Africa (Complete)

Chapter Sixteen

Being stranded out in the open ocean was a death sentence. Kam had separated from Bill and was lost, drifting further and further into a wet desert. He had no food, no water, and no shelter. His clothes were soaked and his skin was starting to dry out after a prolonged period of exposure to salt water.

Kam barely got a wink of sleep and his brain and body felt it. Despite his dehydration, hunger, and exhaustion, he was fortunate to come across a life ring, undoubtedly left behind by Bill, or perhaps a sympathetic gesture from the wife of the Spanish man who had tossed him overboard.

Kam laid out on the small flotation device, with his butt, hands, and feet submerged in the water. It kept him afloat so that he didn't have to tread water, but it seemed to only serve as a means to prolong his slow death. He was exposed to the elements and lacked the vital resources he needed to survive. The sun was coming up, peaking over the horizon. Kam was thankful he had made it through the night, but wasn't counting any blessings just yet. As he opened his bloodshot eyes, they stung in the open air. In every direction, the view was the same, nothing but water as far as he could see.

The mental strain was something he had to overcome. The hours of seemingly never-ending anguish and boredom soon took their toll. Unable to fully sleep, he slipped in and out of consciousness. He entered a state of delirium where he started hallucinating and rambling incoherently.

Feeling the torturous despair, Kam was welcoming death, but couldn't bring himself to end it. He allowed his mind to play out the scenario of diving as deep as he could and taking in a deep breath to fill his lungs with water. He thought perhaps he could get lucky and attract a predator that would take him out of his misery.

Kam's mouth and throat were dry and he had a severe migraine. He had no choice but to drink the salt water. Pulling his hands in, he scooped up the cold liquid and brought it to his mouth. He slurped it up. Being a certified scuba diving instructor, he understood the risks of consuming salt water. His body will take in too much salt and his kidneys will be unable to process it. To flush out the excess salt, his body will pull water from his body in an effort to dilute it. He will end up urinating more water than he consumes leaving him even thirstier than he would have been had he not drank the seawater. Eventually, he would die of dehydration much quicker. Despite knowing this, he didn't care, he did it anyway.

After several hours, Kam experienced another miracle. A storm had moved in and brought a downpour of rain, which he could consume. He held on amid the large swells of battering waves, trying his best to capture as much rain water in his mouth as possible.

When the storm finally let up, Kam was now pushing his body to the limits. He hadn't slept or ate anything in over 36 hours. He thought he saw a bunch of boats, but then they would disappear. At one point, he thought he saw land in the distance, but he soon realized that too was an illusion. He started muttering incoherently about going to the store and getting some groceries.

"I'll be back soon, Cara. Do you need me to pick you up anything?"

In his mind, he was back in New York. He was walking briskly in a sea of people. He stepped off the curb and plunged into the ocean. A school of sharks circled and attacked him. The water turned red as he thrashed violently. He was soon rescued by a large sea turtle, which had Kam on his back. Swimming beside them was a large whale the size of a bus. It leaped in the air and remained there, floating like a blimp. It was blocking out the sun and providing him shade.

A large wave splashed on Kam's face and pulled him out of his sleep. He opened his eyes and realized he had been dreaming. He tracked the sun as it moved across the scorched sky. Eventually it would set and he would have to endure yet another night out at sea, most likely his last.

As he floated, possibly seeing his last sun set, something in the distance caught his attention. A glimmer. A metallic reflection from a boat.

"Hey!" he yelled out. "I'm over here!" his voice trailed off.

He wasn't sure if he could trust his eyes or his mind, but it appeared the boat was coming closer. Rescue at last he thought. If there is a God, he had answered Kam's prayers.