Blackfin Boys - Warm Blood on White Sand E-Book

Flynn Todd

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: Blackfin Boys
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 257

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

For over forty hours, the teenagers Toby, Roland and Mark drift helplessly and completely exhausted on a life raft in the vast sea. As if steered by a ghostly hand, the inflatable liferaft lands on a lonely island. A fresh water lake and some fruits save the boys from starvation. As the three stranded boys explore the tropical island, they come across a disfigured corpse in a ski suit. With cunning and tactics, but also with harpoon, knife, and pistol, the boys decide to get to the bottom of this horrible find...

Leseprobe

THANK YOU:

Oliver Latschof Latschlit Inc. for the gripping translation into general american english.

Dylan O’Brienfor the (decisive) creative punch in the face. See his films!www.dylanobrien.de

Swen Marcelfor the brilliant illustration. Visit him on the internet:www.swenmarcel.de

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 – HELPLESS

CHAPTER 2 – STRANDED

CHAPTER 3 – EXPEDITION INTO THE UNKNOWN

CHAPTER 4 – A NEW ALLY

CHAPTER 5 – DELIVERED

CHAPTER 6 – NEW LESSONS LEARNED

CHAPTER 7 – ONE COMES, ONE GOES

CHAPTER 8 – THE FLOOD

CHAPTER 1 – HELPLESS

Toby's face was white, his hazel eyes were framed by a dark emptiness, and he was throwing up almost every minute. His sweaty dark-brown hair made him look even paler than he was, making the little freckles on his skin look even darker, almost black. The torturous heaving cramps only yielded a few drops of bile. Not surprising, since Toby last proper meal had been over forty hours ago. But he still couldn’t shake the nausea. The choppy sea would not stop rocking the small inflatable life raft. The waves weren't particularly high, nor particularly dangerous, but they still managed to constantly lift and drop the hexagonal, dinghy-like raft into which Toby and his friends had managed to climb. Toby tried desperately to see the bright side.

The weather was nice, not a cloud in sight. The sun was warm, and the scent of the sea reminded him of his last beach holiday almost a year ago. Toby held on to that memory, since it seemed to comfort him somewhat. He closed his eyes and saw himself horsing around in the shallow water. They were laughing, trying to duck each other under water. Happy and worry-free. Toby remembered how shattered he'd felt after that extended water battle. He and his friends had dragged themselves back up the beach and to the nearest chippy. A supersized portion of fries with mayonnaise, and a big ice-cold cola to wash it all down. It was the same order every time Toby and his mates cycled down to the beach. Toby so longed to be there right now. But he felt as if he'd just come out of a long surgery, from which he would wake up any moment. No cola, no fries, just the endless and relentless blue of the ocean. The situation seemed quite hopeless. He realized he might never see food or water again, and that he and his friends were going to die on these 40 square feet of orange rubber. He barely felt the sunburns on his arms and neck anymore – he'd simply gotten used to the permanent burning pain. His skinny, six-foot body was parched, and he didn't have the energy to shift his position. Too weak to even turn around and get his burnt skin out of the sun.

Toby turned his head a little. He could barely make out the breathing but otherwise still bodies of his two best friends. There was Roland. Eighteen years old. He was lying on the floor of the raft, his head resting on his strong arms. Roland went to the gym to lift weights practically every day. He was a good-natured guy with a strong sense of right and wrong. His short blond hair looked as if it had just been trimmed. He was 6.3 and his friends called him the Gentle Giant. But even he was now as helpless as Toby.

Right next to Roland was Mark. Mark was a small and weedy boy of sixteen, but he was already his dad's right-hand man in their air transport business. They transported donor organs by plane and helicopter. Mark was very lightskinned, and the sun had been particularly cruel to him. His friends called him Junior, not because of his age, but because he still moved and talked like a child. His eyebrows were surprisingly dark, but his eyes were light blue and big and very open. Mark made people want to protect him. His thick, light-brown hair was flapping in the wind like wheat under the blades of a helicopter. Roland and Mark were wearing cargo shorts and t-shirts, and the way they were lying there it looked as if Mark had sought the protection and support of his big friend Roland. The idea almost made Toby smile, because Mark and Roland could argue about anything. But for now, the two seemed to have only one goal: to sleep until something or someone got them out of this hopeless situation.

