Penal Island Read online

  “What is it, man?”

  “I swear it sounds like the damned horn from the yard.”

  “You’re dreamin’, man. We’re in the middle of the ocean.”

  Stein’s look of uneasiness was unsettling to Milas. Stein was never wrong about these things. He could sense evil. “Where’s it coming from?”

  Stein listened for a long time, the gentle waves splashing against the side of the ship the only sound in the dark stillness. “That way,” he said, pointing to the east.

  “How far?”

  “Can’t say. Those horns can be carried a long way on the open seas.”

  Milas had often wondered about Stein’s past before he became his cellmate, but he had never asked. He wasn’t certain that he wanted to know the entire life history of his cellmate. They killed the engine and allowed the big ship to drift. The last thing they needed was to announce their arrival. Stein was unusually quiet as he contemplated what was on the mysterious island.

  “We’re drifting toward the island, aren’t we, Stein?” The wide eyed Milas was afraid, though he would never show it in the presence of the man who had always had his back. “Where the fuck are we, Stein? It’s getting warmer.”

  A huge sigh from the big man had meant only one thing over the years. They were headed for trouble. When the first signs of dawn could be seen, Milas noticed the small dot of land that became larger and larger. They were drifting toward an island as if being pulled by some unknown force.

  “Stein, any idea where we might be?”

  “Not a clue.”

  All was quiet on the island as the ship met the shore. The two men looked at each other with confusion. They tossed the anchor over the side this time, unwilling to let their only means of escape drift away. The thick foliage was difficult to manipulate as the men crept slowly inward. A putrid scent hung in the air, and Milas tried not to gag. Stein’s keen sense of smell never failed him and he stopped in his tracks.

  “What is that…vomit?”

  “No, Milas. It’s flesh…human flesh. I would say from the putrid smell that it’s about two or three days old.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “Cannibals, Milas. I’m never wrong about these things.”

  Milas knew it was the truth. Stein was none too bright, but he seemed to have a sixth sense about this particularly disturbing aspect of human nature.

  “Where are they and how many are there?”

  “Not many. We would have been hit by the smell of burnt flesh long before we landed if there had been enough to feed very many.”

  Milas had no idea what they had somehow stumbled into over the past few days, but he wanted out. Stein was well ahead of him when Milas stumbled.

  “Stein!”

  The lumbering steps turned back and the big man held out a hand to his friend. “Don’t yell, Milas…ever.”

  With a swollen ankle, Milas limped behind his friend who pushed aside tree limbs and vines until he pushed aside a mass of vines that led him into a cave. It was dark and the odor of rotting flesh filled the pungent air.

  “What is this? Where are we?”

  Stein grabbed the arm of his frightened friend and walked further into the darkness. A light came on, illuminating the dreary dwelling and the two men.

  “Who are you?” A light was shone in the face of the inquisitive Stein. Blinking to avert the stinging rays, he held his arm across his eyes.

  “Name’s Carver and it’s not because of my profession.” He pulled up his sleeve and showed a scar in the shape of a large cat of some kind. Stein stepped forward to look at it. “Nice work, eh? I did it myself.”

  Milas pulled his friend away from this obviously demented man.

  “Been watching the two of you…from my side of the island, that is.”

  Milas felt his blood run cold. “Your side of the island?”

  The man’s smile was a wide sneer as he pumped his fist and made the carving in his arm appear to growl.

  Stein gave Milas a questioning look. “It’s warm here.”

  Carver crossed his arms and stared at the dim witted Stein. “Warmest place I could find unless I wanted to live with humans…live ones, that is.”

  “But Milas…our island is warm, too.”

  “This is our island, Stein.”

  The big man turned his head slowly back to Carver. Then he saw it. The profile was the same as one of the men he had seen on that fateful night of Roxie’s death. He gulped and put his hand over his mouth. “You were…you had…you were eating…”

  “Escapees like us do what we have to do to survive.”

  “There were two of you that day. Where’s your friend?”

