Max felt a shiver ripple through him as he stared back at Isla Silencio. The woman in white stood motionless at the water’s edge, her silhouette framed by the pale moonlight. A ghostly figure, she appeared ethereal and beautiful, yet deeply unsettling. The way her long hair danced gently in the breeze made her look almost inviting, but the chill in the air told another story.
“Keep your eyes on the water!” Gab shouted, breaking Max’s trance. “Don’t look back!”
The engine of the boat rumbled beneath him, but it felt inadequate against the weight of the silence that enveloped them. Max turned away, focusing on the vast ocean ahead, but the image of the woman lingered in his mind. Her haunting gaze felt like it was etched into his soul, pulling at something deep inside him, as if she were trying to reach him even across the distance.
“Did you see her?” he finally asked, his voice shaky. “The woman… she was right there.”
“Yeah, and I don’t want to see her again,” Toni replied, her voice tight. She rubbed her arms as if trying to ward off an invisible chill. “What was that? What did she want?”
“Whatever it was, it wasn’t good,” Sam added, her eyes darting nervously over the water. “We need to get out of here. Now.”
Max nodded but couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t finished yet. The island seemed to pulse with life, a dark heartbeat echoing in his chest. They’d escaped, but at what cost?
As the boat sped away, the lights from their phones flickered to life, illuminating the faces of his friends. Gab took a deep breath, shaking off the tension. “We’ll regroup, figure this out,” he said, trying to rally their spirits. “It was just an illusion, right? Just a trick of the island.”
“An illusion? Gab, she was real,” Max interjected, his voice rising with frustration. “I could feel her. It was like she was pulling me in, like the island was trying to take me.”
“What do you mean ‘take you’?” Alex snapped, his face still pale from fear. “You’re not making any sense. We need to focus on getting to shore and calling for help.”
“But we can’t just ignore what happened!” Max shot back, anger flaring as panic bubbled beneath the surface. “This isn’t over! I felt something in the water, too. Something… dark.”
Toni moved closer to Max, concern etched across her features. “What do you mean? Something in the water?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, shaking his head. “But when I was pulled under… it felt like there were things down there, watching us. Like… like the island has guardians or something.”
“Guardians?” Gab scoffed, but the tremor in his voice suggested he was unsettled. “You think there are actual creatures in the water?”
“I don’t know what I think,” Max said, the knot in his stomach tightening. “But it felt real. Too real.”
As the engine hummed beneath them, a silence fell over the group, each lost in their own thoughts. The distant lights of the mainland flickered in the far horizon, but it felt like an eternity until they would reach safety.
Suddenly, a voice broke through the tension. “What if she’s calling to you?” Sam asked softly, her expression serious. “What if she wants something from you?”
Max felt a chill sweep over him, the air around them growing heavier. “What are you saying?” he whispered, a mixture of fear and curiosity battling within him.
“Maybe you’re connected to her somehow,” Sam pressed, her gaze locked onto his. “She was drawn to you, right? You were the one she seemed to want.”
“No,” Gab said sharply. “We don’t know anything about her! We shouldn’t be talking like this. We should be trying to forget what happened.”
But the seed of doubt had been planted in Max’s mind. What if there was a connection? What if she really did want him for something more than just a casual interaction?
As if sensing his turmoil, the water beneath them began to churn. Waves crashed against the sides of the boat with increasing intensity, rocking them violently. The engine sputtered, then roared, but the water continued to rise, each wave crashing higher, as if the sea were alive, angry.
“Hold on!” Gab shouted, gripping the side of the boat as it swayed precariously. “What’s happening?”
“Max!” Toni cried, her voice rising above the chaos. “Look!”
Max’s heart raced as he turned toward the water. Dark shapes began to emerge from the depths, rising with each wave. They twisted and turned, shifting in the moonlight like shadowy specters. The very water seemed to darken, swirling around them like a storm.
“Swim! We have to swim!” Alex shouted, panic etched across his face.
“No, don’t!” Gab yelled. “Stay on the boat!”
But it was too late. The shapes surged forward, crashing against the boat with a force that sent them lurching sideways. Max felt the world tilt beneath him as he struggled to keep his balance.
Suddenly, a massive wave crashed against them, sending water pouring over the sides. Max instinctively grabbed onto the railing, but it was no use. The boat tipped dangerously, and before he knew it, he was thrown overboard.
The icy water enveloped him instantly, pulling him under. He gasped for air, the salty taste of the sea filling his mouth as he flailed against the dark current. Panic surged within him as he tried to surface, but the weight of the water pressed down, making it hard to swim.
And then he felt it again—something brushing against his legs, slithering in the depths. The dark shapes he had seen before were back, circling him, their forms indistinct yet undeniably real.
“Help!” he screamed, his voice muffled beneath the water. But there was no answer, only the relentless pull of the currents dragging him deeper.
Fighting against the despair threatening to overwhelm him, Max kicked hard, forcing himself to swim upward. The surface felt impossibly far, and every stroke seemed to take all his strength. But he couldn’t give up—not now.
He broke through the surface with a gasp, coughing up water as he looked around frantically. The boat was just a few feet away, but the dark shapes were closing in on him, their movements swift and deliberate.
“Max!” he heard a voice call, faint but familiar. It was Toni, her face pale and panicked as she leaned over the side of the boat, reaching for him. “Grab my hand!”
“Help me!” he shouted, kicking toward her, but the shapes beneath him surged upward, their dark forms breaking the surface. A shadowy figure erupted from the water, and Max felt a cold grip wrap around his ankle, pulling him down once more.
“Max!” Toni screamed, her voice filled with terror as he sank beneath the waves.
Desperation surged through him as he fought against the grip, thrashing wildly. The world around him became a blur of dark water and swirling shadows. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think—only fight.
With one final, desperate kick, he broke free, surging upward toward the light above. The cold water stung his skin, but he couldn’t focus on that. All that mattered was reaching the surface, reaching Toni’s hand.
He finally burst through the surface, gasping for air as he flailed toward the boat. “Toni! Help!”
Her hand reached out, fingers brushing against his as she strained to pull him up. “I’ve got you!” she cried, her voice filled with determination. “Hold on!”
Max reached for her, grasping her hand with all his strength. But just as he felt himself being pulled toward the boat, the dark shapes surged forward, rising from the depths like ravenous beasts. The grip on his ankle tightened, dragging him down once more.
“No!” he screamed, panic consuming him as he clawed at the water. Toni’s eyes widened in horror, her grip slipping as the forces below yanked him deeper.
In that moment, everything slowed. The frantic sounds of chaos faded into a haunting melody, the same humming he had heard earlier on the shore. It wrapped around him like a shroud, filling his mind with whispers.
“Stay with me… Stay on the island…”
The words pulsed through him, resonating in the very core of his being. He felt the pull, the connection, as if the island itself was reaching for him, promising safety and warmth if he only surrendered. But he could also feel the desperation in Toni’s grip, the fear in her eyes, urging him to fight.
With a surge of will, Max forced himself to focus on her face. “Toni! I’m here!” he yelled, breaking through the fog of enchantment. “I won’t leave you!”
His body surged with adrenaline as he kicked hard against the pull, his muscles screaming in protest. He had to fight. He had to swim back.
With one final burst of strength, he broke free from the depths, bursting through the surface again. Toni’s hand was waiting, reaching out to him as he flailed towards her. He grasped her wrist, his heart racing as he pulled himself closer.
“Come on!” she shouted, her voice filled with fierce determination. “We can do this together!”
With her help, he managed to claw his way onto the side of the boat. As he gasped