And then the sound of the scream, so much more chilling and horrible than any sound Georgia Dare had managed to emit throughout the filming.
Until that moment, Vanessa Loren had enjoyed the project. It was simple enougha low-budget horror flick that actually had a plot. She had written the script. In addition, she and Jay were financially committed to the project, which made them both willing to work in any capacity. She was ready to do instant rewrites as needed because of the actors and the environment, and she could film underwater shots and even pitch in as second camera for many of the land shots.
Jay, the director, was planning on making a bundle; he was counting on the success of such films as The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal State. Vanessa and Jay had known each other forever, and had both gone to film school at NYU. Hed contacted her while she was working back in Miami after shed gotten her masters degree at the University of Miami. Hed talked the good talk on getting together and finding a few investors to finance a really good low-budget flick.
Luckily, she had just been nicely paid for work she had done writing and filming an advertisement for dive gear. It had been one of the few projects she had worked on that hadnt been rewritten by a dozen people before coming to fruitionand it had been a sixty-second spot.
Jay agreed with her that if they were going to do the project, an independent endeavor, it had to be done really well. However, they were also looking for commercial success. So the script was well written but also included the usual assortment of teen-slasher-flick charactersthe jock who counted his conquests with scratches on his football helmet, the stoner guitar boy, the struggling hero, the popular slut coming on to the hero and the good-girl bookworm. So far, two characters had been killed in the water, two had disappeared from the boatand two had to fight the evil, reborn pirates on land and sea and somehow survive until help could come to the patch of sand where theyd been grounded in the Atlantic.
The scream.
Vanessa had been sitting by the fire, sipping a glass of champagne and chatting with Jay, Lew and Carlos. Theyd broken it open just a few minutes earlier, taking a minute to relax before they all gathered to cook dinner over the fire and the camp stoves theyd brought and finish off the rest of the champagne.
At the scream, she, like the others, stopped what she was doing. They looked at one another in the eerie light produced by the flames in the darkness, then bolted up and started running toward the sound.
Vanessa was in the lead when Georgia came tearing down the beach toward them. Vanessa caught the young woman, trying to hold her, trying to find out what had happened. Georgia! Stop, stop! Georgia Dare, a stunning twenty-one-year old blonde, stared at her with eyes as wide as saucers. Georgia, its me, Vanessa. Whats wrong?
NessaNessaoh my God, oh, no, no!
Georgia started to scream again, trying to shake Vanessas hold.
Georgia!
By then, everyone had come, bursting out of their camp tents, forgetting whatever task they had been involved in.
The others gathered behind her while Jay came forward. Georgia, damn it, what the hell kind of a prank is this? he demanded. Once, Georgia had tried to pretend that a stunt knife was real and that shed been stabbed by a woman from the Retirees by the Sea trailer park back in the Keys.
The bones, the bodiesthey are alive, they dont like us, theyre going to kill ustheyre angrywell all die! Georgia blurted.
Damn it, Ive had it, Jay said with disgust, turning away. Most of the others did the same.
Vanessa didnt. Georgia was shaking violently. And that scream! The sound of that scream still seemed to be chilling her blood.
Theyre going to kill us all. Kill us all, Georgia said. Her eyes fell directly on Vanessas then, and she was suddenly as strong as a sumo wrestler, breaking free from Vanessas hold and gripping her shoulders instead. Theyre real! Theyre going to kill us, dont you understand, we have to get out of here! Theyre coming out of the sand. I saw themthe arms, the hands, the skullsI saw them, coming out of the sand.
Georgia, Georgia, please, stop it. Hey, come on, were filming a horror movie, remember? Vanessa asked gently. The guys probably set up some of the props to scare you, She frowned suddenly. What were you doing alone, way down on the beach?
Travis and ITravis and ITravis is gone.
Travis Glenn was the male lead, an exceptionally beautiful if not terribly bright young man.
Okay, where is Travis?
Gone. Gone. The pirate took him.
The pirate?
Georgia shook her head. Maybe he wasnt a pirate. I didnt see him very clearly. But he was evilhe was like an evil shadow, skulking in the darkness. Travis was yelling, and he went after the shadow. He was mad. He thought you all were playing tricks. And then this monster came out of the sand, but he wasnt right, he seemed to jerk around, like his bones were put back together wrong. And he took Travis and I started screaming and ran.
