The Forbidden Script (18 page)

Tony reduced speed as he approached the shoreline just two-hundred yards away. The bad weather had passed as suddenly as it had come. They were now entering a narrow passage through the rocks. Tony edged his way in, careful not to hit the boat against the jagged rocks through a clearance of only twenty feet.

He stood up smiling.

“We’re here at last! Now we can continue without any further delays.”

The boat slowly floated across the surprisingly calm waters. The scenery that lay before them was something you would typically see on a post card. Everyone on board, including Sally stared in awe at the most beautiful sight they had ever seen. A beach eighty feet wide, and well over a hundred feet in length stood before them. The sand dazzled beneath the bright moon while on both sides of the beach were rocks reaching over ten feet in height, transforming the whole beach into a basin, free from rough seas and high winds. The whole place resembled the shape of a round wine bottle, entering it through the bottleneck. At the further end of the beach were pebbles increasing in size as you move further up a small slope. The whole place seemed untouched by anyone. A beach paradise shielded from the outside world. Tony discovered this place by accident while flying overhead on a plane he had rented for the day.

The temperature inside this haven was peculiarly warm concerning the bad weather they had just encountered. Sally was as dry as a bone while the others were soaking wet. They all stripped down to their swimwear, letting their clothes dry out on the nearby rocks.

Tony signaled for Travis to unload the equipment from the boat while the others gathered around Sally, making sure she didn’t try anything stupid. Tony searched around the beach, checking if they were alone. He didn’t want any unexpected guests showing up. Not many people knew about this little sanctuary he had discovered, and the only way to get here was by boat. It was more like an enormous rock than an island. During winter times, it would be inaccessible due to the high tides and frequent bad weather. Tony still had no idea from where tonights freak weather came from.

Travis finished unloading the boat, then got Rosie to bind Sally’s hands again. He didn’t want to spend the remainder of the night chasing after her. He then went back to the boat to check how much fuel they had left for the return journey. Travis opened the hold to where the fuel tanks are held. He saw two large tanks, one for each outboard motor. One dial read empty, while the other had just under a quarter of fuel left.

“That’s not enough for us to get back!” He said.

Travis looked around for Tony and saw the beam of a flashlight just beyond the rocks. He jumped off the boat and ran over to him.

“We don’t have enough fuel for the return trip! How are we getting back?” Said Travis.

Tony said, “follow me Travis.”

They went over to some nearby rocks about forty yards away. Tony disappeared behind a large rock and came out dragging two large Jerry cans full with fuel.

“You underestimate me Travis! You think I’m an idiot! I’ve been planning this for weeks. I have enough fuel here to get us to the gulf of Mexico. The only thing I had no control of was the damn weather we experienced on our way here!” Said Tony.

Travis lowered his head. “Okay, I’m sorry! How was I to know what you planned?”

Tony dropped the heavy fuel tanks and placed his arm around Travis’s shoulder.

“Have faith in me, we always managed to work our way out of our past problems. We work as a team and in the end, we are rewarded with what we do. Now help me take these tanks to the boat before the night ends.”

They each dragged a fuel tank and loaded it on board the boat. Tony took out two of his bags that he had preloaded a few days ago. He took out the clothes that he usually wears when performing the ritual, and removed his drenched jeans and top, then put on his ritual garments. They consisted of a white top and trousers, with a robe worn on top. He then took out a large cloth about twelve feet square with a large pentagram printed in the middle. Tony handed it over to Travis, who went over to where the girls were. They helped him spread it out over the warm sand. Sally sat a few feet away watching them lay down the sheet.

Stacy gained consciousness only ten minutes ago with a large bruise visible across her cheek from where Travis struck her. Krissy stayed close to her friend, while Rosie had her eye on Sally, watching her every move. She was confident Travis will be hers after tonight’s ritual.

Tony opened his second bag and took out his small black pouch placing it in his robe pocket. Next he removed a wooden bowl eight inches in diameter, that had some kind of ancient civilization markings written on the side. Tony stepped out of the boat having the front half embedded in the soft sand. He took his place at the top of the pentagram.

“Travis you know what to do,” he said, looking at Sally.

Travis jumped down from the boat, his eyes fixated on her. Things were starting to heat up, and Sally knew time was running out for her. She could be dead in the next hour. She thought of getting up and run, but run where? There was no way off this island. To the front of her was the sea, with sand and rocks on every side. Behind her seemed the only place of escape. She earlier watched Tony and Travis disappear into the darkness before coming back with fuel for the boat. She didn’t have much of a choice but wasn’t just going to sit around and wait for death.

Jason was becoming impatient, pacing up and down the road checking his cell phone, he couldn’t wait much longer, so he dialed Matt’s number.

“Jason! I just got off the phone with detective Andrews. The location you gave us is a deserted beach near the Florida keys. No sign of anyone here and hardly a vehicle in sight. How about you? Have you found anything?”

Out of frustration Jason kicked the car door.

“We found an abandoned van, partially hidden among the trees. Plenty of footprints around the van, leading down a rough pathway to the sea. I’m sure the van belongs to Dr. Barrette. It seems they vanished into thin air. They either had another vehicle waiting, but I can’t see any tire tracks. My guess is they had a boat hidden among the rocks and headed out to sea. Chief, we’re at a dead end, and I fear the worst!”

Kate came over trying to keep Jason calm.

“Listen Jason! Has Danny contacted you? I received a call from him just fifteen minutes ago. He said he were on his way to pick you up,” said Matt.

Jason quickly looked up and down the road, but still saw no sign of Danny.

“Yes, he must have called me just before he contacted you. I don’t know what he’s up to, and time is running out. We won’t reach her in time…..”

