Phantom Island-"Origins"-13

Derek had been excited about the move at first. His life had been exactly what he always wanted it to be. He had the career he wanted, a beautiful wife he loved and a baby on the way.

The baby had been the first reason for taking the promotion. The second reason was that they would all get to move to an island.

He had always wanted to be an island cop; though he imagined it would be in a place more like Hawaii.

Phantom Island was definitely not like Hawaii. It was cloudy most of the time and it rained unpredictably. The rain seemed to come from strange angles during storms; sometimes it even felt like the rain was coming from the ground.

The weather wasn’t the only odd thing here either; not by a long shot. The residents were the strangest people Derek had ever met. Some of them pretended to be nice and social but they were all shady. Literally, ALL of them seemed to be up to no good.

At first he thought it was his nerves getting the better of him in a new place, surrounded by new people; that was until the chief told him a bit about the island’s history. Strange was not a strong enough word for this place.

Turns out, this place has its own laws and its own way of enforcing them. Many of the things that he was expected to overlook would end in multiple life sentences anywhere else.

Besides that, his life had begun falling to pieces as soon as he was finished unpacking. He’d had it all until he got here.

The promotion they gave him was for a different job entirely; which no one told him until he was already moved in. He hated his new job as a negotiator but had to take it since he was already here and had to work.

His marriage had crashed and burned when he found out that his future child wasn’t actually his at all. The unfairness of losing his wife and child in one instant ate at him daily.

He had bought a nice house near the coast that he had fallen in love with at first sight. Now it was just a silent reminder of all he had lost.

At every turn, he was met with misery. He was on a secluded island, alone and surrounded by merciless criminals that he couldn’t arrest.

One criminal in particular also happened to be one of the best and most well-known officers on the island. His name was Byron and he literally got away with murder; repeatedly.

When Derek asked why nothing had been done with him, everyone gave him grave looks, as if the mentioning of Byron would somehow summon him and he would make them regret it.

Chief Kast had finally pulled him into his office one day and told him all about Byron; and what was being done about him.

Apparently, Byron was insane but was unaware that anything was wrong. He actually thought the choices he made were the right ones; that was the catch with him, Kast had said. If he weren’t crazy, he could straighten out the entire island single-handedly.

He has a brutal temper, intelligent mind, incredible speed and power; not the kind of guy you want as an enemy. He is also an excellent cop, aside from his own criminal behavior.

He was one of the few residents on the island that was actually born here, which is another strange thing about the island; people seem to arrive rather than be born natives.

All in all, no one would touch him. Chief Kast said when Byron’s mental state started getting out of hand (meaning he was killing more often) he knew he would have to do something, but had been unable to form a plan that wouldn’t set off red flags with Byron; who would kill them all if he smelled a set-up.

Enter Lady Death. Apparently, a new arrival to the island, she left a trail of strange deaths in her wake.

Despite his new job title, Derek couldn’t help but to investigate; it was what he was made to do. He took every opportunity to jump in on cases at the station and this one was a doozy. Kast didn’t hesitate to accept his help.

When Derek saw her and her “ability” on the surveillance footage, he knew, this was it. This was how they would get Byron.

He went to Kast with the idea and the two of them worked out a strategy of sorts. They would set Byron on her trail and when he tried to get out of line with her, she would take care of him; without even breaking a sweat.

Derek and Kast went over everything concerning Byron, down to the last detail. They discussed his birth, history, parents, habits, routines and how he chose victims. He would find the most attractive female criminals and begin to follow them.

The girls he chose were beyond terrible and Derek couldn’t help but to agree with Kast when he said Byron had been the best choice to send after them. They were all beautiful but incredibly sadistic.

Kast had concluded that Byron would kill them whenever they behaved in a way that was displeasing to him. That could mean anything from using too much profanity to killing without his permission. He always had to be in control.

Oddly enough, Byron never got the opportunity to truly stalk or abduct any of them. The first time they saw him, they went straight to him. He was attractive, dangerous, mysterious and authoritative; the kind of guy most any girl would chase after.

Lady Death was given her name by Derek. He could tell from the videos that she carried herself like a lady. She remained calm despite any situation she was in. Her posture was perfect, her hair and attire were tidy and appropriate (not the wild, new age stuff), and the way she held her hands in front of her reminded him of paintings of ladies from history.

She also didn’t seem to seek out her victims. It looked as though she just kind of ended up in these situations somehow.

While editing the surveillance footage for Byron, Derek had noticed that she seemed to be trying to reason with unreasonable people. He would love to be able to hear their conversations.

Derek felt just a hint of guilt at setting her up, but she was the perfect weapon against Byron. She would most definitely get his attention and she could defend herself when necessary; just by speaking. He’d love to know how that worked.

Once the stage had been set, it was time to call in Byron. Derek had been seated at a small, cluttered desk in the corner when he arrived. Derek could see why people were afraid of him. The entire atmosphere changed the second he walked in. He had a commanding presence and Derek understood immediately that he was not one to mess with.

Byron had taken the photos and videos home with him, much to everyone’s relief. He had taken the bait, now to wait for the fallout.

END of Story 4-"Derek"-Part 1

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