to indicate the number present.
Peering around the edge, Emilia saw fire pits had been set up in the open space, using miscellaneous cargo and rotting trees as kindling. With the wind blowing against the guards, the two were shielding their faces from the smoke as they broke down into a fit of hacking coughs.
Now.
Using the smoke as a cover, Emilia and the rest of them slipped quietly through the door just as the wind subsided.