Spasms of rage rocked through Brad Cooper as he glared at the leering Kee and his tong pirates. He should've known it was them when he'd seen that yacht on the sea. Of course it was them, going to Finisterra Island to get Saroh, kidnap him, just like Kee had said he'd do at the hotel the other night. He'd take Saroh away, hoping to make the boy his personal love slave.

Brad thought he would explode from the anger boiling up in him. He should have done something. But what could he have possibly done? There was already so much on his mind, how could he predict what was going to happen next? And there was nothing he could do about it now. The rifles were all raised and pointing at Saroh and him. He wasn't armed, only Saroh had a gun, and no way could Brad pull it out of the boy's holster now.

"What the fuck do you want?" he spit out at Kee.

Looking more like the tough guy he purported to be because of the black eye and swollen chin, Kee growled back, "For starters, American boy, I want you to take your fuckin' hands off Saroh. He's mine!"

"Yours?" Brad shot back at him. "Over my dead body, you sleazy dickbag."

Kee grinned, adjusting his rifle so it was pointing directly at Brad. "That can be easily arranged. Think you're somethin', huh, because you can knock me out when I'm drunk? You're nothing but a prissy faggot, you and your homo boyfriends. Take your hands off Saroh right now or I'll shoot. To kill."

Before Brad could think of what to do next, Saroh had wriggled out of his grasp and pushed him away.

"Leave him alone!" the mission boy demanded of Kee, his stance rigid with determination. "Don't hurt him. Please! I'll do what you want. Just leave him alone."

Startled, Brad gaped at him. But he knew better than to say anything. He knew Saroh was trying to barter for his safety at the boy's own expense.

Brad was paralyzed with fear that they were going to be parted. Or maybe even worse.

Kee looked at the bigger Ho Chin, who was standing next to him, and they both chuckled. Then he turned back to Saroh. "You're really sweet on the American boy, huh? I guess he is sort of 'hot stuff', as they say over there. Have you sucked his dick yet? Let him fuck you? I should kill him right now because of what he did to me the other night. I ..."

"No! No!" Saroh's hands had balled into fists and were now pumping up and down in front of him. "I'll go with you. I know what you want. I'll do anything. Just don't hurt him. Please! I'm begging you."

Brad couldn't stand another second of this. He had to do something. He couldn't let Saroh sacrifice himself. The boy had moved a couple feet away and Brad now lunged over to him and pulled the gun out of his holster. He swung his arm in order to shoot at Kee but Saroh jumped at him, knocking the gun out of Brad's hand with a strong punch of his fist.

"Stop it!" he shouted at Brad as the gun smacked hard against the ground and slithered down the incline. "They'll kill you. I don't want you to die. We'll get out of this somehow and be together again. I fucking love you!"

The next thing Brad knew, the thugs had surrounded them and strong arms gripped his limbs as orders were being shouted out by Kee in Chinese. Vice-like hands gripped Brad's ankles and he felt himself lifted up as a cloth sack was pulled over his head and he was hustled away by three of the pirates.

"Don't hurt him. Please!" Brad heard Saroh pleading.

"Okay. Okay. We won't, dammit!" It was Kee speaking, angry and disgusted. "But you're coming with me, buddy. And don't you try any funny stuff."

Fear and terror pulsed in Saroh's voice. "I won't. I swear I won't. Just don't hurt him!"

"You fucking chump," Brad heard Kee grousing, his voice now farther away. "You better start feeling that way about me, you little slut. Or I'll sell you to some Sultan up north in the Sulu Sea. I can get some big money for you, muscleboy."

Brad groaned, forcing himself to remain quiet and not fight his captors. He had no idea what they were going to do with him. But Saroh wanted them both alive and not hurt, and Brad understood the wisdom of that, even though it was almost impossible not to fight back. He knew that somehow they'd find each other again and then be together, forever, just like they'd planned a few minutes ago.

