The Island

29. Resurrection

Jordyn

By the time I'm done being all inspirational, the reality hits that I have no idea what I'm doing.

Did I just commit to keeping these two people alive? How?! I can't even keep myself safe.

And yet... There's something in Ezra's eyes as he lets me help him up out of the sand--a spark almost. A tiny fire burns in his dark eyes behind the black rims of his glasses, and if there's anything familiar to me, it's fire.

I turn towards Sam to help him up, and he grips my wrist firmly. With that one-sided smile that melts my heart, he rises up and is face-to-face with me. A moment passes between us where neither talk. He just smiles, stares, and breathes.

"You got this," he finally whispers, clapping a hand on my shoulder. I laugh and let go of him. All that adoration in his face, and I get a pat.

"So, Jordyn, what's the plan?"

I turn towards Ezra, biting my lip.

Plan? Oh, God.

"Well, we should- we should go into the tunnels," I stutter, pushing my hair away from my face.

"The tunnels?" Sam asks as he circles around to stand beside Ezra.

"Well, we know the volcano leads under there. We know Neil navigates through them. There's gotta be something down there."

"There's nothing down there but rats," Ezra says bitterly. I glare at him.

"You just got here. What do you know?"

"More than you," he says, mouth pressed into a thin, almost bored line. "The Island exists inside of a huge warehouse complex. There is no 'underground'. It's just a simulation created by machines and controlled by guards in rolling, desk chairs."

"So," I say, holding up a finger, "you're saying there's a control room."

"Well, I mean... technically, there could be. But why exactly would a room full of geniuses design an alternate reality world where the control room was exactly where children could find it?"

"Excuse me, but we aren't children," Sam mutters.

"Valid point," Ezra replies, rubbing his chin. "But logically, there's no way she would design her prison that way."

"Maybe she just doesn't think as logically as you do," I pipe in, shrugging.

"I don't doubt that," Ezra says with a chuckle, "but she has a team."

"You do, too."

"I don't have a..."

I raise my eyebrows at him with a smirk. His voice fades away as realization hits.

"We aren't asking you to go in alone, Ezra. There's three of us. I'll go in first; I know the tunnels best. Sam'll bring up the back. He's the strongest."

A laugh slips out of Ezra's mouth, quickly multiplying into hysterics. He bends double with his hands on his knees and gasps for breath.

"Sam? Samson's the strongest?" he barks, hoarse and giggly.

I look over at Sam. He's glaring at the blonde, and pink floods his cheeks.

"You've got to be kidding me?" Ezra continues, apparently unable to keep it back. "There's no way you honestly think--"

Sam cuts him off my grabbing his forearm and jerking him towards him. Ezra's laughter stops instantly, and he snaps out like a whip. His open palm comes in contact with Sam's nose with a ear-splitting crack. Sam has no choice but to let go and cover his nose, but Ezra's infinitely faster. He grabs the shorter boy's wrists and bends them behind his back.