Day Twelve: Afternoon

Well yesterday’s events make me want to rip this journal into small pieces and toss it and myself into a bonfire. Something really strange is going on here and I want to know what it is. Let me begin with the swim lesson that we had yesterday.

Josh is either a really fast learner or a big liar. Probably the latter since I know he’s lying about his name and what happened on the boat. We went out into chest deep water and paddled around a bit. It got close to lunchtime and Josh said, “I’ll race you in.”

“You’re doing really well, but do you really think you can beat me?” I said, amused at the idea. He seemed to still be a little clumsy.

“I’m pretty sure I can. Tell you what, let’s bet.” He grinned in a way that looked very boyish. Unsettling on a man that I was sure was homicidal.

“Bet? Hmmm. Well I’m fresh out of cash and don’t need any coconuts.”

“I know what. I win, I snap your neck like a twig. You win, I tell you why you’re really here… Will.”

I’m not sure what the look on my face was. I do know that my gut twisted into several large, hairy knots. I also know that this man took off towards the beach like he was Mark Spitz.

I summoned every ounce of skill and strength I had left. We had been in the water for well over an hour and I was a little fatigued even though I hadn’t been doing much. I was focused enough on closing the distance to the beach that I had no idea where Josh was in relation to me. The water was pretty stirred up and the undertow was fierce. I finally got to the point where I could move more quickly on my feet and surge up.

The water was ankle deep and I was running hard before I took enough stock of my surroundings to see that he was gone. There were no footprints on the sand. The water was calm enough. It is possible that he got sucked out to sea, but I doubt it. He was too good a swimmer and too strong. Plus, I’m certain that he would enjoy claiming his prize.

I spent more than two hours scanning the water and the beach for any sign of him. I thought maybe he had come ashore up our down from where I had, but a hundred yards in both directions revealed footprints of nothing more than crabs and birds. I was angry. I screamed, threatening things that were he around I couldn’t live up to. Then I began to get scared. Fear crawled up my legs and out from the twists in my stomach. I was here for some purpose and he knew why and was gone. Or did he? He’d lied about so much else. But he did know my name. Of course that could be because he found this journal.

That brings me to yesterday’s entry. With that last thought I hurled myself at the hole where I stashed my diary. Once free of its wrapping I saw the above words printed in thick block letters. I was faced with two possibilities that I could see. Either he had found it that morning before our swim practice, or someone else had. I wasn’t sure which scared me more.

I spent the rest of yesterday dogging out my old shelter and restoring that camp. No sense in hiding it anymore if I was being watched and the business kept me from any rasher action. Today I built the makings of a bonfire and have been sketching out ways to turn this camp into an encampment. Whoever’s out there can watch me all they want, but I’ll do my level best to make sure if Josh or anyone else comes to call, I’ll have first warning and hopefully first blood.