Circumnavigate, Open - Day Two

[JACK TORRES]

I Would Walk 500 Miles

DAY TWO

It would have been easy to just keep laying there in bed instead of moving or going anywhere. Well, it probably would have been easy for someone else, but not necessarily for Jack. He had let himself sleep in the big master bed last night. As he'd suspected, it was comfortable, but not as comfortable as it looked, if that made sense. After the events of the past couple of days he needed honest sleep to recharge his body and mind. How many people had he already met? It felt like a lot but he knew it could only be a fraction of who was really here. He'd seen more cabins than people, after all. He still wasn't sure if he should assume all of them were full, though.

In any case, it was time to get moving this morning. He slept in his boxers, as always. When he'd looked in the dresser last night there hadn't even been a pair of pajamas for him to reject. Did that mean his kidnappers knew he didn't need them? The idea that they might know his sleeping attire was definitely one of the most troubling thoughts he'd had on the island. He pushed himself out of bed, rubbing his eyes and heading for the shower. The water pressure and temperature was surprisingly good, helping him wake up as he washed his hair and body. Last night he'd seriously considered a plan to go to the beach and just keep walking to really see how big the island was. It still seemed like a good idea this morning so he decided to definitely do it. He wasn't being anti-social and trying not to meet anyone else, he just wanted to make sure they were on an island for sure. When he'd explored the woods with Natalie they'd found a beach on the other side so he guessed the island wasn't too huge.

There was only one way for Jack to find out.

With his mind made up, he finished up his shower and wrapped a towel around his waist to see what his dresser had to offer for the excursion. He threw a new pair of boxers on the bed along with a pair of brown cargo shorts that wouldn't be too hot. A white t-shirt joined the pile before he toweled off and got changed. He pulled on a pair of sneakers from the closet before going downstairs. He made coffee and found a muffin in the breadbox on the counter, which fit him just fine for breakfast. He found a bottle of water in the fridge that actually fit in his back pocket, even if it was a little heavy and awkward. While the coffee brewed he searched the cabinets for hiking food. It should have surprised him that he found his favorite trail mix in a big jar, chocolate pieces and everything, but it didn't. He chewed his lip for a moment, wondering how many strange things he was already getting used to, but then his coffee was done and he was back to eating and getting ready at the same time.

Within twenty minutes he was walking out his front door and down to the hard-packed sand of the beach. The double line of cabins stretched out behind him but he didn't know who would actually want to take this hike with him. Most people were still adjusting, but he was ready to make sure there was no way off this island. So he turned to the left, put on the sunglasses he'd found on his nightstand, and started walking. He had no iPod for music, but the crash of the waves was ample accompaniment.

Notes: Anyone up for a walk around the island? Even just part of the way?

[Ernie Cohen]

Ernie woke and felt surprisingly refreshed today. Maybe today he could put some of the pieces together in this ever growing puzzle. Everything happened for a reason, and usually that reason was never known until a much later date. He found his energy levels at a youthful high and he put that down to the elevation change. He was a mountain man, and now living at sea level. After the generous food supply provided by his abductors and a couple of night's sleep, he felt he had a purpose, a mission to accomplish and the energy to pursue that mission.

He headed downstairs in his boxers and bare footed eager to tackle breakfast. He poked the start button on the coffee maker that he'd prepared the night before. Out came the cast iron skillet to which he started bacon frying. Then he quickly thinly sliced up a red skinned potato, a small onion and started added them to the skillet. He wished for some good old New Mexican hatch peppers to mix in but his abductors probably had never heard of them. Not too many people had.

Two eggs went into his skillet meal and two slices of toast got buttered and piled on his breakfast plate. Ernie sat down to eat armed with pad and pencil found in a drawer in the kitchen to make a list of things to do. The first entry on the paper was to do a perimeter of the island. Then he could do a grid exploration and hope to find some clues to this whole business in the process.

