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With the van parked, Ahmed tried to rouse all the men but was unsuccessful. It didn’t take long for him to realize that those who ate the candy had been drugged. He would be sure to kill the woman before they left the island.

“Perhaps we underestimated them,” said his cousin. He stared at him with a frown on his face. “If they knew to drug the candy, they knew we were coming, cousin. I don’t think we should do this.”

“We will do this! I will have revenge for my father!”

“Our fathers and grandfathers, uncles and cousins are dead,” said the other man. “Perhaps revenge isn’t what we should seek.”

“I will not leave here without killing these men.”

“You’re not even sure what they look like. You could be killing innocent people,” said his other cousin. “We vowed to no longer do that. Our mothers made us promise, and I do not want to shame my mother.”

“Yet you are willing to shame your father by letting his death be in vain!” He was angry now, and his anger made them uncomfortable. They’d come a long way to assuage their anger, but along the way, a few of the men had begun to have second thoughts. Perhaps this wasn’t the way.

Ahmed grabbed the weapons, slinging a rifle and a rocket launcher over his slight shoulders. The men still awake slowly grabbed their own weapons and followed him toward the small ticket hut.

Prepared to kill the ticket taker, they realized that it was abandoned. No one thought twice about it, passing the small box and entering the gates of the animal sanctuary.

“ Danger is com… Danger is here. Help them… move to…”

“Are you hearing this?” asked Marilisa to the others.

“I am,” said Stephanie, “but I can’t figure out where it’s coming from. We’re not on the same comms line as the men out at the island. What are we hearing?”

“I don’t know, but it’s strong, and I don’t recognize the voice. I think we have to warn them,” she said, whispering to the others.

“Marilisa, we can’t leave the Sugar Lodge,” said Katelyn. “We need to stay here. The men know what they’re doing.”

“No. I’m telling you there is something that they need to be warned about, and all the animals are in danger as well,” she said, pacing the space in front of them.

She looked around the room, seeing Brax, Saint, and the others seated at a table, talking. Saint had been avoiding her for the last few days, and she was pissed about that, but she didn’t care right now. She needed to warn the others on the island.

“Just tell them I went outside for fresh air,” she whispered.

“Marilisa,” hissed Victoria in a whisper. She turned, placing her fingers at her lips. Without a thought, she left the safety of the Sugar Lodge, hopped on an ATV, and headed toward the docks.

“This is going to end badly,” said Victoria, looking at the others.

“I could help her,” said Monroe.

“No! You’re still just a kid,” said Stephanie.

“I’m a genius kid. Someone is sending us a message through some sort of connection or subconscious mind communication. And the message is that they are in danger. Are we supposed to just sit here? They’re not going to believe us if we say it’s in our heads. Even I know that sounds crazy,” said the feisty teenager.

“It’s too dangerous,” said Katelyn. “We need to stay here. If the messages get louder or change, we’ll notify the others.”

Stephanie looked up to see Brax staring at her. It was as if he were hearing their entire conversation the way he stared at her. She couldn’t look away, and there was an overwhelming urge to run to him and tell him what was happening. But she also felt the need to allow Marilisa to help them.

“So, we all agree that we’ll wait a little while and see what Marilisa finds,” said Stephanie.

“Agreed,” they said to one another. Katelyn looked at them, shaking her head with uncertainty.

“We wait.”