The Island of no Return
by Asmaa Nada
Ch 19/ Ch20
Chapter Nineteen
After Antoine calmed down, he sat beside Clark, who was still unconscious, and poured some water over his face.
Clark jolted awake, eyes darting around in panic.
“Antoine! Think of something—how do we get out of here? How can I move with those snakes all around? Damn it, how did we even escape and end up back here?”
Antoine frowned. “Why were you just standing there, staring at that huge snake wrapping itself around your leg?”
Clark rubbed his wet hair roughly. “I remembered... I saw a woman—beautiful—walking toward me so calmly. I wanted to grab her, to take her out of that place, but... I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even speak.”
Mark’s brow furrowed. “There was screaming right after you two came back, Antoine. Was that her—the woman he’s talking about?”
William turned toward Oshien, who signed something quickly with her hands.
William translated, “He says there was only one female outside the nest. The rest were male serpents.”
Mary muttered, “Maybe it’s mating season on this island. The female octopus wanted Antoine before, and now this female serpent wanted Clark.”
Mark laughed. “Careful, Raymond. You might be next.”
Raymond smirked, glancing at Oshien. “Too late—I think I already fell for one.”
Antoine chuckled and smacked the back of Raymond’s head. “Shut up before her brother kills you.”
Everyone laughed, and William raised a hand with a small smile.
“Don’t worry, Antoine. He’s already her fiancé. My sister accepted his offer. I just need to negotiate the dowry. Though honestly, Mark, I think you should be the one watching your back—you might be next.”
Mark grinned. “And what about you, William?”
William signed, “I already have someone waiting for me in the depths of the sea. But I’ll make sure my sister is safe first.”
Alice tilted her head. “How many sea women are out there waiting to marry creatures not of their kind?”
William shrugged. “Not many males were left after the experiments. Most were performed on females.”
Elizabeth frowned. “And how do you know that, William?”
Oshien signed again, and William translated her words: “I told you—he used to come here often with my father and the men of the tribe.”
They exchanged uneasy looks. Antoine broke the silence.
“Well, at least we have someone who knows the island well. That’s an advantage for us, right, William?”
William smiled faintly. “Of course, Antoine. I’m with you. But tell me—why do you want to be cured so badly? Is there someone important waiting for you back home? Don’t take my question the wrong way—I chose not to seek a cure myself. I’m stronger now... faster. I can live both on land and in the sea. You could too.”
Antoine shook his head. “Could you live among humans? Could you live where no one looks at you in fear? Why should I give up my family, my memories, my friends... to live alone?”
Oshien signed softly. “Everyone deserves the right to choose. But we were never given that choice. We were forced into this life.”
Clark yawned and stretched. “Enough talking. We should sleep. Tomorrow we’ll all go to the lab and work on Antoine’s treatment. And Mary, don’t mess too much with those recordings—just look for something in the papers Raymond brought. We’ll only try the cure if we’re sure it’s safe. We’re not risking our friend’s life.”
Antoine lay down beside Clark and slipped him a folded note.
Clark opened it discreetly. The handwriting read:
> “Clark, I don’t trust William or his sister. If something happens to me tomorrow, fight to expose them and keep our friends safe.”
Clark tucked the paper into his shirt and whispered,
> “Then we won’t try anything until we’re absolutely sure. A living mutant friend is better than a dead one.”
Antoine nodded, though he didn’t sleep. Neither did William. The two spent the rest of the night building wooden walls around the shelter, nailing boards between the posts and covering the roof with the waterproof fabric they’d found.
When William pointed toward the horizon, Antoine followed his gaze.
“The night passed so fast,” he murmured.
He turned toward the fire—and froze.
The enormous serpent was coiled around the fire pit, its massive body forming a shimmering wall around the dying flames. When the first rays of sunlight touched its scales, it began to uncoil and slide away into the forest.
“That’s not the anaconda,” Antoine said, voice low. “The one we saw before had arms and legs like a chameleon... and a rattle at the tip of its tail. This one is different.”
Clark, who had been pretending to sleep, sat up slowly.
“Do you mean the beautiful woman walking away from the fire right now? Because that’s what I see. Not a serpent.”
William’s expression didn’t change. He understood every word but pretended not to, focusing instead on waking the others.
Soon, everyone was ready to move. They entered the forest without hesitation—by now, none of the strange creatures startled them. Even the beasts merely watched from a distance, no longer hostile.
Alice gestured with her hands, asking William to translate,
“Why has the anaconda stopped following us—or showing itself?”
