You sneak over to one of the larger boulders and peek down. It's pretty steep, and the rocks don't look like they're too steady, but maybe you can pull it off.
The first step down is fine, but the second one is a little unbalanced. A rock slides out underneath your foot, and when you move to catch yourself, a small avalanche of pebbles and stones carries you down to the bottom of the slope.
It hurts when you hit the ground. Your knees and hands are scraped up, and you can see places where bruises will show up soon. You wobble as you pick yourself back up, cringing in pain as you do, but at least it doesn't seem that anything on the beach is taking this opportunity to come after you.
You make the dash to the boat, though at a slower speed than you'd like as you limp a little. The boat is at an awkward angle because it's been capsized, but you lean over and knock on the cabin door.
Anuja throws it open. Beads of sweat dot her face, and she shakes as though it's the middle of January.
"Let's go," you tell her.
She nods, but doesn't move. Her eyes are fixed on something on the horizon.
"It's back," she says.
"What is?" you ask, turning to look, but with a strength unlike any she's demonstrated before, she pulls you into the cabin and slams the door shut behind you.
"What happened, Anuja?" you ask as you wade through knee-deep water. "What did you see?"
She stares at the cabin door, clutching the table next to her.
"Shh," she says.
You wait with her in the quiet, but you don't know for what. Finally, after some of the most silent breaths you have taken in your life, Anuja sighs and relaxes a little.
"Earlier, something was pound—"
Something slams against the side of the boat and Anuja screams as the vessel rocks. She falls in the sloshing water.
The cabin door bounces open.
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