The Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure Novel: Deadly Seas Page 3

  And everything would end. The challenge—and your lives.

  Everyone grabs on to the nearest furniture.

  No one can hide their fear. Not even Chelsea.

  You can feel the boat struggling against the wild rocking sea. Struggling to right itself.

  Then, with a crash, you’re sitting on the floor again. The boat is upright.

  You struggle to your feet and open the hatch to peek outside. The rain and the waves batter the deck. Even though it’s morning, it’s as dark as a grave out there. The wind whips the boat. You quickly close the hatch.

  You wonder, are we going to die?

  In a matter of hours, it’s all over. The Chronos II has weathered through another storm.

  “We made it!” you shout. You can’t believe how lucky you are. Brandon is the only one with bad news. “We’re way off course,” he says.

  “Then we have to make up the time,” Jason says. “We have 98 days left to complete our trip. If we’re lucky, we’ll make it. But I don’t like leaving things to luck.”

  “On this boat, that’s risky,” Georgina mutters.

  “If we right ourselves and continue toward the Panama Canal, it could add two weeks to the schedule and we could blow the deadline,” Jason says. “So instead we’ll continue south and go around Cape Horn. It will be faster.”

  Faster—and more deadly.

  Strong winds, huge waves, powerful currents, and treacherous icebergs—Cape Horn will give you the fight of your life.

  Jules Jr. calls on the satellite phone to check on your progress. He votes for speed. “Take Cape Horn. You can do it!”

  Jason and Chelsea agree.

  Brandon, David, and Georgina vote for the Panama Canal.

  It’s up to you to break the tie among the crew.

  VOTE FOR CAPE HORN.

  VOTE FOR THE PANAMA CANAL.

  “What are you waiting for?” Georgina demands, reaching for a line.

  “Did you see that strange flash of light?” you ask, staring up. “I think it was a shooting star. If you wish on one, your wish will come true. I’m going to wish that our crew wins the million dollars.”

  “I’m wishing that you’d stop staring at the sky!” Georgina cries, as an enormous gust of wind suddenly fills the sails. The boat skids across the water, jolting you out of your star- gazing daze. The wind picks up rapidly, going from 10 to 40 knots in only minutes. The mainsail pulls tight under the pressure, straining against the rigging.

  “Pull the sail in now!” Georgina screams, as water rolls over the side and the boat tilts on its starboard edge.

  Jason mans the wheel, trying desperately to even out the boat in the choppy seas. “All hands on deck!” he shouts. Then he turns to you. “Help Georgina shorten the sail! That’s an order!”

  You’re embarrassed. It’s not like you to be so flaky. You scramble to pull the sail in. The more area of the sail that is open to catch the wind, the more likely it is that a huge gust will push you over.

  The sea turns dark and menacing. Rain pours down and seawater sweeps over you. Soaking wet and shivering, you try frantically to furl the jib and lower the mainsail, but there isn’t enough time to get everything tied down properly. You wish you had started earlier.

  A violent gust hits with incredible force, overpowering the boat and ballooning the sails. The line slips from your hand.

  “Hold on!” Georgina shrieks. You grab the mast for dear life as a monster wave savagely crashes against the hull and the boat tilts and tilts. The sail smashes against the water, and the yacht capsizes.

  Your heart sinks—and so do your million-dollar dreams.

  THE END

  You tie a bowline. David comes up just as you’re tightening the loop. He scratches his head. “I know you’re our rigging expert, but isn’t that the wrong knot?”

  “Of course it’s not—” You stare at the knot and your cheeks flame pink. “Wow! I don’t know what I was thinking. This knot forms a loop, like for throwing around a post.”

  It’s so not like you to mess up a knot. You glance about. Everyone works frantically to keep the Chronos II upright. No one else has seen your mistake. “I’m sorry. Are you going to tell?” Jason and Mr. Houseman expect everyone to always bring their A-game.

  “Our secret,” David promises.

