Beneath The Surface

Open skies, calm seas and the island at our backs. Nothing could make this feeling of freedom. "Am I dreaming or are we really off the island?" Sammy says happily as she walks up to the front deck. We, par Kenji, are all sitting around the table as berries and fruit are rationed out. I lounging on the seat with my feet proped up. I laugh at Sammy's statement. "If this is a dream than waking up is going too suck." I quip. "And also, I imagine that we would have a change of clothes." Yaz says sarcastically as she gestures to everyone's clothes. "What are you talking? These are our signature looks." Ben says proudly. We all laugh at him. I look up see Kenji still at the bridge. Brooklynn also follows my gaze. She gets up and moves to the ladder. Yaz sits besides me and rests her head in the crook of my arm, while hoisting her feet up onto the seat. "Comfortable?" I ask jokingly. Her eyes open and stare into mine. "Very." She says.

Brooklynn and Kenji come down to the deck and I notice that Kenji is staring a hole through Darius. He sits down next to me, scowling at me through the corner of his eye. I shake it off as I devour a berry. "And now for the main course." Ben says as he holds a plate above his head. Yaz sits up from me as everyone leans forward in anticipation. "The plumpest and the juiciest...Nublar grubs!" He says as he lowers the plate...a plate full of grubs. Everyone moves in disgust. "Eww." "Ugh." Brooklynn and Sammy say respectively. Yaz has a hand over her mouth to stop herself from throwing up. Ben picks out a grub. "Thank you for your sacrifice." He says dramatically as he eats one. Everyone just rolls in disgust. "Do you have to do that here?" Yaz asks as she moves away. I just sit there and laugh.

Ben offers Sammy a grub, she looks disgusted but swallows her nerve. "Well, at least I can keep an open mind." She says as she picks up a grub. We all watch with nervous anticipation. She gets the grub to her mouth and whimpers. "Do it." Ben says with an evil tone. Sammy pulls the grub. "No thanks, I pass." She says as she throws the grub away. It lands on Darius face who panics and swats it off. It lands in Brooklynns hair and she gets it out and flings it to me. I reach up and grab it before it hits my face. Everyone is looking at me. "Bottoms up." I say sarcastically as I gobble down the grub. Everyone par Ben groans in disgust. "How you guys survived, I have no idea." Ben says to the others as he eats another grub. He places the plate down near Yaz as she uses her foot to move it away.

Sammy grunts as she stands up. "Ok. No tears or goodbyes until we're sitting on the plane. But can I just say...look at us. Look at how far we have come since that first day on the dock." Sammy says as we all look at each other. "We have come far. Found each other, protected each other and helped each other grow." I gaze at Kenji who looks up at me. "While we had our problems. Poor decisions and worse mistakes. We have never failed to stay together. I'm proud of this group of people, who have overcome adversity and our own differences to survive. Too us!" I say proudly as I raise a berry in the air. "Too us!" Everyone says as they raise their own berries. I look at Kenji and he nods to me which I return with a smile.

"I'm gonna miss you guys so much!" Sammy says happily. "When we get off this boat. I'm gonna need everyone write down their email addresses for late night checks up and other social media handles. Also favourite kind of cake, so I know what to get and send!" Sammy says excitedly which we all shake out heads and chuckle. Classic Sammy. "Hey, who took all my grubs?" Ben says as we look at the plate. "Not if you paid me." Brooklynn smartly retorts. Ben looks at me. "The plate is over there and I haven't moved." I reply to his unasked question. We hear a faint clicking. Months of running and observant forces me to my feet. Sammy and Yaz look behind themselves and I climb over to sit between them. We see a Compy eating the rest of the grubs. Everyone sighs in relief, at least it wasn't something bigger. "It wouldn't be an escape from a deadly island if we didn't have stowaway." Yaz sarcastically states. "Last thing we need is it chewing on some wires." Darius states as I look at incredulously. "Screw the wires." I say which everyone looks at me, confused. I take my knife out. "That...is lunch, my friend." I say as I throw the knife, the compy dodges it as the knife sticks in the deck of the yacht. It starts run towards the back. "Let's say we catch that compy. For old times sake." Yaz says which I smile at that. Yaz jumps around and chases after the Dino. I follow her while picking up the knife on my way. Sammy and Ben follow us to the back.