Toby didn't have the energy to keep his eyes open. He fell into an uneasy sleep. The bright orange raft was designed for eight adults, so the boys had space and were safe for now. The sea had calmed considerably.

"Am I sleeping, dreaming, or am I awake?" Toby asked himself. "I can't tell the difference. Are there only two colors in the world? Blue and orange? The corners of Toby's mouth twitched a little. "Maybe I'm just going crazy!"

An incredibly loud thunderclap jerked Toby, Roland, and Mark from their daze. They shot up as if the electricity had it them directly. Wide-eyed, the boys looked at each other, but then relief spread across their faces. It began to rain.

"Quick, cups, bags, anything," Toby screamed at his companions. "We have to capture as much water as possible.

"Great idea – you get started on that," said Roland, who opened his mouth to catch the cool, wet relief directly. Toby and Mark couldn't resist, they also opened their mouths to the heavens. They also held out their hands to catch more water. And there they were, standing with spread arms on a wobbly rubber island as though they were praying to some god.

"First time in my life that I'm happy about normal boring water! Thank you, up there!" Roland screamed towards the clouds.

Mark was also relieved. "Me too! I'm hereby officially declaring H2O my second favorite drink."

Toby and Roland shot them a quick glance.

"What? I still like beer better, ok?"

"Come on, find something to catch the water!" Toby prodded his friends.

The three boys scrambled to search the raft for vessels. They found a small latch with a red cross on it. Roland tore open the first aid kit so quickly that it spilled all its content all over the orange rubber floor.

"Whoops, my bad!"

Bandages, disinfectant, and a signal gun were scattered around their feet. But nothing that could be used to catch rain. The boys looked at each other, deflated. The dropped back down, their legs stretched in front of them, their backs against the wobbly rubber walls. They looked as if they'd lost a battle against an undefeatable foe.

"We're idiots! Let's use the case!" Mark suddenly called out.

It was the best, the only solution. Mark grabbed the sturdy plastic case and laid it open in the center of the raft. It didn't take long for the rain to start filling it. At the same time, the boys started shoveling water with their sunburnt hands into their dry mouths. Their parched bodies shuddered with relief. The warm rain made them all feel as though the heavens themselves had come to their aid.

The intensity of the downpour was a little strange, though, especially since the sun was still shining. The raindrops did seem quite large and they made quite the racket as they hit the inflated rubber. There didn't even seem to be a single cloud in the sky. But neither Toby, nor Roland, nor Mark noticed that. They were just happy to be alive, lying next to each other and enjoying getting soaked by the warm rain.

For the moment.

The rain let up. And the less water came down, the hotter it got. It almost seemed as if the water was evaporating in the air – just like the boys' joy and relief.

"What the hell is going on?" Toby screamed.

"More importantly, when is it going to stop!" Roland replied through painfully clenched teeth.

Mark just sat down again, suddenly very calm and relaxed, and began to mumble incomprehensively. Before Toby and Roland could talk to him their raft was caught by a strong current and started shooting forward with considerable speed. It was so sudden that the two lost their balance and almost feel off the raft. They tried to hold on to something as the raft sped on as if being pulled by something.

Mark shouted: "That's at least ten knots we're doing ..."

His observation was left uncommented. Everyone was too tense to speak. The hexagonal raft whipped up a lot of spray, as it was designed to float and not to speed across the water. Then the boys saw something in the distance. A ship? As they sped towards it, they quickly realized it was too big for a ship. Land! Maybe an island? Just five hundred yards now, and they would be jumping on to white, dry sand! They looked at each other and started laughing.

Suddenly, their raft slowed down, until it began to drift back out to sear again.

"Come on, jump! We can swim the rest … " Toby barked at his friends.

All three jumped immediately and started swimming. Approximately 300 yards to go …

"You think there are sharks here?" Mark asked fearfully.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Toby replied.

"Stop talking and save your breaths, we have at least another 300 yards to go," Roland ordered them curtly.

The view was already wonderful, almost magical. The sand was white and the rich green palm fronds glistened in the sun. The water beneath them was as clear as tap water and pleasantly warm, shimmering in a rich turquoise. This seemed to be paradise. The only thing dampening this amazing moment was the loud and labored breaths of the boys who were gathering their last reserves of strength to reach the shore.

