The Broken Lives Saga: Short Story Collection – Amanda's Yacht
By Dinohunter55
Edge of Paradise – Luxury Yacht
Isla Sorna, Las Cinco Muertes
207 Miles West of Costa Rica
21:24, June 9, 1996
Amanda danced with the gentle rolling of the deck to the tune of ocean waves. The celebrations died down with the setting sun and slowly burned out until most headed below but she felt too energetic to rest just yet. Amanda ran her fingers though her auburn hair and swung her hips with the sway of the deck. The gentle buzz of alcohol kept her from caring that she was alone for the moment.
"Miss Glendale," a male voice said.
Amanda stopped her dancing and dropped her shoulders. Why did someone have to bother her now? She turned and looked at the crewmember. It was the young hot one. Suddenly, she did not feel so bothered.
"Yes Terrance?" Amanda said with a smile. She wondered how long he watched her before saying anything. The idea delighted her more than it should have. It was probably the alcohol.
"Captain Broward requests your presence on the bridge," Terrance said. He gave her a courteous smile back.
"I'll be there in a moment," Amanda said. She reached over and grabbed her drink from the edge of Jacuzzi. She sipped the last of the mixture through a straw and nibbled the lime a bit. She watched Terrance head below deck and then sighed.
Amanda dried off with a towel. The night air chill got to her finally as the last of the heat from the Jacuzzi left her body. She decided some modesty was in order if she was going to go to the bridge. Showing up in just a bikini was probably a little much and so she grabbed her shirt off the back of a chair as she made her way to the stair.
The stairway down sat beside the inflatable lifeboat and assorted water toys, colored white to match the ship. A small crane lowered the items off the roof of the ship to use in the water. Like everything onboard, they were well maintained and clean. The ship looked and smelled like new. She expected nothing less for the amount of money she guessed her father spent to rent the forty-seven meter yacht for around a week and a half. Her father wanted Amanda's eighteenth birthday to be something to remember. So far, it lived up the hype and all they saw was a bit of Costa Rica and the ocean. He finally allowed her to drink alcohol once they were in international waters.
Amanda stepped gingerly to avoid slipping as she made her way down to the upper deck. She headed for the bridge through the sky lounge. Its large windows gave a clear view of the ocean but the bright overhead lights made it a little difficult to see out during the night. Terrance was at the bar cleaning up. She gave him another smile as she passed.
Some of her family were awake; she heard the murmuring of conversation as she passed the stairs leading to the main deck. The gentle sounds of the Baby Grand Piano played among the words. She wondered if her uncle was playing. It sounded a little too good to be him. Maybe one of the crewmembers had some talent?
On the bridge, she found the Captain and another man.
"Good evening Miss Glendale," said Captain Broward. He was tall elderly man with grey hair, green eyes, and the weathered face of a man who spent a lifetime at sea.
"Good evening Captain Broward," Amanda said and smiled. "Terrance said that you wanted to see me?"
"That I did young lady," Captain Broward said and gestured to the booth and table at the back of the bridge. He had a gentle, grandfatherly smile.
Amanda sat down and waited as Captain Broward pulled something out from a shelf. He laid a map of an island chain on the table.
"We are approaching this island chain from the west," said Captain Broward and then pointed to their rough location. "The islands are uninhabited. You may have seen them in the distance before sunset. We will tour them over the next few days but I wanted to give you the opportunity to decide where we will begin."
Amanda leaned forward and looked over the map. "Will we get to go ashore on any of them?"
"Yes we will. How often is entirely up to your father."
"He won't say no to me," Amanda said and grinned. "Let's start with the biggest island."
"Excellent choice Miss Glendale, there is a bay we can anchor in tonight that looks up this valley. It should provide a lovely view come morning." He pointed out the features of the island on the topographical map. "In the morning, we can move north and have lunch on the wide beach here." He pointed to a bay just north of the one they would anchor inside of for the night.
"Why not anchor in the bay with the beach?"
"It is too shallow for the yacht and I want to make sure we have the light of day to navigate close to shore. There are some reefs that I wish to avoid."
"I understand," Amanda said. She leaned back and caught the side-eye from the man steering the ship. She pulled her shirt down a little to hide her hips.
"Excellent," said Captain Broward. He stood up and ran his finger from their rough position to the bay. "We will skirt the island along here if you wish to keep an eye out for any spots you want to visit tomorrow."
"Thank you," Amanda said. "What is this place called?"
He hesitated for a moment before answering, "Las Cinco Muertes."
"What does that mean?"
"It roughly translates to The Five Deaths," Captain Broward licked his lips. "It is a local superstition and not a name to give any credence."
"Ok," Amanda said and slid out of the booth. She headed for one of the side doors out of the bridge. "I'm going to watch from the bow."
"Excellent," said Captain Broward. "If anyone comes looking for you, I will point them in that direction."
Amanda smiled at the captain and stepped outside. She saw the captain speak to the man at the wheel for a moment and then retire to his bedroom just off the bridge. Amanda carried on towards the bow. She passed a circular seating area just in front of the bridge and headed down the stairs beyond.
