Read The Island - Part 2 (Fallen Earth) for Free Online Page A

had no idea how correct or official I sounded.
    A woman answered on the fourth call. The words that erupted from the speakers boomed loud and full of static.
    “ Angel , this is Silver Lake Harbor. You have a man overboard, is that correct? Over.”
    I sighed and hit the send button again.
    “Silver Lake, we do not have a man overboard. A camper disappeared from the island this morning with the stated intention of crossing to Ocracoke in a kayak, over.”
    For a long moment, the only sound in the cabin came from static pouring from the radio and wind whistling through Angel’s rigging.
    “ Angel , would you repeat your last, over.”
    Even through the background hiss, I could hear the incredulous tones in her voice.
    “Silver Lake, we’re missing a camper. He left early this morning in a kayak with the intention of crossing to Ocracoke.”
    Her voice came back moments later.
    “ Angel , Standby while I make a couple of calls to see if he’s arrived.”
    At least five minutes passed before the radio blared to life again. I used it to gather up a few more items. I had no doubt that Elsie had taken care of the food. What I wanted were things that would help me survive once the food was gone. Somewhere in the middle of stuffing a bag full, the absurdity of that urge struck me hard. I’d come here to die, and yet was fighting to survive.
    “ Angel , this is Silver Lake.”
    The squawk from the radio startled me when it came. I dropped the bag I had been packing on the port bunk and grabbed the microphone.
    “Go ahead Silver Lake.”
    “ Angel , be advised that the Coast Guard has been notified. A search vessel will be dispatched as soon as possible. However, you should be aware that several calls have come in this morning.”
    I didn’t need an interpreter. That officially worded response basically meant, get in line buddy. Every boat on the water is trying to make port ahead of the travel ban and they’re all running into the same weather.
    “ Angel , did you copy my last?”
    I hit the send button. “I did, Silver Lake.”
    A fresh blast of wind hit the boat hard. Off in the distance, thunder growled.
    I looked up.
    “What? It isn’t enough that we’ll probably die in a week or two anyway? You have to send this crap too?”
    When I finally dropped my gaze, I looked around the cabin. Clothes, foam plates, packages of food, all manner of items were scattered across the bunks and the deck. The only thing missing was water. The boat was bone dry.
    The rain might come. The seas might thunder. As long as I took care of her though, she would take care of me.
    I shot another look toward the overhead.
    “ Alright, this is about the point in the movies where the hero does something brave and strong and stands against all the odds. That ain’t me. Just so you know, I had no intention of pissing you off.  I was just blowing off a little steam. So when I get out there, don’t hold it against me. Okay?”
    If God answered, I didn’t hear him.
    A few minutes later I eased the boat away from the dock with the throttle at one third and her nose bearing into both wind and waves. She took the chop on the bay easy enough. The real test lay ahead. Just how much of a test, I wouldn’t know until she hit the current and the rollers racing in from the ocean. Nor could I tell which way the tide was running. The confused waters outside the bay swelled into geysers when cross seas rammed into each other, and settled into a throbbing, heaving gray beast the rest of the time.  Rain had started to fall as well, splattering across the cockpit in cold wet drops.
    The waves grew higher and stronger the farther out we went. Where she once bobbed, Angel now hit with a solid thud, sending spray scattering across the bow. The instant we hit the current, I knew the tide was coming in, and fast. The boat lurched sideways, nearly exposing her beam to an incoming swell that carried short, steep sides and looked as if it were about to break. I