General Beauty

(Warning Graphic Content of Gruesome Nature)

The sea waves crashed and thrashed around the sunken boat. The letters, once reading RMS Hopthorn, were now faded and unreadable. Oars and food supplies washed out of the lower deck and unused lifejackets helplessly drifted off to sea. The hour was late when Zach Hopthorn emerged from the plunging deep cold water, long past the stages of hypothermia. The waves kept engulfing him with loads of brackish water and tugging on his legs like quicksand. He was able to lift up one leg over the hull of the boat before a tidal wave grabbed it and flung him off, hurling him back into the ocean. This time, a spare lifejacket came his way, and he grasped onto it for dear life. Thunder continued to boom around him until late dawn when the storm ceased, and Hopthorn was left to die a slow and painful death. His eyes fluttered open at roughly 9 o'clock. He tried to lift up his head but was met with feverish chills and shakes. His arms still seemed to work fine, unlike his legs which he rendered broken. Random pieces of debris floated calmly alongside him. An oar passed by and he used it to move a little faster towards the horizon. According to the last time he saw his map, he was by an island known for its beauty. With that goal in mind, he set out to try and find some form of life to try and save his body.

~~~

About an hour came and went, and he still had no luck. His body was worsening by the minute, and his oar was soaking wet. His head laid down and sobs overcame his already fractured mental state. His wife, Natalia, and his daughter, Laila, would never see him again. If he had never taken his boat out to fish, he would have still been alive and well. The emotions slowly went away and he peered up. An island was just left of his position, and from the appearance of it it was LaBlanche. The island on his map was right next to him when he needed it most. He excitedly pushed his oar towards the sunny beach, only to be met by gruesome groans from his lower body. Sand became visible underneath him as the oar broke, soaked all the way through. He touched the cool substance and washed up onshore. His knees buckled inward as he tried to keep footing on the slightly steep coastline. It had been somewhat 8 hours since he stood on his two hind legs. After gaining some strength back, some coconuts became reachable, so he reached up and pulled one off of the tree. He cut it open with a sharp rock and drank the sweet liquid. It tasted a lot better than it was, but Zach was in heaven. He grabbed a few more coconuts and put them in a safe spot by the beach. His shivering lessened slightly and his breathing returned to a sort of normal. The sun was now high in the sky, so he took advantage and attempted to find a village. They weren't uncommon around here, so he figured it wouldn't take long. He was quickly proven wrong when he met a lot of twists and turns and turned around after hours of looking. His head hit the now cold sand and he watched the sunset peacefully from his little spot. Naturally, his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

At about 2 in the morning, Hopthorn abruptly woke up to loud splashing. His head jerked up with applause of creaks from his weakened bones. The water looked blackish and dark, so he scooted closer to take a look. He dipped his hand in the water and it was surprisingly warm. Three seconds later, he came to the awful realization that this was octopus ink, and before he could jump back, a shark sank its teeth into his leg and dragged him underwater. Oxygen quickly ran out and Zach was in a one on one situation with a tiger shark. Instinct kicked in and he knew that if he jabbed it in the eye, it would let him go. It was risky, but he had nothing else to try. He waited for the right moment and poked a stick right through its eye, driving it mad. The good news was that he got rid of it, and the bad news was it took the bottom half of his left leg with it. Blood was gushing out like a waterfall and he began to feel light-headed. The shivering was worse than it had ever been, and he couldn't remember what he did earlier the day before. His arms used up the last of his strength to pull him back up once more to the beach. And this time, Zach Hopthorn knew it was over. On LaBlanche beach, Zach laid his head down on a moss-covered log and gazed up at the stars.

"I'm srry, Natla." he slurred, hypothermia raging in his system. "I let you dwn, and I lft behd our beutfl little girl." Tears streamed down his cheeks as he apologized to his friends, his parents, his coworkers, and his two dogs for going on a fishing trip that inevitably led him to his death. Tiredness began to overtake him because his leg was infected and out of blood, and hypothermia knocked out his coordination. Dumbfounded, he laid there not being able to do anything but think, watching the stars glisten in the night sky. His eyes closed shortly thereafter, sealing his death on Friday, April 13th, at 2:20 AM.

Helicopters found his remains the next day, minus a left leg. He was carried to the morgue, where it was pronounced that his cause of death was hypothermia. His will never got written, so his money was equally distributed. Zach Hopthorn's life slipped away, just like the innocent picture of his daughter wading silently in the cold muddy waters.