The sound of the helicopter had made my ears unclear. But I am pretty sure I heard my
father on the other side of that line. The Helicopter stopped and I was thrown on the island
with one bag. I named this place, the purgatory. I still don't know what I did so wrong that
I deserved to be banished.
I grabbed the bag and started walking into the woods. it was supposed to be a prison but
somehow, I felt more free than ever. The first day was fine. For me, not having anyone to
talk to isn't a big deal.
The second day, the 3rd day. A month after I was left alone on a stranded island, my mind
was playing with me. I kept hearing voices. I hadn't talked for a long time that my mouth
was shut. I found a way to drink water though. I am sure a survivor movie will be made
out of me.
I looked for days and I found a cave. It was raining so I went inside. I opened the bag and
looked at the knife that was inside it.
"making a warrior out of me, dad?" I said to myself and took the knife and played with it.
I heard a noise from the cave and I grabbed my knife cautiously. I thought I was hearing
things. I stayed awake with my knife in my hands for two days waiting for rain to stop.
When the ground became dry, I grabbed two stones and tried to make fire from damp wood.
I think I got some carbon monoxide in my lungs cause, I was coughing for like 15 minutes
and I think I passed out for some hours. It was just probably because of not sleeping.
I got up and grabbed a firing stick and my knife and went into the cave. It was colder than
outside. I went more into the cave and as I was going, my breath got heavier. Deep into the
cave, I reached two tunnels.
"great" I said to myself. I think I was forgetting how I sounded like by then.
"left is always better" I thought with no logical reason. I guess hunger, dehydration and
lack of sleep plus carbon monoxide poisoning messes with your head.
I went into the left path and reached a door. It was locked. Not a bobby pin kind of problem.
Locked as in "I need a hacker to open this" problem. It was pretty modern for a stranded
island outside Detroit. But I mean, those factions make everything possible. I looked at the
door and saw the symbol of Detroit on it.
I went back because I was smart. But not inventors' faction smart. I went back and I went
through the right road. The ground was damp. It wasn't as modernized as the left one. I
went and saw a door. It had a lock on it. a normal lock.
I grabbed my knife in full confidence and wanted to open the lock with it but it was already
opened. I frowned and grabbed my knife tighter in my hand as I went inside. I walked
slowly to the middle of the room until someone grabbed my neck from behind and pressed
it.
"I… I mean no harm" I kept hitting his arm and he pushed me down and stomped my hand
and I let go of the knife. To be honest the knife let my hand go.
"who are you and what do you want here?" he said in an Asian accent.
"who am I? who are you?" I said frustrated and in pain cause he put pressure on my hand
"how many are there??"
"it's just.. me" my voice cracked in the middle of it. he took his leg away and I took my
hand and rubbed it. I was in so much pain.
"have you seen anyone else?"
"no. you are the first person I've seen or talked to in the past… I don't even know how
much time has passed"
"76 days if you were with the last helicopter." He said.
"you've been out there all this time?" I said terrified because if I didn't see him for that
long, what else did I miss?
"no. I've been in here for 76 days. What is your crime?"
"crime?" I said not understanding a word he was saying.
"this place is a prison. The locked door of the left road contains criminals, rebels and most
dangerous people."
"what about this door?" I sensed him flinch.
"it is mine. I am the first chosen one" he said and I chuckled with the thought of Detroit
letting a chosen one rot on an island.
"chosen one? What are you doing here?" I said and he sighed showing me a tattoo on his
arm.
"I am the son of the water totem bearer"
"what?" I stood up in shock. "but the totem bearers didn't have children"
"I was the only one. I was the only heir to the totem. So they sent me here. With criminals
and factionless"
"I am a factionless" I said feeling ashamed. "wait, why did you ask me if I had seen
anyone?" I said all of a sudden
"a research group was here months ago. they came with a helicopter just like you."
"research for what?" I asked confused
"the totems." He said and I winced in pain. "you should go"
"well old man, I am not going anywhere. I had a right hand and a knife and you broke my
hand so you owe me. besides, we are the only 'free' people on this island. You are one of
a kind that everyone fears and I am a nobody that no one needed so we are like the best
combination right now."
"you are a liability" he said sitting on his bed.
"listen. I can take care of myself." I exclaimed
"then what is your deal?" he looked at me with no emotions. I hesitated and turned around.
I grabbed my knife with my other hand and walked away.
I grabbed my bag and put it on my shoulder. Living with one hand was probably the hardest
thing I had had to do in 76 days. I took a look at the cave and walked into the woods trying
to find something to eat. I sat beside a tree and took a look at my hand. It was already
swelling up. I took my shirt off and tried to patch it up.
I saw a bird on the tree and aimed my knife with my left hand. I threw it and the bird flied
but an arrow landed with the bird on it. I looked back and I saw the man.
"that was my hunt" I said annoyed
"throwing a knife at a bird was your brilliant plan to hunt it?"
"well. I have a broken hand so" I said looking down. I was so tired that I didn't even want
to defend myself.
"come on." He said helping me get up and walked away.
"you're coming or not?" he said loudly and I rolled my eyes and went after him.