Suddenly he felt branches whipping against him and tendrils of vines all over him as he was uprighted and slammed hard against what felt like the thick trunk of a tree. Whisking hands wrapped stout ropes around him and the trunk, binding him so tight it hurt in places. The three thugs were joking and laughing in their own language.

"What's so fuckin' funny?" Brad couldn't help grunting at them.

"You no get dat pretty mission boy," one of them replied. It sounded like the big Ho Chin. "Kee get him. An' you stay here with dis ugly ol' tree on dis island!"

They all three hooted at that and a moment later they were gone. Brad listened to them as they ran off until they were too far away to hear any longer. Then the quiet folded in on him and he knew he was alone.

He growled in frustration, knowing they were on their way back to the yacht with Saroh. It must have been anchored off the north shore. Then they'd be off to Palua Pae. Was his dad already there, Brad wondered, or was he on Kee's yacht right now, down the north side of the island and so close? He felt ridiculously helpless, tied to a tree with a sack over his head. Once again a captive in the jungle, this time high up on a mountain side.

Brad struggled against his bonds. He had to get back down to the mission, back to the Balanga. They had to be ready to leave first thing in the morning with the high tide. There were so many reasons he had to get to Palua Pae as soon as possible. But none as important to him now as saving Saroh from the sinister intentions of the leader of the Ching Tu Tong.

The ropes were tight. Brad knew he was never going to loosen them on his own. The tong thugs were sailors. They knew how to tie the best knots. And the sack was driving him crazy. Breathing was difficult and his scalp and face were sweating.

He was stuck in a bed of vines that covered the tree he was tied to. Fidgeting, he pictured them loaded with bugs, spiders and other insects that would soon be crawling all over him.

He blew out a forceful breath at the sack smothering him and, when it puffed out in front of him, he realized it was open on the bottom and not fastened. That gave him hope. If he could get the damn thing off his head, at least he could breathe properly.

He began rubbing the back of his head against the vines growing on the tree trunk, hoping he could push the sack up and get it off. He got into a wave-like movement, up and down, up and down, his shoulders, neck and head, and in a couple minutes he could feel the sack scrunching up behind him.

Concentrating on that effort kept Brad's mind off crying for help. He didn't want to start shouting until the pirates were far away enough not to hear him. Kee could've easily killed him, and he didn't want to anger the man now and have him take it out on Saroh.

Slowly, the bottom of the sack moved upward. When it reached his chin, more air was able to come in and Brad gulped big breaths of it.

"All right!" he grunted aloud. "Good thing it's cooler up here. If they'd done this to me down in the jungle I'd have passed out by now."

A few minutes later the sack was wrapped around the top of his head. Brad found himself gazing at the blue Pacific and the big Manus Island on the horizon north of Finisterra Island.

They had carried him over the crest of the mountain and down to the tree line on the other side. He could see the hills rolling down to the white sand beach below where a yacht was anchored about a hundred yards out into the water almost directly ahead.

Kee's yacht! Obviously, the band of pirates and Saroh hadn't reached the beach yet, where a lifeboat was pulled up onto the sand directly across the water from the yacht. About ten minutes had gone by since they'd left him alone, and Brad figured they had to be far enough away so he could start shouting.

He wanged his head back and forth and up and down as best he could and soon enough the sack went flying off to the left of him. Then he started yelling.

"Help! Help!"

"Clint! Jimmy! Help!"

"He-e-e-e-e-el-p! I'm up on the mountain!"

After a few minutes Brad snorted and gave it up. He let out a loud frustrated snarl. They'd never hear him down at the mission. It had to be more than a mile away down the other side of the mountain. And he had no idea if anyone was on this side of the mountain. The local Finisterra mines were too far away for anyone there to hear him and, hopefully, there were no angry natives like the Wambutu around. Like on Lateela Island where Jimmy lived, there were no jungle drums beating in the air here. At least that was a good sign.

