Page 19 of Beaches

“It looks as though this is almost like a trail. It’s narrow, but you can weave through it. The only thing will be if you get caught up in a current or sudden burst of waves. It could push you against the coral.”

“I’ll do my best to come back unscarred,” he smirked.

“Brother, that’s not what I’m worried about. Those men have been on that island for decades now. We don’t know their physical or mental condition.” They turned, seeing Trak standing in a wet suit.

“Trak, you don’t have to come with me,” said Cruz.

“We go together. No one goes alone. Otto is right. You don’t know what their mental state is. They might not know what’s going on.”

“Alright. But I’m the SEAL.”

“And I’m Delta. Are we done?” Cruz could only chuckle, shaking his head at his friend.

“I’m done. Let’s go.”

Lowering themselves into the water, they slowly swam toward the reef in front of them. The special rubber of the suits allowed them to pass through tight metal portholes, coral reefs, and other strange spots without danger of being sliced to ribbons. It wouldn’t stop the bite of a shark, but it could lessen the intensity and possibly save the men.

If they could maneuver through the coral to the other side, it should be an easy swim. Should be. Cruz carried the weight of the medical pack plus the additional suits on his back. Lost in the beauty of the magnificent reef, he edged too close to a stem, almost slicing at the suit. It wouldn’t tear, at least that’s what G.R.I.P. said, but why test your luck.

Focused now on only the shore, they swam to the beach and slowly climbed out of the surf, removing their masks and head coverings.

Three men stood by the fire, staring at them as if unsure of what to do next. One held a flare gun in his hand, and Trak raised his hands.

“We mean you no harm. We’re here to help and get you off the island. You are Calvin, Vic, and Damon?”

“Yes,” said Vic. He was too afraid to believe it.

“You rescued a girl. April.”

“She’s alive? Is she alive?” asked Damon. “Did the kid make it?”

“She made it,” smiled Cruz. “She was found in her lifeboat about three weeks after she left this island. She’s very worried about the three of you.”

“Is she okay?” asked Calvin.

“She’s getting there. There’s a lot of healing that needs to take place for her. Are any of you hurt? Do you need medical care?” asked Cruz.

“Who are you?” asked Vic.

“My name is Cruz. This is Trak. We’re former Special Forces but own a security company now. We just want to get you out of here before Kaplan returns.”

“His boat sank,” said Calvin. “We’ve been pulling debris from the sea ever since. But his brother might come back. He’s the one we’d rather not see.”

“Other than chronic sunburn, bug bites, and swollen feet, we’re doing alright,” said Vic. “But we can’t make it through those reefs. We’ve tried.”

“You can with our suits,” said Trak. “They’re specially designed to withstand sharp objects. Not sharks, but coral and knives.”

“They can do that now?” whispered Damon. Trak could only smile at the man. He realized what a culture shock it would be for all of them to get back to the States.

“We can do many things, sir,” said Trak. “Shall we take you home?”

“Home,” whispered Calvin. “Everyone is probably dead. What do we go home to?” Cruz looked at the man, handing him a wetsuit.

“Anything you want, sir. Anything you want.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Is it normal that they’ve slept for so long?” asked Vince, staring at the three men.

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