Oshien replied through signs, “Maybe it went to attack the neighboring islands, since it didn’t find its sacrifice here.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Didn’t find it? But you were the sacrifice, weren’t you?”
Oshien smiled faintly. “Yes, but you appeared and set me free. You frightened my people before they could complete the ritual, so they ran.”
Antoine asked, “What ritual?”
She signed, “They had to wade into the river and cut open my wrists, laying the heads of sheep at my feet. The bodies of the sheep were thrown into the water... then they would leave.”
Antoine’s jaw tightened. “So why attack the other islands while we’re still here? Why not come for us?”
She signed again, “I said maybe. It could still be watching... waiting for the right moment.”
Two hours later, they reached the entrance to the lab.
William refused to go inside. He signed that he’d stay outside to keep watch and warn them if anything happened.
Inside, the group split into two teams—one took the elevator Clark managed to reactivate, while the other descended the stairs to retrieve the blood-draining insects from the incubation room.
When they regrouped at the medical floor, they began preparing the equipment.
Mary opened a refrigerated cabinet and took out a pack of blood labeled with Antoine’s exact blood type.
“Strange,” she murmured, “even after all this time, the samples are perfectly preserved. They could last another decade at least.”
Elizabeth asked, “Is that even possible—using blood that old?”
Mary sighed. “Honestly, I have no idea. I’m still a student, and I’ve never thought to ask that question.”
Raymond muttered, “What if that blood belonged to other mutants? We might be mixing his DNA with something we don’t understand.”
They all looked at Antoine.
Alice smiled faintly. “Why not just stay the mutant we already know, Antoine?”
He grinned back. “We’ll try it anyway. Maybe I’ll end up stronger—a hybrid of hybrids. Strong enough to face the anaconda itself.”
Oshien shook her head. “Even if you took every drop of mutant blood, you’d never match its strength. Its power isn’t in its body—it’s in its mind. He was a serial killer once, a monster even before he was transformed.”
Clark leaned close to Antoine’s ear.
“I don’t trust those two. They know too much.”
Antoine whispered back, “Should we wait—put the experiment off a few days until we find a way out?”
Mark overheard and stepped closer. “No. We do it now. We don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here. I’d rather take the risk than watch you lose yourself completely.”
Antoine nodded. “Then let’s start. But we finish before nightfall. I don’t like being here after dark.”
Raymond came in, speaking quickly. “The security system’s back online. Alice restored the floor’s isolation protocols—no one can break in or out now. The infrared cameras are working, too—they show body heat and biological structure. Even insects will show up clearly.”
Minutes passed in tense silence as Mary, Oshien, and Elizabeth prepared the containment chamber. Elizabeth moved unnaturally fast, her body still charged with the strange energy from the tree-woman’s toxin.
Clark and Antoine whispered again, their eyes following Oshien’s odd movements—graceful but not human, her steps gliding like a serpent’s.
Mark and Alice sat at the monitors.
Mark pointed. “Alice, look—William’s outside.”
Raymond leaned closer. “Why don’t I see bones in his body? You said you set the camera to X-ray mode, right?”
Alice frowned. “Yes. But look—his skull shape isn’t human, and there’s no skeleton structure inside the torso. Only something small near his spine... like tiny wings.”
Raymond whispered, “I’m going to tell Mary. I’ll use that code we made in high school so Oshien won’t understand.”
He walked over to Mary, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the glass container—a secret signal.
Mary caught on instantly. “Oshien, check Antoine’s pulse,” she said calmly. “Tell him to relax. We don’t want the insects sensing fear.”
Oshien nodded and walked to Antoine, unaware of the coded message.
Meanwhile, Mary joined Alice at the screen and whispered, “He’s not skeletal—he’s soft-bodied, like a fish without bones. But the muscle layout is… humanoid. And look at the skull—it’s serpentine.”
Alice’s voice dropped to a murmur. “Not just him. Look at Oshien. Her heat map matches that of a rattlesnake mutant—but she hides it perfectly in human form.”
Mary’s eyes darkened. “Once we start the transfusion, I’ll pretend the blood isn’t viable. I’ll use that as an excuse to draw samples from everyone—for testing.”
Raymond whispered, “They haven’t attacked us yet. Maybe they really want to help.”
Clark joined them quietly. “Or maybe no one’s been feeding sacrifices to the island beasts lately... because we’re the sacrifices. And William and his sister are just here to make sure we don’t escape.”
Before anyone could reply, Antoine’s voice rang out sharply,
“Mary! If everything’s ready, let’s begin. We’ll be here for hours, and I don’t want to spend the night in this place.”
