The Vilcabamba Prophecy: A Nick Randall Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

descended upon them.
    Suddenly, without
warning, the earth began to shake violently, as if the devil himself were
trying to force his way up to the surface. At first, the boats were steady , unaffected by the shaking of the land all around
them. But, seconds later, the waves started coming, and the boats began rocking
wildly from side to side. Caught off guard, Jorge, who was in the other boat,
lost his balance and fell headfirst into the water. Sam watched in dismay as
Rodrigo reached over and tried to pull his friend back in, just as another
rogue wave crashed into the side of the boat, sending everyone, and all of the
boat’s contents, into the churning water. The earth stopped shaking, but the
waves kept coming, pounding Jorge, Anselmo and
Rodrigo who struggled to stay afloat.
    Sam looked at Daniel, who
was piloting their boat. His face was ashen. “Steer us closer to them—we
need to get them out!” The sound of her voice brought Daniel out of his trance,
as he forcefully steered the boat towards the three men in the water. Just as
Daniel managed to maneuver the tiny vessel towards the others, they rounded a
bend in the river, and the sight head made Sam’s heart stop cold. Ahead lay an
area of frothy water that spanned the entire width of the river, from bank to
bank, and was full of dangerously large rocks jutting out of the waves. They
were headed for the rapids.
    “Hurry! If we don’t get
them out of there, they’ll be killed on those rocks!” Sam yelled.
    The boat, fighting the
current, inched its way closer to the three members of the team in the water.
They had all seen what lay ahead. Two of the struggling men were swimming with
all of their might, trying desperately to reach the safety of Sam’s boat. The
third appeared barely able to stay afloat, though screaming desperately for
help.
    Sam reached over the side
of the boat, stretching her body out in an attempt to help one of the
crewmembers out of the water and into the safety of the vessel. She was more
than halfway out of the boat, grasping at the exhausted man’s arm, and would
have fallen into the river, herself, if Monica hadn’t grabbed her around the
waist and held her in place as she heaved Jorge over the side. The rapids and
jagged rocks drew nearer.
    “Hurry!”
    The second person to
reach Sam’s boat was Anselmo , who was clearly drained
and, therefore, unable to climb into the boat using his own power. Daniel
grasped him by the arm and pulled him halfway out of the water, causing the
boat to dip heavily to one side. In a state of panic, Daniel unintentionally
released Anselmo’s arm, causing him to drop back into
the churning river and out of sight.
    “No!” Sam screamed, jumping
into the water after him. Sam dove under the waves, searching frantically for Anselmo through a cascade of bubbles caused by the churning
water. She pulled her body through the river using long strokes, scanning for
any sign of the boat pilot. There was no trace of him. She kicked, turning at a
right angle and looked into the deeper water.
    Karachi, a species of
native Peruvian fish, darted past her, their sleek, muscular bodies cutting
through the water with ease. Sam was beginning to tire, having been under the
water for nearly two minutes searching for Anselmo and fighting the currents. Her lungs burned as she drained the last bits of
oxygen from them. A long, dark figure appeared in her peripheral vision. Sam
spun in the water. Her eyes met Anselmo’s which were wide with fear. Sam kicked with her remaining
strength, scooped him under his armpit and pushed toward the surface. The pair
broke through to daylight, Sam gulping air as they breached the water.
      “Grab his arm!” Sam screamed. Monica and
Jorge grabbed Anselmo’s limp body and hauled him into
the boat like he was the catch of the day. Sam grasped the side of the boat,
which was now sitting dangerously low due to the added weight of two additional
people. She scanned the water, looking