"Come back here. Your going to be our lunch." I say as we surround the compy at the back of the boat. Ben had picked up a bucket to catch while I threw the knife. The compy dodged again, seriously, what did this compy do to learn that? The little dino, runs between Ben's leg and makes it way to the side of the boat. I follow him and see Ben dunk the bucket on Darius's head. I run past them and see the compy on the table. Me and Ben, with the bucket are at its back while Sammy and Yaz are at the front. I jump to grab it but the compy jumps onto the railing. Sammy and Yaz try to get it but the dino is too fast and makes it way around the boats railing.

We look around the boat for the Compy but it seems to disappear. It has to be here somewhere. No dino is stupid enough to jump ship and swim let alone a Compy. We come to the rear of the boat and see the cabin door ajar. Darius comes around to the back. "Find it?" He asks me. "Not yet. Ok, here's the plan. Darius, Ben, stay at the front and guard the food. Myself and Yaz will check the cabins. Sammy see if you can find the little guy out here." I say which they are nod in agreement. "After you." I say jokingly to Yaz which gets me a punch to the arm. She's so violent...I love it.

These are some tasteless photos. Me and Yaz look in disgust at the photos of Tiff and Mitch. Yaz takes out her machete and I my axe. Yaz cuts the one with Tiff in half as I send my axe right into Mitch face on the other. We look at each other as we notice the third one. Both of the hunters with a giant leopard skins. I take the photo and walk outside before fling it into the ocean. I walk back in. "That was liberating." I quip which Yaz laughs as she holesters the machete across her back. As Yaz continues to look for the Compy, I lean on the doorframe and admire her. She turns and notices me staring. "See something you like?" She says flirtatiously to me. "Oh, very much so." I reply arrogantly. She chuckles at me as I approach her, I wrap my arms around and pull her close. "Let me show you how much." I say as I kiss her. She wraps her arms around my neck as I back her up against the wall. "We have to look for that compy." She tries to reason but I ignore her. "If it was in here, we would've find it by now." I say as I trail down her neck. She moans in pleasure. "Ryan?" She says to me. I lift my head up and raise an eyebrow. "Do you want me to stop?" I ask as my hand trails around her hip, stomach and back. "W-w-well no but we need to find that compy. I promise that we will have another time for this." She says to me. I hang my head down and sigh in defeat. "You promise?" I say in a mock pout but she cheekily gives me one last kiss before breaking from me and running outside. "You little minx." I say as I chase after her.

We come too and see the compy run around to the front. We chase after it but lose it when we reach the front deck. We notice Darius and Ben packing the food in bags. "Did you guys see it?" Sammy asks as she comes up. "Sorry but no, we were busy packing the food into bags, just in case." Ben says. "It has to be here somewhere. Fan out!" Yaz says as we spread out. I smile on the inside, damn she's sexy when she assertive.

We search and I hear chewing. I turn to the others and make a silent gesture before pointing to the back. I point to Yaz and Sammy to go around on one side while myself, Darius and Ben had around the other side. Darius has the bucket ready. We move slowly and I turn the corner and see the compy chewing on some rope. Yaz and Sammy come around and we surround the compy. Darius has the bucket ready as the compy snarls in challenge as Darius goes to lunge but the boat is rocked. We all fall to the ground and the compy makes a break for it away from us. "What the fuck was that?!" I shout out as I push myself up, I notice that everyone is making their way up as well. "Guys! What's happening?" Ben shouts out to the Kenji and Brooklynn. "The propeller is jammed. Someone has to go down and fix it." Kenji says from above. "The captain thinks that we are stuck in kelp and where there's a kelp forest...there are usually sharks." Brooklynn says which makes everyone gasp in fear. "Sharks? I'll pass. Saw this movie when I was a kid that really messed me." Yaz says as she puts off the unasked question. I smile and start humming the Jaws theme music. "Ryan...you better stop or I'm punching your teeth out." Yaz threatens to me for which I smile. "I'll do it." Darius volunteers.

