9. Chapter 9
The main road wound around the island, but with the perpetually cloudy skies and flat terrain devoid of landmarks, it was difficult to tell which way I was going.
Houses were scattered randomly, few and far between, and after an hour, I pulled into a group of thick shrubs a few hundred feet away from a utility pole near the compound.
Daylight washed the group of buildings in an extra layer of shabbiness and I hid in the bushes, observing through my binoculars.
There was movement, but I needed a bird’s eye view to see who was inside.
Observe, Max. The voice in my head was Isla’s and I grimaced — I was already involved, and I didn’t see any good reason to extricate myself.
Frigid wind gusted around me, burning my nose as I inhaled. I looked up at the pole, then adjusted my hard hat. It took a few attempts to secure my harness, but once it felt tight enough, I gripped the handle to start my climb.
The pole was about thirty feet tall and as I ascended, I kept my eyes on the compound.
Once I was halfway up, I secured the safety strap, then pulled out my binoculars and looked towards the group of buildings.
A few figures walked around inside, but I was positive I hadn’t seen them the night before.
From a distance, they looked human, but as I peered through the binoculars, it was clear most absolutely weren’t.
Two had skin with a reddish hue and small horns peeked out from the top of their skulls, they were definitely demons.
I switched to my camera to get a shot, hoping they didn’t notice the guy hanging on the pole a few hundred feet away.
I snapped a series of photos, then I made a mental note of the rest of the structures, getting shots of the layout and equipment. It looked like a lot of junk and I zoomed in, hoping to get something that could tell me where these people were from, but I couldn’t find anything distinctive.
There was a sudden commotion and the crowd milling around outside rushed towards the big building, then ran inside.
There was some shouting and I kept snapping photos, hoping that I’d be able to capture what was happening.
The noise died down and a few minutes later, the men emerged from the building, carrying a large bag and I lowered the camera and used the binoculars.
My heart sank. It could easily be a body, but I wasn’t certain.
I watched as another man emerged and I took his photo.
He didn’t look like the other men, he appeared more human, but that was unlikely.
I snapped another photo and as they shoved the large bag into the waiting van, he got into the passenger seat.
The van drove off and I quickly descended.
I needed to find out where they were going.
I opened the truck door and a familiar odor engulfed me. Nadia stared at me from the passenger seat. She was dressed in the clothes I’d retrieved from her hut and I was so annoyed I could scream. I’d told her to stay at the hotel and her being here could endanger us both.
‘Fuck!” I shouted as I turned over the engine and nothing happened. It sounded like a dead battery, but there was no reason why it would have died. I banged the steering wheel and noticed the faint smile curling the corner of her mouth. “What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the hotel”
“Don’t follow them, it will only cause you trouble. We need to leave this place.”
“How did you find me?”
“I tracked you,” she smiled and I calmed down, gripping the steering wheel as I looked across the barren landscape in the direction they had driven. She meant well, but her timing couldn’t have been worse.
“What did you do to my truck?”
“Yeah, I uh…” she paused, looking for the right words, then laughed nervously. “Disconected the battery. Sorry.” Her voice was low and husky and she stared at her hands as she spoke. She was nervous, halting, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t be angry with her.
“Why don’t you want me following them?”
“They’re the ones who did this to me. They’re dangerous. We need to get out of here before they see you, they may have already. It is not safe.”
She was right, but I wasn’t here to play it safe — too much hung in the balance. I popped the hood and reconnected the battery, then got back into the driver’s seat.
“Do you know how long they’ll be gone?” I gripped the steering wheel as I asked. This could be my one chance to get a look inside.
“Maybe an hour, maybe two. It depends on what they’re picking up.”
“Promise me you’ll stay here this time?” I stared at her, meaning it. I couldn’t risk her getting caught. “I’m going in. I have to figure out what we’re dealing with and my colleagues want photos.”
“No, I’m going with you.” She looked determined as she said that and I almost protested again, then decided to let her come. She might know what we were looking at and could possibly walk me through what they were doing.
