Return To Primordial Island Read online

  Jason dropped his head. “I…I don’t know what to make of any of this.” He raised it again to look at Peter. “This must’ve been what you’ve been shouldering this whole time. I didn’t realize…I’m sorry.”

  Peter felt relieved his friend was being reasonable. “We have plenty of time to discuss this. Maybe we need to rest.” He looked up at the sky, but the canopy was so thick it was impossible to tell where the sun was. “We can camp here, scare up some food.”

  “Bury Susan,” said Jason.

  Peter nodded. “Yes. Bury Susan.”

  “What if there’re more chimpanzees?” asked Tracey.

  Mary shook her head. “No, this was that community’s territory. It’ll be a while before another community realizes it’s unoccupied.”

  “I’ll see that Susan gets buried,” said Peter to Jason. “Why don’t you see if you can hunt us some food?”

  Jason nodded. He walked over to Susan’s torn body, knelt by it, and paused as if deep in thought or even prayer. He gently lifted the hunting knife he lent her off the ground by her body, wiped each side of the blade on his pant leg, and sheathed it. He retrieved his own spear off the ground by Peter and walked off into the jungle.

  “Is he going to be okay?” asked Mary, concerned.

  “I hope so,” said Peter.

  “Do you think he’ll become like Mike Deluca?” asked Tracey.

  “Not if I have anything to say about it. I’ll teach him how to manage it. Jason’s a good guy.”

  “So was Mike Deluca, I’m sure,” said Tracey.

  Peter looked down at Susan’s remains. “This thing…this Nazimaa preys on people’s weaknesses. It feeds on their pain. Their grief.”

  “Well, it looks like we’re not going to that temple now, so it’s a non-issue,” said Mary. “She won’t be freed.”

  “Nazimaa won’t stop trying to get at him,” said Peter. “Especially now that he possesses the death orb. She won’t stop until she bends him to her will.”

  “That’s why she gave him the death orb,” said Mary. “She knew it’d be easier to take it from Jason than you.”

  “How do we fight the spirit of a demon?” asked Tracey.

  “We can’t. We all have to get off this island,” said Mary.

  Peter frowned. “Negative. That would be extraordinarily dangerous, given the circumstances.”

  Tracey appeared upset. “But you promised. You said you were coming back with me.”

  Mary visibly bristled at Tracey’s demeanor toward Peter. The chimpanzees weren’t the only territorial ones. “I guess he didn’t exactly tell you about us.” She shot him a reproachful glance. “Must’ve slipped his mind.”

  “Actually, he did tell me,” said Tracey. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

  Mary squared off with Tracey. “Actually, it is my business.”

  Peter had had enough. “Will you two cut it out? One of our friends is dead, another just had a huge burden placed on him, making him a target for a demon, and all you two can do is bicker over me? Newsflash: I’m not anyone’s property. I have a mind of my own. Neither of you own me. At this point, I don’t want to have anything to do with either of you. Why don’t you start a campfire while I bury Susan?”

  “But…” offered both women in unison.

  “But nothing. Leave me alone.”

  Mary stormed off, obviously displeased with her treatment.

  Tracey lingered. “Pete…let me help you.”

  He averted his gaze. “I want to be left alone, Tracey. Seriously.” He looked and saw her walk away from him, honoring his wish.

  He surveyed the mess that was his friend Susan and couldn’t help but feel guilty. Maybe Jason was right. Had he monopolized both orbs incorrectly? Did their powers need to be balanced out by being separated across two different people?

  It took him about an hour to bury Susan. He had no tools and used his bare hands. He was covered in sweat and dirt, and he reeked of body odor. He resented both of the women in his life. He was tired of being viewed as weak. He was tired of being someone’s property.

  When he rejoined the others, Tracey and Mary both sat in front of a campfire. Peter saw an expended hand-held signal flare lying on the ground next to Tracey. She must’ve used it to ignite the kindling. Jason butchered some animal he had caught, handing chunks to Mary, who in turn skewered the bits with sharpened sticks.