Jay came back, hands on his lean hips, chest glistening in the darkness. Slap her! Nessa, dont look so damned concerned. Shes jerking us around and it isnt funny. Damn you, Georgia. Look, I realize this isnt anything major-budget, but the crew has worked hard and everyone is tiredand youre acting like a complete bitch! Its just not the time for practical jokes. Slap her, knock her out of it, Vanessa!
Vanessa glared at him and shook her head. Georgia wasnt that good an actress. She had disagreed with casting the young woman, but she had looked phenomenal on film.
Lets go down to the beach and see what scared her, Vanessa suggested. She looked back at Lew, a big, broad-shouldered Bahamian man who had been one of their guides. Do you think theres anything down at the beach, Lew?
Sand, he told her.
Lets go see.
Georgia jerked away from her, shaking her head vehemently. No, no, no! I am not going back there. I am not going back!
Carlos Roca, their lighting engineer, came toward them. Hed been close to both actors, and Georgia liked him. Vanessa did, too. He was a nice guyeventempered and capable. He took Georgias hands. Hey, hey. Ill stay here with you, and well sit by the fire with the others while Lew, Jay and Vanessa go check it all out. Hows that?
Georgia looked up at him. Huge tears formed in her eyes and she nodded. Travis is dead, she told him. Travis is dead.
Jay looked at Zoe, who worked with the props, makeup and buckets of stage blood theyd been using. He glared sternly at her, then turned to Bill and Jake, the young production assistants, earning credit from the U of Miami. Hey, you guys didnt rig anything, did youany practical jokes?
Zoe looked at him with incredulous disdain. No. No, we did not.
Jay looked from face to face and was obviously satisfied with the chorus of denials.
All right, well check it out, Jay said.
Yes, yes. Come on, lets do this, Lew said with his pleasant and easy Bahamian accent. Well find Travis and see whats going on. Miss Georgia, youre going to be just fine, honey.
But Georgia shook her head. Travis is dead, she repeated.
But Georgia shook her head. Travis is dead, she repeated.
Ill light some torches from the fire, Lew offered.
I dont believe were doing this, Jay said, tired and irritated as they started down the beach. I made a mistake in casting, thats for sure. Were filming a legend, a horror flick, for Gods sake. Shes letting it all get to her. This is crazy.
Lew chuckled softly. Ah, yes, well, thats the way it is with American slasher flicks, eh? Two young people drink and wander off into the woods or the pines to make love, and then the monster comes upon them. They are mistaken. This is Bimini. There are no monsters.
Vanessa stopped. They had come to the edge of the beach. A pine forest came almost flush with the water after a rise in the landscape.
Nothing, Jay said. Theres nothing out here at all.
Vanessa raised her torch to look around. She froze suddenly. There was nothing there now, but just feet from her, the sand looked as if it had been raked, and it was damp as well, as if someone had dumped buckets of water twenty feet inland from the shore.
Look, she said.
Someone was playing a joke on heron her and Travis, maybe, Jay said. He swore. Weve got one more day of filming to tie up loose ends, and I guess its natural that someone just feels the need to play practical jokes.
But where is Travis? Vanessa asked.
Lew was hunkered down by the disturbed sand. Interesting, he said.
What? Jay asked.
It does look like something burst outward from the sandmore than it looks as if someone were digging in it, Lew said. As if it erupted, and was then smoothed over.
We work with great props and special-effects people, Jay said dryly. Lets get back. Im tired as hell. Someone has to have some kind of sleeping pill Georgia can take.
Im not sure she should be taking a pill Vanessa began.
I am, Jay interrupted her. I need to sleep tonight!
Ill take Georgia in with me, Vanessa volunteered. She surprised herself. She hadnt disliked Georgia; she just found the woman to be a littlevapid. But that night, she felt sorry for her. Georgia had dropped out of high school, certain that an actress didnt need an education. Shed spent several years working as a model at car and boat shows, and Jay had discovered her because shed gotten a local spot on television promoting a used-car dealer. Vanessa had to admit that Georgia might not be the most talented actress she knew, but she had been professional and easy to work with. She was pretty sure that Georgia had never gotten a lot of support from her parents or anyone else.
