Chapter 8-The Island

I lifted my head up. I was lying on a beach, facing the island. The blanket was wrapped around me still. I saw Cody lying next to me. I sat net to him and started shaking him.

"Cody! Cody! Wake up!"

He opened his eyes slightly and looked up. He saw me and smiled. When he saw the sand and the woods, mere yards from me, he got up. I stood next to him. He grabbed my hand. I held onto the blanket with my free hand.

"I think we should go in there." Cody was looking past the trees, deeper in. I shrugged, and we headed towards the forest.

The first sound we hears were cat calls. Not like tiger or lions, but house cats. It reminded me of when my mom took me there to get our dog, Callie. But this wasn't as loud, and there were maybe two cats. I remembered Kaylee. What happened to her?

"There's someone out there," Cody whispered. He let go of my hand and stepped closer. "I wish we had one of those bows and arrows now."

"Show yourself!" he shouted.

Silence.

"I know you're there!"

I could hear faint giggling. "No, I'm here!" A girl with black cat ears, dark hair, and dark eyes jumped down from a branch. "And now, I'm not there still!"

My heart jumped. "Wait......Kath?"

Cody looked at me. "You know her?"

Kath jumped up and clapped. "Ohmygawd! Cam, or whatever your name is!" She laughed. "Where did they take you? How'd you end up here?"

I told her what had happened, starting with the men in the jeep. When I got to the part about stealing the car, she laughed. "Ooooh, that's a brilliant idea!" She laughed about stealing the weapons, and then growled softly when I told her about the Snatchers searching cars on the freeway for us. "Jerks."

After I finished, she hugged me. "They just shoved the needle into my arm, and I woke up here. It's different here. There's some Runners, people with animal DNA, and then the Beasts. They're like, an insane animal crossbred with an even more insane animal."

I remembered my dream, when Cody was driving. I wasn't going to let that happen. "Wait, other Runners?"

She nodded. "A lot of them are vicious. And the DNAs are just wild. A wolfboy chased me up a tree and kept me there for hours! I had to shift into a bird to get away!" She shook her head. "It's a nightmare here. A sane Runner I hunted with called this place Nightmare Island."

I reached for Cody's hand. "How do we get out?"

"You don't. There's another island, but it's for the Snatchers who stay to monitor us. I think this is some sort of project to see how we could survive, if the world collapses."

Cody sighed. "Well, we should probably set up a camp, right? Like, a makeshift tent or two, a campfire circle, and maybe a place to eat."

Kaylee nodded, and we followed her. She led us along a train that she could me making up. When she stepped into a clearing, I knew I was wrong.

"This work?"

Cody smiled and nodded. "This will work."