Megalodon Riptide

by Watts, Russ

  Douglas pushed the door open and we marched into the bridge. It was a large room, warm and dry, and the glass panels offered an almost 360 degree view. The yacht was magnificent. With all the instruments and computer technology on display in front of me it was clear that Douglas knew what he was doing. It meant nothing to me, but Jonah would probably have given his right arm to have this sort of equipment.

  Douglas slammed the door shut behind me and went over to Honey who was pushing buttons into a console, presumably charting a path out of the shallows, south to the resort where they’d been going before stopping to save us.

  There was another man next to her, bending over the console. I guessed it took a large crew to run a yacht this large, although it was odd Douglas hadn’t mentioned him before. When we’d encountered each other earlier it felt as if they were alone, just the two of them. I wondered if he was their son. He was dressed in black jeans with a tight charcoal T-shirt hugging his slight frame. Even with his back to me I could tell he was young. I cleared my throat and the man turned around as I approached.

  “Luke,” I said holding out my hand. “Thank you for—”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  The man whirled around and pointed a gun at me. It looked like a pistol, but I was no expert. He wasn’t their son, and he wasn’t part of the crew. This man was different. He had a hold over them. Despite his obvious youth, he was serious and glared at me as he lifted the gun and aimed it at my head. His face was young and he had piercing blue eyes. He swept floppy blonde hair from his face and smiled maliciously. I knew then he wasn’t Douglas and Honey’s son. He looked familiar, although I was sure I had never seen him before.

  “Luke, I’m sorry,” sighed Douglas. His shoulders literally slumped when he saw the gun pointed at me. “This is Lance. He’s in charge here. I’m sorry to drag you into this. He’s with McKade.”

  CHAPTER 17

  “Are we done here?” Lance shoved Douglas in the back. “Well?”

  “Yes, we’re done. We’ll be back to your boss soon.”

  The yacht surged away from the sandbank and suddenly the luxury ship didn’t feel so safe or welcoming. Lance had ordered Douglas to set a course back to Mckade’s ship, and I understood why Honey and Douglas had been so reticent about helping us. They were dragging us deeper into trouble.

  “Where is he?” I asked. “Where is Mckade? Hiding out while you do the hard work?” It struck me then why I thought I recognized him. He was Ava’s brother. He had the same eyes, the same naturally blonde hair. What he didn’t have was her warmth and charisma. He spoke with bitterness and a toxicity that practically oozed from his pores. They might share the same blood, but they were worlds apart in personality. “Did he send you here?”

  “Luke, yeah? When I need your opinion I’ll ask for it.” Lance glared at Douglas. “You and Honey stay here. You’d better get us back to Mckade in fifteen minutes.”

  Douglas rolled his eyes. “Look, we’ve done what you asked. We followed them and found them. We haven’t done anything to you, so why don’t you just let us go? This is unnecessary.”

  “Unnecessary?” Lance ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “I’ll tell you what this is, Douglas. This is a job. This is something you’re doing for us in return for us letting you live. You get that, right? I mean, when Mckade gave you a chance this is what you chose. I distinctly remember you choosing to help us, or am I wrong?”

  “Some choice. I let you take our boat and you leave us out in the ocean to drown, or we work for you with a gun pointed in our faces.”

  Lance smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “I’m not here to argue. Or do you have a problem with our arrangement? I’m sure Donovan would be happy to come up here and explain things.”

  Lance raised a small hand-held radio to his mouth.

  “No, no, it’s fine. Everything is fine,” said Douglas quickly. He sank back against the console and grabbed Honey’s hand. “We’re okay, right?”

  I noticed at the mention of Donovan that Honey slid away from Lance. Until then she had been quiet, but suddenly she seemed nervous.

  Lance lowered the radio. “Okay, Douglas. Okay. So, why don’t you explain to our friend here what’s going on? I mean, I assume you brought him up here for a reason?”

  “I think I’ve figured out much of it already,” I said. “Douglas and Honey were heading north, trying to get away from you. Yet, somehow Mckade caught up with them. Quite why you follow him I don’t get. You’re nothing like your sister.”

