Cut & Run

by Nic Lomax

  CUT AND RUN

  By Nic Lomax

  First published in Great Britain by Nic (or Nicholas) Lomax Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved. The right of Nic (or Nicholas) Lomax to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in book review.

  This book is work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real people alive or dead, events or locations, is coincidental.

  This book is dedicated to my wife who has often ventured down a path less trodden and never complained! It’s also a teaching for my two young boys. In a world where everything is reachable by a screen, dare to step out and indulge in this exquisite world we live in.

  Prologue

  Kai saw the swell building on the horizon, a set of three head high waves marched towards the reef where he was positioned like the cavalry of an army hungry for war. His heart raced as the first wave approached…he was too far inside and Stu had noticed this.

  ‘Kai move back you fuckin’ goon, you’re gonna eat reef if you don’t get back.’

  Stu bellowed over the surf as it jacked up and broke over the coral. Kai had responded just in time and paddled furiously climbing the face of the monster just before it broke, once over the lip he saw the next leviathan as it jacked up, and he knew this was the moment. This was what he had been moving towards his whole life. He pushed Amber far out of his mind as he dug deep and paddled hard.

  The spray stung his eyes as he picked up speed and begun to drop down the face of the wave, it was almost a vertical take-off and as he dropped to the bottom of the beast he dug in a rail, and the board sang as is began to plane. The wave walled up as it broke behind him, the huge thick lip spewing out over his head as it engulfed him like a whale would a shoal of fry. Time seemed to slow down although he was shooting down the line of the barrel desperate to make his escape from the teeth of the hungry beast. The sound was deafening and he watched helplessly as the light escaped him. The wave had taken him down.

  Twisting and pulling each limb over and over as it rolled him on to the reef, and he tried to remember to stay calm. He could feel his pulse inside his head beating like the drums of the head hunters tribe, the third wave of the set then took him further down, he had made contact twice with the reef which had pierced his helpless body, its razor sharp barracuda like teeth raggedly tearing his flesh. Amber drifted in to his mind like a fog, her wry smile gazed at him filling him with guilt, he couldn’t leave her like this and he wouldn’t.

  The power of the surfs hold-down recessed but things were getting darker and this was a tell-tale sign that Kai’s body was beginning to shut down. He needed air and he needed it now. He blew a bubble to gain a bearing of the surface, his weary body ragged with fatigue was slow and heavy, and each stroke burned as he swam for his life. He broke the surface filling his lungs with the warm salty air, it was then that the pain of his lacerations began to kick in. Adrenaline is a powerful drug and it was beginning to wear off as he searched for his board, which he could see was on the inside of the lagoon with a gash on the deck.

  It took Kai a while to register that Stu was screaming at him. Maybe it was the concussion from the massive wipe out or the copious amounts of ocean that had seeped into his head. But the words eventually cut through him like a knife.

  ‘Kai…dude…the boat…it’s GONE…’

  It took only a second to scan the outer reef area for their yacht which had been moored with a double reef anchor to secure her against the Indian swells.

  ‘What the fuck man…..Where? How?’ his words screeched with fright as he knew this was an island you didn’t want to be marooned on. The tales had made Kai and Stu plan meticulously for months as the island chain was unchartered and hid dark secrets of murderous tribes. Something had gone badly wrong and the dream of finding the perfect wave had turned in to a nightmare which he feared they may not survive.

  Chapter 1

  Dragging Anchor

  As the northerly breeze blew down the valley it drove a distinct earthy autumnal hum which filled Kai’s nostrils. He stared out over the bay towards the granite reef known as the bench. In the grey early morning light lines of swell were beginning to become visible as the breeze started to lift the morning mist. Bubbles of excitement fluttered in his stomach as he imagined riding the lonely green swells that swept down the channel from the Atlantic. Kai’s phone brought an end to this wet dream as it buzzed on the bonnet of his rusty estate.

  ‘Where are you?’ the text read. It was Amber, and he would probably have normally replied but this swell wasn’t going to hang around.

  Amber just didn’t get it. She supported Kai but he could tell the dawn patrol missions and moonlit forays were taking their toll on their relationship. And he didn’t blame her, it was this selfish desire that Kai just couldn’t shake, his passion for travel and adventure was so strong it dominated everything, and committing to work and a home life was becoming impossible. Their relationship was beginning to strain as the tide of Kai’s passion grew stronger. The irony was that this was what had attracted Amber in the first place.

  He flicked the phone and towel into the car, zipped up his suit and stashed his keys under a rock. Kai splashed water over his face to accustom his body to the icy waters. At sub twenty degrees it made every inch of his body ache as it seeped through the zip and neck seals, like a sorcerers spell. There was no escape. He dug deep as he paddled across the bay solely focussed on the waves ahead. They broke ferociously on the reef, peeling down the point with the offshore breeze caressing their face, making them hollow. Kai made the art of wave riding look easy, his style crafted as a teenager, self-taught and inspired by the glossy surf magazines of the 90’s.

