“Don’t worry, Miss. This boat was meant for rough waters.” The captain said, patting Senna on the shoulder as she clung to the slippery metal rail of the small ferry boat. While she appreciated the sentiment, it did nothing to ease her churning stomach. She eyed the metal grey storm clouds overhead, not missing the greenish glow that emanated from them. Most people assumed that meant hail, but Senna knew better. She had seen that greenish glow before. The dark waters of Fallhaven Lake, so placid moments ago, whipped about malevolently as the clouds bore down on them. A family of four near Senna watched the scene unfolding, smiling and cheering with each flash of lightening and crash of thunder. Clearly, they didn’t realize the peril they were in. “Momma, my tummy tickles every time the boat drops.” A chubby blonde boy clung to his mother, his eyes sparkling with delight. Her first assignment as lead reporter for the Ravenswood Chronicle had been to cover the grand opening of Ravencrest Island Resort and Restaurant, a project that had been five years in the making. To celebrate the grand opening, the owner of the resort had sent out a select number of guests on his ferry to tour the small island’s rugged shores and towering cliffs. Senna had spent the past hour interviewing potential guests and staff members alike, oblivious to the storm brewing overhead. At that moment, the rain began to fall in earnest, hundreds of sharp needles driven into Senna’s skin by the wind gusts. Senna ran for the small cabin in the center of the boat, nearly slipping on the wet deck in the process. Inside, two dozen people were crammed into the confined space. The scent of sweat mingled with lake water did nothing to help ease Senna’s queasiness. “Captain, should we put on the life jackets now?” An elderly lady near Senna questioned. It was the first sign of alarm Senna had observed amongst any of the guests. “Well, I don’t foresee us needing them; but, if it will make you feel better, go ahead and put one on. They are hanging right here over the…” The captain’s voice trailed off. “They were right there over the window moments before.” Senna looked up to see the empty hooks where the life jackets had been moments ago. Clearly, someone was playing a cruel prank on them. “Alright, guys, this isn’t funny. We need life jackets on now. This storm is just getting worse.” Senna shouted over the din of wind, rain, and voices. At that moment, lightening struck the metal railing just outside the window, blinding the inhabitants of the boat’s cabin. A deafening crash of thunder washed over them just as the boat seemed to tip on its side. A mass of bodies came tumbling down on top of her, pressing Senna painfully into the large picture window. Her bottom lip cracked as it hit the glass, warm blood filling her mouth and trickling down the window pane. As the boat hung suspended between the sky and water below, someone next to Senna shouted. “There’s lights in the water! Look! Something is glowing underneath us.” Senna caught a glimpse of what looked to be greenish orbs of light right below the surface of the water just as the boat righted itself, sending everyone sprawling to the floor. “I’ve been on this lake hundreds of times in the past thirty years and I’ve never seen a storm this ferocious hit these waters.” The elderly lady next to Senna muttered, grasping Senna’s wrist with surprising strength as she pulled herself to her feet. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Senna held on to the side of the cabin, bracing herself for the next wave that was to hit the boat. The little boy from the deck lost grasp of his mother and found Senna’s legs instead, clinging to them for dear life. His luminous blue eyes gazed up at Senna pleadingly and she couldn’t help but mourn the loss of innocence he would surely face before their boat ride was over. If he only knew what real perils waited in the world beyond; perils beyond his imagination. Senna’s attempts at burying the truth of these perils had been fruitless and it seemed the past had finally caught up with her, after all these years. She was reminded of Jonah in the Bible fleeing his true calling as prophet to the people of Nineveh, only to be hunted down by a giant sea creature and swallowed for all his efforts. She shuddered at the thought of what lurked beneath the waters, waiting for her. She may not have been running from a divine calling, but she was running from the truth. For a moment, the waters seemed to calm. A collective sigh of relief washed over the cabin. The shore was in view, a mere 70 feet away, with a host of people waiting at the top of the boat ramp to usher the water-weary travelers in. Standing off to the side of the group on the shore, a hooded figure caught Senna’s attention. It stood erect and unmoving and although she couldn’t make out its face, she knew it was looking right at her. She had seen this person before, nearly five years ago. “Miss, do you see my momma?” The little boy asked, tugging at the hem of Senna’s soaked sundress. Senna tore her eyes from the distant figure on the shore to search for the petite blonde woman she’d seen the boy with out on the deck. There, over by the captain, eyes frantically searching the crowd for her little boy. Senna smiled down at him, taking his pudgy hand in her own. “She’s right over here. What’s your name?” She asked. “Carson. Carson John Elwell. I’m almost five years old.” He stated proudly, the perilous boat ride momentarily forgotten. There was an “New Englander twange” to his little voice, which Senna found endearing. She had missed that familiar accent during her tenure at the University of Colorado. It was funny how little things like that caught her attention after all this time. Senna had no time to prepare for the impact. One moment, the waters were calmer, and she was escorting Carson to his mother, the next moment, the boat slammed into something. A metallic ripping noise filled the cabin, sounding like a thousand nails scratching across a vast chalkboard. Immediately, water bubbled up through the holes in the floor, filling the cabin with water faster than anyone had time to react. Panic broke out among the cabin’s occupants and one phrase Senna heard repeated over and over were “Where are the life jackets?” Senna’s first inclination was to save little Carson, who was screaming and crying hysterically as the water was nearly over his head now. She picked him up and wrapped his little arms around her neck, making her way for the cabin’s exit. Everyone else had the same idea and there was a moment of pandemonium as everyone crammed into the narrow doorway, stuck in place as the boat sank beneath the blackish-blue waters of the lake. Senna was plunged into a world of icy cold blackness. Arms and legs flailed around her as they were submerged in the water. Muffled screams reached her ears as the pull of the sinking boat took the passengers down with it. Senna maintained her hold on Carson for as long as she could, one arm clinging to his rigid body and the other attempting to pull them through the opening of the cabin. Her lungs were on fire and pin pricks of light gathered around the edges of her vision, but Senna fought valiantly against the water’s malevolent force. She couldn’t allow herself to die this way. Not now, when there was still so much left unresolved in her life. Stay tuned to find out what happens next...
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