Depths of Paradise

by Vance Albright

  “Hey, it’s just me,” Dylan said, putting his arm around her shoulder. She pushed him off in annoyance and walked over to the driver’s seat. She sat down and looked at him, annoyed.

  “Why didn’t you answer me? I thought you were dead or something!”

  “Sorry, I did not hear you until I was near the door.”

  “Well, please answer next time. I was worried,” she replied in a calmer voice. “Did you figure out what we hit?”

  “No, I suppose it could have been a rough wave or a whale that bumped us.” Not satisfied with the answer, Emma got up and stood on the motor compartment. She looked out at the ocean. Seeing nothing at the rear of the ship, she grabbed on to the ship’s guard rail and walked over to the bow of the ship. She held on to the guard rail and looked down at the ocean, scanning for anything unusual. The fading moonlight gave off just enough light to show the small waves striking the boat. Dylan started to walk over to Emma with the intention of getting her to come back to bed. He paused when a splash was followed by a loud thunderclap. A feeling of uneasiness and fear came over both of them.

  “Dylan, start the boat. I want to get out of here,” Emma said, looking towards him.

  “That’s a good idea,” Dylan agreed, trying to fight the sudden feelings of dread. He looked around. He saw nothing threatening, just the calm ocean, but the skies were clean with no sign of an approaching storm. Abruptly, he saw a ghostly apparition out of the corner of his left eye. He quickly turned to see what it was. Nothing was there. He shook his head. “You’re losing it, man.” Suddenly, Emma let out a scream of terror that was followed by a large splash.

  “Baby!” he screamed in horror. He ran over to the bow of the ship. He steadied his shaking hand and shined the flashlight towards the water. His eyes widened with terror at the sight of a large scaled tail sinking beneath the surface. The tail was replaced by an expanding pool of red water. Dylan fell down screaming.

  “Oh god! I did not just see that!” he screamed in hysteria. After a few seconds of screaming, he managed to pull himself up. He nearly fell down again by a sudden feeling of vertigo. He vomited as he stumbled below deck. He reached the bedroom and grabbed his cell phone. The phone stayed on long enough to show a dead battery icon.

  “No! No! No!” he cried. He tossed the phone on the ground and grabbed Emma’s phone. He smashed his head in frustration, trying to remember her password. When it came to him, he smashed it in, only to have a low battery icon briefly appear before her phone went dead. “How is this possible?” he screamed. He threw the phone against the wall. A slim feeling of hope returned when he saw the boat key.

  He grabbed the key off the rack and ran above deck to the main cabin. He glanced at the ocean to check for anything in the water behind him. Seeing nothing, he sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine. The engine only sputtered, then failed. Dylan turned the key again as the boat was once again shaken. He hammered the wheel in frustration when he noticed the front of the boat tilting slightly upward. The hair on the back of his neck stood up when a warm breath blew on it. He felt another breath, and the realization that he was not alone hit him.

  He slowly turned around to see a large head with large yellow eyes staring back at him. He shouted in terror when the head came down and enclosed on his head and upper body. Dylan screamed and pounded at the creature’s teeth and mouth, struggling to break the vice-like grip, but to no avail. He let out a cry of pain as he was violently pulled from the driver’s seat. Dylan’s arms and feet were trying to latch on to anything as he was pulled backwards. In a final struggle, Dylan tried to find the creature’s eyes, but it was hopeless. The inside of the creature’s month started filling with water. Dylan let out a final gurgled scream as the teeth sank into his upper chest, separating it from the body.

  Chapter 15

  9:17 AM 4/11/2021 HST

  Mya Kendig groggily opened her eyes. She looked up at the wall-mounted clock across the room. A look of surprise formed on her face when she saw the clock read nine seventeen.

  “Alright, Jade, I’m up,” she said, smiling. She sat up on the couch and turned around, expecting her fully awake sister to be sitting at the kitchen table about to give her a lecture on how she slept the entire day away. A feeling of pain returned to her as she looked at the empty kitchen and hallway that led to the two bedrooms.

