Megalodon Riptide

by Watts, Russ

  “Jonah. Thanks.” I approached the wheel where Jonah was sweating, turning us away from where our building had been.

  “Luke.” He acknowledged me, but didn’t look at me. He seemed preoccupied and I could see he was concentrating on managing his boat.

  “Can I help?” I offered. “Can I do anything?”

  “Just get inside, Luke. With your building collapsing it might have a knock on effect and bring down others. It’s not safe out here. I want everyone, including you, downstairs. In a few minutes we’ll be out of here and out on the open ocean. We can talk then.”

  I hesitated. If he had seen it then surely he would’ve said something. I had to know.

  “Jonah, what about..?”

  “Now, Luke. We can talk later.”

  I knew when to follow orders. It was Jonah’s boat and I wasn’t about to rock it.

  “Where’s Mr. Johnson?” asked Manny as I squeezed in next to him. Everyone was huddled around a small console. Manny was wrapped in a thick blanket as Pippa and Chelsea sat nervously looking out at the city.

  “You didn’t see?”

  He shook his head. I caught Pippa’s eyes and she sent me silent messages. She didn’t want Chelsea upset or stressed. The situation was scary enough.

  “Didn’t any of you see?” I asked.

  Nobody answered me. I couldn’t believe I was the only one who had seen Mr. Johnson die.

  “He didn’t make it. He jumped into the water, but we lost him. The building pulled him down,” I lied.

  The tall crewman who had been with Jonah earlier approached me. His blue eyes bored into mine and he pointed to a seat next to Pippa. “You should sit. We need to work.” His tone was flat with a hint of frustration. I sensed he wasn’t keen on having visitors on the boat. Thankfully, Jonah was in charge, not him.

  I joined Pippa as the tall fair-haired man left us and went out onto the deck. The other two crewmen were looking at the console and appeared to be reading a chart. I had to admit my knowledge of sailing and the oceans was very limited. As much as I wanted to help I knew I would only be getting in the way. I still had some thinking to do about the creature I’d seen too.

  “You’ll be okay in here. Just sit tight and we’ll get out of the city.” The man who had helped me rescue Manny removed his wool hat and held out a hand. “The name’s Gills.”

  “Luke,” I replied, wondering what on earth kind of name Gills was. “This is my sister, Pippa, and her daughter, Chelsea.”

  Gills shook their hands in turn, offering a warm hello. He was instantly likeable, and appeared to have no problem with any of us being on board. In contrast to the tall fair-haired man, his manner was friendly, and I felt comforted that we weren’t completely unwelcome.

  “Don’t mind Weir,” said Gills, as if reading my mind. “He likes to think he’s in charge.”

  Jonah grunted.

  “He forgets this is Jonah’s boat sometimes,” said Gills. “He’s been working the Tukino longer than any of us. He and Jonah go way back. This boat is his home, his entire life, and he’s not that welcoming of strangers. He’ll come around. He’s fair if you give him a chance. For now I suggest you guys get down and find yourself a seat where you can stay out of the way and let us work the boat. These streets can be treacherous, as you know.”

  “Thank you Mr. Gills,” said Pippa. “Thank you so much for coming for us and… well, just thank you.”

  “No need,” he said, dismissing Pippa. “Truly. Jonah told us you were a good friend. In this world I think you need all the friends you can get.”

  Inside the wheelhouse it was beginning to get warm and I was conscious of Jonah trying to work. Away from the water and with the door shut, the air was heating up. The sun still shone and with the boat rocking from side to side I was beginning to feel a little queasy. I couldn’t believe Gills wore a thick jumper, but I guessed he spent more time outside than in. I hadn’t even thought about how we would cope on a boat or if any of us would get seasick.

  “Come on Gills, let’s get back to work. We need to check the winch wasn’t damaged when we hit that truck. Besides, this city gives me the creeps.”

  The fourth crewman turned away from the console. I hadn’t heard them speak yet and their face was hidden from me. He wore a dark green lifejacket over blue oilskins, and a crimson hat that had been pulled down snugly over their head. He walked straight to the door and held it open for Gills.

