Dark

Unedited and really bad
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Twelve hours earlier
Luis sat on the dock with Chiara and waited for Charles to arrive. Eliza crossed the line, he surely did. It was dark and Chiara leant against him but it gave him little comfort. She radiated a comfortable amount of heat that made the chill of the night seem bearable, but everything else was unforgettable. Her breathing seemed so deep, Luis wasn’t sure if she was just calm or asleep. No matter what, it made the wait for their captain a little more bearable and he tried to keep his mind off the many worries he had.
They knew where the ship was, now, all they had to do was raid it and get whatever could be worth a few bucks out of it. He knew himself that he broke the first diving rule, the biggest one of all: never dive alone. Maybe he was just desperate; Luis never should have listened to Eliza when he suggested it. Diving with a buddy was always for your own safety.  He ignored that, and look where it got them. Two people in the hospital, and one of them might not even be able to walk for the rest of his life. The doctors weren’t even sure if he would make it through the night.
A deep sigh.
Luis tried to convince himself that is was Ian’s own fault, but it was so damn hard. Maybe he should have just listened to the facts. Maybe they were facts he didn’t even know existed. How could Eliza have noticed them and not told any of them? It just made him doubt his loyalty even more.
Chiara stirred and he looked at her. She was definitely asleep. Luis felt uncomfortable in his position, but she was finally asleep, that was all that mattered. Charles certainly took his time to come over. He knew that he woke him up, urging him to come, but still. It was over half an hour ago, maybe even closer to an hour. If he hadn’t offered him the extra hundred bucks, Charles probably wouldn’t even show up.
A gang of boys gathered at the other side of the street and were smoking sketchy stuff. Luis tried not to stare, knowing that it was exactly what they wanted, but he just couldn’t help it. He was lucky he no longer belonged to a group like that. His days of begging for money for cigarettes and other drugs were over. He shivered.
Never again.
A car blinded the gang with its headlights and steered onto the deserted parking lot. It shook as if an earthquake was affecting it and Luis found himself looking at the oldest, most rusty piece of garbage he had ever seen. He knew Charles didn’t care much for his stuff, but that car was just waiting to be taken to the dump. How could the government even let him drive in that?
Luis woke Chiara gently and waited for her to come back to the world.
“He’s here.” He said softly.
Chiara lifted her head from his shoulder and he finally felt free. He stretched along with her and finally was able to move his bum from the position that made it numb. He sighed deeply, trying not to think about the other two boys. Maybe he should have called Sophie to tell her about it, or maybe it was better if he didn’t. He didn’t know anything for sure, but he knew she would freak out and protect her brother; it was natural for her to do so.
Charles came out of his car and Luis had to wonder if he was just sleepwalking. He trudged over to them, rubbing his eyes and looking extremely worn out and tired.
“Lads, are you sure this cun’t be done ‘morrow?” he said as he stumbled past them.
“No,” Luis said and stood up, helping Chiara to her feet as well. “We are paying you, okay, just please, it will be fast!”
Charles mumbled something inaudible and took the two tanks that stood at their feet and dumped them on board.
“Sleep be priceless man, I deserve better than this.”
Luis rolled his eyes and jumped on board. Chiara followed and took a seat right next to him and waited for Charles to start the engines. They filled up their tanks before Charles got there, fetched their supplies, and now they were finally leaving. They could not risk waiting for dawn, who knew, maybe the Hunters were still looking, and Luis was not in the mood to run into them again.
The engine started and Chiara leant against him again with a deep sigh. He closed his eyes and slowly let the wind take over everything. Charles put on the lights and Luis angled himself so he wouldn’t be blinded by their brightness.
It was funny how on the second day or so when he found his coins, the Hunters offered him two thousand dollars, and he eventually just got five hundred more. Every little bit was welcome, but would he have been spared all that trouble if he just took it and left it to be?
He would never know.
Chiara pulled up her legs and Luis could feel the weight of her on his shoulder and chest. He sighed deeply and just wished it would all be over soon. Heck, he didn’t even know why he and Chiara decided to go out tonight. Maybe it was because he needed to see if Eliza was telling the truth. Maybe it was the curiosity, or maybe the hunger for the riches that might be down there. He didn’t know, and part of him didn’t want to.
The trip seemed longer at night, and Luis was not sure it was because of his nerves, the darkness or the exhaustion. Chiara stirred every now and then and Luis made no attempt to start a conversation. Now was not the time, and he wondered if it ever would be.
With the trial coming up that week and his father growing more nervous every day, maybe he just came here to get out of the house. He had no clue how trials worked or how long the took, all he knew, is that the witch of a woman was going to pay for her crime, no matter what.
He drifted off into a sort of dream state and before he knew it the boat slowed down and Chiara seemed to wake up. Charles mumbled to himself and threw out the anchor, as he and Chiara got ready to suit up. There was an eerie silence in the night, and not even the crickets or the birds cooing could be heard out there, in the open sea.
“Are you ready?” he asked Chiara as he helped her zip up.
