Wreakage
2530 Words
The ship tossed and squealed. Then someone knocked on the door.
“Luke? Luke! Are you in there? Answer me!” Darleen shouted.
“Yeah, I’m here. What is going on?”
“Stay put. Don’t do anything rash. I will be back for you.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just stay put, okay?”
The ship swayed from side to side and turned my stomach. If I only knew this would happen, I should not have eaten a lot. I looked in the mirror and my face started to become green. I closed my eyes, visualizing happy thoughts, but the urge was too much.
I peered out the window and excreted the food I had ingested. I think the acid burned the roof of my mouth. Then I saw a shining silhouette of the flying creature. It had a blue body and black eyes. It seemed to resemble someone I know.
“Hey, can we turn back to the shore?”
“We are at the middle of the sea, sir. Our visual of the see is zero,” a male servant answered.
“Can you get me out of here? I need to talk to Darleen.”
“I can’t do that, sir. It was Ms. Darleen’s order.”
“Let me out of here!” I tugged violently at the doorknob.
The thunder boomed louder as the water tossed the ship harder. From the window, I could see two shadows from a distant land. Aside from the flying creature, another creature took form on land. It had the shape of a human, but it was too big to be a human. Then a loud roar bested the storm.
The flying creature blasted shards of ice from its mouth while the other threw balls of mud at it. The land creature absorbed the attacks, but the flying creature barely dodged the attacked and struggled to stay afloat. They roared at each other as they returned attacks.
The impact forced chilly wind through the window. The door froze solid. Thankfully, I got to the sink in time. The ice on the door grew thicker as more wind blasted in. Suddenly, a thick chunk of mass shot through the window like a bullet which removed the door from its hinges.
Behind the door, I heard someone groaning. I shoved the door out of the way with my foot. A servant had his body turned against the wall. His body was in a ninety-degree angle. I saw in a television show that in case the spine is affected, do not move the body.
“Sir... please save me... I don’t want to die,” he cried like a boy fighting for his last moments.
My feet dragged me away from the gruesome scene. I tried to look back with the corner of my eye, tilting my head with a slight margin. I faintly saw a thick wall of blood with hands stretching towards me. I ran as far as I could until I saw people running in different directions.
“To all the crew and passengers, please stay in your rooms. I repeat, stay in your rooms! Do not abandon ship! I repeat, do not abandon ship! The water has started to freeze down the hull. Rescue is on its way,” the stern voice of the captain endlessly reminded us from the speaker.
“We are going to die!” Screamed one of the crew.
“Somebody save us! I have a family back home!” Cried another.
“I can’t die like this. I can’t, I can’t, I CAN’T!” A woman pushed us all out of the way then dove into the freezing water.
I peered behind the crew members. Her body instantly froze solid, like an iceberg. Fear and confusion were permanently etched on her face. I got pulled back in with the crew members when the water threatened to touch the deck.
Two guys forced me in to a large room. Screams resonated from outside the door. The guys with me had body mass twice bigger than mine. I bet they could lift a gorilla with one hand. I sat on the bed while they guarded the door.
“Are you alright, sir?” The guy on the left asked.
“What was that?” My eyes widened.
“I’m not quite sure, sir. We were called up here from below when the ship suddenly wobbled.”
“There was a legend my grandmother used to tell me,” The guy on the right spoke. “Once, a war waged against the races that occupied the continent. The golems, dragons, and humans fought for their rights on the land. When the war ended, the golems and dragons became bitter enemies.”
“You mean to say that there are golems in that continent?” My mind wrapped around the idea.
“Who knows, sir? It was only a story told by my grandmother when I was a child. I don’t think this explains the monstrosity happening outside.”
“Wait, where does this ship go?”
“Didn’t anyone tell you?”
“No. Darleen wouldn’t even clue me in.”
“Ah, so you were the lucky guy Ms. Darleen invited.”
“Lucky guy?”
“She told everyone to prepare the ship for a special date. Anyway, she ordered us to drop you to at Baccaray Beach. People rarely go there, which is weird.”
“What is weird?”
“That she decided to go there of all places.”
“Why? Did something happen there?”
“Not really, but elders say that it was previously called Drabian Beach. Towering figures guarded the area. Some say that those who set foot there can never escape.”
