“I heard that, too.”
“I promise I’ll serve whatever penance you want later. The light switch is on the wall behind you, to your right and up a bit.”
He could hear Dave’s hand sliding along the wall as he searched for the switch. The sound was eerie in the dark and sent another chill down Mark’s spine.
This whole thing was stupid. Any second Dave would turn on the light and they’d have a good laugh about what idiots they’d both been, being afraid of the dark. Then they’d bandage up Dave’s foot and head for home.
“Found it. I’ve flipped it repeatedly but nothing’s happening,” Dave said a few seconds later, his voice grim.
“You don’t think that we’ve lost electrical for the whole ship, do you?” Mark asked, his anxiety returning in full force.
“I was really hoping you weren’t going to ask that.”
“Well, I’m asking.”
“There’s one way to find out.”
Mark took a deep breath. “One of us has to go up to the wheelhouse.”
“Normally, I’d volunteer. I am the captain, after all. Given the circumstances, though…”
“Yeah, I get it. Just watch your feet. I don’t want to accidentally break the other one tripping over you.”
“If I could watch my feet we wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
“I’m glad you’re still finding humor in all this,” Mark said as he edged forward, blindly aiming for the doorway.
A hand clamped down on his arm, startling him.
“Move a bit to your left,” Dave murmured.
Mark did as instructed. He reached out his left arm, feeling for the door. His fingers finally brushed against the door frame. He gripped it tightly and moved forward with more confidence as Dave let go of his other arm.
Thunk!
Something hit the side of the hull again, making the boat rock.
The hair on the back of Mark’s neck stood on end.
“I didn’t hear that,” he whispered, wishing that saying it out loud would somehow make it true.
“I definitely didn’t hear it, either,” Dave said, his tone foreboding.
“Glad we’re agreed.”
“Be careful.”
Mark didn’t respond. A cold sweat had broken out on his forehead. The last thing he wanted to do was go topside to find out what was going on. He wanted to sit tight in the room and wait for dawn.
If it comes.
He tried to shove the thought out of his head, but it persisted. Over and over, he kept thinking about how dark it had been the evening before. Dave had kept mentioning the missing moon. It was as if they’d fallen into some black hole in the middle of the ocean.
He should have at least checked his phone to see the time. For all he knew, dawn was just a few minutes off and he was walking around in the dark for no good reason.
He put his hands on the walls on either side of the hallway and headed for the stairs. Then again, it was possible that he hadn’t been asleep long and dawn was still a long way off.
He came to the break in the wall he’d been looking for. The stairs would take him topside to the deck, and from there he could climb up another short set of stairs to where the steering wheel, radio and navigation equipment were located. He tried not to think about the next set of stairs, though. For the moment, he just needed to safely navigate this set.
He tightly gripped both handrails as he walked up, deliberately setting each foot before trusting his full weight to it. When he finally emerged on deck, he found everything was just as dark as it had been down below. The air was as still as it had been earlier, too. He’d been hoping for a breeze to fan his face, but there was none.
He stood for a moment in the doorway, swiveling his head around and staring into the night sky, trying to find even the slightest glimmer of light. There must still be thick cloud cover, because there was not the least bit of light from the moon or stars. It unnerved him that in the pitch black, he couldn’t tell the sea from the sky. His eyes were straining, trying to differentiate one from the other, but had no luck. In the back of his mind, he kept thinking that he should at least be able to see the water close up against the boat.
After a few moments, it finally dawned on him why he couldn’t.
The ship’s running lights were off.
4
Mark sucked in his breath. What if they had lost all their electrical systems? He needed to climb up to the wheelhouse and check up there. In the inky blackness, though, he knew it would be dangerous to navigate up the ladder and perch on top.
Especially if something hits the ship again, he thought.
He tried to tell himself that it was probably just a large fish that couldn’t discern the boat’s presence. With the ship’s lights off, maybe they were crashing into it.
That would have to be a seriously large fish to have made those heavy bumps.
His mind instantly conjured an image of a shark. Several different species of sharks called these waters home, including tigers, hammerheads and makos, among others. He forced himself to take a deep breath. Most sharks were content to let people well enough alone unless there was prey nearby.
You are not going to fall in the water and get eaten by a shark, he silently scolded himself.
He had never been afraid of sharks until his grandfather took him on a fishing trip to California. There, he had witnessed a Great White feeding frenzy firsthand and it had stuck with him all these years. Even though whites didn’t swim in these waters, whenever he thought of sharks now, he thought of them.
“Thanks, Grandfather,” he whispered as a shiver went down his spine.
The night caught his words and shoved them right back at him, as though trying to ram them down his throat. He had the unnerving sensation that he was trapped inside a tiny, black box which he couldn’t see. It felt as if his voice was carrying no more than a couple of inches past his lips.
It’s like being in a tomb, he thought as he felt panic beginning to swell again. What if Dave and I are dead? What if something happened while we were sleeping?