Kenji barely acknowledges what Darius said and heads back to the bridge. I notice Darius downcast expression as I walk over and give him a reassuring Pat on the back. "Let's get that propeller free." I say as I walk over to where the rope was. I see that the rope is almost ready to break in half, I pull both ends and break the rope before bringing them back together and tighten it, I make sure that its super tight. I hand it Darius who ties it around himself. Yaz ties the end around the ladder. "You sure you're good to go alone?" Yaz asks Darius worriedly. "I'll be alright. Just be ready to pull me up." Darius replies as he walks down to the water.

We watch him dive in. Myself, Yaz and Ben have hold of the rope just in case of anything. Sometime passes and I start to worry, he has been down for awhile. Before I could question any further, Darius's head surfaces. "He's up!" Yaz screams out to Brooklynn. "The propeller was stuck in kelp. Tell Kenji to move forward, I'll stay in just in case." Darius says to Brooklynn who runs back to the bridge. We soon felt the boat moving as myself, Ben and Yaz slowly pull Darius closer to the boat. Brooklynn tells us that we are in clear, we all begin cheering. Whew, one problem that we didn't need but got done. We start pulling Darius in but a feeling in the pit of my stomach tells me that something is wrong. A gut instinct of danger. "Something is not right." I say to Yaz who looks at my in disbelief. "The propeller is free, what else could be wrong?" Before I can answer, Brooklynn comes back frantic. "There's something in the water! It's headed this way!" I look back at Yaz who gulps in worry. "That's really freaky." She says as I turn my eyes outward to the ocean, I don't see anything that warrants danger. I look back up and see Kenji with the telescope. "No, no, no!" He says fearfully. "What is it!?" I yell out. "Shark!" He screams as I turn back to water and low and behold, in the distance, I see a great white fin. "Pull him in!" Ben says as we tug on the rope while Darius swims frantically back to the boat.

"Come on, hurry!" I yell out to him as I pull the rope. I look and see the fin knife the surface closer to Darius. "Pull him in faster. The boats drifting!" Ben says as we continue tugging. "Sammy, come down here and pull on the rope!" I say as I let go. "Where are you going?" She says to me as I head to the cabins. I found an almost empty weapons room. I look to my left and see three harpoons, of course Mitch and Tiff would be whalers as well. I grab them and head back to the back. I hold up a harpoon and aim it at the shark who suddenly turns and swims away. "Where is it going?" I question, Darius is out on open water, why would the shark give up the opportunity? I see a shadow coming up from the deeps. A massive head breaches the surface, it's enormous mouth clamped onto the shark as it slams back down on the water. The massive wave from the impact sends Darius tumbling into the edge of the boat, which Sammy reaches down and pulls him up. "It's that the Mosasaurus?!" Darius asks in disbelief. I, along with everyone else, stares in terror at the realisation of being in open water with a massive marine reptile. No ladder or spectator stand is going to save us here.

I hold the harpoon as Moses starts to circle the boat. I realise the absolute danger that we are in. The shark was an appetizer for him. We are a large sharp in the water, he has never had anything bigger than a shark and we are a fucking buffet to him. "Kenji, get us the fuck outta here!" I yell up to him for which he turns the engine over and we are hauling ass. The massive reptile is trailing us. "How the hell did Moses get out?" Sammy asks with terror. "Not important right now." I say as I pass a harpoon to Yaz who runs up it he front deck. I hand the next one Ben who stays at the rear of the yacht. I climb to the top where Brooklynn and Kenji are. "Kenji...where is he?!" I shout to him. "He's on the right!" He replies back to me. I run to he right of the boat and see the plates of Moses's back in the distance. A plan starts to go through my mind. A really terrible plan. "Kenji, be ready to turn the boat to the right on my mark." I turn him which he questions. "What? That will take us right into him!" He tries to reason. "Exactly. Everyone...brace for impact!" I shout at down below. "On my mark, full throttle!" I say as I hold myself to the railing. Moses is coming at us from an angle from the back. To bring us down, he'll have to breach. "Steady." I say as Moses gets closer, before dipping down. "Steady." I say as I see the shadow come up. "Now!" I say as Kenji turns the boat at full speed. Moses breaches the water but before he can get high enough, the boat rams into the side of his head. Moses groans in pain as he dives back under, but the force of the collision had sent the boat rocking back. Darius slipped over the railing while the rest of us were sent to the floor. "Someone help me!" I hear Darius call out. "Ryan, take over!" I hear Kenji say as he bolts down the ladder and runs to the railing. He leans over and pulls Darius up.