  For a moment Lance’s bravado faded and he looked puzzled. “You know Ava?”

  “I know that you abandoned her to follow that lunatic. I know that Mckade is bad news and if you’re in with him, then you’ve chosen the wrong side. I don’t know what’s going on here, Lance, but you have an opportunity. You talked about giving Douglas choices, well now I’m giving you one. Stop this. Whatever hold Mckade has over you isn’t worth this. Why go back to him? Join us. My family are downstairs. I know Ava would love to see you again. Douglas and Honey are good people. This boat clearly has ample room for us all. Join us before Mckade makes you do something you really regret.”

  Lance puffed out his cheeks and exhaled. “Wow, that was quite a speech. Coming from someone I gave a shit about, it might actually mean something. But, you see, I don’t know you or your family. And I don’t know how you know Ava, but I’m not going to give this up for her, or anyone else. Mckade is going places. He’s gathering an army to run his armada, and I know what side to be on. It sure ain’t yours.”

  “Listen to him,” said Douglas quietly. “We can take you wherever you want. You don’t have to go back to him. I’ve seen how Mckade operates. He’s just using you. And when he’s done he’ll drop you in the ocean with a bullet in your head. You’re not a stupid kid, Lance, so—”

  Lance whipped the butt of the gun across Douglas’ nose. He instantly cried out in pain and brought his hands up to his face. Blood spurted between his fingers and he fell to his knees. Honey fell with him, crying.

  “Leave them alone. What is this?” I couldn’t believe he was so different to Ava. “There’s no need for this, Lance.”

  “You shut your damn mouth,” said Lance, turning the gun toward me. “This is not up for discussion. Mckade has given me orders to bring you back to him. We saw your trawler. Shame we lost the boat, but your family can still help. Like I said, he needs workers. We wouldn’t have needed Douggy and his yacht, except you went into the shallow water. It was far too dangerous to follow you in there ourselves. So, we are going back to him and that’s that.”

  “And my family? My friends?” I began to realize Lance’s mind was made up. He wasn’t for turning. I wondered if there was a chance I could convince him to abandon his foolish plan if he met with Ava. “Why don’t we go down and talk to them. You’ll see, Lance, that there are other ways of surviving out here.”

  “You know, that’s the first thing you’ve said to me that makes sense. Why don’t we go downstairs?”

  “No.” Douglas looked up at Lance as Honey clung to his shoulders. “No, we need to stay up here and make sure the Bella stays on course. This weather could turn worse at any moment. You’ve seen how wild it is out there. If it gets any—”

  “Jesus, quit your whining.” Lance sighed. “Look, I need to report back to Mckade what we’re bringing him. So, I need to know who is down there.”

  “Just radio your friend. Donovan can tell you, right?” pleaded Douglas. “Or Luke can tell you exactly who is here.”

  “Enough!” shouted Lance. “Get on your feet. We’re all going down there. I am over your shit. Douglas, you’re staying here to make sure we stay on course. Luke and Honey are coming with me. A little insurance policy to make sure you don’t get any funny ideas.”

  “No,” insisted Douglas. “You know what Donovan did to Honey. I’m not putting her in that position again. What he did, what he would do… no, I can’t allow that and you know it.”


  “On your feet,” said Lance slowly. He pointed the gun at Douglas. “I’m going to count to five. Then Donovan will be the least of your worries. One.”

  “Lance, look, I’ll tell you who is down there.” I racked my brain to think of a way out of this. Clearly Honey was terrified of this man called Donovan, and Douglas had no intention of going down to the lower levels to face him again.

  “Two,” said Lance, ignoring me.

  I looked around the room. The bridge was full of equipment to manage the boat, but nothing I could use to fight him.

  “Three.”

  I thought about rushing him and making a grab for the gun. But there was too much space between us. If I made a move I might startle him and he would be able to get at least one shot off before I reached him.

  “Four.”

  Douglas showed no sign of moving. He and Honey sat on the wooden floor looking up at him defiantly.

