by Brandon Enns
When he regained a visual of the old man, he noticed there was something in his hand. It was a shotgun. It was difficult to see in the dark, but past the old man, moving south toward the trees, was a white gown dancing in the wind. Cassidy? It was definitely a woman, brunette hair bouncing in the back. She was running. The old man followed in her direction before stopping in his tracks and turning to face Trevor.
Still staring at Trevor, he glanced at his gun, then back up to him. Trevor jolted when the group called his name.
The old man turned his back and continued walking casually in another direction, away from the girl who had now vanished. Trevor turned to look for his friends and turned back. The old man was gone.
His friends shouted again. "Yeah, coming!" he called back.
***
Trevor stared at a clock in his office in Manhattan. It was 2:08 a.m. He looked at two contracts in front of him. One had the signature of an owner, Gary Valencia, of Valencia Power Systems Inc. To Trevor's left was a page filled with Gary Valencia's handwritten signature over and over again. Trevor hovered over another contract between Fairway Capital and Valencia Power Systems, an outline of the corporate share structure underneath. Trevor's hand lined up on the signature line at the bottom, underneath Gary Valencia.
Suddenly, he was no longer in his office. He was in his car outside of Valencia Power Systems’ headquarters. He watched as men in suits conversed with eagerness and movers cleared out all of the office spaces. Gary Valencia stared onward as his place of business was taken over by Fairway Capital.
All of the men in suits were now laughing, encouraging Trevor to join in. His stomach was swirling, like he was on a boat riding the swells in the middle of the ocean.
Then…his father. He was walking down a dark alley. Trevor was there trying to warn him about something. He was in danger. The screams wouldn't leave his mouth as the rain pelted down against the pavement, drowning out any audio. Two shadows appeared behind him with guns drawn. His dad staggered forward with frantic steps. Trevor wanted to shout, to warn him, but couldn't.
Trevor shot up in bed and sprinted for the bathroom. He barely made it to the toilet in time. He vomited violently until his system was empty.
Erin knocked on the door gently. Her voice was soft and concerned. "Are you okay?"
Chapter Nine - Erin
The smell of coffee lured Erin out of her slumber. She opened her eyes, yawned, and stretched with an exhaling grunt.
"Good morning!" Trevor sounded rather chipper.
Then she remembered how bizarre last night was when Trevor suddenly fell ill. He was up vomiting for about an hour before returning back to bed.
She rose up in bed. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Like a million bucks. I don't know what happened last night. Maybe something I ate."
"I'm glad you feel better. What are you cooking for me, dear?" Her face sunk from the embarrassing attempt at a pet name.
"Sausage, eggs, toast. Over easy?"
"Yes, perfect. Thanks."
"I've been giving some thought to our next find. Poseidon’s trident in the water is probably off of a shelf. That map has a layout of the depths around the perimeter ocean offshore. And by that cave thing under those ridges, there is a massive drop-off. I’m assuming this is where Stefan would have it hidden. An underwater treasure hunt would be all right. Don’t you think?"
"I'm not sure I like the sound of this."
"Don't even worry about it. I've got this one. You just put those little feet up and relax."
He walked over with a plate and kissed her on the lips. She pulled away quickly in hopes that he didn’t catch any of her morning breath.
She was just about to say, “What climbed up your ass and shined so brightly?” but she refrained. There was no way she should spoil what was shaping up to be a great day. The eggs were cooked perfectly, the edges crispy, the yolk firm, running only a little.
Erin made sure she got her fill of breakfast, knowing that she'd need her energy for the scuba diving. She was already nervous.
***
Standing on the edge of the boat, she didn't want to take the leap.
"You'll be fine. Just remember you don't have to go deep." Trevor ran through the basics of her BCD one more time, highlighting the oxygen gauge, air release, and air fill, as well as the weights in her vest that she could ditch at any time to help her rise to the surface.
"And remember, just relax. Slow breaths. You'll be fine."
One by one, they each stepped in, leaving Erin last. She felt heavy and clunky in all of her gear. Finally, she stepped off and hit the water.
The water was warm enough that her wetsuit wasn't needed. Stefan remained on the boat. Trevor and Ashton were both certified, so they took lead. "Okay, so we will end up settling along shore,” said Trevor. “You guys can hang out or take yourselves away from the cave across the shoreline. Ashton will lead, and I'll need one person to stay and hang out on the shelf. Wait for me as I plummet into the darkness." He winked. Erin liked that he was finally enjoying himself, but her nerves were worsening, teeth chattering even though she wasn't cold.
Sinking underwater and taking that first breath was indescribable. Her breaths were quick and shorter than they should have been. After a couple minutes, she felt more comfortable, like being wrapped in a warm cocoon. Her breaths slowed, and she was now aware of her surroundings. All of the bright fish were gorgeous. She caught up with Trevor and grabbed his hand. His mouth managed to smile around the mouthpiece and he gave her the thumbs up. She gave it back.
They arrived at the bottom and played with the fish, reaching out to touch them, some patches of coral lined up just behind them. Up ahead, she could see the rocky walls of the cliff projecting down into the pitch-black. Ashton hand signaled that they were moving on, and Skye followed him as they swam the other direction.