  You quickly reef the mainsail using the correct reef knot. “Sail’s secure!” you call to Chelsea. Jason steers the boat forward and the storm soon passes.

  The Chronos II bounds through the Atlantic Ocean with a mild trade wind in the sails. Brandon checks and rechecks the weather reports, but there’s no bad weather in sight.

  A few days later that changes. Now Brandon is concerned. Super concerned. Out of nowhere, the tides become unpredictable. The current grows stronger as dusk falls. Soon, the sea rages.

  Gale-force winds whip up mountainous waves. The Chronos II creaks and groans under the pressure. Then everything starts to go wrong! The metal fittings break. A hole rips in the storm sail. The entire crew tries desperately to fix the problems. The winds make it feel as if a bulldozer is trying to flatten you.

  Waves batter the port side, pushing the yacht farther and farther over on its heel. The Chronos II is nearly sideways! In moments, you will capsize.

  “The life raft!” Brandon calls. “Everyone get in!”

  “No!” David cries. “Stay on board.”

  ABANDON SHIP.

  STAY ON THE BOAT.

  It’s called a grab bag for a reason, so you grab it. You know it’s packed with emergency supplies—and this is definitely an emergency! You dive into the life raft just as the surging water sucks the Chronos II down to the ocean floor.

  The six of you huddle in the cramped raft, bobbing on the vast ocean for hours. David can’t get the emergency radio from the bag to work. “It’s busted,” he concludes.

  “But someone is looking for us, right?” Chelsea asks.

  “Houseman probably has a rough idea of where we were, but…we’re not there anymore,” Brandon says.

  “So they may be looking in the wrong spot?” you clarify.

  “Unfortunately, yes,” David admits. “The current has been really strong since we’ve been floating. We’ve moved a long way from where the yacht went down.”

  “So what do we do?” Georgina demands.

  “It’s best to wait close to where we went down,” Jason says. “Someone will find us eventually.”

  “Eventually?” Chelsea shrieks. “My skin is burned to a crisp, and we have only twenty energy bars to eat! There are two paddles. I say we start to row and try to find land.”

  SIDE WITH CHELSEA, PICK UP A PADDLE AND ROW.

  SIDE WITH JASON, AND FLOAT ALONG.

  Jason helps you raise a tarp-like canopy to shield the raft. The shade gives all of you some relief. Minutes tick by slowly, turning into hours.

  “What’s that?” Jason asks suddenly.

  You hear it! The faint whir of a motor! Jason and David pull back the canopy. You scan the sea for a boat.

  “Look up!” Georgina cries. “It’s a plane!”

  “We need to signal it!” David cries. He searches in the grab bag. “Where are the flares?”

  For some strange reason, all the flares are missing.

  “Now what?” Chelsea demands. “The plane will pass over us in less than a minute. This is our only chance.”

  “Our watches from Mr. Houseman are super shiny,” Georgina says. “We can reflect the sun with them to signal the plane.”

  SIGNAL THE PLANE.

  “I think you should take the necklace off,” you tell Chelsea.

  Even though you’d rather snorkel alone, it’s safer to swim in the ocean in a group.

  “You two are such wimps,” Chelsea says, laughing, but she agrees to leave the necklace behind.

  In the water, you can’t believe what you see—bright-red spiky urchins and a huge turtle that must weigh at least a hundred pounds.

  Chelsea uses an u
nderwater camera to snap photos of glowing fish that light up the sea with their eerie green color.

  You check the fancy, expensive underwater watch Mr. Houseman gave each of you.

  It’s getting late.

  It’s not safe to be in the water at dusk. Fish get hungry at dusk, and you don’t want to be their supper.

  You should get out now.

  You try to signal the girls, but they aren’t paying any attention to you.

  Stay calm, you tell yourself.

  A parrot fish swims right by you. Its colors take your breath away, but that’s not why your pulse starts to race and your heart begins to pound.

  Up ahead, you see a fin. A shark fin.

  And it’s coming your way—fast.