Finally, they were there. Toby was the first to feel the ground beneath his sunburnt feet.

"I can stand!" he cried out with joy. He actually had tears of relief in his eyes.

And then Roland and Mark also had firm ground beneath their feet. Slowed down by the water, the three lumbered towards the beach. After their first steps on firm land, the boys collapsed almost in slow motion on to the beach. They didn't care. They just let themselves drop on to their bellies into the soft sand. A palm tree shaded the completely exhausted boys. A soft, warm, and almost tender breeze stroked their sore bodies.

Mark said quietly: "Let's explore …" before he fell into a deep sleep. The strain of the past days had simply been too big. Toby and Roland also had to give in to their bodies' desire for rest.

CHAPTER 2 – STRANDED

Toby was woken in the early morning hours by his rumbling stomach. Shit, what if we can't find anything to eat or drink here? – he thought immediately. He pushed himself up and looked around. The scene was overwhelming. Wow, what a sunrise. Look at that deep, intense orange. And it's so peaceful here. I can already feel the warmth of the sun. Amazing, the power of that far-away star. Toby sat on the white sand for at least another ten minutes, humbled, watching with deep respect how the sun slowly appeared behind the ocean and took dominance over the horizon. It was the first time he'd ever paid that much attention to a sunrise.

"Hey, you two. Get up. I'm bored," Toby finally said out loud, giving Roland and Mark each a good shake.

"Are you nuts?" Roland muttered angrily. "If you're that bored why don't you make breakfast?"

Mark was also not very amused to be woken up. "Just as I imagined my perfect vacation. Sleeping on a gorgeous beach and waking up to see your ugly mugs."

Toby and Roland exchanged a quick glance, then they jumped on little Mark and gave him a thorough tickle.

"Stop! Leave it! Ok, I'm sorry!"

For a brief moment, the three friends forgot everything around them. Their loud laughter blew away all their worries and troubles. They had no idea that this was going to be one of those moments they would not forget for the rest of their lives. Toby stopped their horseplay and scanned the horizon with a worried look.

"Guys, where is our raft?"

"Shit! It drifted away. We could have done with that first aid kit," Roland observed.

"That kit's no use of we die of thirst or hunger," Mark objected.

The three looked out at the endless sea. And there it was again: the hopelessness, that settled into their throats like a thick blob and wouldn't let them breathe.

"Let's go inland and look for water," Toby suggested.

The boys struggled to their feet. The left the beach behind and marched into the thick jungle beyond. Their progress was immediately hampered by their naked feet sinking into extremely soft white sand. After a few minutes, Mark was already completely exhausted. Jeez, this sand is so hot, unbearable. But I won't say anything, or they'll just call me the wimp again. He was walking behind Toby and Roland, which was why he couldn't see their strained faces. They were just was exhausted and drained as he was.

They walked very slowly and carefully, almost as if on eggshells. All three were worried that they'd suddenly be faced by a wild animal out for three boy-sized snacks. The ground could also be full of danger. The boys kept looking down, worried that they might step on a spider or a snake. The plants around them were all dark green. The fresh scent in the air indicated that this was unspoiled nature. They walked like that for ten minutes, until Toby motioned them to stop. He listened.

"Guys, be quiet. Can you hear that?"

"Water!" Mark and Roland screamed in unison.

They sprinted in the direction from where they could hear a loud rush, ignoring the branches whipping their faces. Then they stopped. In front of them rose a waterfall, at least 50 feet high, that rushed into a big lake. The water was crystal clear. The entire lake was about the size of a football field and it was surrounded by white sand and a few high rocks.

"Think there are animals in there?" Mark asked.

He hadn't even finished his question when Toby and Roland were already jumping headfirst into the water. Roland stayed under water. He dove a few meters, as long as he could hold his breath.

"Wow, now that's refreshing!" he screamed as he broke the surface. "As if you dink a thousand glasses of ice water at the same time. My pulse is as loud as a drum, and around us nothing but peaceful silence. I love it!"

Roland dove down once more and came back up with a mouthful of water which he spat straight into Toby's face. Now Mark couldn't hold back any longer.

