Escape From The Island

Under the name was a faded picture of a bus flying over the island.

Milo looked back at the water. The waves had grown taller. White foam curled at their tops. The storm was moving closer.

“I need to get inland,” he said. “And I need to find Dane.”

A sharp beep came from his wrist. The glowing arrow pointed toward a narrow gap between two cliffs.

Milo hurried toward it, but a row of rocks blocked the way. He climbed over the first one. His foot slipped on green seaweed, and he landed with a soft thump on the sand.

“Oof.”

For a moment, he stayed still. The sand was warm beneath his hands. Nothing hurt, but his backpack had spilled open. One apple rolled toward the water.

Milo grabbed it just before a wave reached it.

“Not today,” he told the apple.

He stuffed it back into his bag and tried the rocks again. This time, he moved slowly. He tested each stone before placing his foot down. At the top, he could see the gap more clearly.

It was not a path. It was a stream of water rushing between the cliffs.

Milo frowned. The water was not deep, but it moved fast. On the other side stood a flat stone ledge. Beyond it, the land rose toward trees and green hills.

The quest arrow blinked over the ledge.

Milo searched the beach. A long plank rested beside an overturned beach umbrella. He carried it to the stream and laid it across the water.

The plank wobbled.

Milo placed one foot on it.

The plank tipped.

He jumped back. It splashed into the stream and floated away.

Milo watched it spin between the rocks. His cheeks felt hot.

“I should have looked first,” he whispered.

He sat beside the stream and listened. The water rushed past his shoes. The wind tugged at his hood. Somewhere beyond the cliffs, a soft bark echoed.

Milo lifted his head.

“Dane?”

Another bark answered, faint but clear.

Milo stood so quickly that his backpack bumped his shoulder. “Dane!”

He looked around. On the far side of the stream, a small paw print marked the muddy ground. Then another print appeared near a patch of tall grass.

Dane had crossed somehow.

Milo smiled, but the smile faded when he heard a clatter farther down the beach. A group of island patrols moved between the palm trees. They carried tools and walked in a line, watching the shore. They had not seen Milo, but their footsteps made him hurry.

Milo ducked behind a large rock. He held his breath until the patrol passed. Their voices faded beneath the wind.

He peeked out.

The stream still rushed between him and the ledge. The plank was gone.

Milo’s fingers tightened around his flashlight. He wanted to leap across. He wanted to run toward Dane. But the water was too quick, and the rocks were too slippery.

Then he noticed the beach umbrella.

Its long pole was still attached to the broken frame. Milo pulled it free and carried it to the stream. He pushed the pole between two rocks. It held firm.

He found a second plank near the cliffs, shorter than the first but thick and strong. With both hands, he slid it across the stream and rested it against the umbrella pole.

This time, the bridge did not wobble.

Milo stepped onto it.

One step.

Then another.

Water splashed below his shoes. The wind blew sand against his legs, but he kept his eyes on the ledge. When he reached the other side, he grabbed a low branch and pulled himself up.

“I did it,” he said.

A happy bark sounded from the tall grass.

Milo pushed through the leaves. Dane bounded toward him, tail wagging. His fur was damp, and seaweed clung to one paw.

“Dane!” Milo dropped to his knees and hugged him. Dane licked Milo’s cheek.

“You found me.”

Dane barked again and nudged Milo’s backpack.

“Yes, I still have the apples.” Milo opened the bag. “One for you.”

Dane took the apple gently. He crunched it with a loud snap.

Milo laughed for the first time since the Battle Bus disappeared. The sound felt good in the windy place.

The quest mark on his wrist beeped again. The arrow pointed up the hill, but a new line of words appeared beneath it.

QUEST STARTED: REACH THE INLAND SHELTER.

Milo read it twice.

“Maybe this island has a way out,” he said. “Maybe the quests can help us find it.”

Dane’s ears lifted.

Milo stood and brushed sand from his knees. “We will look together.”

They followed the narrow path between the cliffs. The ground changed from sand to soft brown dirt. Bright flowers grew beside the trail, and tiny drops of rain began to tap on their leaves.

The storm had reached the beach.

Milo looked over his shoulder. Gray clouds covered the sky where the Battle Bus had been. The beach was still visible, but the wind pushed waves farther up the sand.

“Keep moving, Dane.”

The path ended at a wall of fallen stones. A gap showed between two large rocks, but it was too small for Milo to walk through with his backpack.

Dane slipped inside and barked from the other side.

“I see you,” Milo said. “Wait there.”

Milo took off his backpack and pushed it through the gap. Then he turned sideways and squeezed after it. His shirt caught on a rough stone.

“Almost…”

He pulled gently. The stone snagged the cloth, but Milo did not yank. He backed up, found a wider space, and tried again.

This time, he slid through.

Dane danced around him. Milo picked up the backpack and checked the strap. It had torn a little, but it still held.

“Good thing you waited,” Milo told Dane. “Rushing would have made it worse.”

The rain grew heavier. It pattered on the rocks and made the path shine.

Ahead, Milo spotted a dark opening beneath the cliff. The quest arrow pointed straight toward it.

“A cave,” he said.

They hurried inside.

The sea cave was dry near the entrance. A wide stone shelf made a perfect place to sit. The air smelled like wet rock and salt. Outside, rain drummed on the beach, but inside, the sound became soft and far away.

Milo sat beside Dane and shared the second apple. Dane rested his head on Milo’s knee.

For a little while, Milo felt safe.

He pulled out the picture of his friends. Their smiles looked bright in the flashlight beam. Milo touched the edge of the picture.

“I hope they are here,” he said. “I hope they are safe.”

Dane gave a quiet whine.

“I know. We will find them.”

Milo turned off the flashlight to save its power. Blue light filled the cave instead. It came from the quest mark on his wrist.

The mark pulsed once.

Then twice.

A trail of glowing symbols appeared on the cave floor. They led away from the entrance, deeper into the rock.

Milo leaned forward. At the end of the glowing trail stood a tall stone covered with pictures. One showed a shield. Another showed a treasure chest. The last showed a gate with a bright line through it.

Words appeared above the stone.

COMPLETE ISLAND QUESTS TO OPEN THE ESCAPE ROUTE.

Milo read the words aloud.

Dane stood beside him, ready to follow.

Milo looked toward the rainy beach, then at the glowing path. He had wanted a safe place, and now he had one. But the island had given him a new job.

Find the quests.

Complete them.

Open the escape route.

Milo reached down and held Dane’s paw.

“We have shelter,” he said. “Next, we find a way home.”

The rain tapped gently outside. Deep in the cave, the quest symbols glowed brighter, leading inland.

Milo and Dane stepped toward them together.

On the island, friends who help one another can turn even a hard quest into a path home.

End of chapter one. 4 more chapters in the full book.