Sea Raptor: A Deep Sea Thriller

by John J. Rust

  TEN

  The sun began to set when Bold Fortune pulled into a slip at the Point Pleasant Marina. Rastun, standing on the starboard side, looked over his shoulder at the vast Atlantic Ocean.

  Where are you?

  They’d been searching for a week with nothing to show for their efforts except false sonar contacts and a long list of bogus eyewitness reports. He’d seen a few news stories that questioned the competency of the FUBI. That didn’t surprise him. If a situation did not get resolved instantly, the people handling it were incompetent. An easy judgment to make for well-dressed assholes sitting in a comfortable TV studio instead of searching hundreds of square miles of ocean for one particular creature.

  At least the death of Scott Horn two days ago had, finally, gotten the public to take the danger the Point Pleasant Monster posed seriously. Very few boaters and jet skiers went out into the ocean. That would certainly hurt the businesses that rented watercraft, but better to lose money than any more lives. Five was five too many.

  And if it runs out of people to eat here, will it move somewhere else? If it did that, they might never catch the monster. The press would have a field day with that.

  Fuck ‘em. He couldn’t afford to worry about reporters. The same with local officials and business owners upset about all the summer tourism dollars the monster cost them. He and the rest of the expedition had to focus on their jobs, period. After a night’s rest, they’d take on more fuel and supplies and head back out to sea.

  Meantime, Rastun had an idea how to spend his downtime.

  After Hernandez secured Bold Fortune to the dock, Rastun went belowdecks to the sleeping quarters. He approached Karen’s cabin when he heard her talking.

  “Hopefully we’ll find this monster soon and I’ll be home… Of course I’ll be careful. I always am.”

  It sounded like she was talking to her daughter, Emily. Rastun stood a few feet from the doorway and waited.

  “Just keep looking at the FUBI website and you’ll see everything I’m doing… Good. You keep being a good girl for Aunt Melanie and Uncle Troy and I’ll talk to you tomorrow… I love you too, sweetie. Night-night.”

  Rastun went up to Karen’s cabin and knocked on the doorframe. “Hey there.”

  She smiled when she saw him. “Hey, Jack.”

  “Are you doing anything now?”

  “I was just saying good-night to my daughter.” Karen put her cell phone back in the holder attached to her belt. “You have something in mind?”

  “Yeah. Dinner. This time at an actual restaurant.”

  “Sounds like you’re asking me out on a date.”

  “Well, I didn’t think having MREs under a tree was all that romantic.”

  “No, but I enjoyed the company.” Karen beamed at him. “And yes, I’d love to go to dinner with you. Just give me a few minutes to change.”

  “You got it.” Rastun leaned forward and gave her a kiss before she closed the door.

  He went to his room and stripped off his t-shirt, BDU pants and boots. He looked through his luggage for decent date clothing. There wasn’t much to choose from. It wasn’t like he expected to take a woman to dinner while searching for a killer sea monster. The best he could come up with was sneakers, blue jeans and a gray ARMY t-shirt.

  Five minutes after Rastun changed, Karen came out of her cabin in flip flops, jeans and a cream-colored top. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

  She looked gorgeous.

  They drove a few miles to a two-story white and blue colonial-style house near the boardwalk. A red neon sign over the entrance read Vargo’s Restaurant and Bar. The hostess seated them at a table near the corner of the first floor. The large window to their left looked out on the Atlantic, the sky above it a canvass of orange and dark blue.

  A waiter soon appeared and asked what they wanted anything to drink.

  “You know,” Karen said. “I am in the mood for a margarita.”

  The waiter turned to Rastun.

  “A Sprite for me.”

  The waiter wrote down their orders and left. Karen looked at Rastun. “Wow, a Sprite. You wildman. C’mon, live a little. We’re off the clock.”

  “Honestly, I’m not much of a drinker.”

  “Seriously? I thought all you military guys loved to pound down beers.”

  “I found out in college that I’m a lightweight. Three beers and I’m plastered.”

