The Forgotten Island

by David Sodergren

And then, just in case they still didn’t get it (they both did), ‘It’s my birthday.’

A kid rolled by on a BMX, popping a wheelie, seemingly unaware that one day he and everyone he knows will be dead.

‘I told you,’ she said quietly, her eyes scanning the edge of the jungle. ‘That dick was huge.’

He wanted to rescue her, but not at the cost of his own safety.

Plus, he currently wore the shell-shocked expression of a returning Vietnam vet.

He nervously scratched the fat neck of the pug. Docile, chubby and constantly craving attention; it reminded him of Ana.

Ricky’s disembowelled corpse landed nearby. None of them noticed.