Hayley, sick with worry and riddled with fear, stood directly in front of Clyde with his gun shoved in the small of her back. She stood this way for what seemed like hours, wondering where on earth Jack could be. When the men started to grow restless, she forced herself not to cry. Jack’s still alive. He must have found the treasure.
But as the minutes ticked by, she realized she had to confront her worst fears. She wondered if being shot hurt as much as movies portrayed it to be. Maybe she wouldn’t even hear the sound. Maybe there would be a sudden flash of pain, and then nothing.
As these thoughts plagued Hayley’s mind, Clyde and his men suddenly shifted their attention from the tidepool to the two silhouettes marching towards them. As the pair came into view, Hayley realized it was the Spaniard and Billings.
Much to her relief, Clyde withdrew his gun from her back. “Billings!” he roared.
The man, just as large as Clyde, gritted his teeth and set his jaw. He knew what was coming.
“Were you not on sentry duty?” Clyde demanded.
“I was.”
“Then why didn’t you see our two hostages sneaking out of the camp?”
Billings shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I—I was asleep.”
Clyde pointed his gun straight at the man. “You were asleep.”
“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen ag—”
But Billings never got to finish his sentence. Clyde pulled the trigger, and Billings’ body went limp. He crumpled to the sand, never to rise again.
Hayley didn’t scream. She simply couldn’t. She wasn’t even able to will herself to move. She was absolutely stunned. Her eyes were focused on the bright red circle bleeding through Billings’ shirt. Oh, God…
“Hayley!” a voice suddenly exclaimed. Everyone turned around and dropped open their mouths in shock at the sight of Jack, dripping wet, standing in the middle of the tidepool.
“You’re back!” Hayley cried, her feet suddenly able to move. She attempted to rush forward, but Clyde grabbed her and held her back.
Jack’s wild look slowly dissolved when he realized Hayley was alive and in one piece. “You’re okay?” he asked. “I thought—”
“I shot Billings, Nau, not your girlfriend,” Clyde spat. “But don’t worry, she’s next on my list.”
“Don’t!” Jack cried. He stumbled out of the tidepool and rushed forward. “Look! It’s down there! I found the treasure!”
The murmuring of a dozen voices filled the air as the men crowded around Jack and Clyde. Jack dug his hand into his pocket and presented the evidence—six golden, gleaming coins.
The effect was instantaneous. Excitement and greed quickly replaced the bloodthirsty look in the men’s eyes. Clyde snatched the coins from Jack and ran them eagerly between his fingers. “Well, well,” he murmured. “Boys, look what we’ve found—the treasure.”
The men whooped. “After all these years of searching,” Clyde said, “we finally have it! We’ll be rich, boys!”
YOU ARE READING
Living Legends
AdventureFor the first time in her life, Hayley Slade is going on an adventure. Naturally, she expects seasickness and a mild storm as the worst of her problems, so when she runs into a castaway on a deserted island, gets kidnapped with said castaway, and i...
