[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/995880962359578784/1113877626554159245/Ch._1_FINAL_NO_TEXT1.jpg]

Sam’s eyes slowly opened as consciousness came back to him, seeing that the sky above was no longer eternal darkness. Thankfully it had become a crystal clear blue, with not a cloud in sight. He grit his teeth as he sat up from the white sand beneath him, coming face to face with the ocean. The sun hung high, the morning light warming his salt-smelling skin and soaked orange jumpsuit. He coughed as he struggled to stand, chest aching and limbs feeling leaden as he finally managed to rise from the ground. His knees nearly buckled as a wave of dizziness came over him and soon he found himself retching on the sand, hands on his knees as he spat up the entire ocean in one sitting. He shuddered as he finished spewing up the salty bile, nearly collapsing as his legs struggled beneath his own weight. After a few minutes, he was able to stand up straight, wobbling, but straight.

Despite the discomfort, Sam found that he was grateful to simply be alive. The plan had completely fallen apart beneath that demon cloud… had that been real? How had he washed ashore? He knew that he had drowned, that the entire ocean’s weight had filled his lungs before forcing him into unconsciousness. Yet he was still alive, and on the mainland of the United States. Could he get any more lucky?

Well, maybe not lucky considering his run-in with the supernatural. He blew out his lips as he thought about the creature that had tried to consume him. Had all that actually happened? Had a cloud really tried to kill Sam? Those twisted leering faces, the screams of its victims, and the terror he currently felt reliving that moment certainly all felt real… Yet, if it had really happened, then why was he not dead?

Had he been hallucinating at sea? Maybe, but that didn’t explain why he had washed up here. One way or another, Sam had drowned, he knew that for sure. So who saved his life? There hadn’t been anyone there once he’d awoken and the water couldn’t have just left his lungs on its own. Maybe they were behind him? They could be intimidated by the fact that he was an escaped convict, after all, he was still in his jumpsuit. Did they run away once he started breathing again? He turned away from the beach as he thought on this, coming face to face with something that both shocked and terrified him.

A jungle straight out of the Amazon stretched out before him, the foliage thicker than a bank vault with looming trees that cast long shadows on the vibrant sea of green beneath it. This, however, wasn’t what terrified Sam. There, standing tall between a pair of trees was a humanoid figure that dwarfed Sam by a foot and was about twice as broad across the shoulders. Sam himself had always been considered a big guy by his friends in the Family. No one in the gang had been bigger than him and he’d been the best enforcer they’d ever had… but this thing made even Sam look small.

Slitted yellow eyes set in a curiously tilted reptilian head stared down at Sam from atop a small hill, its blue scaly body shimmering in the morning light. It clutched what appeared to be a spear in its right hand, the butt of the shaft set in the ground as the sharpened stone point menaced the sky. Sam shuddered as he stared at the alien creature, trying not to imagine just what kind of damage it could inflict with that primitive spear. As their eyes met, the lizard man brought his spear to bear, wide jaw opening to reveal a set of razor-sharp teeth.

Sam froze, unsure of how to proceed. If he had his flare gun, he could’ve fired it to scare the monster away, with him being disarmed though, he was completely helpless. Sure, Sam could try and brawl with the lizard man, but given the creature's claws and teeth… That would be unlikely to end well. That wasn’t even considering the long spear it held, ready to skewer him like a hog. Sam had no weapon to defend himself against the lizard man, so should he run?

His gaze drifted down to the lizard’s feet, seeing that they were like that of a raptors, with three toes facing forward and a single one pointing back for balance. This thing was more than likely capable of outrunning him… what about the ocean? He strained his ears as he turned his head to the sea, wanting to ensure that he would be able to hear the creature approaching. Could it swim? What if it was too heavy to float? Sam himself wasn’t the best swimmer, but if that was what he had to do to escape he would.

He took a deep breath and turned his head back to see that the lizard man… Was gone. Sam blinked as he scanned his surroundings, seeing that yes, the creature was gone. Had it decided that Sam wasn’t tasty enough to eat? Well, Sam did not regret its decision to leave him alone. For what felt like the hundredth time that day, he nearly collapsed, hands supporting his weight on his knees.

Where the hell was he? There were no cloud monsters and lizard people in the US. Well, for the most part there weren’t lizard people, there were the politicians to consider. Did he wash up on an island? There shouldn’t have been one on the path Sam had chosen for his escape route… Did that demon cloud move him completely off course? No way, it couldn’t have, the only island that was out here should have been the prison he’d broken free from.

And this definitely wasn’t the same place. The humidity, temperature, and flora were all off, this place looked and felt like a tropical rainforest. Plus Sam didn’t exactly remember there being any damn lizard people on staff back in the joint. He groaned as he stood tall once more, legs wobbling from the aftershocks of terror he felt. This much adrenaline in one day couldn’t be good for his heart… He had to find his raft and get the hell out of here.

That was assuming the raft had even washed ashore, it was more likely that it’d drifted off while he was unconscious, along with all the supplies he’d stolen. What was he supposed to eat? He gulped as he stared into the green maw of the jungle. No friggin’ way was he going in there, Sam had no idea what was even edible, not to mention the fact he’d just seen an honest-to-God politician slink back in there.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

Hell no, he wasn’t gonna be no platter for an oversized gecko, nuh-uh. With his mind firmly set, Sam decided that he would simply stick to the beach. At least then he’d be able to see something coming at him, in that jungle he’d get jumped by something for sure. It didn’t help that he wore this bright orange jumpsuit; this style practically screamed ‘Here I am, come eat me!’. Nah, he’d only go in that green hell if there was no other choice.

Which might be the case, if he couldn’t find his raft.

