Yay, update.
Yeah im super tired, so....
It was a lovely day at the beach. Darren lay on a towel in the sand, working up a tan for the first time in years. In front of him, the ocean glittered turquoise. Behind him, the hotel glittered orangey-pink.
Beside him, Larten adjusted the cheerful yellow green and orange striped giant umbrella so it wouldn't snap shut on Seba who was carefully constructing a "sand mountain" beneath it, glaring up every now and then, daring someone to wreck it. Harkat was going through a giant picnic basket which was about as tall as he was. Nearby, Kurda was being buried in the sand by Harkat and Arrow. Mika was paddling in the ocean, playing with his new surfboard. And Paris was lying beside Darren on the towel, reading Twilight and taking careful notes of the inacuracies so he could file a formal complaint against the author...
No, that stuff wasn't actually happening. Larten, Seba, Harkat, Kurda, Arrow, Mika and Paris were on a little island in the middle of nowhere, only Darren didn't know that and was mindlessly wandering up and down the beach, praying for a sign his friends were still out there somewhere.
For the past 2 days, he'd been in a sort of comatose state, not being entirely aware of his surroundings. He kept hearing them breaking things, yelling at each other, rampaging around, etcetera. But when he turned around, he was alone! The concept was difficult to grasp, as was exhibited when he went up to an ice cream truck and said,
"Kay, give me lime slushie, a blue raspberry slushie, a red slushie, an Ice Capp, a lemon-sicle, a rolo cone, an ice-cream sandwich, and a rainbow-sicle. Ohh, that's not right...Um...just the blue raspberry slushie..."
It was a very sad time in the life of Darren Shan. He spent that afternoon phoning local hospitals, police stations, jails, and morgues, just in case. This search proved inconclusive, and he became able to breathe again. He was spending his time cruising up and down every road in Orlando, searching for a sign they were even in this city. He was seriously beginning to doubt they were anywhere in the vicinity, or else they'd be on the news or on the run or on the top of a building, or somewhere noticeable.
With a depressive little sigh, Darren glanced down at his new GPS, a gift he'd bought to make himself feel better. There was a little bar several minuites away which he hadn't searched yet...
"Mr. Frog's Luau" the sign said. It was tropical-themed, as was everything in Orlando. Luckily there was no mechanical bull to remind him of the bar Mika and Arrow had built in the Hall of Khledon Lurt. This place had a profusion of real potted palm trees, and drinks served out of real coconuts. Everyone was dressed in Hula gear, apparently forgetting they were in Florida rather than Hawaii. Anyway.
Darren plopped himself down on a lime green bar stool and stared around hopelessly. The place was devoid of Vampires.
"Haaay welcome to Mr. Frog's!" greeted a heavily accented middle-aged chubby shirtless mostly bald grass-skirted dude of an indeterminate race. He had a sticker reading, MANAGER stuck to his naked chest, so Darren figured he was Mr. Frog himself.
"Whassa matta with you my buddy? You look like you just lost your best friend!" Mr. Frog gasped, seeing Darren's broken expression.
"You haven't seen a tall pale guy with an orange fuzz, a crazy old guy with a chair attached to his finger, an even older guy with a huge beard, a blonde dude with pink shades, a baldie with tattoos, a dark and grumpy one, and a little kid with a skin condition, have you?" Darren sniffled.
Mr. Frog thought about that for a second, but replied.
"Not all together, and not this week. I am sorry, my buddy."
"Well in that case, give me the strongest thing you got." Darren sighed, resting his head on the counter.
***
Barely an hour later, Darren was so tanked he hallucinated an entire conversation with Seba, Harkat and Larten which got so out-of-control that Mr Frog eventually asked him if he wanted an ambulance.
"Noooough, Imma good , Misster Foooowg." Darren promised.
"Alright, my buddy. You stay sitted here, I get you a glass of milk, yes?"
"Chaah yes my buddy!" Darren agreed.
Darren proceeded to try to count the leaves on the nearest palm tree, something suddenly caught his attention on the news show on the plasma scren TV mounted on the wall...
"ALL PASSENGERS PRESUMED DEAD AFTER PREVIOUSLY UNNOTICED PLANE DISSAPEARANCE OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA. FLIGHT 247 HAS REPORTEDLY GONE DOWN AFTER RECEIVING NO SIGNAL FOR 2 DAYS."
"Seba, shuddup I gotta listen to this!" he wailed, banging his fists on the counter.
"THERE IS A SMALL UNINHABITED ISLAND LOCATED IN THE AREA WHERE FLIGHT 247 IS PRESUMED TO HAVE GONE DOWN, BUT THERE IS ALMOST NO CHANCE ANY PASSENGERS WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE ISLAND, MUCH LESS SURVIVE ON IT."
