Shore

 John:

A helmeted head rose from the surf into the still night air. A crescent moon shone overhead, with clouds intermittently dulling its light.

Lights played along the shore. Some moving to and fro, small beacons searching and pacing away the late hours. Spotlights played back and forth, making circles of brilliance on the sand and the stones.

The helmet sank once more into the salty tide, a small stream of bubbles silently sought the surface. Dark flippers cut through the black water, the tide and the swimmer's exertion brought him swiftly and undetectably to shore. He had a job to do.

He ran his hand over the equipment on his belt, checking by feel what he couldn't confirm by sight. Knife, explosives, grenades, gun case, all present and accounted for.

A figure crept out of the waves, crawling on his stomach. He paused behind a jutting rock, assembling something from a waterproof box. After a moment of silence and a slight click, he peered out at the fortress he must infiltrate. A guard was passing nearby, his flashlight beam scouring the rocks and the water.

The light passed on, and a figure flitted swiftly in pursuit. The bearer of the beam staggered and fell without a sound, his beam barely bobbed in its course. The infiltrator had completed his first objective.

He now looked less covertly at the further security he must breach. Sentries, machine guns, barbed wire, gates and passwords. It would be a long night. He prayed he'd see the dawn.

(One of my best I think. Hooray for imagery!)

Evan's:

http://ashardofdream.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/beaches/

Kakaru's:

http://supergoggles.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/study/

Velox's:

http://midnightvoltage.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/shore/

Grant's:

Peaceful Shores

As far as he could see on this dark night, Dominic Wood watched the coastline of the beach. He took it in, seeing its grandeur for the first time and just … stared. A minute went by, and the gusts of wind forced against his face, blowing and messing up his hair. A constant pull and push of the waves, reforming the sand of its imperfections over and over, glistened and erupted with foam as it rode into the shore.

Dominic looked upward, his eyes squinting as a new blast of wind hit him. It was partly cloudy with a decently lit moon. He could see the beach stretch out for miles, but he could see no end.

Taking in a deep breath of air, filling his lungs with that air, mixed in with a hint of salt and mist, he slowly exhaled with his lips pressed and formed together as though he was whistling.

He started to walk, pressing his light jacket closer to him.

It was the middle of spring, and he was visiting this part of the coast, never having seen its … no words could really describe it but he would say, unspeakable brilliance, at night. It was slightly chilly, the summer not having neared the spring yet, but his chest felt warm and he smiled.

The man couldn’t … what could…. To be able to walk out on the far reaches of this beach, the sand pressing against his shoes as he took each step. He had time to think. Out here? He could just, forget. Just for an hour as he took his walk. This shore was where he could let go of his anxiety of the world, and reflect on what made him, well who he was.

He felt guilt suddenly, for every person who couldn’t experience this stroll on the shore.

But he could, and he swore, this wouldn’t be the last time he did this.

Smiling, Dominic, who kept his hands in his pockets to keep them from getting cold, watched out on to the ocean, having gotten his fill. He watched the water again, and felt like he was seeing something no other place in the universe had. The ocean was unique, something powerful, protective and majestic.

Maybe next time, when he did come out tomorrow night too, he’d change his pace and sit down on the sand. Yeah, and he’d bring someone out here with him, his brother or his friend … and share what he was seeing.