Two cups of coffee later, Ernie took a quick shower and dressed in the same jeans and tee that he'd worn yesterday. He found a day pack in the bedroom closet and grinned. they think of everything Sunscreen, water, cliff bars, paper, pen, steak knife from kitchen drawer today's weapon all went into the pack. He plopped a safari hat on his head and set off to the nearest beach. Once there, he pulled out the paper and pen and sketched a couple of land marks including his cabin cluster just above the water line inland and the tree growth then a large x marking his starting position. The plan was to go left and mark any traveled paths leading from the beaches and maybe if he ran across tire tracks to divert from his perimeter walk an follow them. Boats could drop vehicles as well a people cargo after all. But then Ernie wasn't even sure they had been brought by boat. Someone had to have carried them to their beds or...damn the questions just were endless. He resolutely marched on.

It was not long before he sighted another man walking leisurely along. Ernie decided to approach, "Yo there, you an old or new resident? "

[LUCY MENDOZA]

One Piece at a Time

Day Two

Lucy stirred in her bed and for the first few hazy seconds she’d almost forgot she was on the island, for a brief moment everything was ok. Of course this feeling didn’t last long. Her eyes opened and she was back to the grim reality of her current predicament. But today she was a woman on a mission. She’d done as much thinking as she could take. Today was for action and she was going to go exploring, wherever that took her.

She was used to expeditions, if you could call them that. In the past her research had taken her all over the world and she was quite at home with getting her hands dirty despite being a girlie girl. She was after all a Geologist and convinced that if she took a look around at the landscape, she’d have some kind of idea about where this island they found themselves abducted to was.

She took a warm shower and washed her hair, allowing her long honey waves to air dry as she stood wrapped in a crisp white bath sheet digging through the closet for something to wear. She pulled out a pair of grey cargo pants and a white fitted V neck t-shirt. Of course they fitted perfectly, like everything else here. She even managed to find a pair of sunglasses and a pair of brown hiking boots like her own back home. By this point her stomach began to rumble and she quickly finished pulling her back into a high ponytail to keep it off her face and headed downstairs for breakfast.

She rarely missed breakfast and today was no different. She made her usual poached egg on whole-wheat toast, no butter, which was followed by a half of grapefruit and a very large cup of strong black coffee. Lucy was looking forward to venturing out today; maybe it was the thought that by going out to explore she was taking some control back, Instead of merely stumbling around. Who knew?

Breakfast demolished she packed a bottle of water into a small backpack she’d found along with a protein bar, the flashlight, a pen and pad of paper before heading out of the door and down to the beach. She hadn’t expected to run into anyone quite so soon; it was still early after all. But she could see that further down the sand were three men, perhaps with the same idea in mind as Lucy. Her pace quickened to catch them up and as she grew closer she could see that one of them was Ernie, the dentist guy she’d met last night. Guessing there wasn’t any real etiquette to be followed in a situation like this she continued towards them.

“Morning!” It was directed at all three and as curious as she was she decided not to bombard the new guys with endless questions, it felt like that was all she’d done since waking up here. Instead she offered them a smile, while her eyes hidden behind the dark shades gave the men the once over. “I’m not intruding on anything, am I?” She hoped she wasn’t, her hands momentarily coming to rest on her slender hips where the grey cargo pants met the white fabric of her t-shirt.

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Word Count:545 - Tag: Whoever wants to reply!

[Ernie Cohen]

The guy was apparently quite involved his thoughts or else didn't hear him over the sound of the wind and waves. No matter, it was time to time to find a rock and update his, oh so terrific map sketch. Ernie figured he'd come about 1/2 a mile or a bit more, when he'd come across the other man. With the curvature of the beach so far it seemed the island was fairly round. Of course there could very well be a peninsula jutting out up ahead, or perhaps a cove.