“Drabian Beach... I think I heard that place before.”
“Attention everyone, please stay where you are. Rescue is coming! I repeat—,” the radio cracked, then the voice stopped.
“Hey, where is Darleen?”
“I am not sure, sir. But I think I saw her run ahead. Her face scrunched like a hungry lion. It sent shivers down my spine.”
“She could not have faced against that flying creature, could she?”
“Face who?”
“Never mind, I must be imagining things. That can’t be possible.”
Suddenly, the wind screamed like a ghost, and the room spun like a top. I grabbed onto the bed. The two men pushed themselves against the wall. The air thinned, and I felt my blood drop to my feet. My eyes rolled back, then everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, I saw two women clashing swords at one another. Every strike cast lightning. The earth trembled on every hit. Then their swords locked, and they pushed each other. A horizontal slice reached my cheekbone. The fighting ceased, but the scene became black again.
I felt warm water splash against my feet. The heat went up my arm and reached my head.
“Luke, open your eyes! Oh no, what am I going to tell Uncle Ruiz?” Someone was tapping my cheek.
“Hmm? Darleen? What happened? Where are we?” My head felt heavy.
“Thank goodness, I didn’t kill you! I mean, we are lucky to have survived the shipwreck.”
“Where were you? I was looking for you!”
“Uh, I hid with the other crew members.”
“But someone told me you ran ahead. Where were you off to?” I grabbed her arms.
“I was looking for another bathroom since you occupied the one upstairs.”
“The servants forced the door to close on me. Why did you make such an order? I almost drained my soul shouting for your name. Thankfully, I got out of there.”
“Did I say that? I don’t remember ordering something like that,” her eyes flinched when it returned to me.
“Is there something you are not telling me? What really happened out there?”
“I don’t think I remember anything else. At least we are at the beach!”
“Baccaray or Drabian Beach?” I let go of her arms.
“Wait a second, how did you learn about Drabian Beach?”
“Why do you look surprised?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. It must be the rumors spread by the elders. Well, shall we go?”
“Aren’t we going to phone the cops about what happened?”
“I have told the company about the wreck and they agreed to settle the damages with me,” she answered nonchalantly.
“Are we the only ones who survived?”
“Seems like it.”
I sat there looking at the crashing waves. How come we are the only ones to survive? I looked for anything floating on the clear blue water, but nothing came up, not even a piece of wood. Something doesn’t feel right here. It was as if the crash never happened.
“Here you are,” Darleen came back with two wooden foldable chairs.
“When did you get everything here?” I looked at the complete starter pack for beach goers. It had a large parasol with a table of drinks and food. There were also sun tan lotions, a boom box, and inflatables, among others.
“You are a handful, Darleen. Why did you take me here?” I planted my lips on the blue cocktail.
“Didn’t I tell you? I wanted to know you better.”
“What is it that you wanted to know about me?”
“Let’s start with this. What is your ideal girl?”
“Well, I’m not picky. I am the ‘take it or leave it’ type of guy. I wouldn’t force anyone on me, but I cannot promise to be the perfect guy every girl hopes for.”
“You are the perfect guy I could hope for. Oops, my tongue slipped.”
“Could you say it again? I must have heard it wrong.”
She giggled like a dancing leaf, “I won’t say it again, it’s your loss.”
“How about you, what is your ideal guy?”
“I cannot describe him, but I will do my best. He stands taller than me, well, quite taller. His eyes are like the Venus planet I see shining at night. He tries his best to clean himself, but he is best enough for me. I mean, no one is perfect, right?”
“Uhm, Darleen, I think there is something there on your face,” I motioned my lips toward the brown stain.
“Where? Did I get it off?” She scattered her fingers. She was so close.
“You hardly got it. Here, let me help you,” I leaned in closer.
My fingers flicked the stain off her face. My eyes fixated at her soft lips. My body pushed in closer towards her face. I felt her eyes close as I did mine. I could feel her floral breath reach my nose. Then a shadow covered the sunlight. I looked behind us and saw the same eyes of the night sky glaring coldly at us.
Her face looked calm and hard. Her eyes showed hints of icy blue reflecting from the sun. Without a word, she pulled onto my shirt. My pelvis dragged on the burning sands. I saw Darleen reach her hands towards me, but her eyes tightened and her body shook a little.