Mary nodded. “Clark, secure his arm to the lift. Raymond, help him remove his shirt. Oshien, stand by the lever—when I give the signal, raise him into the chamber. Mark, stay near the base and open the insect drawer. I’ll release the gas to wake them.”
Elizabeth added, “Tina and I will lock down the floor.”
Alice looked around suddenly. “Tina? Where is she?”
Everyone paused. Antoine frowned. “Who was she with when we entered?”
A series of knocks echoed from the stairwell door.
Raymond rushed over and opened it.
Tina stood there, breathless but smiling.
“Sorry I’m late. I went back upstairs to get something.”
She lifted a metal case. “Guns. Fully loaded. The bullets pierce even dinosaur hide. I tested one—it took down a crocodile.”
Chapter Twenty
Everyone had taken their positions, ready to begin the medical experiment they’d once seen in the recordings. Yet unease filled the room. Each of them wondered—would Antoine survive? Or would he turn into something monstrous, faster than they could imagine? And what about William and Oshyn—were they truly helping, or merely ensuring no one escaped?
Antoine stripped off his clothes, his gaze fixed on Ramon, a faint smirk on his lips.
“If you touch my clothes,” he muttered, “you’ll be the first one I devour… if I turn.”
Clark laughed, trying to lighten the tension, then secured Antoine’s arms with the steel chains of the hoist. At Mary’s signal, Oshyn pressed the button, and Antoine’s body was lifted, slowly descending into the transparent chamber below. Once he was lowered inside, Mary shut the upper lid firmly.
Mark crouched beside the glass chamber, sliding the small insect crate into the slot designed for it. Moments later, Mary released the first type of vapor—the stimulant gas meant to awaken the creatures inside and drive them into a blood-hungry frenzy.
Instantly, the insects swarmed Antoine’s body, covering him from head to toe. His screams tore through the silence as he thrashed violently, pounding the glass walls with desperate strength. The agony seemed endless. For nearly an hour, he writhed and howled—then suddenly went still.
His body fell limp. His voice vanished.
For a long moment, no one moved. Mary rushed forward, trembling, reaching for the second valve.
“He’s lost too much blood!” she cried. “If I don’t—”
Oshyn caught her wrist, shaking her head. Her hands moved in sharp gestures: Wait. The insects must rise first. That’s how we’ll know they’re done feeding.
Mary pushed her hand away, shouting,
“If they drain him dry, he’ll die!”
Oshyn’s face stayed calm. He won’t die. Her gestures quickened. We’ll transfuse the blood. He can last a few minutes.
Mary turned toward the chamber—and froze. The insects were lifting off, drifting away from Antoine’s pale body. She immediately pulled the lever for the second gas, then darted to the hoist controls. Oshyn pressed the release, raising Antoine from the chamber while Mary unlatched the lid. Clouds of stunned insects fell from him, lifeless, as his body was lifted out.
Mark and Clark rushed to untie his arms, laying him on the medical cot. Mary connected the transfusion lines, blood slowly flowing back into Antoine’s veins.
Three tense hours passed in silence—broken only by the faint hum of machinery and the shallow breaths of fear. Finally, Tina whispered,
“Night has pulled its curtain over the island. We should close this place now. Oshyn, call your brother. We must seal the lower floors.”
But Oshyn shook her head, signing quickly: We can’t stay. This place isn’t safe. If it were, those who worked here wouldn’t have died.
Before anyone could answer, a scream echoed from the elevator shaft—horrific, human, and close.
Clark and Mark bolted toward the inner gate, slamming it shut just before the elevator door creaked open. Then Tina gasped, her voice trembling,
“The floor—it’s moving!”
Mary glanced down. The tiles rippled beneath their feet like liquid. “The transfusion’s complete,” she said. “Oshyn’s right—we need to leave. Now!”
Mark began shouting orders. “Mary, Alice—grab the medicine and blood packs! Ramon, open the drawers and find weapons. Tina, Oshyn, Elizabeth—take the rifles and cover the exit. Elizabeth and I lead. Everyone else stays behind us!”
They worked in frantic unison. Mary packed syringes, painkillers, and sealed blood bags into the cooler box. Clark slung the unconscious Antoine over his shoulder. The group lined up: Mark and Elizabeth in front, Mary and Ramon in the center, Tina and Alice behind them—moving fast toward the stairwell as the moans of the living dead grew louder behind the elevator door.
When Mark pushed open the final stairway door to the ground level, the sight froze them.
In the middle of the floor, blocking the exit, stood a massive creature—part dragon, part serpent—its wing torn, its chest scorched. It fought a pack of winged lions, each with the head of a hawk. The air filled with roars and flame.
