LEAVE OR DIE.
Promising. Very Promising.
Spiked human skulls stood beside the wooden sign, their message scrawled in fresh, dripping blood. The crimson streaks trickled down the board and dropped onto the pristine white sand of the tropical beach Nova had just arrived on. Goosebumps rippled along her skin as she felt more than a few unseen eyes watching her every move.
Spooked, Nova crossed her arms over her waist, uncertain as her eyes roamed over the large green leaves of the dense rainforest. This was the last thing she expected to see within two minutes of her vacation. No, of any vacation!
"Babe, don't pay attention to this worthless prank." Chad slid his arm over Nova's shoulders. He was all arrogant with a cocky smile as he tipped his designer sunglasses down, reflecting the beach and forest and her concerned expression. His blue eyes danced in amusement as he watched her.
"That's real blood," Nova began to say, her voice wavering, hesitant. Was it really a prank? It had to be.
Chad shook his head, guiding her away, his hand rubbing her shoulder almost comfortingly and a little mockingly. "I wouldn't let anything happen to my girl. That's why we have Bruce." He pointed his thumb behind them at his bodyguard, who looked mean and intimidating but secretly liked baking cupcakes. "Besides, I've set up security at the resort for this exact reason."
Nova glanced back at the sign and the forest that seemed to howl with the breeze blowing through it, warning her to get off this island like the bloody sign said. "Resort?" Her head whipped back to her boyfriend. "I thought it was a condo just for us."
Chad smirked and gestured towards the beach and the untouched rainforest. "Look at this place, N, it's a sitting gold mine. The resort will be for exclusive members, of course…" And there he went, chatting about work.
This man didn't just buy a private beach for their holiday. No, he brought a whole damn island! Isla De Tayun, a remote, untouched, hidden gem near Brazil.
Isla De Tayun was utterly breathtaking, though. With her back turned from the unwelcoming sign and every step sinking into the white sand, Nova let her mind drift away from the shocking welcome as she took in the sights of the island. The sounds of the rainforest, the birds, the crickets, and the waves crashing along the shore eased her tense shoulders, melting away the stress from work and her long travels.
"I'll only be doing a little work every other day just to make sure the resort runs well when we leave…" Chad continues. This was most likely his father's idea, and he wanted to prove himself to the great Preston Vale.
Somehow, Nova was dating the infamous Chad Vale, heir to the Vale Enterprises Fortune, a trust-fund playboy who took an interest in her two years ago when she was hired to redesign one of his family's luxurious mansions. She'd known of his reputation and made every effort to keep him at arm's length. But Chad Vale was very charming, and he'd put aside his life of debauchery to pursue her.
"I told you I'd make it up to you, babe," he grinned down at her cockily. She hoped they would spend time together. They rarely did.
Chad was busy trying to regain his father's respect and worked from time to time, while Nova had a busy schedule with tight deadlines. It was tough, but she loved her job, which is something not a lot of people could say about their own work life. She was blessed in that regard.
"I'm still worried, though… Who made that sign?" Nova said, her frown deepening as they now walked along a wooden pathway, going around a corner with the grating sounds of a construction site growing louder with each step.
"Just some natives." Chad waves his hand dismissively, his brows tugging down in irritation. "They're nobodies and will soon realise why what I am doing here will be of great interest to them…"
Other sounds started to drown out Chad's voice. It was grating to Nova's ears, disrupting the tranquillity of the island. A jackhammer pounds into brick, metal grinds against wood from a saw, and workers shout at one another, their voices then drowned out by the constant beeping of a forklift.
Nova stopped walking and stared at the resort's construction site. It wasn't finished! She didn't even listen to Chad as she saw this mess unfolding.
There was one completed building with an empty pool before it. Two weeks Nova booked off work to enjoy some time with her boyfriend, to destress but the grating noises only made her jaw clench, teeth grind and shoulders slowly rise.
"Don't give me that look, babe. You're so ungrateful. I brought us an island and this is how you act?" Chad scoffs. "Women."
With a deep inhale, Nova calmed her rising temper at his words. "I didn't say anything." She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him, ignoring his little comments. "This place is paradise. I just hope we can spend actual time together and away from that noise. That's all."
Chad relaxed and slid his fingers through his hair, dishevelling the locks back. "Alright," he said, gruffly. Irritation still tugged at his brows as he looked away, allowing Nova to cling to him as his hands stayed on his hips.
His ego was hurt so early in their vacation. She didn't want it to ruin their first day, so she smiled up at him sweetly.
"You going to show me the master suite or what?" She purred, leaning her body into him more.
Those words did the trick. Chad swept her up in his arms and led the way eagerly. A giggle burst from her lips, hiding her burning face in his chest as they breezed past what she only imagined was the reception and straight to a suite with an ocean view.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
A high-pitched, terrified scream ripped through the middle of their bedtime activity. The sounds of the construction site that had been drowning out the noises of the couple were instantly silenced.
Dread crept over Nova's body like a bucket of icy water. Chad rolled off her, wiping away the sweat from his brow. He tumbled out of the bed and tugged on his shorts as Nova started redressing. "Do you think one of the workers had an accident?" She asked though doubt tugged at the back of her mind.
Chad didn't stay to answer. Once his shorts were on, he dashed from the room. Nova rushed after him, passing an empty reception, and the eerily quiet corridors.
Her heart raced as she saw the few workers who did work at the resort already, covering their mouths and looking away with paling expressions.
Nova brushed past them, "Excuse me," she murmured and halted, the breath whooshed out of her lungs.
Two construction site workers were on their knees, gasping for air. A spear piercing his chest, and the other in his stomach, staking them to the ground.
Horror and bile rose up Nova's throat. She covered her mouth, staring wide-eyed.
"How did this happen?!" Chad screamed, pushing back one of the security guards who was holding a rifle. Nova's gaze snapped to her boyfriend.
"How did cavemen with rocks and fucking sticks like this get through our defences?! What am I paying you for?! What are these?! Toy guns?!" He tapped the gun aggressively. "That's two more workers I've got to replace! And pay out to their families!"
Two more workers? Has this happened before?!
"Chad," Nova slowly approached him, her body trembling at the sight of the men who were now glassy-eyed, staring up at the sky in shock, blood soaking into their UV vests. "Chad…" She tried to take his hand, but he shook her off. "You need to calm down, everyone is-"
"Calm down?!" He turned on her, glaring. "Calm down?! Are you stupid? You can see this mess, right?" He raked his hands through his hair, pacing.
"People are dead," Nova tried calmly, her voice shaking a little. "If you don't show some empathy right now, you'll lose your workers."
Her words did little to calm Chad or snap him out of this meltdown. She started to try again but he continued kicking off. It was an unattractive trait of his.
Nova stared at the bodies again and then looked up, sensing someone watching her. Chad's screaming and raging about the loss of his money sounded more like white noise in the background as her gaze moved up to the forest behind him.
Two shirtless men, with black paint covering their foreheads, glared back at her. Before she could point out their hiding spot, they stepped back into the shadows, disappearing.
It was another warning.
LEAVE OR DIE.