  Jason looked up from his cutting. “You’re a right mess, mate.”

  Peter’s shoulders slumped. “Tell me about it.”

  Neither of the women even looked at him, which was fine by him. “I’m going to wash up down by the river.”

  “Hold on a minute,” said Jason. “Let me go with you.”

  Peter held up a hand. “I want to be alone.”

  “Let him be,” said Mary, her tone bitter.

  Jason shrugged. “Whatever you want, man.”

  Peter separated from the group, heading for the river. As he meandered through the jungle, he heard the current. He reached the riverbank and looked around. The coast appeared to be clear. At this point, he didn’t even care if something jumped out and devoured him. He even welcomed it.

  He stripped down, leaving his clothes in a bundle on the riverbank, and waded into the river. Sheltered from the sun by the dense canopy, the water was cool and refreshing. He waded in until the water was up to his chest. He splashed water on his face and then cupped his hands to douse the top of his head.

  The Temple of the Simian King was close, but it looked as if they didn’t need to go after all. Jason’s facility with the death orb presented another option for them in dealing with the Zehhaki. Peter no longer had any qualms about wiping them out. Maybe Tracey was right, and he had no business awakening yet another race. There was no guarantee that the Simians would even be friendly. What if they also attacked the Umazoa?

  While he felt relieved that he didn’t have to awaken the Simians, he knew he and Jason could not leave the island. He had no idea how the orbs would function back in their home dimension. And, there was another problem still. Poseidon Tech appeared intent on keeping the portal between dimensions open. That meant that there’d be more expeditions to the island from the home dimension. They clearly sought to profit from it somehow. Would they charge rich people to come visit the island? How would other governments—like China or North Korea—handle the news that an uncharted interdimensional island suddenly appeared in relatively close proximity? Would there be a race to claim it?

  Peter realized that the Zehhaki might be the least of the Umazoa’s problems after all. The mad rush to claim the island would no doubt lead to some form of colonization. There might be the introduction of foreign disease that could wipe out their entire tribe. What if there were other tribes on the island?

  And then there was the problem of Nazimaa. She was itching to leave the island. If she ever accomplished that, who knew what havoc she’d wreak in his home dimension? In fact, the portal was two-way. If kept open indefinitely, not only did his home dimension have access to this strange land, but this land and whatever inhabited it would have access to his home dimension. Besides a possible migration of dinosaurs to his home world, what if there were worse entities than Nazimaa wanting out of this world?

  When he finished washing up, he waded back out of the river and put his clothes back on. They were drenched with sweat and dirt, but at least he was clean and refreshed underneath. He almost felt human again.

  He re-entered the jungle and found his friends again. They looked as if they were finishing up their meal. Mary was licking her fingers. Tracey wiped her mouth with the back of her forearm.

  Jason looked up at him and smiled. “I saved some for you, mate. It’s not so bad. A little gamey, but edible.”

  “That sounds good,” said Peter. He sat next to Jason, who handed him a skewer of cooked meat. “Should I even bother asking what this is?”

  Jason winked at him. “I wouldn’t.”

  Peter too
k a bite of the meat. It was chewy, but it wasn’t bad. “So, how do you propose we handle the Zehhaki?”

  Jason furrowed his brow. “You’re asking if I should just wipe them out.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “They died out for a reason,” said Tracey, breaking her silence. “Maybe they should be sent back into retirement, in an evolutionary sense, of course.”

  Mary averted her gaze from the group. She was still obviously pissed off at Peter. She lay down, reaching back and tucking her hands behind her head, looking up at the canopy.

  “I think the bigger threat, at the moment, is this demon,” said Jason.

  “I’m relieved you see it that way,” said Peter. “She’s obviously very manipulative.”

  Jason looked down at the ground. “She’s definitely very persuasive. The whole time I knew she wasn’t my little brother, Joey, but I didn’t care. It felt good to be with him again, even though in the back of my mind I knew it wasn’t right.”

  “So, how do you propose we handle her?” asked Tracey.

