Nothing ever makes sense in my head. It’s something that I’ve grown used to. Everything is chaotic, jumbled up like pieces to a puzzle, and there’s always a piece missing. So, it never can be put back together. I’m used to feeling like there’s something going awol in my head.

But when I open my eyes, staring up at a sheet of white and blue, there’s more than a little missing. I blink a few times, realizing that I’m staring up at a sky. I know because there’s a sun, and already it’s hurting my eyes. Squeezing my eyes shut, I think. Where am I? Feeling around me tells me I’m in the sand. Panic seizes me, and I’m up and running away from the gentle rocking of water too close by. Here, in the shade of what looks like a forest, I can see the ocean. It stretches for miles in both directions, never ending in front of me. I only know its the ocean because I can smell the salt in the air, feel it drying on my skin. Did I wash up out of there? But who put me there in the first place?

The chills cross over me as I give myself a once-over. The orange jumpsuit I’m wearing reminds me of prison inmates. My name is stamped across the left breast in black chunky letters. I think it’s my name anyway, and the confusion that passes through my head scares me. I check the pockets, finding nothing but a pocketknife. No food, soap, or anything. The fact that I’m wearing this hideous orange jumpsuit stands bold in my head. There’s a connection in my head missing, and the rest of the brain is trying its best to find it. Prison. That’s all I can come up with. But that doesn’t make any sense.

I sit down in the soft grass, resting my chin on the knees I pull up to my chest. I’m cold. I don’t want to be cold. I need to find fire.

That’s when the puzzle jams together. I am in prison. I’m in prison for burning things. People sleeping in houses with their goldfish and cliché photo frames. This is The Island, and suddenly, the water doesn’t seem as scary as it should.

***

A woman slowly turns back and forth in her office chair, looking up at the six bright screens on the wall. Her partner scribbles on a memo pad, watching her move across the room in slow motion. He sets his pad down and reaches around to touch her shoulder.

“Is everything ready?” he asks, as she turns to face him.

“All six of them are placed at equal intervals around the beach surrounding the island. They should be waking up soon.” She looked up at the screens again. “They are waking up as we speak.”

“I would like to know their names,” the man says, sad almost, turning to the screens.

“We will soon enough. Just let the birds do their jobs, and we will see everything we need.”

“This doesn’t feel right.”

“This is the only option we have left.”

Blood.....Blood....Blood. Everywhere i look there is Blood. All in this tiny room, painting the ceiling, pouring down the walls, pooling on the floor. But I'm not touching it, I'm safe here in the middle. Wait! There is a drop coming towards me, No it can't touch me not yet I'm not ready.

I woke up with a startle. I had the dream about the red room again. Everything was a blur for a moment and then I focused in on my surroundings. I was on a bleach of some kind, sand felt nice, water looked good too. The sun was up high, and it was beating down on my skull, I looked around some more and saw the forest line, thick and green. Where am I? I looked at my clothes and I saw the bright orange.

My head throbbed in pain, memories came rushing back into my head. Bodies.....so many bodies. I made them all bleed, they were all dead and I got caught. I looked down and saw that my name was Jackson. It makes sense now, I killed a lot of people and got caught, they sent me to some prison and now I'm here. But why did I kill them? It must have been the blood, the blood made me do it.

Well what do I do now? Well the ocean is a no-go, it's not like i can swim back to civilization. The forest it is then.

(apologies for lateness.)

Ralph awoke on the hot beach, groaning quietly as he stirred. His hands moved in the sand for a few moments before he sat up with a little gasp. After a quick rise to his feet, the man looked around slowly taking his surroundings in. It was a beach... Ocean on one side, and a rather grim looking forest on the other. The hot sun beat down on him as he sat back down with a frustrated growl, clenching his fists a little bit as he tried to figure out where the hell he was. It wasn't long before it occurred to him he didn't recall his own name! It was concerning... Frantically, he checked his person for any sort of clue. The orange jump suit he wore had 'RALPH' printed across the chest in bold letters, so that had to be it... "But why the hell am I wearing a jump suit?..." The man muttered to himself, frowning with concern.

Moments later, he paused. Thinking about prisons had brought him... A small whiff of pride and some resentment. He remembered a young man being beaten, but... Nothing else. "Was I one of the ones killing that kid?..." Ralph asked himself, folding his arms to think on it for a few moments. However the sun was beginning to burn much too hot for his liking. "I guess I should get up and see if I can build a shelter... I need to find fresh water, too... Especially with the sun..."

With that, the man rose to his feet and stretched before slowly walking toward the forest. As he did so, he checked the rest of his person for anything that may be useful... Nothing but a pocket knife, but it was a useful tool. "Find a decent stick and I can carve a spear..."

It doesn't take long for me to realize that I have to get away from this water. Whether its the panic building up in me or the heat, I can feel beads of sweat on my neck. The jumpsuit is hot, retaining body heat. There's no where to go, though, except into the forest. Maybe in there I can find fresh water, maybe even some food.

As I take a few steps in, the forest around me comes to life. The thick trees block most of the sunlight, creating a dark, but humid, air. It's thick and hard to breathe, but it's a lot better than being out in the sun. I can see clearly through the forest, despite the thick greenery. Overhead, birds chatter, and something that sounds like monkeys call back and forth. That's something I hadn't thought of: animals. Surely there's a food chain on the Island, so there's probably bigger animals than monkeys. I dig through my brain for anything I remember connected to the Island and come up blank. I can't wander around the island aimlessly, though. Somehow, I've got to figure out where I'm headed.

With both hands, I begin to climb the tree beside me. The branches are low enough that I can jump and easily swing myself up. Maybe if I climb to the top, I can find a water source. The higher I go, the more of a breeze picks up. The tops of the trees sway, making my grip tighter. Falling isn't how I intended to die. I pass a giant blue bird with black eyes that seem to bore through my head. It stared and follows me up with it's eyes, never moving. I move faster.

At the top, I cling to the branch below me and look out as far as I can. It's hard to see through the trees to the ground below, but I can hear water running. That could just be the ocean. Listening harder, I realize it is the ocean. A wind blows through, nearly bending the top of the tree in half, and I let out a loud cry, trying to regain my balance. What the wind does do, though, is uncover a bald spot in the forest. If I had to guess, that would be a water source. Climbing back down the tree proves to be much easier, and before long, I'm jogging in the direction of the bald spot.