He slapped himself hard across the face, both to feel the pain as a way to reassure himself that he was alive and awake and to focus his attention on something other than his mounting fear. The sting of the skin on his cheek did just that.
He grit his teeth and moved forward, feeling his way to the ladder and resolutely making his way up. When he reached the top, he extended his hand toward the captain’s chair, grabbing the back of it and using it to guide him to the controls.
It only took a moment to realize everything was completely dead. He wasn’t sure how that was even possible. The system was pretty much self-contained, and they couldn’t possibly have done anything to drain the batteries down this far. He wasn’t sure why the generator wasn’t taking care of the problem. They had back-up parts on board, but that would have to wait for daylight when he could see what he was doing and Dave could oversee it all.
It’s my boat. One of these days I should learn to pilot the thing, he thought, angry with himself. He hated feeling helpless.
The truth was, as much as he enjoyed the boat, it was more of a means to an end. What he really loved was fishing out in the middle of nowhere with no other boats or fishermen to bother him. His grandfather had taught him to treasure the peace and isolation.
Well, he certainly had that now.
His grandfather had also never let him drive the boat, a much simpler craft than the one he was currently on. His parents had sold the Solitude after his grandfather died, even though Mark had begged them not to.
His overriding fear had turned to frustration as he made his way back down the ladder. With his feet firmly on the deck, he breathed deeply. He felt his way to the stairs leading down to the living quarters. Depending on how bad Dave’s foot looked when they were able to assess it in the light, they might need to call the Coast Guard for assistance. The last thing they n
eeded was to dawdle if he needed to get to a hospital.
He was about to take the first step down the stairs when something hit the boat hard. It threw him sideways and only his grip on the doorframe kept him from pitching into the darkness. The sound had been frightening down below, but up above, it was absolutely chilling.
It couldn’t be another boat, because they wouldn’t be running blind. Even the kinds of ships that might wouldn’t on a night like this. Besides, whatever had hit them seemed to have done it below the water line.
From down below, he heard an odd, tinny sound which rose and fell slowly, like someone talking very slowly through one of those tin-can string phones he’d made as a kid. Though it didn’t sound like his voice, it had to be coming from Dave.
Mark hurried down the staircase, keeping a firm grip on the handrails in case the boat was struck again. It was still pitch black below and he carefully traced his way through the dark.
“Dave?” he called, unable to keep the anxiety out of his tone.
“Are you okay?” Dave’s hoarse voice came from just a few feet in front of him.
“Yeah.”
“Thank the good Lord. I’ve been shouting for you the last fifteen minutes and you didn’t answer. I was trying to figure out how I was going to search the boat for you in the dark without being able to walk.”
“You’ve been calling for fifteen minutes?” Mark asked.
“Yeah. Since right after that last impact on the hull.”
“That was less than a minute ago,” Mark said, his heart starting to pound.
“No, dude. I guarantee you, I’ve yelled myself hoarse,” Dave said, his voice definitely sounding that way. “It’s been at least a quarter of an hour. Maybe more.”
Mark finally made it into the room and groped around until he found the edge of the bed.
“Something really strange is going on. It’s still pitch black out there. No moon. No stars. All of our electrical is unresponsive. And something--I have no idea what--appears to be attacking us.”
Dave was silent for long enough that Mark finally asked, “You still with me? You didn’t pass out on me, did you?”
“No, although as bad as my foot hurts, that would be a mercy,” Dave responded. “I’m just thinking. First off, I don’t think anything is attacking us. I think it would have sunk us by now if it was. More likely we’re in some migration lane for a pod of whales or dolphins or something.”
“Dolphins have sonar. I can’t imagine them running into the boat no matter how dark it is.”
“Fine,” Dave snapped. “You’re the fish guy. I’m the boat guy. I’m telling you that this boat, as beautiful as she is, couldn’t sustain a real attack by--what? Another ship? A mysterious something or other? I don’t think the bogeyman’s after us.”
Mark took a deep breath. He wanted to correct Dave and tell him that dolphins were mammals not fish. He could tell the other man was in a lot of pain, though, and it was clearly not the time to be argumentative. Don’t do it, he told himself.
“Mammals,” Mark burst out.
“What?”
“Dolphins are mammals, not fish.”
“Jerk face.”
“Dumbass.”
Dave chuckled slightly. “Guess I deserve that one. Okay, as soon as it’s light, we’ll take a look and see what’s wrong with her. At the very least, we can get the radio working and call the Coast Guard to come help us out.”
“You suggested it, not me.”
“Fine. Yes. Uncle. I’ll admit I may need help. My foot hurts like… a very, very hot place right now, even with the pain pills.”
“It can’t be that bad. If it was, you’d still be swearing in Latin.”
“Ah, Father Montoya, God rest his soul. That man taught me everything I know about Latin obscenities.”
“One of these days I’ll make you teach me,” Mark said.
“So you can understand what I’m saying and give me a hard time about it? I think not.”
“We could use the cell to call right now. We’ve been anchored all night in the same spot, so by the time the sun starts rising the cavalry should be getting here to rescue us.”