Trevor swam up to Erin and pulled out her oxygen gauge, informing her to keep an eye on it and wait there for him. He then removed his mouthpiece, releasing bubbles upward toward the surface. That freaked her out. He kissed her on the cheek before putting the mouthpiece back in. After another thumbs up, he disappeared into the black.
Watching him sink into the pit was so surreal that she had forgotten she was underwater. Her eyes were fixated on the black hole that he had immersed himself into. Trying to distract herself with the pretty fish, she looked away from where he had disappeared. She spotted a clown fish and followed him. As she followed, it zigged and zagged over to the rocky ledge where she noticed the cave.
Erin released a touch more air from her BCD and lowered enough so that she could further explore. As she approached the cave, her breathing increased in pace. It was difficult to see. Moving cautiously into the black, she felt a resounding fear of being trapped there. Claustrophobia was another fun one added to her list of defects. She was now sucking in air savagely, getting ready to turn around, when she almost spit out her mouthpiece.
There was a body floating. This body did not have a scuba suit on.
It rose slowly and rotated. The face was exposed by a beam of light from the surface. The white flesh looked gooey, like his face could be wiped off with one swipe of the hand. She jolted back and heard her own muffled grunt into the mouthpiece.
Erin slashed around frantically before getting herself turned around. She kicked her feet hard toward the light, escaping the corpse.
You have to wait for Trevor.
Just as her feet stilled, a hand gripped tightly around her ankle pulling her back toward the dark cave. She tried to pull away, but it yanked her in with tremendous force, her ankle screaming in pain, her bone being crushed. She screamed and bit down on the rubber mouthpiece. It pulled her hard again. She was leaving the light from the surface, descending into the pit. Her mouthpiece slid out momentarily. As she repositioned the mouthpiece, she felt ocean water rush the back of her throat.
I'm going to drown.
There was no thinking clearly from
there on. She kicked frantically. Everything was a blur except for the surface of the water, which was getting brighter and brighter. The distance appeared too far as her lungs screamed at her to breathe. No nightmare could match the pure instinct of trying to evade drowning.
She plunged through the surface, choking and gagging, trying not to swallow any more water. She attempted to call out to Stefan who was nearby, but no words came out at first. "H—" The water finally cleared from her throat, and she tilted back and screamed, "Help!"
She called out once more and within seconds, she heard a splash. Stefan swam to her aid and as he neared, she curled her toes in her flippers, fearing the grasp of the dead man would come once more.
"What's wrong?"
"There— There's something—" She was hysterical and aware of her inability to generate a clear sentence.
"What? Is Trevor okay?"
She shook her head to say she didn't know, but Stefan took it as he was in trouble. Unable to find words quick enough to correct him, Stefan filled her BCD up to the max for her to remain floating, and before she could say no, he plunged down to retrieve Trevor with only flippers and a snorkel mask.
Will it come to the surface for me?
After about a minute, the shock began to wear off and she realized that she could simply swim back to the boat and get the hell out of the water. As she did, Stefan penetrated the surface, took a large breath, and darted back down before she could get his attention. She kicked as hard as she could, carving her arms through the water until reaching the boat and pulling herself to safety. The ladder was down in the back and she pulled her flippers off, refusing to look down at the water below her. He'd be there waiting for her. Erin climbed the stepladder and launched herself onto the boat. Her ankle was in horrible pain, radiating sharp pulses from the crushing grip of the dead man.
Finger touching her foot gently, she hesitated. When she rolled the spandex suit up her leg, expecting terrible swelling, she found nothing. The pain was gone.
Stefan and Trevor swam over to the boat. Trevor had something in his hand. He placed a trident over the edge of the boat and called out, "Erin, what happened?"
She was paralyzed. "Nothing," she mumbled.
He pulled himself onto the boat, removing his flippers. "What happened?"
She couldn't find anything sane to say. Her brain was mush.
He looked at her like she was in shock. She was.
"Just tell me what happened. You choke on some water? Panic attack?"
She turned, a pressurized feeling in her chest taking over, and then— She puked up water and bile onto the side of the boat, followed by some violent coughs. His hand was on her back immediately, trying to coax her through it.
"Let it all out."
She wiped her mouth, feeling relief. She looked into Trevor’s and Stefan's desperate eyes and finally spoke. "I saw something."
"What did you see?" asked Trevor.
"A body."
Trevor recoiled. "You're sure?"
She could only muster a nod, tears trying to break through the surface. She couldn't stop thinking about the water flooding her lungs, her heart ripping from her chest as she scrambled to get to the surface, wanting so badly to take a breath in. Feeling faint, she fell back into her seat.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Trevor sneaked in behind her and cradled her, wrapping his strong arms around her. He whispered into her ear, comforting her. "You're safe now. You won't go back in that water. We'll drive back in and get you some food, okay? Maybe a cool shower, yeah?"
Stefan leaned in with a look of concern. "Erin. You're sure you saw a body?" he asked. "Like bones?"
She shook her head. "A full body. Dead. But not."
Stefan was obviously keen to ask more questions, but Trevor gave him a look that said “leave it be for now.”