“Fine, but do exactly what I say, alright?” I left out the part about not wanting to lose her, about how I’d rather cut off my own arm than have to live without her.
It was insane, we’d known each other for less than a day, but I felt a connection to her I’d never experienced.
We got out of the truck and walked quickly towards the buildings, then squeezed through the break in the fence.
I motioned for her to stay still and sniffed the air, searching for anyone that might have been left behind.
I didn’t smell anyone, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there, hiding. I motioned for Nadia to come in, but kept my voice low. “Where do they keep the women?” If there were any here, I wanted to get them out. That was my top priority and everything else could wait.
“Over there,” she pointed at an orange shipping container at the edge of the property and we moved silently in that direction, the stench of human waste growing more intense as we approached.
The door was held shut by a large rock and I moved it to the side, then shifted the rusty corrugated metal.
The interior was filthy, but empty. I was relieved, but that didn’t mean it would stay empty for long.
I put everything back in place, then pointed at the large house where I witnessed the woman die, snapping a few photos as a gust of frigid wind blew past.
“What’s in there?”
“The place where they perform the procedure," she said, grimacing. I checked my watch; it had been twenty minutes since they left and I had no clue how long they would be gone. My goal was to be out in under an hour. Nadia followed and we crept through the front entrance of the two story wooden structure. The door creaked open and we stepped into the dank darkness, the only light coming from the broken window I’d looked through the night before.
Nadia visibly recoiled when she saw the table, but kept her cool.
“The men who took me wanted me to help them, to work for them. They knew my field of expertise could help them.” I remembered the letterhead from the papers in her bag. I believed she was telling the truth. “I told them no, but they didn't care.”
It would be easy to smuggle women from Russia through the Bering Sea and onto the isolated island where no one would be looking, but why? There was no obvious answer.
The walls of the room were coated in dirt and the space reeked of decay. Dried blood covered the floor, the carpet stiff and putrid. It was abhorrent, but we had to stay focused.
“What did you study?” I walked away from her, but kept talking, wanting her to know I was still there, that I wouldn't leave her.
“I studied molecular biology.”
“Molecular biology, huh? That sounds difficult.” I kicked over a box and papers fell out. I didn't recognize the language but snapped some photos.
“It is, but it’s also…fascinating. I finished my PhD last year and was working at the research university in Moskva.” Her face twisted again, but there were no tears, only regret.
“What were you researching?”
She took a step back, wiping her eyes, then focused on the room, the various objects that lined the walls and shelves like she was seeing them for the first time.
“Genome instability and cellular degeneration. I had a…personal reason for choosing this field.” She paused, then turned on the computer in the corner as I held up the camera and snapped a few photos of the interior.
I listened to her talk, but was distracted by the scents.
The smell of death was pervasive and I couldn't help notice hints of one scent in particular that I knew, the one from the beach.
“I had been approached by a private company that wanted me to work for them, but I declined several times. I wanted to do research, to help people.”
She spoke as she scrolled through the computer’s file system like she was looking for something specific.
Her eyes darted over the information and her lips moved slightly as she read.
She was obviously brilliant and had a deep passion for her chosen field.
I wandered past the dingy kitchen and into the living area.There was a cot and a few sleeping bags, then, on the wall, a pentagram.
In the center was a symbol that was similar to the one on Nadia’s necklace.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, where did you get that necklace?” She turned to face me as I heard a car door slam and voices outside.
“Shit!” I mumbled and her eyes widened, her features painted with fear and she slid something into her pocket.
We had to leave. I pointed at the back door, ramming my body against it to force it open, then closing it softly just as the men entered.
We huddled together against the west side of the house, below the broken window as I listened, attempting to determine how many of them there were.
“Who left the computer on?”
Fuck.
“I don’t know, but Gustav is gonna be pissed if someone broke in. Take a look around, make sure we’re alone.”
That name.