“You went into their rooms?” clarified Joan with an odd look.
“I had no choice. Besides, they were open anyway.”
“So what do we do now?” Ross ask ed.
“First—” Chris began.
“The cars are here, ” Michael said, appearing at the door. “Now we need to check the boats.”
“Boats!” Alex looked like Edison who had finally picked the right material for his electric bulb. “Of course! Rob rides these things day and—”
He broke off and walked to the balcony.
“That’s it , ” he said with some gloomy satisfaction , looking at the pier through the glass door. “One is missing. Mike, you ’re a genius.”
In response to this simple statement, everyone immediately gathered around Alex, as if peering at the empty spot that yesterday had been occupied by the missing boat could somehow help locat e it.
“Let’s go, ” Alex said, turning away from the balcony.
“Go where?” Chris enquir ed dryly.
“Down,” said Alex with a tint of surprise in his voice. “Where else? We have to split up and go look for them.”
“Look for them ?” said Joan. “What about the speeches?”
“Speeches will wait. Don ’t you think that now we have more serious problems to deal with?”
“Yeah, it’s show time, baby, ” Chris replied mockingly.
“Come again?”
“Forget it. Why do we need—why do all of us need to go?”
“People are missing, ” Alex explained patiently. “Nobody has seen them since yesterday, remember? I don ’t suppose you think it was their idea to spend a night out in the woods ?”
Chris scowled.
“I don’t know whose idea this was and , frankly, I don ’t care. Who said they need our help? A couple of adults went for a joyride, then decided to get to third base same evening. What ’s wrong with that? We ’re not their parents. We ’ve got better things to do than jump up, flush our plans down the drain and starting speeding across that lake back and forth while they may be still sleeping. This is not what I came here for and I doubt that ’s why you ’re here. Had I known for sure that something happened to them, I ’d be the first one to call this rescue our first priority. But now . . . no way.”
Alex sighed.
“When we know for sure, it may be too late.”
“Oh, give it a rest, would you?” grimaced Chris. “You know I can also deliver a great speech on friends who need our help being lost somewhere in the wild, blah, blah, blah. All right? Where ’s your proof? You ’ve got nothing. No proof whatsoever that says they ’re in trouble. So let ’s cut the crap and focus on what we all came here for. Something meaningful . And if they don ’t show up by this afternoon, we ’ll reevaluate the situation.”
“I think Alex ’s right, ” Brandon replied. “Better safe than sorry.”
“He’s a hundred percent right , ” Ross echoed . “Things happen in the woods.”
Chris gave them a long look.
“Are you nuts?” he asked in a suddenly quiet voice. “If you ’re so worried about them, why don ’t you just call 911? Let them send out a rescue mission and put the forest service on it.”
“The police are not going to act on this yet. They ’ll tell us to wait and call back the next morning. It ’s too soon.”
“Aha!” Chris lifted his index finger. “Precisely. Although last time I checked, looking for missing people is what they do for a living. But they ’ll tell you to wait, since , unlike us , they are sane. Now, we , on the other hand, have nothing better to do, so we ’ll give it a try anyway. We ’re all here on vacation, so why not take a leisure ride?”
“We have no right to ignore this, ” Alex rapped out. “I don ’t give a damn about official rules. People might ’ve gotten into some serious trouble and I ’m going to do something abou t it!”
“Serious trouble . . . What possibly could ’ve happened to them? You keep talking about woods, but they left on a boat.”
“Anything could ’ve happened. The boat could ’ve tipped over.”
“Have you ever tried riding one of them? It ’s impossible to tip them over! They could n ’t do that even if they wanted to! But even if they somehow managed to sink it , they surely know how to swim! At least Rob does .”
“And what if the engine went dead?” Brandon asked.
Chris had had enough.
