Scar Island(19)

Colin shot Jonathan a meaningful look that he pretended not to see.

Finally, they got the Admiral’s bloated body to the freezer. Their breath puffed in frosty clouds as they dragged and pushed him up onto the pile of corpses.

Jonathan was the last to leave. He slipped gratefully out of the freezer but groaned when the door hit the Admiral’s jutting boot, six inches shy of closing. Colin and the others were already out the freezer door and into the kitchen, heading back for the next corpse.

He kicked at the Admiral’s boot but his leg was stiff and the boot wouldn’t budge. He sighed and looked over his shoulder and reluctantly walked back into the freezer. He grabbed the Admiral under both armpits and heaved, trying to twist him over and higher up on the pile of bodies. As he did so, he heard a metallic clanging and looked down.

A key had fallen out of the Admiral’s jacket pocket. It was a big key, rusty and old-fashioned. Jonathan glanced around and shivered. He picked up the key and slipped it into his pocket, then gave the Admiral one last push to clear the door and walked out to rejoin the rest of the boys.





“Okay,” Sebastian began when they all met at the table, exhausted and limp from dragging dead bodies across a hundred yards of stone. “First things first. I’m in charge.”

Colin turned his head to give Jonathan a very meaningful look. Jonathan bit his tongue and didn’t look back.

Sebastian was sitting in the Admiral’s big wooden chair, his feet up on the table. Benny was sitting next to him, with Roger and Gregory nearby.

“Why are you in charge?” Tony asked.

“Because I say so, Tony. We can’t have no one in charge. It’d be dumb. And I’ve been here the longest. And I’m the oldest.”

“I’m older than you are,” Gerald protested.

“Shut up, Gerald. I’m in charge. Anyone have a problem with that?”

“Do we have another choith?”

“No.”

“Could we have electionth?”

“No. And you better shut up right now, Colin.”

“Let it go,” Jonathan whispered through clenched teeth, nudging Colin. “It’ll be fine.”

Colin just shook his head and frowned. His hand flitted up to pinch nervously at his neck.

“Okay, now that’s settled. First rule is …” Sebastian smiled like a cat with a mouthful of feathers. He spread his hands wide. “… there are no rules.”

There was a little scattered clapping among the group. Some nervous laughter. Sebastian looked around at them, a little frown on his face.

“Why do you guys look so scared?”

No one answered. Eyes dropped to the floor.

“What’s wrong with you guys? This is the best thing that ever happened to us!”

There was still no answer except the sound of the rain still pattering in the courtyard outside the window.

Sebastian jumped to his feet.

“What? You think we can’t do this? You think we can’t take care of ourselves and have fun?” Sebastian shook his head.

“Come on! The stupid Admiral? He called us scabs, right?” Sebastian’s face darkened. “Picked off and thrown away, he said. But now he’s gone. And here we are. Still around. ’Cause you know what you get when you keep picking at a scab?”

He looked around at them, his eyes shining.

“Bloody fingers?” Miguel suggested.

“An infection?” Walter asked.

“No!” Sebastian spat. “You get a scar, idiots. A scar. And scars are tough. The Admiral was wrong. We ain’t scabs. We’re scars.”

“Yeah!” Benny piped up eagerly. “Scars, man!”

Jonathan’s stomach suddenly twisted and tightened. He blinked quickly and rubbed at his sleeves with sweaty palms.

Sebastian’s mouth spread into a grin and he opened his arms wide.

“Look around, guys! This whole place belongs to us. We’re the kings. No one to boss us around. No one to get us in trouble. It’s our island now. Ours. We don’t need nobody. ’Cause we’re Scars now. Scars with a capital S. The tough Scars that got left behind. It’s our island.”

“Hell yeah!” Roger cheered in his deep voice. “Our island!”

“Our island!” Gregory echoed.

Sebastian slammed his fist down on the table, his face glowing with triumph.

“This whole island belongs to the Scars now!”

“Scar Island!” Benny crowed.

Sebastian had them now. There were cheers and smiles and high fives. Even Walter was nodding his head and grinning.

“This ain’t Slabhenge anymore!” Sebastian hollered. “It’s Scar Island from now on! Say it!”

“Scar Island!” all the boys shouted.

All the boys except Colin, who just sat looking around, pale and frowning.

And all the boys except Jonathan, still rubbing his arms and blinking.

Sebastian sat back down, his face flushed.

“The jerks are gone,” he said. “We can do. Whatever. We. Want.”

There was more clapping, more cheering.

“Except … we should eat meals together, I think,” Sebastian added. “To check in. Make sure we’re all okay. That makes sense, right?” He looked at Jonathan. Jonathan dropped his hands quickly from his arms. He shrugged and nodded.