Then Brad felt something crawling on his leg and he squirmed to look. It was a brownish-red ant rushing up and down by his knee as if it was looking for something really important. He didn't know much about the ants on these islands other than that some were fire ants and their bites and stings could really hurt and maybe kill you. He didn't know what they looked like so this could've been one of them, for all he knew.

Ugh! He started jiggling his leg as best he could in the tightly bound ropes and it did result in the ant being flung off.

"And stay off me, fucker!" he gruffed at it, although he couldn't see it anymore because it had scurried away into the tangled growth on the ground.

Then Brad saw movement on the beach down below, and he froze.

Six figures, looking as small as the ant he'd just knocked off his leg, were walking across the beach from out of the bush. He immediately knew which one was Saroh, he was the only one shirtless, and Brad could swear the boy was trying to look back up at him. A pang pierced his heart like a knife thrust as the thug behind Saroh, probably Kee, jabbed him with his rifle to make him stop looking back up the hill.

Brad roared an angry cry. "You fucker, Kee! So that's why you had me tied up here, huh? That's why the sack over my head wasn't fastened. You knew I'd get it off and have to watch you take Saroh away!"

All he could do was watch, angry and helpless on his perch so very high above them. The lifeboat was pushed out into the water and all six climbed aboard. Then the outboard motor was started and the boat whirled away toward the yacht.

Brad had never before wanted to kill anyone, but he knew he could easily strangle Kee and enjoy watching him breathe his last breath. He let himself feel it. He concentrated on his anger. He shouted and he swore and he tugged and pulled at his bonds even though he knew it wouldn't do a damn bit of good. He would not let himself feel the deeper emotions roiling within him, the pain and fear and heartbreak of losing Saroh like this. It was bad enough he was helpless and tied to a tree. He didn't want to be crying too.

Then he spent a few minutes roaring out more futile cries for help. But he knew there was no one to hear him and it was unlikely anyone would be coming this way soon. They weren't expecting Saroh and him back at the mission until dinnertime, and that was a long way off. And even then, the others wouldn't start a search until it was apparent that something had happened to him and Saroh. And it might take them all evening to come to that conclusion.

Brad groaned against admitting defeat. He did not want to spend the night on this mountain top while Saroh was being stolen away to the island hidden in time.

He watched as they climbed up onto the yacht and, a few minutes later, the anchor obviously having been raised, the boat began to move and it turned north and began its journey. Despite his resolve, Brad felt a tear slide down his cheek and the burning pain in his chest told him his heart was breaking. He couldn't help wondering if he'd ever see Saroh again.

But he didn't wonder for long. Distraction came with a noisy rustle in the undergrowth on his left and his head jerked that way to look. Rambling his way was a hideous-looking creature the size of a dog. He'd never seen anything quite so ugly. It's body was shaped like a triangular blob and covered with spiky quills that looked like they could ward off just about any other creature imaginable. .

It definitely wasn't a porcupine. Brad had seen a couple of them and knew what they looked like. With its small face and beady eyes and long narrow snout, the animal looked to be some kind of anteater. Having tensed at seeing it, he now let himself relax knowing that anteaters weren't particularly aggressive. He curiously watched the little beast as it approached.

Obviously it was zeroing in on a target, but Brad knew he wasn't it. The thing wasn't even looking at him. It rambled on through the low growth right past him without even giving him a glance. Then it savagely attacked a mound of dirt sticking up in the mess of tangled vines and grasses a few feet away.

With its long snout, the animal vigorously poked at the mound while emitting a kind of high-pitched screech. Within seconds, hordes of ants started pouring out of the ruined mound and the hungry beast began sucking them into its snout like a vacuum cleaner.

Brad was astounded. There were thousands of ants pouring out of the holes and the anteater was managing to suck up most of them. But hundreds were escaping, going off in every direction, some of them scurrying toward him. As they got closer he could see they were the same as the one that had been crawling on him a few minutes ago.