  “That’s Ava.” Gills smiled. “Hey, Ava, don’t be rude. Say good afternoon to our guests. And take your damn hat off.” Gills winked at me. “She’s just shy.”

  I couldn’t hide the surprise on my face as Ava removed her hat. Blonde hair spooled out around her shoulders and the girl looked at us with a weary smile. I wasn’t sure if she was shy or had the same attitude toward strangers as Weir did. Still, if it wasn’t for her and the crew Manny would have drowned, and my family would be under a ton of rubble. Her blue eyes looked tired and there was a mole above her left eyebrow. Freckles adorned her cheeks but her skin seemed to shine. I don’t know if it was because I’d been cooped up in the apartment for months on end or not, but she was just about the most beautiful thing I’d seen in as long as I could remember.

  “Pleased to meet you, Ava,” I said. I’m sure my voice cracked when I spoke and my cheeks blushed. I had to admit she was not what I was expecting. Jonah, Weir and Gills were old hands, well over fifty, and had clearly worked the Tukino together for years. Ava looked to be around my age and was stunning. Underneath the unattractive oilskins and crimson hat hid a woman who wouldn’t have looked out of place on a catwalk.

  Ava muttered a greeting as Pippa, Chelsea and Manny said hi.

  “Okay, downstairs you lot,” said Jonah. “Save the chit-chat for later.”

  “We’ll leave you to it.” Gills ushered Ava out and closed the door behind him.

  I proceeded down the steps as my family followed me. At the bottom we hesitated, unsure of where to go. There was a narrow corridor with doors on either side. It was bare and gloomy, and nothing like I had imagined. There was a strong smell of fish too, not that I should’ve been surprised.

  “How’re you doing, Manny?” asked Chelsea. “You warm enough?”

  “Me, I’m doing just fine. It was just a quick dip. It’s Mr. Johnson I feel bad about. I tried to get him to follow me, but the stubborn old man was freaking out.”

  “I don’t want to speak ill of the dead but that old man deserved—”

  “Yeah, okay, mom, I’ve heard it before.” Chelsea shifted to look at me. “Uncle Luke tried to get him to come and he’s gone now, so let’s just leave it. I don’t feel the best and I can’t be doing with you starting another argument.”

  I suppressed my laughter when I saw Pippa’s face. Sometimes it was like she was the daughter being raised by Chelsea.

  “Gills seems nice,” said Manny. “I’m not sure about Weir, though. His frosty demeanor suggested he would rather we’d joined Mr. Johnson at the bottom of the ocean.”

  “We’re strangers who just invited themselves into his home. I can understand why he’s feeling threatened. Let’s just give it time,” I said. “Besides, they’re not all bad. Jonah is a good friend and Ava seemed nice.” Stuck on a boat with three men, I wondered how she coped. Perhaps she was a relative of one of them.

  “Nice is not what I’m looking for, Luke,” said Pippa. “A home. Food and water, and a roof over my head. Somewhere safe for Chelsea, for all of us. Please tell me you have a plan worked out?”

  “One step at a time, Pippa.” I had no idea what we were going to do. I had only agreed with Jonah that he would pick us up when the time came. Beyond that I had no plans. Would he want us to stay and work on the boat? Would he drop us off at the next building still standing? There was still dry land further inland, but access was awkward. The trawler wouldn’t be able to get us there. And the more I thought about it, I wasn’t so sure if that was where I wanted to go. We could find another home,
set up playing happy families until the waters reached us again, but then what? We’d just end up back in the same situation as we’d found ourselves earlier, needing rescue and looking for help from others. I thought it was about time we took charge of our own destiny. I just hadn’t worked out how to do it yet. The ocean was hardly much safer than land especially with that shark out there. I glanced upstairs. Jonah and his crew were working on the other side and I had absolutely no idea what they were saying about us, or what he thought we would do. Were we as welcome as Jonah had suggested? I looked at Pippa and put on my best nothing-to-worry-about smile. “We’ll be fine,” I said. “We’ll be just fine.”

