CHAPTER 13 (WARRIORS)
It’s been four days since Tristan left and I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but schoolwork. My dad called a few days ago and let me know that he had some hot leads and would need another week on the big island. I was hoping to spend some time with him, but I can’t really be mad. His work is his work. Alani has been great though. She and I watched a movie and ate popcorn last night. At least I’m not stuck in the house all alone.
I look over to my dresser and see my keys; they are beckoning me. Not really, it’s just my mind calling for me to get out of the house before I lose some of my sanity. I change from my pajamas into a pair of jean shorts and a purple tank top. I throw on a pair of tennis shoes and head out the door.
Once I start driving and feel the wind blowing through my hair I hit cruise control and just let it ride until I see the turn off a little ways up the road. If my recollection is right, it’s the same one that Tristan took us down when we had our picnic by the waterfall. I feel a little twinge of sadness when I think about how I’m missing Tristan. The last couple of days I’ve had way too much time to think about him and about us. We never really declared where we stood when he left. Like, was he my boyfriend, were we in a relationship? Unanswered questions. I’m usually good at planning ahead, so I’m kind of kicking myself for not having clarified this giant question mark before he left for training.
I slow down and take the turn. The road is a lot bumpier than I remember, so I take it slowly. Mud starts flinging all over my car and a little drop of it hits my arm. I decide to slow down a little more before all of my upholstery gets a mud bath. Once I reach the point where I can drive no further I put the car in park. I’m not entirely sure why I came here; perhaps to clear my head or maybe even subconsciously I just wanted to feel closer to Tristan. Whatever the reason is, I’m certainly not going to waste the gas that it took me to drive here by turning around and heading back now. Reaching in my console I grab my water bottle and a granola bar that I keep on hand for emergencies. I hop out and lock the door behind me out of habit; not that it matters since it’s a convertible and nobody’s out here anyhow. I stand for a few moments looking around trying to gather my bearings. Which way was it that we went to get to the waterfall? I asked myself. I spin around in a slow circle trying to figure out which way to go when I finally spot an area where the brush looks like it’s been pushed down. I start heading through the trail that Tristan must have cleared during his many treks out here. I follow the winding path through the many trees, hoping to God I am still on the right trail. A few points along the way I have to stop and look around a bit to try and find where the trail picks up. I realize I chose the correct way when eventually I hear rushing water in the distance. My heartbeat starts racing out of sheer anticipation. I round the bend through the trees, picking up the pace. I ready myself when the trees start to thin out. Reaching the clearing I see all of the glorious beauty and it takes my breath away just like it did the first time. I close my eyes remembering the last time I was here with Tristan and heat rushes into my cheeks as I think of the intimate kiss we shared here.
I take in the panoramic view that I have from up here then head down the cliff side to sit by the water’s edge, near its base. The rainbow is here just like last time. I lay back resting my head on my hands and gaze at the spectrum of colors represented in the rainbow. ROY-G-BIV, I remember from school; Red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo and violet. The way they bleed together is perfection.
Thoughts start clearing from my head as I relax and allow the sound of rushing water to lull me to sleep; a short nap couldn’t hurt. As I fall asleep I began wondering, does one dream when they are in a place made from a dream?
Drums, I hear distant drums. I open my eyes and find that dusk is settling in. I begin to panic when I realize how long I must have slept. I bet Alani is probably freaking out. I pull my phone from my pocket. No signal. Crap! I stand up way to quick, which makes me dizzy and off balance. I have to take a second to let my eyes adjust and to gather my bearings. The sound of distant thunder fills my ears and I look up to see that the sky is filling quickly with churning storm clouds that are moving at a great speed across the island. Electricity lights up the sky as I watch a bolt of lightning zigzag across the horizon… Just great! I grab my water and my granola bar from the ground and start heading back towards the woods. I’ve got to get back before it starts raining. Which way did I come from? I can’t think straight. I look around me but I barely have any light to see the path. I try to open my phone to use the screen to illuminate my way but it doesn’t work. The light only pours out a few inches from the screen. I keep it open anyhow since it makes me feel a little safer. My heart starts pumping in my chest. I am so stupid, how could I have let myself fall asleep for so long?