He glanced about looking for a suitable rock for sitting and was greeted with the very pleasant vision of a young woman approaching him. "Good morning to you, you're not intruding on me at all, I've just begun a bit of an art project to try to get some bearings on this island. the other two, I'm not sure at all about. I just got here myself." he thought there was something familiar about her voice, like she might be the Lucy he'd met in the dark the night before. He hadn't gotten a good look at either woman as they were the ones with the flashlights, rendering them nothing but shapes to him.

Ernie found himself skirting the fringe of an old nervousness that sometimes came over him at the most unexplainable times. Then he suddenly thought of Indiana Jones and the way he would be acting and a grin grew as a result. He wiggled his eyebrows and threw out an old chestnut, "Pardon me, but I think we've met before."

Then he laughed outright. "Sorry about that line. But aren't you Lucy from the midnight walker society?"

He realized then, that in spite of the bizarre circumstances in which they found themselves, everything looked much better to him today. A balmy beach breeze, a beautiful girl, and a mystery to solve as to how and why it happened. He would do Indiana Jones proud, yes he would. Indiana Cohen was on the case.

[JACK TORRES]

I would walk 500 miles

Even though he was much more accustomed to walking on dirt, leaves, sticks, and even rock, the texture of the beach was not unwelcome. It gave a bit more of a workout, that was for sure. You had to contest with the way it sunk in and made you work to release yourself before you could keep moving forward. It wasn't the most exciting diversion, but Jack found himself focusing on his steps as he walked, feeling how his usual long strides had to adjust to the extra work of just getting his feet moving on an uneven surface. Maybe his brain was resisting a lot of the essential questions that his presence on this island had to offer. For the moment, he didn't care very much about what his brain was doing. He had a task before him, walking around the island to find out exactly what he was up against, but right now he was just enjoying walking on the beach and trying something new. He had to find something to enjoy in this place, after all, even if he was rather enjoying meeting all these new people.

Jack had been walking for a little while, but not too terribly long, when a voice called out to him asking if he was an old or new resident. It was a good way of phrasing that question. He turned to meet the other person, seeing an older man walking towards him on the sand. He was wearing jeans and a tee shirt, along with a big safari hat that blocked the sun quite effectively. Jack didn't exactly want a hat like that, but he could see the benefits. "I'm a new arrival. Just a few days," he said in reply. He hoped that wasn't tipping his hand too much. Something about the other man was just recognizable to him. Maybe it was the preparation for the outdoors or the way the man carried himself, but it was familiar. It only felt like a moment, but then a woman's voice called out a greeting coming from the other direction. She was pretty, even at a distance, and her blonde hair shone brightly in the sunlight. This was a popular beach this morning, it seemed. Jack shook his head, since she truly wasn't intruding on anything. The other man spoke in response and Jack had to respect him using that line on her right off the bat, even if it seemed they'd met before. "All the fun stuff happens after dark, huh?" he joked, not feeling quite left out but also not sure how well the other two knew each other after all.

Notes: Since Turner is inactive I went ahead and deleted his post. Feel free to edit your previous posts if you'd like, but otherwise, we'll just go on like there was no Turner involved at all in this thread. Sorry for the delay!

[Ernie Cohen]

Ernie turned to Jack and stretched out his hand to shake and noticed it held his notepad. He shifted the pad and stuck out his hand again.
"Ernie Cohen here, Flagstaff, AZ. Displaced Dentist and aspiring map maker." he half grinned at the other guy. He ignored the remark about 'fun after dark' since it hadn't been and not much else had been either.

"You got any sort of handle on what's goin' on with us in this place? I'd like to think we're part of some piss poor involuntary TV reality show and are going to have a job to do or something. I've decided to do some exploring and maybe come up with some answers." he looked off down the unexplored part of the beach yet to be mapped.

"I'm headed that-a-way" he jerked his head in the direction, "Have you any idea how big the place is, if it is an island or a peninsula or what? And are there any locals?"

Ernie knew that was a lot of questions for another newcomer, but the guy did say he'd been there a 'few' days. Since this was only Ernie's second day that made him seem like an old timer in comparison.

(old posts edited)