Chapter 11

Flames lick at Samantha’s naked body. The heat is so intense she feels like her skin is on fire. Where are my clothes? Where am I at? She feels lost and abandoned. Hopelessness starts to engulf her. Helplessness threatens to smother her.

“Do not be afraid, child.”

That voice! Who are you? Where are you?

“I am near and soon I will hold you close.”

The flames roar as they rise higher into the air. Samantha flinches, drawing her legs in closer, trying to escape the heat pouring out from the flames. She shakes from fear. Yet fear is nothing more than an emotion, a useless emotion. She can’t shake it off though. She looks around, trying to fight the fear that holds her.

There! A man! Of my fucking ... it’s Spencer!

He lies on a small island surrounded by hot liquid magma. He is in the same situation as she. The flames threaten to swallow him whole as they creep closer and closer until pulling back suddenly, just mere inches from his face.

Hang on, Spence!

Her mind is screaming for answers. She tries to open her mouth, her lips form words, but no sound escapes.

Help me someone! Please help me goddammit!

“He is too far out of your reach,” the voice suddenly returns. “You have me now. Forget those of your miserable past.”

The entire place shakes violently. Samantha braces herself, grabbing hold of the ground by digging her fingers in as deep into the soil as she can. When the shaking finally subsides, she looks around noticing for the first time that she is in some kind of cavernous space. Little islands dot the landscape, all surrounded by magma. Her eyes settle on the tiny island that holds Spencer. He is no longer lying on it, nor is he anywhere in sight.

Spencer!

Her mind once again screams to make sense of all this.

“Relax, my child,” that same voice says. “I am here and I will care for you.”

What about Spencer?

“He is of no consequence anymore. Your destiny lies within you here and now. You must grab hold of it and rise to your true self.”

Who are you?

“My name is Typheryian,” the voice says. “Now rise, my child. Rise!”

Samantha feels tightness in her shoulders. Her skin starts to tear, sending pain searing through her. The sound of bones crunching echo through her ears. Her breathing becomes
labored, the pain leaving her head feeling like it is about to explode. In one final moment, wings shoot out from her back, her blood spraying out in every direction. The pain in her head increases, leaving her feeling like she is starring into the sun. She screams as horns burst outward from her skull. Blood pours down her face, some into her eyes stinging them and adding to the pain.

No! I cannot! I won’t!

“I just spoke with the captain,” Julie says to Spencer. “We should reach Hong Kong just before midnight.”

For nearly the last two days they have been aboard the sixty-five foot deep sea trawler. Julie has refrained herself to only speaking to Spencer. Samantha, on many attempts, has tried to speak with her, but Julie has only given her the cold shoulder, ignoring Samantha. After several attempts, she decided to give up and stay at the opposite side of the boat, leaving Spencer as the middle man to relay information between the two.

“How long is he going to wait for us?” Spencer asks. “I really don’t want to be stuck in China, especially when we’re not supposed to be there.”

Julie laughs, which is the first time he has seen her doing anything other than keeping a permanent grin on her face. “You worry too much.”

“In this job we have to worry,” he counters.

“You can, but I rather not,” she says smiling. “He’s giving us twelve hours, which should be more than enough time.”

“It’s the should part that I don’t like,” he remarks, frowning at her. Spencer looks out at the vast stretch of sea. The ship’s captain charted a route that would take them directly to Hong Kong, more or less. In theory, they should avoid any ships or Chinese patrol boats. So far everything is going as planned. “Are we expecting a storm?” he asks, pointing to the north-east.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Julie says calmly. “I’ll go see what the captain has on the radar.” She disappears as she heads to the bridge.

“No! I cannot! I won’t!” Samantha suddenly screams.

“Sam!” Spencer yells, running to her side. She is sleeping out on the bow, having not felt comfortable alone in the cabin below deck. She is now sitting up, her face and hair drenched with sweat. “Sam? Are you alright?” he asks soothingly, sitting at her side, hand running over her hair.

“Yes. Yes, I am now,” she says shaking. “Oh Spence, it was horrible and it felt so real. So very real.”

“It’s okay now, Sam,” he says, trying to comfort her. “It was only a dream.”

“It ... it felt so real,” she says trembling. “I was turning into a Goji, Spence. I was becoming one of them.”

“Don’t worry, Sam,” he assures her. “You won’t become one of them.”

“How can you be so sure?” she asks with pleading eyes.

“Trust me,” he answers, looking back with soothing ones. “I will do everything I can to stop it from happening.”

“Spencer?”

“Yes?”

“How about when this is over, we set a date,” she asks, her face becoming calm, a smile pressing at the corners of her mouth.

“Are you asking me to marry you?” he asks with a chuckle.

Hitting him playfully, she says, “I’m serious, Spence.”