“Then they would ’ve used the walkie-talkie!” he blew up. “This is a luxury hotel, for Pete ’s sake! Every single boat here has a walkie-talkie on board . Just turn it on and let the entire lake know where you ’re and what you need! And if they didn’t , it means they don ’t need anyone ’s help! They need privacy. What are you getting so worked up about? Who do you want to save? Rob? The guy can save all of you for breakfast.”
“You have a point, ” Michael said coolly. “Walkie-talkie. Let ’s try to get in touch with them. That will give us something to work with.”
They did not get in touch.
In fact, no one even tried to establish any sort of connection with Robert and Stella, even though everyone, including the triad of absolutely neutral observers , went down to the pier , following Michael. All attempts to establish a connection were halted before they had a chance to begin as soon as Brandon , with a surprised whistle , extracted two identical walkie-talkies from the nearest boat. Both devices were labeled with large white numbers —n umber two very obviously matching the number of the boat over which Brandon was towering , holding his findings up in the air. Number four , on the second walkie-talkie , was pointing wordlessly at the missing boat.
“Well,” Michael said slowly. “It seems that we ’ve just lost one of our options.”
Brandon weighted the black walkie-talkies thoughtfully in his palms.
“I wonder who moved it here. And why.”
Michael shrugged.
“This may take a while to find out. If we ever find out. Now it ’s time for something else.”
“Anyone got a map?” Alex demanded with an unfamiliar commanding tone in his voice.
It seemed that all of a sudden he had gained the right to demand and to expect immediate answers and obedience.
“I’ve got one, ” replied Kevin. “It ’s in the car.”
“Bring it here, would y ou? Without it we ’re stuck.”
No one argued anymore. The atmosphere immediately became businesslike. Even Chris kept silent and , as soon as Kevin brought the map, leaned over it with what seemed authentic attention. After a brief discu ssion , it was decided that one boat would go east into the shorter meandering part of the lake , and t wo other boats would cover the west part with its forks and bays. They agreed to check in every hour by walkie-talkie and to be back by sunset, regardless of the results.
Michael suddenly recalled that he had to pick something up in the lounge and went back to the house, Ed strolling alongside him. A minute later , they could be seen on the balcony, Michael explaining something to Ed, pointing alternately to the east and to the west. Ed seemed a little stunned and kept staring at Michael instead of following the direction of his finger. Then Michael came back, while Ed stayed on the balcony, apparently taking his time to digest this new information. Following Al an ’s suggestion , they loaded the boats with some food and warm clothes, made sure the tanks were full, and checked the map again. Now they were ready.
Alex, who for the last half hour had been confidently leading the preparations, looked at the faces, nodded with satisfaction and announced , “Mike and Ross will go east. Chris and Brandon , you guys will take the west part, the north branch of it. I ’ll go with Paul along the other one. Joan, Alan, Kevin—you ’re staying. We can ’t have more than two people on board , or the boats will get too slow. Now , let ’s go.”
“And your selection criteria was . . .” Chris enquir ed sourly.
“Fitness. Who knows what we ’ll need to do. More questions?”
“More an
swers , ” said Paul.
Alex gave him a questioning look.
“I don’t feel like going, ” elaborated Paul. “Plus, I don ’t swim. So thanks for your generosity, but no thanks. You ’ve got to look for another partner.”
“You won’t have to swim, ” Alex objected.
Paul wasn’t convinced.
“You just said it yourself, we might need to. Anyway, if I said I ’m not going, that should be enough, don ’t you think?”
“I’ll go, ” Alan said.
And without waiting for Alex to agree, he stepped towards the boat.
Alan sat on the stern, looking into the white boiling trail. The lake behind the stern was seething—Alex gunned the boat full throttle at the maximum speed and the indignant water roared angrily behind it. He recalled that he was supposed to be look ing around in search of Rob and Stella , and returned to his duties, squinting. Pre-noon sun was cruelly blasting everything from above, covering the water ’s surface with myriads of blinding glittering splinters. The green slopes around were lifeless—it seemed all life was hiding somewhere, escaping the withering light. Boat number four was also refusing to appear in sight.