  CHAPTER 4

  I trotted back up the steps, leaving Manny and my family below. I told them I wanted to talk to Jonah, but I just needed to see the city one last time. I said nothing when I was back in the wheelhouse, but let Jonah work. He gave me a disapproving look as I filed past him, but I figured he had enough on his plate without checking where I was every five seconds. The rest of the crew were outside, so I went on outside and found a quiet spot to myself. Watching New York disappear I almost felt guilty for leaving, as if I was abandoning a part of my own family. It had been our home for twenty years and the only place Chelsea had ever lived.

  I had begun to feel claustrophobic tucked away down in the boat and the fresh air felt good. The air was amazing, so natural and clean that the first few gulps of it made me feel giddy. After breathing in so much stale air in our apartment it was wondrous to be out in the open. I heard the crew talking amongst themselves, but they paid me no attention and I had no interest in them. I just wanted the chance to see my home for one last time.

  We sailed out into Upper New York Bay, past Governor’s Island. Jonah had successfully navigated us back out into the East Hudson and I saw no more of the shark. We passed a few more buildings that had collapsed, more than I’d thought I’d see. Even the United Nations building had been badly damaged and the whole building was resting at a slant that suggested it would also fall soon. As we passed under Manhattan Bridge, more skyscrapers came into view. The upper floors appeared dark and quiet, despite the beaming sunshine illuminating their towers. The glass and steel structures stood like giants overseeing the city, the last remnants of civilization. We passed under Brooklyn Bridge and I looked for the Fulton Fish Market where I had worked and first met Jonah. There was no sign of it. The whole thing was underwater. I had no reason to expect anything else, but it was still a shock. The Staten Island Ferry Terminal was gone too, now a submerged world reserved for fish and crustaceans.

  “That must be Battery Park,” said Chelsea, joining me out on the deck. “Sorry, I needed some fresh air too.”

  I quickly glanced back at Jonah but he and his crew seemed busy running the boat.

  “I used to skate down the esplanade there,” said Chelsea wistfully. She pointed at the top of a gray squat building, only its roof still exposed to the sun. “That’s the Old Customs House, right?”

  I nodded. “Remember when I took you there? You could only have been five or six. You loved the old films they used to play.”

  “I can remember you got me a mint-chocolate ice-cream and I got home and puked it all up. Mom reamed you out for that.”

  I laughed at the memory. “She sure did.”

  As I watched the city recede, we passed close by to Liberty Island. The Statue was still there but water lapped at her waist. It was hard to imagine what would become of her. Would the water continue rising? If we came back in a few years would there be anything left? The State Park was submerged, but I could see a few trees floating nearby. To the east, Brooklyn was completely submerged. I wondered how many people had stayed. How many had held onto the belief that things would change, go back to normal, or that the government would step in and do something? It felt like, as much as the world changed, it just stayed the same. Holding onto the past stopped us from moving forward. With Chelsea at my side I knew I couldn’t make the same mistakes.

  The trawler began to turn toward Brooklyn, and Chelsea slipped her hand over mine.

  “Why are we turning?” she asked.

  I looked at Jonah for clues but he remained at his console, his eyes downcast. Looking around the deck, I could see Weir and Gills pointing at something ahead. Ava was doing something at the rear of the boat where I couldn’t see her.

  “I’m not sure. Jonah knows what he’s doing. I guess he has the best knowledge of the area.”

  The boat seemed to turn so far that I thought he was taking us back. For a moment I had visions of him returning us to our complex and throwing us in the water. But then the boat began to resume its course, and I saw what had caused Jonah to turn the boat so wildly. In the middle of the bay was an airplane. It sat on the surface of the ocean like a whale’s carcass, its upturned belly glistening white in the diminishing sunlight. The wheels were still raised and I saw a flock of seagulls settle on it. The plane drifted past us silently. I stared at the black rectangular windows as it went past us, but the interior of the plane was dark. Nothing moved inside. I don’t know what I was expecting to see, but it was still unsettling. Another plane followed it, its wings almost touching the first plane.

  “They must have drifted down from JFK,” said Chelsea.

