Tidal Vortex-Book One

Chapter Five

Teal:

I watch in complete horror as the walls of water that surround us topple down towards the top of the ship. Aside from the sheer horror, I cringe as it dawns on me that this ship is about to be torn to shreds by these massive walls of water. Mother nature is not in our favor, it seems. I slip, stumbling, as my feet fight to gain traction on the wet deck as the ship rocks violently. I get ready to hold my breath as I brace for the force of the waves to hit. Nothing could have made me ready for the force of nature that assaulted my body. The water slams down on top of the ship as I'm violently ripped away from the mast and flung into the insanely turbulent current. Debris smashes into me, knocking me sideways, scraping my legs badly and leaving little pieces of wood embedded in my skin. Opening my eyes underwater, I can see splintered wood and a bit of the sail being flung around in the water. Debris litters the water among the vague outlines of the bodies of sailors. Schools of colorful fish hurry out of the way, while other, less colorful fish nibble at bodies floating lifelessly in the water current. Blood tinges the water red, as sailors that had been kind to me struggle for their lives. The few bodies I can see are unmoving as I kick harder in desperation, trying with all my might to fight the current to get to the surface. I find myself stuck, relying solely on my legs, since my hands are still cuffed. The current is too strong, as I fight with everything within me. I kick and hold my breath for as long as I can, but I just kept getting sucked down further by the swirling current. My limbs are growing weak, and I am running out of air as panic sets in. All around me, men are dying. I feel so helpless as my arms and legs start to refuse to function with next to no oxygen. Time stands still as I sink to the bottom of the seafloor with my hands cuffed together tightly.

Guess I won't be clearing my name or getting justice for being framed. I will not ever get to kiss that handsome Captain or find out if anything could ever have grown into a relationship. The Captain was probably dying at this very moment. I'm so sorry, dad! I will never find out who murdered you, I thought as my brain began to shut down. My body suddenly, starts convulsing as I involuntarily gasp, and water invades my lungs. This is it. I am dying, I thought as I shake erratically.

Suddenly, my body stops convulsing, and I gasp like a fish underwater as my eyes shoot open wide. I can see clearer, I think. Or maybe my brain is shutting down and I just think I am alive and able to see better. What the heck is happening? I wonder as I breathe, like actually breathed underwater! This can't be happening; this can't possibly be real. I can smell underwater too! Not freaking possible! I must be hallucinating or in heaven or some other afterlife thing, I thought madly as I stand on the ocean floor in utter shock, wondering just how crazy I possibly am. I raise my handcuffed hands to my face and felt around for any wounds, then I run my fingers down the side of my neck. I feel four minor cuts of flesh on the sides of my neck just below my ears, but they do not hurt. Looking down at the rest of my body, I see that my legs have slivers of wood embedded in them along with a few nasty looking bruises forming. Other than that, I look normal. Nothing made any sense. I must not be feeling any pain because I am in shock or crazy, I thought.

All of a sudden, I become more aware of my surroundings in the murky blue depths. Five enormous shadows move in the water as they circle the wreckage. I can feel slight vibrations in the surrounding water, it's like my skin is picking up the current vibrations and movement of other things around me in the murky blood tinged sea. It was surreal as I stand barefoot on the sandy ocean floor, breathing underwater, while my black hair floats above my head. Squinting through the bloody water, I walk forward on the ocean floor the best I can with my hands bound by the cuffs in front of me. Coral, shells and other plant life scrape my feet painfully with every step as I push past outcrops of seaweed swaying in the water. Looking down at myself, I notice the red dress now torn in places floats in the water around me as I move forward looking for the Captain. On my right I pass a sailor's body, unmoving and dead. Fish have already started nibbling at the poor man. Horrified, I walk forward on the sea floor, barely registering the sting of coral and other plant life on the bottoms of my raw feet. The shadows were moving in closer and circling the area at a faster pace now. Panicking, I notice the wreckage of the wheelhouse. I run through the water towards it, as adrenaline ran through my veins. I crouch down and jump, lunging myself up into the wreckage of the deck. The once flat wood deck is now nothing but a splintered mess of wood. Very few boards are still intact as I make my way across the broken floor, side stepping over sharp jagged pieces of wood. Shock and fear all at once settle over me. I know deep down that I shouldn't have been able to jump or force myself through the water like that.