Fire Eyes

Fire Eyes - Chapter : Unknown

After i had come round from my concussion, I just stared at these utopia-like surroundings. Azure blue sky permeated only by scudding cotton wool clouds. The sun, warm, pale yellow and shimmering as it began to recede. Readying to swap with the moonrise.

It was hard to tell, from my vantage point, where exactly the plane had come down. I certainly did not know how on this earth i had survived, nor if anybody else did. What was certain was this, i was alive, and in a lot of pain and with the coming onset of dusk, i was anticipating spending at least one night in my current surroundings.

Where that might happen to be on the map was another question.  I had spluttered back into consciousness about an hour before, lay beside a loud green looking prickly bush, splayed with purple blossom. Cool saltwater lapped at my feet and i had initially been unable to get to my feet for dizziness and a fierce headache which i likened to having a needle jabbing repeatedly into my brain.

I lay for a few minutes, head pounding, on the damp sandy shores, gathering my thoughts and letting my senses catch up to real time after coming to the conclusion that i had been out cold for some hours.

Having found i had at least some strength and energy in reserve i had decided to at least get away from the edge of this water, i took it to be some sort of big lake or lagoon, an overspill from the ocean.

It seemed to be deathly quiet here and apart from the slow washing waves rippling across the surface there was little noise at all. I moved backwards up the bank towards a small clearing and spotted a fallen tree, the end of which dipped into the water, acting as a meeting point for a gathering of small colourful hooting birds, a type i had never seen before, i watched momentarily as they flitted in and out of the branches and twittered busily, preparing to roost i guessed.

I moved to sit on the fallen tree a good ten feet back from the edge and noticed there seemed to be good cover here, bullrushes and tall reeds sprang up from the banks and the sand was dry, suggesting the water came no further up the bank at this point.

I had been fighting back the urge to cry or to be sick or both, as the magnitude of what had happened began to hit home, but with no other survivors in sight it would be a waste of energy. Better i thought to concentrate on the here and now, that being that there were no five star hotels around the corner and that to stumble around an unknown, dense area, surrounded by probably very deep water at nightfall was tantamount to lunacy.

The more minutes passed the more i decided it would be best to spend the hours of darkness in this small area of which i at least had looked around. So the tree became my marker. The dry sand was fairly warm and i supposed that if i piled it up i could make a place to rest, i doubted sleep would come that night.

 As i raked warm sand into a heap for a sleeping area, i thought i heard a sound, not right close by, but near enough to cause me to stop and listen for more. Thirty seconds or so passed and then again a sound, perhaps branches being snapped or something like that. Perhaps more people were here, the same as me, looking for survivors or looking to rest some place for the night. Even so, i was on my guard so i stooped low and crept down along the flank of the tree to the bullrushes at the lagoons edge.

I listened again, it was a steady ripping noise, coming from the west banks of the lagoon. I tried to focus my gaze in the failing light and thought i saw the tops of the tall reeds and bullrushes moving around, shaking briefly side to side. If you had swam out about fifty metres and then turned facing left, you would be more or less level with the apparent activity on the west bank.

Another thought occurred to me, it could be a crocodile or an alligator or bull shark orcsomething that i did not particularly want to advertise myself to. Something held me there watching, probably the hope of hearing a persons voice, i myself did not call out as i wanted to see what was approaching the water first.

My heart began to beat faster now adreneleine rushed into my system causing my heart to flutter and palpitate as more reeds twitched and moved. That ripping sound began again, louder now, then i actually saw bullrushes being seemingly torn from the earth and flung into the water, as though a path was being cleared to the edge, it had to be a person.

I stayed behind my cover morbid fascination acted like a magnetic anchor to my feet, holding me against better judgement.

Observing the edges of the west bank, something was definitely there now, a thin veil of reeds and leaves acted like a curtain, partially obscuring my view but i could make out an outline of something, someone, crouched or hunched down at the edge of the water, i needed to get a better view. I headed down to the point where the tree began to dip into the water, but as i did so i stepped on a branch, it was so dry that it made a sharp crack. I cursed silently and crouched low myself.

Looking across the lagoon in the ever fading light a figure shot up from the edge of the bank from its own stooped position, i froze to the spot. What i was looking at was not possible to me. A figure of at least eight feet tall, dark and lean, colourless in the night light, stood amongst the reeds and plants shooting rapid glances left and right in apparent response to my noise.

It looked across now, long arms, unnaturally long arms hung by its side, its gaze passed over my position time and again, like a searchlight, i did not dare to move.

What was happening was not registering with me, it was like watching something creepy on a television, i felt detatched from reality.

This creature seemed to be alone, it obviously had keen senses and was not ready to ignore what it perceived to be something worth knowing about.

I watched it looking this way and that for a few minutes, i turned to move up the bank but a huge crack on the side of my head knocked me to the ground, i thought i must have turned and hit a branch at first but i soon realised i had been hit, hard.

I touched my temple and felt warm blood on my fingertips, looking up from the ground i saw another creature, the same as the first one, stood over me. Its large black eyes blinked rapidly and its malevolent stance suggested that i should not move, i was not ready to argue with my own instinct.

The second creature tilted its head back and screamed,a guttural piercing cry that i thought would shatter my mind and all i had ever known rushed through my neural pathways.

I made to cover my ears with my hands, instinct. I thought my skull would explode. I heard calming waves rolling and a series of grunted communcation before it struck me again and darkness flooded my brain.