Wicked Island Of Ireland - Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

The five men were dressed in comfortable athletic wear, while the woman wore a flight attendant’s uniform.

There was nothing ethereal or frightening about their appearance – they seemed perfectly solid and real.

The sound hadn’t been in her head after all. Relieved, she whispered to Hayden:

“Hayden, there are people down the hill. They don’t seem to be from this island.”

Hayden showed no interest in them.

“They’re strangers, so let’s just go. With only the clothes on your back and no memories, the last thing you need is to catch a cold. Who would take care of you then?”

She cast a longing glance back at the group. Part of her wanted to join them, feeling hunted and seeking safety in numbers. The other part wanted to follow Hayden, who had saved her life.

He didn’t wait any longer and stepped into the forest. She hurried after him belatedly. Perhaps they would meet those people again near the houses by the lake.

“Hayden, wait for me.”

But she would realize how futile that hope was in less than ten minutes.

***

“It’s all ruins. Nothing but ruins.”

They walked through the forest for about five minutes. As expected, they came upon the lakeshore, but the houses she had hoped to find weren’t there.

Medieval-style stone houses were scattered sparsely along the shore. Most were missing their roofs or had crumbling walls.

Despite this desolation, the lakeside view in the pouring rain had an artistic beauty to it. She would have appreciated the scenery more if she weren’t shivering so violently.

“We should find a usable house and take shelter for now.”

The woman looked around, brushing wet hair from her forehead. That’s when her tie ribbon caught on a tree branch and came undone.

The tie fell to the ground, causing her jacket to open.

Murphy’s law.

One misfortune after another. What would go wrong next?

She reached out with tired hands to pick up the tie. At that moment, she heard multiple footsteps behind her.

“I’d love some corn soup with meat right now.”

“I’d rather warm up in the arms of a hot woman.”

Dim figures could be seen through the dark trees.

They all looked as drenched as drowned rats.

The man walking at the front jumped when he saw her, clutching his chest.

“Good lord, you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“…”

“Who are you?”

The man had brown hair and brown eyes. He was Caucasian, probably in his early twenties, with an athlete’s tan.

A Latino man behind him looked her up and down, raising his eyebrows.

“Are you from this island? Why are you wearing a man’s jacket without pants?”

The Latino man’s eyes traced down to her exposed midriff through the open jacket. His eyebrows twitched again when he noticed something marked on her hip.

“Looks like you’re into tattoos. Speaking of tattoos, I’ve got quite a few myself.”

“Tattoo?”

She looked down at her hip questioningly.

There was text reading ‘J-D.ISU’ tattooed there, about two fingers wide.

The Latino man showed great interest in the tattoo.

“Oh, is that your name? Do you pronounce it Isoo? Or maybe I-su?”

Coming to her senses belatedly, she hastily closed her jacket. Unable to explain that she had lost her memories and didn’t know her name, she answered briefly:

“Isu.”

The Latino man accepted this without suspicion and introduced everyone.

“I’m Manuel, and this is Declan, Nate, DeHart, Jan, and Jena. We’re all friends, and until thirty minutes ago, we were on a plane. What brings you here? And who’s that man?”

Manuel showed interest in Hayden, who was waiting for Isu at a distance.

For some reason, Hayden entered the nearest stone house with an irritated air.

Manuel scratched his temple with his index finger.

“Quite the sensitive gentleman.”

Jena, wearing a light blue uniform, assessed Hayden and commented:

“I find that kind of aloofness sexy. But hey, are you from this island?”

Jena was blonde with her hair tied back. Though her eye makeup and lipstick were smeared ominously, she was clearly stunning. Isu met Jena’s striking eyes and answered:

“No, I was being held captive in a building on the hill before I escaped.”

Manuel’s eyes widened as he stepped closer.

“Held captive? By whom?”

Manuel had bronze skin and was covered in lean muscle. She glanced at his military-style buzzcut before lowering her head.

“I don’t know. Anyway, we should get out of this rain.”

Hayden had said this was an island off Ireland. Ireland rarely exceeds 20 degrees even in summer. Perhaps that’s why the wind off the river felt like it could freeze your skin.

Exhausted as if she’d run a marathon, Isu stood before the stone house Hayden had entered.

The door was rough like a stable door, with multiple cracks and warped spots.

She wouldn’t have chosen to enter such a place voluntarily, but there was no choice. Better than catching a cold.