  With a heartbroken sigh, Mya got up, grabbed a chocolate fudge pop tart, and made herself some coffee. She took her breakfast on to the condo’s balcony and sat on one of the outdoor chairs. The balcony also had an arch-shaped pool that overlooked the island. Mya gradually ate while she gazed into the pool. Her thoughts went back to the night she arrived, to how much fun she and Jade had in that pool just a day ago. A warm feeling briefly came over her. She could almost hear and see the two of them splashing and laughing. “Jade, I miss you,” she said, sadly looking up towards the sky. Mya finished eating, then started what she knew was going to be an unpleasant day.

  An hour later, Mya walked into the Maui Police Department. A Hawaiian women about her age was sitting at the entrance desk. Mya walked up to desk and lightly tapped on the glass that created a wall between them.

  The deck officer looked up from her typing and said, “Hello, how my I help you?”

  “Hi, my name is Mya Kendig. Recently, my sister and I were involved in an underwater accident.” Mya paused for a moment to hold back her emotions. “That my sister did not come back from.”

  “You’re referring to Jade Kendig? The shark attack case?” Mya said nothing, just shook her head up and down. She was in no mood to argue over the fact that it was not a shark. “I’m truly sorry for your loss. What can I help you with?”

  “Some of my sister’s diving suit was recovered. Since Jade’s body has not been found, I was hoping to place the pieces of the suit in the casket.”

  “One moment,” the desk officer said. She got up and went through the door behind her. Mya waited eagerly for her to return. A few minutes later, the desk officer returned and sat back down. She looked at Mya and said sympathetically, “Ms. Kendig, I’m sorry, but we no longer have anything related to the Jade Kendig case.”

  “What?” Mya yelled, not believing what she was hearing. “Why don’t you? What happened to it?” The desk officer did not reply. Mya could tell by her face she was trying to make a mental decision.

  “I probably should not be telling you this, but last night we were ordered to send all evidence from the Jade Kendig case to Tokyo, Japan.” Mya just stood frozen. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. She could not understand why the Japanese government would want her sister’s diving gear. She was about to ask some more questions when a door opened. Her look of shock turned to a slight glare when Detective Browner walked into the lobby. When he spotted Mya, he huffed in annoyance.

  “Jeez. This is just what I need.” Mya didn’t look at him or say anything, hoping he would keep walking. Unfortunately, he walked over to the desk officer. “Is she talking about a sea monster?” he asked.

  “No, I’m not,” Mya replied.

  “Was I talking to you?” he snapped.

  “No, sir,” the desk officer replied. “She was just asking if she could have her sister’s recovered items.” Mya wanted to slam Browner against the wall and demand he tell her why he sent her sister’s items to Japan. However, she knew how that would end.

  “What did the Japanese want with my sister’s case items?” Mya asked.

  “How do you know about that?” Browner asked, surprised. He glanced at the desk officer. Mya repeated the question. This time her tone had a lot more seriousness and attitude to it.

  “That’s none of your business,” Browner answered. Then his attention turned back to the desk officer. He pointed his finger right at her face and said, “Don’t you ever give information like that out to a civilian again.”

  “Yes, sir,” the desk officer replied in a frightened voice.

  “She was my sister! I have every right to
know what is being done with her things!” Mya shouted back. Browner closed in on Mya’s personal space and looked down at her. Mya did not move back or look away. The two just exchanged glares. Finally, Browner spoke in a serious, authoritative voice.

  “Right now, you have two options, Ms. Kendig. Option one, you can leave now and never mention the sea monster again. I already told you someone will notify you when the shark that attack your sister is killed.” Mya rolled her eyes slightly, which increased Browner’s already irritated state. “Option two is, at best, I place you under arrest right now for public disturbance or, at worst, have you committed to a mental hospital…Now tell me right now: which option do you choose?”

  “Fine, you win,” Mya replied.