“Ready as I’ll ever be… You?”
“I don’t know,” he said and he put on his mask. “Do you have the rope?”
Chiara nodded and slung it over her shoulder. Luis grabbed the bag and the flashlights and stood in front of the drop into the black pit of the sea. He turned on his flashlight, and without saying anything to Charles he jumped into the void.
It was dark and cold despite wearing a wetsuit and Luis shivered as soon as he sunk to a lower level. He heard another large splash and turned to see Chiara swim over to him. A shadow below them stirred and his attention diverted a bit, but Chiara almost immediately suggested they go deeper. Luis nodded and followed her down to the deep. The little moonlight that managed to illuminate the skies didn’t break through to those depths and it was hard to see, even with two flashlights. Luis kicked his fins and squinted to try and see if there was a wreck at the bottom. It had to be there, well, approximately. They were at the coordinates where they helped Eliza and Ian up from the deep, where he almost fainted in the water himself due to lack of oxygen.
Where I supposedly can’t even support myself in the water.
Luis felt the anger rage inside him and squinted at the seabed below. Nothing but rock and sand was there, and they started to swim off in one direction.
Luis thought he saw shadows everywhere, and he didn’t know if they were fish, sharks or just figments of his imagination. Maybe he was becoming paranoia, he didn’t know.
The underwater world seemed like a scary movie at night. Fish that gleamed in the sun now cast off this eerie glow when the flashlight his it. Fish he had never seen before came out to see what they were doing, and he could feel the Goosebumps traveling up his arms.
All of a sudden a large shadow towered over them and Luis looked up to see the collapsed figure of the ships’ mast hanging over their head. The figure of a shark swam over it and if he would have been on land, he would have jumped. The adrenaline rushed through his veins and he quickly shook Chiara and tried to get her attention, pointing frantically at the shadow he just saw.
Chiara looked, but clearly saw nothing. Luis’ heart pounded and he hoped the shark would have just gone away. Maybe it was scared, like the first one he ran into with Eliza.
Eliza.
Luis cast him out of his thoughts and tried to focus on the task at hand. Just to be sure, he felt along his belt and made sure his knife was still secured to it. It was meant to cut the rope if needed, but he feared for his life, knowing the shark was there.
Maybe there are more.
Luis cast the horrifying thought out of his mind and guided Chiara to the side of the ship. Paranoia seemed to take over and the shadows were everywhere, above him, under him and at his every side. He looked from side to side in a sort of panic mode, the adrenaline racing through his veins.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he tensed up. Chiara pulled his face to face hers and her calm, reassuring look calmed him down. He was overreacting; sharks don’t just attack people.
Over day that is…
He helped tie the rope to one of the stable beams on the outside of the boat. Chiara swam overhead to control everything, to make sure it was stable. He could hear a whistle and swam up to meet her. What he saw only disappointed him.
From the side the wreck still looked intact, but once seen from above, Luis knew they wouldn’t need rope. The entire thing was collapsed and fish shot out from beneath the cracks. Everything they were looking for was just beneath the wooden planks.
If there was anything left at all.
Chiara carefully started rummaging in the debris and Luis followed suit. It was useless. It was clear that whatever that might have been of value was probably camouflaged or underneath piles of rubble. Luis wanted to whistle, to call Chiara back, say it was all for nothing, but instead he hesitated. Large brown sacks were visible under the rubble, and it caused him to hesitate just a little longer.
He swam down and pulled one of the bags out. It was heavy and light at the same time. He was lucky it all was underwater, because he probably would not have the strength to carry it on land. He whistles at Chiara and she shone her flashlight right in his face. He squinted and pointed at the bag, subsequently pointing up. He had to see what was in it.
The fact that there were multiple troubled him. Maybe it was something unordinary, like food or so, but there was a small chance something else was in them. Chiara nodded at him and swam over, taking the bag in one hand. Luis got the message and swam up to the surface with her.
Another shadow shot past them.
This time Chiara saw it as well, how could she not? It was a meter in front of them, if not less. She gave him a look of worry and Luis tried to stay strong and ignore the fast pace of his heart. Nothing was going to happen to them. They had enough bad luck already.
Slowly they rose to the surface, breathing deeply and letting their lungs adjust to the pressure. It couldn’t go fast enough for Luis. The shadows were everywhere, and he was sure they weren’t just fish.
Chiara quickened her pace and Luis held her back a little, not wanting to feel the effects of the bends. They had to take their time, whether they liked it or not.
Luis’ head shot from side to side and his breathing became laboured.
Sharks don’t just attack. They don’t just attack.
They don’t just attack people.
They broke the surface and Chiara started thrashing for the boat. She called out Charles’ name and Luis swum behind her, straining to keep a grip on the bag. They neared the boat and Luis tried to pull himself up, and then get the bag.
Then Chiara let out an ear-piercing scream, before being cut off and dragged underwater.
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What do you guys think happened? I have a double update for you guys! Well, double, a Wednesday Friday update ☺ So have fun my readers, I love you all!
Slowly this story is coming to an end!
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