Saipan Sucks! - An entry for the Kyrios Fiction Competition

I had never given much thought to how I would die. I've always kind of just been living in the moment, letting life happen as it does. That's how I ended up on this vacation to Saipan. I heard about it from one of my old Marine friends who was from here. Wouldn't shut up about it! Swore I had to go visit it someday. He showed me pictures, he told me stories, he showed me videos...the guy was a walking, talking Marianas Visitors Authority ad! But hey, it worked, I guess...I'm here now, right?

I had been working four jobs for 9 months, and honestly, I don't know how I managed to do it for that long. All my friends said I was crazy, that I would burn out someday. Eventually, I did burn out. I needed a break from it all. Everything was stressing me out.

With work taking up most of my time, it was only a matter of time before my girlfriend Kelly cheated on me with my best friend. We were all living together. I can't say I didn't see it coming...maybe I just didn't care enough anymore. I just never expected that it would be Brandon that she would cheat on me with. My own best friend.

But now...now I am alone. I had to be alone. I needed to get away from everything and everyone that reminded me of my miserable existence in Tucson. That was when I remembered everything that Danny had told me about Saipan. “Warm all year round,” he said. “White sand beaches never more than 5 minutes away. Friendly people who love foreigners, no sales tax.” What's not to love, right? So, one miserable and lonely day in September, I decided to buy my ticket out here.

Perhaps I should have had a sense of foreboding when the plane ride was something straight out of an old Twilight Zone episode. The flight crew had these oddly deranged smiles as they greeted me, almost as if they were all wearing masks. The walk down to my seat in the back was creepy, too. There was this old musty smell that floated through the entire cabin; like...old, torn-up leather seats, with just a hint of clove. There were only 12 other people on the plane, so I guess no one knew each other. I finally got to my seat and tried to get comfortable.

I should have known that this whole trip was a bad idea, the moment none of the seat belts around me worked. I tried to call a flight attendant, but she just smiled at me and told me to sit back down. The entire seventeen-hour trip had me on the edge of my seat. I tried to fall asleep, but every time I would get right at the threshold of sleep, some crazy violent turbulence would suddenly happen, and I would once again be gripping the edge of my seat in sheer terror.

When the plane finally landed, I headed to the baggage claim area to wait for my luggage. The entire airport seemed devoid of life. The few people I did see, looked like zombies, completely drained of their energy. Looking back on it now, I don't get how I refused to put two and two together by that point. I guess Kelly was right, I am too stubborn for my own good.

The taxi ride to Tanapag, the village that the hostel is in, was weird, too. The driver didn't really talk to me much after I told him where I needed to go. I tried to ask him some questions about the island, but he would just nod and smile at me in the rearview mirror. I still brushed it off. The roads we were taking seemed very dark and dreary...we were the only car on the road. How did I still continue to deny that something, everything, was off about this whole trip?

I finally got dropped off at the Sirena's Sanctuary, and the driver didn't even help me with my luggage! So much for everyone here being nice people, I thought to myself. The lady at the front desk wasn't too cordial, either. She gave me the code for my door and pointed me in the direction. The place made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The decor was this bright combination of pastel blues and greens, with mermaid statues and imagery literally everywhere.

It was late when I got to my room, but I wasn't tired enough to sleep. I laid in my bed for what felt like an eternity, trying to fall asleep; but no matter how much I tried, I simply could not. I decided to go for a walk, since that's what I normally do when I can't rest my thoughts at night.

As I stepped outside, it was like I had walked into a freezer. So much for it being warm all year-round, I thought. I ventured outside the gates and started walking down the road, looking around at the other houses and buildings as I passed them. All the lights shining through the windows seemed to have the same dimming effect; it looked as if they were being illuminated by mere candlelight.

I continued to walk around, looking for any signs of life, but no one was around. I was accompanied by nothing but the light of the full moon shining brightly above. Then, I heard a very faint noise in the distance. At first, I couldn't tell what it was, because it just sounded like a low, dull buzzing. Then, I started to hear it clearly as it got closer.

SI...RE...NA...

SI...RE...NA...

I froze in place. I think that was the moment my skeptical mind finally put two and two together. I was hearing people chanting sirena. My hostel was mermaid-themed and called the Sirena's Sanctuary. The whole trip had seemed off from the start. Why was it only then, upon hearing the chanting, that I finally accepted that the whole trip was weird?

That was when they came. Suddenly, the streets were overflowing with villagers. People were pouring onto the streets in droves carrying torches! The candlelight in all the windows was actually from torches... So I ran. I ran faster than I ever thought was possible. I didn't know where I was going, all I knew was that I had to keep moving, or I would end up dead. Every time I looked back, though, it was as if they had not only kept up with me, but somehow managed to close the gap.

I ended up running all the way down to an old church at the end of the road. There was nowhere else for me to go. I had started running in the wrong direction, and now I was stuck here. The building looked ancient and forgotten, it was clear that no one had tended to it in a while. The gate was even cracked open because the lock had just rusted right off, and vines had grown over each section.

Honestly, coming to this church wasn't the best idea, but it was either try to hide in this creepy old church, or face the demon villagers directly. So here I am, slowing my breath and hoping that they don't find me hiding behind this pulpit assembly. But I can hear them coming...

SI...RE...NA...

SI...RE...NA...

Closer.

SI...RE...NA...

SI...RE...NA...

Coser.

The sweat is really starting to soak through my clothes now, and as much as I try to slow my breath, my pulse is racing and the only thing I can do is breathe along with it.

THUD.

Oh my god...that was the door. They’re here!

SI...RE...NA...

The chanting is getting louder. Oh god, please, don't let them find me....PLEASE!
.
.
.
The chanting has stopped. “Welcome... to the Church of Sirena! We know you're in here...there's no point in hiding!”

Oh god. This really is it, whatever this is, this is how I die. That voice, though...why does it sound kind of familiar?

“Come, now, don't waste our time. The goddess Sirena is waiting for you.”

NO!!!! They've found me. But...why...where are their eyes?!? That was why their faces looked weird earlier...they were all wearing masks? Underneath their white mermaid themed masks, there is nothing but blackness where their eyes should be. The leader is taking off his mask. It...it can't be! It's Danny...or at least it looks like Danny...but his eyes are devoid of substance. “Wait, Danny, it's me, Travis!”

THUD.

I guess...I guess I'm dead now. I never really thought about dying much. Ever, really. But I never thought I would end up dying alone and miserable on some creepy island that no one has ever heard of before.

Man, Saipan sucks!

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You can find a link to the original post on the fiction competition by @kyrios here.
Please vote for my entry in the comments section here if you liked what you read! Thank you so much!

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