He shouted at the ravaging animal. "Hey! Stop that, dammit! Get outta here! I don't want those creepy little bastards all over me."

But the animal continued to ignore him as it feasted eagerly on the frantic little insects.

Horrified, Brad watched the runaway ants close in on him. He tried to move his feet to kick at them but his legs were so tightly bound the best he could do was shuffle them slightly. In no time the little monsters were crawling up his shoes and onto his bare legs, and Brad was once again shouting:

"Get off 'a me! Dammit! Ouch! Hey that hurts! What the fuck?"

Angry and frightened because their nest had been attacked, they were biting him, or stinging. Brad didn't know which, but it sure as all hell hurt. The little creatures raced up his thighs into the legs of his short pants, and then he really started yelling his head off. He could feel them in his underwear!

"Help! Clint! Jimmy! Goddammit! I'm being attacked! He-e-e-e-lp!"

Brad had never felt so trapped in his life. Bound to the tree with hundreds of stinging ants crawling all over him, he continued to squirm and shout and holler. They could probably hear him down at the mission now, he was thinking, knowing he had never cried out so loud before in his life.

The stings throbbed and burned and he was shaking all over. It felt like his heart was racing at a hundred miles an hour. He felt an ant try to enter his mouth and he spit and spit again, grunting and yelling when he felt more of them rush all over his face and up into his hair. He thought he was going to go crazy. In fact, he surely must have gone nuts because he knew he had to be hearing things when Clint's voice came booming out:

"Brad! Where the hell are you? We hear you but can't see you."

He swerved his head to his left as far as he could. The voice had come from that direction. Had he really heard it? Or had he imagined it? He couldn't see back up the hill to the crest, but when he heard Jimmy cry out, "Where are you, buddy? Come on, start yelling again. We're here!", he knew they were really there.

Thank God! was all he could think. He was totally freaking out. It felt like he was being eaten alive.

"Over the mountain!" he howled back. "North side of the crest! Tied to one of the trees!"

"We're coming!" he heard Clint cry back a moment later. "Hold on, man!"

Brad couldn't believe they were here. Why the hell were they all the way up here on the mountain top? But he was so glad they were. He felt like he was losing it, like he was going to black out, like everything was slowly fading away. The boys kept shouting as they drew closer and he yelled back, hoping they'd find him in time ...

In time?

He didn't know why he'd thought that. He hardly knew what was going on any more. Everything was spinning around ... the big blue Pacific out there, the tall tree he was bound to ... whoa! Even the mountain top itself ... whooshing ... wheeling around ...

"Over here! Over here!" He was shouting desperately.

Suddenly ... "There he is!"

It was Jimmy's voice and Brad felt a different kind of warmth than the stinging burning all over when, a second later, the blue-eyed blond boy jumped in front of him. Another second and Clint was there, adding to the sensation, and Brad didn't care if he was going to pass out. He felt safe. Happy. All over. His two lovers had come to rescue him!

"Aw fuck," Jimmy cried. "He's covered in ants, Clint. Those damn fire ants. They're all over him. Look ... there! That goddam anteater attacked their mound. Caruso! Your knife. Somebody tied him up. We gotta ..."

Brad couldn't follow what was happening. He was weak, dizzy, fading in and out. Caruso was there too, suddenly cutting his bonds with a knife while the boys were frantically brushing off the ants crawling all over him.

"Who the fuck did this?" Jimmy grunted as Clint demanded, "Where's Saroh?"

"Kee and the pirates," Brad croaked, then struggled to mumble out the rest of the story. "Then they took him north in the yacht!"

"Aw man!" Jimmy groaned.

"Fuck!" was all Clint could say.

"No good ahead for Saroh wit those fellas," Caruso said.

Then they were carrying Brad away from the tree.

"Will he be all right?" he heard Clint ask.

