Akuji's Island

Tommy opened his eyes. The blinding sunlight immediately forced them shut again. Where am I? he wondered. He opened his eyes again, this time using his hand to shield them from the hot sun above as he stood. White sand and a shimmering blue sea greeted him. A beach, he thought. I'm on a beach. Tommy looked around. How had he gotten here? He couldn't remember.

"You're awake." Tommy spun around. Behind him was a young boy, around 16 years like himself, wearing only a ratty pair of jeans. He was tall, with bronze-toned skin, contrasting Tommy's own pale complexion. What shocked Tommy the most, however, were the scars that covered the young man’s body. Scars that looked like they came not only from hard labor but also from countless fights crisscrossed his chest and arms. He stared in wonder mixed with concern. Suddenly, the boy smacked Tommy. "OW! what the hell!?"

"You were just standing there, slack jawed. You obviously aren't mute. Has the sun addled your brain?" Tommy shook his head, still rubbing his cheek. "Sorry. I was still in shock is all. Where are we? And who are you? How'd I get on this beach? What is this place?”

“I am Akuji. I live here. It is my home.” Tommy blinked as the boy gestured around. “Right. Well, Akuji, you still haven’t answered my question of where we are and how I got here. Also, do you have a phone? I really need to let someone know where I am, and I can’t find mine.” Akuji stared blankly, and then suddenly began to walk away. “Hey! Where are you going”, Tommy shouted after him. The boy ignored him and kept walking, heading towards a thick jungle Tommy hadn’t noticed before. He ran after him. “Wait up! Where are you going? Answer me! Where the hell are we? Give me an answer will ya!?”

“You do not belong here.”

Akuji kept walking and didn’t turn back. Tommy grabbed him by the arm. “I said answer me, dammit!” Akuji faced Tommy, face full of anger. He shoved Tommy back. “I said you do not belong here! Are you deaf? Do not follow me further! Do not test me!” Tommy backed away nervously. Who was this boy? He noticed a blade on Akuji’s waist that he hadn’t seen before. This guy was dangerous, he could see it now. He should have known the moment he saw the scars but he had been too shocked to register anything fully. Akuji glowered at him, inches away from Tommy’s face. “Listen to me, boy. You do not belong here. I do not want you here. You may not understand but one day we will meet again, and when we do, only then will you understand. Do not pursue me. I will return at nightfall. Until then, you wait for me here. If you are still here, then I will welcome you into my home. Otherwise, do not attempt to find me. This place is not for you. Not yet anyway. Now leave me be.” Tommy nodded his head and backed away. Akuji stared at him for a moment, then disappeared into the thick jungle. Tommy staggered, suddenly dizzy, and the world began to spin. He collapsed to the ground, and his world faded to black. When nightfall finally came, Akuji returned to the beach. Tommy, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. Akuji laughed and sat down in the sand. “Until we meet again Tommy, until we meet again.”

Tommy woke screaming, his body racking with pain. Smoke and fire filled his vision. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed him and began dragging him out towards the light. He had been knocked unconscious while trying to escape from a burning building. “You’re alright kid! Just hang on! We’re almost out of here!” Tommy nodded and struggled to his feet. The firefighter wrapped his arm around him and they raced to the exit. Once free of the fire, Tommy collapsed, breathing heavily. He looked around at all the people who had been rescued from the building alongside him. But where was Akuji? Had he also gotten out or was he still trapped inside? “Akuji! Akuji!” A medic stopped him. “Sit down. I need to check your vitals. Are you hurt anywhere? Any pain?” Tommy ignored him and ran through the crowd. “Akuji! Where are you?” He tripped over a piece of rubble and faceplanted. Groaning, he tried to stand up but failed. The medic helped him up and sat him down. “I’m sure your friend is fine. Let me tend to you first, you can find your friend later.” Tommy sighed, but reluctantly agreed. The man began to tend his wounds. As he did, he spoke with Tommy to keep his mind off the pain. “So, this Akuji character, he your friend? Relative? You seemed pretty worried about him.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. He’s not really my friend. I met him at the island. He must have brought me here after I passed out.”

“Island? Ain’t no island around here. This place is landlocked for miles. You hit your head pretty hard there.”

“What do you mean? That’s where I was earlier. Akuji told me to wait for him until nightfall and if I was still there, he’d take me to his home. I remember passing out after he went into the jungle. He probably came back, saw me laid out, and brought me here.”

The medic stopped and looked him, concerned. “ I’m telling you, there ain’t no beach or any jungle around here. You must have hit your head and that’s why you passed out. For some reason, probably trauma, your brain is telling you that you met someone on a beach and then passed out. You’re coming with me to the hospital to get your head checked.”

Tommy began to protest but was cut short. “I don’t want to hear any more of it. That Akuji kid is probably made up too. End of discussion.” Another medic passing by stopped. “Did you say Akuji?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Haven’t heard of those islands in a while. I’m surprised this kid knows about them. They were supposed be the stuff of legend or something like that. Thick jungles full of all sorts of fantastical creatures and secret tribes. Got their name on account of some kid that went off exploring trying to find them. When he didn’t come back, people took to calling the place ‘Akuji’s Island.’ That was the kid’s name.”

Tommy went silent, then looked at the medic. “I guess you’re right. It was just some crazy excuse my brain thought up. I’ll be fine.” The medic nodded and went off to tend to other patients. “Until we meet again Akuji”, Tommy whispered under his breath.