Vampire Of The New World

The derelict boat bobbed up and down with the waves as it moved across the dark water. It listed to starboard as it continued to take in water, every moment bringing it closer to sinking. There were no visible crew onboard. Its faded paint and missing beams revealed that it had been in the water for a long time and had not docked for repairs.

As the tide receded, the boat settled on the coral stones. Wood and metal g.r.o.a.n.e.d and creaked with the weight and threatened to break the hull. Waves continued to batter the hull with strong blows that gradually weakened with the ebbing tide.

Two men walked towards the shore carrying metal containers filled with water. They resembled each other, but the older man had graying hair and his sunburnt face was heavily wrinkled due to age and exposure to the elements. The younger man followed his tracks and looked at the grounded boat with interest, but did not speak.

The two men reached the edge of the water and started wading towards their own boat. On it stood a boy who waved his hand and proceeded to point at the derelict boat.

"Shouldn't we board it?" asked the boy when the two had arrived. "There may still be something of value we can take home."

"You know it's bad luck to take anything from abandoned boats. Who knows where that boat had been. We may still find its dead crew and their ghosts will haunt us until we ourselves meet some disaster," said the old man as he set down a water container near a bunch of coconuts.

"You said it yourself that the crew could be dead. Perhaps we can look at their belongings. Their relatives may reward us if we return belongings of their loved ones." The old man looked at his companion from the shore.

"No harm, I guess, if you just look. You don't have to take anything," said the old man. Then, seeing the torn sail flapping in the wind, "Haven't you finished fixing this?" He asked the boy.

"I've replaced the ropes and tightened the knots as you told me, but I don't know how I could sew the sail," said the boy.

"That's what you get for leaving this work to your son," the old man admonished his companion. "I'll fix this. You too can go to that boat."

The old man turned to the sail and proceeded to fix it. The boy and his father left the old man and waded their way towards the stranded boat.

The boy got there first and climbed aboard. "Careful!" the father shouted at his son, but the other had already disappeared inside. The father was finally able to climb to the deck and found the boy looking around.

"Nothing on deck!" said the boy. "I'll look below."

The father made a quick scan of the deck, but like his son, did not find anything of value. He went towards the aft side of the boat and saw ropes tied to the rusted railing. Along the side, he could just read some letters scratched on the wood: A Y U D E M E

Instinctively, his eyes followed the rope that led to a corner that was partly hidden from view. He was shocked at what he saw. Tied to the end of the rope were the remains of a man in an advanced state of decomposition. Its sunken eyes stared at him and its mouth was wide open.

The boat suddenly rocked as a big wave reached its side. The father of the boy maintained his balance and quickly went after his son, shouting the boy's name as he did so.

The door to the cabin was partly open and the father opened it wider to get inside. It was dark, but light was streaming in from the top windows.

The boy turned his head and found his father entering the cabin. "What do you think these are?" asked the boy and he kicked the wooden crates that were piled on the floor. "Looks like sand or something," he said as he lifted the cover.

The father counted nine crates. He tried opening the others, but these were nailed shut. He looked around and saw a closed door leading to another cabin. He tried the knob and found it unlocked. Opening the door, he had to quickly cover his nose as the odor of rotting flesh filled his nostrils. It was dark so he took out a match and lit it.

The room was briefly filled with light, but it was quickly extinguished as the man who held it let go of the match. He was shocked to see two more dead men inside, both with sunken eyes and mouths wide open.

With a gasp, the man quickly closed the door and turned to his son. To his horror, he found his son lifted off the floor, head bent to the side and eyes looking upwards. Two red eyes glistened in the darkness from a dark figure that was holding the boy.

In panic, the father rushed towards his son and tried to attack the dark shape, but was thrown backwards across the room. Dazed, he felt the pain on his head and back and he struggled to stand up. He saw his son being lifted higher and thrown to the side like a rag doll.

The dark figure stepped into the light. It looked like an old man, but with grotesque features that could only be described as inhuman. The father of the boy struggled once more to get up and was able to crawl to the door leading to the deck. The door opened and the man pushed himself to crawl out. Behind him, the dark figure approached, its eyes a brighter red. Just as the man was stepping out, he was yanked violently backwards and the door was shut as his muffled cries were drowned by the wind and the waves.