"Watch out, guys, I'm coming!"

He took a few steps back and ran into the water with a loud splash. He joined his friends, who immediately dunked him under, of course. The lake was not very deep, at least not where the boys were swimming. And to their immense relief it was a freshwater lake. The three cupped their hands and drank and drank.

"Well, so we're not going to die of thirst here," Toby observed, though his slurps were louder than his words. They all filled their empty bellies with water. And of course, not one of them noticed that they were being observed.

"Let's swim across," Roland suggested.

Toby made a dismissive gesture. "We can still do that later. Let's find something to eat first."

Mark nodded. "Yes, I like that plan."

Toby pointed at the oversized plants all around the lake. "Look at those palm trees. They have coconuts."

The three slowly emerged from the lake and peeled off their wet t-shirts. The next palm tree was just a few feet away, and at its top hung a few big fat coconuts. Toby and Roland began to throw rocks at the fruit, while Mark started dreaming. His complete lack of athleticism made him convince himself that his friends were the better throwers. His eyes wondered across the green foliage around him. Then he suddenly froze. About thirty yards away, he could see something red and shiny, appearing and disappearing behind the breeze-stroked leaves.

"Boys, there's something over there," he said quietly.

But Toby and Roland were so keen to shoot down those coconuts that they didn't hear him.

Toby was cheering Roland on: "Come on, you can aim better, and throw harder, why else do you have those big fat muscles on your arm?"

"And since you're so slender and skinny, why don't you climb up there and yank down some of those coconuts for us?" Roland countered.

"You don't 'yank' coconuts. You harvest them, you smartarse."

Mark had no interest in their verbal jousting. He walked as if in a trance towards the mysterious red object. Toby and Roland didn't even notice their friend walking away. The first coconut hit the ground. One of their missiles had finally hit its mark.

"That's how it's done!" Roland called out in triumph.

Now the two had found their rhythm. Every throw was a hit, and soon they had six coconuts piled up in front of them.

"Let's find a sharp stone or something, so we can split these open," Toby suggested.

"Good idea. We'll do that next time," Roland replied. He took one of the fruits and whacked it against a big stone. His hunger after days at sea was simply too great. The coconut milk splattered everywhere. The coconut looked as if it had fallen victim to some crazed serial killer. But that didn't matter, for they had something to eat. Finally!

"Oh man, this is so soft and sweet. Yum! But I hope that's not all we'll be eating here." Toby mumbled through a full mouth.

The two boys chewed away at the juicy coconut meat, grinning happily at each other. Roland did not want to talk, but his face said it all. He grinned at Toby and pulled his eyebrows up three times in quick succession.

"Roland, you look stunning with all that coconut milk in your face. I especially like the piece hanging in your hair!" Toby almost choked laughing.

With their initial hunger satisfied, Toby collected the remaining pieces of coconut meat.

"We'll give those to Mark. Where is he anyway?" He looked around and spotted his friends blonde head in the distance. "Hey, midget! You not hungry?"

But Mark didn't react. Toby got up, grabbed a couple of coconuts, and walked towards Mark. Roland followed him leisurely. When the two reached their friend, he turned and hissed at them: "I told you I saw something."

"Have some coconut, maybe that'll put you in a better mood." Toby replied

Mark grabbed the fruit and ate a few pieces. As he chewed, he pointed at the foliage behind him.

"I think there's something hidden in there."

Roland and Toby looked at him surprised. But then they immediate reached into the leaves and branches and started pulling them apart.

"Be careful. There could be thorns on those branches. Don't just grab them like that," Mark cautioned.

"You're right, midget! There is something there. Something red!"

As the three pulled away more of the foliage, they revealed a kind of tarp, quite worn and full of holes, that seemed to cover something big. The suspense was unbearable as the three yanked at the tarp until it finally pulled away. They all stopped breathing. They were looking at a bright red helicopter. It was a smaller model, with one rotor and a cabin for max four people. The boys got very excited.

"What's that thing doing here? And who does it belong to?"

"Does it work?"

"How long has it been sitting around here?"

They walked around the vehicle, then they climbed inside to inspect the cabin. Maybe there were clues about their location, or even better, a radio to contact help. There was a light blue thermos on the back seat. Roland of course immediately examined its content. He put it to his lips and took a big gulp – which he immediately spat out again.