I take up the wheel and divert away from the point of impact. I see Moses's plates over the edge of the surface, he's making another run. Or so I though, he goes back under and I look over to the SONAR. He's heading to the back. "Moses is heading to the rear, if he takes out the propeller, we are dead in the water!" I shout out to the others below who scramble towards the back. I see the SONAR and Moses is getting closer, and closer till the point that I feel the ship lurch at the back and I'm sent tumbling to the back wall of the bridge. "Oww."

I exit the bridge and go down the ladder to see Moses gripping the back of the boat. Yaz runs up with the harpoon and drives it right into the snout of the marine reptile, who in turn, roars at her. She is sent back as Moses dives back under. "I thought we were done with dinosaurs!" She screams out as I jump down, I look to see a torn hole in the hull. "We're taking on water. Everyone to the front deck." I say to everyone. We move to the front and I see Ben yelling as he throws the harpoon at Moses who pass by. The harpoon misses but Moses turns back sharply as he rams into us. He's pushing the boat. I hold on to Yaz as she slips. "I got you!" I say as I hold onto the railing. Moses stops and dives back under. The boat steadies but is slowly sinking. I move up to bridge and grab the harpoon before sliding down to the front deck. The water is still and there is no sight of Moses. "Where did he go?" Darius asks terrified. "I don't see him!" Brooklynn says from the edge. We hear a breach and we turn to the left and see Moses breaching and plummeting back down and repeating the same thing over again. He is bringing his tail out and slapping it back down to the water. Like a whale. "What is he doing?" Kenji asks fearfully. He is intimidating us. "It's an intimidation display. He's about to 'Moby Dick' our asses." I fearfully say as Moses charges towards us.

We run to the other side and hold onto the railing. Moses rams into the hull, rocking the ship aside. The ship is lurch up as the left side of the boat takes on water. Yaz is starting to slip. "I can't hold on!" She says as she tries to get a good grip. I move over to her and jump her hand as she falls. "I gotcha!" I say as I anchor the harpoon on the ships railing. "Land!" I hear Ben scream as I pull Yaz up to he railing. I look out and see a huge landmass. That can't be right, it would've taken a good 6 or 7 hours to reach the mainland. All of a sudden, Moses breaches behind us as we all look to see the mighty Mosasaurus, nose pointed up. We are watch in terror, almost in slow motion as the marine reptile comes crashing down on the remainder of the boat.

Blackness...that is all I see...I slowly open my eyes and the blurry images start focus. I sit up from my position and look around. I see the others coming too. Kenji is helping Brooklynn up. Darius and Sammy help out with Ben. I look to my left and see Yaz opening her eyes. "Hey, you alright?" I ask as I help her up. "Yeah, I'm alright." She replies as she picks up the last harpoon and passes it to me. I take it with a nod. I look around at the black sand beach. Angry thunder clouds in the distance and the remainder of our boat washes up on shore. "Everyone ok?" Darius calls out. "Good." Could be better." "We're fine over here." Kenji, Brooklynn and myself call out respectively. "Ok, this has to be a dream." Sammy says worriedly. "This doesn't look like Costa Rica." Brooklynn says as we all rejoin. The storm in the distance mixed with the howling wind makes an ominous feel. "Maybe we can take shelter in there?" Ben says as he points out a cave in the mountain ahead.

We arrive at the dark cave. Definitely not ominous at all. "Something tells me, we shouldn't go in there?" Sammy says fearfully. "Can't be any worse than where we've been." Kenji retorts back. "It's the only shelter that we can find. Let's bunk down in here for the night and see what we salvage from the wreckage come morning. Sound good?" I say which gets nods from everyone. We head into the cave. Let's hope that whatever this place is, has fresh water cause I'm parched.