PREDATOR ISLAND (Sea Lab Book 2)

CHAPTER 37

At the bottom of the lagoon, the right side of Sarah's lower back was locked in place. She tried to roll away, but relentlessly, the suction drew her body to the half-moon opening in the drain hole. Her unnatural ability to hold her breath had helped her so far. But now, trapped in the powerful pull of the caldera's blast hole, with thousands of gallons of water pressing down on her, that ability was stressed to the breaking point.

Soon, the breath she'd been holding began to dwindle. But facing the direction of the bank where everyone waited, she glanced up and saw someone swimming toward her.

Even in distress, she recognized the grit in Jake's determined eyes as he kicked toward the bottom. When he reached her, he dug his bare feet into the rocky floor, crammed his hands under her, and heaved up on her body. His face strained and a vein bulged in his neck as he struggled against the force that equaled thousands of pounds of pressure...but he would not be denied.

He strained even more, his face contorting and his heels grinding into rock and sediment.

Sarah wondered how much longer he could last underwater, and just when he seemed on the verge of exhaustion and suffocation, Jake tried harder, refusing to give up.

With all the strength he could muster—apparent by his reddened cheeks and tensed muscles—with a powerful upward thrust, Jake rolled Sarah off of the drain hole.

But in her place, the suction pulled him to the bottom.

He had tried to save her, knowing it would put his own life at risk.

Now she had to save him.

Sarah latched onto his arm and yanked, her feet searching for traction as she attempted to slide his body toward her. The more she tried, the more she realized the effort had yielded little reward as the downward force held him tightly to the hole.

Bubbles seeped from his lips while his eyes stared back at her desperately.

Sarah tried again, but couldn't gain the leverage to free him. As she pulled, he gasped and involuntarily drew water into his lungs. He gagged and choked and his body convulsed.

Sarah had to act quickly.

She reached across his chest and grabbed his other arm. Now she had leverage.

Summoning her newfound strength, clinging to the last reserves of the breath she'd been holding, Sarah pulled him off of the hole and rolled him clear of its powerful draw.

As the water drained into the caldera, she looped an arm around him and began their ascent. Time passed as she fought to break the surface. Jake's life was in her hands. Every second counted. And finally after churning through the water, they emerged, the others looking on in alarm.

Even now, as oxygen replenished her body, Sarah felt a wave of renewed energy as she dragged Jake ashore. On the bank, instinctively from years of training, she put her ear to his mouth to check his airway. It was clear. Then she felt for a pulse. Nothing.

With her heart pattering and her limbs quaking, she placed her hands on his sternum and began chest compressions. Thirty of them. When she finished, she gave him mouth-to-mouth, forcing two breaths of air into his lungs.

She bent to listen. "Come on, Jake."

"Oh my, God," Rachel said, gasping. "This can't be happening."

Sarah began chest compressions again, her jittery hands feeling the life drain out of Jake's body.

"Come on, buddy, don't give up." Tony appeared in front of her. Sarah glanced at him through misty eyes.

She gave Jake two more quick breaths.

Nothing.

"Jake, Jake, don't do this." She slammed her fist into his chest, a wail bursting from her lips.

In frustration, she hit him again. Hope flickered away as darkness settled over Sarah's vision.

The world around her swayed, her heart rocked to the core.

Then unexpectedly—but to Sarah's amazement—Jake lurched upward and water poured from his mouth and nose.

She cried out in relief.

He coughed and sputtered, his eyes fluttering open.

"Don't ever do that again." She pulled him close and held him.

"Don't save you?" he replied, his voice raspy from swallowing the water.

"Yes, don't save me ever again."

He grinned wisely, peering up at her. "But I owed you one."

Sarah laughed and squeezed him tightly.

In the moments that followed, the lagoon drained of water, emptying into what had to be a massive inner chamber within the caldera. Soon, with Jake standing but exhausted, everyone padded through the mucky bottom to the center of the dormant volcano.

Tony whistled. "If it had fire in its belly, it'd be put out now."

Dr. Graham lingered behind them. "If it were active, the smoke and steam would be spewing from the hole, and the water pressure might cause it to erupt."

Sarah acknowledged Graham's comment, and then turned her attention to the large round stone covering half of the drain. She knelt and wiped her hand across it. "There's some writing on it."

With water from a nearby puddle, she scooped some up and splashed it onto the stone, smoothing it with her hand until the surface came clean.

Savannah said in a reverenced tone, "It's in English." After a pause, she read the words aloud, "The grandest fall veils the darkest heart."

Sarah glanced back. Dr. Graham was kneeling, hands near his ankle.

He smiled with bright eyes and continued the motion until his fingers found the laces on his boots. Then he gave the strings a tug, winked, and stood.

Graham approached the stone plug and read its clue out loud once again. "I believe it's referring to the grandest waterfall on the island, and quite possibly a cave behind it." The doctor hesitated and touched his chin. "I think I know where the treasure is hidden."

"Good." A husky voice startled them. Everyone turned to see a man with a gun pointed at them and a woman standing next to him. "Now, you can leads us to it."

Dylan replied, "Guess the five grand for the map wasn't enough?"

"Not when there's 160 million on the line," the woman said, crossing her arms.

The man had a serious five o'clock shadow, and the woman's frizzy brown locks grazed her shoulders as she offered them a cocky grin.

"So," Savannah said, "How did you find us?"

As Dylan crept forward, Graham, eased behind him.

"It's not hard to track such a large group of people," the man replied, "especially when you know where they're going. The only problem is, we don't need all of you. So some of you need to die."

"You first, " Dr. Graham said, stepping from behind Dylan and squeezing off a shot with a tiny pistol, a gun that could have been strapped to his ankle.

The round nailed the man between the eyes. He collapsed. Dead as night.

The woman stared wide-eyed as she raised her hands in the air. She had decided not to draw the weapon tucked in her waist, thinking her man could handle the situation.

"I'll be taking that gun," Dr. Graham said with a wink, confiscating the woman's pistol and stuffing it behind his back. "And you'll be going for a swim."