"Yuk! Old, cold coffee, without milk or sugar."

"We can fill that with water from the lake, if we need to go further away. Who knows what might happen," Toby suggested.

They also found six yards of safety rope and an open first aid kit. Almost half the bandages and plasters were gone. Mark had meanwhile climbed into the pilot's seat.

"Hey, look at the dashboard. It's full of dried blood. There's also blood on the seats here," he called out.

It looked as if an injured person had exited the chopper through the right door, which was still wide open. The trail of blood led a few meters across the leafy ground. A sound in the undergrowth gave them all a start.

"You hear that?" Toby whispered anxiously.

"Sounds like snorting, or grunting," Roland observed.

Mark suggested using one of the bigger branches as a weapon. "We'll just whack whatever that is over the head with it."

He hadn't even completed his sentence when a huge wild boar charged out of a hollow in a big tree. The animal stopped and stared at the boys. Its grey bristles were dull and shaggy.

"It's a boar, judging by its size," Toby whispered.

"And the way he's huffing and puffing our friend doesn't seem to be in the best of moods."

Mark tried to hide behind Roland. The animal's snout was drenched in blood, as though it had just torn into something fleshy with its enormous tusks. But the boar didn't charge. Instead, it ran off into the undergrowth.

"Ok. He's gone. What do you think? Should we check what he had in his cave?"

The others nodded silently and followed him nervously. The all walked fast. Hoping that the boar was now out of range, they walked towards the cave. They were met by a terrible stench.

"What the hell is that? How can anything stink like that?" Toby asked breathlessly.

"Maybe you don't always have to know everything," Roland muttered.

Mark just held his nose and said nothing. Now they were right by the entrance to the tree cave, and they saw what was left over from the boar's interrupted meal. It was the corpse of a large man in an orange jumpsuit with blue stripes down the side. The face was half gone, so that the man had only one eye left, which was staring straight at them. The innards were pouring out of his stomach, glistening bright red in the bright midday sun. The boys were frozen in shock. They'd never seen so much blood. They were disgusted and shocked, holding their hands in front of their mouths as they began to retch. Unlike Toby and Roland, Mark couldn’t manage to keep his stomach content to himself, which is how he rather unpleasantly got rid of the few pieces of coconut he had so pleasantly eaten only moments earlier.

“Jeez, that’s disgusting. And the stench! That’s an image I’ll never get out of my head again,” Mark whined before bending over and puking some more.

Roland took care of his friend and held him up since he could barely stand on his feet. Once Mark had calmed down a little the boys beat a quick retreat. They sat down in the soft sand by the freshwater lake. Nobody spoke. The only sound was the rushing of the waterfall. The boys stared at the lake. It seemed so peaceful. Such a contrast to that torn-apart corpse. Suddenly something appeared in the middle of the lake, something furry, about the size of a football, drifting on the water.

“Guys, look what’s coming out of the water. Looks like a wet beaver or something,” Toby said.

“More like ‘or something’,” Mark replied.

Both were wrong – because when the ‘thing’ made a 180-degree turn it revealed itself to be the head of a boy with blond hair, blue eyes, and countless freckles. He was staring glumly at them across the water surface. The boys were startled, so much so that they actually grabbed each other’s hands for a second. Mark actually clung to Roland’s arm, whispering:

“He looks angry, not just angry, like he’s going to murder us.”

“Shht! Be quiet. Let’s see what he does,” Toby replied quietly.

And before they could decide to talk to him, the strange boy had already disappeared under water again.

“What the heck was that?” Mark wanted to know.

“Well, he’s got to surface again somewhere. Then we’ll grab him,” Roland asserted confidently.

Wonder where he came from, Toby mused silently. Does he live here? And if he does, are there others? Maybe that boy was their chance to get away from here and back home. But the way he’d looked at them … The boys kept scanning the surface. Minutes passed, but nothing happened. It looked as if the lake had swallowed the mysterious boy and would never let go of him again. Roland made a suggestion as he started slowly wading into the water.

“We swim across the whole lake. It’s not that big. That dude can’t have just vanished without a trace.”

