ISLAND
A THRILLER STORY BY
PUTERI NUR BALQIS
I kept running without looking back. My run
stopped when I suddenly felt like my world was
dark. My head hurts and I feel warm thick blood
flowing from my head.
My vision became blurred and I saw the shadows of
people in front of me.
"Delicious!"
MY NAME IS KYLE. I LIVE ALONE. I'VE NEVER HAD
A FRIEND IN MY LIFE. I'M USED TO LIVING ALONE.
ONE DAY, I GOT AN OFFER TO VACATION ON A
PRIVATE ISLAND. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THE
OFFER LETTER WAS FROM, BUT I ACCEPTED THE
OFFER BECAUSE I HAVEN'T BEEN ON VACATION
FOR A LONG TIME SINCE I STARTED WORKING
ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO.
I STARTED PACKING MY BAGS AND CARRYING
ONLY THE ESSENTIALS. SOMEHOW, I WAS MOVED
TO BRING A FOLDING KNIFE, IT'S OKAY, THERE
MAY BE A SITUATION OF ANXIETY AND MY
HEARTBEATS.
SATURDAY, 9 A.M., I DROVE TO THE JETTY AND
BOARDED A BOAT THAT WOULD TAKE ME TO THE
ISLAND. WHEN I GOT THERE, I WAS JUST GREETED
BY A MIDDLE-AGED MAN IN A TATTERED SHIRT.
HE INTRODUCED HIMSELF AS PAK ABU, THE
MANAGER OF THE CHALET ON THE ISLAND. I WAS
TAKEN TO MY ROOM. THE ROOM LOOKS
COMFORTABLE WITH A SINGLE BED AND AIR
CONDITIONING. PAK ABU LEFT THE ROOM AND
TOLD HIM NOT TO LEAVE THE ROOM AFTER
MAGHRIB, DINNER WOULD BE SENT BY HIM. I WAS
AT FIRST PUZZLED BY THE ORDER BUT IGNORED IT
BECAUSE I WAS USED TO BEING STUCK IN THE
ROOM.
I SPENT MY AFTERNOON STROLLING AROUND
THE CHALET. NOTHING BUT THE SEA
ATMOSPHERE THAT WE USUALLY SEE ON
TELEVISION. ON THE WAY BACK TO THE
ROOM, I HEARD A FAINT MELODIOUS SINGING
FROM THE BACK OF THE CHALET. I SEEMED
FASCINATED BY THE VOICE AND BEGAN TO
LOOK FOR THE DIRECTION OF THE VOICE.
AFTER FOLLOWING THE VOICE, I SAW A GIRL
IN A LIGHT BLUE BLOUSE WITH A SHAWL
WASHING DISHES WHILE SINGING. I DARED
TO APPROACH HIM AND REBUKE HIM. AT
FIRST, HE IGNORED ME AND CONTINUED HIS
WORK. BUT AFTER A FEW TIMES, ONLY THEN
DID HE TURN AROUND AND SEE HER FACE. I
WAS SHOCKED BECAUSE HALF OF HIS FACE
WAS WRINKLED LIKE A BURN SCAR.
THE GIRL QUICKLY COVERED HER FACE WITH
A SHAWL AND TURNED HER FACE AWAY. I
APOLOGIZE AND INTRODUCE MYSELF. HE DID
THE SAME AND INTRODUCED HIMSELF AS
TEJA.
"YOUR NAME IS SO BEAUTIFUL," MY HEART
SAID.
TEJA LOOKED SCARED AS SHE LOOKED
AROUND AND FORCED ME TO GO BACK TO THE
ROOM BECAUSE IT WAS ALMOST DUSK. I
INITIALLY INSISTED ON TALKING TO HIM BUT
FINALLY AGREED BECAUSE I REMEMBERED
PAK ABU'S MESSAGE.
THAT NIGHT, I ASKED PAK ABU ABOUT TEJA.
HE SEEMED HESITANT TO ANSWER THE
QUESTION AND ONLY ANSWERED TEJA WAS
HIS NEPHEW. I WAS LESS THAN SATISFIED
WITH HIS ANSWER AND JUST THANKED HIM.
I SPENT THE NIGHT WRITING A SHORT STORY
THAT I WAS WORKING ON TO SEND TO A
PUBLISHING COMPANY.
2 IN THE MORNING, I WOKE UP TO A KNOCK
ON MY BEDROOM WINDOW. I TRIED TO
CONTINUE MY SLEEP BUT COULDN’T BECAUSE
THE KNOCK WAS GETTING LOUDER. LAZILY, I
GOT UP AND WENT TO THE WINDOW BUT
THERE WAS NOTHING OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.