  “Lance, you know what Donovan did to my wife. I am not going to let him near her again. I’ll take you to Mckade. You can have this boat. You can take anything, but Honey is—”

  “Five.”

  Lance moved the gun at the last moment and when he pulled the trigger I staggered back, too shocked at first to realize what he’d done. Blood splattered all over the console and Douglas’s face, as Honey’s head exploded. The bullet entered through one eye and shattered her skull. Grisly lumps of her brain and skin dripped down the side of Douglas. Some of her blood splattered my bare feet. There was no time to scream or react. Her lifeless body slumped and then Lance sprang into action. He grabbed Douglas and hauled him to his feet. He shoved the hot muzzle of the gun under Douglas’s chin, his finger twitching on the trigger.

  “Stay here, point your damn ship in the right direction, and get us to Mckade. You fucking understand me?”

  Lance shoved Douglas forward and he crashed into a control panel. With the two of them preoccupied I took a couple of steps back. I was close to the door now and I had to warn the others. I had to warn Ava. I had to get down and make sure this Donovan hadn’t done anything to them. I had to get out of here. The bridge stank of death. Honey’s face was a bloody mess, blown apart beyond recognition. The sound of the gun still rang in my ears, and I couldn’t imagine what Douglas was going through.

  Douglas glanced at his dead wife’s body and then the blood on his hands. “What have you done? Honey? This isn’t… this isn’t happening. Honey… Honey, get up. Honey?”

  As Douglas tried to bend down to his wife, Lance pushed him away. “Focus, Douglas. The boat.” Lance swung the gun in my direction and I froze. “Don’t make me count to five again.”

  I held up my hands. “Douglas, I’m sorry but you have to do it. Stay here. Take us to Mckade.”

  Douglas swayed on his feet as if he was dizzy. “But… but—”

  “One, Douglas,” said Lance. “In fact that’s one, two, and three for wasting my time. Next comes four and then a big bang. You want that? Or you going to start listening to me?”

  The ringing noise in my ears still reverberated around like a school bell and I felt sick. Honey was dead. Lance had killed her in front of us as if it meant nothing. Could this really be Ava’s brother? What kind of psychopath was Mckade who could convince a young boy to commit cold-blooded murder?

  Lance’s radio crackled. “Pick up, Lance. What’s going on? I heard a shot.”

  Lance kept the gun trained on me and with his free hand raised the radio to his mouth. “Donovan, we’re coming down. I just had to focus Douglas’ mind. Let’s just say your friend Honey won’t be joining us.”

  There was a chuckle on the other end of the radio that made my skin crawl. This was a man who right now had my family and Ava at his mercy. I assumed he had a gun too but hoped he wasn’t stupid enough to use it.

  Lance glanced at me and then back to Douglas. “If I’m not down there in sixty seconds, pick one of the survivors out and throw them overboard. I can tell we’re going to have trouble with this crew.”

  Lance lowered the radio and I gritted my teeth. How could he act so callously? He had already become so twisted and bitter, so malevolent, that it was hard to accept he was so young.

  “Four, Douglas. Remember what happens next?” Lance prodded Douglas in the arm.

  “Douglas, for Christ sake answer him.” I snapped. I know the man had just lost his wife, his boat, everything that meant anything to him in the world, but he had to realize he was putting me in danger. “Just take him to Mckade and get this over with. Honey is gone. Just do what he says.”

  Just as I thought Lance was about to pull the trigger, Douglas began to nod his head. He mumbled something inaudible and then put his hands on the control.

  “Say that again, Douglas?” asked Lance.

  “I’ll take us to Mckade,” muttered Douglas.

  “Good enough.” Lance punched Douglas on the side of the head. It wasn’t enough to really hurt him, just a shock that made him look up. “Any funny business and I start making more banging noises. Got it?”

  Lance grinned and turned to me. “So, Luke, what do you say we go join the others? I need to find out who we’ve snagged for the captain. The weather seems to have taken a turn for the worst so we’ll take the scenic route. This really is a beautiful ship. On the way down you can tell me how the hell you know my sister.”