“Cyrille, we can talk about this. It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Oh? It looked to me that you understood each other well. That is my understanding,” replied with her icy stern voice.
“I can explain. Please hear me out.”
“Darleen and I are going to have a little talk. You stay here until you have come up with a better excuse.”
The scorching, powdery sands became cold, stony ground as she dragged me out of the boundary. I couldn’t feel my legs anymore, and my bladder warned me twice about my limit. I whimpered until we stopped in front of a small stony cave. She kicked me in, then blocked the light with something heavy.
“Cyrille, get me out of here. Please let us talk,” I jabbed the door with my fists.
“Stay there until I come back. Do not make any noise or else you will die,” she hissed.
I don’t know how much time has passed in this darkness. The fluids ran out of my shorts like a river flowing freely with the current. I could not care about that if I was going to die like this. I should not have agreed coming here if I had known. If I am still dreaming, please, can somebody wake me up?
Soon, bursts of light entered through the opening. Cyrille came in with large scratches in her body. Rich, dark blue liquid flowed out from the wounds. She crawled towards me and rested under my arms. My mind flashed red when I realized my moist shorts touched her skin.
“I-I’m s-sorry, Cyrille. I-I didn’t mean to,” I felt disgusted with myself.
“It’s okay. Don’t mention it. I knew she was manipulating you.”
I bit my lip and felt her wounds, “What happened to you?”
“The talk went well, as expected. She won’t be bothering you anymore.”
“I do not know what to tell gramps about this when I come back.”
“You are worried about that now? Why don’t you worry about yourself at this moment? You are not in Gradelia anymore.”
“You do not mean.”
“Yes, you are in Draconia. Specifically, you are in Dracopolis. And yes, you are right, that manipulator brought you to Drabian Beach. She knows well that humans are gravely unwelcome there.”
“I think I better head home. Can you take me home, Cyrille?”
“I’m afraid you can’t do that. Your body might melt from the pressure of the territorial boundary.”
“Then, how am I supposed to go home? Gramps must be worried sick right now.”
“Calm down for a moment,” there was a pause. “Can you conceal your presence until tonight?”
“I could try.”
“Good, be ready when I come back for you. I have to leave you for now and restore myself. Take care.”
She went out of the cave and closed the door. I wonder what happened to Darleen. She could not have killed her, right? What am I going to tell gramps? A few long moments passed, the covering opened. It was dark outside.
“The area is clear. Follow me and don’t open your eyes. You are forbidden to see anything here.”
“Why? What’s out there?”
“Just do as I say if you want to get out of here safe. Whatever you do, do not open your eyes.”
I did as I was told. I curved into a ball as she covered me with her scaly hands. All I could hear was the flowing wind passing my ears. Then leaves sounded like it hit something as we continued. Finally, she halted and dropped my body gently.
“Can I open my eyes now?”
“Sure, here are a change of clothes,” she tossed me some clothes from the line this morning. “Wash yourself by the river. People here have sensitive noses.”
“Where do I go after this?”
“I’m sorry, this is as far as I could go.”
“What is this place?”
“This is where humans dwell, I think they call this place Hurvala. I am forbidden to linger here any longer. You can ask people around for some help.”
“Will I ever see you again?”
“Who knows,” she took off without looking back.
“Who goes there?” A strong male voice came from behind me.
“Uh, hi there. I think I’m lost.”
“Do not take another step forward. Get to your knees and put your hands up.”
“Hey, I did nothing wrong. Where are you taking me?”
“You smell like a wet old baby. We have to submerge you to the river before delivering you to the stronghold.”
The two men wore skin fitted clothing with rough gloves abrasively touching my skin. They tossed me into the river and scrubbed my skin with the pumice stones found on the riverbed. They pulled me out of the river and waited for me to cover myself.
The houses were carved out of marble stone. The path was flat and even. In the distance, the tallest building stood in front of me. Thick white light waved slowly from left to right. Trumpets and drums blasted from behind the straight metal gates.
I looked behind me for the last time. Cold, icy stares peered behind one of the trees. It blinked two times before finally leaving under the cloak of darkness.
- Writer