She also knew that she had been lucky. She had been raised by parents who had cared more about their children than anything else in life. Her mother and father had been avid historians, readers, writers and divers, and they had done everything in their power to put their two children through college. She loved history and she loved diving. Her actual forte was in script writing, but in Hollywood, that was a difficult route, with scripts being rewritten so many times that you seldom recognized your own work at the end, and you seldom received credit for a project, either. It had been necessary, in her mind, to learn cameras as well, and with her background, underwater work was a natural. She was driven and she was passionate about her work, so shed jumped at the chance to work on this movie when Jay called her.
Jay loved horror movies, and they had loved each other forever. Not as boyfriend and girlfriendthey had known each other since grade school in the small town of Micanopy, Florida. He had a chance with this movie, and she wanted him to have his chance. She wanted this chance for herself, too.
She had said from the beginning that she was in only if she got her own tent.
But tonight shed bring Georgia in with her and be a mother hen.
Carlos had been settling the young woman down; the two were sitting by the fire with large plastic cupsVanessa was pretty sure they contained something a lot harder than champagne. As Vanessa, Jay and Lew returned, Georgia jumped to her feet, staring at them. See? See? I told you!
Jay took Georgia by the shoulders and tried to be calm and reassuring. Georgia, all I can think is that Travis is playing some kind of a trick on you, sweetie.
No, no! You have to go look for Travis! Georgia said.
I guess we should, Vanessa said quietly.
Jay stared at her with aggravation. Look for him? Oh, please! You know damned well that Travis is the one who played this ridiculous joke, or hes in on it! And theres nothing there, Georgia. No hands, no skulls, no monsters. Georgia, youve got to get some sleep. I need some sleep.
No, no, I saw it! Georgia said, shaking her head in fear. She glared furiously at Jay. I have to get out of here. I wont stay here! she insisted.
Youve got to be joking! Jay declared irritably. Georgia, you were touting used cars, for Gods sake! This could make you the new scream queen!
Georgia was obviously terrified beyond caring. I dont care! I dont care if I spend the rest of my life as a waitress. I have to get off this islandnow. Now!
Its dark! Jay reminded her.
Hey, hey, its all right, were fifty miles from Miami, and weve got a good speedboat. I can take her in and be back to help with any follow-up or backup shots that we need tomorrow, Carlos offered.
What if we need the actress? Jay demanded. I havent looked through the sequences we shot today.
Carlos looked at Vanessa. If Nessa doesnt mind, shes the same height and build and has long blond hair. She can fill in.
Yes, yes, Vanessa can fill in! You can be my stunt double! Georgia said enthusiastically.
For joy, for joy, Vanessa murmured. But she was still disturbed by the young womans absolute terror. Georgia was ambitious. Was she really so terrified that she would walk away from what could be a big break for her?
She realized that everyone was staring at her.
Sure. Whatever is needed, she said dryly to Jay. Of course she would do it. They both had a lot of hard worknot to mention their financestied up with this.
Ill be back in the morning, Carlos promised. Look, seriously, its what? Seven-thirty, eight oclock now? I can make Miami in a few hours. Ill get a nights sleep and head back by five or six tomorrow morning.
It was agreed. In another hour, Carlos and Georgia were off.
Vanessa found herself sitting by the fire with the others, sipping champagne once again, though it had lost its taste.
I still think we should look for Travis, she said.
Zoe let out an irritated tsking sound. That jerk! Hes out there somewhere, laughing at everyone, and not caring that hes put a real bug in the production.
And messing with the props. When he walks up laughing and swaggering in the morning, I think we should give him a good right hook, Barry said.
Silence fell.
Hey, we could sit here and tell ghost stories! Bill suggested.
They all glared at him. Apparently, no one was in the mood.
For a while, they did reflect upon the many disappearances and oddities that had occurred in the Bermuda Triangle, but even that didnt last long.
It was only nine-thirty when Vanessa opted for bed. She lay awake, watching the patterns of the low-burning fire playing upon the canvas roof of her tent. She thought about the ridiculousness of filming the moviethe hours of getting the characters into makeup and how, to save money, they had all taken on so many different tasks. Jay and Carlos had played the vengeful pirates, coming out of the sea, and she had supplied some of the sound effects and acted as the kidnapped and murdered Dona Isabella.