Atoll X by Russell James

Author:Russell James [James, Russell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severed Press
Published: 2023-01-05T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

After a while trekking through denser jungle, the group hiked up a slight hill and came upon an open, scrubby area. A break in the trees gave a view of the ocean on the atoll’s south side.

“This might be a good spot to take a break,” Allen said. “We’ll see anything coming to hunt us, and we can also keep a lookout for anyone coming to rescue us.”

They moved into the clearing. A rough, fifteen-foot-wide ring of broken coral heads sat in the center around a smooth patch of fine sand.

“Finally,” Grant said, “a place where we can join in a meditation circle.”

“What an odd thing to be here,” Marie said.

She walked into the center of the ring. The rest of the group followed, except Allen, who stood outside the ring watching the sea.

Even through his palm leaf-sewn shoe, Grant thought the surface felt unnaturally hard. He knelt down, swept away the sugary sand, and exposed what looked like gray, rounded cobblestones, each a few feet long. He turned to Kaelo.

“Are you sure your people never lived here? Between hauling up the coral and polishing all these big stones, someone went to a lot of trouble to build this.”

“The only people to visit here,” Kaelo said, “did it hundreds of years ago before the ban, and this is clearly not hundreds of years old.”

Marie swept clean some cobblestones, then lay down on her back and closed her eyes. “Mmm. This is nice and warm and relaxing.”

“Allen, you sure your men will know to look for us here?” McGinty said.

“Process of elimination. If we were still alive anywhere, the only place would be Atoll X. They’ll come looking for us.”

“So, what do you think Mr. Rothman will say when you tell him pirates sank his big boat?” Grant said.

“I couldn’t say,” Allen said. “I’ve only spoken to the man a few times. Wilson said Rothman had never even been on board the boat, so he can’t be very attached to it.”

“Never been on board?”

“It sailed here from America to support the resort. The few times I’ve seen Rothman here, he’s arrived in the helicopter.”

“He’s putting all this money into a project and he’s that disconnected from it?”

“He’s not disconnected,” Allen said. “He’s in contact with all of us multiple times a week.”

“He sends me new menu items every week,” Marie said without even opening her eyes. “Even though we won’t be open for months.”

“He’s just not here physically,” Allen said.

“I’d sure be more hands on with this kind of investment,” Grant said.

“The ultra-rich view money differently,” McGinty said. “Big as this project is, it’s a rounding error to him. Like you buying a few T-shirts.”

“I’m an underpaid college professor,” Grant said. “Even T-shirts aren’t rounding errors.”

A click sounded from underground. Marie’s body, still prone across the stone, went rigid. Her eyes popped open.

“What was that?” she said.

No one answered. Grant looked to Kaelo. The man shrugged.

Another click sounded, louder this time, like someone giving a bit of pottery a hard tap with a hammer.

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