"Should be. I hope!" It was Jimmy answering. "Unless he's unusually allergic to the venom. But those fire ants can make you sick when you get so many stings. Gotta get him to the infirmary at the mission. They'll have an antidote for it. Something that'll help."

"Take Brad clothes off!" Caruso ordered.

"Yah right. Good idea." Jimmy began unbuckling Brad's belt. "Clint, brush the ants off him. Off yourself too, if they start jumping on you. Check his hair and under his arms."

Brad was vaguely aware of them laying him on the rocky ground, pulling off his shorts and underwear, the three of them rubbing all over his body, hands sliding, smacking, whacking the ants off.

"Fuck! In his pubic hair too," Clint grunted, pulling and tugging.

"Nice pretty dick," Brad heard Caruso chuckle.

To which Jimmy hooted. "Sort of all shriveled up now. You should see it when it gets big."

Caruso's face had a big grin. "Me sure hell wanna!"

Clint snorted. "Looks like he's blacking out. Good thing. He'd kill us if he knew what we're doing."

Brad did know, but it was like he was a million miles away watching it all. He thought it was funny, stripping him on the mountain top to take all the ants off and Caruso liking his dick.

Well, he was figuring, he'd probably like Caruso's dick too ...

Then he felt himself hauled up and thrown over somebody's shoulder. Brad looked at the big muscular neck and broad back, all beautiful dark brown skin.

"Hey, he's my boyfriend," he heard Clint complain. "I'll carry him back down!"

"He Jimmy boyfriend too," Caruso argued, planting a strong firm hand on Brad's naked butt. "But me stronger than both you put together ... and we gotta climb down mountain."

"Then stop feeling up his ass!" Clint shot back.

Brad couldn't see Caruso's smile, but he would've loved it. "Me gotta hold him like this so no fall. And me sure like his dick rubbin' 'gainst my chest too!"

**

It was much later when Brad opened his eyes to see Jimmy gazing down at him through a veil of mosquito netting.

Brad's hand shot out to grab his friend's arm. "What the fuck? Where am I?"

Jimmy drew in a sharp breath. "Whoa, you're back! Don't get all shook up. You're in the infirmary at the mission. You got stung by hundreds of fire ants and one of the nurses gave you a shot of some kind of antihistamine. You'll get more later."

He gently grabbed Brad's hand, grinning. "They bathed you and put lotion all over you, lucky nurses. I wanted to do it. But they wouldn't let me touch you, and I bet they were lookin' at every inch of you.  You should be all right by morning, maybe a bit woozy for a couple days and lots of annoying blisters. But you'll live."

"How the hell did I get down here? Last I remember, you guys took my clothes off and were feeling me up all over."

Jimmy snorted. "Yah, don't we wish! We were brushing all the ants off you. Then Caruso threw you over his shoulder like you were a sack of yams and carried you down."

Brad's eyes widened. "Clint wasn't jealous?"

"A whole lot." Jimmy couldn't help laughing. "Caruso kept feeling up your ass."

Brad beamed at the idea of it. "Guess I owe him some feels, huh?"

"Yah, some serious ones. And that'll really get Clint jealous."

Brad's expression grew serious. "Is he jealous about Saroh?"

"Nah," Jimmy shook his head. "He knows you like the boy. Fuck. We like him too. And we're dying to get our hands on him. As long as you're willing to share him with us ...?"

"Of course I am." Brad squeezed Jimmy's hand in confirmation. "I told Saroh we'd be four. He got all excited. He wants to come with us. Wherever we go." Brad's voice had raised in excitement but now it came crashing down. "Aw fuck. Damn! He's not here, Jimmy. Kee took him! Oh man, we gotta get him back. That slime ball creep is taking him to Palua Pae. You know what he'll do to Saroh. He'll ..."

"Shhh!" Jimmy leaned in closer. "Don'cha worry. We'll leave first thing in the morning. We'll get Saroh back. And your dad and his friend and my grandpa Johnny Fang. And anything else we have to do."