  “He’ll be back. But if I were you two, I would get back in that boat of yours before he docks. He’s a whole lot meaner than I could ever be.” Carver took out a huge carving knife that shone brightly in the dark and thrust it at them.

  Walking slowly backward, Milas and Stein left the dark dwelling and ran through the thick branches, trying to follow the same path back to their waterborne sanctuary. Pulling up the anchor, Stein was prepared to start the engine when Milas stopped him.

  “Let’s cruise down shore a ways and wait for Carver’s friend.”

  “Why?”

  “See what kind of cargo he brings with him.”

  Stein adjusted his binoculars and in the distance he could see a dark ship coming toward them. “Won’t have to wait long. It’s on its way.”

  Milas grabbed the binoculars from his best bud, wondering how and where he had gotten them, and brought the ship into his view. “Hmm, looks like an old pirate ship.” The two men were well out of sight of the ship carrying human cargo when it eased toward the island.

  Stein and Milas watched as Carver’s friend left the ship and followed the same path as they had toward the dwelling in the woods. The man was alone which meant that he either had struck out in his quest or his human cargo was still aboard the foreboding looking vessel.

  “Let’s go, Stein.”

  “Fuck man, are you crazy?” He knew that Milas was serious and he reluctantly tagged along as they made their way to the dark ship which had chipped paint and appeared to be falling apart. It was much smaller than it had looked from afar and it rocked slowly back and forth as the waves hit the shore.

  When Milas stepped onto the old boat, he quickly took a look around and was ready to leave when he noticed the naked woman lying on the bottom, with a gag in her mouth and ropes around her wrists and her ankles. She looked at him with large round eyes and he took the gag from her mouth.

  “Shh, who are you?”

  “Mika.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “We are brought here from my island and others, rounded up like cattle, with no knowledge of our destiny.”

  “Rounded up?”

  “In the night the boats come.”

  “There are more boats than this one?”

  “Yes, but this one is the final one. No one returns. Roxie’s mother was sick with grief when she heard the news.”

  “Roxie…you knew Roxie.”

  “Yes, and when her parents learned that she had been taken to be married to a foreign man, they were so sad.”

  “That’s not where you or Roxie were headed, honey.”

  “This is not the isle of the marriage boat?”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “But they promised me a grand wardrobe and riches beyond my imagination. They took my old clothes from me and tossed them overboard.” She tried to cover herself with her bound hands and Milas took off his shirt, untied Mika, and helped her cover herself. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Would you have a drink of water or a piece of bread?”

  “Come with us back to our ship. We have plenty?”

  “Us? I see only one of you.”

  Milas jerked his head around to where he had last seen Stein but there was no Stein. Where was he? “Oh, my travel buddy probably went back to the ship. He’s a bit shy.
”

  Milas helped Mika stand on wobbly legs. She could barely walk, so he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the ship. He knew he had to act fast. It was only a matter of time before Carver or his friend noticed the woman missing. Once safely in the lower level, he laid Mika on the small bed in the makeshift room.

  “When was the last time you had anything to eat?”

  “Two days ago, I think.”

  Milas sat down beside her and fed her small pieces of cracker and helped her with sips of water. He lifted her head onto a folded blanket and covered her with one of Stein’s extra large coats.

  “Where is your friend?”

  “He gets a little sidetracked now and then. I would guess him to have wandered into the woods in search of wild geese.”

  “Wild geese?”

  “It’s just an expression. He could be swimming naked for all I know. But I can always count on him coming back at some point.”

  Mika was beginning to grow tired and Milas wrapped the big coat around her and promised not to leave her there alone. He kept his promise, but he did go up to the upper level and picked up Stein’s binoculars to survey the area. Where was the big oaf?

  Stein was easily distracted and he had followed the sound of a bird into the wooded area. He stopped when he picked up the scent of another man not far from him. Voices of two men could be heard and Stein stood silently hidden in the trees.

  Carver stood in the doorway of the dwelling and called to his friend. “Leon, you’re alone.”

