The Forbidden Script

by Richard Brockwell

  Sally swam deeper, her lungs were about to burst, starved from oxygen. Only a minute had passed, which seemed like an hour. She had lost orientation and was now swimming blindly through the dark waters.

  Sally was about to give in, when out of nowhere she saw a small ball of light up ahead. She wondered what it was as it began to move forward, leading her on, increasing in brightness as she approached it. The light seemed to be moving, swimming ahead of her. Sally was out of breath, and afraid she wasn’t going to make it. Then the orb stopped a few feet in front of her. It began to spin faster and faster when suddenly it shot upwards. Sally looked up at the surface above her, the moonlight shining through the water. Then with all her strength, she pushed herself upwards bursting out of the water, gasping for air. She looked around for the orb, which was nowhere to be seen.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Time was moving fast, and Tony had not yet started what he set out to do. Sally was nowhere in sight, which according to him was nearly impossible on this rock of an island. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, yet Sally managed both of them. Travis was on his way back walking over the rocks and sand without Sally.

  “Where is she Travis? How the hell could you lose her here?” Tony said, waving his arms about.

  Travis bent down out of breath. “I don’t know! One minute she was in front of me, the next she was gone, disappeared into thin air.”

  Tony kicked the sand in disgust.

  “She must have jumped into the sea. Where else could she have gone?”

  “Pack everything up for Christ’s sake! We’re getting out of here!” said Tony.

  Travis asked, “where are we going? We just can’t leave her here!”

  “I don’t intend to. We’re going to search around the island. She has to be here somewhere.”

  Tony was right about Sally. She was here, not on the island though, but swimming out to sea in an attempt to make it to one of the neighboring islands.

  The whole area was packed with tiny islands. Many of them with underwater caves and mostly only the size of a football field.

  Danny and Kate cruised out of the harbor with all search lights showing them the way. As they reached the open sea, Danny opened the engines to full throttle. The immense power of the engines left a wake behind them fifteen feet in the air. Kate sat up front next to Danny. She had been on a boat before, but not one like this. It seemed as if the propellers were the only thing touching the water. The vessel picked up speed by the second as Danny switched over to autopilot. Looking at his watch, he calculated they would reach their destination in just under an hour.

  Still holding onto the driftwood, Jason edged closer and closer to the light he saw from the helicopter. From where he was, he could see at least five people gathered together on a beach. Sally was not with them, and he was now thinking the worst. He wasn’t sure if these people on the beach were the ones he had been chasing. As he got closer, he recognized Tony, who seemed to be directing the others back onto the boat.

  Jason pushed the driftwood aside and gathered all his strength to make a final effort to reach the island before they get away.

  With everything and everyone back on board, Tony started the engines and slowly made his way out of the lagoon. He planned to search around the island for Sally, positive she must be in the water or hiding amongst the rocks somewhere.

  Travis held the searchlight while Tony steered close to the shore carefully keeping his distance away from the rocks.

  To Jason’s surprise the boat was heading in his direction. He noticed they kept close to the shore and were directing the light onto the rocks as if they were looking for something or someone. Then it hit him, could they be looking for Sally? Had she managed to get away from her captives?

  Jason smiled to himself, “clever girl Sally, stay hidden.”

  He was now ten yards away from the approaching boat. Everyone on board was focusing on the shoreline. They had no idea someone was lying in wait a few yards away.

  Jason took in note of everyone on board. Tony was steering the boat, while the other guy at the rear, which must be Travis was handling the search light. Seated were three teenage girls, roughly Sally’s age. It was the men he had to focus on.

  Jason swam silently through the water, until he was just a yard away, able to touch the side of the boat. He had to act fast having the advantage of surprise on his side.

  With one hand on the edge of the boat Jason pulled himself out of the water, instantaneously grabbing hold of Tony from his trouser belt, pulling him into the dark water.

  At first no one on board the boat seemed to notice something was wrong. It was when they heard the loud splash that they then turned their attention to the front of the boat. Tony was gone. The sudden attack gave him no warning, giving him little chance of holding his breath as he was dragged under. Thoughts ran through his mind as to what got hold of him, dragging him deeper under water. He knew no sea creature could do such a thing. It had to be a person, someone who was hiding in the water waiting to strike.

  His mind kicked back to reality. Tony is an athletic person and a strong swimmer. He won many high school and college swimming medals. He also participated in free diving, being able to hold his breath for long periods. The short amount of air he had in his lungs was enough for him to turn the tables on Jason. Tony was strong, very strong. He managed to reach out from behind his back, taking hold of Jason by his shirt. Now he was face to face with his attacker, which he immediately recognized.

  It was Jason who was now in trouble. He had underestimated Tony. Having the ability to see in the dark, Jason could see Tony smiling back at him. The next instant Jason felt pain in his stomach as Tony thrust his fist into him, catching him off guard. He struck him again and again. With each blow, Jason was losing air from his lungs. Desperate for air, he tried to make it to the surface, but Tony pulled him down again. Jason was in trouble, and he knew it. He began to kick hard hoping to strike Tony, allowing him that split second to break away. Jason’s boot finally found its mark, hitting Tony across the face. Breaking free from his grip, he resurfaced filling his lungs with oxygen. Then out of nowhere he saw an oar moving towards him smashing him across his head. Jason blacked out face down in the water.

