by Watts, Russ
Manny put a hand on my shoulder and said nothing. His eyes were threatening to spill more salty water. I knew if we spoke he would only set me off. Manny nodded at me, acknowledging that I had done the right thing in bringing him back, even if it was so we could simply read him his last rights. Manny turned away and I felt Ava’s head against my neck, her tears soaking into my collar once more. Gills lifted his head and looked at me.
“He’s gone. He’s gone.”
Jonah was dead.
CHAPTER 12
“Shape up, I need you,” shouted Weir. “This boat won’t sail itself.”
Dumbstruck, I looked at him. Had he not seen what had just happened? Did he not realize we were all in shock? I couldn’t even say I was grieving for Jonah yet, it was too soon; the man had been talking to us, looking after us for the past few days, and to be suddenly without him felt surreal. With Jonah laid out on the deck like that, I felt awful. Thankfully, Manny appeared a moment later and placed a blanket over Jonah. Not having to look at the body didn’t change anything, but it gave him a little decency at least.
“Save your whining,” said Weir, without any prompting, as if he could read my mind. “In case you hadn’t noticed we have company. That bitch hasn’t had her fill yet.”
The Tukino was picking up speed, charging through the water and I realized we were facing the open ocean. The land was behind us now, and Weir nodded his head in the direction of the tall apartments we had seen earlier. There, in the distance, was the shark’s fin, cutting through the water like an eagle soars through the air. The fin was huge, masterful, and I knew the shark meant business. It was heading for us at full pelt. Weir had to get us moving, and fast. As much as I hated the man, he was right. We had to lose it before that thing came back and took us all down.
“What do we do?” asked Gills, wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. Blood had soaked into his chest and sleeves, and Jonah’s death would hit him hard, probably harder than any of us, but I knew it would take more than that to stop him.
“Jesus, it’s coming back,” said Ava, her fingers gripping me, her nails pinching my skin even through my shirt. “It’s coming. It’s really real.”
I didn’t know what the hell we could do. “Manny, you still have your gun?” I asked.
“You bet. It’s not leaving my side, not now.”
“Be ready. You too, Gills. That thing gets close enough, you shoot it. Maybe we can scare it off. I doubt we can kill it with what we have, but we might be able to injure it. Let’s make it think twice about attacking us again.”
“I need to help Weir plot a course to Kath,” said Ava, her voice breaking. “Maybe she can take us in. Maybe she can help if we can outrun it.”
Manny and Gills took up a position to the boat’s starboard. I was grateful that Pippa had taken Chelsea down below. If she had seen Jonah, she would have freaked out. As it was, I was still going to have to explain what had occurred here; that was assuming the Megalodon didn’t capsize the boat and kill us all first.
“Weir,” I said, approaching him with hidden trepidation and loathing. I hadn’t forgotten how he had pulled a gun on me, or how callous he had been when confronted with Jonah’s grisly death. We had to have him on side for now and he was the Captain of the ship. “Ava can help you get to Kath’s. If Kath is okay then maybe she can shelter us until it’s gone. You think we can get the Tukino going fast enough to outpace this monster?”
Weir yanked the wheel sharply as he navigated us past a floating container. Its rusty doors were shut tight and whatever cargo it held would remain a secret. The container flashed past us as we sped by and I hoped our increasing speed was enough.
“If I can get us past that barge and beyond the freighter up ahead, then maybe. And that’s a big if,” said Weir, looking over his shoulder.
I knew he was looking at the fin, judging how far back it was. I didn’t want or need to know. It would do no good to see how close it was, so I focused my energies on helping Weir.
I looked ahead at the barge he had mentioned and the huge cargo ship just beyond that. The derelict ships were motionless, either abandoned or anchored waiting for help that never came. I figured if Weir could take us in and around them, there was a chance the shark might lose us, perhaps even tackle one of the bigger boats. It didn’t know what was on board and it seemed like as good an idea as any.