  “Three beers? You wuss.”

  Rastun grinned. He thoroughly enjoyed Karen’s playful needling, something he never had with Marie. Then again, looking back on it, she never had much of a sense of humor.

  It made him wonder why he’d been with her in the first place, never mind proposing to her.

  Karen thoroughly enjoyed her margarita. Their meals were just as good, with Rastun having the crusted grouper and Karen the red snapper in wine sauce. They talked about a variety of things, none of which had to do with the Point Pleasant Monster. Growing up in Philadelphia and Tampa, their cross country experiences, which Karen had done much better at, since she finished fourth at state her senior year and earned a scholarship to Florida Atlantic University. Rastun also listened with great interest about Karen’s photo shoots in places like Alaska, Costa Rica and Madagascar.

  “Maybe I should stop,” she said at one point.

  “What for?”

  “‘Cause here I am talking about all these cool places I’ve been to, and all the Army did was drop you into one war zone after another.”

  “Not true. There were other places I went to besides Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ve been to Norway for arctic warfare training with the Jägers, their special ops force. I was in Britain for counter-terror training with the SAS, Thailand for jungle warfare training with their paratroopers.”

  “Did you do anything else in those countries besides learn how to blow stuff up?” Karen asked as she cut into her snapper.

  “Well, it wasn’t like the Army sent me over there on vacation, but I still got to see some interesting places, without lugging around an eighty-pound pack and a rifle.”

  Once they finished eating, Rastun paid for their meals and walked Karen out the door. Instead of going toward the parking lot, he took her by the hand and guided her along the walkway next to Vargo’s.

  “Isn’t your car that way?” Karen pointed to the parking lot.

  “We’re not going to my car. At least, not yet.”

  “Then where are we going?”

  “I thought you might enjoy a nighttime stroll on the beach.”

  Karen’s face brightened. “How romantic. Lead the way.”

  Once they reached the sand, they took off their shoes and headed down to the surf. White frothy water washed over their feet. The bright lights of the boardwalk glowed about a mile away.

  “By the way, thank you.” Karen kissed his cheek.

  “For what?”

  “For this. It’s been a while since I’ve been on an honest-to-goodness date.”

  Rastun squeezed her hand. “You’re welcome. Actually, it’s been a while for me, too.”

  His lips tightened as he stared straight ahead.

  “Ooh, I sense there’s a story behind this.”

  Rastun drew a slow breath. “I was engaged, back when I was in the Rangers. Marie was her name. We…broke it off.”

  “How long were you together?”

  “Three years.”

  Karen looked down at the water around her feet. “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Let’s just say I learned the hard way she was a different person from the one I fell in love with, or thought I fell in love with. But better I found that out when I did instead of after we walked down the aisle.”

  Several seconds passed with the only sound the rolling surf around them. Finally, Karen spoke. “It sounds like we’re both in the same boat.”

  “You had someone do you dirt, too?”

  “Oh yeah. Big time. I was engaged, too, when I was younger. I
thought he was the most incredible man in the world, but like your fiancée, he turned out to be something completely different.” Karen let out a sigh. “It ripped my heart to shreds when it happened, and it was a long time before I let myself trust another man.”

  “What made you move past it?”

  “I just said to myself there are millions of men out there, and some of them have to be decent. I shouldn’t deny myself a chance to be happy with someone because of one asshole.”

  “Well, hopefully you have a decent guy walking right next to you on this beach.”

  Karen turned to Rastun, grinning. “I do.”

  He quickly turned in front of Karen. She yelped in surprise and delight as she bumped into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a long kiss. His lips moved to her cheek, then behind her ear, then down her slender neck. Karen ran her hands up and down Rastun’s back.

  He pulled her down to the sand. Karen giggled as she lay on top of him. “Are you trying to re-enact From Here to Eternity?”

  “Is there a problem with that?”

  “No, there isn’t.”

  Karen leaned down, kissing him first on the lips, then on the neck. Rastun ran his hands along her sides.

  Something rose from the water.