  Travis put the oar down and heaved Jason into the boat while Tony pulled himself out of the water.

  “Well, well, look who we have here. Excellent timing if you ask me,” said Tony.

  “What do you mean?” asked Travis.

  “We’re going to make a trade. Once Sally knows we have her father, she will give herself up to save him,” explained Tony.

  Sally was about three hundred yards away when she heard Tony calling out to her.

  “Hey Sally! Look who we have!”

  Sally looked back towards the boat. She couldn’t see anyone except the others, so she continued swimming until she heard Travis calling out, “we have your father! He came to save you, but didn’t do a very good job of it.”

  Not certain if they were telling the truth, she decided to swim back to take a closer look. Moving only a few yards at a time, she made her way towards the rocks where no one can see her.

  Tony took the steering again and entered the lagoon. Once they were back on the sand, Travis and Tony dragged Jason in open view so she could see him.

  She couldn’t believe it. She had no idea how her father had got here, and how he knew where she was. Tears swelled in her eyes as she saw him lying there unconscious on the sand.

  “Sally come out! He will die if you don’t show yourself. Give yourself up, and I promise no harm will come to him,” said Tony.

  The three girls stepped back a few paces while Tony began to pour boat fuel over Jason’s unconscious body. Travis then handed him his lighter.

  “You have five seconds to show yourself, or daddy will be toast.”

  Tony began the countdown, “one… two… three…”

  Without warning Sally came out from behind them. She pushed
her way through the girls, knocking them down. Then she threw herself onto Tony, who dropped the lighter from his hands onto the sand.

  Sally went berserk.

  “You leave him alone! You bastard. I’ll kill you. I will kill you all, just you wait and see.”

  Caught by surprise, the group gave Sally the chance to swoop down next to her father, taking his firearm from the back of his jeans. She knew he always carried a weapon wherever he went.

  With their hands held out in front of them, Tony and the rest of the group backed away slowly. The firearm was heavy, and its weight was a bit too much for her as it swayed around loosely in her hands.

  Frightened it would go off without warning, Travis tried to calm her down.

  “Sally! Take it easy! Lower the weapon before you hurt someone.”

  “Hurt someone! Damn right I’m going to hurt someone! And you’re the first, you lying son of a bitch!” said Sally pointing the gun at Travis.

  He got to his knees shielding himself with his hands.

  “Hey Sally!”

  It was Tony calling out to her holding the flame lit lighter in his hands, ready to throw it at Jason’s petrol soaked body.

  “Put the gun down my dear, or he dies where he lays,” said Tony.

  “Come with us Sally, and I swear we won’t hurt him. Don’t worry, I’m sure someone will find him eventually. Now throw the weapon down that’s a good girl.”

  “You won’t harm him? Give me your word, and I’ll come with you,” she said lowering the weapon.

  “I give you my word,”

  With all her strength, she tossed the heavy gun as far as she could into the sea.

  Immediately Travis raced towards her, knocking her senseless to the ground.

  “Now get her on board the boat and let’s get out of here,” called out Tony as he beckoned the other girls to come back.

  “We can still perform the ritual here,” said Travis.

  Tony scanned the horizon before answering. “He managed to find us, and I’m sure he has more of his FBI friends heading this way as we speak. We’re going where we should have gone in the first place.”

  Travis looked up at him.

  “Gone where Tony?”

  “Back to where it all began! Back to where this Mayan tablet came from. Back to the underworld cavern of the Mayan gods!”

  They left Jason where he lay. Little did they know he heard every word as he slowly gained consciousness.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  The sea was calm, just right for the fast moving boat. The sound of the four engines was deafening as the boat raced across the ocean with tremendous speed. Danny knew he had made the right choice in calling his buddy O'Neil.

  Kate kept her eye on the GPS screen, watching the distance closing in by the minute. She was worried about Jason all alone in these dark, dangerous waters. Anything could happen to him out here.

  Danny saw the concern on her face.

  “He’s going to be alright. I promise you.”

  Kate managed a smile.

  “I just hope we get there on time before the worst happens.”

  Back on the beach. Jason regained consciousness just in time to watch the boat fade away in the distance.

  Did he hear right what Tony had said? Was he mad enough to make the journey to Mexico? One thing he knew for sure was that his daughter Sally was still alive, and he will do whatever it takes to get her back.

  Jason felt for his gun, but it wasn’t there. He looked around hoping to find it in the sand. He moved closer to the waters edge where he saw something shining in the shallow surf. Picking up his Magnum, he shook out the excess water.

  “You should have killed me when you got the chance Dr. Barrette,” said Jason.

  All Jason could do was wait. He removed his petrol soaked clothes and washed the smell out with sea water. He reckoned he had enough time to take a look around the island before Danny came to pick him up.

