The hollow tubes all around Marten’s head rattled and cracked. More blue water began to dump into the cramped cell. He shivered with protest at the cold that now enveloped his body from all sides as the pungent smell of chlorine wafted up from beneath him and tickled his nose with its presence. He sneezed a few times and looked down at the floor with confusion. The water was up to his shins now. Why was he here? He looked up at that ceiling as if expecting the pipes to answer the question for him. They just stared down on him like hollow fish eyes. The sound of dripping water was heard all around inside the little cell.
Marten struggled in his chair and looked coldly at his reflection in the mirror mounted in front of him. His new suit was completely ruined and he was drenched in cold water. Things were not looking up for him. The roof began to rattle and shake again. Marten looked up in time to see more gallons of water pour into the small room. It splashed all over his face and ran down his back. He shook his head and screamed madly at the top of his lungs. It seemed that every soaking was getting colder and colder as the time passed. Where did they even store all this water? Thought Marten, It’s absolutely freezing. His jaw began to chatter and shake.
The water level had reached his knees now.
“Help!” yelled Marten hoarsely beginning to chafe all over. He had never been so uncomfortable in his life. “I want out. Let me go. I didn’t do anything wrong! I’ll call my lawyer! I’ll sue!” His voice echoed off the pipes and rang back into his ears.
“I’ll sue! I’ll sue! I’ll sue!” He kept repeating. Marten found the echo disturbing; he didn’t sound so good. His voice was scared and sickly to match his reflection. He stopped yelling and looked down at the ground in momentary defeat. It was hopeless; no one would hear him all the way down here. He looked back over to the mirror with questioning eyes. There was something more to it that he couldn’t quite place his finger on. Something about its texture and odd metallic surface gave it away; this was not an ordinary mirror. Why would someone put a mirror in a room like this?
“Why am I in here?” yelled Marten at his beaten reflection of himself. “I have no business here! Why are you–” Marten paused, everything seemed to come together in a rush of blind inspiration. It was all becoming very clear why the queer mirror was here. There was someone on the other side watching him. There was someone on the other end observing his soakings.
“You sick, little perverts! If I get out of here I’ll beat you!” Marten straightened up and pulled back his broad shoulders in a poor attempt at looking unfazed by his hopeless situation. “You hear me, you jerks! I’ll pound you!” No response came from the other side of the glass. After awhile, Marten feared that they had just left him here to die. A bitter sickness stabbed at his gut, it was the feeling of dread; it was the feeling of death. Suddenly life seemed too short.
* * *
Lee stared sympathetically at Marten’s pale face as he yelled at the glass. He could only imagine what he was going through right now. He could only imagine the terror and unease he must be feeling inside the box. Not knowing what’s going on. Not knowing if he was going to live or die.
Don’t worry, Marten, I’ll get you out of there alive. I’ll make sure that I figure out this horrible game of my uncles. He shifted his weary gaze to the panel of buttons before him. They looked weird and foreign, as if someone had dissected a whole row of alien eyeballs and mounted them into the cold, hard steel. There wasn’t any apparent pattern and sequence. It all seemed random and misplaced. He looked over to his uncle Tash and studied him for a second. How he hated the silver-haired man.
He had never seen his uncle’s true colors until now. How could anyone be so stone cold? How could you just stand there and watch someone die right before your eyes and not do anything about it; especially when you were the one inflicting it upon that person? His uncle was passed feeling. He was a murderer! A monster….
Mr. Tash caught the look of contempt on his nephews face. It looked childish, as if he had taken a toy from him. Tash smiled.
“Well, Lee, are you going to answer the question I asked, or do things have to get messy?” He paced back and forth in front of the mirror like a wild cat. His hands were inside his pockets. Lee could feel resentment rising in his chest. He absolutely detested being related to this guy. Marten was right: they should have left when they had the chance.
“Yes,” said Lee. “Marten, me and a couple of friends need your help for an expedition to Liroic’s Island. That’s why we are here. We thought that maybe you could help us… but apparently I was wrong.”
Tash stopped pacing and glared at Lee for a moment before walking over to the table. He was angry.
‘“Don’t you dare give me lip!” He smacked Lee across the face. Lee let out a yelp and turned his head. “I own you right now. Do you even know what that means, nephew? Do you!?”
Lee nodded his head; he knew very well what that meant for him and Marten. It meant both men were in trouble. He lifted a hand and rubbed his cheek. His face was throbbing from the smack.