  “She ain’t goin’ nowhere. She’s too weak to move.”

  The laughter from the two men was sickening even to a man as coldhearted as Stein and he listened for more.

  “Well, go get her,” Carver barked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

  “I nearly got caught this time. We’re going to have to change our course.”

  “No way, Leon. I like the meat from where we’ve been getting it…not too tough, not to chewy, but just right.”

  “I could have been killed.”

  “Oh, lighten up, Leon. You’re so dramatic.”

  “Hmmph,” he muttered, and walked off toward the boat, with Carver following close behind.

  Stein waited until the two men were out of hearing range before making his way back to Milas, hoping that the two men didn’t catch his friend going through their boat. He watched as the assumed cannibals searched the boat for its tasty cargo.

  In the distance Stein could barely make out the shadow of his confidante as he stood on the deck of their much sturdier watercraft. “Relief,” he muttered. He would never admit it to anyone, but he didn’t know what he would do without Milas. Milas had the mind. Stein had the muscle. He lowered his big body to the ground and drew vines across his face and chest. He was closer to the rickety black boat than he wanted to be and he watched as the two men swore and tore the thing apart looking for any sign of their lost cargo.

  “Where is she?”

  “I…I don’t know, Carver. She was out cold when I left her. Here’s the rope I bound her with and the gag I put in her mouth.”

  Carver reared back and threw the items overboard and then he grabbed his friend and threatened to throw him to the sharks, but he was more useful to him alive than dead. “Must have fled into the woods.”

  The two men hopped off the boat and lumbered into the woods, coming close to discovering Stein hiding from them. Stein waited for them to pass, and then he followed them into the woods.

  With no sign of Stein, Milas went below to check on Mika. She was asleep, and as well, a feast for the eyes. The oversized shirt had slid upward and her legs were parted just enough to give him a good view of her perfect pink cunt. The inner beast began to rise within him as he watched the steady rise and fall of her breasts. His mouth began to fill as he thought of plunging his cock into the wetness that glistened at the edge of her pussy lips. He couldn’t wait. Years of being a number had stripped him of much of his sensitivity and when situations like this presented themselves to him, he couldn’t fight the animal within. He was naked within seconds and he climbed onto the bed and onto Mika. She awoke and opened her mouth to scream, but Milas put his hand over her mouth.

  “You will love it, I promise.”

  Mika stared at Milas as if he had lost his mind. He pulled the shirt apart, exposing the pert breasts of the young woman beneath him. “Beautiful,” he whispered, and he lowered his mouth to one of the soft pillows with the hard nipple that he swirled his tongue around. He slowly withdrew his hand from Mika’s mouth, but she didn’t scream. She exhaled with a long sensual moan, spurring Milas to bite down on the erect nub in his mouth. He moved down along the soft body to the v shape and parted the smooth legs. A gasp of anticipation was heard and Mika’s knees met the bed at the first stroke of Milas’ tongue between her engorged lips. The tongue swipes electrified the woman in Mika and she thrust her pelvis up and down to capture its thickness.

  She ran her fingers through Milas’ hair and pulled gently, urging him to enter her, remembering the young man from whom she had been stolen. In her mind, he was making love to her once again. He slid his tongue along her inner thighs, tickling her, and making the wetness pool once again. Milas squeezed the young breasts as he entered Mika fully. He pumped into her hard and she pulled him into her, squeezing the raw power that brought her to climax again and again. She started to scream with pleasure, but Milas silenced her. They couldn’t risk being discovered by Carver and his buddy. Mika put her hand over her mouth as she continued to buck her hips with Milas’ thrusts.

  Pulling the young woman to him, Milas plunged deeply into her, pulling and pushing her to satisfy his need. He lost all control and howled like a wild animal as he came hard, his body trembling. He lay over her, pressing her body into the bed as he panted, the sweat of their bodies mingling and forming a scent that would be detected deep into the woods.

