The sun was starting to set on the pacific ocean as a land mass came into view far in front of the rebel ship.
The waves shimmered with that orange tint the children only knew from land.
The kids were gathered on deck, another of Charlotte's pseudo-meetings.
"There." Ratu pointed to the land mass as it came into view.
It was bigger than most of the teens expected.
They had the image of the type of island a lone survivor would get shipwrecked on.
Instead, the island that came into view was a lush jungle, surrounded by shallow waters that led onto a rocky beach.
"Holy shit. How big is this island?" Kai dragged his fingers through his short, black hair.
"Pretty big. We'll never be able to search the whole island." Akilah sighed as she squinted at the map in her hands, focusing on Komodo island.
"If all goes well, it'll take less than a day." Charlotte put her cowboy hat on, brushing her blonde hair with her fingers. "Ratu knows the general area. We just need to look for a landmark."
"And what's that?" Chase wrapped a strap around his shoulder, which his friends quickly realized was connected to an AK-47.
Vida's brow furrowed, looking towards the island for any sign of danger.
"I guess it's better to be safe than sorry." Vida thought, letting out a deep breath.
Hendrix noticed the gesture, putting a hand on Vida's shoulder.
"It'll be fine." Hendrix whispered and smiled. "Trust me."
Vida chuckled. "Thanks."
"We search for a graveyard." Ratu answered Chase's question as she dug her fingers into a tiny bottle of black substance.
She raised two fingers to her face, now covered in the black substance, and dragged them under her eyes.
The ship was now only a few minutes from docking on the rocky shores of Komodo island.
Charlotte ushered the kids over to the edge of the ship, where they boarded a small wooden boat with oars on either side.
The ship slowed its pace until it was still in the choppy waves of the Pacific, only a few meters from the shallow waters of Komodo island.
"You guys ready?" Charlotte asked the kids, who were now sitting shoulder to shoulder in the small wooden boat hanging over the side of the ginormous ship.
The kids nodded as Charlotte began to lower the boat.
Creak
Charlotte pulled a thick rope which was wrapped around a gear at the edge of the ship's deck.
After a few minutes of creaky descent, the boat met the water, causing the rope to ascend back up to the ship's deck.
Charlotte grabbed two oars, quickly beginning to row towards the island as the waves split at the front of the boat.
"When we dock, we follow Ratu. Got it?" Charlotte asked as the kids nodded, looking at Ratu.
The girl's eyes were glued to the sight of her birthplace, her emotionless expression impossible to interpret.
The boat jolted against a rock as the group tried to hold their balance.
Ratu jumped off the boat, her eyes trained on the dark forest in front of her.
Even through the cover of the setting sun, everyone on that boat could see how sparse the forest was. Only a few miles into the island, the forest gave way to a dry, open landscape.
"Stick to the forests." Ratu whispered in her usual monotone voice.
"Why?" Akilah asked, curious.
"It's harder for them to run." Ratu said, her eyes still fixated on the forest. "If you have to, climb the trees."
The friends looked at each other, confusion and anxiety growing inside their hearts.
The group made their way onto land.
Crunch
Boots sunk into sand as the teens tried to get off the boat without losing their balance.
"Oh-" Vida lost her balance, her arms flailing out in an attempt to catch herself.
"Gotcha." Hendrix whispered, catching Vida right before her face hit the sand.
"Sh." Ratu snapped at the two, who quickly recovered their composure.
A rustling echoed out from the bushes beyond the beach.
The rebels went silent, awaiting the next sound from the unknown force.
After a few more moments, Biggie broke the silence.
"The fuck is happening?" Biggie whispered to Charlotte.
"Komodo dragons are everywhere on this island." Charlotte started. "They used to avoid humans, but Ratu says something changed the day the Forces landed."
Biggie exhaled. "I can't believe I signed up for a wildlife expedition." He mumbled.
Slim bumped his friend on the shoulder in a quiet attempt to shut him up, which surprisingly worked.
The group slowly gained ground, growing closer and closer to the forest as they tried to keep their anxious minds in check.
Every swaying leaf made them jump, just as every rustle of leaves made them imagine the worst.
After a few minutes, they had already made their way through the small forest.
As they pushed past the last few bushes, the lush greenery made way to a dry, rugged open space, only broken up by the occasional desert tree or rolling rock.
"Stay close to the treeline." Charlotte whispered.
And so the group did, making sure to check their surroundings at almost every step.
After a few more minutes of anxious silence, Chase felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Look." Amora whispered to her boyfriend, pointing towards the middle of the field.
Chase squinted at what looked like a rock in the middle of the yellow grass.
His eyes widened as he realized the rock was a komodo dragon, kicking up dirt as it dug into the ground.
"Silent." Ratu spoke, putting a finger over her mouth. It seemed as though she had already noticed the reptile a few feet back.
The dragon had dug deep into the ground, most of its body disappearing under the short grass.
Suddenly, it stopped digging.
It was still moving, however, doing something inside that hole.
"What is it doing-" Akilah paused as the reptile backed out of the hole.
As its head rose out from the hole, the group caught sight of something in its mouth, saliva dripping from the tips of its jaw.
Vida covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes widening as she realized what the reptile was holding.
The rotting human head inside the komodo dragon's jaws was in the advanced stages of decomposition. The wooden splinters littering the remains signifying the wooden coffin the beast would have had to break open to get to the body.
Crack
The dragon's jaws tightened around the skull as rotten, dark blood leaked from the head.
The rest of the body came into view next, the dry skin rubbing against the dry grass.
Rustling surrounded the group.
Komodo dragons sprinted from almost every direction, rushing towards the corpse.
Crack, snap
One by one, the reptiles got a hold of the corpse. Limb by limb, they ripped the dead body apart, rotten blood splattering onto the rugged terrain.
Chase dragged his fingers through his hair, Amora turned away, Akilah and Vida covered their mouths with their hands, Charlotte fixed her hat over her hair, Slim and Biggie both shook their heads, and Hendrix held his forehead with his hand.
Ratu stared with a vacant expression, occasionally checking her surroundings for any remaining reptiles.
The dragons tore the body to pieces, gulping down rotten limbs with violent jerks.
The sound was sickening. The snapping of bones, the ripping of flesh, a swell of sounds filled the air that was once sickeningly silent.
"We keep moving." Ratu waved to the group, walking with cautious steps.
The rest of the group followed hesitantly.
Hendrix stepped forward, his eyes still fixated on the feeding frenzy in the middle of the field.
His foot hit a tree stump as the teen tried to catch himself before-
Thud
Hendrix's hands hit the sandy dirt, catching himself before the rest of his body fell.
It wasn't enough to deafen the noise, though.
The entire group spun towards the boy, both worried for Hendrix and their own safety.
"No." Ratu muttered, her head spinning towards the open field.
The group of komodo dragons went still, their black, beady eyes trained on the group as the air went silent once again.
"Run." Charlotte spoke, no longer in a whisper.