  “You did it!” You barely recognize your own voice. It comes out kind of squeaky.

  Georgina and Chelsea scared the shark away. The fin grows fainter as it flees, but you can’t tear your eyes from it.

  You’ve drifted quite a distance from the yacht. Chelsea shouts out to the crew to come closer to pick you up.

  You don’t want to splash. Splashing might bring the shark back or attract another one nearby.

  “Let’s form a circle, with our backs toward the center,” you say. “This way we’ll be able to see out in three directions. Nothing will be able to sneak up on us.”

  The yacht slowly approaches.

  You can barely breathe.

  “Hurry up. Hurry up.” You stare at the boat as it drifts slowly toward you.

  “What’s that?” Georgina suddenly yells.

  “What?” Your whole body goes rigid with fear.

  “Around Chelsea’s neck,” Georgina says. “She didn’t take the necklace off.”

  “Give me a break,” Chelsea says. “The two of you are wearing the watches Houseman gave us. They’re shiny, too.”

  She has a point. You forgot about the watches.

  But there’s no time to argue—because the shark is back, and it looks angry.

  “Don’t splash,” you warn the other two.

  The shark swims in a wide circle around you. Your chest is tight. Your heart feels as if it’s going to explode with fright.

  The yacht nears.

  The shark circles closer. Closer.

  It gives you a long, hungry look—but then changes its mind and heads out to sea.

  You quickly climb onto the boat.

  You’re the ones who were nearly shark food, but David is shaking. “Are you okay?” he asks.

  “I’ve never been that close to a shark before. It was amazing!” Chelsea says.

  David shakes his head. “Tiger sharks will eat anything. Even other sharks. You were very lucky.”

  David knows a lot about wildlife and is especially interested in endangered species—which is what you, Chelsea, and Georgina nearly became today!

  Two days later, the gear for the steering mechanism arrives. David fixes it quickly, and you’re off once again, sailing across the Pacific for Australia.

  You are now on the longest stretch of your voyage without land. You’ll be traveling more than 4,000 nautical miles alone at sea. That’s at least one month, but more likely two, without seeing another boat. If something bad happens, there won’t be anyone to help you. But on this cloudless day worry is not on the agenda.

  Enjoy it while it lasts.

  A week out from Hawaii, Jason orders you and David to do the daily boat inspection. You walk from bow to stern on both sides of the yacht, checking all the rigging. Then you check the hull, looking for cracks.

  You report back to Jason. The boat is in good shape.

  Georgina comes on deck and overhears. “That’s good,” she says. “Because a huge storm is headed our way. This one is real trouble.”

  “That can’t be possible,” you say. “Just look at the sky. It’s perfect.”

  “For now,” she says. “But not for long.” She points north. “That’s where it’s coming from.”

  She can’t be right. Weather predictions aren’t always accurate, and you’re sure she’s way off target today.

  You gaze out over the horizon, into the crystal-blue skies. Then, suddenly, ripples break the water.

  You hear splashing—and a school of flying fish leap into the air. They glitter like jewels in the sunlight. Some land on the deck.

  You were starting to feel very isolated out here in the mighty Pacific. The flying fish show up just in time. Now you don’t feel quite so alone.

  Later that night, the sea turns calm. Too calm. The stillness is creepy. The boat inches forward. You and Brandon gaze at the stars overhead.

  “No wind tonight,” Jason says as he heads below. “You can man the helm, Brandon.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Brandon says.

  A strange flash in the sky catches your eye, but before you can get a good look Georgina appears.

  “Take down the sails,” she says. “Right now. The storm is coming.”

  HURRY TO TAKE DOWN THE SAILS.

  TRY TO LOCATE THE STRANGE FLASH IN THE SKY.

  “The only thing rowing to nowhere will do is exhaust us,” you say. “Until we see land or another boat or something to head toward, we should stay put and conserve our energy.”

  Everyone agrees. You sit back and wait for rescue.

  And wait.