Isu opened the door. An empty space like a warehouse greeted her.

Water dripped from the ceiling, creating a gloomy atmosphere. Dust was everywhere. The musty smell made her nose twitch.

“Ugh… This place hasn’t been used in decades.”

Through the moonlight streaming through the windows, she could see Hayden. He sat at a table and gestured to the seat across from him.

“Sit.”

His brow was furrowed, clearly displeased with the dirty, smelly environment. Indeed, he seemed out of place in this run-down building.

His face suggested someone with OCD, and his appearance was that of an heir to a prestigious family.

His black vest held a tie pin, handkerchief, and fountain pen. Sitting across from him, you’d expect a business discussion to begin any moment.

“Ah…”

How wonderful if that were true. If they could escape this place in the blink of an eye, she couldn’t ask for more…. Lost in impossible dreams, she sat across from him.

Just then, the door creaked open. Declan, the young Caucasian man with brown eyes, poked his head in.

“Mind if we join you?”

The stone house was far too small for eight adults. Hayden frowned, unwelcoming, until his eyes fixed on the bag Declan carried across his chest.

The bulging bag with unknown contents seemed to make Hayden more agreeable. A pale dimple appeared in his cheek.

“Come in, I was just feeling a bit lonely.”

Declan’s group entered, seeing through Hayden’s artificial smile.

The house filled with the sound of various voices. But strangely, a familiar voice echoed in her head, drowning out all other noise:

“Never accept kindness from someone who adorns themselves with hundreds of millions of pounds. Such people never offer kindness without reason. They’re surely being nice because they plan to squeeze you dry from head to toe.”

It seemed like a warning she had heard from someone before losing her memories. The more she dwelled on it, the more anxiety welled up in her chest.

Suddenly, she felt watched. She even had the illusion of being pursued.

She kept looking back, trying to avoid something invisible. Her eyes met Manuel’s, who was sitting against the wall.

Manuel was worried about the nervous wreck with the pale face.

“Isu, Isu? Are you okay?”

Taking slow breaths, her heart rate returned to normal. But she felt as drained as if she’d finished a marathon – even sitting in the chair was difficult.

“I’m fine. Just felt dizzy for a moment.”

Manuel raised his eyebrows, seemingly intrigued by Isu’s flower-like appearance.

Hayden, who had been watching Isu, turned his attention to Declan.

“What’s in the bag?”

Declan sat down heavily, placing the bag beside him.

“No idea. When escaping from the plane, I grabbed whatever I could to protect my stomach. Are you a survivor from the plane too?”

Hayden nodded. Jena, who had been listening, recalled the passengers and asked suspiciously:

“A man wearing a watch worth over 100,000 pounds was on Shermax Air? The budget airline with the lowest customer satisfaction?”

Hayden narrowed his eyes and replied:

“I had no choice but to take it, and I’m deeply regretting it.”

At that moment, Declan asked Jena:

“By the way, Jena, how did the accident happen? I was sleeping when it occurred, so I still don’t know why.”

Everyone was curious about the cause of the plane crash. Jena, looking exhausted, touched her forehead and began:

“We hit turbulence one minute before the accident. The captain lowered altitude, and shortly after, we hit something. The side of the plane immediately tore away, and the cabin became chaos. Fortunately, as the plane crashed into the sea, we managed to escape and grab onto life rafts.”

Manuel ran his fingers through his hair in despair and asked:

“But what did we hit?”

Declan chuckled and answered:

“A UFO.”

Jan, who had been silent until now, looked at Isu and spoke:

“Maybe our team owner shot us down because we got relegated from the Premier League. We’re football players, Premier League players.”

Manuel added:

“Well, Championship players now, since we got relegated last season.”

Then came silence. The sound of heavy rain filled the space.

Everyone seemed curious about Isu’s story, occasionally glancing her way, but they seemed to think it would be impolite to pry and just exchanged looks.

Noticing this, Isu wiped the remaining moisture from her face and voluntarily spoke:

“I was held captive in a building down the hill. I don’t know why. I can’t even remember my name or where I live…. I’ll tell you what I can when I remember.”

Declan’s voice burst out:

“You were held captive in a building on this island?”

“…Yes.”

“Could it be some psycho who kidnapped and imprisoned you? No wonder the island entrance felt creepy…. We’re not filming some ‘Dead Camp’ movie, are we?”