Page 42 of Explorer’s Revenge

I see debris in it as well as trees and rocks.

A snake lunges for me as it’s dragged by, and I search for the others, but they could be anywhere.

It separated us when it hit. Breathing slowly, I look up and force myself to climb as fast as I can to the next branch.

I sit on it with my back to the trunk, my arms still wrapped around it just in case.

My heart hammers in my chest as I watch the water pass below, flooding the island.

I don’t know how long I’m trapped here, but the whole time, all I can think about are the guys. Are they okay? Are they safe? Are they hurt? They are strong and smart, but nature doesn’t care about that.

I lean my head back, and my eyelids must close because they open when I jerk to the side. Yelping, I scramble back, almost falling from my perch. The water has settled, moving slower and much lower, as if the waves have retreated. Everything is still waterlogged but nowhere near as deep.

The moon has moved farther across the sky. Fuck, was I out long?

What should I do?

I’m losing time. I need to find them.

Swallowing, I scoot down the branch and look out, straining to hear and see, then I finally catch a voice in the distance.

It has to be them.

Without a second thought, I climb down, but my bad leg slips, and I hit the water with a loud splash.

Groaning, I stumble to my feet, grateful nothing was below me that could stab me, but I need to be more careful.

I wade through the chest-high flood, limping and stumbling over the uneven ground and debris, all while blindly following that voice.

It grows louder and louder.

“Hello?” I yell before coughing.

It stops for a moment, and I freeze. “Maeve?” someone shouts, and my heart pounds.

Moving faster, I propel myself in the direction of the voice. My eyes strain in the dark, but then I finally see their outlines.

I move faster, dropping to my knee as I trip over something, but I get up and keep going until I can see them.

Logan holds onto a tree with one arm, holding Rick with the other. Rick’s eyes are closed and blood drips down his face, his legs floating. “Maeve,” he whispers. “Thank God. Thank God. Did you see any of the others?”

“No. Just you,” I reply as I move closer, stroking Rick’s face. He groans, and I nearly double over with relief.

“He’s okay, but he hit his head hard. I can’t let go. He won’t wake up enough, so I’m trapped,” Logan explains in a rush.

Moving past Rick, I grip Logan’s head and press my cheek to his.

“Shh, it’s okay. You did really well. Let’s get up into the tree, okay?

Once we are safe, we can make a plan to find the others.

If we swim or walk without a strategy, we could lose.

” He nods, and I look at Rick. “Okay, hand him to me while you climb up onto that low branch, and then I’ll pass him to you. ”

We work quickly after that, wanting to get out of the water in case it gets worse again.

You never know. He scales the tree swiftly and crouches on the thick branch just above the water, reaching as far down as he can while I hold Rick.

His weight tugs me deeper into the water, but I dig my feet into the ground below.

“Okay, hand him over.”

My hands slip on Rick’s skin, but I keep hoisting, using all my strength. My bad leg screams at me, and my numb arm aches, but I ignore it all.

Grunting under his weight, I manage to get Rick high enough for Logan to grab him under his arms and lift him onto the branch. Breathing heavily, he settles Rick into the crook before leaning down and offering me his hand. “Okay, now you.”

“Maeve . . .,” Rick groans, lifting his head and looking at me.

“Here, babe.” I wink as I jump and try to reach Logan’s hand. My wet palm slips through his grip, so I grit my teeth and try again. My fingers just hit his when something hard and large crashes into me under the water, dragging me down and away.

I hear their yells and a splash, but it’s all secondary to a stabbing, burning pain in my arm.

My eyes widen as I stare into the empty orbs of the crocodile.

My scream fills the water as it sinks its teeth into my arm and shoulder, rolling us deep into the murky abyss.

Water fills my lungs, and I know I need to get free or I’ll die.

I frantically search the water until I see a sharp rock.

I reach for it with my other arm, screaming as the monster yanks on the limb in its maw.

I finally grasp it, and with a victorious yell, I swing my arm up, smashing the rock into its face.

It gnaws on my arm, so I try again. This time, I hit its nose, and its jaws open as it recoils.

I drive the rock deeper before pushing to the surface.

I choke as I splash and scream, blood filling the water around me.

“Carter!” The shout brings my attention upward, and I see Way, Wilder, and Aiy about twenty feet away. “Carter, we’re here!”

I’m knocked to the side, the water moving in a wake as the croc cuts through it, swimming toward them. My throat burns, and I try to scream a warning, but I choke.

With no other choice, I grip the sharp rock and dive at the monster.

I land on its back, and we sink under the surface.

Pounding the rock against it, I try to hurt the creature, but its scales are too thick and its body is too big.

It’s like trying to hold onto a whale. Gripping its dorsal scales, I focus on my breathing and the creature below me as it dives deeper.

Luckily, though, it’s swimming away from the guys.