I THOUGHT POSITIVELY, MAYBE A SUDDEN
GUST OF WIND. BUT, WITH JUST ONE STEP I
TOOK, I FELT LIKE A GUST OF WIND IN MY
NECK. I'M SCARED. I LOOKED BACK BUT
THERE WAS NOTHING.
DRIVEN BY CURIOSITY, I LEFT THE ROOM TO LOOK
AROUND. WHEN I CAME OUT, I SAW SOMEONE AT
THE END OF THE CHALET. I WENT IN THE
DIRECTION OF THE FLASH BUT AFTER JUST A FEW
STEPS, MY HAND WAS PULLED. TEJA PULLED MY
HAND AWAY AND URGED ME TO LEAVE THIS PLACE
IMMEDIATELY. HIS FACE LOOKED ANXIOUS AND I
NOTICED HIS HANDS SEEMED TO BE BLEEDING. I
ASKED HIM WHAT WAS GOING ON BUT HE DIDN’T
ANSWER AND HIS EYES KEPT DARTING AROUND.
“HOW CAN I GO BACK AT A TIME LIKE THIS?
WHERE IS THE BOAT TO SEND ME TO THE JETTY, ”I
TOLD TEJA.
"BUT YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER KYLE, 'HE' WANTS
YOU!"
“HA, WANT ME? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE? ”
TEJA KEPT PULLING ME AND HIDING
BEHIND A ROOM WHEN WE HEARD A SOUND
LIKE IRON BEING SCRAMBLED. FINALLY,
TEJA TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED AFTER I
FORCED HER. THIS ISLAND IS A 'TRIBAL
ISLAND'. 2 YEARS AGO, TEJA ALSO RECEIVED
AN INVITATION TO VACATION ON THE
ISLAND. PAK ABU IS A HUMAN EATER! TEJA
SURVIVES AS SHE OFFERS HERSELF TO
BRING THE VICTIM EVERY MONTH TO THE
ISLAND. SINCE THEN, EVERY MONTH THERE
WILL BE NEW VICTIMS COMING TO THE
ISLAND AND NOT A SINGLE ONE SURVIVES.
EVERYTHING IS 'SAFE' TO BE EATEN BY PAK
ABU. TEJA SOBBED TO APOLOGIZE TO ME
AND SHE WAS STUNNED TO SAVE ME.
I WAS A LITTLE SHOCKED BY THE STORY
AND CALMED TEJA DOWN. I TOLD TEJA THAT
I WOULD FINISH EVERYTHING TONIGHT. I
SAW AN IRON PIPE LEANING AGAINST THE
END OF THE WALL AND CAME OUT TO MAKE
EYE CONTACT WITH PAK ABU. I SHOUTED
FOR HIM AND I SAW PAK ABU COME OUT OF
THE ROOM WEARING MALAY CLOTHES AND
A SKULLCAP. IT WAS AS IF HE HAD JUST
FINISHED PRAYING.
"I WILL FINISH EVERYTHING TONIGHT, PAK
ABU. PAK ABU HAS DECEIVED ME. I DIDN'T
THINK THAT PAK ABU ATE PEOPLE. "
“HUH? WHAT ARE YOU UP TO? ”
"I ALREADY KNOW EVERYTHING PAK ABU,
TEJA HAS TOLD ME EVERYTHING. PAK ABU'S
ACTIONS ARE DESPICABLE. ”
“ TEJA? KYLE, YOU'RE THE ONE BEING
FOOLED RIGHT NOW. TEJA IS THE ONE WHO
EATS PEOPLE. WELL, YOU RUN AWAY FROM
THIS ISLAND RIGHT BEFORE YOU RUN INTO
HIM AGAIN. NEAR THE END OF THE ISLAND,
THERE IS A CANOE. YOU PADDLE TO THE
JETTY. FAST!"
I WAS CONFUSED BY MR. ABU'S WORDS. I
DON'T KNOW WHO TO TRUST. BUT WHAT IS
IMPORTANT, I HAVE TO LEAVE THIS ISLAND. I
RAN LIKE A COCKROACH TO THE END OF THE
ISLAND. THE FAINT SOUND OF TEJA'S VOICE
CALLING MY NAME.
I KEPT RUNNING WITHOUT LOOKING BACK.
MY RUN STOPPED WHEN I SUDDENLY FELT
LIKE MY WORLD WAS DARK. MY HEAD HURTS
AND I FEEL WARM THICK BLOOD FLOWING
FROM MY HEAD.
MY VISION BECAME BLURRED AND I SAW THE
SHADOWS OF PEOPLE IN FRONT OF ME.
"DELICIOUS!"