He hit the raging waters with a splash. His head went under, and he took a gulp of the salty water. He kicked his legs, and waved his arms frantically, trying to get above the water. He managed to get a single breath of air, before being pounded by a gigantic wave, and thrown back under. He swam with all of his strength, in an attempt to resist the forceful current. His limbs ached, and his eyes burned, but he pushed on. When he finally started to feel like he was too weak to keep fighting, the defying force let up. He floated to the surface, his head bursting out of the water, gasping for air. He started to relax as his exhausted lungs filled with oxygen. His bloodshot eyes searched his surroundings. He was in the middle of the ocean, bobbing up and down in the calm waters. The cliff he had jumped from loomed over him in the distance, the treacherous waves crashing against the shore. He jerked his head around, looking for Zaroff's castle. He spotted the mansion, which was as tiny as a toy car in the distance. "I've got to get there before nightfall. "Who knows what kind of nocturnal creatures this ocean holds?", Rainsford muttered.
He ripped off his heavy, sopping clothes, and let them fall to the depths of the ocean. Feeling much less weighed down in only his undergarments, he took a deep breath. Reluctantly, but with the thrill of the chase, he began swimming east. He was a strong swimmer, and in the soothing tropical waters, it didn't take long for him to near the shore. The water began to ripple, and looking behind him, he saw a growing swell. The wave picked up speed, and it became capped with white, rushing water. Rainsford took a deep breath, as the wave crashed into his back, and propelled him forward. He tumbled through the water, his back skidding against the coarse sand of the ocean floor. .
His forehead jammed into a sharp rock, and he felt the skin above his eyebrow split. For a moment, he hovered under the surface of the water, surprised at how little pain his cut was giving him.
