Day Twelve

We were preparing for the raid in two days time. I was to be in the front line. I knew I was facing death in the eyes. But I had no choice. It was for the best. I prepared my troops for battle. I knew that I got injured, they would instantly help, and I would do the same for them. We were invincible together, or that’s what everyone thought. We were a tight group and nothing would stop us!

Day Eleven

Today was the same as yesterday, spy on the enemy, prepare for battle and resting in the bunkers. It was business as normal. Just another day in my life.

Day Ten

I awoke feeling worse than when I went to sleep. Luckily there was no raid today. We went about our business as normal. Preparing to defend encase of an assault and preparing for the assault in four days time.

Day Nine

I awoke to a large bang. I immediately jumped out of bed and raced to the briefing room. It was packed by the time I got there. The King was standing on the platform in front of everyone. He raised his hand for silence and said in a booming voice, “The enemy has broken through the northern defenses and are on their way her as we speak. I want this area secured right away. Could I please see squadron 75 after now. That is all.”

I went straight to the king afterwards. I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be the best of news, but I had I had to go. My suspicions were confirmed when I was the only one there. We talked for ten minutes and in that time period I found out that everyone else had died in the raid yesterday. But it wasn’t all bad news, I had been put in charge of an elite group of ESP’s .It was our job to be the front line, first in, last out sort of stuff.

It was an hour until we first saw them. Clad in black armor, firing canons on our position. We had been ordered to take out the canons. We climbed until we each of us was above a canon. I counted down from three to launch the attack. We pounced on zero, taking out the canons swiftly. We had a problem on our hand, we had nowhere to go and we were surrounded by aliens. We formed a tight circle with to layers. The reason for this was some could rest while the others fought. It worked, we stood there fighting for three hours.

We finally got back at five in the afternoon. I had been relocated into a new room with my new squad. The moment my head hit my pillow I fell asleep.

Day Eight

It was the six o’clock when I woke. We were all prepared to raid the enemy tonight. The atmosphere was tense in the room. The others had been up since four in the morning preparing for the mission. It was routine stuff but it was long, hard work. We were ready by noon. I had helped out with the preparation of the long-range dart gun. We set off at two in the afternoon, my group was at the back, and instead of marching we jumped through trees to our destination. We were in the second wave of the assault. It was traumatic to see dead EPS littering the ground. I ran for the west entrance with the rest of the squad. We reached there just as the gates started to close. There was no other open entrance so we started sprinting for it. I was one of three that made it in.

We had been creeping through the tunnels for half an hour until we came across other aliens. Fortunately it was a squadron of ESPs. We almost immediately came under fire. We were surrounded with nowhere to go. I was alone after twenty minutes. I had taken out thirty, but when nobody else was alive I pretended to die. They had bought it. They moved off, leaving me alone. I was terrified. I was low on darts, had injured my left arm, and was tired. I began to look for the nearest exit. I made without any trouble, but saw twenty aliens. I thought it was over, but knew I had to try. I ran up with a dart in my hand and a knife in the other. I killed most before they realized I was there. The rest I dealt with quickly. Slowly I exited the building and ran back to base.

I was exhausted, and by the time I got back it was eleven at night.

Day Seven

I awoke to a shrill sound. It was a siren that I was told about yesterday. It was a raid by the other alien species. It was going to be interesting to see action for the first time. I was in a squadron with the alien that had taken me to this place. I could somehow speak their language. We jumped through the trees and stopped above the oncoming wards.

We waited until their chief was below us, then pounced. I landed square on the warlord’s shoulders. I pressed the button on my arm to use a mid sized dagger and stabbed him between the plates protecting his shoulder and neck. He fell dead immediately. When I did that, chaos broke out. We withdrew almost immediately.

We rested the remainder of the day.

Day Six

I awoke after fainting in the middle of a ceremony. I had slept through the previous day. I was in a linen bed. I was alone in an underground room. I stepped out of bed and walked down a hall way. I passed a mirror and couldn’t help looking in it. I looked strange. I had three fingers and a thumb on my feet as well as my hands. My eyes were on flexible stalks with 360 vision. I realised, I was an EPS!

I spent the rest of the day in a secret location which if u spoke in higher detail, I would bordering classified areas.

Day Five

It was weird; I was semi conscience, aware of dreams and people. I could hear the hustle and bustle of every day life. I don’t remember dreams well, but I seemed to remember one.

