A huge slab sided Navy boat sat, motionless in pretty much the same position as the Drake had been a week before.
Anchored a few miles from the coast, with the sun shining in my eyes, I couldn't get a lot of details. Hand shading my eyes, concentrating on the boat, an aircraft carrier I think, I moved toward the water, my attention fixed on the ship.
The freight train hit me like a .... well, freight train from behind. Face in the sand and not yet realising what was going on, until the teeth found the top of my shoulder, that sure got my attention and I knew exactly what had hit me.
A huge hit of adrenaline course through my veins and some undoubtedly spilled through the hole in my shoulder, but not enough to stop me from bucking and rolling away from the snapping monster that was biting and scratching at my back and arms.
Half up, falling forward as I bolted panicked and mostly blind, no idea which way I was going, no plan apart from getting as far away from those teeth and nails as I possibly could. I managed to stay upright and got a few metres on the snapping scratching monster as its howls sounded to be receding behind me a little. I kept running, hoping that I was heading for the safety of my van, my fortress. the place where I could lock the door before calmly picking up one of several guns and dispatch this biting bastard to the next world.
I'd been facing the ocean. I shaded my eyes and managed to get a look at my location just as my feet hit the water. I was running away from my safe haven and had a monster on my tail if the pounding sound behind me was anything to go by.
Straight into the gentle surf, it must have been close to low tide, but I'd missed the weather report on the local TV station the evening before, as the local TV station and all but one of its audience.... were dead.
Out into the water, the cool waves taking the burn away from my fair skin, it was an illusion, if it didn't get to some shade soon, I would be red raw. Why oh why hadn't I put some clothes on and picked up a gun before leaving the van. why couldn't I have simply pee'd inside like a civilised human being.... alas too late now.
I risked a glance as I moved into deeper water. The monster had stopped dead. He was a big man, naked. He was looking straight at me, focussed on his prey. But he would come no further, was he afraid of the water? He began to scream and roar and I noticed others coming over the sand toward him. Only about five of them all big Men. There was no way I would get past them to the van or any of my vehicles, This was not good.
I couldn't simply wait them out, the sun was beating down. I was burning already even if I was outside for only another half an hour, I was in for some serious sun burn, being stark naked, some of that was going to be rather awkward.
Standing in cool water up to my neck, my shoulder stinging from the cruel salt water. I stood till for a few moments gathering my whits, knowing that the salt water was the best first aid that I could hope for at this time. Its antiseptic qualities hopefully working wonders on the bite on m shoulder. I gingerly ran my left hand over the area, I could feel it, feel the teeth marks where they had pierced my skin and the flesh beneath. there were holes but no big bits missing. I was still bleeding and could do noting about that. Don't even think about great white sharks.
My only hope lay on the ship that was slowly dying beside me. I'd looked her over more than once and had even entertained the idea of taking my inflatable boat out tot he stairs conveniently laying down her port side and going aboard for a bit of a look. I'd soon dismissed the idea as a fools errand, lots of danger for little reward. Now I had no choice.
The ships bow was driven up onto the beach, the rest trailed almost directly out to sea. the starboard side of the ship was snug up against the rusted wreck of the Sygna, another bulk carrier that had washed up in 1974. The Sygna ended up stern first a few yards from the beach, the starn of the ship stuck fast in the sand, a clever and resourceful Japanese salvage expert had refloated the bow of that ship just after it had beached and taken it away to be scrapped, try as he might, he couldn't get the stern and it had become a local landmark over the past 38 years
The movement from the newer ship, the Principosa Jolanda, had destroyed a good amount of the older ship as it ground against it over the last few weeks. Unfortunately I was on the starboard side, the stairs, the only way aboard the ship were on the port side. The easiest way would be back onto the beach, around the bow of the ship back into the water and along the hull to the stairs. I doubted my friends on the beach would be receptive to that idea.
Sun burning, shoulder aching and worse still leaking blood into shark habitat, I had to move.