What if...they couldn't be...unless...I think...unless...VAMPIRES CAN SURVIVE! his brain reasoned.
"I FOUND THEM!" Darren screamed, falling off his stool, dragging himself back up and pausing only long enough to grab the glass of milk Mr. Frog had just brought him, and bolted out the door. He managed to start his yellow jeep and gunned it through the hot Orlando streets, chugging back the milk.
"LARTEN HARKAT SEBA PARIS KURDA MIKA ARROW IMM COMING FOR YOUUU!" he howled with delight, almost running over a flock of tourists. While he couldn't recall the usual formulating process, he did indeed have a plan. And what a plan it was.
***
Darren had never been boat shopping before. Nor had he ever been on a boat. Nor did he know shit about boats. Nor had he ever thought about boats while drunk. But he was currently parked on a dock in south Orlando, the boat he selected now would probably have a significant impact on whether or not he could find his friends and bring them home in one piece.
So.
To his right, there was a small metallic pink speedboat. Very Kurda-friendly. And fast-looking. At least it would be until 8 large creatures were loaded in. And it was a two-seater. Scratch that. Near that one, there was one that appeared to be a school bus mounted on a barge. Size: Perfect. Sturdiness: questionable. Motor: Apparently non-existent. How about that one over there...this would be so much easier with Harkat around...the next one had sails. This was a disaster waiting to happen. Lots of ropes to strangle unsuspecting beasts, and strange little mechanics that nobody would be able to figure out, with the possible exception of Paris. But no, the sailboat was a bad idea.
Then, Darren looked to the other end of the dock. If you could have an AHA! moment when inebriated, he definitley did.
It was a medium-sized ferry boat, big enough for about 600 people and their vehicles...so that would probably be enough space to evenly disperse 8 creatures of the night. And Darren would be able to drive his Jeep right on board, how very convenient. Driving closer, he realised the boat was devoid of life. No vehicles were parked inside, but there appeared to be a line of cars waiting to enter. The delay appeared to be due to a staff meeting that was taking place on the dock beside the boat. Darren slipped out of his vehicle and sneaked over as casually as possible while stumbling all the way. Listening in, he noted they were being lectured on the importance of not drinking and boating. How very ironic. It appeared the boat was anchored to the dock only by one loop of rope. A simple unloop, lift and drop fixed that. Thankfully it wasn't a more complicated knot because Darren was currently experiencing a greenish-blue haze around his vision, and hearing his lost friends chattering in his ear as he wandered back to the Jeep, got behind the wheel, and lined himself up with the ramp to drive inside the ferry.
"This boat is an abomination. Vehicles do not belong in boats. And Vampires do not belong in vehicles. You are damnning our souls." Seba complained.
"Stealing a boat, Darren? Really?" Paris sighed. "You will never learn...thank goodness you're not my problem."
"Darren Shan. This is probably the most dangerous, unbelievable, ostentatious, unlikely, rock-brained plan you have ever concocted. And I do mean it this time. Not to mention you are completely drunk. As soon as you come save us, I will kill you." Larten snorted in disgust.
"You should have totally taken the pink boat." Kurda declared. "It matches my sunglasses."
"Get a life, Kurda. He's holding all our lives in his hands, he doesn't need you in his head." Mika growled.
"DO IT!" Arrow demanded with an evil grin.
"I don't...really like...the island, Darren. Come...soon." Harkat concluded.
"I'M ON A BOAT MOTHERFUCKER DON'T YOU EVER FORGET IT AND TAKE A GOOD HARD LOOK AT MY SWIM TRUNKS AND MY FLIPPY FLOPPIES OR HOWEVER THAT SONG GOES!" Darren screamed like a maniac and pressed the pedal to the floor, and almost ended up in the water on the other end of the ferry, but reversed just in time and centered himself in the parking garage. Then he followed the signs up to the control room, where he was completely unsure where to start.
"Green button. Then pull the lever till it's on the red square. And don't forget the steering wheel. When you get to open water, you can program your destination into the built-in GPS, then put it on cruise control."
"How you knowin that, Paris?" Darren muttered as the salt sea air did nothing to sober him.
"I sailed around the world once, when i was 152. Took about a week."
"They had GPS and cruise control back then?"
"Nah. I'm just terribly terribly itelligent."
Following Paris's hallucinated instructions, Darren maneuvered his ship away from the dock and out into the shimmery blue. He managed to put it in cruise control before stumbling out to the deck where he proceeded to vomit violently over the side before passing out completely, hearing whispered mutters about Abominations and rapping about boats the whole time.
Ill reply reviews next chappeh! Prrromise.
Lov yah.
*Roxxy,