A large cushioned block acted as a sunning area during the day. Amanda sat at the front of it with her legs crossed. The lights were not as bright at the bow of the ship and her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimness.
The night sky held few clouds and so she saw the moon and stars more clearly than she ever would in the city or countryside. The gentle ocean waves caught the moonlight along their peaks. Dark shapes grew larger on the horizon. She spotted the islands.
Over the next hour, the islands steadily grew in size. She picked out larger details in the moonlight, mountain ridges and deep valleys. The yacht angled south and brought them in line with the largest island. Amanda wondered how much better it would look during the day. She straightened a little with the excitement.
A large cliff followed the shoreline closely but left enough space for dense trees to grow between the rocky shore and sheer walls. She spotted a waterfall amid two ridges. Between the boat and shore, she saw why the captain wanted daylight to navigate; large rocks broke the surface and ocean swells broke upon them.
She spotted the bay they would dine in for tomorrow's lunch. The broad white sand breach brought a renewed smile. Something was off however as they moved further south. She spied the glint of pipes running up the cliff. A section of cliff jutting outwards as the rest of the cliff turned inland as part of a large U-shaped section obscured the pipes initially. The structure looked like the water intake pipes she saw during a day on Lake Mead while her family were in Arizona. She wondered where it went.
Amanda's gaze followed the top of the cliff, scrutinizing the treeline. She spotted a small waterfall and then a short distance away she spotted a building. It was hard to see against the jungle and looked painted to match the jungle. The glint of moonlight on the windows gave the structure away. These islands were supposed to be uninhabited and judging by the growth around the building and surprisingly large fence, it was abandoned. She wondered if it was a research station. She would ask the captain in the morning when they set up on the beach. Maybe there was a way to reach it and take a look around.
Movement caught her attention. Something was on the roof. She only saw it for a second but there was definitely something up there. The yacht continued south. At the last glimpse of the building, Amanda could have sworn she saw two pairs of eyes glinting in the moonlight.
The yacht slowed as it reached its destination bay. It was lovely. The shore was mostly rough and sheer volcanic rocks but in places, the waves broke gently upon gravel or sand beaches. A barren, rocky strip of land separated the ocean from the dense trees.
The anchor chain clinked and rattled as it dropped into the water. The lights in the upper half of the ship dimmed or went out as everyone settled down for then night.
Amanda stood and walked to the bow. She leaned on the railing and looked down at the rolling surf. She saw nothing in the dark depths. The feeling sent an uncomfortable tingle down her spine. Her eyes turned up and watched the trees. Branches swayed in a gentle breeze.
In the valley, a tree shook violently and then another. Amanda wondered what could cause such a thing. A flock of birds took to the air. The shaking headed in her direction and soon she heard the breaking of branches. Something large was coming her way.
A creature broke from the trees. It was hard to make out any details at this distance as it appeared greenish in the gloom but she guessed it was roughly man sized and ran on two legs. It was fast. The creature raced along the barren strip south and eventually disappeared into the trees.
Perhaps she should tell the captain that they needed to move somewhere else tonight. The creature set her hairs on end and she had a gut feeling that it was not friendly.
The trees cracked and a hulking figure broke from the jungle. It was taller than some of the trees with a crocodilian snout and large sail on its back. The creature looked around and then the glowing eyes found her.
Amanda's heart pounded. A scream caught in her throat.
The beast slipped silently beneath the waves heading towards her.
"Amanda dear," a voice said.
Amanda leapt and spun. Her mother stood at the base of the stairs in a white nightgown.
"What's wrong dear? You look terrified."
"T-T-There's s-s-something in the water. I-It's coming this way!" Amanda raced to her mom and hugged her. She started to cry.
"What's going on?" A man's voice came from the top of the stair.
"Amanda saw something in the water. Poor girl's terrified."
Amanda heard the steps of the man coming down the stair. A beam of light reached out into the gloom.
"What did you see?" the man asked. It was Henry, one of the crew.
"It was big! It left the trees and started swimming for us." Amanda said as she gulped air, feeling dizzy. "We need to get out of here."
"Probably a crocodile," Henry said and then he walked to the bow. He turned the beam out over the waves. "I don't see anything though. If it's at the surface, you'll see the eye shine."
Amanda was about the say something when the boat lurched sideways. Amanda and her mother hurtled towards the railing as Henry fell overboard. Amanda screamed. She caught the railing. Her mother was not so lucky and flipped over the edge, hanging by one hand.
"Mom!" Amanda screamed, "Man overboard!"
Amanda grabbed her mother's wrist and then managed to get hold of her mother's free hand as it sought to grab hold of anything it could.
In the depths below, the light sank and flickered. The massive crocodilian snout of a monster chewed on Henry's thrashing body. Terrible green eyes found Amanda. Terror locked her in place.
Amanda could do nothing as the beast reached out of the water and grabbed hold of Amanda's mother even as Henry disappeared down its gullet. It yanked high and pulled Amanda into the air as she desperately held on to her mother's hands.
The last thing Amanda saw was the terrified eyes of her mother and nightgown turning crimson. The last thing she felt was the desperately squeezing hands. Amanda lost her grip and flew into the void. The icy black waters swallowed her whole as the ship's alarms began to blare.