Jason’s voice trailed off, when out of nowhere a huge gust of wind came from beyond the treetops, causing Jason and the others to shield themselves from flying leaves and debris. Suddenly they were blinded by a bright light. Jason then recognized the sound of helicopter blades slicing through the air. To their amazement an FBI chopper was hovering above them, slowly descending in the middle of the road with its searchlight partially blinding them as someone opened the side door.

“Hey you guys! Come on get in!”

Jason recognized that voice anywhere; it was Danny.

“Boy am I glad to see you!” shouted Jason.

He then turned to Kate and Jackie. “You two go back. Take my mustang. I will keep in touch as soon as I can.”

Danny shouted out to Jason, “now let’s go and get that son of a bitch!”

The helicopter swiftly took off into the night across the glittering sea.

The situation at the beach was becoming intense. Travis began lighting the oil lanterns, and then placed each one at the tip of the star points. A light breeze was picking up, just enough to flicker the lanterns flame. The moon was at its highest point remaining there for at least another five to six hours. Tony then retrieved the black pouch from his robe. Travis summoned the girls to take their positions at the pentagrams points. He went over to Sally, holding out his hand for her to take.

“It’s time, Sally. Take my hand, and come with me,” he said.

She slowly but nervously took his hand and stood up, taking her towards the others who were kneeling down with their hands placed on their laps. Sally looked over at Tony, who had his back towards her. He then slowly turned around, holding something in his hands. Sally stopped where she was, watching as Tony dispersed the liquid from the syringe he was holding. Travis felt her body tremble in fear as she held back digging her heels into the sand. He smiled, excited knowing he has control over her. The syringe was for her, and she didn’t stand a chance if Tony succeeded in drugging her.

“Sally, It’s alright! Just give yourself to us, and it will soon be over.”

She forced a smile, convincing Travis that she was okay. They took a few steps forward, but Sally pulled back with a sudden jerk of her arm, surprising Travis, who lost his grip on her. Sally ran, running as fast as she can in the opposite direction, making it to the rocks where Tony had stored the fuel tanks. It was difficult for her to keep her balance with her hands bound together. Before Travis realized what had happened, she was already out of sight.

Tony dropped the syringe, shouting at the top of his voice, “get after her for Christ’s sake!”

The three girls remained where they were not knowing what to do. As for Travis he fell over, but quickly rose to his feet again chasing after Sally, who was already within the safety of the rocks.

Eventually, she knew she would be caught, but it would buy her some time, some hope of rescue from her father. Travis raced after her like a greyhound chasing a hare. He had no need for a flashlight since the moonlit rocks were enough to see where he was going. Sally took cover behind a large rock as she tried to free herself from her bonds by rubbing the nylon zip-ties against a jagged rock. After a few tugs and scrapes she managed to snap the bonds enabling her to keep her balance and move faster over the rough terrain.

In the distance, she could see Travis making his way closer towards her. She was sure he hadn’t seen her, so she moved further towards the left, putting distance between them. To her surprise, she still hadn’t reached the sea, and it felt as if she was climbing to higher grounds. She stopped to look how far back Travis was, who could be seen carefully stepping over the larger rocks at a slower pace than she. Sally was pleased with herself being the faster person of them. She stopped for a bit, trying to get her bearings right, and see exactly where she was heading. She needed somewhere to hide.

She was now walking over loose gravel, when she came to a ledge with a thirty foot drop down to where large boulders were, with the sea gushing in around them. She had come to the end of the small island. The only way she could hide from Travis was if she made her way down to where the large stones were. She carefully walked near the edge, checking for a way down. She wanted to make it as difficult as she could for Travis and the others. Sally wasn’t about to give up that easily. Finally, she noticed small ledges protruding out from the small cliff. Lowering herself onto the first ledge, she began to make her way down, foot by foot until it was safe for her to jump the remaining few feet. As soon as she landed, she could hear movement from above and loose gravel falling around her. Travis had just missed her and was scanning below trying to spot any sign of her. She moved to her left with her back pressed against the cliff wall, cautious not to be seen from above. Step by step Sally moved silently as a cat, careful not to disturb any loose rocks underfoot. She felt her way with her hands, feeling the wall inch by inch, when her hand entered an empty space. She stopped and bent down to find a small opening in the cliff wall. It was large enough for her to crawl into and hide. She entered a small cave and waited for a few minutes. Suddenly she heard sounds coming from above her. It was Travis, had he seen her enter the small cave?

“Sally! Come on, where are you? There’s nowhere to go, give in will you!”

Sally held her breath, not daring to breathe. She then realized she was in danger of being trapped inside the cave if the tide suddenly came in. Travis moved further on, shouting out her name until he finally took off further along the ledge. Sally moved deeper inside the cave, letting her eyes adjust to the dark. She reached out with her arms and could no longer feel the rocky walls. As she crawled further inside, she couldn’t feel the rocky ceiling either, meaning the cave was larger than she expected. How she wished she had a flashlight with her. Then she suddenly remembered her lighter. It was in her jeans pocket. She took it out from her rear pocket, flipped it open and with the first strike it lit up.

“I thank the person who invented the Zippo,” she said with a smile.

Holding the lighter up in front of her, she could easily make out the walls surrounding her. Something seemed surprisingly odd to her, as the room she was standing in was squarish in shape.

“This cave is man made!” Said Sally to herself.

Had she found some hidden hideaway? Carefully checking each wall, she saw chisel marks proving her right that it was carved out by tools. The room was not very large, just measuring six feet by six feet with a headroom of about seven feet. The floor was covered with sand washed in by the sea. This place would be entirely submerged when the tide came in. Sally knelt down on her hands and knees to brush the sand away from beneath her. To her amazement the floor was as smooth as marble. Was it actually marble or brushed smooth to the touch by the sand and waves? She was sure to come back and check it out if she survives this ordeal.