We sat beside a fire in silence and ate the bird. Silence was nice. There was one upside to
this banishment. I didn't have to be fun. I didn't have to hang out with loud men of the
warriors' faction. I didn't have to pretend like I enjoyed pointing a gun at people.
"what faction were you born into?" he opened up the conversation.
"warriors" I said looking at the fire.
"loud noisy angry men?"
"yeah. That." I chuckled painfully.
"what did you lack?" he gave me the last piece of the food and I took it in my hand.
"I lacked the creativity of being an inventor. Wasn't intimidating enough to be a leader. I
was too critical to be a healer and too calm to be a warrior."
"you were their worst nightmare after me" he chuckled and I laughed a little.
"you seem like a self-contained person" he said after moments of silence and I nodded.
"I had to be. I lost my mom when I was so young. Not having support makes you support
yourself. Like I said, I can take care of myself"
"do you want to learn how to use a bow?" he said and I showed him my hand.
"that is my fault. So I will do the hunting until you are fine. I'm Lian" he said and I smiled
a little.
"Kai"
6 months had passed and my hand was fine. He taught me use the bow and arrow. He also
taught me something I really liked to learn when I was younger. Meditation. He taught me a lot of things until the last day.
We were training martial arts. He said that our ancestors remained protected but calm by
doing the best type of fighting. Martial arts. We were close to the sea that I saw a drone in
the sky for the first time after months. I would recognize the Detroit logo anywhere.
"what are they doing here?" I said and went to inform him. he was in the woods. the drone
was clearly searching for something. or in this case, someone.
It was getting closer. I felt like it was following me. god I hate those inventors and their
stupidly brilliant minds. I ran fast and reached Lian. I was panting out of breath.
"drone... following... me" I said panting and groaning because my chest hurt.
"in the cave now" he said worriedly and pushed me towards the cave.
"what… what are you doing?... what about you?" I said and he grabbed my shoulders.
"Kai, son, go inside the cave now. I will distract it and I will come. I promise" he said and
pushed me and ran away. The drone was after him. it appeared that I was not a target. Thedrone was shooting down. He was running between bullets in the woods. but the drone
wouldn't let him go. I was beside the cave waiting for him to come.
"I can't" I said and grabbed his bow and ran in the woods. I saw the drone and shot at it. it
strayed away but kept following him. I ran my fastest and shot it again. It sped up and I
tried keeping up with it.
I heard a loud noise from the sea. It distracted me and I lost the drone. Gun shots were
heard and I ran towards the sound. I put an arrow in the bow but I was slower than the
drone. It shot Lian in the heart just before I shot it and it exploded in the air.
My ear was ringing. Both of anger and the explosion. I couldn't catch my breath. It was
like it got stuck somewhere between my lungs and my mouth. I ran to him and he was
bleeding out.
"I will fix you. stay with me" I said and tried to put some of the plants we had collected for
wounds on him but he stopped me.
"keep it to yourself boy" he said panting and I shed a tear. "come on I…" I said crying and
he put his hand on my cheek.
"I… never had the… chance to have a… son. Thank you…" he said and I took his hands
and squeezed them crying.
"stay… however you are… Kai" he said and his hand dropped. I think I was there next to
him for hours. I stood up and put his lifeless body on my shoulder and took him somewhere
closer to the sea to bury him.
I grabbed a piece of wood and made a shovel and started digging the ground with teary
eyes. I lifted him up and put him in the ground. I carved something and put it on his grave.
"here lies the last heir"
I grabbed my stuff and went to the cave. I went into the right path and reached the door. I
went in and grabbed a box from under his bed. I looked inside and found a bow. Not his
bow. On the bow a name was carved. I caressed the name and smiled.
"crazy old man" I said and looked at it. "kai" I read and smiled.
I spent two days in the cave trying to get along with loneliness again. I went out and sat
beside his grave and put his bow on it.
"thank you for teaching me the beauty of fighting without guns and bombs" I said and
drank from an empty wooden mug because we didn't have alcohol in a stranded island. I
wiped my tears and looked at the sea and something caught my eyes.
I stood up and grabbed my knife and ran towards the sea. A person was in the water
unconscious with blood on her ears. The explosion. I totally forgot about that.
I grabbed her arms and dragged her out of the sea. Her pulse was weak and she must have
drunk a lot of sea water.
I put my hands together and on her chest and pumped it. she coughed a little but I felt like
she was dizzy. The explosion must have hurt her ears. How was she still alive?
She passed out so I grabbed her and took her to the cave.
"look how this turned out" I said looking at the plants and put them on her head. I looked
at her. I think I know her but I don't know where I last saw her. she had a necklace on and
a bag was tied around her waist when I found her.
"smart or lucky?" I said to myself and put her bag away so it would dry out. I put something
on her so she wouldn't freeze to death because I am not a kind of guy that takes a girl's
clothes off when they are unconscious. I made her a small fire away from the bed sheets
just to make the place a little warmer.
I grabbed my stuff and went out. I closed the door and I was about to walk away but I
turned around and locked it. "sorry. Trust issues" I said and went outside the cave.