From Night On: Sacred Grounds

Chapters 15-16

Chapter 15:

The Beast

The screams and the splash was enough to scare the boat captain into a mindless flight. Without looking back to check on his passengers, he hit the throttle to full speed without a second thought. Mike and Shei were nearly thrown over the stern by the sudden jolt from the boat leaping into action and their words fell on deaf ears as they pleaded with the man to stop.

"Our friend just fell overboard," Shei yelled, but he couldn't understand.

Mike started yelling at the man to stop the boat, but he brandished a knife instead of arguing with his words. This stopped Mike from trying to take control, but it didn't stop him from trying to reason with him. "We need to find my son!" he barked.

"Your son is gone," the man argued back, noticeably shaking at the helm. "The Cadejo has him."

"The Cadejo doesn't exist," Mike argued with disbelief that he would have to make such a statement. "You're making a mistake."

Shei's eyes were locked, staring behind them and hoping to see Terry emerge. She didn't see the sharp bend in the river coming up as they sped forward. The boat captain, driven by fear, spun the wheel, over estimating his own control over the vehicle as it tilted abruptly, launching Shei into the air, and rolling into the dense branches on the banks of the river.

Mike saw what was coming and prepared for the incident by lying down on the boat's floor. He was tossed and pummeled about in the roll, but quickly regained control and composure once the boat came to a rest upside down. The captain had less luck. His fear and pride kept him upright as the fishing boat began to twist. His head smashed into a side window as the shards quickly tore into his neck and he died before the boat came to rest. Shei was tossed into the awaiting branches that swallowed half of the scene.

As Mike gained his bearings, he could see the captain's limp feet floating near him with the excessive blood spilling into the water. Unaware of what had happened, he tried to pull the man towards him, but unintentionally ripped the wounds even deeper, which poured more of the man's blood into the river. "Shit! Oh, SHIT!" Mike cried as he saw the man's throat and lifeless gaze emerge from the water. He quickly pushed him away out of shame and pain and swam out from under the boat before calling out for Shei.

Once out in the open, Mike climbed upon the hull in a mad hurry and stood above the water, a fear of possible piranha in the waters made him afraid of get close to the edge. "Shei!" He yelled out. "Shei, can you hear me?"

A groan and a rustle from the trees behind him made him freeze in terror. He couldn't turn. He couldn't crouch. He was locked in place, waiting for something to come for him. "I'm, I'm okay," she called out as she wrestled with the branches that were holding her aloft. "Ow!" she cried.

"What is it?" Mike called back, relieved that it was her and not another THING coming for them.

"Okay," she called back. "I'm not as okay as I thought," she groaned. "I think I have some broken bones."

"Where?" Mike asked, looking into where her voice was coming from and trying to calculate just how he could go about getting to her. "Hold on," he said, nervously staring at the water. "Let me get to you. Don't move."

He dropped into the water and quickly began pulling at the lower branches to get up into the tree as quickly as possible. "Where's the asshole who rolled us?" Shei asked as she heard him splashing about and felt the tugs and pulls of the tree moving through to her.