“Weir,” Ava said breathlessly, “we need to go due southwest or we’re going to miss Kath’s. She’s our best bet. Other than Mckade, and God knows where he is, there’s no one else around here. She might have weapons or know what to do.”
Weir looked at Ava and raised one eyebrow. “I know, girly. I don’t need a map to tell me that. We’re not going to Kath’s.”
Confusion spread over Ava’s face and I had to admit I was concerned. Whilst I didn’t know Kath, it made sense to seek help. We had a lot to deal with and a friendly face was just what we needed. She had an apartment which meant sanctuary, away from the water, away from the boat, and away from the shark chasing us.
“We can’t just keep going out into the ocean and hope it loses interest.” Ava rolled her eyes at me, the tears on her cheeks dry and her confusion turning to frustration. “Come on, Weir, just let me help.”
“Help? Throw Jonah back in the Goddamn ocean. He’s no good to us like that. The rest of his body might just give that shark something else to think about other than us. You’re damn right it’s not going to lose interest. It’s had a taste of blood now, got the scent for us. The Megalodon is a cruel monster, worse than anything else you might encounter in any ocean. I thought I’d seen it all but this… this is nothing but a fifty–foot mouth with the instinct to kill. It won’t lose interest, so we have to lose it. Our only way is to get to shallower water where it can’t follow us. Soon as we get around that barge we’re going to a place where that shark can’t get at us, the Frying Pan Shoals. Kath will have to wait.”
“The shoals,” said Ava incredulously. “Are you insane? You’ll ground us and lose the Tukino if we don’t drown first. You might as well let the shark take us now.”
Weir grunted. I noticed the gun tucked under his oilskin poking out of his belt loop. I thought of grabbing it, of forcing him to take us to Kath’s or wherever Ava thought we were safest, but something told me to wait. A wrestling match would do none of us any good. And the truth was, some of what Weir said actually made a horrible sense. If we could get to shallow water then presumably the giant shark wouldn’t be able to follow us.
“Weir, you must have flare guns or something else we can use. If it gets close to us we can try and ward it off.”
Weir looked at me skeptically.
“Look, I understand you’re the captain now, I can deal with that. And if you say heading to these shoals is our best option then I’m all for it. But my sister and niece are under our feet right now and their lives are depending on us getting this right. So let me help. Give me a weapon so Jonah didn’t die needlessly and we can fight back.”
Weir seemed to consider it and as he opened his mouth I waited for the inevitable criticism or order to get off his boat.
“Galley. Look under the seat. Flare guns are there.”
“Jesus.” Ava suddenly turned on me. “You’re taking his side?”
“I’m doing what I can to protect my family, what I can to protect you. Maybe Weir is right about shallower water.”
“And maybe you’re just another asshole out for himself.” Ava stormed away.
“One job, before you go, grease-monkey” said Weir. “Toss Jonah’s remains overboard. I wasn’t kidding about giving that shark a diversion.”
“I’ll think about it,” I replied, leaving Weir to navigate us to the shoals.
I had no intention of throwing Jonah overboard. Weir just wanted him off the ship, to remove all trace of the former captain so he could assume command without a constant reminder of how he had got it. Did he really think the shark would stop to munch on Jonah?
Even if I did throw him into the sea, the Megalodon would swallow him whole without even pausing. As I marched to the cabin, trying to ignore the twists and turns of the boat that threatened to trip me up, I wondered if I should go down and explain to Pippa what was going on. I wanted to, but time wasn’t something we had much of. She was just going to have to wait. If I saw her when I was retrieving the flare guns I would tell her, but otherwise she was just going to have to figure it out herself and concentrate on looking after Chelsea.
I went through the wheelhouse and made my way down to the galley. It wasn’t long before I had two flare guns in my hands. As I left the galley, Pippa poked her head out of the room where Chelsea was lying down. I could see in the darkness that she was lying on her side, her eyes closed.