  Kai was in his element alone here on the reef with just the gulls as company and machine gun fire in the background. He would pick the largest set wave and take off so late, that he would free fall down the face until he set the rail to make the section. He applied slashy turns using his board like a weapon, cutting each beast until it was defeated. His signature move was to speed down the line just as the wave was beginning to close out and hit the section flying skyward flipping end over end. The sound of an outboard engine spelled the end of his session and he knew what was coming next, sure enough the R.I.B appeared from the near shore, complete with two men dressed in military uniform.

  ‘This is an M.O.D Firing Range, the ranges are open and you need to get back to shore immediately…oh for fucks sake Kai this is your last chance, get in the boat we’re taking you back’ spat the Marine.

  ‘Come on guys, just let me have one more wave?’ Kai jested, throwing his middle finger in the air and paddling for another wave. The boat quickly sped ahead of the swell, cutting him off before he could take off.

  ‘Not this time,’ the tall thickly built marine grabbed Kai’s leash and hauled him into the boat.

  ‘Kill joy… suppose it saves me a paddle back to the beach though, so cheers!’ He proceeded to get a good old fashioned military bollocking on the way back to shore, and as the boat skipped along seas lumpy face he smiled envisioning his next session and how gutted Salty must be having missed the first great autumn swell.

  Salty’s face said it all he was slumped on Kai’s bonnet complete with spliff in hand, staring out over the bay at the bench where Kai had just been ripping.

  ‘I can’t believe you scored it solo again, you jammy fucker!’ he said in a high pitch almost c
hildlike tone. ‘How long did you get before the scum pulled you out of there? And where’s Amber?’

  Kai took off his leash and grabbed his towel he was slightly breathless and cold. ‘I took off before she woke up again! She wanted me to go to fucking IKEA!’ He spat on the gravelly floor of the car park. His mouth was salty from the sea, he took a drink of water and quickly stole the spliff off Salty much to his disgust.

  ‘I only managed 25 minutes roughly, three or four decent waves man.’

  ‘Well at least you got out, I woke too late and there’s no chance of getting in at the bench now the marine patrols are all over it, plus I’ve got work.’

  Salty and Kai shared the same passion for living and enjoying the moment, and had traversed many great waves together. It was a relationship and friendship built on trust, knowing each other’s limitations and how to sometimes push them. Salty had Kai’s back and would follow him to the ends of the earth, little did he know that may be too far.

  Kai’s head buzzed with the warmth of the car heater and as a result of the marijuana he had smoked. He was nervous about how Amber was going to react when he arrived home. He had let her down again, and he was sure there was only so much further she could be pushed until their ride was over. It made him feel sad and subdued, and as he drove back through the dreary, dank country lanes the end of season colours almost mimicked his gut feeling of his relationships conclusion.

  They had been together for five years now, from the moment they met there was an instant electric connection which they both buzzed off, but in recent months though Kai had felt a hunger like no other to continue his pursuit of chasing wild surf, and Amber just didn’t feel the same. She was a strong, intelligent and beautiful being, her drive and lust for life was as intense as Kai’s, but it seemed that it was differing paths that they were destined for.

  There was no other way to describe Amber other than stunning. She had a petite and slight figure with pretty green eyes that drew Kai into a dreamlike state every time she looked over. Her wavy blonde hair fell just above her breast and Kai loved watching it blow in the wind when they watched the surf together. She had a natural, elegant beauty of which she was totally oblivious too. Her character was just like Kai’s and her mood was visible from a distance, so when Kai finally got back to the flat he knew that Amber was as angry as the forthcoming storm.

  ‘I’m sick of all of this, when are you going to grow up and stop treating me second best to the bloody ocean?’

  Kai knew he had to tread carefully here as he had a habit of being way too honest. ‘What do you mean all of this? All I did was go for a surf, you knew it was the first good swell…’

  Amber instantly cut him off, ‘Kai, I’m serious, we had plans, there’s always going to be another swell. You need to put me first for a change you’re not fucking twenty anymore. It’s called commitment or maybe you just don’t care.’

  ‘Don’t care? I emigrated back for you, I’m stuck in this shit hole, no swell channel for you, and you say I don’t care?’ Kai was angry, his body shivered with a mix of rage and lactic acid build up courtesy of not warming down properly. His red mist persona was perfect when committing to extreme sport situations, as a fight or flight was sometimes the only option, however it was possibly the worst personality trait when dealing with an angry partner.

  Amber’s tears rolled down her flushed cheeks, she had recoiled at his statement so full of disgust and it was all directed at her. She loved him, but this was the moment she realised, that like an albatross, Kai would take to wing again, and she would be left behind.

  ‘Amber……I’m sorry that wasn’t cool I...’

  ‘Just go Kai, you know you want to’

  ‘Why do you always presume to know what I want?’ asked Kai flushing red in the realisation of the situation he had put them in.

  Amber turned away and looked out of the window, the wind had switched south west and rain was beating against the glass. As quickly as this autumn depression had set upon the coast, it seemed that their relationship had met the same fate. He grabbed at her waist and tried to pull her round to him, she stiffened and pushed his advances away.