Brad let out a frustrated groan. "Oh man, you won't believe what we have to do there."

Jimmy crunched his brows. "Whaddaya mean?"

Brad told him about Professor Hyde-Morton, that he was here in the infirmary and what he'd had to say about the lost island.

"What?" Jimmy looked at Brad in astonishment. "Someone else was on the island when Granny Sal and Johnny Fang were there? And escaped in the lifeboat with her? Oh my god! What the fuck else didn't she tell me?"

"I'm sure there's more, Jimmy. If she held back information that important, you can bet you didn't hear a lot more of what really happened."

"But why?" Jimmy wanted to know. "How could she leave so much out?"

"She's afraid. The experience scared the crap out of her. She saw what's there ... and who the hell knows what that is?"

Jimmy nodded reluctantly. "Guess you're right. I would've thought she was nuts telling me crazy outer space stuff. But now it sounds like it might be real, and what could be more frightening? The old gods from outer space have been in the Pacific legends for tens of thousands of years."

"And it sure looks like we've found one of their stomping grounds," Brad added.

"We haven't found it yet," Jimmy corrected. "But you should be back to normal in the morning and we'll set out."

"I'll be fine. I feel better already. Just weak." He fidgeted a little. "And I burn and itch all over."

Brad got a sick feeling in the very pit of his stomach, in addition to the ache in his heart, every time he thought about Saroh being at the mercy of the tong lord Kee. He knew he wouldn't have any peace of mind until he was reunited with the boy and they could be together again.

"Did you bring my clothes down from the mountain?" he asked.

"No way. They were loaded with ants. Clint tossed them in the bush."

"But my wallet. And Saroh's picture was in my shirt pocket. And the little dragon in my pants pocket."

Jimmy squeezed his hand again. "I got them. And there's plenty of extra clothes on the Balanga. You won't have to go naked. Although me and Cliff would sure like it." Jimmy snickered. "And Caruso too."

"Was he really digging it?" Brad asked. "Me naked?"

"You bet he was. You should've seen when we walked into the stockade – you on Caruso's shoulder butt-ass naked, his hand just about all the way up the crack of your ass. Plus he had a big boner bulging in his pants."

"Whoa!" Brad could just picture it. "That must've really upset the Reverend. According to Saroh, he's a real prude."

Jimmy nodded. "Fortunately, he didn't see us come in. We came directly here to the infirmary and they had us put you on this bed. Then the two nurses kicked us out and took care of you. I thought Caruso was going to argue with them." He leaned even closer to Brad and, with a chuckle, whispered, "He wanted to take care of you, but probably not in the same way the nurses were going to."

"Yowza! I'll have to give him some hugs, huh?" Brad suggested.

Jimmy bounced his eyebrows. "I dunno. He's really strong. He might not let you go if you get in a clinch with him."

The thought of hugging it up with Caruso made Brad smile. " How about that ugly anteater? You should've shot it for all the trouble it caused."

"Clint threw a stone at the thing. It puffed up like a balloon and rolled into a ball. That's what they do. And nobody dares touch them because of the spikes. You don't want those stickin' in you."

Brad was watching Jimmy's dreamy blue eyes. He didn't know how he could possibly be horny at the moment, but he felt an unmistakable stirring in his loins and he pulled Jimmy closer. "I sure wouldn't mind you sticking in me."

"Ho!" Jimmy looked like he was going to jump right on him. "As soon as possible, lover. I'm counting the seconds. I owe you one anyway, remember?"

"I sure do. And I'm looking forward to the payback. How'd you know to come up the mountain and look for me?"

"Reverend Winfield was showing us around the compound. He started talking to one of the mine workers who'd just come down from up in the hills. The guy told him a yacht had been seen anchored off the north shore a little earlier. Clint and I figured right away it might be Kee and his boys coming back to mess with Saroh, like he'd threatened at the hotel restaurant. We remembered seeing that yacht from the Balanga. Worried there might be trouble, we headed out to look for you. Caruso came with us cuz he knew the way. He'd been up there before with Saroh."