I was on top of a mountain, battle raging around me, then out of the blue, a needle comes at me, it seems to be going so slow, everything was going so slow. An alien is holding me back. I can’t move; I can’t do anything. The dream ends. I don’t remember any more dreams. Just darkness.

Day Four Part Two

They walked until noon around the island so I would lose track were I was. Slowly an EPS walked out from the foliage. He was ten centimeters taller than everyone else. He wore a crown made of leaves and twigs. It was finely woven with silver. He placed his hand in the middle of my forehead and started chanting in a slow pace.
He chanted for thirty minutes than said in a deliberate tone, and then at the end of the chant he said “are you one of us!”
I was shocked, hesitantly, I replied in their rough language, “I am one of you.”
He yelled something I didn’t quiet understand, but I got the just of it.
The last thing I remembered was a stranger tingling then nothing.

Day Four Part One

I woke up surrounded by EPS’s. I was freaked out and tried to scream but found my mouth gagged. In their rough language, one of them said, “it is time.” I was really scared, but I tried not to let show on my face. I think they could tell though.
They walked aimlessly till noon.

Day Three Part Two

I awoke from what seemed liked a bad sleep. Suddenly I felt a jolt run through my body. Slowly I looked over my shoulder and saw the back of an aliens head. Suddenly a tentacle on the top of its head. Eventually I realised that it was one of its eyes. The drug had made dieresis and slow witted, so instead of screaming and trying to break free, I stared at the alien and smiled. It was strange, almost like I knew this was going to happen. I somehow knew I was going to benefit. So, I lay there, I the canopy, on the shoulder of some bizarre creature who was jumping from tree to tree and it didn’t bother me one bit. When the drug wore off, I was frightened but I didn’t to flee, I just lay there, taking it all in.
It was almost dark when they stopped, they had going back and forth so that if they freed me, I would have no idea were they lived. I had begun to understand their rough language and started talking to the tiny alien that was carrying me. I learnt that they average a height of 1.2 metres and only eat the animals that are already dead and use a liquid to restore the rotten bodies till they’re edible. It was actually pretty good. Then we had some sort of brew made of plants and some secret ingredient that t hey refused to tell. It was all together a very frightening first three days, and I didn’t believe it could get any odder.

Day Three Part One

When I awoke I noticed Josiah wasn't lying next to me. I searched around the camp but when I didn’t find him I decided to continue on walking up to most westerly point of my island. Slowly I progressed up the side of island. It was tedious walking by myself but it allowed me to think about all the things that had happened over the last two days. I began to feel guilty about endangering everyone’s lives by saying I knew how to fly the plane when really I didn’t. I kept thinking, man I’m lucky.
Whilst wondering about what could have happened I noticed a lot of glowing red dots. Then I group of aliens pounced on me. They moved quick as flash and jumped the 20 metre distanced with ease and landed no less than half a metre, some even landed in the trees above me. Then they grabbed me and bound me in some sort of rope and jabbed with some sort of poison on the end. That was the thing I remembered before I blacked out.

Day Two Part Two

It was noon when a group of kids came into sight. They had been missing since the crash so it was a relief to see them. Not all of our class was there to see them safe but there was a healthy number of kids. They looked happy to see most of the class just sitting there.
It was roughly one o’clock when we started hiking up the mountain. We followed a stream that was going down the side of the mountain. We hiked for a while just following the small stream when we came across a small hole in the side of the mountain. Leon, Grayson and the mutated Andrew decided to take the chance and crawl through the tunnel, leaving me and Josiah to set-up camp.
Me and Josiah went about collecting fire wood and starting a fire, and all the other necessary for a proper camp.
It was half an hour later until three gleaming silver men burst through the hole carrying two chests. They rummaged through the chests and passed Josiah solid gold amulet in the shape of the eye of Horus and then proceeded to chuck me a skull that symbolized the Mayan symbol for death.
Whilst eating our diner of left over yesterdays lunch we spotted a gleaming silver pyramid floating 200 metres above us. Grayson, Leon and Andrew all flew up there and circled it to see if there was any entrance. When no entrance was apparent Grayson touched it and got such in, followed closely by Leon and Andrew. When they didn’t come out I was worried but I knew that there was nothing I could do. Slowly I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Day Two Part One

I woke up, I realised I hadn’t seen Grayson after he had gone scouting around the mountain. To my relief I saw him lying on the ground outside his tent door. I hadn’t seen Andrew since the crash but noticed his tent pitched on the edge of the camp. I ate a packet of nuts I had in my lunch box from the previous day. Slowly I slipped back into the darkness of my sleep. When I woke up it was close to eleven and I saw Andrew limping towards his tent. His leg was limp and lagging behind him. His head was larger than before and when I caught a glimpse of his face I saw a large tooth.

