Lost Island

Chapter 4: Overboard

Levi ate the piece of bread hungrily, having ate over seven hours ago. Paul was beside him, also gabbling up some bread. They both viewed the ocean that reflected the dawning sun. It was a shade of pink.

Their jobs were over for the night and they'd start up again tomorrow. It was just too dark to continue. Captain Drake was going to take the first shift of manning the ship.

"Hey, umm, sorry for that," Paul apologized, glancing at his face. "I should have gone easier."

"No, it's fine. It'll heal," Levi said, shaking his head. "It doesn't even hurt anymore. Not much." Paul only nodded slightly.

Captain Drake renewed his presence with a series of coughs into his arm.

It was a few minutes later until another word was said. "I've had another nightmare about her, Paul. I don't know what to do," Levi muttered, and set his jaw at the memory.

"That was five years ago," Paul told him. "You're still having nightmares about that incident?"

"Yeah, I don't know why. I just...I wish there was something I could have done because I still really miss her. I mean, it isn't like I dream about her every night, Paul. Just once a month, really. I...I guess I just need to move on," Levi said and sighed.

Paul nodded in agreeance. "Well, it's late so I think I'm gonna go sleep now. You should too." He patted Levi on the shoulder after a few moments, and quietly excused himself to the basement to get as much sleep as he could.

The next morning he was awoken by his small shivers. He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Tiny drops of rain were soaking through the ceiling and onto the sailors. He groaning, hugging himself. Looking around in the dimness he saw that the captain was absent. Manning the ship he guessed. He found a small blanket and covered himself with it after repositioning himself.

He and the other crew members were woken up by the captain about an hour later, telling them that it was light enough to get by to work.

Levi watched Paul run a hand through his hair to silk it back before marching up the steps. Levi followed him and Harry came behind him. There small thumps were drowned out by the noisy waters.

"Captain," Paul called to the man at the steering wheel, "how much further? Been, what, couple days already?"

"Today we'll be there," Captain Drake replied, rubbing his eyes briefing. When he overviewed the crew it was evident that he hadn't slept much. Bags were under his eyes and they were red. "Very soon," he shrugged.

Levi made his way over to his site, but the moment he situated himself at the top with the binoculars in front of him he felt the boat sway slightly. What was that? It was happening again. He held them up again and didn't see anything in the way. They were being attacked by a shark or some other large creature.

"Captain," he called after another sway, "what should we do?"

Captain Drake fingered his chin, a frown over his face as he thought. "Paul, shoot the waters! Levi, see if you can find the disturbance with 'em binoculars of yours."

Levi nodded, and began searching the water but after a few minutes he got the same outcome as before. He couldn't see anything. "Can't find anything!" he shouted the captain who was looking over the railing.

Another tilt came over the ship but this time it was harder, nearly knocking Levi off the flagpole. The man gasped, recapturing his grip of the rope. Should he climb down? Another light sway came and he dismissed the idea.

"Well keep trying!" Captain Drake hollering at the man with the binoculars.

A loud explosion ripped through the ship and indented into the water. The captain and Harry and Levi's attention came into focus on Paul. He had fired his cannon exactly once, before another explosion was fired against the water.

After a moment he shouted, "I think I got it, Captain!" He continued the peer through the cannon, though, just in case.

The ship shook again, this time sending Levi to the bottom of the flaghole. He had fallen and was moaning painfully on his chest.

"Are you okay?" Harry shouted to him, carefully stepping over to him with his arms dramatically sticking out to tame his balance from the increasing sways.

Levi continued groaning as he weakly pulled himself to his feet. "Y-yeah," he stuttered back, trying to find something to hold onto. His eyes squinted closed. He had made it to his feet only to collapse to his side from a hard sway.

His ears rang loudly, overpowering the scene. He cupped his hands over them as he opened his eyes slowly. Harry was knocked to the ground, while Paul and the captain was still at their station doing whatever they could manage.

"Levi?" the man at the cannon called in panic, "you okay?" As he spoke the man concentrated tensely on the waters for the creature responsible for the rocking.

Levi ignored him, struggling to his feet. He looked around and his eyes grew wide, seeing that there was still some kind of chance. Just ahead. A glimpse of land was awaiting just up ahead.

Pointing, he cried, "Look! Land! Land!" His holler was heard by Paul and Harry and Captain Drake, who followed his pointing finger.

Levi's hands overlapped around the pole and each were colored white. He squinted his eyes at the island. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion, every second a minute and every minute an hour.

He was thrown across the ship with great force, his grip failing him. His frightened cry could be heard over the lashing waters, and not long after did his vision fail him as well; everything went black.

"Hey!" a voice urged from a distance. "Please!" The pleads continued and were started to sound less far away until they came from just above him. Hands shook his shoulders roughly.

He opened his eyes slowly to see a blurred face above him. He saw that his hair was slicked back. It was Paul.

Levi's hands attracted over his face as he groaned. "Paul, w-what's happening?"

Paul patted him roughly on the shoulder, before saying, "Swaying hard! It's lookin' really bad and the island's still a good ways away!" He was breathing heavily as he ran a hand through his hair. "Get up! We might have to swim!"

The young man's eyes widen when everything came back to him. Everything that was happening. The survivors, the sways, the coming island; everything. He managed into a sitting position and then pulled himself to his feet to take a glimpse at the island. They could do it.

But before half a minute's time the ship was rocking again, and everyone in the ship was thrown across the floor. The rocking became worse and worse until the ship tilted onto a side. The captain and crew all cried with terror as they plunged into the ocean.

The icy cold water swallowed them, the creature lurking close by.

Levi sucked in a mouth full of water instead of air and he panicked. He looked up above him at the precious ocean surface attentively, his arms and legs pushing him upward through the cold water that circled around him.

A long gasp of air took place the moment he hit the surface and he stayed this way for a good ten seconds before starting for the island. It wasn't too far away now. He could make it.

With his head under the water he could start to make out the bottom of the ocean after a few minutes. The bottom was rough, plagued with a bunch of different plants of many colors. Soon he would be safe on the island, he could tell, watching the bottom slowly get closer.