Haven’s Peak Anthologies: The Crimson Tide

Riley was dripping from the ocean, she had a towel wrapped around her and she was shivering. She watched as an officer walked towards her as she sat on the beachside. “Hello, I’m Officer Steele, chief of the Haven’s Peak police. I understand you’ve gone through something traumatic but is there any chance you can explain what happened?” Riley just stared past him at the body of her friend, concern plagued her face. “I know it’s hard miss, but you have three other members of your group still unaccounted for and whilst we look I need to know what has happened. We can do this in the station if you prefer…”

“No! No, I need to stay here. I need to know if their okay.”

“Ok, so…”

“Well it all started when Connor, my boyfriend, suggested we borrow some equipment to go diving for the Crimson Storm.”

Connor Griffith was sneaking out of the university as the sun made its ascent in the sky. A golden glow on the ocean met him as Nina Murphy waited by the pier side. “Did you get it?” She asked sleepily as she yawned widely. He nodded and looked out into the horizon. “She’s not here. We did say dawn, right?” He asked back.

“Yeah, your girlfriend said that her and what’s her name… Melody… would be here on the boat at dawn. I mean, I agreed to this because it would help increase my grade but I would have seriously reconsidered if I’d have known it would be so early.”

“No, Nina. You jumped at the chance when we told you Aiden was going to be our diving guide. I’ve known the two of you my whole life and I’m completely aware you have a huge crush on him.”

“No, I do not! I mean, he’s attractive and kind of sweet and is such a dare devil and… oh is that the boat.” She pointed to a boat slowly drifting towards where they were stood. “Thank god,” she whispered.

“Yeah, otherwise I’d have to listen to you obsess over Aiden until the end of time.” He nudged her gently and smirked as Riley placed the plank on the pier. “Ahoy mateys and welcome aboard,” another girl announced as she was holding the wheel, “I am Melody, and I will be your helms woman today. Hop aboard and we will make our way to Haven’s Peak for a pick up and then to search for adventure.” Her energy flowed over the sides of the ship as Riley smiled and helped the two aboard. Riley looked around and noticed there was someone missing. “Did Freya change her mind?” She asked curiously. Connor shrugged his shoulders and Riley looked to Melody. She shook her head and was about to pull in the board. “Please, wait. Wait for me!” Another girl shouted. Freya Keegan was running along the pier waving. Her glasses bouncing on her nose. She held a small case and was running as fast as her short legs could take her. “Got one more incoming,” Riley grinned.

The journey to Haven’s Peak took about two hours and Riley was talking to Freya and Connor. Connor seemed so excited to find the lost ship, but Freya seemed more anxious than normal. Riley was just going with the motions, and checking on Nina who had fallen asleep. She left the two chatting about the sunken ship and made her way to Melody. Her and Melody had been friends for a while and she knew when Melody was in the zone as soon as she heard her singing various sea shanties. “Hey, Mel. Can I have a word?” She seemed to nod without dropping a beat and patted a seat next to her. “So, I know where going diving with someone who is really experienced. I know Connor said we should have tanks with three hours of air but I’m still little concerned.” Melody muttered in agreement. “Well, I wanted you to do me a favour. If you haven’t heard from us within two hours, go get help.” Melody stopped singing and went silent for a second. “I know, you’ll feel like you’re abandoning us but at the two hour mark I’ll contact you through the mic in the scuba gear and you’ll be able to hear everything going on.”

“Well, yeah but what if it’s too dark to find you?”

“It’s fine, with the sonar tech that Connor got us, we will have an exact location and I’ll make sure he shows you how it works so you can gps back to the location with help.”

“Well, okay. I want you to think about it. If you seriously want me to do that then hold up two fingers before you dive.” Riley nodded before Melody began singing again. As she made her way into the third verse of the drunken sailor, Riley made her way back to the group and just sat deep in thought.