We went into the bush, just me, Andrew, Leon, Grayson and Josiah. We advanced at a reasonable pace. Soon we came across thick undergrowth and went in single file. Josiah and Grayson both pulled out machetes while I pulled out my axe for anything to hard. Our progress slowed and the vines seemed to be creeping closer. Expecting nothing no one really cared.

Then they struck. The green vine curled around me. I caught a glimpse of Andrew sticking onto Grayson’s leg with suckers that were on his arm and Josiah going into the canopy.

It didn’t take long to reach the top, but when we did we were in for a shock, at the top there was a gaping hole, which was opening and closing constantly, the vine pulled me up and dropped me into the hole. I couldn’t breathe and I felt the wall closing in pressing the small amount of air I had left out my lungs. Seconds later I blacked out to be rudely awaken by a knock on the ground. I caught my breathe, and wiped green slime which I assumed was saliva off me and bolted towards the beach.

Matainui Pictures

Day One

The plane shuddered as it went across the harbour. I went to full throttle to lift it off the glass of water. It started skimming across the water as I struggled to get it into the air. It was exhilarating. Having a Grumman HU-16 Albatross under your control was one of the best feelings in the world.
Rising to the cruising hight, black clouds smothered the plane. Time stood still, objects started floating around the cockpit. An eerie silence hangs over it all.
BANG!
I slam back into my seat. My vision flickers and I slowly fall into the awaiting dreams. Seconds later I regain consciousness to find the plane in a direct course for the sea. Desperately I try to pull the plane out of its nosedive. Over the loud speaker I say, “This is your captain speaking. I believe I should notify you I NEVER PASSED PILOT TRAINING!!!!!!”
CRASH! BOOM!
The plane jolts violently as it smacks into the water, throwing its passengers everywhere. Packs were floating all around. I noticed my bag floating several metres to my left. I grabbed it and started the hundred metre swim towards the shoreline. I was almost in tears, I had let everyone down, I had almost killed everyone and had most likely severely injured someone.
As I swam back to shore I thought about all the people I could have killed. It was the single longest swim in my life, not because of the distance, but because of what I’d just done.
When I got back all I wanted to do was put some clean clothes on. I noticed that James and Mac were walking down to the water in their undies. A group of people gathered round and Andrew asked them, “What are you doing?”
James replied, “Going for a swim.”
Curious, Josiah, Leon and I went with them. They started swimming purposefully towards the tail of the plane. When we got there Mac took a couple of deep breaths and plunged down towards the submerged door. He swam upwards towards the air bubble at the top of the plane and saw three parachute bags and three backpacks. Mac sees his own pack and plunges down towards the door with it. He swims to the surface and we pull him to the side of the plane. James took a huge breath and dived under. He quickly grabbed a parachute and hurriedly made his way towards the exit. Accidentally he pulled the rip cord and got himself caught in the exit struggling to free himself. We had no idea that James was close to dying until his head popped up out of the water gasping for breath. Leon, fully aware of the danger went down next. He saw Grayson’s pack and took it. He didn’t make the exit on his first attempt but tried again and succeeded. When Leon got out of the plane and into view he looked knackered. Josiah pulled him onto the tail wing for me to look after and dived down himself. He didn’t take long and I was the only one not to take the dive. “If you don’t go down, you’re not getting anything” I was told. And so I dived. I grabbed a parachute and took a Swiss army knife out of Luke’s bag. When I resurfaced Mac and James had gone. Supporting Leon, Josiah and I started swimming back to shore.
By the time I got back to dry land I was exhausted.
I didn’t want to hear from the people asking “what did you get?” Josiah answered, “we got Grayson’s pack, two parachutes and a Swiss army knife.”
Mac and James stepped out of the crowd while Mac said, “It was our idea so we demand 25% of the profit.”
Josiah grudgingly handed over a parachute.
We set up camp, making bivouacs and settling into the first sleep of two long weeks.

Starting the Trip

We spent a week preparing for this trip. The day had finally arrived and there was the buzz of thirty excited kids chatting amongst themselves. Mr. Woody was frantically trying to organise us, but we wanted none of it. But we just wanted to scream our heads off. We packed the bus quickly and carried our noise into the confined area. We finally start the first stage of our towards Kawhia harbour where we are going to stay the night at the local hikers lodge.