Misplaced 7, part 1.

When anger spreads its wing

Ruth sat propped up against a rock beside the campfire. Patrick was sat beside her, still looking ragged and thin but more like the Patrick she used to know than the semi-monkey who had entered the camp. The other Patrick was nearby, building up the fire and putting some water on to boil for tea. They were to stay behind and wait while most of the others went to the crash site to try and extract the radio. They had left about a quarter of an hour ago, and Ruth was straining her ears in the dark trying to pick up any sound that they had been caught.

Suddenly she heard it, a scream. At the same time Ruth felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her injuries from the Creature had been aching all day, but this was somehow different.

“What was that?” Patrick asked nervously.

“I...I don’t know,” Patrick replied.

“It was Ruth,” Ruth said quietly. “I’m sure of it. Poor her.”

“Are you alright?” Patrick asked. She nodded. “But I don’t like to think what they’re doing to her. I wish there was someway I could help.” She put her head in her hands.

The two Patricks looked uncertainly at each other. Monkey Patrick sat down next to her and hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, and he could see her tears.

“I’m just a nuisance,” she said. “I got injured because I was stupid and didn’t get out of the way fast enough, and then because of my weakness the others decided to leave and we ended up in this mess to start with. And now Ruth’s in danger too, and it’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault,” Patrick said. “It’ll be ok.”

Stirring the ‘tea’ leaves in the now boiling water by the fire, Patrick wondered what was happening to Ruth. When he had gone with Nick earlier he had seen enough to know that she was in very real danger, but there had seemed no alternative but to leave her. Now he wondered if there was something he could have done. He stared gloomily into the fire.

After that, the night was quiet. The two Patricks made sure that everything was ready for the move back to the other island, but that didn’t take long. Then the three of them sat close together by the fire, trying not to think about what would happen if anything went wrong but at the same time unable to avoid straining their ears to hear any further screams or the cry of the Creature. But there was nothing except the crackle of the fire and the occasional animal noise from the forest.

After a while the tension seemed almost worse than hearing the worst.

“They should have been back by now,” Patrick said eventually. Each of them was fearing the worst, that their friends had been captured.

“Maybe it’s just taking longer than they thought,” the other Patrick said, ever the optimist.

Ruth looked up at the sky. It would be getting light before long. What could they do if the others had been captured? Should they still make their way to the other island, and beg those there for help and protection? But what if they were refused? If they had captured the others, would they now know the secret of the other island, so would they be safe even there? What would they do to their prisoners? They had threatened to kill Ruth if anyone else trespassed. Had that been the cause of the scream they had heard earlier in the night? What if their enemies attacked them now, knowing that now they were weak and alone?

“What was that?” she said suddenly. They all listened. Someone- no, a group- was approaching. Monkey Patrick jumped up, looking round in alarm, then cowered behind Ruth. She reached behind her to take his hand, hoping to reassure him but to scared herself to give much confidence. Her glance met that of the other Patrick. He stood up and took a couple of hesitant steps forward.

“Who’s there/” he asked nervously.

“It’s us,” came Nick’s voice, much to their relief. The others appeared out of the blackness behind him.

“Have you got it?” Ruth asked anxiously.

“Yes.” She hardly dared ask the next question.

“Will it work?”

“I think so,” Nick said. “It’ll need a bit of work, but I think so.” They looked at each other in the growing light with more hope than they had known since the crash.

“It took us longer than we thought to get it out,” Nick said. “We should be getting over to the cave as soon as possible. We’re already loosing the night and they’ll be moving soon.”

But even as he finished speaking another sound cut through his words. Another scream.

Ruth saw Adam put his hand to his chest and sit down quickly. “What is it?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Just a pain- it was like that scream went right through me.” She said nothing but noted the similarity to what she had felt earlier. She was sure that was because the other Ruth was being hurt. Was the other Adam now in trouble?

“W...what was that?” Rachel asked nervously.

“We could hear movement in the woods on the way back,” Tom said. “Maybe the Creature’s on the move...” Mick was gibbering in a corner.

“We can’t go down there now,” the other Tom said. “Not if the Creature’s around.”

“We’ll give it half an hour to get clear,” Nick said. “Then we’ve got to go.”
 

“We’ve got to make a move,” Nick said a short while later.  “Someone should go through ahead and tell the others we’re coming through.”


“They’re not going to be happy,” Rachel said. “Think what their alternative selves have done to Ruth when they felt under threat.”

“I’ll go,” Adam said. Looking at him, Ruth wondered if he was doing it to make up for his other self being on the wrong side. He had been quieter than usual the last few days. Yet he would be a good choice- the others might listen to him.

“Ok then,” said Nick. “I’ll go down to the cave with you and have a scout round. Let’s go.” 
 
 
The story continues...