Matthew Silver and the Monster Hunters, Book One: The Darkest Waters

Chapter Twenty-Four

SilverCHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

As we drove down to the docks, neither of us said much. Jay was acting a little weird that morning, so I just figured it was best to give her a little space for a while. She was in another one of those spacey moods. Normally, I can read people pretty well, and Jay wasn’t any different, but sometimes, she could turn into lead that my “emotion x-ray vision”just couldn’t see through.

Arriving at the docks was a nice change of pace, because of the extra background noise. Silence always made me squirm.

The docks were covered by aluminum overhangs, protecting the docked ships from rain. We walked past several rows of motorboats, small fishing boats, and even a jet ski. The boats we had looked like small yachts, but they carried a little more kick in their engines. They didn’t go nearly as fast as racers, but their larger size was handy. The monster could probably capsize a regular motorboat with just its wake, and we didn’t stand a chance of outmatching the monster in speed, so size would have to make up for our disadvantages.

We only really needed one of them (Scott had gone way too far by getting two), so we both hopped onto the boat closest to us.

It was pretty big, even if it wasn’t a full sized yacht. The cabin had one bedroom, a bathroom, and a large closet for storage. Outside of the cabin on the front of the boat was a large flat deck with space for two built-in cushioned chairs and a collapsible umbrella. The back of the boat was also flat, and there was a small ladder to get on and off the boat. It hung off the edge close to the propellers. You’d have to be careful on that thing.

I found the key in a little glove box next to the wheel, and I started up the engine. Water churned in the back as the propellers spun to life and backed us out of the docking station.

I had to take it slow at first, because it was so shallow, but after a minute, I was opening it up, flying us across the waters. I loved the feeling of the wind rushing against my face, my hair standing up against the breeze.

In the front of the boat on the cushiony recliners, Jay was staring out into the distance. The wind blew her hair back, and her face was soft, yet resolute with the light of adventure. I looked at my reflection on the glass over the speedometer. Her determined expression matched mine.

In a brief moment of teenage weakness, I wondered what she thought of me. I self-consciously looked at my reflection again. I forced those thoughts out of my mind. Ridiculous thoughts. Not thoughts to be had.

Way out of your league, anyways, my negative side said.

Speak for yourself! said my positive side.

Both of you, shut up! I said.

We had to dock the boat about a couple yards away from land, which meant getting wet. I tried to tell myself that I was going to get wet anyways, but it didn’t make stepping into the cold water any easier.

Sandy had the idea of making a line to pass the supplies down. Old Parker would select what he deemed as necessary for the mission and would pass it down to Scott, who passed it to Sandy, who passed it to Jay, who finally passed it to me, and I would throw it into the boat.

I got the worst end of the deal, because I was in the deepest water. My pants were officially soaked, and my legs shivered uncontrollably from the cold. I got a rush of bad memories from my nights in the water, way back when the mission first started, which seemed like an eternity ago.

By the time we were done, we had twenty-two molded packs of C-4, a remote detonator, our basic weapons, and lots of diving gear. The water conditions, as you already know, were horrible, so we had to cover our masks with anti-fog. We had over three hours of oxygen in our tanks and high-powered underwater flashlights for deep-sea exploration.