  As he wandered around, he kept thinking what Danny had said about Tony being involved with both Helen’s abduction and the two dead girls. He also thought, was it possible that he was also involved with the two murdered Americans back at the Chichen Itza site. Who was it that informed him about the discovery of an old ancient Mayan site, when not even the media knew about it?

  Jason was now amongst the rocks at the exact spot where his daughter Sally had jumped down and entered the small entrance to the underwater cave. Little did he know that it was his deceased wife Anne who had saved her life.

  After looking around the small island, he found some washed up wood between the rocks, which would make an excellent signal fire for Danny to see. Taking them to the highest point on the island, he managed to light the wood with a little help from his petrol soaked top which he cut into small pieces. The flames lit up nicely under the glowing moonlit sky.

  The timing couldn’t have been more precise. Not too far away Kate saw the light that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

  “That must be Jason lighting the way for us,” said Kate relieved to know he is still alive.

  After a few minutes, the GPS started to beep as they reached their destination.

  Jason warmed himself next to the flames and at the same time smiled as he heard the roaring engines of the boat getting nearer.

  They slowed down once entering the lagoon. Danny was at the wheel, and Kate stood up front scanning the island for Jason.

  As they approached the beach, they saw him making his way across the sand.

  Kate jumped off the boat and ran up to him. She clasped her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the sand pleased to see her again.

  “Are you alright? Are you hurt Jason?” She said, “and what is that smell?”

  “Quick we have to hurry! We have quite a journey ahead of us. I’ll explain on the boat,” said Jason as they ran across the sand.

  Danny welcomed his friend on board.

  “Glad you’re safe and sound. Were they here on the island?”

  Jason answered, “they were here alright! Dr. Barrette is not what I expected him to be. This time he got the upper hand, but next time things will be different.”

  Danny started the engines again and checked the fuel gauge.

  “This baby sure can move and the tanks are still three-quarters full. Do you know which way they’re heading? Asked Danny.

  Jason said, “then we have enough fuel to get us to the main island of the Bahamas. From there, we have to catch a flight to Mexico.”

  Danny looked back at Jason, saying, “don’t tell me he’s taking them to that Mayan site. I’m telling you once we get through all of this, I’m blowing that damn place to smithereens,” said Danny as he pulled out from the lagoon.

  Sally lay unconscious tossing and turning as visions began to appear in her mind, but this time they were not happy ones.

  She saw herself as Helen had seen. Flames all around her as she floated in mid air. It was not her mother who was calling out to her this time, but instead a dark figure wearing a monk’s robe whose face was covered with a long hood.

  She tried to see his face, but saw only emptiness as the dark figure came closer and closer to her. Once close enough, it revealed itself, removing the long black hood. What she saw frightened her so much that she screamed herself out of consciousness. All on board the boat got the shock of their lives as she suddenly woke up screaming and lashing out with her hands.

  Tony was the only one fascinated by Sally’s outbursts. He felt the energy inside her was much stronger than before.

  It was Travis who sat next to her while she came to her senses. He thought it would be better to bind her hands for her own protection. She looked around, seeing nothing but the vast ocean. She asked Travis where they were going?

  He responded, “you don’t need to know. You’re coming with us no matter what.”

  Tony made sure there was enough fuel to get them to the nearest airfield at Andros Island Bahamas. From there, he planned to take
a private fixed wing aircraft and fly over to Mexico. Taking a commercial flight was too risky and would draw attention to the airport officials. Sally after all was not traveling with them on her own will. Tony was sure her father had already informed his superiors about the kidnapping, and he and Travis were now on the FBI wanted list.

  The weather remained relatively calm as they crossed the ocean. Tony looked at his watch, cursing with having lost so much time. He calculated they had at least another six hours before the sun came up, and it would take them a half hour to reach Andros island.

  Travis kept his eye on Sally for most of the journey as she went in and out of sleep. He noticed while she slept how active she was; he saw something within her that bothered him. Sally kept talking in her sleep as if having a conversation with someone. Her lips were moving, but no words came from her mouth.

  Ever since that night after the summoning of her mother, he noticed Sally’s personality changed in a way that you would not realize at first. She seemed more outspoken, as if someone or something was advising her what to do and say. But now watching her talk as she slept, confirmed him what he was thinking. Now he understood why it was so important for Tony to perform this ritual with Sally as a sacrifice.

  Travis left her side and made his way next to Tony.

  “Are you hiding something from me?” He asked.

  Tony without looking at Travis said, “so you noticed it also did you? Sally is possessed by a spirit that not even I can communicate with. The only thing I know about it is, it’s not from our time. It’s very old Travis! Not old in age, but old from hundreds, maybe thousands of years from the past,” said Tony.

  “Is it an evil spirit?”

  He then looked at Travis.

  “I have no idea. We will have to wait and find out.”

  Travis did not stop there.

  “It began from when we summoned her mother did it?”

  Tony replied, “yes, I believe we opened a gateway from the past, and somehow it slipped through into our age.”