  “I didn’t ask you that. I asked which option. Option one or option two?” An angered look formed on Mya’s face. She started to move her lips. “Think carefully about what you say next,” Browner said with a slight smirk. He knew he was in complete control of the situation and Mya could do nothing but take whatever he threw at her.

  “Option one,” Mya said in a soft bitter voice.

  “What?” Browner said, crossing his arms.

  “Option one,” Mya repeated in a louder tone. Inside she was burning up, but knew she was powerless to do anything.

  “Smart,” he replied. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go investigate two missing sailors.” Browner brushed pass Mya and headed for the exit.

  “I suppose you think I killed them too,” Mya said sarcastically. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut, but she was so angry she acted against her better judgment. Browner abruptly turned around.

  “Desk officer, write Ms. Kendig up for disorderly conduct and issue her a fine.”

  I hope you choke on a donut, Mya said, this time in her head. She turned to face the desk officer, who looked upset by the event that had just occurred. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “Sorry, you had to go through that,” she said while writing out the fine slip.

  “Any chance you can report him for abuse of power?” Mya asked. She did not know how the desk officer would respond, but she seemed to be taking her side.

  “Unfortunately, no. A person acting like a jerk is not abuse of power.” She looked around the room to make sure no one was in earshot. “But between you and me, no one here likes him either,” she said, handing Mya the fine slip.

  “I can’t imagine why,” Mya said, taking it. She looked down at the amount owed, which was one dollar. Mya looked at the desk officer surprise.

  “Hey, he never said how much to fine you.” Mya grinned and pulled out her wallet.

  “Thanks. You just made my crappy day a little better,” she said gratefully, handing the desk officer five dollars. “Keep the change. Buy yourself a coffee or something.” The desk officer smiled back at Mya.

  “I hope you find closure soon.”

  “So do I,” Mya replied and left the station.

  Chapter 16

  11:00 AM 4/12/2021 JST

  Max and Liz entered the conference room located behind Okada’s office. They approached the front of the wooden conference table and sat down directly across from each other. A middle-aged man and a young women were already seated at the midsection of the table. Samuel Richards was lying back in his chair, resting his feet on the chair next to him. Ashly Cross was eating a bowl of Soba noodle salad and a large slice of teriyaki salmon. Samuel Richards had arrived in Tokyo yesterday. He had ample time to eat, sleep, and get settled. Ashly Cross’s traveling experience was not as pleasant. Due to the flight delay, she had arrived in Tokyo early that morning. When she arrived at her hotel room, she used what little time he had to get a few hours of sleep before the meeting.

  “Hi. You must be Max, and Liz. I’m Ashly Cross,” she said, smiling. The two of them returned the greeting.

  “You’re the computer and technical expert, right?” Liz said. Ashly’s mouth was full of noodles, so she shook her head yes.

  “Have you even seen someone that thin eat so fast?” Samuel added with a snicker.

  “Like I already told you, all I’ve eaten in about a day was the crackers the flight attendant gave me on the airplane. Getting here was not fun,” Ashly replied in an annoyed voice.

  “We heard you had travel delays,” Max cut in to stop an augment before it got started.

  “Yeah, not fun,” Ashly answered. Her attention turned back to Samuel. “You might want to be polite and introduce yourself to the team.”

  “I was getting to that,” he replied. “I’m Samuel Richards, your expert in the Cryptozoological field. I’m looking forward to working with all of you and would love to know your skills sets.”

  “Did you not read the briefing material they gave us?” Ashly asked. The fact that he may have neglected to look over the material shocked her. She had only just met him and already she thought he was an arrogant fool.

  “Only the parts I was interested in. In my experience, it’s not worth wasting valuable time reading information about my teammates when I can talk to them in person,” Samuel replied. Ashly gave him a look of displeasure.

  “Our new teammates already seem to be best friends,” Max said softly to Liz.

  “Need a bonding day,” Liz replied as she looked towards Samuel and Ashly and said, “I’m Liz Tayler, by the way. I’m the team’s weapons expert and everyone’s favorite sarcastic bad girl.”

