by Nic Lomax
A cold and dark night commenced. Kai struggled to contain his demons. The images and hallucinations were so graphic it repulsed him to his core. Stu looked in bad shape, he was laughing and joking as usual but his face was swollen and bloodied and upon closer inspection, he appeared to have three fingers missing. He then got right in his face and begun to scream ‘what’s the matter bro? Was the perfect wave not worth losing me for?’ Kai began to wail and speak in a hushed and gibberish tone. Nobody could hear his torment as he bobbed around the ocean and if help didn’t arrive soon, nobody would know what had happened to him.
Two days passed in similar fashion. His dreams and visions got darker and he would frequently argue with an apparition of Stu who came to him with sinister and evil accusations. Kai also spoke to Amber. She came and comforted him and he could only cry and consistently apologise for always letting her down. He cursed himself for not being able to lift his body to impale himself on the spear. That time had come and gone, and he now only had two options. Slide overboard and into a watery grave becoming at one with the one thing that drove him to this selfish voyage, or rot in the base of the canoe. Kai was giving up hope and he quietly took stock of his short life as he accepted that death was coming on the next tide. He was proud of who he was and what he had achieved. He knew that Stu had known the risks involved, and they were headed in the same direction from the moment they met. Amber was his next thought and he was eternally grateful he had spent some of his existence with her, and he hoped and prayed, cowering in the putrid vessel, that she would move on and lead a full and happy life.
He inhaled the salty air for the last time, filling his swollen chest. It had a strange aroma of diesel fuel. He could make out an alien sound. At first a tapping that grew louder in his mind until it became unmistakable, it was the sound of an engine. Kai could no longer lift his battered body, he managed to extend an arm to the heavens and to open his left eye. His canoe began to rock violently and the sound became unbearable. He was convinced it was the jaws of death itself about to engulf him and his soul. He heard the sound of his salvation, a phrase that he repeated over and over in his head…
‘He’s alive, he’s alive!!!’
It was a tourist boat that had found him. A small flotilla of vessels had joined the hunt after his stricken yacht had been recovered drifting alone in the waters just west of the Andaman. Ali had confessed to the press about the quest and it had sparked both outcry for the foolishness of disturbing the indigenous tribe, and bravery for tackling such an obscure wave. Kai was taken to Port Blair for a stint in hospital, mainly to rehydrate. The Authorities quizzed him over the disappearance of Stu and what had happened on the island. As he recounted his tale, he shuddered at the thought of what could have happened. Kai felt pangs of guilt for his lost partner in crime, he also knew that he would have given his life had the tables been turned. It wasn’t long before a familiar face was at his bed side.
‘Ali! I’m sorry I lost your boat,’ Kai was close to tears.
‘You didn’t she’s right here at the dock. Completely unscathed. Did you see the wave?’
Kai grinned ‘See it! I ripped it to shreds! Before being eaten alive by it!’ the statement made him wince as a sharp cramp returned to his chest.
Ali then probed a little further, ‘what happened to Stu?’
Kai offered little information and was concise with his reply ‘he gave his life so I could survive.’ They sat in silence for a while before Kai recounted the entire story of the island. He was soon discharged and bound for Phuket on Ali’s boat. It felt strange being on board without Stu, and Kai kept expecting to see him in his bunk, filling up his “lucky” cigarette box, or smoking a joint on deck. The winds were kind and the swells gently pushed the boat home. Kai spent a lot of time alone during the short voyage. Going over the next chapter in his head, toying with his next destination, and wondering if he should just go home. Ali had offered him a job and he had accepted to increase his travel fund.
As the dock neared, it was visible that the news of his safe arrival had hit the press. Ali warned him of what to expect and as the boat docked. A mob lay in wait and cameras flashed as Kai set foot on terra firma. An onslaught of questions came in rapid fire and Kai disregarded all but one.
‘Kai, can you tell us why you went out their knowing you would die?’
Kai drew breath and offered his answer ‘I didn’t, I went out there to live,’ he then shifted through the group with Ali at his side and was about to climb into Ali’s pick up when a voice he never thought he would hear again called his name. It was Amber, she walked toward him, beaming in all her beauty and Kai knew what he had to do. He turned and began to get into the car. Amber looked alarmed and started to move quicker.
‘Kai? It’s me! I’m right here!’
‘The trouble is Amber, I’m…I’m not’ he stammered his response and shut the door, ‘let’s get going Ali’. The jeep sped off through the circus of media folk, and Kai watched Amber in the rear view mirror.
As she slipped away from him he was able to finally draw a line.
He had faced his fears and now he was going to live his dreams.
The End
Coming soon…
What path will Kai take next?
Dark Tide
The sequel to Cut and Run
Please follow my Facebook page for updates –
Cut and Run, a novel by Nic Lomax
* * *
[KL1]