Toby and Mark followed him. They swam and dove, hoping to see something beneath the water. The lake was so clear that they could see very well, but still, all they could make without goggles out were fuzzy outlines. Roland was the best swimmer among them. He’d already started volunteering for the lifeguards as a kid. He could hold his breath for quite a while, and fetch things from a depth of several meters.

“Found something!” he called out. He was in the center of the lake, right where the strange boy had disappeared. “I think there’s kind of an entrance in the rocks here. It’s about 3 feet wide, I think. We should dive in there. That’s there our guy went, there’s nowhere else.”

“Well, deep breath, everyone, and let’s go for it,” Toby agreed.

Mark was more worried. He thought: Three feet sounds quite tight; I hope none of us gets stuck there. But if that happens, Roland will get us out of there.

Led by Roland, the boys all dove down. The bottom of the lake was about twelve feed below them. In the silence under water every one of them was alone with his thoughts. Roland was focused on the mysterious boy, and he was ready for a fight: Just wait until I get hold of that weirdo. He’ll tell us where we are and how we can get away from here, that’s for sure! Toby was less thinking about the boy. He was in full-on explorer mode. I can see the outline of the entrance. Looks dark. Wonder what’s beyond. Maybe it’s an entrance to a hidden world? I can’t wait to see it!

Mark was dealing with very different thoughts: If we get stuck in there, or we run out of air, or something attacks us! There’s probably a good reason why that entrance is hidden so deep in the water.

They reached the tube-like opening. One after another, they dove through it. Three feet was definitely not wide enough to spread your arms. But the inside surface of the pipe was quite rough, so that the boys could pull themselves along. That saved energy, and air, but still, holding their breaths for that long was quite the challenge for the less experienced divers Toby and Mark. They’d already covered about 8 yards, far enough to know that turning back was no longer possible. They had passed the point of no return. Toby looked ahead past Roland and noticed that the pipe was getting narrower. Shit, we’ll never get through there! – was his first thought. And if I don’t get some air soon, I’ll be a goner. My chest hurts like hell.

Their skulls were threatening to explode any minute. The boys could think of only one thing: air. Roland started looking around in desperation, and he made a life-saving discovery: What’s that there at the top? Looks like mercury. No! Those are air bubbles!

He rotated 180 degrees and squeezed his face into one of the bubbles. Through his nose he managed to take a few deep breaths. Man, that feels good. A few seconds more and I would have been history.

Toby and Mark immediately understood what Roland was doing. They also turned on their backs and pressed their faces into the bubbles. They were so small that they could just about fit their noses in them. They kept their mouths shut, so they wouldn’t swallow water. They were now getting air, but the fear of drowning was so strong that they were all shivering and quietly moaning. Toby’s thoughts were doing somersaults: I don’t want to die. Why can’t I turn back time, just for a few minutes. That would be enough not to start this idiotic dive. Are Roland and Mark getting air, or have they drowned already? Did Roland swim on? Did Mark turn around? The uncertainty is hurting me. Never thought such a simple word as uncertainty could cause such stomach aches. If there is a god: please help us!

Mark had an even harder time gaining control over his thoughts. He desperately fought back waves of panic, and it was all he could do not to start screaming like a baby. He tried to focus on his breathing, nothing else. Breathe in. Breathe out. In and out.

Roland had actually managed to calm himself after he’d replenished the oxygen in his body. He pushed off the ceiling and tapped Toby on the shoulder. When Toby looked down at him, he motioned that they should be moving along. Toby got the message, and he sapped Mark’s shoulder. Mark twitched when he felt something on his should. What was that? An animal? Or was it the boys? He couldn’t tell, and he didn’t dare pull his face off the ceiling to check. When Roland pushed off, Toby was the only one who followed him. Mark stayed where he was. His feat was just too great.

The pipe was now getting so narrow that it grazed Toby’s and Roland’s skin. The boys’ soft skin afforded them no protection from the sharp bumps in the surface. Their blood drifted in thin red wisps through the water. The pipe seemed endless, until it suddenly made a 90 degree turn upwards. Roland could see light. Not bright, but definitely brighter than in the center of the pipe.

I hope Toby and Mark are still behind me. I can’t turn my head to look back. Hey, I can see the surface, and more light!