Kai’s words about nights in Kauai not bringing good things are brought to mind when I hear the sound of the beating drums again. They are probably about a mile away if I’m estimating correctly. I think back to when I was driving with Tristan and we saw the lights and heard the drum beats... I’ve got to stop thinking about these things and start thinking about a way out. How do I get back to my car? I make a decision and head straight into the woods following what looks like the path I took to get here.
Branches and plants scrape against my arms. I don’t remember having to push through so much foliage on my way to the waterfall. My heart starts beating so hard I can hear it in my ears, or is that the drumbeats that seem to be coming closer? I look at my phone praying for a signal, no bars, not even one. Not only am I out here at night hearing creepy drums, with a storm brewing in the sky, now I’m freakin’ lost…and alone! I suppress the urge to cry and try to get my brain to think... What do I do? What do I do?
All of a sudden I hear a rustle of leaves only a few feet behind me. I try to open my mouth to scream but nothing comes out. I try to run but my legs won’t move. I’m paralyzed like in one of those dreams where something horrible is coming at you and you can’t move, I can’t do anything, I’m utterly helpless! I hold the phone in front of me trying to see what I’m destined for. My hand is shaking so uncontrollably that it drops from my hand.
A bolt of lightning illuminates the sky and reveals the shadow of a man only a few feet in front of me. It’s not until I hear “Emma,” pass through his lips that I realize who it is. Kai! I feel such a rush of relief that the air whooshes from my lungs, my legs move from the gluey floor that they were stuck on and tears spring to my eyes. “Oh, thank God!” I yell. I rush towards him and faintly see his grey eyes staring back at me.
He looks a little panicked. I’m sure my face mimics his. I thought I was safe; Kai is here to save me, right? Boom, Boom...Boom, Boom... The beats of the drum are getting much louder; they feel like they are coming right for us. Without any explanation, Kai yanks my arm and pulls me behind him through the woods. We are running and I’m barely able to keep up. I keep tripping and he keeps steadying me and pulling me up repeatedly. Somehow his momentum is fostering my momentum. I try to run with all I’ve got even though I have no idea what I’m running from. Fear begins to permeate me as Kai continues dodging different obstacles in our path. If Kai is this panicked, it only puts me that much more at unease.
We break out into a clearing and I begin desperately looking around for my car. It’s not there. Kai looks around too; I’m not sure what for. He leads me towards a boulder near a cliffs edge. “Get down!” He yells. I obey; after all I’m certainly not going to argue. There’s something bad after us; I’m not sure what that something is but if a strong man like Kai is scared I darn well should be too! I get down and shrink up to the boulder trying to make myself one with it. He crouches down in front of me.
As the drum beats near the clearing I see the first flicker of flame, then another and another. There are dozens of flames. The first flame in the lead is followed by perfect rows of four going back as far as I can see. Like a train, there is no end in sight. I worry that perhaps the forest is on
fire until I pull my gaze away from the flames and down to what is carrying them. People! They look like warriors or soldiers, but their ‘uniforms’ are so bizarre. They wear earth-toned robes that drag against the damp earth. I can’t date the attire they are wearing but they look old... Hawaiian old.
There are both men and women in the procession and they all keep their eyes straight ahead never deviating from their positions. They march stoically with each drumbeat in unison. There’s an eerie glow about them and I don’t think it’s coming from the flames either. These are not normal people; there is something desperately wrong with them. Different scenes from zombie horror movies pop into my head as terror rips through me causing me to let out a small shriek. Kai turns back to look at me, raising a single finger to his lips. I can see the fear emanating from his eyes.
He scoots further back towards me reaching his arms back and enveloping me in protection. I can feel his strained muscles contract against my skin; they are tight and rigid. He’s geared to attack and protect me if need be.
The warriors are within twenty feet of us, stepping in unison to the sound of the beating drums.