Nina stretched her arms out wide and let out a big yawn. She looked around and was disappointed to see that Aiden wasn’t there yet but as if she willed him into existence, she heard his voice yelling from the distance. “Ahoy! Ship Ahoy!” His voice whistled on the wide and Riley saw Nina’s face light up as she stood up. She waved her arms about and grinned. As the boat pulled up to a small port, Connor spoke, “I’m sure it’s land ahoy, Aiden.” Riley felt more at ease that they were joking around, she felt almost as if she was apart of the group. Connor jumped off as Riley readied the plank. “This the diving gear?” He asked and Riley could tell there was a hint of weariness in his tone. She looked to Aiden who nodded and grinned widely. Connor helped Aiden with the gear and looked between Riley and Aiden. “This is the best gear, I swear.” Connor and Nina seemed to be reassured, whilst Freya grimaced at the tanks. Melody stood in the doorway watching the group. The group seemed to stand in silence around the scuba equipment and the wet suits. Melody was unnerved by the atmosphere and decided to try to lift it. She walked over to Aiden and Connor. “So boys, Riley said one of you could show me this gps gizmo you got, whose job is it?” Aiden stared at her silently, he was used to women approaching him but never used to them not flirting with him. He was confused until Nina walked next to him. “Oh, that would be Connor. He’s got it in his bag. Aiden you can go through the diving things with me if you like.” Aiden smirked, relieved at the return to his normality. “Sure, baby cakes.” Riley and Melody stared at each other as he said this. It made them uncomfortable but Connor ushered Melody into the cabin and set about with the GPS Sonar tracker. Riley decided to take Freya below deck and change into the wetsuits.

As Riley stood waiting for Freya, Nina walked down. “Could have told me you were getting changed!” Riley rolled her eyes, “I thought you’d want to change with Aiden.” She saw Nina blush and immediately regretted saying it. Nina never slept around nor had she had a boyfriend but she felt the implications of being easy hung on the air. Nina turned around and started to undress when Freya walked out. “It’s a bit snug, can you help me with the zip?” She whispered. Riley nodded. “It’s meant to be snug Freya,” Nina announced. Riley moved to zip Freya up and spoke, “Nina, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I mean I didn’t mean it…”

“It’s okay. I know you didn’t. I do really like him though.”

“You need to watch out for him, he’s a player. You know that,” Freya explained as she waited to zip Nina up.

“He certainly seems like it. But I’ve never met the lad before now, and only seen the videos Connor has shown me about his diving experience,” Riley added. Nina turned around after being zipped up. “I know but maybe things will work out and maybe they won’t. It can’t hurt to try.” The girls laughed as they heard a knock. “Hey gals, just Melody. You ready? The lads want the room.” They all nodded and followed Melody back. Melody started up the boat and the tracker as the girls waited for the lads to return. She followed the compass and her way back out to sea.

Melody could hear Aiden giving a lesson on the gear and something felt off. She couldn’t place it but what he was saying didn’t quite seem right. She followed her gps system and watched the sonar tracker for any signs of a ship. She was amazed at the technology. It was able to use echolocation to create a sort of image based on what the sound waves hit. She thought about how this tech would help her build her sea tours business and wished she could keep it.

As the night crept in, the machine indicated something hollow below them. She shouted for Connor and stopped the boat, releasing the anchor. “I think this could be it,” he excitedly exclaimed. Aiden walked in with the girls behind, still talking about the diving gear when he placed a headset on Melody. She turned to glare at him but he winked and continued, “so this is how we will keep in touch with our driver here. It’s a simple communication system and the mics are built into the helmets. These headphones will allow us to hear her back.” He placed one in his ear to show and Melody grinned. “Helms woman. It’s helms woman and that’s what my nickname will be!” Her voice was loud and echoed through the other headsets as Aiden yelped. The group laughed as he turned and scowled at her. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. Anyway I’m assuming the lessons over. We think we might have arrived but you’ve got me hired for a week so we can keep searching and refilling the tanks as long as you need to.”