  And wait.

  Your stomach growls with hunger. Hours pass without the sight of anything but ocean. You play Twenty Questions and Truth or Dare. You hear about everyone’s families and pets. You learn their favorite colors, favorite animals, and favorite foods.

  “Enough with the food talk. I’m starving,” Chelsea says.

  “I’ve got to eat something,” Brandon chimes in. “Now.”

  Everyone agrees. You crawl over Georgina and open the grab bag. “We have twenty protein bars, two cans of turnips, two cans of green beans, and two cans of peaches.” You scrounge around. “A package of raisins, a package of hard candies.”

  “Plus the thirty foil packets of fresh water,” Jason adds.

  “I call the peaches!” Brandon yells.

  “You can’t call food,” you tell him. “We need to share.”

  “And ration,” Chelsea adds, swatting Brandon’s hand away from the can. “No one is looking in the right place for us. We could be floating out here for months!”

  Everyone chooses you to ration the food. You assess the situation. “The protein bars have a lot of calories. The hard candies will help our parched throats.”

  “Hand me a water packet,” Brandon says. “My lips are cracking in the sun.”

  You find a small cup in the bag and pour out a tiny bit. “A person can survive for weeks without food but will die in days without fresh water.” You divide the cans of green beans among the six of you. Brandon’s not satisfied. He wants more. When you refuse him, he glares at you.

  “Our best bet is to sleep or rest,” Georgina advises, when David vomits over the side of the bobbing raft. “It will help the seasickness.”

  For the next three days, you ration the food. The protein bars taste gross, like dense, dry coconut cookies. Nevertheless, you salivate at the sight of them. The pain of hunger in your stomach turns into a pit of fear. You haven’t told anyone, but you are down to only three bars, the two cans of peaches, and three bags of water. With six of you, that won’t last two more days.

  You finally fall asleep with your arms around the bag…

  and wake to the unmistakable sound of crinkling foil. Brandon is unwrapping a protein bar! You gasp when you spot the two cans of peaches by his feet. Each one is open and empty!

  “I’m—I’m sorry,” Brandon stammers. “I was just so hungry—”

  “And you don’t think the rest of us are hungry, too?” Chelsea screams.

  Brandon buries his face in his hands. His body shakes with sobs. He is totally losing it.

  You can’t believe Brandon pried the bag from your arms, but yelling at him won’t bring back the food. You all need ev
ery ounce of energy just to survive.

  The rest of the day is spent in silence. The brutal rays of the sun beat down, scorching your already painful sunburns. Now you fear, especially with your limited food supply, that the heat will speed up dehydration.

  KEEP READING.

  You’re going after the watch. It’s way too special to let it end up in some huge fish’s stomach. But then the faint cry of voices catches your attention. Voices calling your name. Voices from your crewmates. They’re waving at you. Waving you toward the boat. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see the watch’s shiny face shimmer in the sunlight. It’s drifting farther and farther away.

  It’s now or never, so you turn your back on the crew and swim after the watch.

  The flippers on your feet give you speed and make your kicks more powerful. In order to swim faster, you push the snorkel mask on top of your head, letting the tube dangle alongside your mouth. Kicking rapidly and keeping your head raised so the watch’s glint stays in sight, you splash through the water. Your lungs suck in air as you fight against the current. Your muscles ache, but you won’t give up.

  You’re getting that watch.

  But no matter how fast you swim, the waves push the watch just out of reach. Kicking with all your strength sends sprays of salt water into the air. Only a few more strokes and you’re there.

  Your hand clutches the watch and holds it tight. Your breath comes out in sharp rasps as you tread water and slip it back on your wrist, impressed it’s still ticking.

  What time is it? you wonder. But after brushing the water out of your eyes to check, something besides the second hand catches your eye. Something slicing through the water. Something deadly.

  It’s a shark fin. Then another…and another. Looks like your shark is back, and this time he brought friends. It’s three against one—you’re outnumbered in this deadly match.