“Do you think that this is a fairytale? Do you think that someone is going to bust through that door over there,” Tash pointed to the far wall, “and rescue you? This is the real world nephew! This is reality; the hero always gets hosed in the real world!” He straightened up. “Now give me a serious answer!”
“I gave you a serious answer,” Lee spat out a wad of blood. “We are looking for the Island. We found a star map leading to it!”
Mr. Tash reached across the table and gripped Lee by the scruff of his shirt. He pulled him across the paneling with astonishing strength. The force from the yank wrenched his stomach into a big knot. He gritted his teeth in pain. The leather belt around his chest felt like it was going to cut him in half.
“Please, stop, Uncle.”
“I’ll stop when you tell me the truth!”
Lee moaned. Tears started coming to his eyes.
“I have told you the truth. The map does exist. The Island is real!”
“You expect me to believe that you came here because you want me to fund a trip to an imaginary island that disappeared? An island which history lost eight hundred years ago? An Island which has turned into legend, and is told to babies to put them to sleep? You want me to find a dream. Don’t mock me!”
Lee belted out in pain.
“Please let go… it hurts!”
Tash released him and started to laugh. His business centered mind was brewing with questions.
“Okay, let’s say that what you are telling me is the truth. Let’s say that this island does exist. Why would you want to go there? What is so special about this place, that you would risk your life to get to it?”
Lee was about to answer when Kaplen grabbed his mouth and held it shut. His grip was like a cold, hard vice against his jaw. The bodyguard whispered into his ear.
“Push a button first, boy. You know the rules.” He pulled his hand away and smacked Lee in the head. He was going to do it again when Tash called out.
“Calm down, Kaplen. I don’t want him brain dead. He still needs to answer my questions.”
Kaplen nodded and stepped back pointing the revolver back at Lee’s skull. Lee looked down at the buttons and frowned. He tried to control his labored breathing. The last thing he needed was to hyperventilate and pass out. If he were to do that I would mean game over for him and Marten. He had to maintain consciousness at all costs. He found a black button in the middle of the left corner column. With regret he pushed it, fearing that with that he might have killed Marten. There was a prolonged silence like before, and then there came a loud groan from the cement ceiling.
“No!” screamed Lee. More water began to fill the quiet little cell, but this time it seemed that the water wouldn’t stop coming, it was as if he had hit a fifty gallon button. Lee stared at Marten and then looked over to Tash for mercy. His uncle was standing by the mirror now looking in at Lee’s unfortunate friend. The water climbed up Marten’s body and stopped at the base of his neck. It swashed around.
“Look at that,” said Mark from behind. “You nearly killed him with that one, Lee. Good show!”
Lee ignored the comment. Marten looked like he was on the brink of collapsing in his chair that was restraining him. His eyes were shut tight and his lips were pursed to try and keep the water from getting into his mouth. Lee closed his eyes and looked away. The scene was too horrible to witness. Seeing someone in such desperation was almost too much to bear.
“Well, how delightful,” said Tash. “You have made this game interesting, Lee.” He turned and looked over to his nephew. “I commend you for that. Usually the person dies right off the bat. People always tend to find the fifty gallon buttons quickly.”
Tears were now coming down Lee’s face. He wanted this nightmare to come to an end. He wanted to wake up and never go to sleep, for fear that he would have to endure it again.
“Oh, don’t cry. Things will work out, you’ll see.” Tash chuckled and cleared his throat. “Your hero will arrive right on time and save the both of you. Just like in your little children’s story.” His tone was bordering on sardonic. “Now, answer the question, Lee.”
“How can you do this?” Lee sobbed and looked into his lap. He didn’t want to face anyone at this time. “How can you do this? Why couldn’t you just talk to us like normal people? Please, just let him go, you can have me if you’re looking for human suffering. You can take me!”
“Oh how sentimental. I think you see yourself as a sufficient sacrifice? I don’t want you to die, Lee. I want you to understand that life isn’t fair. Heartache and pain are a part of life. Tragedy falls on the good and turns a blind eye to the bad.” Tash said harshly, breathing in and out rapidly. “Welcome to reality! Life wasn’t so kind when it took my wife. I had to stand by, powerless as she suffered.” Tash’s words were cold and bitter. “I had to endure her pain… and for what? So God could take her ruthlessly, without any regard. God never gave her a chance, so why on this good Earth should I give you a chance, Lee? I want you to understand that you’re not in control here. I am. In this room I am God.”
“You’re cold,” said Lee. “That’s the only reality here. God wouldn’t stand for this.”