But sooner or later, they would find it, Alan thought. Alex was right about that. The lake isn ’t endless and that type of powerboat is practically unsinkable . You just have to keep pee ring into the ripples set ablaze by the ruthless sun and frequently check the status with others. Alex had thought of everything. Unlike yours truly.
The Rule of Two Steps: Never do anything important without thinking it through at least two steps ahead. Ignored, just like so many other rules during the last few days. Ignored and broken.
Although Alex’s surprising leadership had been getting under his skin, Alan was actually glad to hear that he didn ’t make it to the ranks of rescuers. Sure, it would ’ve been curious to find out why Alex had decided that he was not as fit as Paul, but at the moment that didn ’t matter. Let Ross, Michael, Chris and the others dart like crazy back and fo rth across the lake. No big deal. In the meantime , he ’d keep himself busy in the company of Joan. And despite all the loud rhetoric, no one had cancelled the competition. It ’s not so obvious what would win you more votes—spending a day in the empty lounge with Joan and Kevin or staring like an idiot at the empty shores in the company of one of those managers-turned-rescuers. Well, it is obvious really. Alex was the only one who was going to score any points for this mission. A whole load of points, once the missing couple is discovered and brought back. For everyone else , staying in the lodge was a better deal.
He listened to Paul’s argument with Alex, but his brain was already busy planning the day ahead of him. And then he noticed Joan ’s gaze.
Everyone’s eyes were on Alex, but she was the only one looking at him like that . And that gaze, full of surprised approval and even admiration , gave Alan a soft push somewhere to the back of his head, made him clench his teeth for a second and rocke d him forward. And without thinking, without giving it even a shadow of thought , he heard himself speaking these words: “I ’ll go.”
Now he sat on the stern and kept himself busy trying to decide whether that hasty action was stupid. All in all, it seemed that no particular blunder had been made. On the one hand, he could ’ve been talking now to Joan, and in some way—though who knows how—trying to secure Kevin ’s vote. On the other hand, that would ’ve positioned him as a boy, left at home by the men who had gone out for serious business. But now he ’s one of them, while women, seniors and handicapped had to stay in a safe harbor.
It’s amazing how quickly and successfully Alex managed to frame a simple powerboat trip as a dangerous adventure. When someone with shoulders that wide , with a stone face and a granite jaw barks orders, a spirit of an unavoidable danger appears automatically. Had he decided to pull this off a day ago, everyone would have laughed at it. But now, with two people missing for real, it ’s no longer a laughing matter. Although , if you think about it, there ’s nothing special about this lake , racing with endless squinting at the eye-burning water. Bottom line, it ’s a wash: one option is certainly worth the other. The only irritating thing about that decision is the fact that it hasn ’t been thought through at all. And decisions without sufficient thinking behind them very rarely—if ever—lead to something good.
The engine suddenly produced a strange chocking sound and went quiet. The boat kept moving for a few moments, then stopped, rocking on the gentle waves. A deafening silence hit Alan ’s ears.
“That’s odd, ” ripped the silence Alex ’s voice.
Alan turned to him. Alex was frowning, his eyes examining the indicators.
“Is there a problem?” Alan asked.
“You got that right. The fucking engine ’s just kicked the bucket.”
The diagnosis was somehow unsettling. Not that there was anything wrong with the wording or the epithet that Alex had used to describe the engine. But it felt different —certainly not the flavor of language that he had been using until now.
Alex turned the ignition key abruptly. The engine powered up cheerfully and started rattling vivaciously as if nothing had happened ; however , its jolliness didn ’t last long. Alex ’s hand was still on the key when the capricious mechanism snarled again and went dead.
“Can you believe it?” Alex heavily clapped the steering wheel. “Just what we need now! Enter the rescuers.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what happened to them?” Alan surmised.