  Lance grabbed my collar and twisted me around. There was another door that led to the interior of the ship. I felt the gun in between my shoulder blades, and then Lance’s warm breath in my ear.

  “Same goes for you, Lukey. I think you’re trying anything and this goes boom.”

  I let Lance shove me forward and we left Douglas behind on the bridge. I think he knew better than to do anything stupid, and as we made our way into the bowels of the ship I began to wonder just how we were going to get out of this one. If Donovan was anything like Lance we were in trouble. Mckade’s men were under orders and we were obviously expected shortly. Quite why he thought we would join his crew I don’t know. If Mckade was assembling an army he needed men, sailors, people like Gills and Weir; he would have little use for women like Chelsea and Ava. Then it dawned on me that he would have plenty of use for Chelsea and Ava. I felt my stomach flip and knew exactly what he had planned for us.

  “Down there,” said Lance. “There’s another door at the end of the corridor that leads to a staircase. We’ll find Donovan at the bottom of it, and whoever else was with you, Luke.”

  We passed several rooms that looked as if they had been ransacked. I saw bedrooms that once must have been the height of luxury. Now the sheets were tossed aside, and the contents of every cupboard and drawer had been turned inside out.

  “Lance, do you know why our boat crashed? Do you know what’s out there?” I had to try something, make him understand that we weren’t just battling the elements or Mckade. “Have you seen what’s out there in the ocean?”

  “Yeah, Mckade. He’s the king in these parts and his empire is spreading. There’s no need to worry though, unless you want to be a little bitch like Douglas. He needs men. Play this right and you can join us. I’m not just saying that. This is a great opportunity for you.”

  I opened the door and found a set of steps leading down. “An opportunity to join a bunch of murdering pirates? I don’t think so.”

  Lance laughed and we stopped at the top of the staircase. “Pirates? I think we’re a little more advanced than that.”

  I put one hand on the rail and turned to face him. His blue eyes blazed. He was getting off on the power that the gun gave him. Without it, I had no doubt he would be another lost soul searching for something to give his life meaning.

  “America is gone,” said Lance. “The mainland is swamped with disease. The food’s running out and the water is still rising. The future is on the water. Mckade figured that out a while ago. You refuse to join him, you might as well be dead.”

  “So, what if we don’t decide to join him? What if none of us do? Are y
ou going to kill us all?”

  Lance shrugged. “Probably. Mckade has no time for losers. He took over the oil depot a few days ago. Killed the woman who ran it. I saw him do it with my own eyes. When we get close enough I’m going to radio in just who we picked up and he’ll tell me what to do. If he thinks you’re of no use then it’s sayonara, Lukey.”

  The yacht was warm and yet far from comfortable. It swayed violently as the growing storm battered us. Lance put one hand on the rail next to me and I leaned in to see his face clearly. I had to believe there was still some humanity inside him.

  “Does that include Ava? You going to kill her too?”

  Lance looked at me and said nothing. He was sizing me up, trying to decide if I was playing games.

  “Bullshit. She’s not here. You’re stalling.”

  “You think I’d want to stall, knowing that Ava is down there with this Donovan guy?” That seemed to get Lance’s attention. He caught his breath and waited for me to explain. “I fell in with her crew a few days ago. My family and a couple of friends are with her down there. We’re not looking for trouble Lance, just a ride. You could easily call into Mckade and tell him there was nobody left alive. Our boat crashed, you saw it. Tell him there was nobody around to pick us up; that we all drowned. Hell, I don’t care, tell him we were all eaten by a giant prehistoric shark. Just let us go. Let Ava go.”

  Lance shook his head. “You must think I’m dumb.”

  He pushed me and I took a step backward. It wasn’t enough to send me flying down the stairs, but the meaning was clear.

  “Move it,” said Lance menacingly. “I need to talk to Donovan.”

  I began to descend the staircase with Lance behind me. The gun was quickly at my back and pressed between my shoulder blades.

  “Just think about it, Lance. We can help you. You can come with us if you want. There’s more at play here than Mckade. The ocean isn’t safe. It isn’t our future. The Megalodon is out there and—”

  “The what? Don’t tell me you saw one?”