Reminiscing

By: Rip

Some people have a knack for finding strange things. Strange things always seem to find Zane Legends.

To say Zane was disoriented would be an understatement. Suddenly the air was full of sound and motion. The wind whipped up around him, bringing with it the cold damp spray of the ocean. He reeled, and tried to get his bearings.

He was on a beach. It was overcast, cold and windy. There was no one around, yet he felt like...

Zane whirled around and searched for his crew. They weren't there. He turned back to the sea and scanned the horizon. No sign of his ship, either. He was utterly...

Wait, ship? He didn't have a ship. He'd never stepped foot on a ship in his life! In fact, he wasn't even certain he could swim. His gaze drifted across a black, jagged outcropping of rock in the distance, and froze there. The sight of it filled him with dread, and suddenly he was drowning. Sputtering, splashing through the frigid water under the cold clear light of the moon.

He flailed about, but it was hopeless. The last thing he saw before his head went under was the moon peering down at him like a massive eye, glowing with a demonic red hue. The sound of the waves crashing around him transformed into crashing of a different sort; the roaring splintering crack of a ship being dashed to a million pieces against the rocks.

Zane cried out and stumbled backwards into the sand, cowering. It took a few moments for him to realise he was on the beach again, and not slowly sinking into the depths of the ocean. He took in great gulps of air in celebration, then immediately blew them back out again.

"WHAT THE BLOODY SAUSAGES IS GOING ON HERE?!" He howled at the wind, if only to give it a taste of its own medicine. The wind didn't seem very forthcoming with answers, though. Whatever it was, he was going to get to the bottom of it! Or at least as far away from this accursed place as possible.

Zane twisted around to look at the line of trees behind him. At least he'd find shelter there, he thought. If only he could get his leg free, maybe he'd be able to hobble over there and check to see if his transmitter was working. Surely they'd come looking for...

He turned back and looked dumbly down at his legs. There was nothing pinning him down. He wiggled his feet experimentally, found them in perfect working order, then stood. Why did he think his leg was stuck? Who was supposed to be looking for him?

What was going on here?

Zane tried to recall what he had been doing before all this, but realised quickly that was a waste of time. He felt compelled to move on, to hurry towards the next...something. With a sudden burst of energy he sprinted towards the trees, intent on leaving the shoreline and its mysteries for good.

Mere yards from salvation he saw it, a brief flash of motion behind the foliage. Whatever he saw bypassed his understanding and went straight for the knees; his sprint turned into a tumble as his legs gave out from under him. His momentum carried him the rest of the way, skidding across the ground until it transitioned from sand to underbrush. Images of bones and sharpened teeth flashed before him, and he could barely bring himself to look up at what stood before him.

"Wow, you really look like you could use a snack." The little girl said, offering him a large bag of assorted candies.