Never a strong swimmer I figured staying up against the hull of the Jolanda would be the safest course, I might be able to cling to the side of the ship in a fashion and it was one less direction for a shark to come from. Just as I was about to start my journey, I spied a two litre Coca Cola bottle merrily bobbing up and down in the gentle surf. The litter bug that had discarded the bottle after consuming its sugary contents had thoughtfully refitted the red plastic screw top. I hate litterers, today I thanked every deity I could think of for my grubby friend. The poor mans lifevest made the job of swimming better than a quarter of a mile, a much safer proposition.
I set out towards the back of the ship. tasting and smelling a diesel oily scent on the water. obviously the Jolanda was beginning to give up her fuel or perhaps her lubricants, either way, an environmental disaster was just round the corner and no one was going to clean it up.
I grunted and puffed, dog paddling my way to the point where the newer and older shipwrecks were closest together. Up close, it was easy to see how much damage each ship had done to the other, the Jolanda had a split up her side, the front half of the ship was in the process of parting company from the rear. The stern of the ship,whilst sitting low in the water still had some buoyancy, it was gently moving up and down, working at breaking away from the beached bow. A rainbow could be seen issuing from the broken part of the hull.
The Sygna had faired worse. Its Hull, already a decade old when it wrecked, and with almost 40 years of surf, salt water and rough weather working against it. the ship, that still looked quite solid only a month before, had collapsed like a house of cards where the newer, bigger ship had been wearing at it.
Gingerly I paddled through the oily muck and into the blessed shade of the remains of the Sygna, the sun blocked behind its rusting bulk. Whilst I was grateful for the respite from the torturous sun, I was scared witless of being so close to the 50 year old rusted hulk as it towered over me. Every squeak and groan I heard was a ton of rusted steel plate, finally giving in to gravity and pinning me under the water. Thankfully the Swedish wreck was made of sterner stuff. I swam out of her shadow, into the hateful sun. Even as it burned, I was grateful to be out from under the older boat.
With the aid of my bottle of air, I made it around the stern, into the blessed shade on the south western side of the ship. With the gentle waves behind me, and the cool shade of the towering hull above me, the trip to the stairs might have been pleasant, under other circumstances.
I gratefully rested on the floating platform, glad to be out of the water but still in the shade.
I don't think the monsters had followed me to the other side of the ship, at least I could not see them on the beach, As it was over two hundred metres from my current position and I had no kind of scope, I couldn't be sure, I simply couldn't see that far.
The floating platform and stairs were some way from the hull of the ship, the hulls list was obvious from this position. They moved around quite a bit as I climbed them.
The lean was also obvious when I reached the deck. I boarded the ship just ahead of the superstructure. I had some trouble keeping my footing as the deck moved up and down but also leaned at an angle of about ten degrees, both to Port and down at the Stern. I wondered if she would eventually tip.
I listened intently as I made my way to the crew area. Apart from her dying groans, all appeared quite. The only weapon I found as I walked, was a large fire extinguisher, It would make a handy club and its jet of foam might just give me an advantage if something were still on board.
My target, as you have probably guessed, was the orange life boat, that hung over the rear of the dying ship (yes, I was already aware that it was still there, as I had seen the friendly orange craft when I had surveyed the ship from the beach). I really wanted some clothes before I left the ship.
The only way into the superstructure was at the deck level, I had seen some ships with exposed stairs and decks up the side of the crew quarters, the sides of this one were clean.
Slowly, quietly with much trepidation, I opened the door onto a corridor that was pitch black. Not wishing to risk meating a monster in the dark confines of the crew quarters, I abandoned the idea and headed for the life raft.
I have no idea what happened to the crew, had they simply died of the K inside the ship, had they starved and suffered from dehydration after turning to monsters, had they left the ship?, perhaps the gangway I had used to gain entry to the ship gave a clue, perhaps not.
The little orange lifeboat was like an oven, still I closed and dogged the hatch behind me. Hot and uncomfortable, my shoulder still throbbing. at least I was out of the sun. Like the last lifeboat, this one sat at a severe angle to aid the launch, comfort was not a consideration.
I really wanted to attend to my still weeping shoulder, but moving around and working in the boat was difficult at the crazy angle.
I took the time to re read the launching instructions, even though the boat appeared to be the exactly the same as "my" lifeboat. Thankfully the directions were in large print as my scope was still inside the van, along with everything else I had foolishly disregarded a few hours ago as I left the van like a big headed fool.