When it starts to roll, I know I don’t stand a chance. My head smacks into the ground below, disorienting me, and my grip loosens. My eyes burn from the saltwater as I see it disappear into the darkness, then I push off the ground and break the surface once more.

My head is spinning, and every inch of my body both aches and feels numb. The muddy water around me is visibly red, even in the dark, with my blood, and I know it’s only a matter of time before that monster returns to finish me off.

Arms unexpectedly wrap around me and lift.

I slam my head back out of instinct, and someone groans as I whirl. Way holds his busted nose, his eyes wide. “It’s me! It’s me!”

“Are you okay?” Wilder wades toward me, Aiy right behind him, then Logan and Rick appear, rushing through the water.

Nodding, I begin to speak when my legs suddenly give out. Way catches me, and I blink up at them all. “I think something is wrong,” I slur.

“Shit, Wilder, look at her arm,” Way snaps.

“We need to move her now!” he roars.

“This way,” Logan yells, and I’m lifted.

I must lose consciousness because the next time I’m aware of my surroundings, I’m lying on something in the water, the guys circling me.

I glance down to see I’m on a small piece of wood, maybe from one of the ships, and they are pushing it through the water.

“What happened?” I rasp.

Aiy leans closer, his face pale. There’s a cut across one eyebrow, and I try to lift my arm to wipe the blood away, but it’s too heavy. “Shh, it’s okay. Just rest. We are going back to the beach, I think. Rescue should be here soon. We just need to ride it out.”

Turning my head, I see Logan smile at me, while Rick squeezes my other hand. Way kisses my forehead, surprising me. “Stay with us, Carter, okay? We need someone to keep us in line.”

“Fucking hero shit,” Wilder grumbles and then looks at me. “Don’t try that shit again. We can save ourselves.” His voice softens when he adds, “Just rest. I promise I’ll get you out of here, Carter, and back to your dad.”

They are talking like I’m dying. Maybe I am. Is that why everything is so . . . strange?

I probably lost a lot of blood between my leg, arm, and head, not to mention the infection, so maybe my body is finally giving in.

“If I die?—”

“You aren’t dying,” Aiy snaps, sounding angrier than I’ve ever heard him.

“If I do . . .” I look at Wilder, hating that I’m adding this to his plate, but I know he can do it. “Tell my father I love him. Give him the videos.”

“I will, but you aren’t going anywhere,” he murmurs. “Hold on, Carter.” We travel faster, the soft lull of the water growing choppy.

“Something’s wrong,” Rick whispers, trying not to disturb me.

“Probably smaller waves coming—shit!” Way yells, and my eyes open just as another wave hits us.

I’m thrown from the board, and I struggle under the churning water before I manage to resurface.

Luckily the wood is near me, so I swim as hard as I can and throw myself at it.

Clinging with the last ounce of strength I have, I look around for the guys, but I don’t see them anywhere.

They are gone.

I try to scream, but my throat doesn’t want to work.

I float as time passes, until a bright light shines in my eyes, making them close.

When I blink them open, I glance around in confusion.

The water is moving weirdly and there’s wind.

The light grows stronger until it’s right above me like a spotlight.

Tilting my head back, I glance up at it to make sense of what I’m seeing, my brain sluggish. The light is so bright it hurts, and that noise . . . it’s like a whirring.

Helicopter.

It clicks. There is a helicopter above me.

I wave my good arm. “Help! Help!” My voice is more of a whisper, but it doesn’t matter. A rope is dropped, then someone in a suit and helmet repels down. He stops next to me. “Miss, I’m here to help you. Are you able to grip the rope?”

I shake my head, almost slipping from the wood, and he speaks into his mic before smiling at me.

“It’s going to be okay now. We have you.

” Time moves strangely, but a rescue board arrives in moments, and he hauls me onto it, straps me in place, and waves his hand, and then we rise into the air and out of the water.

Turning my head, I see my good arm dangling down, but I can’t seem to move it. I ignore it, searching the water for signs of them.

They were right there with me.

I want to scream, but my body’s giving in, and they wouldn’t hear me above the sounds of the blades. They have to see this. They have to be here.

I’ll make sure the chopper doesn’t leave without them.

Just then, something moves in the water, and hope blooms in my chest, even as we are steadily cranked up toward the hovering machine. When it breaches the surface, though, I realize it’s not a person.

It’s that thing.

My shout fills the air as I see the beast leap from the water, its jaws closing inches below the board before it plummets back into the sea.

“Holy shit!” the guy next to me yells. “Did you see that? Get us out of here!”

I’m slid onto the helicopter as two men start working on me, cutting away my clothes.

Everything feels . . . far away.

Everything but the thought of them down there.

“My team . . . My team is here,” I tell them, or I think I do. My head is turned and my eyes are on the water and island below. “Save them, please. My team . . . We have to save them . . . .”

Everything goes black once more.