“Sleeping?” I asked quietly.
Pippa nodded. She looked tired, like all the anger and fight had been sucked right out of her. When she saw me she looked scared and confused.
“Should I be worried? What the hell happened to you?”
How did I answer that? Telling her that we were likely to be killed by a giant shark in the next few minutes hardly seemed like a conversation opener. She could see the flare guns in my hands, and my shirt covered in blood. “Stay and watch her,” I said. “We’ll take care of it. The blood’s not mine so don’t worry about me. I have to go.”
Pippa reached an arm out and gently brushed my hand with hers. “Thanks, Luke. You know, for—”
“I’m just glad she’s okay.”
I was so proud of my sister in that moment, for who she was and the daughter she had raised. I played my part in that, but ultimately it was on Pippa. She was the one who had shaped Chelsea and made her who she was. Losing her would have devastated both of us, but Pippa would have been inconsolable. I put a foot on the first step back up to the cabin and looked back at Pippa.
“Jonah. He didn’t make it.” It felt like I was lying to her if I didn’t at least give her that. “It’s his blood. Weir’s in charge now. We’re trying to get to somewhere safe.”
Pippa nodded, understanding and accepting what I told her without saying a word. She would have plenty of time to digest the information whilst looking over Chelsea.
I returned upstairs and went back out onto deck. Immediately, the cold wind confronted me with a slap in the face and I regretted not changing. My clothes were still cold and wet, soaked through with water and blood. I felt sick seeing the blanket covering Jonah as I stepped around him. Some of his blood had soaked through it and dyed it a startling maroon. I took a look around and tried to figure out where I was best placed. Gills and Manny were at the stern, Weir was manning the helm and Ava was at the boat’s starboard. I made my way over to the portside, crossing underneath the winch.
I had no intention of speaking to Ava right now. The way she had accused me of not caring and picking sides was out of order. I thought we had a connection, but maybe I was wrong. I could handle Weir’s barbs but Ava’s words stung. It wasn’t a case of siding with Weir but simply choosing the best option to keep us all alive. She had to understand that.
I shoved one of the flare guns into my pocket and kept the other out, ready to use. I looked out at the ocean. How many more were there? How many Megalodons were out there? The one chasing us had gotten closer, much closer. Its fin was still visible above the surface of the ocean and I could just make out some of its body as it sped toward us. I closed my eyes for a moment, wishing I was a world away. The light rain on my face washed away some of Jonah’s blood and I wished it would turn into a downpour. I felt dirty. We had lost our captain and almost lost Chelsea too. We were heading to an area with a huge shark chasing us that Ava said could leave us grounded. We had little food or water left, and I knew the Tukino was low on diesel. The area where we could replenish all of those things was apparently controlled by a pirate. How much worse could it get?
The boat began to turn and I saw we were approaching the barge. Weir had done it. We’d beaten the shark and gained ourselves a small advantage. Weir brought us around the abandoned barge and the shark disappeared from view. The barge was derelict, nothing but a heap of rust waiting to die. Nobody came out to greet us or wave for help. The whole thing was strangely silent and eerie. We passed close to it and then by the large cargo ship Weir had pointed out. This was much larger, even larger than the Megalodon, around sixty meters long. It was on a slightly uneven keel and I noticed several containers on the deck had come loose. There were a few bobbing in the water close by and I guessed the one we had seen earlier must have come from this ship. Yet again, nobody came out on deck and there was no indication that it was still in use. As we charged past it I hoped Weir was right. Would the shark show any interest in these ships? Could we throw it off? The sky grew darker and the rain continued to fall, and passing between the barge and the cargo ship it felt like for a moment we were safe, like nothing could get us in this little valley. That feeling of safety was fleeting, yet I held onto it for as long as I could. With Jonah gone I wasn’t sure how long Weir would trust me, and my feelings of security rapidly faded to be replaced with anxiety once we left the two ships behind. There was a lot of debris in the water, and I spotted an upturned boat, its occupants a long time dead but its name still visible: The Mangahoe. I hoped it wasn’t portentous and turned to Weir.
