12/21/2012
The Pacific Ocean
1
"Let me go!
The dark-haired females struggled against each other, but they went mostly unnoticed in the mayhem that had taken control of the enormous cruise ship.
"Keep going! We have to get below!" Kendle dodged the arms of a group of crewmen who were running down the crowded deck, grabbing wildly at unsuspecting women, and shoved the younger girl out of their reach. Everything was out of control now.
"Stop!"
Kendle shoved the girl again as she came forward, one mesmerized eye on the horribly fascinating tidal wave eating up the ocean as it raced towards the boat, and one terrified eye on the much younger and bloodier sister in front of her.
"We gotta help dad!" Dawn screamed, skin on fire.
Kendle shook her head, noises buzzing together unpleasantly as they stumbled along the debris-covered deck. They were being jostled by other panicked holiday passengers, many of them also bleeding, having to stop and vomit. Tears blurred her vision and the actress wiped a hand across her face, not surprised to see a red smear.
"Move!"
"Fall back!"
Dawn took a swing at her famous, survivalist sister for the first time in her life, missing, and Kendle's thin control over her own emotions snapped. Her terror (the first she'd felt in many years) flew out uncensored as the roar of the ocean grew louder, the screams more frantic. "He's dead, Dawn! You saw his eyes explode!"
The girl screamed again, this time in horrified denial, and Kendle shoved her harder, sending the rebellious teenager tumbling down the dark stairwell. Ready to mix it up to keep her alive, Kendle quickly followed, wishing for her camera crew - she hated to be without backup - and she yanked the dazed girl up by her arm.
"Hang on to this rail. Supposed to be unsinkable but if it flips, we'll just have to hope…"
"Flips?"
Kendle locked her arms around the suddenly gutless teenager and the banister, the already-damaged wooden planks under their bare feet groaning in protest as the ocean under them swelled, roared.
"Hang ooonnn...!"
The seven story wall of water slammed into the side of the Carnival Cruise Liner like it wasn't even there. Not just flipping it, but rolling it repeatedly like dead wood as it thundered past. The 80-foot wave then continued across the open ocean to engulf the small island state of Hawaii.
Kendle - February, 2013
"Go away. Please, God. Make it go away."
The young woman swallowed a groan as the shark fin rose out of the water and ran along the side of the faded speedboat. It had been stalking the drifting boat for the last few days, almost certainly drawn by the blood in her urine, and today it had begun nudging her floating home until only her screams drove it back.