We took a flight to Thailand then boarded a private yacht from Laem Chabang to South China Sea, mainly to the place, if it even exists, with the help of the location coordinate Sobul helped nodding it down with me. He was aspiring to be a marine engineer. Who knew he was going to show up as captain Jack Sparrow. Enin had showed up with an eyepatch too. Abhay and Ilira looked excited too with their pirate suit and hat.
The journey was estimated to be around one whole business days.
"Yee-haw!"
"Wrong cosplay, Enin. Come fight my hook"
Ilira had a hook attached to the back of her hand. Enin squealed and tried running away from Ilira's clutches. They were so wonderful let me tell you, they nearly threw my hundreds of years old book into the sea and I nearly threw their asses into the sea. Sobul was talking like Captain Sparrow with himself. Yet again, the only sane one in this yacht was Abhay.
Nevertheless, I resumed my work by cracking open the books I hauled in a plastic bag.
"Fucking don't you dare open it!"
Enin yelled, ripping the plastic bag off my hand.
"All you do is research, research, research. Come on, bro! get a life, look at the water, anything"
I looked at Ilira, she sat with one of her legs up on her knee, looking away. I looked at Abhay and he seemed to share the same sentiment. I sighed.
"And besides, if we get lost, you'd need fresh books to read"
Sobul's mimicry of the Jack Sparrow was like the screech of a car in my ears.
"Shit, okay!"
I said, and kept the book back inside. I smelled the smokes of danger from afar, but when haven't I? With Sobul as the driver, we set off sailing into the sea, Enin waving a goodbye to the locals, mainly fishermen. They waved back.
After we were a good distance away from the shore, the warning signs beeped but we chose to ignore. It was midday and yet the clouds had gathered over our heads like an umbrella, casting a dark shadow on us. The next warning sign was practically the little waves in the sea. The third was when we were so damn deep into the sea, no one could help us if we fell into danger.
It was around a spot nearing our target on the sea that the first push came on our boat.
We looked at each other and hoped it wasn't what we thought it was and it definitely wasn't, cause when large tentacles, each the size of a large pole, surrounded us, we were in deep shit.
"What the fuck!"
Sobul tried his damnedest to keep the yacht from capsizing, while Ilira got up and with a small pen knife, jabbed on one of the tentacles, excreting black ink on the water and half the yacht. The hairs on my body rose when the creature made a loud siren-like noise I ever heard in my life. The tentacles vanished for a split second. Sobul hit the speed metre and we sped off, yet the dark clouds followed.
"I cannot get the signal here"
Abhay said. He had a frown on his forehead.
"Bummer!"
Enin had a long black line across her face, she was doing her make up when the creature appeared. Apart from a little hiccup, everyone seemed surprisingly okay from the encounter, especially Enin.
"Shesh, my makeup"
"That's what you care right now!!?"
She glared at me and redid her makeup. I looked at Abhay and he seemed to be hung up on the glitch in his computer instead.
"You guys are awesome"
I spoke. Though weird, they stuck up for me all the time. I never felt so grateful as I did right then.
"Hang on tight!!!!"
Sobul warned as a big gush of air came our way and twirled by after minutes. The entire yacht was filled with water, we quickly took our buckets out to throw the water, miraculously all my books were safe.
"I see land!"
I peered at it and there it was, the land which wasn't there on the maps. We would be on the hall of fame if we just get the prints of its existence right.
The climate calmed and the dark clouds dispersed when we neared the island. It was when the moon hung low and the sun nearly disappeared into the horizon that we reached the shore. Chills ran down my spine as I saw a deep red eye of the black mass under the sea, reflected by the evening light.
I climbed out of the yacht nonetheless and ventured. We had a week's worth of ration which would suffice us if it doesn't get dragged on.
"So, you were right, genius"
Enin followed me into the forest. I smiled and captured her messed up makeup on my camera.
"Hey!"
She tried to reach for it but I held it up high. We messed around till we fell into the ditch and a door opened to a tunnel. We looked at each other and I glanced at where I sat, a rope, which when pulled triggered the tunnel to open.
"Splendid. Abhay! Ilira!"
They all came running as I pointed at the tunnel.
"The fuck?"
Sobul, had his flashlight out, inspecting the tunnel.
"Should we go in?"
"Too dangerous. One of us goes in, the others watch over"
We came to the conclusion. I was going to go in, explore the tunnel, if dangerous, they pull me back. if not, we all go in.
"I was the one who brought you guys here"
That was the end of the discussion.
They tied a rope around my waist and gave me a flashlight. I walked down the stairs, it was filled with dirt and cobwebs, I coughed. When I turned on the flashlight, I saw statues at the end of the stairs. My heart spiked again.
This was the stolen statue of King Fahad Ali Azim; he was the King of Arab during the 1800s. Like artifacts were scattered around the place. I went in deeper and found a room. There was a book, opened from the middle of its page, and held up on a wooden stand. I frowned. I got close and shined the light on the book. The language was not human.
My mouth moved before my brain could formulate anything, and next thing I knew, I was enveloped by darkness.