"Doing what?" Brad wondered.

Jimmy bounced his brows again and chuckled. "Maybe having some ... uh ... fun? Or maybe just hiking up there for the view?"

"For the view," Brad decided. "Saroh told me he's never been with anyone and I believe him. He wouldn't lie to me. I'm sure of It."

That brought a big smile to Jimmy's lips. "Then when we get him back, we'll have to break him in, huh?"

"Right. But real nice and sweet like. Understand?"

"Hey! We are nice and sweet. It's not like we're Kee and his boys."

Brad shifted a little. His butt felt raw, itchy, and burning. He had to maneuver so his weight was resting on his hip to alleviate the pressure. "How is the Reverend taking it?" he asked.

"He's all freaked out. Whining, carrying on, predicting the worst. Clint and Yank are with him, trying to calm him down. Cap'n Redd went back to the boat. He can't stand a man who gets all dramatic like that. Of course, the Reverend doesn't know the real reason Kee took Saroh. We couldn't tell him that. He was shocked to learn those guys are the Ching Tu Tong and have been playing him for a fool. He thinks it's a kidnapping and that they're going to demand a fortune in gold in exchange for Saroh."

Brad rolled his eyes in dismay. "Oh boy. If only it was that simple, huh?"

Jimmy smirked. "Who needs simple? My entire life used to be simple before I ran into you and Clint. But totally boring. I love you guys. I love Saroh. You'll see. We'll find that lost island and we'll get him back and we'll never let ourselves be parted from one another again."

Just then one of the native nurses walked into the room bearing a tray with a meal on it. She smiled at Jimmy and her eyes lit up when she saw Brad was awake.

"You wake up! Very good, I say!" She placed the tray on the small table next to the bed. "How you feel? Good?"

Brad nodded. "A little weak and tired, but pretty good. And that food smells wonderful."

"Nice! I feed you. You eat!" She turned to Jimmy. "You go now." She pointed at a round white pill in a small cup on the tray. "After he eat, he take this. Make sleep, so feel good in morning."

Jimmy reluctantly got to his feet. He squeezed Brad's hand softly before letting it go. "Can I come back later to see him?" he asked the nurse.

Taking the seat he'd just left empty, she nodded. "You come, okay. But no wake him up if sleep."

Jimmy agreed to that and whispered to Brad, "Clint and I will probably come back later. Asleep or awake, we'll probably attack you either way."

"No! No!" The woman had heard him and was looking at him in confusion. "You no attack. Leave alone! Boy need rest and sleep."

Brad and Jimmy looked at each other and burst out laughing. The nurse looked back and forth between them as Jimmy left the room.

Brad smiled at her. "He was only joking."

The nurse harrumphed as she picked up a knife and fork and began to cut the piece of meat on the plate. "No joke. You eat, rest, sleep. Be strong tomorrow."

And that's exactly what Brad did. He ate the surprisingly delicious meat, even though he was a little worried it might be crocodile steak. He could imagine them making exotic dishes with the ones Saroh shot down by the river. Afterward, he lay back and rested and, while thinking about the whole ordeal up on the mountain, especially Kee's taking Saroh away, he soon fell asleep.

Brad didn't know if Clint and Jimmy came later to see him, but they were with him in his dreams all night long. Frightening dreams, ones that seemed never to end, as if they were on a loop of film going around and around and around. He and Clint and Jimmy, running through a labyrinth of caves of light and fire, being chased both by strange reptilian-looking people and Kee and his gang of thugs from the Ching Tu Tong ...

... as they searched and searched in the depths of the lost island below the City of Death for the missing Saroh ...

Photo - Caruso

**

Thanks everybody so much for reading. Please vote and leave a comment. I love hearing from you!

MORE EXCITEMENT ahead! Next chapter ... on to the lost island!