Melody watched as the group grabbed the tanks and placed the diving equipment on. Aiden lean backwards off the edge of the boat and landed in the water. Connor and Nina were next, whilst Freya nervously edged herself in. Melody watched Riley and waited for the signal. It didn’t come so as Freya landed and Riley was ready to go, Melody held two fingers up and gave her the signal instead. The cold water hit Riley hard as she landed in the water. She needed to focus, but couldn’t get the signal out of her head. She began to breath fast and heavy when Connor swam up next to her and held her. Her breathing slowed and she listened for everyone to do their checks before announcing her own. When everyone seemed to have settled, Connor spoke. “So the sonar says the ship is about 200 ft below us. That’s how far we need to make it but remember this is most of our first time diving so we need to take it easy. Got it Aiden?”

“Yeah, we swim at the weakest link until we reach the boat.” Riley watched as Aiden lead the group further into the depths of the ocean and saw her group head into the murky darkness.

“Hey, so I’ve picked you guys up on the sonar and it says you’re about 150ft deep now so you should be able to see whatever this thing is. According to the time it’s taken you about 20 minutes to get there so keep that in mind when you return. So I was thinking, how can this be that pirate ship when it’s only 200 ft deep?” Riley had been wondering the same thing but Connor had said he’d done the research. She was distracted as the lights from their helmets seem to hit a wooden surface but waited until Connor explained. “Well according to reports the Crimson Storm landed on the the edge of one of the jagged rocks. It seems to be balanced on an underwater cliff but should it fall then it would fall into the abyss. It’s been there about a hundred years but we will do a quick sweep to check if it’s safe to enter first.” Whilst everyone floated in place, Riley continued towards the wood. She jumped back as she thought she saw a body. Connor went silent and rushed down to her. As the beams from the others lit up the ship, Riley found herself staring at a muscled wooden man. “It’s Poisedon!” Connor yelled, enthusiasm oozing from him, “this is the figurehead from the reports. See he holds the legendary trident and everything. This is amazing!” Riley had to admit that she agreed with him. The wooden man was immaculate and up close you could see that the water hadn’t damaged it at all. She placed her hands on the smooth wooden surface and floated around with Freya and Nina. “We will go and check the cliff edge. It shouldn’t be much further down. But we should be about 10 minutes. According to other shipwrecks, there should be holes around which we can get in, but be careful as marine life will have grown around the ship.” Riley watched as Connor and Aiden dove deeper down. Nina went left and Freya slowly to the right. Riley just stared at the image of Poseidon. “Melody, honestly you should see this. It’s beautiful.”

“I bet it is, didn’t Aiden mention something about an underwater camera. Take a pic for me.” Riley smirked and fiddled about with a small pouch she had brought with her. She pulled out the camera and took a picture and the flash went off, when she heard Connor scream out. “No, don’t.” She saw him and Aiden swimming quickly towards her. Aiden grabbed Nina and headed back to Riley when Connor grabbed her. They swam towards Freya who was investigating a hole, when Riley realised what had happened. She saw a large creature darting towards them. Freya began to freak out when they got to her. “Inside quick!” Aiden shouted. Riley and Connor had caught up as the trio had made it through the hole. Connor ushered Riley into the hole and followed. Riley began to panic and breath heavily again. Aiden was already hitting some wood above the hole and as Connor slipped in, the wood fell slowly and Riley passed out.

Riley opened her eyes what felt like seconds later. She took a deep breath when she realised her helmet was off. She wanted to panic but realised she could breath and she wasn’t underwater. It was still dark and her eyes struggled to adjust. She couldn’t hear anything and decided to focus. ‘They must have found another way out and taken be back to Melody’s ship,’ she thought as her hearing seemed to fade in and her eyes became adjusted to the bright light. She heard Freya’s voice as she sat up. “Guys, she’s awake. Don’t move to quickly. And just let yourself adjust.” Freya seemed on edge but maybe she was just scared for Riley. She felt Connor grab her and help her up slowly. Then she saw her surroundings. They weren’t on Melody’s ship. She was surrounded by wooden walls and saw crates around the group. “Thank god,” Connor whispered, “you had me really worried.”

“What happened?”