Tash’s face went hard.
“I am cold, but that makes me no different from an indignant God who decides when someone lives or dies. God is arbitrary. That much is apparent by the fact that we live in a world of suffering. I am a practical man… I believe I am what you call a realist… I was brain washed for the longest time. Now that I have become disillusioned, I’m free… now, answer the question!”
There was a moment of pause. “What was the question?”
“Why do you want to go to the island? What’s there?”
Lee groaned inside at the hard question being asked him. He didn’t want to tell his uncle anything. Doing so would prove catastrophic, but he couldn’t let Marten die. Not without a fight. He was stuck in-between a rock and a hard place. He thought of a half truth he could tell, and he thought of it quickly.
“The reason we want to go to the island is because my employer’s believe it will be a good publicity stunt. They want the fame, and they will be willing to reimburse you for the cost, that is, if you are willing to take us to the island.”
Tash stared at him for a minute. His blue eyes shifted all over his visage. He could sense something wasn’t right.
“You’re lying to me. You’re not telling me the whole story. You know something more.” He walked over to Lee’s chair and leaned in closely to his ear. There was a pause. The only thing that was heard was the dripping of the water inside the pipes. Then, Mr. Tash yelled.
“Tell me the whole story! Stop playing games!” His voice rang off the walls and inside Lee’s ears.
“I can’t!”
“You what?” Tash yelled with indignation and looked in Kaplen’s direction. There was a fire burning in his eyes as he signaled to the bodyguard. “Kill him! Kill him! I will not put up with this nonsense anymore!” He lifted a hand and shoved Lee’s head onto the panel in front of him.
Kaplen pulled back the hammer and was about to pull the trigger when Lee called out.
“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you!” His voice sounded frantic.
Tash laughed. This was how to get results. Given the choice between life and death, he found his victims would always choose life up to a certain point.
“I knew you would!” He leaned in close again. His breath danced across Lee’s face and it was unpleasant to take in. “You just needed a little persuasion. Now, tell me the truth; no lies!”
“There are objects on this Island. I work for a company that collects rare and ancient artifacts, I help load the boats. They want to go there and collect artifacts from a lost civilization. It might bring in a lot of money; even you would consider it a lot of money. It’s a good industry.”
“What artifacts?” Tash asked him snappishly. “Get more specific with me.”
Lee was going to respond when Kaplen smacked him across the back of the head. “Push a button before you answer the question, you fool. You know the rules!” He shoved Lee towards the panel on top of the table. Lee cringed and looked down at the colorful buttons before him. He wished that Tash would just stop asking questions. He was getting tired of the mental and emotional exertion it took him to stay rational in the situation. He prayed to God that Marten wouldn’t die. He found a crimson button in the middle of the panel and pushed it.
There was heard a moan from inside Marten’s cell as it started to fill with water again. Lee watched in utter horror as his friend went completely under the chlorinated solution. Marten struggled frantically to get free from his bonds. He looked hysterically around him at all the particles floating in the water. His cheeks bulged with back up air. Soon he would be dead.
“Stop this, please!” yelled Lee.
Tash pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and placed it in his mouth. It hung lightly off his lips as he lit it and took a long, hard drag. He was abnormally calm for the now escalating circumstance. He walked over to Marten’s cell and chuckled.
“The only one that can stop this from happening is you, Lee.” He looked back at his nephew and blew out a puff of smoke. It rose to the ceiling. “I would get answering my question; your friend doesn’t look too good. I would guess that he has about one to two minutes to live. He can’t hold his breath forever!”
Lee knew that his uncle was right.
“There are several artifacts on the island.” He spoke quickly, keeping his eyes on Marten the whole time. “It would be hard to get specific which ones, there are hundreds of them.”
“I don’t think that what you are telling me is entirely true, Lee.” Tash took another drag from his cigarette. He was getting a little frustrated with the evasiveness in his nephew. “If this is the same island that I think we are talking about then it has one particular artifact that I would want. I believe your keeping that a secret from me. I believe that you don’t want me to know.”
Lee’s heart sank deep within his chest. He started to fidget around in his seat. He knew his uncle was talking about the legendary “Brass”. He knew that he wanted it for himself. He couldn’t promise him anything. He had to keep quiet, and yet, he couldn’t just let Marten die. He had to answer.
“If I am to help you out with this trip, I want the thing that you are keeping a secret from me, you can have everything else but what I want is what the stories have talked about. I want the object that can move mountains and the hills. I want the object that can divide the lands and the planes. That can create human life. I want the ‘Brass’, nephew. That’s what I want out of this trip.”