  The trawler soon got us past the planes and out of the city. New York shimmered in the settling light and a haze fell over what was left of it. The air got cooler and I knew the sun would go down soon. That meant we had a few things to figure out. I had no idea how many beds there were on the trawler, or even if we were expected to stay. I had to talk to Jonah. I still wanted to ask him if he’d seen the shark, or knew anything about it, but I didn’t want to upset Chelsea and scare her. Now that we were out on the water there was no escape plan. There was no plan B. Whatever happened out here was out of my control and it was disturbing to think I had no way of protecting my extended family. I had to know what Jonah was thinking.

  “Chelsea, why don’t you go check on Manny?” I suggested.

  “Mom’s taking care of him. I think I’ll go find Ava. No offence, but I’ve only talked to old people this last year. I could do with a change of conversation.”

  “Be careful,” I said, as she made her way down the deck to the rear of the boat. Sometimes I forgot she was still a teenager. She was so mature that I had to remind myself she was only sixteen.

  I quickly checked in on Manny and told Pippa where Chelsea was. They were content to stay in the warmth of the downstairs cabin, so I made my way back up to Jonah. The fair-haired man, Weir, was with him. I was feeling apprehensive even though I’d known him for years. I wasn’t sure what he would say or what he would expect of me. I guess the whole thing had unsettled me and I was definitely out of my comfort zone now.

  “Jonah? Everything okay?” I asked.

  He smiled when he saw me and I relaxed instantly. I felt like I had been summoned to the principal’s office to be scolded, yet from his reaction to me I knew it would be all right.

  “Sure, Luke.” Jonah rubbed his eyes. “Weir, I need to talk to my friend. You’re in charge. I want to make Atlantic City before nightfall.”

  Weir grunted and looked at me. If looks could kill I would be six feet under. He almost looked Scandinavian with his fair hair and pale skin. I thanked him anyway, knowing it couldn’t hurt to try and build a few bridges, and followed Jonah out onto the upper deck. We ended up on the port side of the Tukino, watching the city fade to nothing.

  “I can just about remember sitting in a bar in New York City but my memory is a little fuzzy,” said Jonah. “There was one place we used to go to regularly back when I was a young man with a full head of hair. It was one block away from where we rented this cheap apartment. The bar was, well, funky. They had red velvet everywhere. Like, on the chairs, the walls, even the ceiling. The barmaids were hot and the beer was ice cold, just how a good bar should be. They served up the best pizza slices in the city. You can take that to the bank.”
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  Jonah often talked about the old days. He used to tell me about the gang he ran with and how he ended up on the trawler. The guy who used to own the Tukino had convinced him that a life on the ocean was better than a life running after skirt in New York somehow, and the rest, as they say, is history.

  “It’s a shame, Luke, but it is what it is. Things have changed massively. I’m sorry about your home. How are the girls holding up? I notice Chelsea’s talking to Ava?”

  “Sorry about that, we don’t want to get in the way. I’ll have a word with Chelsea.”

  “No, no, don’t worry. It’ll do her good. Poor girl’s been cooped up with us old guys so long I’m surprised she didn’t leave me long ago. No, it’s good she has someone else to talk to; someone more her own type, you know?”

  “What’s her story?” I couldn’t help myself. All the burning questions I had and yet as soon as he mentioned Ava I had to know. “She doesn’t look like your usual fisherman. Or is that fisherperson?”

  Jonah chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “She sure ain’t, but I’ll tell you what. She’s as good as anyone out here, and you can take that to the bank. Sure, she’s got a few things to learn but she’s a natural. Picked her up a year or so ago now. Her and her brother. Her parents had a catamaran down south so she picked up some skills from them before I got hold of her. There was a storm off the Keys and the catamaran got turned upside down. Her parents didn’t make it. Lucky for her we were in the area.”

  “And her brother?”

  Jonah leaned over the railing and spat in the ocean. His demeanor changed immediately and a darkness settled over his face. “He was with us for a while. I never took to him. Pain in the ass. Physically, you knew they were brother and sister: same cheekbones, same blue eyes and perfect skin. Man, they had some good genes. But he was nothing like Ava. Lance was a spoilt brat, a real creep. I was pleased when he took off after a couple of months with a different crew led by some Scottish guy. Nasty bunch. I haven’t seen him since.”