“Well, apparently there was an issue with your breathing gear and due to you panicking after that thing chased us, it caused you to pass out.” Riley looked around and then stared at Connor, confused. “Oh yeah, well we all got through that opening. Then when the wood came down it was as if the water disappeared and the ship was completely upright. It’s so strange. Freya looked after you as the medical expert and the rest of us looked around. I can’t explain it but I guess it’s for the best, I don’t think you would have made it back.” Riley had so many questions but Aiden walked up to them. He was looking down at his feet. “I’m sorry about the malfunction, I swear that has never happened. Honestly…” Riley held up her hand and stopped him. She was shocked that he was completely dry, and so was everyone else. “How long have I been out?”

“Erm, I think about ten minutes, but I don’t really know. Melody’s not responding either so we think there could be some interference.” Freya tried to explain but once again Riley stopped her. “Then how are we dry?” The group stared at her before they realised it themselves. “I don’t know, with everything happening so fast we never even realised,” Nina said, finally joining the group, “anyway we need to find a way out and get back to the surface, I think I found one.”

Nina lead the group to the corner of the room. She pointed to the two doorways. “The only thing is which do we take?” She asked.

“Well according to the blueprints, this way would lead to the captains quarters,” Connor started pointing to the closest door, “and that would lead to the second deck.” In perfect sync Aiden and Connor both shouted this way and pointed to the opposite doors. They began to argue over which is the best way out when Freya stood between them. “That’s enough. I didn’t want to come on this stupid trip but we need to work it out together…” Freya grumbled loudly, as she felt the group look at her in shock, “and by that I mean we need to actually split up. Both ways could logically lead to the way out. The second deck is lower so it could have the opening caused by rocks in the hull. This way could lead to the stairs to upper decks or portholes or something. So let’s split up. Connor obviously wants to go towards the upper deck and Aiden wants to head to the lower decks. Now where should we go?”

“I’ll go with Aiden,” Nina volunteered eagerly.

“I guess I’ll go with Connor,” Riley said feeling his hand squeezing hers tightly, she knew that he wouldn’t leave her considering what happened. Freya looked to both guys but thinking. “I’ll go with…” she looked edgily between the two before her gaze fixated on Connor, “Connor. Riley may need some help and I’m best going with them. Right if we find anything we head back here. If we don’t, we meet here anyway in an hour and figure out our next steps.” Riley was impressed at Freya taking charge, and she knew that she wouldn’t want to go with Aiden and Nina but the look she gave Connor concerned her. The group nodded and split up in their different directions.

It didn’t take Aiden and Nina to find the set of stairs that lead to the lower deck. They looked to each other urging the other to go first. After a few minutes, Nina decided to descent the staircase. She pulled out her diving helmet and switched on the lights to use as a torch. The lower deck was darker than those above. As she reached the bottom she looked around and noticed Aiden wasn’t with her. She stared at the top of the stairs and Aiden was stood still. “Come on Aiden, I thought you was this big brave daredevil.” As if hitting a nerve, Aiden glared at her and rushed down. “Now which way do we go?” He asked leaning in close to her. She looked around for any indication to whereabouts they were on the lower decks. “According to some of the things Connor said, the main damage was done at the bow of the ship. Erm, it should be this way.” She turned and was about to head forward when Aiden grabbed the helmet and lead the way. “I am a daredevil. I’ll go first.” Nina was in awe at his sudden bravery and blushed as his hand graced hers. She remembered why she liked him now. As he made his way further in the darkness, she followed a few feet behind. “So Aiden, now that we’re alone I’ve got something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Yeah, go on then.”

“Well, we’ve known each other for a long time now. And I have to admit that I’ve thought about this, but…”

“But?”

“But would you like to go out sometime?”

“Like out out? Like on a date?”

“Yeah like on a date?”

“Hmm, I usually do the asking.”

“Well, you hadn’t so I thought I would.”