Lee was quiet. His bottom lip was trembling.
“I know you hear me,” said Tash as he blew some smoke into Lee’s face. Lee coughed and closed his eyes.
“If I help you then the ‘Brass’ is mine!”
Lee felt Kaplen’s gun against his head again. He looked down at the buttons and thought about his situation carefully. If he didn’t answer the question and push a button in time Marten would be dead. He was gambling with a life here; every second counted. He felt like throwing up again.
“I suggest you stop wasting time, Lee,” said Mark from behind. “Your friend is going to die without air in his system.” The bodyguard was still watching Marten. The fat man inside the cell was in panic. He looked terrified.
“Yes, you can have it!” yelled Lee suddenly. His throat was sore, and he felt ashamed for even saying the words. He was in no position to be making deals on Scar Co’s behalf. “Just let me push another button. Let me save Marten! Please!”
Tash laughed and stood up. He walked around the table.
“Okay… push away. Try and save your pathetic friend. Try and be his hero.” He took off his suit coat jacket and handed it to Mark. The bodyguard grabbed it very gently as if he were handling a newborn baby.
Lee turned his head and looked down at the panel of buttons. He searched frantically for the one that might save Marten’s life. He found a pure white one on the right side of the table. He looked up at Marten and studied his face. He was turning purple now. He was yearning for breath. He was acting crazy and wild.
I hope this helps, thought Lee. He pushed the white button. Nothing was heard from the ceiling for awhile; Lee looked down at the panel to see if it was broken. He jumped when a sudden buzzing sound was heard from inside Marten’s death tank. Lee and the others stared at the tank in utter amazement. Marten’s metallic bonds had come loose; he was free from the chair. The fat man pushed up to the surface with a loud gasp of air. He was spitting up bouts of water here and there.
Lee let out a sigh of relief. Marten was going to be okay. He was now standing on the seat of the chair enjoying his newly acquired freedom. He was screaming at the top of his lungs now, no doubt, calling out for help.
I am here, Marten, thought Lee. I’ll do my best to get you out of there.
Tash ran his hands through his silvers hair. He was getting frustrated with the dumb luck that his nephew was experiencing. Marten was supposed to be dead. This was not part of the initial plan. What Lee had done was amazing, it was a one in one hundred chance that he would even hit the right button, and he had gotten it right. It was frustrating to even think about. No one had ever survived the tank for this long before… no one. It was time to end this matter. It was time to win the game and call it a day.
“Wow,” said Tash between gritted teeth. “I can’t say that that has ever happened before, usually the man dies before it’s even thought of to push that particular button.” He was trying to hide his utter astonishment and anger. He wasn’t doing a very good job of it; it showed all over his countenance. He watched as the fat man started pounding on the mirror. He turned to his nephew.
“Well, Lee, you’re a very, very lucky boy, but let’s see if that luck holds up.” He dropped his cigarette and mashed it into the carpet.
The tension in the room was getting thicker with every second. Lee knew he had put his uncle to shame in front of his bodyguards. Things were not going to turn out well if his luck persisted like this….
Tash walked over to the table. He had his hands behind his back; his mind was racing with more questions.
“What is the name of the company you work for? Why do you need to leave so soon?”
Lee was going to respond but stopped himself. He didn’t want another smack in the back of the head from Kaplen. He had to follow the rules of the game if he wanted Marten to survive. He looked over to the panel of buttons. He found one and was going to push it when Tash grabbed him by the wrist. Lee looked over to his uncle with surprise. He was staring at him now.
“I believe you, Lee,” he whispered in a soft voice. “I believe that this island does exist.” He stopped and thought for a minute. “I’ll cut you in on a deal. I’ll give you five tries to free your fat friend there from the tank; if you succeed in doing so, I’ll take you and whoever else you want to the island. I’ll do it free of charge, no cost to you or your company. You can have your fame, you can have you publicity as you have so tactfully put. I’ll make sure that your company will be free of expenses. The only thing I ask for in return is the ‘Brass’… that will be mine!” His eyes took on a benighted glow. There was some higher ultimatum brewing in his mind.
Lee looked blankly at him for a second. He didn’t like gambling with Marten’s life or with Runt’s investment for that matter, but what was there left to do? He was trapped. His uncle Tash was going to have it his way whether he liked it or not.