“Go!” Mark hissed. “Keep to the far wall!”
Clark tightened his grip on Antoine and darted toward the shadows, skirting the battle. The dragon-like creature turned its head toward him, locking eyes—and then, as if recognizing him, it let out a piercing roar that drew the lions’ attention away from the exit.
Oshyn froze by the doorway, staring at the beast with unmistakable sorrow. Alice grabbed her arm.
“Come on! William will handle them—he’ll follow us!”
Oshyn looked at her, startled. How did you know it was William? her gestures asked.
Alice smiled faintly. “Your eyes, Oshyn. And you told me yourself—he could become a dragon, remember?”
Oshyn’s expression softened, and she followed her out.
Outside, chaos awaited them. Antoine had fallen to the ground, barely conscious, while Mark and Tina fired desperately at a pack of fox-like beasts. Clark fought one with twin blades, striking wildly. Then—silence.
The foxes suddenly fled, vanishing into the dark. Even the lions inside retreated.
William emerged from the ruins, blood dripping down his back, wrapping a tattered cloth around his waist. His voice thundered:
“Run! To the shore! Don’t look back—it’s the Anaconda!”
Chapter Twenty (Part Two)
They ran.
Branches snapped beneath their feet as the group sprinted through the forest, guided only by the pale moonlight seeping through the tangled canopy. Behind them, a roar rolled across the island—so deep it shook the very ground.
“Faster!” Mark shouted. “It’s gaining on us!”
Clark looked over his shoulder and saw it—the monstrous shadow slithering between the trees, taller than the palms, its scales glistening like molten stone. The Anaconda.
Elizabeth stumbled, clutching her side, but Mary caught her before she fell. “Don’t stop!” she cried. “The beach is close!”
Ahead, the faint shimmer of the sea appeared between the trees, silver under the moon. Clark pushed forward, carrying Antoine over his shoulder though the man’s body burned with fever.
Suddenly, a hiss tore through the air—then a massive tail whipped across the clearing, sending Ramon flying into a tree. He hit the ground hard, coughing blood.
“Ramon!” Alice screamed, rushing to him—but Clark grabbed her arm, dragging her back.
“No! He’s gone!”
The Anaconda’s head rose above them, eyes like burning embers, fangs dripping black venom. It spoke—not in words, but in a guttural growl that vibrated through their bones.
William—still in his human form, bleeding and exhausted—stepped between the creature and the group. His voice thundered through the chaos.
“Enough!”
The Anaconda froze, its massive coils tensing. William’s eyes glowed faintly, the dragon within him flickering to life.
“You think you can protect them, traitor?” the creature hissed. Its voice was like wind scraping over stone. “You, who once fed beside me?”
William spread his arms. “They are not yours. The curse ends tonight.”
The beast lunged, striking like lightning. William met it head-on, transforming mid-leap—his wings bursting open in a blinding flash of light. The impact threw the others to the ground as dragon and serpent collided, their roars shaking the forest.
“Clark!” Mark shouted over the noise. “We can’t stay here—get them to the boats!”
But Clark stood frozen, staring at the battle. “He’s buying us time… I can’t leave him!”
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw movement—Antoine, still half-conscious, struggling to sit up. His veins pulsed black beneath his skin, eyes flickering gold.
“Mary…” he whispered. “Get… away…”
She knelt beside him, tears streaking her face. “You’re going to be fine. Just hold on—”
But before she could finish, Antoine convulsed, his body arching violently. The insect toxin and the transfusion had fused within him, twisting his blood. His scream turned inhuman as his skin split along his spine—wings of bone and sinew unfurling.
Mark stumbled back. “What the hell—Antoine?”
Antoine’s voice was layered now, part human, part beast.
“I… can stop it…”
He rose unsteadily, then leapt into the air, wings slicing through the wind. He dove straight into the battle between William and the Anaconda, striking the serpent’s throat with a spear-like claw.
The monster reeled, shrieking. William seized the chance, clamping his jaws around the creature’s neck and tearing through its scales. Black blood sprayed across the forest floor.
Clark yelled, “Now! Move!”
The group bolted toward the beach. The roar of the ocean grew louder with every step until they burst from the trees onto the sand, gasping. Behind them, fire and thunder raged—the dragons’ battle lighting up the sky.
Oshyn stopped, staring back, tears shining in her eyes. “William…” she whispered.
Clark turned to her. “He knew this would happen. He stayed behind for us. Don’t make his sacrifice useless.”
She nodded, trembling, and followed the others toward the boats they had hidden earlier among the rocks.
