Sail by Night

Part 2

The sky screams and water splashes like Niagara falls. I shoot up with Calla still holding onto me she softly whistles in her sleep. Another helicopter soars over but without a spot light. The red marks on my ankle itches from the seaweed. The images flash through my mind like a movie, orange flames, and a silver long sword. The vivid images flash over and over. I rub my eyes and they fade as I slowly stand up. I unzip the tent trying not to wake anyone. 

"Moose?" Calla groans turning towards me her eyes flutter open.

"I'll be back." I whisper as I close the tent and walk on the dirt and rock covered ground to the bank of the water.

I sit down and kick my feet through the water. Another helicopter soars over the forest on the other side of the river shinning a bright spot light. Another scream and roar like a dying hog. I shoot up my heart pumps with freight. The water splashes again out in the middle of the lake. I step through the water holding my sweats up I peak around the trees not traveling to far out just to take a peak at what is happening. A soft squeal travels through the water along with another scream. The helicopter in the distance hovers just above the trees. Ropes fall freely to the ground as soldiers hug the long black ropes they slide to the ground into the forest I lose sight of them. 

The scream comes from the water once again but louder and sounding like a females voice. I shoot up wading in the water the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as something in the distance splashes through the water. I watch as the figure moves awkwardly through the water but I can't make out what it is, it's about the size of a small dog. The creature crawls onto the bank on the opposite side of the small valley of water and dances into the forest out of my sight. A louder roar echoes in the distance and gunshots ring as the helicopter jerks to the side suddenly a huge black shadow bursts into the sky heading towards the stars. Then silence. The spot light shuts off from the helicopter above the small island and soft waves clash against me quietly. The stars shine in the bright sky.

A twig snaps, I whip around my heart racing only to see Calla carrying a blanket around her she yawns stumbling towards the bank she sits down and puts her feet in looking at me and cocking an eyebrow. 

"Well whatya doin'?" Calla yawns again placing her small hand over her mouth. 

"I-I uh, I don't know." I put my hands on my hips feeling the muck on my toes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up again. I look around as the helicopter disappears into the distant night sky. 

"Well obviously you wanted to come out here?" Calla says setting the blanket down.

"It's peaceful. The stars are beautiful." I mutter looking up at the sky with a small smile. 

"That's true. How's your ankle?" Calla asks looking up and getting lost in the sky with a small smile.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." I look through the semi-clear water as the gash all the way around my ankle seems to glow orange. Flames, flames, FLAMES are all I see as the images flash through my head I see a knight walking, no, limping onto the street in a huge city helicopters hover around and Humvees race to the knight stopping. Soldiers march out surrounding him as he falls to his knees he grips a long silver sword on his back and slowly unsheathes it. Everything goes blank my heart races as I blink my eyes rapidly I look into the water my cut seems to still glow orange but not as bright.

I walk back to the shore and sit down next to Calla like I ran a marathon. Maybe that was seaweed . . . maybe it wasn't. Something is in these woods and something is going on that I don't know about. But something is hiding in plain sight. 

"Are you okay Moose?" Calla asks as I take a deep breath.

"Yeah . . . yeah how about you?" I reply staring into the water.