  Rastun pushed himself up to a sitting position.

  “What’s wrong?” Karen untangled herself from him, a surprised look on her face.

  “There’s something in the water.”

  Karen knelt next to him, staring out at the darkened ocean. Rastun got to one knee, his hand hovering near his inside-the-pants holster. A large dark shape lumbered through the waves. He could make out something long extending from the shoulders. A neck. A neck that ended in a crocodilian snout.

  Rastun was staring at the Point Pleasant Monster.

  ELEVEN

  Rastun sprang to his feet and pulled out his Glock.

  “Oh my God, I don’t believe it.” Karen also stood, reaching into her large fanny pack.

  “Back up, slowly.”

  Rastun brought up his pistol, putting the sights right on the creature’s center of mass. It continued forward, now twenty yards away. It lifted its snout, as if sniffing the air.

  He had no doubt it could smell them.

  A white flash caught his attention. Rastun glanced at Karen, who had a camera up to her face. She snapped another picture.

  The Point Pleasant Monster swung its neck toward them. Another flash came from Karen’s camera. The beast stood still for a moment, then continued forward.

  Rastun lowered his Glock and aimed to the monster’s left. He fired three shots. Little spouts of water kicked up near its leg.

  It kept coming.

  “So much for scaring it off.” Rastun aimed for the monster’s torso and fired. Four 9mm rounds spat from the Glock.

  The monster didn’t slow down.

  Another flash came from Karen’s camera.

  “You think you got enough pictures?” he asked.

  “Considering how close it’s getting, I’m gonna say yes.”

  “Good. Run!”

  They raced across the sand. Rastun checked over his shoulder. The Point Pleasant Monster lowered its head and charged.

  He wheeled around and fired two shots. No effect.

  Rastun kept running. He eyed a wooden staircase leading up to the boardwalk. Lots of lights, lots of noise, lots of people. Maybe it would be too overwhelming for the monster. Maybe it would get scared and run back to the ocean.

  “Boardwalk! Boardwalk!” he shouted at Karen. “Go! Go!”

  Rastun ran for all he was worth. He checked on Karen. She ran a few paces ahead of him without any hint of fatigue. He thanked God for her cross country and marathon background.

  Rastun looked over his shoulder. A stab of fear went through his chest. The monster couldn’t be more than 15 yards behind them, and closing.

  “Go! Go! Go!”

  The world slowed down. The steps didn’t seem to get closer. Panic grew inside him. He clamped down on it and fought past the adrenalin overload. He just kept his legs pumping and made sure Karen stayed with him.

  Suddenly his bare feet thumped on wood.

  Rastun and Karen bolted up the stairs. They ran past benches and lampposts toward the row of stalls and shops, all blazing with neon lights and churning out carnival-like music and sound effects. Dozens of people lined the wooden railing along the boardwalk, staring out at the beach. Some pointed. Some gasped. Others held up cameras and cell phones.

  Rastun looked back to the beach. He tensed.

  The Point Pleasant Monster loped toward the stairs.

  “Get outta here!” he shouted at the crowd. “Get outta here!”

  A few people ran off. Others stared at him with expressions of shock or curiosity.

  “He’s got a gun!” one woman shrieked.

  “Don’t shoot us, man!” a teenage boy held up his hands.

  “Dammit, get the hell outta—”

  The snap of wood sounded behind Rastun. He swung around.

  The monster shattered part of the railing as it stomped onto the boardwalk.

  Rastun fired three shots.

  Screams went up from the crowd. Men, women and children stampeded down the boardwalk.

  “Go!” Rastun nudged Karen forward and fired two more shots at the monster. He turned and ran after her. The boardwalk trembled from the pounding feet of the crowd.

  And the feet of the Point Pleasant Monster.

  People jumped over the railing and onto the beach. Others dashed inside shops, pushing and shoving to get through the door.

  Rastun again checked over his shoulder.

  The monster gained on them. Twenty yards and closing.

  “Jack!”

  He looked to Karen, who pointed to a nearby bench.