“I’d be up for it Nina, but remember I can’t be tied down by a single woman. So you’d have to be okay with sharing me. You up for that?” He waited for the answer as he continued forward. There was a silence for a long while and he hoped he hadn’t upset her. It started to feel awkward so he turned around. “Nina? Where’d you go?” He shouted as he realised he was alone. He looked around and noticed that she could have gone any direction. “Oh come on. You know who I am. What I’m about and you should have expected this. Just come back so we can continue looking.” He waited eagerly for her to come running back but all he found was silence. “Fine!” He turned back around and carried on into the darkness. “We’re still young, there’s nothing wrong with playing the field.”

“No, nothing wrong with that but for someone so brave you sure are afraid of commitment.” Aiden froze as he heard the voice. He didn’t recognise it and hesitated to turn around. It had felt eerie and cold. Then he shook he head, and thought Nina was playing a trick on him. He turned around and screamed.

Riley didn’t need to be helped by Connor or Freya anymore but found that the two didn’t leave her sides and seemed on edge whenever she walked. “I’m fine you know, I’m back to normal.” Connor looked at Freya and then back to Riley. “I know, but it’s just in case. Oxygen deprivation isn’t something that should be taken likely.” She shrugged at the comment and they made their way further down the hall. They passed various doorways and thought it odd that the middle deck seemed to have a lot of rooms for a pirate ship. “Connor, why does this pirate ship have so many rooms and how long to the stairs?”

“It was converted into a travelling ship a while before its final voyage, apparently the last owner inherited it as a pirate ship and well there was a surprising lack of need for pirates back then. He made the modernisation of that but refused to upgrade to steam or any other modern constructs…”

“Enough lecturing, erm considering how long we’ve walked and from what I recall from the blueprints it should be round the corner. Right, Connor?” Freya announced cutting him off.

“Erm right, unless…” Freya looked at him sternly. “Unless we went the wrong way. It was a T junction and I could have sworn this was the right way.” As they turned the corner and came to a single doorway at the end, Freya placed her hand to her head. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you,” she whispered just loud enough to be heard.

“What, I just got mixed up.”

“No, Connor, you didn’t. I looked at the blueprints about 2 maybe 3 times. You studied them and should have known exactly where it lead to. I can’t believe you decided to risk everything, even Riley to find this.” Riley looked between the two bewildered at what they meant. “Freya where has Connor lead us to?” She walked forward and opened the door still staring at Riley. “Here! He took us here!” She yelled before realised how shocked the two looked. She turned and looked around letting out a yelp.

Riley really didn’t know how he’d managed to persuade Freya but the trio found themselves searching through every nook and cranny of the Captains Quarters. She tried to ignore the skeletal remains of the captain slumped in his chair but felt like he was watching each of them. As she reached a small cabinet, Connor yelled, “I’ve got it. I’ve found it!” Freya and Riley walked to him. She noticed the quizzical look on Freya’s face. “Found what?” She asked, she’d been searching but neither of them had told them what they was looking for so she was just trying to find something they could take back for extra credit. He took a deep breath and held a book to them. It was leather bound and strangely, it was in rather a good condition. “This is the captains log.” After a long pause Freya cleared her throat as if urging him to continue. “Okay, so I had a secondary reason for this trip. Riley don’t be mad but I needed to find evidence that my family wasn’t responsible for the accident. Back on its final voyage my great-great grandfather was the ships navigator and as a survivor he was blamed for it sinking or at least people found it odd that he’d survived when so many people hadn’t.” Riley looked at him angrily, why hadn’t he told her. “We’ve spoke about this Connor. We know it was a light house malfunction. Yeah some of the newer settlers blamed him but even my ancestors diary said that he had nothing to do with it and felt sorry for him,” Freya had announced with pity in her voice. Riley looked shocked at her. “Wait, you both had family who were involved?” Freya nodded. Riley grabbed the book. “This wouldn’t tell us what happened. It would only go up until…” she trailed off as she flicked to the last entry. Freya and Connor looked over her shoulder as she went silent. “The day before,” she finished quietly. They all stared at the final entry and realised it was written as the ship was sinking. “No way!” Connor exclaimed, “no freaking way!” Before Connor could grab it from her hands, Riley felt an overwhelming compulsion to begin reading out loud.

Captain’s log. Final entry.

