Island Otherside
Real people, Real Spirits, Real Drama.
The Intern sat quietly at his desk, enjoying a roast beef sandwich with sliced mozzarella and mayonnaise on lightly toasted white bread. In front of him, six monitors mounted on the wall in rows of three displayed black-and-white images.
The phone in his pocket vibrated. The Intern set down his sandwich and answered it.
"Hello," he said.
"Hey, thanks again for being willing to do this on such short notice. Did you find the recording room alright?"
"I'm here," The Intern said.
"Good, excellent. So, as I was saying, these recordings have become quite popular among internet pirates, so we usually cut all communication to avoid any leaks prior to broadcast."
"I understand."
"I know some people get freaked out by the ghosts, but they're harmless. We use some ancient angelic runes to keep the good ones contained on the island and to stop evil spirits from entering. They're old as dirt, but they do the trick. The ghosts, sorry, supposed to call them spirits, also give us permission to trap them here."
"Of course," The Intern said.
"Okay, so just use the emergency line if anything goes wrong, but otherwise you just need to monitor the cameras and make sure the host and contestants do what they do best. Any questions?"
"None whatsoever," The Intern said.
"Awesome, really appreciate you doing this, man. Should be fun!"
"I'm sure it will be."
The Intern hung up the phone and placed it back in his pocket. He glanced over at the paper identifying the six cameras:
Camera 1: Courtyard
Camera 2: Living Room
Camera 3: Kitchen
Camera 4: Bedroom
Camera 5: Forest
Camera 6: Docks
The Intern committed the camera assignments to memory. The red glow that bathed the recording room switched to a vibrant green light. He looked to Camera 6 as the host began the show's introduction.
Camera 6: Docks
Tyler Mortis stood fidgeting with his red suit lined with black velvet. His slicked-backed hair was thick with gel. Heavy eyeliner and a dash of lipstick completed his vampiric persona as the host of Island Otherside.
Tyler looked up at the camera mounted on a nearby wooden post as he heard the boat coming in the distance, carrying the season's latest contestants.
"We live in a world where spirits are a part of daily life. Without the ability to cross over, spirits wander the Earth when they perish."
Tyler paused, took a breath, and pretended to smile.
"One week, six singles ready to mingle, and six cameras poised to track their every move. They’re about to enter an island haunted by all manner of spirits who want nothing more than to live once more. Will they make it to the end and win the cash prize, or will the spirits drive them to give up and go home?"
The boat arrived with the six contestants, pulling up to the dock.
"This is Island Otherside!"
His demeanor changed immediately. The smile melted off his face, and he spun around to face the contestants.
"Alright, people, let's get settled in," Tyler said, gesturing towards the manor on the hilltop.
"When do the cameras start recording?" a young blonde woman asked.
"Oh honey, they're already rolling, but don't worry, we'll fix everything in post."
The blonde giggled and winked at Tyler before joining the others. The Intern looked down to his notes.
Brittany, swimwear and lingerie model. She certainly looks the part.
Camera 4: Bedroom
As with most reality shows of this kind, the contestants shared a common bedroom with beds lining each of the walls. The Intern referred to his notes as each of the contestants entered:
Brittany, we saw her on the dock.
Felicia, a fashion designer, runs her own line of women's clothing.
Lacey, an internet celebrity, live streams video games.
Jake is a star quarterback. Confident but shallow.
Chris, singer and songwriter. His music is derivative but popular nonetheless.
Reggie, game developer. He released an indie hit but hasn't produced anything new since.
The Intern cracked open a can of seltzer water with lime flavoring. He took a small sip as he started on the second half of his sandwich.
"Ladies, I know this bed is small, but there's enough of me to go around, so don't be a stranger now," Jake said.
Brittany took an immediate interest in him, but the others shook their heads. Lacey walked over to Reggie, a scrawny man with unkempt curly hair.
"Oh shit, you're Reggie Preston, aren't you?" Lacey asked.
"Yeah, that's me."
"I totally streamed your game for months after it came out! It's part of the reason my channel took off."
"I'm glad to hear that," he replied.
"What are you working on now?" she asked.
The Intern turned his focus to Felicia and Chris, who were in their own corner of the room.
"So, what kind of music do you write?" Felicia asked.
"I would classify it as a kind of folky acoustic vibe. You want to hear some?"
"No thanks, I'm good," Felicia said.
The Intern went back to eating his sandwich as they continued to drone on. After hours of talking and drinking, everyone climbed into their beds.
It wasn't long after that a loud smash came from the kitchen, waking up Jake and Brittany.
"Shit, did you hear that?" Jake whispered.
"Go check it out; it's probably a ghost or something."
"It's definitely a ghost. Do you not know what show you're on?" Jake asked.
"Just go look!" Brittany said.
Camera 3: Kitchen
Jake flipped on the lights in the kitchen and spotted the shattered dish on the ground immediately. It had been lifted out of an open cabinet and thrown onto the floor.
He walked over and bent down to inspect the chunks of ceramic. Behind him, a set of knives began vibrating. A collection of glimmering silver blades levitated out of the wood block.