  A little girl with short brown hair and a pink dress sat beside the bench, crying. She couldn’t have been more than four. Where the hell were the parents?

  Probably caught up in the mob, unable to reach her. Probably freaking the hell out, terrified their daughter would be eaten.

  Not on my watch.

  “Karen! Get her!”

  He swung around to face the Point Pleasant Monster. It tramped right underneath a lamppost. Bathed in the white glow, Rastun finally had a good look at the beast.

  It looked like a 12-foot-tall velociraptor on steroids. The monster’s tail swung over the ground. Muscular hind legs supported its grayish body. A dark green shell ran down its back. Not like a turtle’s shell. More like an armor-plated dinosaur such as ankylosaurus. The plating went up its snake-like neck and ended at its skull. The monster’s long arms ended in webbed hands with sharp claws.

  Rastun aimed for the head and emptied his Glock. The monster flinched and paused. Had he hit something vital?

  The Point Pleasant Monster opened its mouth and hissed. It lowered its head and charged.

  Rastun looked around. He spotted an abandoned popcorn cart to his left. It was a desperate plan, but right now it was the only one he had.

  Rastun grabbed the cart by its handle. The monster bore down on him and opened its jaws. He could count every single razor-sharp tooth.

  Rastun pushed the cart over and leapt away. He landed on the wooden surface and rolled.

  The monster’s right foot crushed one of the wheels, but got caught up on the other. It hissed and pitched forward. A shudder went through the boardwalk. Wooden boards cracked and buckled underneath its bulk.

  “Jack!” Karen called out. She was carrying the little girl, who cried louder than before.

  The monster pushed itself up. Rastun jumped to his feet. He spotted an open stall filled with colorful stuffed animals.

  “This way!” He led Karen to the stall. She whispered, “It’s gonna be okay, sweetie,” to the little girl over and over.

  Rastun ejected the spent magazine from his Glock and inserted a fresh one. Karen climbed up and over the counter with the girl. Rastun tu
rned around.

  The Point Pleasant Monster was up, its dark eyes aimed right at him.

  He fired three shots and jumped over the counter. Karen found a rear exit and tried the door.

  “It’s locked!”

  A horrific crash went up behind Rastun. He dove to the floor. The little girl shrieked.

  He rolled over and sat up. The counter had been pushed in by the monster.

  Rastun put three rounds into its neck. It didn’t even notice.

  He spotted something gray out the corner of his eye. A small metal bucket had tipped over. Its contents, rubber balls of various colors, spilled across the floor.

  The monster slammed into the counter again. It opened its mouth and leaned forward.

  “Jack!”

  Rastun barely registered Karen’s cry. He grabbed the bucket and swung. It cracked against the monster’s crocodilian head. It drew back.

  Rastun rammed the bucket over the monster’s snout. It hissed in rage. Rastun hurried to the door. He only had a couple seconds at best.

  “Turn away!”

  Karen obeyed, clutching the crying girl tight.

  Rastun aimed for the lock and fired three times. Something metal clattered behind him. He turned.

  The Point Pleasant Monster had shaken loose the bucket.

  Rastun twisted to the side and launched his left foot into the door. It flew open with a bang.

  “Go!” He shoved Karen and the girl inside. Rastun turned back to the monster. It stomped over the mangled counter.

  He fired two shots and rushed through the door. Jaws snapped behind him. He felt a quick shiver go through him.

  That was way too close.

  Rastun hurried through a corridor with Karen and the little girl. There were small offices on either side, probably for the various boardwalk businesses. The girl kept crying as Rastun searched for an exit.

  A door opened ahead of them. A squat man with tan skin and a thick mustache emerged, pulling something. A trolley with three racks filled with spray bottles, paper towels, a dustpan, a bucket and a mop.

  The man had to be a janitor. Rastun wondered what he was still doing here. Surely he’d heard the commotion outside.

  Then he noticed the earbuds the janitor wore.

  He turned his cart and stopped in shock when he saw them.