“Get down as far to the ground as you can,” Kai says with extreme trepidation. I fall to the floor shaking from fear. A cold line of goose bumps begins to radiate down my skin. Kai falls next to me so fast I barely see him move. His hand sinks into the mud and his breathing is quickened. He reaches his arm over my middle squeezing me for dear life. The same electric shock I felt before pulses between us, but I’m too scared to really contemplate what it is.
I raise my head just enough to scan the marching procession from where I lie. It’s close enough now that I can smell the fog permeating along the ground. It has an ancient smell to it; kind of like when you open an old book.
The leader of the marchers is approaching as the drum beats loudly mimicking the fury of my heart. He wears the basic robe the other ones are wearing, but he wears the headgear of a tribal chief. He holds a spear in one hand and a torch in the other. I look down and see that the marchers have no feet that I can see, but yet they leave footprints behind in their steps. I’m so terrified, but I can’t seem to get my eyes to look away.
The rows are alternating between women and men, all with their battle gear and ancient Hawaiian robes. There are a variety of weapons that each warrior is carrying. Some possess spears while others possessed weapons resembling: arrows, clubs, spikes, throwing axes and daggers.
The procession begins passing us heading who knows where. Their faces are infuriating; they have a mission, and I don’t want to be part of their plan. Kai and I lay here, watching as the men and women march onward. Their torches cast eerie shadows across their faces making me literally recoil in fear.
I move a fraction of an inch and in the same instant one soldier steps to the side. Our eyes meet; I am paralyzed with fear and can’t seem to look away. Panic and terror permeates through every ounce of my being. I have no idea how I’m seeing what I’m seeing. This soldier is the spitting image of Kai! I’m so confused so I look over to see if Kai is still next to me. While I’m relieved to know that Kai is still here and hasn’t turned into one of these spirit things, I’m still trying to scramble through my brain to figure out what the heck is going on here. I look back over at the ghostly image of Kai and see him glaring at me. Instead of a look of kindness that I’ve seen in Kai’s eyes, this soldier is looking at me through onyx black eyes, which display pure hatred and despise. Evil screams through my brain but my eyes are cemented and I can’t seem to pull them away.
Kai senses my quivering body and looks at me. When he sees the direction of my eyes his face grows deathly white. “Emma, Noooooo…!” Kai’s spirit double or whatever the heck he is marches towards me spear in hand, no doubt on a mission. He begins changing the direction of the spear; the point of the spear lowers bringing it right down between my eyes. I can’t blink. I can’t breathe. I just stare into his eyes, which are shaped like Kai’s, but they are pure black with no white showing. Eyes that emit an evil so frightening and deadly that I almost scream out in terror. His spear is lifted back, readying itself to launch.
Kai makes a move so fast I don’t even realize that I’m being thrown over his shoulder. He runs for all he’s worth away from the marchers, as fast as his feet will take him. My eyes are still locked with this horrible evil thing that looks like Kai. It’s like I can’t pull them away from him no matter how hard I try. He is running after us with his spear arched high above his head. He drops his torch and I watch as it hits the ground. He lets out a war cry as he gets closer and closer to us.
I scream higher and louder than any scream I’ve ever made before…it was more like an intense wail. I beat on Kai’s back wanting him to drop down; because if he didn’t the spear would kill us both. The evil soldier pulls his arm back and releases the spear. Kai reacts immediately to my thrashing and dives into the underbrush to the right of the path. We begin tumbling down a steep hill, rolling over each other again and again during our decent to the bottom while rocks and twigs poke through my skin making me wail in pain. We tumble over a huge rock jutting out of the hillside and I scream into Kai’s chest when I feel my leg breaking beneath me. In agony I grip onto Kai trying to maintain consciousness in hope that our seemingly never ending fall will end soon. A few feet later we finally hit a cliff wall and come to an abrupt halt.
Kai wastes no time in picking me up as he swings me over his shoulder again. I am in immense anguish as every movement sends spikes of shooting pain down my leg and though my entire body. Tears sting my eyes as I try to hang on to Kai with all I have left. My whole body feels like it’s on fire, the pain is so immeasurable that the only way for my brain to process it is for me to slip into a welcomed unconsciousness.