Just as they pushed the first one into the waves, a blinding flash split the heavens. The sound came a moment later—a deafening crack as if the sky itself had been torn apart. The shockwave hit them, knocking everyone to the sand.
When Mary lifted her head, she saw it—the Anaconda collapsing, its body burning from within, and beside it, two figures falling through the flames: William and Antoine.
The sea swallowed the light. Then there was silence.
Only the hiss of the tide remained.
Clark stood motionless, eyes fixed on the dark horizon. “They did it,” he whispered. “The curse… it’s over.”
Oshyn knelt in the surf, her hands shaking. “But at what cost?”
The wind carried no answer. Only the faint glimmer of dawn touched the waves, painting the world in gray.
And from deep within the sea, unseen by any of them, something vast stirred—its single golden eye opening once more.
Chapter Twenty (Part Three)
The waves calmed slowly, as though the island itself had taken a long breath after centuries of torment. The wind that once carried whispers of the dead now moved softly through the trees, gentle… almost human.
Alice stood on the beach, the hem of her dress soaked with seawater, her eyes fixed on the horizon where the last sparks of battle had vanished. “Is it really over?” she murmured.
No one answered. Even the birds had fallen silent.
Mary approached her, laying a hand on her shoulder. “They freed us, Alice… William and Antoine ended it.”
But Alice shook her head, her voice breaking. “No… not yet. The island is still awake.”
At that moment, the sand beneath their feet trembled faintly—then glowed with an eerie golden light. The glow spread outward in a wide circle, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Clark stumbled back. “What now?”
Oshyn knelt, pressing her hand to the sand. “This isn’t destruction,” she whispered. “It’s release.”
And then, before their eyes, the light began to rise—shimmering into forms that slowly took shape: faces, bodies, hundreds of them. The souls of the island. The lost ones.
They hovered above the ground like mist, gazing at the survivors with sorrow and peace intertwined. Among them, Alice saw a familiar figure—an elderly woman, graceful and radiant.
“Grandmother…” she whispered, her lips trembling.
Lauren smiled. “It’s time, my dear. The curse is broken, but the island still remembers. It needs your voice to let go.”
Alice’s heart ached. “What must I do?”
Lauren extended her hand. “Call him. Call Hector. His spirit lingers between life and sea. You must bind him to the island so that its pain can finally rest.”
The wind rose again, carrying the scent of salt and ashes. Alice stepped into the glowing water, her voice barely a whisper at first—then stronger, carried by the waves:
“Hector! The time has come. Your battle is over. Come home…”
A deep rumble answered from beneath the sea. The water began to churn, spiraling into a vortex, and from its heart emerged a figure—tall, shadowed, and fierce.
Hector.
His eyes, once filled with rage, softened as they met hers. “Alice… why did you call me?”
She took a trembling breath. “Because the island won’t rest without you. Lauren told me the truth. You must return to where it began. You must give it peace.”
Hector looked down at his hands—translucent, glowing faintly with the same light that surrounded the spirits. “Peace… I’ve forgotten what that feels like.”
Lauren stepped forward beside Alice, her spirit shimmering brighter. “Then remember now. The island was born from your pain, and only your heart can end it.”
He closed his eyes. For the first time, his expression softened—not as a warrior, but as a man weary of endless struggle. He reached out to Lauren. Their hands met, and a blinding light burst between them.
The sea exploded in white brilliance, washing over the shore. Alice shielded her face, but through the glare she saw them—Hector and Lauren—rising together, their bodies dissolving into the light that stretched across the horizon.
One by one, the spirits followed, their voices blending into a song that seemed to heal the very air. The light swept over the island, cleansing the ruins, quieting the forests, and filling the night with warmth.
Then silence.
When the light faded, the island lay still. No screams. No whispers. Only the rhythm of calm waves and the distant cry of gulls returning for the first time in years.
Clark exhaled slowly. “It’s… beautiful.”
Mary nodded, tears on her cheeks. “They’re free.”
Alice fell to her knees, her hands in the water that now shimmered gold beneath the moonlight. “Goodbye… Grandma. Goodbye, Hector.”
Oshyn knelt beside her. “They’ll never really leave. The island will remember them, not as monsters—but as the ones who gave it peace.”
A soft wind brushed against them, carrying faint voices—Laurens’s laughter, Hector’s final words:
“Protect each other. Live.”
The group watched as dawn finally broke, painting the sea in silver and rose. The island that had once been a prison now breathed like a living soul—quiet, whole, and free.
And for the first time since their arrival, Alice smiled.