“Great. The cavalry. Army guys never lose a chance to lord it over navy guys, especially if they catch one helpless at sea.”
Dave snickered at his own joke.
“How many of those pain killers did you take?” Mark asked.
“I don’t know, but they’re wearing off.”
“Already? They should really just be starting to kick in,” Mark said, concern flooding him. “You only took them a little while ago. You have to wait at least four-to-six hours before you can take any more, dude.”
He groaned. “How long has it been?”
“Let me look,” Mark said, feeling for his phone. His hand finally wrapped around it and he stared at the display in shock. “Dave? It’s eight a.m.,” he finally croaked, barely able to get the words out.
“That’s not possible,” Dave said, anxiety clear in his voice. “The sun should have risen over an hour ago.”
“Maybe there’s something wrong with my phone. I’m not getting any bars,” Mark said.
“Take it up on deck,” Dave suggested. “And turn it off and on again. It’s got to be glitching. It couldn’t be eight in the morning. If you get a signal, call the Coast Guard. We need to get out of here before things get any crazier.”
“Okay,” Mark said. He rose unsteadily to his feet and shoved the phone in his pocket so he’d have both hands free to navigate topside.
“Be careful,” Dave said somberly.
“Yeah.”
He’d made it halfway down the hall when he decided to spend some of the battery power of his phone by using the flashlight function. For a second after he opened the app, he thought it was going to crash. He held his breath. Finally, the light flickered, and the beam came on.
He angled it downward and then hurried through the hall and up the stairs. Far off in the distance, he could hear the rumble of thunder which served to hasten his steps. A storm was the last thing they needed at the moment. He had to get help before it arrived. He glanced at his phone to see if there was any change. But no--he still wasn’t getting any bars.
He’d had service the night before. Why didn’t he now? He turned his phone off and then back on. It seemed to take even longer to boot up than usual, but he chalked that up to his anxiety. He shifted his weight impatiently from foot to foot as he waited. Finally, his phone came back up.
No service.
He wanted to toss his phone into the sea out of frustration. Instead he forced himself to shove it back in his pocket. He decided to go back down and get Dave’s phone. Maybe he’d have a better shot with it.
The hair on his arms suddenly raised.
The air changed.
Something was different.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky and hit the water about twenty feet off the stern of the boat. It struck with a huge crack that felt and sounded like an earthquake and nearly knocked him over. The air instantly smelled like ozone and he could feel the electricity in the air.
All of that was startling, but it was nothing compared to what the overwhelming brightness from the lightning bolt had revealed. In that one moment of intense, blazing light which had hurt his eyes, he had seen the ocean for a quarter of a mile out.
There was a massive wall of water over a hundred feet tall headed straight for the boat.
5
Sally smiled with pleasure as she loaded the groceries into the trunk. Not too much longer now before the love of her life would be back and she couldn’t wait. She returned her now-empty cart to the cart corral and then stopped and texted Mark before she got in the car.
Just bought the frozen lasagna!
She laughed to herself. She had all the ingredients for her from-scratch lasagna in the trunk. She also had purchased a small frozen lasagna. She planne
d on having the empty box out on the counter when he came home, just to tease him. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he discovered the empty box and again when he realized she was actually making her own. She’d arranged to pick up the girls from her parents’ house after dinner. Well after dinner—and dessert. She was hoping to enjoy a little more alone-time before the world came crashing in on her again.
She loved her daughters more than anything, but the morning before had been so nice that she was hoping for just a little bit more adult time. She’d even bought a new negligee the day before in anticipation of the evening.
She got in the car and smiled as she headed for home.
Tonight’s going to be a night to remember.
~
Mark shouted at the top of his lungs and staggered down the stairs as fast as he could. He raced down the hallway, not caring if he hit the wall in the dark.
“What is it?” Dave yelled.
“Tsunami!” Mark shouted before running into the side of the bed. He tripped and sprawled across it, grunting in pain. “Hurry! Grab onto something!”
As he gripped the bedframe, he heard Dave burst into rapid prayer and he knew they had no chance of living through this. The wave was going to shatter the ship into a million pieces, and them along with it. He reached into his pocket, grabbing for his cell phone, desperately wanting to talk to Sally in his last moments.
His mind screamed at him that there was no time. He vaguely remembered he had no service, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying. He was about to die and he needed to hear her voice, tell her he loved her one last time.
Any second, the wave would hit them.
All around them, a low growl arose, building in strength until he could no longer hear Dave praying. The wind howled, clawing at the inside of his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut.
Something hit the ship and it began to shake violently. He lost hold of his phone as he struggled to keep from being flung about the cabin.
Then just as suddenly as it had started, it was all over.
Mark slowly opened his eyes. Light was streaming in through the window and he blinked as he tried to focus. He glanced around and saw Dave picking himself up off the floor and climbing back into the chair. The priest’s face was ashen, whether from terror or pain, Mark couldn’t tell.
The Triangle Page 3