  ‘Fine’ he said pecked her on the cheek and went in to their room quickly packed his rucksack and padded out.

  ‘Amber don’t let it finish like this, it’s stupid.’

  ‘No Kai, you’re stupid thinking that you can chase the surf forever.’

  Chapter 2

  Turning Tides

  The Volvo’s aged diesel engine groaned under the force of the acceleration that Kai applied as he raced away from the flat. A mixture of feelings flooded through Kai’s mind like the channels surging tide, fear of being alone entwined with elation of freedom perplexed him. He grinded through the gears heading to Salty’s pad. He could do with offloading and a place to stay for the night whilst he figured out what to do. Salty was high when Kai pulled up in and it was only midday.

  ‘Dude what happened to work?’

  ‘They binned me man’ Salty shrugged.

  Salty, as can be imagined, was not a role model for the youth of today. He was always late, rarely lasted past probation periods and was banned from most of the pubs locally. Not for being violent or a drunk, but for his knack of always getting caught with illegal substances.

  Kai explained his predicament about Amber giving him his marching orders, and Salty laid it out as plain as day. ‘Dude you’ve been pushing this self-destruct button for a while now and it was bound to amount to something, you now have two choices… Sort your shit out and grovel, as she is a killer chick that any dude would be happy with, or, split that inheritance money with your best pal and hit Europe for the winter storm season!’ he said with a grin. For a stoner there were no wiser words and Kai would ponder this whilst having a beer. He wasn’t really sure how things had manufactured over the evening, but it was the piercing tone of a text message from Amber that delivered Kai’s fate the following morning. It took a while for the message to sink in, but it was done, he was going to be on a ferry to France that very afternoon.

  The garage at Amber’s flat was Kai’s place of solace, the small brick building was a waterman’s Aladdin’s cave filled with all sorts of wave riding vehicles, tools and bikes. As he snuck in one last time to reclaim his surfing gold for the trip, Amber shouted from the window ‘sneaking out one last time eh Kai?’

  He knew he owed Amber an explanation and headed upstairs. He was going over the conversation in his head, confident that a break from each other would do them the world of good. But it didn’t really go to plan. The moment the words “France” and “surf” tumbled from his lips, he received a slap to the face, promptly followed by the rest of his belongings being tossed out the door in a heap, which wasn’t too dissimilar to the state of their relationship. He packed what he needed into the Volvo, topped up the oil and headed to the ferry terminal in Poole harbour. As he drove his IPOD shuffle flicked on “The Getaway” by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, ‘how apt’ he thought.

  Salty was attempting to chat up the check-in staff when Kai arrived at the terminal, Salty was dressed in his usual bohemian attire and seemed to be attracting way too much attention from security in the corner of the room, which he seemed completely oblivious to.

  ‘Salt man, you better not have any shit stashed, you’re gonna get searched for sure’ Kai whispered, eyeing up the burly security guard.

  ‘Easy big fella, it’s in my fin bag stashed within a tub of Vicks vapour rub. The dogs don’t stand a chance!’ he spoke with such confidence that it made Kai laugh out loud.

  Sure enough Kai and the wizard made it through security and loaded the battered car on to the ferry. The crossing took twelve hours, so they headed to the bar to secure a couple of beers before heading out to the deck. The glassy smoothness of the water broke away at the mouth of the harbour as the ferry slowly trudged out into the open sea, and as she gently begun to list and rise with the groundswell Kai felt an unfamiliar sensation flut
ter into his mind. Though he had felt it a long time ago, it was a mixture of regret and awakening. It was the same feeling he had experienced when he first got with Amber. Salty slapped him vigorously on the back as they stared out across the sea and it brought Kai back to the moment. Salty held his beer bottle high and whispered into the wind, ‘and so it begins…’

  They had arrived in St Malo early and soon got to grips with navigating the foreign roads. The Volvo was perfectly suited to long haul missions and as long as Kai didn’t push the engine, she would trudge on like any noble steed should. La Souze was the first port of call, a granite reef that offered hollow a-frame peaks perfect for shredding, and that was all Kai and Salty frothed over as they covered the 250 miles to their destination. As they pulled into the car park it was clear that they wouldn’t be alone in the water.

  Salty acknowledged this, and grunted ‘time to show the blue crew how we roll Kai! So are you ready to rip?’

  ‘Easy Salt man, lets hang out on the shoulder, feel the situation and pick a couple when we can’. Kai’s response was his classic assessment of the situation and it would prove to be invaluable when travelling foreign shores, where respect is earnt and not easily given.

  The three locals were clearly tuned into the spot. They took turns on the best set waves catching tubes in the afternoon sun the wind blowing the spray high into the sky as it transcended into something else. The duo paddled out to the reef with a sense of purpose. With strong powerful strokes, they were asserting a presence. As they got to the line-up they were met with a barrage of French that they obviously didn’t understand, and this was quickly recognised.

  ‘Where are you from’ the guy spoke with a thick French accent. He was of medium build with a scar above his left eye. He rode goofy footed (which means right foot forward), Kai had spotted this on the way out. He rode well and was clearly the alpha of the group.