  “Well, we sure as heck aren’t freeing her,” said Peter.

  “But even imprisoned, she’s still powerful,” said Jason.

  “Just wait till Poseidon Tech brings more people to this island,” said Tracey.

  “Just wait till she gets off and enters our dimension,” said Peter.

  “We have to deal with her,” said Jason. “But how? I don’t see any exorcists around here.”

  Peter took another bite of his mystery meat. The savory flavor was a welcome sensation in his mouth. “I think the real question is, why isn’t she dead? She’s imprisoned, but her spirit remains free to roam.”

  “Maybe she anchored her soul to an object, and that object needs to be destroyed,” offered Tracey.

  “How the hell do we know which object she’s anchored to?” asked Jason.

  Mary sat up looking exasperated. “You need to destroy her body. Duh.”

  “How do you figure that?” asked Tracey.

  “She was mortal once,” said Mary. “She’s imprisoned. Death is her prison. That explains her connection to the death orb.”

  Jason arched both eyebrows. “She did say the death orb was the only thing that would free her.”

  Mary nodded. “Destroy the body, and she’s gone for good.”

  “That’s an interesting theory,” said Peter. “But how do we know it holds water?”

  They all exchanged looks. “We have to go to the Temple of the Simian King,” they all said in almost perfect unison.

  “Great,” said Peter. “Just great. And, we have to do this without freeing her from her prison.”

  “What if I didn’t go?” suggested Jason. “I’m the real danger. Just keep me away from her.”

  Peter nodded. “That’s right. You can take Mary and Tracey back to base camp. They don’t have to be a part of any of this. I’ll handle this.”

  “By yourself?” Tracey was beside herself. “How do you expect to do this alone? Who knows what perils are in that temple? Remember the Temple of the Lizard Men? It was riddled with traps.”

  “Tracey, I can’t ask you to come along.”

  “She’s right,” said Mary, making eye contact with Peter for the first time since their argument. “You can’t do it alone. Another thing…we’re assuming we need to keep Jason away from Nazimaa’s body. What if we need the power of both of the orbs to destroy her body?”

  Everyone looked at her, stunned at her insight. She flashed a snotty look at them. “You’re not the only ones who play tabletop RPGs.”

  “That would make sense, if we were in a game,” mused Peter. “The risk is too big. Having Jason there could be catastrophic.”

  “Not having him there could also be dangerous,” said Mary.

  Jason furrowed his brow. “Peter, Nazimaa told me she saw to it that you and I would both be there. She wants us both there.”

  “So, then maybe Mary and I should go to the temple,” said Tracey. “Maybe the both of you need to stay away.”

  “Round and round we go,” muttered Jason. “One thing’s for sure…we can’t just sit here debating this for all eternity.”

  “He’s right,” said Peter. “We need a plan that would cover all possibilities. I say we all go. If Jason and I prove to be a problem, we’ll leave, and you two can destroy the body. This way, if we’re both needed, we’ll be there.”

  Jason smirked. “Better to have us and not need us than need us and not have us.”

  “Then it’s settled,” said Tracey. “After we rest, we go to the temple.”

  Everyone nodded their agreements.

  “We take shifts on watch,” said Jason.

  “Neither of us should be awake alone,” warned Peter. “I have a feeling Nazimaa’s going to be paying us a visit, trying to manipulate us.”

  “Great,” said Mary. “I’ll take a shift with Jason. Tracey, you take a shift with Peter.”

  Peter felt hurt by her immediate pairing up with someone other than him. However, this was not the time or place to discuss whatever they were going through in their relationship. “Okay. Jason, you hunted. Get some rest. Tracey and I will take first shift.”

  Jason tipped his hat to Peter. “Much appreciated, friend.” He stretched out, laid back with his hands folded behind his head, and was snoring within minutes. Peter figured he was wiped out, and it probably wasn’t the first time Jason slept outdoors, in the open.

  Mary followed suit, laying back and closing her eyes.