  From a safe distance, Stein could hear the two men arguing loudly as they passed their makeshift dwelling and ventured toward the other side of the island. When he could see the shadow of the tree house that he and Milas had built, he watched the two men go inside. He shed his shirt so that his tanned chest would blend in with the trees and waited for Carver and his friend to come back out.

  “Damn you, she isn’t here.”

  “I swear, Carver, she was bound and gagged when I left her. I did it to her with my own two hands.” He held up his hands as if to make a point.

  Stein could hear the men inside the house that he had built and his anger began to grow. The two men nearly tore the place apart searching for some sign that their hostage had been there, and then they stood outside on Stein’s makeshift balcony where he had slept soundly in his hammock. The hammock was still there and Carver picked it up and slammed it to the ground in rage.

  The big man hiding behind the tree could take no more. As if a ghost, he appeared from the shadows and stared up at the two men. “Carver, we meet again.”

  Carver jumped back in surprise, but then he stood with his arms crossed and a sneer formed his smile. “Ah, yes. You miss your former home?”

  The easily angered Stein had little check on his own anger and the heat rose quickly in his chest and in his face. He was ready to charge like a bull when a familiar scent filled his nostrils. He stood as still as a statue as he tried to place it.

  “Hey you, mammoth man, you in a trance or something?”

  Stein continued to focus on the scent that to him was aromatic, yet at the same time it brought out the worst in him. He tried to focus on the aroma of human sweaty sex, but the rage won out and in a second he was on the deck swinging at Carver.

  Carver was just as hardened as Stein, however, and years in chains had made him agile now that they were off. The big man missed him as he swung, but Carver’s buddy was not as lucky. With one punch, he fell to the ground. When Stein lifted him up, the man’s eyes fluttered and opened long enough to see the open mouth and the bared teeth.


  “Hey, man, what’s with you?”

  Stein turned to Carver who quickly stepped away. Stein’s teeth drove into the neck of the slighter man, hitting the jugular on the first try. The taste of blood filled his mouth and the realization of what he had done made him vomit.

  Carver watched in disbelief as his friend fell to his death, and then he and Stein stood there alone, each daring a move from the other. “What did you do?” Carver leapt to the ground and picked up his friend, but there was no hope. He was dead. He looked up at the man standing on the deck. “Are you insane?”

  Stein showed no emotion as he watched the scene play out before him. He had killed a man, letting his raw emotion cloud his judgment. He had promised long ago never to allow that to happen…after being in prison. When it had been him and Milas alone on the island, he had been fine. He was not good with others. He needed to get away. He ran into the house and to where the steps led him down the side of the tree, and not looking back he escaped into the woods.

  Carver vowed revenge as he stared into the dead eyes of his friend. Torn between the urge to run after Stein and the need to bury his friend, he fashioned a makeshift grave, made the sign of the cross, and headed off after the man who would pay for taking from him the only person he had ever trusted.

  Stein knew that he would not make it back to the boat. Carver was not far from him. He had detected the man’s scent only minutes after he had fled the site of the tree house and he had never lost it. It had not grown stronger which gave him some sense of safety, but he was not willing to jeopardize the safety of Milas. He sped up and went deeper into the woods where the aromatic scents of the wildflowers would hopefully hide his scent or at least confuse it in the mind of Carver. He heard the lumbering steps as he hid in the trees not far from the path. Carver paused but he did not stop as he sniffed the air. He had lost Stein’s scent and he continued to the cave. The ship would be expecting its cargo and Carver would assure its delivery. Deep within the cave were four women who were making the transport to their new lives as sex slaves. Carver unbound them and ordered them to don the bright frocks and to stand before him. “Smile,” he ordered, and the frightened young women faked a smile. They had been in the cave for only two days, but that was long enough to learn submission. Their frightened faces pleased Carver. He would be paid handsomely by the Europeans. “No talking,” he demanded, and they dutifully followed him to the beach, saying nothing. They had trouble adjusting to the light after being in the dark for two days with little sleep and little food.