“Anyone got sight of it?” I yelled, hoping he might have seen the shark turn away.
I scanned the ocean. The fin was gone. I studied the water for any clue it was still following us, for a mysterious shape beneath the surface of an unusual ripple that suggested an unnatural disturbance below the waves. Nothing.
“No sign of it, Captain,” yelled Gills.
I turned to look at Ava. She had her back to me and didn’t turn around when she called out.
“Nothing here.”
It was gone. At least we now seemed to have a little more time. Even if it was still out there somewhere, we might manage to get ourselves more time to find a decent place to stay. Surely even Weir would understand that it was no longer safe out here on the trawler. His fishing days were over. Now that I had a moment to think and the soft raindrops pelting my face had cleared my mind, I knew I needed to know more about the shoals. But approaching Ava wasn’t something I was keen on yet, so I made my way carefully over to Gills and Manny. The boat was still going at full speed and I was pleased Weir wasn’t letting up. We couldn’t assume we had lost the shark for good, so it made sense to plough ahead.
“How’re you doing, Manny?” I asked.
“Ready to chuck up everything I’ve eaten in the last twenty-four hours but I’m still alive. That’s something.”
Stood side by side they appeared almost like father and son. Gills had to have thirty years on Manny and there was a faint resemblance. I could imagine Manny growing older, maybe losing some hair, putting on a little weight, and turning into Gills before he knew it.
“You should get out of those clothes before you get sick.” Gills kept glancing nervously at the ocean. “You can take some of my clothes. They might be a little big for you but they’re dry.”
“Will do. Soon.”
“And Chelsea?” asked Manny with concern. “Did you talk to Pippa?”
“Yeah, I spoke with her briefly. I think they’ll be okay. Chelsea should be all right. Thank God we found her.”
“Amen,” replied Manny, looking up at the gloomy sky. The rainclouds showed no sign of dispersing. If anything, they were growing blacker.
“Gills, you know much about where we’re going? Weir wants to take us to some shoals nearby. What was it? The… the fire pan shoals or something?”
“Frying Pan Shoals, you mean. Yeah, I know them. There’s some good fishing to be had around there. They got a Light Tower and a cool little bed and breakfast place. Well, they did have, before things changed. It’s underwater now. The shoals are notorious though. You gotta be real careful around there.”
“Careful? More than usual?” asked Manny. He
stole a glance at Jonah’s body. “Why?”
Gills sighed and looked out at the ocean. There was still no sign of the shark. “Well, the clue’s in the name. It gets shallow for one. Out of the fire and all that. A lot of shipwrecks in that area. Like I said, it’s good fishing, but it’s claimed a lot of ships and a lot of people. It ain’t some place I’d want to be, but if Weir reckons it’s our best shot, then I’ll run with it.”
The three of us let Gills’ comments sink in as we kept our eyes peeled for any sign of the shark’s fin. If it was following us then it had gone deeper underwater. I knew there was a chance it could hit us unexpectedly from underneath, but somehow I didn’t think that was its style. As every minute crawled by I felt better about our chances. The longer that it didn’t reappear, then the further away we got from it. Maybe it had found something better, a larger food source like the orca pod from earlier.
The rain continued unabated, growing stronger every second we were out there on that miserable deck, but it didn’t matter. We weren’t there for a pleasure cruise and I was already soaked anyway. The ocean remained silent. Waves crashed against the hull and the roar of the engine was the only other noise. I began to feel slightly silly with the flare gun in my hand. What could I really do against a creature of that size? And yet putting it back felt wrong too. At least with something in my hands I wasn’t completely defenseless.
“Guys, tell me I’m not seeing things.” Manny raised his arm and pointed. “Is that someone waving at us?”