  Peter sat across from Tracey in silence, keeping watch. Time passed slowly, and Peter began to feel the weight of his own exhaustion. At one point his eyelids grew heavy, and he found himself nodding off.

  He startled when Tracey moved closer to him, he presumed to keep him awake. He didn’t mind the thawing of the ice between them. She didn’t appear as irritated over his protest.

  She leaned in, speaking in low tones so as not to disturb the others. “If this Nazimaa comes to you, how will I know? Will I see her?”

  Peter shrugged, answering in an equally low tone. “Honestly, I don’t know. If I see her, I’ll let you know.”

  “Please do. We can’t have her corrupting you like she did Mike Deluca.”

  Peter glanced over at Jason, who was sawing wood. “Maybe his snoring will scare Nazimaa away.”

  He and Tracey shared a quiet chuckle. It was nice to hear her laugh. “Mary’s pretty pissed at me.”

  Tracey smiled. “That’s an understatement. First fight?”

  “I guess…but truthfully, things aren’t totally right between us.”

  Tracey cocked her head a little. Peter always found that mannerism adorable. “Really? How so?”

  “I don’t know. She’s okay and all, but…”

  “She’s not for you.”

  “Yeah…I guess not. It was exciting and fun in the beginning, but she’s not exactly…my cup of tea.”

  Tracey smiled, warming Peter’s heart. “That’s good to hear.”

  Taken by surprise, Peter stammered, “I’m glad to hear that.”

  Tracey shimmied closer to him, leaning in further till her hot breath caressed his face. He didn’t mind. “I can’t wait to get out of this place.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  “After this temple, we can leave together. Start over.”

  Peter looked down for a moment. “Tracey, I don’t know if I can ever leave.”

  She looked stunned and disappointed. “Why?”

  “I can’t return to our dimension with this…curse. Who knows what would happen? Poseidon Tech would probably dissect me like some science experiment.”

  Tracey set her jaw. The campfire danced, reflected in her eyes. “I won’t let that happen. I won’t let them hurt you.”

  “You won’t be able to protect me. And, I don’t want to put you in danger. I’ve put you in enough danger as it is.”

  She locked eyes with him, adamant. “I’m not afraid of them. They will lear
n to fear me.” A wicked grin crept across her face.

  Peter recoiled from her. Her demeanor in that moment…it wasn’t like her. Her confidence took on an arrogant tone. Something wasn’t right. He looked across the campfire and saw Tracey sound asleep. What the…?

  When he looked back at the person sitting next to him, it was a featureless figure with eyes black as tar. It flashed a toothy grin, its teeth sharp and jagged.

  He scuttled away from it as it laughed at him, mocking him. He looked around to see if anyone had been woken by the commotion, but his friends were all sound asleep. “You! What do you want?”

  It crawled toward him on all fours, its breathing raspy. “To walk the earth again, to leave this place.”

  Peter leveled his gaze at it. “I won’t let that happen.” He took a chance with what he said next. He figured she already knew they were coming for her. “We’re going to destroy your body, and then we’ll be rid of you.”

  It laughed at him. It was a bitter, derisive sound. “You will free me. It is inevitable. It is your destiny. It is why I’ve brought you here.”

  Peter closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses. He detected her, in front of him. She registered as something cold and dark, but powerful. When he opened his eyes, she was gone.

  Chapter 12

  Peter decided not to wake the others up. He had passed his test with flying colors, which is why Nazimaa had left. He did, however, feel violated. She had used his feelings for Tracey to torment him. He cursed himself for allowing himself to be drawn into it hook, line, and sinker. He cursed the fact that it wasn’t real.

  After an undefined period of time, when the fire died down, leaving behind glowing coals and embers, he decided to wake Jason up. He crept over to the hunter and reached out to shake him.

  Jason’s hand shot out, snatching Peter’s wrist.

  Peter, startled, nearly yelping. “You were awake?”

  Jason smiled and winked at him. “No, but I’m a light sleeper.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s your turn. I’m exhausted.”