Chapter 9
1008 Words
"f**k! Damn it!" Smith cursed angrily when he returned to find the tent in chaos and all the women gone from the wooden frames outside.
Daniel was stunned to see that those women had taken all the life-saving supplies.
The food and water were the most precious resources for survival on the island.
"Boss, what happened?" Joe asked when he saw Finnley's face covered in blood, with scratches all over his neck.
"Did you catch Ernie?" Finnley asked with a vicious glare.
"We only found an unrelated woman, but she's dead. Ernie and another woman are still missing," Joe reported, sounding a bit terrified.
"Damn it, you useless lot. Can't do anything right. I told you not to bring those women. I got attacked by them! They should have been left to drown in the sea!" Finnley suddenly ranted hysterically.
"Young master, calm down," Zain reminded Finnley immediately, since he had found that Lily, sitting nearby, was watching the scene unfold with a cold stare.
"Why wouldn't I be mad? Kill Ernie as soon as possible! I want to get off this damn island right now!" Finnley snapped, dropping all pretense.
While he was being beaten by Alice and Susan, Lily had figured out what was happening.
He had run out of patience with her.
All he was focused on now was taking over the company, and if Lily refused, he intended to leave her stranded on the island. But before, he planned to force her to sign over the company.
***
Ernie moved his hand away from Myra, picked up a pea-sized stone from the sand beneath his woolen skirt, and flicked it toward the glowing green eyes.
"Chirp, chirp." Several small animals scurried away with sharp squeaks.
"Ernie, what is it?" Myra gasped, sitting up suddenly.
"Don't worry, just some rats!" Ernie reassured her, pulling her close.
He had just narrowly pierced through a big rat trying to steal food.
At the mention of rats, Myra quickly grabbed her backpack to check its contents.
"They chewed through the bag! They even tore open the bread bag!" Myra said with a teary voice as she rummaged through the backpack in the dark.
Suddenly, there was a noise from below the cave, hinting that something else was approaching.
Ernie quickly covered Myra's mouth to stop her from making noise. From the sound of breaking twigs, he guessed that something big was coming their way.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp." The rats in the cave sensed danger too, squeaking and huddling together in fear. These sensitive little critters seemed to feel the threat in the air.
"Ernie..." Myra whispered, clutching his arm with fear.
"Shh..." Ernie motioned for her to stay quiet, focusing on the sounds from outside.
A foul smell drifted in as something approached the cave entrance. The branch-woven wall blocked his view, making it hard to see what was coming.
"Chirp." The large rats became frantic, darting around as if trying to escape.
A low growl revealed that the creature was right below the cave.
Even with the branches covering the entrance, it was clear it wasn't a friendly visitor.
Terrified, Myra bit into Ernie's shoulder to stifle her scream, her fingers gripping his arm tightly.
Judging its location by sound, Ernie caught one of the larger rats and tossed it out of the cave, hoping to distract whatever was outside.
The rat's squeal was abruptly cut off as if something had swallowed it right out of the air.
Outside, the creature seemed to sense that there were more living beings in the cave, attempting to climb toward them. Yet the cave's steepness thwarted its efforts, and it only managed to dislodge some stones below.
Ernie quietly gripped a thick wooden stick and securely tied a knife to its end, crafting a makeshift spear in case he had to defend them.
"Roar..." With a frustrated growl, the creature gave up climbing and shuffled away.
"Ernie, what was that outside?" Myra finally asked in a shaky whisper after a long silence.
"I'm not sure. This island is weird," Ernie replied, staring into the darkness.
Just then, a woman's scream pierced the air, echoing from the forest not far from the cave.
"Lily!" Ernie jolted, grabbing his spear, intent on rushing out.
"Ernie, don't go; it's too dangerous," Myra cried, holding him back firmly.
"I can't just let her die!" Ernie growled, torn by the situation.
"Ernie, it's pitch dark. Why would she be out there alone?" Myra urged, refusing to let go.
Her words sank in, and Ernie paused to reconsider.
He had seen Lily and Finnley doing something unsavory, so if she was nearby, it could be a setup to lure him out, with Smith and his men possibly lying in wait.
At that moment, a woman's voice came from the forest again. This time, it wasn't a scream but a song.
The singing was melodious and enchanting, like a heavenly song. In the eerie darkness of the deserted island night, it felt especially uncanny.
"Ernie, block your ears, that's not human. It's a siren luring us!" Myra covered Ernie's ears with her fingers immediately.
'Siren was singing?' Ernie was startled. He had heard the Greek myth of sirens, the beautiful creatures with human bodies and fish tails. They lived on an island and lured sailors with their songs, causing them to steer their ships to crash into rocks, resulting in shipwrecks and deaths.
'Could there really be a siren on this island? Perhaps that creature, unable to reach the cave, was trying to lure him down with its song to devour us?' Ernie grew cautious at the thought.
Even though Myra was trying hard to cover his ears, he could still hear the song faintly. At that moment, Ernie's heart fluttered, his blood rushed; his mind was filled with images of enchanting naked maidens in the forest gazing at him tenderly. He then raised his arms to break free from Myra's grip and started climbing down the cave, as if he had fell into an enchanting dream....
- Writer