I don’t dare date this as I wait for my beloved Crimson Storm to finally submerge. There is no escape as the only rowboat has been filled and has already left. But a captain goes down with the ship. I hope that someone will find the truth of what happened and that a simple lighthouse malfunction is not the cause of the chaos that has befallen my ship. Although there are many people I blame for what happened, the deaths of the people on this ship or at least those most innocent are on the hands of a few members who agreed to take this voyage. I wish I could write what happened to exact details but unfortunately as the water rises to my waist I believe I don’t have the time. My final words to anyone whom may find this and is able to read this I am deeply sorry to anyone whom didn’t make it and I wish those who undeservedly did a horrible life.

Captain Dara Hegarty, Captain of the Crimson Storm.

The room was eerily silent as the trio looked at the book. “Aye, that was written in haste but I can tell ye what happened.” The group turned to see who had spoken and realised that stood behind them was the skeletal Captain. He placed his claw like hands on Riley’s shoulders and the group was engulfed in a white light.

Riley blinked a few times and found herself on the main deck of the ship in a terrible storm. She was surrounded by a myriad of people panicking and fighting. She looked around for Connor and Freya when the Captain stood next to her. “Curious, you aren’t trapped like your friends. I guess you have no family on the ship. You know you’re free to go, I’ll even send you back to the surface.”

“But what about my friends? They had nothing to do with this tragedy.”

“Aye, but they will take the place of their ancestors who are to blame.”

“What? They’re survivors, how are they to blame.”

“Well let me explain.” He held his hand out to Riley, and she noticed it was skeletal anymore. She looked him up and down and realised he looked exactly like he would have when he was alive. She reluctantly grabbed it.

Riley found herself stood by a group of people waiting to enter the single rowboat. “I had one rowboat, but it was a large one. This meant we could save the women and children.” She looked around and saw Freya shackled to a position. “Riley! Help me please!” She went to go over but felt the Captains hand hold her. “The Keegan clan.” He pointed to a man with a child stood near Freya. “He took up a seat that could have been used for children. All because he was a single father.” Riley watched as the man sat placing his son on his knee and helping others into the rowboat. “That’s not true!” Freya’s voice screamed. “He gave up his seat, his son survived but he gave up his seat.” Riley turned to the Captain who looked confused. The captain spat, “Theo Keegan survived!”

“No! His son Theo Keegan junior did. Watch!” The Captain turned and watched, he was in disbelief as Freya was right. The man saw two little girls without anyone being pushed further away. He jumped out the boat and pushed his way through, ultimately letting his son share his seat with the two girls. “There is not enough room for me son, but you need to survive.” The man held his hand out and cried before walking away to the edge of the ship and jumping overboard. Riley and Freya gasped. “You were wrong, so free my friends.” The Captain grunted and realised the ghostly shackle from Freya who joined Riley. “You two are free to go,” Captain grumbled, pointing to a white light doorway leading back to the room with their equipment.

“But what about the others?” Riley asked.

“They must atone for the sins of their ancestors.”

“Come on let’s go Riley, we can get help,” Freya begged.

“No. You can’t blame them for their ancestors actions and you were wrong about the Keegan family so you must be wrong about the others. Show me them.” Before the Captain had chance to do anything, Freya without hesitation rushed off towards the door. She entered and turned. She mouthed I’m sorry to Riley and grabbed the nearest equipment. Riley realised it was hers but before she could say anything, the Captain swished his hand and the doorway disappeared. “You want to see the others, fine.”

Riley found herself stood next to Nina and Aiden. She looked down and saw the familiar ghostly shackles on their ankles. They were unable to move. “Riley! What’s happening?” Nina exclaimed. Riley couldn’t look at them. “Finneas Murphy and Lachlan Leavy.” He pointed to two people. Finneas was a strong looking man stood next to a woman and Lachlan was a preppy man dressed in a suit. “Finneas was the head carpenter of the group of settlers and Lachlan the council member sent with them. Dearest Nina is related to Finneas and brave Aiden is to Lachlan.” Riley watched the pair of men. “What is going on!” Nina shouted.