To him the accident seemed rather funny. At last it ’s going to knock the stuffing out of Alex a bit, he thought. After all, this boat does have a walkie-talkie on board . So if the wors t comes to the wors t, someone will come. As for the heroic rescue mission, it would simply be delayed for an hour or two. Big deal.
“Who knows . . . who knows, ” Alex had already calmed down. “So much for power in a powerboat. We should have a chat with whoever is in charge of this junk when we get back.”
He studied, with a noticeable vexation, the deserted green slopes surrounding them , and went to the stern, making the boat rock with his every step.
“Let’s take a look, ” he said, getting down to his knees next to Alan. “Would you mind moving a little bit to your left?”
Look at him, Alan thought, now he’s all politeness again. That ’s more like him. Understandably, he ’s way more pissed by that unexpected stop than I am.
Alex got rid of his windbreaker and, having leaned over the stern, began laboring over the silent engine. Looking at the broad back, where the knots of muscles where rolling under the thin fabric of a polo shirt, Alex tried to guess how long it had taken him to pump himself up like that. It must ’ve been a whole load of hours spent at the gym doing some serious weightlifting. But what for? He ’s not a professional athlete. Although who knows who th is man really is. He could be a pro athlete , for all they knew . Perhaps he ’s a manager of a football team and a former pro himself. Or a special forces guy. Or a bodyguard. Managers can be found everywhere and we know nothing about each other.
Whatever he does, he ’s all right. He cares and that’s what really counts. It may be for the best that things went this way. The missing couple, the rescue mission, the random decision . . . Especially if it’s the two of us who find them.
He imagined Stella. Wearily closing her reddened eyes , she was telling Joan: “It was devastating . . . We almost lost hope, but then Alex and Alan came.”
No, it’s better this way: “—but then Alan and Alex came.” Sounds nice. Actually sounds terrific when Joan hears this. And Rob , who hasn ’t shaved for three days extends his hand for a firm handshake and says , “Appreciate it, pal. I knew I could count on you.” And then Joan—“I think I’ve just figured it out, ” Alex said, lifting his head.
Now he was smiling and could easily pass for a happy good-natured dad from a TV ad.
“Some junk got tangled around the screw. It could ’ve been much worse. We ’ll get rid of it in no time and be on our way
. It ’ll take a minute or two to ditch it—that piece of rope or whatever it is, is tight as hell.”
“Want some help?” Alan asked.
“Sure. It’ll be faster with four hands.”
Alan moved closer to him and leaned over the water.
“Here,” Alex said. “It ’s on the other side, see? You need to get lower.”
Alan bent lower, trying to take a better look at the screw and the rope that had been stalling it. And then all of a sudden, water jerked towards his face and enveloped his head in a tenacious , cold embrace.
The colorful specs of light began sparkling all around. Shocked and completely disoriented, Alan yelled as hard as he could. Ice-cold water gushed gleefully into his open mouth, filling everything inside him with terrible unbearable cold. He strained his whole body trying to escape from this icy horror, but some rough cruel force was not letting him lift his head, or even move his hands. Then the light around began dimming. He felt th at he was about to black out, when the same force abruptly yanked him out of the water.
The familiar shattering sun hit the eyes. Air poured into his opened mouth , replacing the horrible water. Instinctively, he gasped, filling his tormented lungs to full capacity . The inhale was timely—a moment later the same rude force shoved him back under the water.
This time he didn’t yell. Now he knew what was happening to him. He knew it and yet couldn ’t believe it. It was unthinkable. It could not be happening. And yet, the water torturing his face was saying silently: this is real.
In a moment he was once again forcefully extracted from the water, but left less than an inch away from its blinking surface. It was swaying hungrily next to his eyes, as though reminding him that at any second it could rush forward again.
Then a voice emerged. Some vaguely familiar voice that appeared out of the thick air with life-sucking danger. The voice didn ’t threat. The voice didn ’t console. It simply spoke. Spoke coolly and almost softly. It spoke horrible , impossible words.
Awakening, 2nd edition Page 26
