“There must be an open space,” he said. “I’ll try to pull this end up, and you look underneath.”
He wiped the sweat off his forehead, leaving a red mark from his bloodied arm, and stood above the stone with his legs wide apart. Groaning, Hunter lifted the hunk of rock, and I hunched down, prepared to peer inside. Water splashed into my eyes, and I recoiled, rubbing them. Blinking rapidly, I tried again to look into the void below. Another wave hit, covering what possibly looked like two wooden trunks. My heart skipped a bit with excitement.
“I see it,” I shrieked.
“Watch out!” Hunter yelled.
I jerked back as he dropped the stone.
“What was there?” Hunter panted.
I smiled wider. “I think there are chests.”
Hunter twisted on the spot, his eyes searching for something. “We need to add round rocks under the slab and roll it off. I will lift it, and you put them under.” It was a good idea, but Hunter’s hands were visibly shaking.
“Your arms are tired,” I said. “We know where it is. We can come back later.”
Hunter shook his head, breathing hard but grinning. “We’re so close. I have to see it.”
He’d been searching for years, so I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to wait any longer. And I couldn’t rob him of this moment. I hoped the trunks held a genuine fortune this time, not the gunk of centuries-old papers.
Hunter stepped down and reached into the ocean. He splashed water on his face and washed his arms. Meanwhile, I climbed higher and found two soccer-ball-sized rocks to use as wheels. I brought one down. Then I returned to get the next one, and out of nowhere, a black snake struck my wrist. An awful scream escaped me. I staggered back, clamping my hand around my right forearm, tears stinging my eyes.
Hunter sprinted to me and pulled me into a hug. He kissed the top of my head. I sobbed into his chest, not so much from pain as from the shock of attack. My ears rang as a slight tingling sensation prickled in my fingers and toes. A heavy fog rolled into my head.
Hunter let me out of his embrace, but his hands kept a grip on my arms. “How are you feeling?”
“A little dizzy.” I checked the two punctures on my arm, the skin swelling around it.
“It should pass soon,” Hunter said. He helped me lower myself to the rock in the shade. Dizziness washed over my body and the teeth marks burned like hell. Hunter rested against the wall, stretching out his legs.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t catch them all,” he said in a low voice.
“It’s okay.” I lay down, using his muscular thigh as my pillow, closing my eyes. Hunter’s fingers gently stroked my head and ran down my back.
After some rest, I sat up, swayed, and blinked a few times to regain my focus.
“Any nausea or pain?” Hunter took my injured arm and examined the bite with dry blood around it.
“I feel fine.” The battered skin looked irritated and swollen, but the earlier brain fogginess wasn’t there anymore, and I was determined to finish what we had started. Shaking off the discomfort in my arm, I said, “We have unfinished business.”
Hunter gave me an “are you sure”look but rose at the same time as I did. He fetched the other rounded stone and then took up his position, placing his long, strong legs near the slab, his large hands gripping the edge. He raised the immense slab. I tried to stuff a rock under it, but it wouldn’t go.
“Higher,” I yelled.
Hunter grunted, lifting the slab higher. I plunged deeper and placed the first stone beneath it. If he dropped the rock, it would’ve been the end of me. I was shoulders-deep beneath the six-hundred-pound slab, pushing the second stone under.
“Sydney!” Hunter roared in warning.
I drew out just as Hunter’s hands let go. He staggered back, breathing hard. “What now?” I asked.
“We need to push it off and repeat until we have enough space to go down there.”
* * *
Exhausted, covered in blood and sweat, enjoying the strange, brutal ecstasy of finding a part of the treasure, Hunter and I sat cross-legged on the beach sheltered from the scorching sun by the palm tree, a handful of gold coins and a colorful rain of cut gems of different sizes and shades between us.
I was mesmerized by the glimmer and unable to believe what I was witnessing. Underneath the slab in a large cavity, we discovered three chests filled with doubloons and leather pouches full of precious stones. Hunter picked up a smaller bag and tipped it over. Clear, polished stones fell out, their sparkles blinding me. He swirled his finger in the gems, turning them over. When they caught the sunlight, they shined an even more beautiful, radiant glow.