"Okay, you stay with Erin. I'll quickly go check it out."
"No!"
"It's okay, I'll be right back." He hoisted up a BCD vest with the tank already installed, put it on, and stepped off the boat and into the water. She was too weak to plead. Instead, she curled up with Trevor, and her body continued to vibrate.
The sun was warm and the clouds were few and far between.
Ashton and Skye made their way back to the boat and she couldn't hide the horror. She wanted to be normal to avoid questions, but she wasn’t strong enough for that. She was still on the floor with Trevor's arms wrapped around her, and they asked right away, "What's going on?"
Her explanation was fragmented. They all thought she was crazy, and she didn't feel like arguing her case.
When Stefan got back onto the boat, his answer was exactly as she had suspected. "There’s nothing down there."
As they drove back, Erin stared at the weapon that Trevor had found at the bottom of the water. As he had suspected, it was a trident. Poseidon’s trident and the third weapon. There must be four, total... Four family members. It was just as authentic as the other two. Rusted, used, weathered. The sight of it made her whole body tremble. Trevor squeezed her shoulders.
"There was no message," Trevor said to Stefan.
He stared straight ahead as he steered the boat. "Let's put a pause on it. See how things are tomorrow."
She knew what she saw. There was no convincing her otherwise.
***
The whole gang was getting ready for bed. The day had been ruined.
Sipping tea at the dinner table, she could hear the shower running. Trevor always took such long showers.
She couldn't shake the feeling of that hand around her ankle, the power of the pull. His dead white skin glowing off the blue light... Would Stefan go this far for some entertainment? I could've died. What if there was a body there? There was. No, a dead body can't grab you.
As she sipped her tea, reliving the scuba terror, her hand twitched, dumping half the hot cup into her lap. She shot out of the chair, eyes laser focused on a noise that came from the front door. A note had been slid under the frame, and she had watched it happen in the corner of her eye. The burning in her legs subsided as she inched her way toward the door. The shower was still running; she wanted to go get him first, but she was drawn to it.
She didn't even bend down to pick up the message. She could read it while standing. The paper was not the same as the other notes they had discovered. This was a plain white sheet of paper, no different than you'd get from Office Depot. She locked the door. It read, “There's no leaving.”
Chapter Ten - Trevor
Erin scratched repeatedly at some peeled finish on their kitchen table. The scratching proceeded as she dropped deeper into her transient haze.
"Erin, I honestly think this is all part of it."
"It was a real body," she muttered monotonously.
"Tomorrow we are going to ask Stefan where the note came from. I'm sure he's just messing with us. In fact, I'm positive. It's all part of his big show."
Her voice was quiet. "I know what I saw."
"I know you did, but remember one thing...The depth of his pockets is infinite. I'm sure the sick bastard had a cadaver down there and some creep hiding in the cave pulling at your ankle."
"It shouldn't have hurt like that. Not like that."
He ran his hand through her hair. "Let's get some sleep. We'll get answers in the morning, and if we don't like what we hear, we'll go home. I shouldn't have taken this much time off anyway."
Trevor reached across her and turned the lamp off, leaving them in dark. She was quick to comment. "Can we leave the light on?"
"There's no way we'll get any sleep," he said. "Just relax, okay? I'm not going anywhere. Have a good sleep."
He felt her shiver once more.
***
Gunfire.
Trevor's back arched off the bed. He didn't know if the blast came from within his mind or from shore. Erin remained asleep, so he lay back down.
***
They met with Ashton and Skye in the morning before heading to the beach.
After some quick coffee and toast with avocado, they were ready to grill Stefan. Skye and Ashton didn't seem to be as bothered by the note, but that came as no surprise to Trevor.
Heading out the door, he turned to Erin, who smiled bleakly.
***
Stefan was walking in from the water with a surfboard under his arm.
"What's this all about?" Trevor handed over the white sheet that included the threatening message.
Stefan's reaction was difficult to read. "Huh."
"Would you like to use one of your hints?" he asked with a straight face, still fixated on the sheet of paper. Stefan turned to admire the hot sun beating down on them. The sand was especially hot on Trevor's feet, so he stepped into the shaded area.
"How about you just tell me. You know how upset Erin is?"
He sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry about that. I'm not entirely sure what happened in the water the other day. I can tell you with confidence that when I went down there, it was just an empty cave, and down further, not a thing. Nothing there."
"And this?" Trevor tapped the paper in his hands.
"Hint?"
Trevor relaxed his shoulders and released a detestable chuckle. "Sure."
"You have to ask the questions, cousin."
"Fine. Did you put this note under our door?"
"No. Now let's do some snorkeling. Or body boarding? Ashton, I saw you out there the other day. The waves are better today. Thank God the wind is stronger, because it's going to be a scorcher."
"Stefan," Trevor said with authority. "Erin's freaked right out and I want some answers. Just give me something so I can assure her she's safe and that it's all going as planned."
"You're aware of the rules."
"Who put the note under our door?"
"I can say with absolute honesty that I do not know who."
"Quit screwing around!"
After an awkward pause, Stefan asked, "Do you want to use your final question?"