  “Glad to have a sarcastic bad girl on the team,” Samuel replied.

  “I’m Max Varian. I’m a field biologist and animal trainer, currently training the attack dolphins with Liz.”

  “You look like you belong in the gothic shop,” Samuel said, looking at Max’s black jeans and black shirt with a werewolf on it. He was surprised to learn Max was a biologist. “I just hope you’re not one of those pompous types.”

  “Don’t worry. That’s already covered by someone else,” Ashly cut in, looking right at Samuel.

  “Glad you know yourself so well,” he replied. Before Ashly could respond, Max cut in.

  “How long have you been waiting for?” he asked.

  “About half an hour,” Ashly replied. “I had time to eat, so I’m happy.”

  “How did the two of you get dragged into this, anyway?” Samuel asked.

  “This is why you read the briefing material beforehand,” Ashly again pointed out. Before Samuel could respond, Okada entered the room caring a briefcase, followed by Saburo, who was pushing a small gray cart.

  Saburo parked the cart, unlocked it, and handed everyone a personal laptop. Once the task was completed, Saburo walked over to the computer sitting on a desk in the corner of the room. The computer was hooked up to a large TV mounted on the wall near the front of the conference table. A blue screen briefly appeared; then the windows display filled the screen. Okada stood at the front of the table and gently slammed the pointer he was holding on the table. The slight pounding was enough to get everyone’s attention.

  “Now that I have your attention, we can begin. My name is Commander Okada Takahashi. Admiral Tetsuya Takahashi has given me command of the upcoming operation.

  “He’s also my wonderful boyfriend, who likes to cook, and watch Japanese game shows,” Liz added. Okada turned and looked at her and gently smacked her hand with the pointer.

  Well, we know who gets all the special privileges on this team, Samuel silently commented to himself.

  “Not true. We never mix business with pleasure. There is a time for both,” Okada replied in a correcting, but soft voice. Okada looked at everyone and continued his speech. “Most of you I have known for years.” He moved the pointer towards Max, then Liz. He then moved the pointer towards Samuel and Ashly. “While others I will get to know with time.” Ashly and Samuel had never met Okada Takahashi, but already they could feel the power and authority his presence gave off. “Now, I want each of you to look to the left and to the right.” Everyone did as Commander Takahashi ordered. “The five of us will be workin
g as one unit. The success of this operation will depend on our ability to work together and use our skills to become a singular force.” Okada pulled a thin strip of wood out from his pocket.

  “Here comes the stick example,” Liz whispered to Max. He grinned as Okada held the wooden strip at eye level and snapped it. “Individually, we will fail.” He then pulled out five similar strips of wood. He held them at the same level as the previous strip and tried to snap them. After a few seconds of applying pressure to the strips, they remained intact. “When combined, our skills will become a mighty force.”

  Liz laughed under her breath. Okada’s symbolism was cheesy yet effective.

  “Have they ever snapped?” Max whispered to Liz.

  “Once, it was awkward,” Liz replied.

  “That is what we need to become. A mighty force. As of this moment, the five of us are known as Suijin squid.”

  “Are we supposed to be clapping?” Samuel whispered to Max.

  “If you want,” he replied. Samuel Richards clapped slowly. Liz started to join in, but a look from Okada that said “please don’t start” ended Liz’s clapping attempt.

  “Suijin. That is the Japanese god of water, correct?” Ashly said to Max.

  “Yes, a good name considering what we’re most likely going up against.”

  “I’m still not convinced a sea monster is the cause of these disasters,” Ashly replied. Her voice held more than a little skepticism. Max was about to reply when Okada started speaking.

  “During this meeting, I wish to accomplish two goals. First, I want a solid theory formed on what is causing the disasters around the Hawaiian Islands. Second, come up with a plan of action to remove or destroy it.”

  “Sir,” Ashly asked, raising her hand. Okada motioned it was okay to continue. “Do you have any more information on these incidents other than the information in the packets I received earlier?”