“Do we have a deal?” asked Tash as he let go of Lee’s wrist and extended his hand in a bargaining fashion. Lee studied it for awhile. The extended appendage looked so foreign to him.
Lee stretched out his hand and shook it.
Tash pulled him in close and whispered.
“If you lose, nephew, I’ll make you watch your friend die. Then I will shoot you.” He spat out the words like venom, then he let go and smiled darkly. Lee knew there was a hind catch in their agreement. He began to wonder if his uncle wanted the “Brass” or if he wanted to see Marten dead. What is he trying to prove here with this game? Lee looked back over to the buttons on top of the table. He pondered them deeply. Feelings of regret and shame began to awaken his soul to terror and unease. Losing was a very big probability right now. Within the hour he could be dead or alive. He had to pick five buttons.
Tash looked calm and thoughtful. He had put on his poker face. He already knew what the outcome of the game would be. Lee’s chances of winning were close to zero.
“Well, continue with the random pushing, nephew.” Tash looked down at his watch. “We haven’t got all day. It’s getting late and I have other places to be.” His words were like ice. There was no feeling in them.
Lee found another white button on the panel and stared at it for a very long time. He swallowed the knot forming in his throat. He lifted a hand and set his fingers over the button. It felt cold and smooth. He closed his eyes and pushed the button, hoping that the sound of pipes cracking wouldn’t be heard. He was disappointed, at that moment the ceiling rang out with protest. The smell of chlorine rushed over him again. More water started pouring into Marten’s cell. The fat man started thrashing around. He stood up on his tip toes on the chair and pressed his lips up against the cement ceiling for air. The tank was almost full when the water stopped.
“Oh, man,” said Mark. “Here comes the good part.”
Lee ignored him. He fumbled around the table and tried to undo what he had done. Sweat started to accumulate on his forehead.
“It certainly looks like your luck is changing,” said Tash. He walked over to the door and leaned against the wall. “Pick another one!”
Lee found a gray button at the corner and pushed it in. Nothing happened and all was quiet, then there came the sound of pipes shaking and rattling. He knew that they were bringing more pool water to the tiny little cell. Water filled the whole room now. It looked like a giant aquarium.
Marten was struggling to keep calm now that there was no air to be breathed. He started pounding on the two-way mirror. Lee could tell that he was desperately trying to break through to the other side. Panic began to dominate Lee’s senses. He couldn’t let Marten die. He looked down at the table and spotted a black button. He pressed it. The pipes on the ceiling began to ring out, but no water entered the cell, it was already full. It couldn’t admit any more water.
“This is your chance, Lee, save your friend or watch him die,” said Tash. A cold, hollow silence filled the room. Lee started breathing more quickly. He knew he could not save Marten. He knew that he was going to die. It was hopeless. The fat man was struggling less and groping at his neck as if he were choking on a piece of food. Bubbles were coming out of his nose. His eyes began to roll into their sockets.
Lee closed his eyes. He threw his hand out and pressed some random button on the table. Nothing seemed to happen; he waited with his eyes closed. Every second felt like an hour to him. Had the thing filled up with more water? What was going on?
“Please,” Lee whispered to the cold. “Save him.”
The room lit up suddenly with a loud buzzing sound. Lee opened his eyes and stared with amazement at the cell. Marten’s tank was draining rapidly now. The fat man was gasping for breath and clinching his chest. The water took him back down to his seat. He looked relieved.
“YES!” yelled Lee.
“Impossible!” screamed Tash.
The bodyguards stared with bewilderment.
Mark chuckled.
“This has got to be the best game I have ever witnessed.”
“Shut up, Mark!” yelled Tash. His frustration had shot through the roof with that single action. “This isn’t over yet! The game isn’t done. The door to the cell is closed still.” He shot a hard glare at Lee. It felt like the devil himself was looking at him. “If you’re so lucky, nephew, open the door to your friend’s cell. You only have one chance at this… don’t blow it.”
Lee stared at him.
“Can we just–”
“NO!” Tash yelled. “No more talking… just push a button. That’s the deal we made… push a button!”
Lee looked over to the table. He had never been so scared in his life. It would be impossible to find the right button that would open the door. There were so many of them. They looked so dark and conservative in the gloom of the room. All the colors seemed to blend together into one giant blob. He was about to kill his friend.
“Pick one!” said Kaplen impatiently.
