Night Slayer 2: Monster Quest by William Massa

Author:William Massa [Massa, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Critical Mass Publishing
Published: 2018-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

8

I pulled my boat onto the beach, the hull skimming the water’s glass-like surface, and secured it to a nearby palm tree. The white sand beautifully contrasted the azure waters and painted skies. Death seemed far away.

I took in the thick jungle canopy up ahead. An eerie yet familiar quietness enveloped this tropical paradise—a feeling I had most recently experienced in Italy. Something dark and evil dwelled inside the sea of green. Something monstrous. My restlessness was turning into a sense of impending doom.

Pull yourself together, Marine, I admonished myself and cleared my mind of all negative emotions.

I walked up to the second barge, which had been secured to the beach in the same matter as my craft. It was larger than my boat, and it was empty. I didn’t think this was the Cabal. Mages would travel in more style. In fact, they’d probably just emerge on the island from some inter-dimensional portal, uncaring of how their magic would react to the island’s wards. No, this boat belonged to someone else. I recalled Octurna mentioning reports of people who had vanished in this area, the most recent story of the missing fashion photographer foremost on my mind.

I stepped up to the dense, intertwined undergrowth, and my twin knives snapped to attention. Let’s do this! The dual blades lashed out as I cut a swath through the exotic foliage. My eyes remained glued to the red orb which hovered about fifty feet up ahead, focused and alert to every sound and movement. Sweat pearled my forehead, and my combat suit felt sticky against my skin.

My guard up, I carved a path into the forest. Sunlight shafted through the thick canopy like spotlights. The primordial landscape, with its large plants and towering trees was a place forgotten by time, and I wouldn’t have been all that surprised if a dinosaur poked its head from the foliage. But despite the lush vegetation, there were no signs of animal life. No birds, no monkeys, not even the clicking or buzzing of insects. Silence had fallen over the jungle like a curtain.

This island was bereft of life.

After about an hour, I reached a small clearing fronted by a lagoon. The water shimmered in the blazing sun, inviting in the muggy heat. A wall of rocky outcroppings encircled the lagoon. One quick glance at my surroundings confirmed my earlier suspicions. Large reflectors and tripods dominated the landscape, real eyesores in this natural environment. Camera equipment and towels lined the tall grass. This had to be the island where the photo crew had gone missing.

I searched the clearing and found bags of equipment which contained lenses, speedlights, and diffusers. There was a folding table, a stepladder, lens cloth, and a crate filled with skimpy bathing suits, hair brushes, and a spray bottle filled with what looked like baby oil.

The photographer and his team must have been in the middle of a shoot when something had interrupted them. I scrutinized the items and spotted a professional camera lying in the tall grass.

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