Chapter Twenty-One

Savage Sanctuary Island, Simon

A dull throb persisted in Simon’s arm, but eating Yolanda’s good food made him feel better. He circled his shoulder to be sure he could still use it. The ache was there but workable.

“You shouldn’t do that,” Sarah said. “It might start bleeding again.”

“I need to get the cats back in their pens and find the other hunter,” he replied, puffing his chest out a bit to let her know he wasn’t hurt badly.

“What will you do to the hunter?” Paige asked.

Simon shrugged, then winced slightly at the ache it caused. He could use the arm, and that’s what mattered. The hunter had proved how dangerous he was to the girls and to the cats. Simon had to do something about it, but he wasn’t sure what. He also didn’t want the girls involved because it would be bad for them. There was an injured cat running around the island, which made it more dangerous if it were still alive.

Then, there was Jerry. That caused the biggest dilemma for Simon. He’d considered him a savior for so long. He didn’t like Jerry and understood now that Jerry was a bad person. But Simon knew he owed him for giving him a home.

No, his shoulder wasn’t the problem. Stopping the bad things that happened at the sanctuary was.

“Will you kill him?” Paige pushed.

“Stop that,” said Misty. “No one is killing anyone.” Her eyes snapped to Simon with a look of apology. “It’s not your fault the hunter died.” Her eyes shifted to Indra and her voice trailed off.

“Those men would have hurt us,” Paige insisted. “We have the right to defend ourselves, and they even shot Simon. He has the biggest reason to defend himself.” She crossed her arms and stared belligerently.

“Thou shall not kill,” Misty stated and knew the second the words left her lips she shouldn’t have said them.

“Wake up, miss pearly pants,” Paige shot back. “Simon tossed a man over a cliff, and the tiger finished it. It was him or us, and if there is a God, he would know it too.”

Misty stared. This was the Paige she knew from school. A grin split her face.

“What’s that for?” Paige demanded.

“You’ve been acting strange, but now you’re the Paige that led our escape from that horrible place.”

Paige’s face darkened, and Misty’s smile grew.

“You’re blushing,” said Sarah, unable to hide her grin.

Paige turned her head and looked at Simon.

“Your face is kind of red,” he said.

“I’m mean, and I get picked on. Now I’m nice and get the same treatment.”

Sarah and Misty looked at each other and started laughing. Paige rolled her eyes, but Simon could tell she wasn’t angry.

“I’m stuffed,” Sarah said, rubbing her stomach after she pushed away the empty container.

“Indra liked his food.” Paige lifted the lid up so they could see it was clean. Indra licked his paws a few feet from Simon, appearing content. Paige shifted her attention. “Did Indra eat your fingers?” she asked.

Simon looked at his hand and curled his pinky, thumb, and stubs into a fist.

“No, it wasn’t Indra,” he said. “I wasn’t paying attention. When you’re around the cats, even Indra, you must always pay attention. Never go near their food and always remember they can hurt you real, real bad by accident.”

“Did the lion swallow the fingers, or did you get them back?”

“Paige,” Misty objected sternly.

Simon looked thoughtful. “I woke up, and they weren’t there. I never asked.”

“Hmm,” Paige said and cast a squinted look in Misty’s direction. “I bet he ate them, and now he has a taste for human flesh.”

Simon decided right then that he liked Paige too. His large size didn’t seem to bother her now, and she said what she felt. That wasn’t a bad thing. He didn’t know about Cleveland liking human flesh, though. The lion acted the same after the incident.

“Can we take a nap?” asked Sarah.

Simon could barely keep his eyes open, and it sounded good to him.

“I’m exhausted,” Misty agreed.

“I need to get the cats into their pens, but I’m too tired.”

“Then it’s settled,” Misty said.

They spread out the tarp with the dry side up and shared the blankets so they could all be comfortable. The storm raged outside as the wind carried large objects that struck the brick building and sometimes all the way up to the glass at the top where they rested. The steady strobe of light flickering into their small area from beneath the door was oddly comforting.

Paige lay next to Simon, the tiger snuggled between them. Misty and Sarah lay close to each other.

“Do you think we’ll get off the island?” Sarah asked in a low whisper that Simon could hear.

“I know we will,” Misty answered.

Simon hoped she was right. He closed his eyes.

*

“Simon,” Misty said and touched his arm softly.

He examined her. She had nice eyes. They only looked angrily at Paige, and she smiled at him like Sarah.

“Does anyone else have a key to the lighthouse?” she asked.

He sat up and heard a sound he couldn’t place. “No one should have a key, but I think someone is trying to get in. I’ll go check.” The sound was a steady scratch that could be a large branch against the side of the building.

Misty placed her hand out to help him up .

Simon shook his head. “I’ll pull you down. I can stand.” He hefted himself from the floor using the wall. It was slower than he normally moved and again he grimaced before straightening. He rotated his shoulder and felt a heavy pull, but it was bearable. He reached over and picked up the tranquilizer gun.

“Stay up here with this,” he told Paige and handed it to her.

“I’ve got my knife,” Sarah said.

He nodded in her direction before heading down the spiral staircase. There were small lights at strategic points on the stairway which helped him see. He could hear the storm raging outside, and when he came off the last step, he landed in an inch of water. The door was closed, but water seeped in beneath it during storms. Simon didn’t think anyone was outside, but he decided to check.

Slowly, he opened the door. The low growl and push against his leg was unexpected. Before he could react, he realized it was Summa, a young male lion who for the most part was friendly. Simon had spent extra time with Summa, but he didn’t quite trust him yet. He looked around outside but saw no movement in the murky darkness.

“I guess you can come inside, but I have company, and you must be on your best behavior.” The lion’s soaked hair stuck up in odd places, and he peered at Simon like he would do anything not to go back into the storm. “Be nice to Indra too. If you give him a reason, he’ll put you on your back.”

Indra got along with the cats who left him alone. He’d gone with Simon to feed, and he and Summa never had a problem. Simon wasn’t sure how it would work up the stairs in the smaller area, but he didn’t know what else to do. He walked to the stairs and noticed Summa’s limp when he followed. The cat stumbled, and Simon saw the blood trail.