Ah well, no point in worryin’ about it till it happened. Not that it would, of course, he’d surely find his beloved boat and get off this stinking island.

Surely.

He hobbled forth bravely, making sure to keep an eye glued to the foreboding jungle beyond the sands as he went. A couple of hours passed of him simply just walking along the rim of the island, suffering for each and every step. His legs were beginning to grow leaden; going exploring after having no time to rest and recuperate after nearly drowning was proving to be absolutely hellish.

Not only were his legs suffering, but his throat was dry and aching. If only one of his water bottles had washed ashore with him… Perhaps they had washed ashore somewhere else, or maybe they were floating out in the ocean? Either way, if he couldn’t find some fresh water soon, Sam would have to head into the jungle…

He shuddered at the thought. Surely he’d find one of his bottles soon, and if not he would get one of those coconuts from the many palm trees dotting the beach. That was, assuming he’d be able to climb them in his current state. Considering how every step thus far had been a battle, it wasn’t likely. Could he throw a rock to dislodge a coconut? Maybe… It would probably have to be a big rock, at least the size of his palm.

Sam had never collected coconuts before, he had no idea how else he’d be able to get one without climbing up after it. Naturally, throwing something hard had come to mind. In his current state though, would he even be able to get it up there? Sam was sure as hell desperate enough to try. His eyes scanned the beach until they landed on the perfect rock, nearly the size of his fist. It sat directly beneath one of the coconut trees, practically inviting Sam to come and have his way with it.

Sam licked his lips as he approached, fully intent on doing just that. His large calloused hands wrapped around the stone, and he grunted as he heaved it free from its sunken position in the sand. It was weighty, but he should still be able to get it to hit one of those coconuts if he double-handed it. Bracing his shaky legs, Sam squatted down directly under the tree, gritting his teeth before hurling the rock skyward with both hands.

It flew high, soaring toward the coconuts with deadly speed!

…Before missing completely. The rock missed the cluster of coconuts by inches before it came plummeting back down toward Sam’s head. He cursed as he quickly took a step back, rubbing a hand through his hair as he stared daggers at the rock. In the Family, such incompetence wouldn’t be tolerated, this rock would sleep with the fishes if it missed its next shot. Sam told the rock as much, lifting it close to his face as he uttered half-veiled threats at the stone.

The giant pebble shuddered in his grasp, clearly intimidated by what Sam had told it (and not because Sam’s hands were getting shaky). Nodding, he repeated the throw, the stone thankfully finding purchase in a coconut before it and the prize fell to the sand. Sam backed away again to avoid getting conked by either, smiling as the coconut rolled to his feet. He nodded to the rock with a grin.

“I’ll put a good word in with the Boss for ya efforts kid. You’re goin’ places.” Sam told it as he lifted the coconut.

The rock didn’t reply. So the strong silent type huh? He wasn’t so tough when Sam had been threatening him. He shook his head and laughed, eyes turning away from the rock and back to the coconut. He’d only been stranded for a couple hours and he was already talkin’ to a friggin’ rock. It wasn’t a big deal, if he was gonna be trapped here for a long time might as well have whatever fun he could.

It might save his sanity in the long run.

Sam shook his head as he knelt next to the rock, raising the coconut over his head before bringing it crashing down on the stone. The force split only a thin section of the coconut, and he glared at the fruit with mild frustration. Well, at least it was open now, he could probably just get the water to flow out of the crack he’d made. He lifted the coconut to his mouth and dipped his head back, awaiting the cool relief of the coconuts water. After a few moments, Sam realized that nothing was going to be coming out. He frowned and brought the coconut close, inspecting the crack he had made. Perhaps it wasn’t deep enough? Surely that had to be it.

With that thought in mind, he hammered the coconut down on the rock once more with a grunt, splitting the shell further. Now he should be able to get some of that juice from the thing. He inspected the crack once again, furrowing his brow as he noticed that the interior of the fruit was incredibly fibrous… where was the juice? Sam pursed his lips a moment as he considered what to do next. He could just smash it onto the rock until it opened completely, but what if he went to hard and lost the water within? No wait… why was the interior fibrous? He’d seen open coconuts before, they had a smooth shell and weren’t fuzzy at all, and the interior was supposed to be white…

Wait just a damn second, was this like a corn husk? Sam reached his fingers inside the split, and started yanking it to one side with all his diminished strength. After few seconds of straining, the husk gave, revealing a large section of smooth shell. Coconuts really were like corn! He’d need to get the husk off first before he could get to the good stuff. He continued ripping off the fuzzy shell, tired arms straining until the inner shell was finally freed. Sam smiled as he held the smaller and more familiar coconut in his hands. Now he would finally have something to drink.

He then raised the coconut high above his head, and brought it down with all his might. The inner shell then shattered, sending its juice flying everywhere. Sam cursed himself for his impatience as the shell’s contents were wasted. Why’d he have to be so damn impatient!? White sands soaked up the juice in wet patches, leaving Sam sitting there staring with hot fury filling his veins. He held up the shattered husk with a frown, seeing that only a trace amount of the juice remained within. Sam gulped it down, only getting about a mouthful in before whatever was left was gone.

He then sighed before promptly taking a bite out of the white meat of the fruit, spending quite some time scarfing down what he could from the interior. Well, lesson learned. Hit the coconut with the rock, don’t hit the rock with the coconut. Truly his genius was unparalleled, he thought with a roll of his eyes. Well, it was all okay anyway, there were still plenty of ripe coconuts that were ready for breaking.

He lifted the rock once more, bringing it close to his face with a glower, utterly unaware of the pair of eyes that stared at him from the jungle.