She nearly drifted off when a sound reached her ears.
Whup – whup – whup.
Aimee raised her head.
A red-white helicopter approached the nearby surviving boats.
"Medevac." Chad whispered.
She watched as it hovered over the survivors before lowering a basket containing a uniformed person.
For several minutes, the rescuer loaded the basket six separate times.
On the seventh, he scrambled in the basket and began the steady climb to the chopper when a pair of tentacles burst through the water and wrapped around him and the basket.
"Oh my god!" Aimee cried as she sprung to her knees.
Horrified, she witnessed the sea monster not only pulled the basket down but the entire helicopter.
Its engine strained as it fought to break free from the creature's grasp.
And failed.
The chopper teetered to one side and the whirling blades struck the surface first.
There were an explosion of water and shearing steel as the aircraft slammed into the water.
Shattered debris filled the air as projectiles, striking at and around the sailboat.
Aimee fell on top of Chad, using her body as a shield.
When things grew quiet, she lifted her face.
Broken pieces of the helicopter littered the surface.
The only intact part of the doomed aircraft was its landing skids.
She saw bodies as well. Or what was left of them.
But there was no sign of the creature anywhere.
"D-did you see that?" Aimee asked.
Chad didn't respond.
She glanced at him.
His eyes were closed, arms at his sides.
"No!" She cried and pressed her ears against his chest.
Tu-dump – tu -dump – tu-dump.
Her eyelids squeezed shut but tears still escaped down her sunburned cheeks.