“Ah. My dear, you paying for their sins. That man is your ancestor and a murderer who did anything to survive. Whilst Aiden, you’ll find your ancestor quite similar to you. A liar and a coward.”

“That can’t be true!” Nina shouted, “Aiden is brave and honest. Right, Aiden?” She waited for a reply, before the two girls turned to him. “Erm, not really. I mean I don’t know who this guy is but if the truth will help me out of here then here goes. All those videos and adventures are faked. Green screen. I haven’t done deep diving in my life and I just know what other videos told me.”

“What else Aiden?” The Captain announced.

“And… and… I knew that the equipment wasn’t brand new. I bought it for cheap and thought it’d be ok. I’m sorry Riley, I didn’t think you could have almost died.” The girls gasped in shock and Nina couldn’t look at him. “Now, set us free. I was honest.”

“Now, now. Your sins aren’t the reason you are trapped. It is their sins.” He pointed to the two men once more. The group watched in confusion as the scene sped up to normal speed. Lachlan pushed his way to the front and was the first in the rowboat. “I need to be here as you need a council member.” The panicked people ignored him and let him stay. As the group continued to watch, they turned to Finneas and the woman. The two where stood near the stairs leading down. They rushed towards the edge of the ship with the woman leading when a man’s voice yelled, “one seat left!” Finneas pushed the woman overboard, knowing that with her he wouldn’t get a seat. She fell screaming. Nina covered her mouth. “You see. They have sins. Lachlan could have given up his seat. Finneas just killed his fiancé to get the last seat.” Riley was speechless. The Captain swished his hand again and the ghostly shackles dragged the two below the ship. Riley held her hand over her mouth as she heard their screams echo around her. “Well, onto the last one.” Before Riley could argue, she was taken away.

Riley broke down and was crying whilst on her knees. She felt a normal hand grab her shoulder. “Riley, what’s going on?” Connor asked. He eyes widened. She realised she needed to find some reason to persuade the Captain to free him or else she will lose him. “Connor, you tricked your friends to prove your ancestors innocent. So let’s see what happens?” Connor helped Riley up and she noticed it wasn’t as chaotic as she first saw it, in fact everything was peaceful. There was a fog that was deep surrounding them and she couldn’t really see anything. She realised they were stood next to the rowboat before the ship was sinking. There was a beam of light drifting through the fog and although it was dense they could still see. The Captain remained silent and pointed. The light went out. “Aye, the light house malfunctioned but according to the charts we had no issues. We should have had a clear path to the isle and then we’d have all survived, even if we crashed.” The duo watched as a man who resembled Connor walked slowly up to the rowboat. He looked around nervously and quietly climbed in. He was smaller than Connor was and they watched as she squeezed himself in a supply box at the back of the rowboat. Connor looked shocked. “He knew, he knew they would crash and sink.” He crumbled into a ball. Before the Captain could even speak Riley turned on him. “He knew that his navigation skills during a thick fog where they haven’t even got a lighthouse to guide them could mean that they might sink. Not that they would. He was unfortunate enough to be right.” She placed her hand on Connor’s back who smiled up at her and nodded. “You might be right girly, but I don’t care. He stays as he could have helped if he hadn’t of left. He knew the maps better than anyone and could have guided us away from the rocks. Connor knows that and you now have two choices. He stays and you are free and blameless. Or you both stay and you die here whilst the other three live on in eternal torment.” Riley looked at the Captain angrily but felt helpless. Connor stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay, Riley, you go, save yourself.” He kissed her and the Captain swished his hand taking that as the answer. Riley was surrounded by another white light.

Riley blinked quickly and found herself floating on the surface. It was too late. She couldn’t save them. She saw Freya floating face down in the water. She quickly swam towards her and removed the mask. She could faintly feel a pulse but had no idea what to do. She couldn’t even believe what had happened to them. She looked around in despair as Melody had left like she said she would. Riley felt herself panic as she held on to Freya and pleaded for her to hold on. She saw another blinding white light and thought the Captain had changed his mind. Something inside her wished for it but she realised it was a searchlight from a boat.