Lee’s eyes landed on a dark green one resting by the edge of the table. It looked so inviting. This is the one, he thought. He placed his hand over it and looked up at Marten. The fat man was now leaning against one of the walls in the cell. He was looking down at the floor and spitting out the bad taste in his mouth. His hair hung over his eyes and ears and his heavy, wet suit was sagging and soaked. He looked miserable.
Lee pushed the button and prayed that he wouldn’t hear the sound of pipes rattling above. The room was silent for a moment, then to Lee’s dismay the ceiling sang out, this time much louder than before. It sounded like a waterfall was ripping through the room. It sounded like a bomb had gone off.
Lee screamed out in desperation over the loud noise. His voice tore through the air like a fighter jet over a city. He had lost the game. The tank was filling up rapidly now. Marten went ballistic he ran up to the mirror and started pounding on it with his fists. He screamed and thrashed around as gallons and gallons of water dumped on him from all directions.
Lee had hit the wrong button at the wrong time. The game was over. He had lost, and it would cost him his life and the life of his friend. Death was at his door, he would have to watch his friend drown… and at the end there would be a bullet waiting for him. There would be death.
“No heroes here to save you now, nephew. It looks like this is going to be a dark fairytale,” said Tash as he walked over to the tank and tapped on the glass. Everything had worked out his way. He watched quietly as the cell filled to the top. “Looks like your luck has run out.” He turned to Lee and laughed. The dock worker’s appearance was sad and weary
“This is life, Lee. Get a good hard look at it. Life is unfair and imbalanced. One minute you’re on top of the world kicking butt and taking names, the next you’re drowning in a sea of your own failure.”
Lee looked away. His throat was beginning to get sore. Tears were coming to his eyes and flooding down his cheeks again. His uncle’s words were like daggers to his soul.
“Don’t look away, Lee” said Tash as he walked over to the table. “I want you to face up to your mistakes and downfalls. I want you to see your friend die just like we agreed a few moments ago. You lose.” He knelt down by Lee. His words were cold.
“It’s time you join the rest of us who don’t believe in god. It’s time you become a realist just like me. It’s time you watch something that you value slip away from you, and know that there is nothing you can do to stop it from happening. It’s time you feel what I feel, when I watched my wife slip away….”
He reached over and grabbed Lee’s head with his hands. He jerked and wrenched his head in the direction of the tank.
“Watch and learn. There’s a funny thing that happens when a person drowns. They tend to suck water into their lungs and stomach. The shock causes the pulmonary system to shut down and stop working. The heart stops beating and the eyes roll back in their head. Then they start convulsing uncontrollably. The alveoli can’t get air… their body wants air just as much as it needs it.”
Lee watched as Marten struggled for breath. There was nothing he could do to save him. He would drown. He would suck water into his body and drown. Mr. Tash whispered in Lee’s ear.
“I win.” He let go of Lee’s head and looked over to Kaplen. The bodyguard was still pointing the gun at Lee.
“Kaplen, put that thing away and unstrap my nephew here from the chair.” He turned to Mark. “Empty the tank and pull the fat man out before he drowns. I want these two ready for dinner.”
Lee looked surprised at what was being said.
“You’re not going to kill us?” There was a whole lot of relief in his voice. Kaplen reached over and started to undo Lee’s bonds. Mark walked over to the panel and pressed a button on it. The water in the death tank started to drain and leave the cell. Marten poked his head above the water and breathed in frantically.
Tash laughed.
“I never said that I wouldn’t kill you, Lee. We still have a deal. I own you.” He walked around the table and headed towards the door. He was about to leave when he stopped and looked back. “Since I will be funding this trip, I want you all to be there when we leave. I also want to know everything you know about the island. We’ll discuss this more over dinner.”
Lee nodded his head. He was still in amazement that his uncle had chosen not to kill him and Marten. He stood up from the chair and rubbed his chest and belly. Kaplen stood back and watched him closely.
“Kaplen, see that these gentlemen get a shower and a nice room,” Tash opened the door and left.
“I’ll grab the fat one from the tank,” said Mark as he walked over to the door. “I hate it when he decides to play the role of a “merciful” god. The game was getting so good… but what can you do? There will be others to mess with,” Mark said as he left the room. Kaplen chuckled as he looked at Lee.
“You’re a lucky man, Lee. Usually Mr. Fantas doesn’t take kindly to strangers, but I think he really likes you.” He cleared his throat. “You should consider yourself lucky!”
Lee didn’t feel lucky at all. He felt exhausted from all the emotional exertion. His legs wobbled back and forth with protest. Today was turning out to be a nightmare. Lee only hoped that the worst was behind him.