"Hey guys, I think—"
Jake turned around just as the knives flew through the air. Several pierced his chest, but the final one slid directly into his throat. Blood poured out, soaking his shirt, as he collapsed onto the floor.
The Intern quietly took another bite out of his sandwich.
A moment later, Brittany entered the kitchen. She shrieked at the sight of Jake slumped in the corner by the sink, causing the others to wake in the bedroom.
As she turned to flee, her hair floated above her. An invisible hand lifted her from the ground as she howled in pain. She reached upward, struggling as she was dragged over to the open sink.
Her hair fell into it. With a metallic growl, the garbage disposal turned on. Her head slammed into the counter, and she screamed as the blades pulled her hair deeper into the drain.
The skin on her scalp started to rip. Streaks of blood flowed down her forehead. She managed to free her hair, but as she tried to flee, she slipped on the broken plate beneath her.
Brittany stumbled back toward the sink. Her head struck the edge of the granite counters as she fell. With that final crack, her body went limp as she collapsed onto the floor beside Jake.
The others entered the kitchen with a mixture of gasps and muffled screams. They all fled from the horrific sight immediately.
The Intern looked over at the plastic red emergency phone with a solid green light at the base. His eyes wandered back to the screens as he sipped his seltzer water.
Camera 2: Living Room
The remaining four contestants wasted no time rushing to the manor's front door. Chris, the songwriter, was the first to reach the door. It was locked from the outside.
"Fuck, it won't open! I think it's locked." Chris shouted.
Reggie dug a small leather pouch out of his pocket and dropped to his knees.
"Give me a second," he said.
"Thank God for gamers," Lacey said.
As Reggie tried to pick the lock, the antique furniture in the living room started to levitate behind the group.
"Chris, look out!" Felicia screamed.
Chris turned around as a massive antique radio soared across the room. The polished wood hit him squarely in the chest and sent him flying into a wall on the far right.
It slammed into him again, pinning him down as blood trickled from the sides of his mouth.
"Reggie, you've got to hurry!" Lacey shouted.
From above, a sharp snap caught Felicia's attention. She looked up as an ornate chandelier fell directly onto her, sending shards of glass spiraling through the air.
"I've got it!" Reggie said, throwing the front door open.
The Intern pulled a small Swiss Roll cake from his lunch bag and ate it as Chris and Felicia bled out on the manor floor.
Camera 1: Courtyard
Reggie and Lacey emerged from the front door into the courtyard, which featured an extravagant stone fountain. Tyler, the host, was smoking a cigarette and staring at his phone as they came out breathless and terrified.
Tyler stamped out his cigarette and slid the phone into his pocket.
"What the fuck is going on?" he asked.
"Something is killing us!" Lacey screamed.
"Did you lock the front door?" Reggie asked.
"What? No, why would I do that? Hang on a second; people are dying?"
"Yes! We're all that's left. We need to get out of here!" Lacey said.
Tyler didn't bother asking any more questions.
"Alright, let's head to the dock, follow me."
Camera 5: Forest
The trio sprinted through the forest between the manor and the docks. Motion sensors changed the view on the screen as they passed each of the secondary cameras on the forest’s trail.
A phantom wind shot through the forest, knocking Reggie off his feet. As Tyler continued to flee without them, Lacey turned to help Reggie up.
"Come on, Reggie, us gamers have to stick together," she said.
"Something's got me! Lacey, you need to go!"
"Let him go!" Lacy screamed.
A trio of thick slash marks tore across Reggie's back, left by the claws of some invisible monstrosity. Reggie disappeared into the forest, dragged along the ground at inhuman speeds as he used his final breath to scream for help.
Lacey tried to run. She only made it a few steps before a tree branch snapped off above her and soared downward like a spear. The jagged edge pierced directly through her chest. Her eyes went dark as she fell to her knees.
Camera 6: Docks
Tyler Mortis made it to the docks just as a sweeping force sent him flying off the side and into the waters surrounding the island. He struggled to breach the surface, but it wasn't long before something pulled him under, never to return.
The emergency phone beside The Intern rang out with a shrill ringtone. He picked it up quietly.
"What the fuck is happening! I'm looking at a private feed, and there are bodies everywhere! What did you let onto the island?"
"Wire ten million dollars to my account in addition to my payment, or I upload this to the Internet, " the intern said.
"Are you batshit? You're going to prison for the rest of your life, you sick fuck!"
"It's your choice. You have one hour, " the intern said, hanging up the phone.
A separate phone rang in the Intern's pocket. He pulled it out and answered.
"Departed souls, ripe for harvest," a gruff voice said.
"We shall feed the hungry hordes," The Intern replied.
"Is it done?"
"Yes."
"Good, upload the video."
The line went dead. The Intern started the video upload and stood to his feet, gathering his things. The temperature in the room dropped drastically.
The Intern felt a clawed hand on his shoulder but saw nothing when he looked.
"Yes, you did well,” he said. “Let's go, we’re done here."
Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing
Listen to this track after reading, like pairing a glass of wine with dinner.
Oh my goodness!
This story reminds me of so many things, but they blow those other things out of the water!
I love your writing style and how incredibly "you" your stories are - they are always fantastic reads and they never cease to amaze me!
I had a feeling something was up with that intern, I know your style. 🙌