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.A second later, as the enormous wave drew him in, he dove into it and forced himself to swim downward.He felt the flow of the water caused by the wave’s sheer size, draw him higher.He pumped his arms and legs harder, and swam against the current.Suddenly, he popped out of the water at the trough of the next wave.He had swum directly under it.Jack gasped for air.As he breathed in, he pumped his leg and propelled himself higher.The next wave struck him in the chest, knocking him head over heels.He rolled to his stomach and lifted his head.He gasped in another breath and felt the next wave crash over him.He swam deeper, then angled back.Nearly out of breath once more, he charged for the surface.Kicking his legs hard, he broke free and gulp in large breaths of air.Suddenly the sky lit up above him.The thunder was instantaneous.He could feel his strength waning.He felt out of breath and scared.Knowing he was defeating himself, he forced his mind to believe he would live.As he drifted higher on the next large wave, he relaxed his muscles and rested momentarily.It was all the advantage he needed.Seconds before the wave broke, he plunge straight down, stopped, then surged straight up.As he broke through the surface, he realized he was now riding down the backside of the wave.The maneuver bought him two more seconds of time.He breathed in the fresh air and relaxed.The next wave drove him higher, and he was ready.He repeated his previous move, breaking out once more on the backside of the wave.For the next hour, Jack fought for his life.The waves continued to grow, and he began to doubt his survival once more.Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.This time, it was behind him.He counted the seconds as he struggled to stay above the raging waves and the ever increasing gusts of wind.As the thunder sounded, he calculated it to be more than two miles away.The worst of the storm was passed him.It was a small victory in his mind and exactly what he needed to rebuild his confidence.With the next wave rolling in, he took two more breaths and dove deep.For the next hour, the strength of the storm greatly diminished.The waves had reduced from fifteen feet, back down to three.Only the winds seemed to continue in their intensity.Exhausted, he now floated on his back and rested.He had made it through the worst.Half an hour later, with his strength nearly returned, he slowly began to kick his fins.He stared up at the clouds and determined the direction of the current.Like before, he angled his body in the direction of the flow and now began to swim with purpose.Over the next few hours, he swam till he tired, then rested, repeating the routine over and over.As nighttime fell, the seas were nearly calm and he used the stars to keep track of his course.Every so often, he lifted his head, searching for land.Although he saw none, he knew somewhere ahead of him lay Caicos Island.If he could only keep up his pace, he knew he’d eventually run straight into it… and probably soon.The hours ticked by and Jack began to see a welcome sight on the distant horizon: dawn.He had made it through the night.He felt elated and now worked his swim even harder.Five hours later, he spotted another welcome sight.As his body moved swiftly through the water, he passed a small palm branch that floated nearby.“Land!” he shouted excitedly.He spun around and floated upright.He saw nothing.He dove under the water, reversed his course and charged for the surface.As he thrust up through it, he launched his body three feet into the air.The height above water allowed him to see for miles.In the second he was able to look, he spotted something.His heart now surged with excitement.He dove once again, then charged for the surface.As he broke through, he continued to pump his fins, forcing himself to remain in the air longer.As he sunk back into the water, he floated on his back.A smile came to his face.He found it: land.“YES!” he shouted aloud.Although he estimated the land to be at least five miles away, he now had a newfound sense of energy.Knowing he was going to live, he refocused his objective.There was no doubt that Javi and Helena were in trouble.If he hurried, he knew he might have a chance to save them with the only card he had left to play.“They think I’m dead,” he said with a wily grin.He paddled harder and increased his pace through the waterChapter: 8The following day…Javi woke abruptly from his sleep as his bed shook with a violent jolt.“Mr.Arista, it’s time.Get up,” the voice called to him in his sleep.Javi’s eyes snapped open and he instantly recognized the face: Frank Chelmsford.Staring down at him, Frank insured he was awake, then spoke once more: “We’ll be leaving in an hour.Please be ready,” he said, cordially but with authority.Javi merely nodded his head.As Frank was leaving, his mind began to clear.“How’s Helena.Is she alright? You haven’t hurt her, have you?” he asked in quick succession.Frank stopped and turned.His face looked annoyed.“Mr.Arista, I told you before… we’re not animals.She’s fine.We only plan on hurting her if you don’t cooperate,” he responded coldly.Without waiting for a reply from Javi, he turned and exited the room.Javi breathed a momentary sigh of relief, then apprehension of the unknown begun to plague his thoughts.He looked at his watch and once again, wondered about his fate.An hour later, Javi and Helena sat nervously on a couch and avoided eye contact with their captors.In the modestly furnished home in the mountainous region ten miles west of Atlantis, three men sat stationed around the room and waited on their signal.As Frank entered the room, he closed up his cell phone and called to his men:“Ok, that’s it.Let’s move,” he ordered, his tone lacking emotion.Anticipating their next request, Javi and Helena stood and waited for the three men to approach.One man grabbed Helena’s arm, the other, Javi’s.The remaining man stood behind the four and guarded from the rear.As Frank led them out, not a sound was made.Outside the large concrete home, the five headed to a passenger van.They assembled into it, with Javi and Helena being guarded on all sides.The ride to the pyramid was quiet.As three men sat stoically and watched their progress along the road, Frank drove and monitored his captives from the rearview mirror.A half hour later, the van turned the last corner into the park area of the great pyramid.Javi’s pulse began to rise.He guessed he had only an hour to live.He felt the terrified eyes of Helena as she stared at him momentarily.He glanced at her and flashed a reassuring smile.The corner of her mouth curled slightly in gratitude, then returned to its previously saddened state [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]