“I know you are,” he says, squeezing her tightly close to him. “You pick a day and we’ll do it. I’d love to marry you.”

“Good. I’m going to hold you to it,” she says with a smirk.

“So, no escaping?” he asks with a playful grin.

“Well, you can try,” she answers, returning the smile. “But I’ll just have to hunt you down again.” The both laugh at the remark. “Please don’t tell Julie what happened,” Sam says, suddenly taking on a more serious tone. “She already hates me as it is.”

“I won’t,” he says kissing her forehead. “Besides, it’s none of her damn business.”

“I know this ain’t the time to bring it up, but I’m not sure we can trust her,” Samantha says concerned. “At least not to help me if I fall into trouble.”

Spencer grabs her and pulls her in close, wrapping his arms around her. “Since when are you afraid of a little trouble?” he teases.

“Since we have had so many close calls,” he says. “We’re not invincible, Spence, and I need to make sure I can turn my back and not worry if it’s a mistake to do so.”

“You won’t have to worry about that,” Julie says as she approaches them silently. “If the time comes I will have your back.”

“Were you spying on us?” Samantha shoots her a glare. The accusation laces the words as they come out.

“I’ve no need to spy on you,” the woman says smirking. “And regardless of if I like you or not, I don’t turn on my allies.”

“That’s comforting,” Samantha says sarcastically.

“What did the captain have to say?” Spencer asks, trying to change the subject and diffuse the fight that is bound to erupt at some point.

Julie stares down at Samantha a few more seconds before finally turning her attention to Spencer. “The captain says there is nothing on radar and the forecast calls for clear weather.”

“It’s too far out to really tell what it is then,” Spencer remarks, looking out the impending threat.

“And it’s moving in fast,” Samantha adds.

“Can the captain angle away from it or get more speed out of this thing?” Spencer asks, turning back to Julie.

“I had already thought of that,” the woman says frowning. “If we angle off our course, we won’t make it to our destination on time. And we certainly can’t outrun it.”

“Either one is probably their intent,” Spencer perceives.

“Or both,” Samantha adds.

“I’ll go make the captain aware that we will be having trouble,” Julie says, running back to the bridge.

Thirty minute is all it takes for hell to break loose. The sudden storm cause hurricane strength winds that batter the boat, threatening to snap it in two like a toothpick. Waves tear at the Blue Leviathan, beating at the hull. Against the captain’s orders to get below deck, the three stay on the deck waiting for the attack that they know is coming. The boat takes a beating for fifteen long minutes. Its captain holds it steady, managing to keep it on course the entire time. Then suddenly and without notice, the boat is in the control of the sea. The storm looms over the boat and its passengers like a hungry beast ready to devour them.

“We need to find out if the captain is alright!” Spencer yells over the roaring waves.

“I’ll go see what’s going on!” Julie yells back, volunteering to be the one for the task.

“Be careful!” he yells at her back. “Get ready for anything!”

Julie carefully makes her way toward the bridge, using anything solid to keep steady and stay aboard the rocking vessel. She nearly loses her footing a few times when the waves slam into her body. If I survive this, I’m never going boating again. The door to the bridge is flung wide open by the time she reaches it. It isn’t too odd that it would be open with the way the ship is being tossed and turned. It could have not been closed right when she left previously or it’s just due to old age. When she steps into the doorway though, she never knew she could be so wrong.

The captain’s gut is sliced open. His intestines are splayed all across the watery deck. Holding his lifeless body is the Goji, Gravlis. Julie is too focused on getting to the bridge safely that she isn’t even thinking about the attack coming from here. Gravlis tears the captain’s throat out. Pieces of flesh and blood drip from the Goji’s mouth to fall to the floor with wet splats. “You’re just in time. I like having my meal served to me.” He smiles a toothy and very blood smile. The sight of it makes Julie’s stomach turn in revulsion.

“Over your dead body!” she yells, reaching for her gun.

Gravlis doesn’t waste any time. Dropping the lifeless body to the floor, the Goji launches himself through the air and slams into Julie. She has just gotten a grip on her gun when the force of the impact pins her and her hand against the railing of the boat. Pain shoots through her hand, causing her to lose grip of the gun. It falls into the churning water below. The noise of the splash is easy swallowed up by the roar of the waves and growl of the Goji.

Spencer and Samantha have their guns drawn. Though they are ready for just about anything, Spencer is hit without warning from behind and then lifted into the air. Before he has a chance to realize that he has been lifted up, he is thrown across the deck. He impacts against the deck and slides, stopping once he hits the railing. Natalya hovers gracefully fifteen feet above the boat. Her wings flap smoothly while the rain and winds seem not to hinder her, like there is some kind of field surrounding her.