Trapped in a Island with James Tullos

Chapter 5

Confusion.

Why does my bed feel so weird? Why is it so warm?

I shifted slightly.

Why am I so sore?

It all came rushing back at once. The storm. Kyle. Black Water. Heavy clothes. The endless swim.

Panic. Fear. Exhaustion. Pain.

I tried to open my eyes, but was immediately forced to close the again. The sun was painfully bright. I took a deep breath and tried to focus. First things first, I needed to take inventory of my body. I wiggled my fingers and toes experimentally – small twinges of pain, probably some scrapes and bruises, but nothing broken. The fact that I could take deep breaths at all meant no broken ribs. I gently moved my head in a slow, circular motion – stiff, but functional. I had just started to move my arms when a bolt of pain shot through my biceps and chest.

There it is.

Given the distance I must have covered while swimming, it was no wonder that my arms hurt so much. I imagined my legs were likely in similar condition, if not worse. I might not be able to move far in this condition, but I at least had to try to find a shady spot to avoid sunburn. I raised by head and glanced up the beach.

In any other scenario, it would have been a beautiful location to spend an afternoon. The sand was pure and clean, without any rocks or detritus that I could see. Further up the beach was a line of short greenery – ferns and bush-like plants – and behind that, a thick green mass of trees, vines, and assorted undergrowth.

Plenty of shade available, then. I just had to reach it. I estimated that I was approximately thirty feet from the closest shady spot. Getting to the shade would require movement, and movement would, unfortunately, require the use of my arms and legs.

This is going to suck.

I clenched my fist into a ball and the muscles of my forearm lit up in pain. My hand shook as I bit my lip and held the position for a count of five before relaxing. Another five, and I clenched again. It still hurt, but less. After several repetitions, I started working my upper arms and chest. Eventually, my upper body had relaxed to the point I could move. Not without discomfort, but I could move. I repeated the process with my legs.

Now, for the hardest part.

Using my arms, pushed my torso out of the sand. As I began to pull my legs up, my abdominals tensed and pulled, screaming in protest. I pushed back with my hands, balancing on my legs. I appreciated at that moment, more than even before, just how much the muscles of the stomach are involved in the process of basic movement. With great difficulty, I stood. I placed a hand to my stomach and felt it distend as I breathed. The soreness would fade in a few days, and I'd be found by then. I couldn't have been pushed that far away by the storm. Even if – the boat hadn't gone down, it couldn't have. They'd pulled Kyle on board, and Martín had steered back to shore and reported me missing. The search and rescue teams would come within days. Maybe even hours.

I glanced behind me. The ocean was still and brilliantly blue. In the sky, there were only few wispy clouds floating lazily along. No sign at all of the storm yesterday. I wiggled my toes in the sand. It was warm, but not hot, at least for now. The sun was still relatively low in the sky – by noon, it would likely be blistering.

I took a single, short step forward and groaned internally as my foot sand deeply into the warm sand. The beach itself seemed to grip at me, the grains of sand clinging to my ankles as I walked slowly towards the shade of the trees. I spotted a cluster of flowers along the tree line, halfway hidden under a fern. As I drew closer, I was able to see them more clearly.

Daisies?

No, that couldn't be right. There was no possible way a cluster of daisies was growing on a tropical island. Admittedly, I wasn't a botanist, but I was fairly certain that daisies wouldn't survive in what was essentially pure sand. I tried to crouch down next to the flowers for a better look, but was quickly stopped by a biting pain in my thighs. Instead, I leaned against a nearby palm tree. Those nearer to the shore were smaller, and I was almost able to wrap my hand completely around the trunk. I gripped it for stability as I lowered myself to the ground. As I examined flowers in more detail, I noticed small, vibrant blue spots on the white petals.

Must be some kind of disease.

Of course, the daisies weren't native to this environment. It was only natural that they'd be vulnerable to the local fungi, parasites, and bacteria. They'd probably be dead soon, poor things.

I looked past them to the forest. The vegetation was dense and lush – everything seemed to be covered in green. A slight wind passed by, rustling the fronds of the palm trees as the waves crashed against the shore. I felt my eyes drifting closed as I leaned back against the tree.

I shook my head. As tempting as it was to rest in the shade, I knew that if I stayed there for too long I'd stiffen up again. I had to take stock of the situation. See if there was anyone on the island who could help, or anything I could use to signal the rescue boats when they arrived. I stood and stretched, wincing slightly. The soil near the trees and shrubs was slightly more solid than the beach itself, and easier to walk on. I stayed within the shade of the tree line as I began my survey of the surrounding area.

There was little variation as I made my way along the border between the beach and the forest, until I spotted what appeared to be a crouched human figure in the distance. I put a hand up to my forehead to block the sun from my eyes and squinted. Definitely human, or a very convincingly shaped piece of driftwood. I made an effort to stay quiet as I approached – there was no telling if this person was friendly, and I wasn't exactly in condition for a fight.

As I got closer, I could discern some details. The person was light-skinned and slender, wearing a loose grey T-shirt. The hair was longer, about shoulder length, and brown. As they bent forward, the tips of the temple pieces of their glasses were visible. It almost looked like...

"James?"

A/N – Next week's chapter may be delayed, as I will be traveling. Apologies in advance.