Nicole?

There is something weird about her reaction so you approach her without making a fuss about it.

Still looking at the sea, she whispers:

“Don’t say my name. Whatever you do: do not say my name.”

“Hum... okay... are you all right? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“Sam, just shut the fuck up and follow my lead, we are in terrible danger.”

Taken aback by the **** of her reaction, you comply and as the boat sails away from the Caron you look at the approaching island. Nicole persistently ignores you.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching our first stop. We will drop anchor in a few minutes in one of the famous caves of Isla Solar. The seabed is particularly magnificent in this spot, so for all of you who have forgotten their scuba diving gear, I have some here to lend you.”

As the boat enters the shadow of the cave, you feel a shiver running down your spine. Finally the boat comes to an halt. The anchor is dropped. The waves splash against the walls of the cave for a moment before calming down and revealing a breathtaking ballet of fishes, algae and others weird stuff that roam below the sea on the rock and sand floor.

The skipper opens a crate and starts passing goggles, fins and tubas around. Nicole quietly refuses.

“Get into your gear and meet me in the water over there,” she whispers to you pointing at a point near the entrance once the man is gone, “We’ll try to make our move from here. I don’t know when they will act but it could be right now...”

Nicole turns her back on the crewmen and dives into her bag. When she turns around her hat is gone but her sunglasses have been replaced by goggles. She puts on a pair of fins, waits for some of the other passengers to get into the water and jumps off the boat.

You hesitate trying to rationalize all this. What the fuck did she mean by: “act”? What the fuck is happening here?

Soon, you realize that you are the last passenger onboard and the two crewmen are staring at you. Something in their eyes does not feel right. You have to get out of here, now!

Shit! Still no swimsuit.

The second sailor’s gaze does not leave you. He starts taking off his shirt.

Fuck! You let the dress fall to the floor, bra out, but you keep your G-string on. It will not survive the sea water but you do not care, something is wrong here and you have to get to Nicole. Fast.

You flip over the side of the boat as the second sailor approaches you. You look back one last time. A glimpse of the sailor’s face reveals nightmarish features. Fangs, pointy ears and red eyes... but it was the water in your eyes, it had to. You swim away, with the odd sensation that you have a shark closing in on the tip of your fins.

Nicole is waiting for you. Discreetly looking over your back.

“We could have used a tiny bit more discretion but at least you are here. They should start with the ones around the boat and this will give us a little head start. I spotted a small river half a mile after the entrance of the cave, if we manage to get there we should be able to loose them.”