Panicked, Erin felt her strength ebbing away. Whatever it was down here, she was in its domain.
The sunken vessel she had seen briefly in the glare of the light appeared ahead. She felt a moment of relief. Then the beam illuminated a jagged maw of teeth almost as long as her forearm–teeth poised to take a chunk out of her torso.
Chapter 12
Erin’s lungs felt ready to burst. She simultaneously hit out with the flashlight at the creature swimming towards her and withdrew the knife from the sheath on her leg.
In the swirling mass of bubbles and semi darkness of the deep, Erin couldn’t make out what she was looking at. There was something vaguely familiar about the monster, but she didn’t have time to consider it. Not when the creature was trying to kill her. Over four feet in length, it fixed her with its close-set eyes the colour of mercury. Its head was larger than Erin’s, but narrower. Its dark skin resembled the pitted surface of an orange, and when it opened its mouth, the real terror erupted in Erin’s brain. Lined with needle-sharp teeth, its jaws resembled a Venus flytrap. The bottom teeth too long to fit comfortably in its mouth, she could only assume that they slid into pockets in the roof of its mouth.
She stabbed out with the knife, slashing through the water in a demented, determined way. What the hell was that thing? The blade met resistance like steel. She had struck the beast, but it seemed to have little effect. Terrified, she shone the light at the creature, causing it to shy away. She watched it swim into the dark. The beam illuminated dark scales and spines along its back. In the moment before she lost sight of it, she thought she saw something even stranger about it. Something her brain couldn’t rationalize…
She thought she had seen arms protruding from its sides.
But that was impossible. She must have imagined it. Fear and panic playing tricks with her brain.
Even though she could no longer see it, Erin knew the creature hadn’t retreated. That it was waiting on the periphery of the beam. Waiting to attack.
Without wasting any more time, she swam towards the vessel she had seen. Fear propelled her along with the speed of a rocket. When close enough, she swept the beam across the object to discover it was a fishing boat. It sat on the ocean floor, stretched into the darkness beyond the beam of light, its tattered nets draped over the starboard side. Silver Queen. The boat that had gone missing a few weeks ago
With no other option, she swam towards the wheelhouse. Currents of water swirled at her side and she swept the light beam towards the source; saw a shape flash by in a terrifying blur of speed. The rate of its passing disturbed her swim pattern, threw her off course. She smashed into the side of the boat, jarring her skull. Momentarily disoriented, she shook her head to try to regain her equilibrium. Pure, unequivocal terror coursed through her veins, seeped through every pore of her body. She had to get inside the boat before it was too late.
Kicking furiously, she swam towards the wheelhouse. When she was within reach, she grabbed the sides and pulled herself in through a broken window.
Disturbed by her presence, pieces of debris drifted in the boat. A map floated by, followed by a small bag.
With no time to get her bearings, she swam towards what looked like a trapdoor in the far corner. She shone the light beam over it.
Sensing movement to her rear, she pointed the light back and almost choked as something rushed towards her face. Her heart stopped. She kicked out, realizing at the last minute that it was only a small fish come to seek shelter in the wreckage of the boat.
A cold sweat broke out across her body. She shivered. Her sudden movement moved the air around inside her suit, and like a marionette, her limbs moved in directions she did not intend them to go.
To regain control, she released some of the air through the valve in her arm. A geyser of bubbles gushed out and danced on the ceiling. A quick check of her air pressure revealed that she didn’t have much time left. She needed to get to the surface–fast.
She looked back towards the broken window, and was horrified to see the creature, clawing its way in with spindly arms tipped by wicked claws. Its large baleful eyes looked towards her, and it opened its mouth to reveal long, vicious teeth.
Erin wondered whether she was dreaming, whether she was trapped in a nightmare, but she knew she wasn’t. This was all too real.
The previous cold sweat intensified to freeze the very marrow in her bones. She needed to escape through the splintered trapdoor, but the displaced air in her suit still had control of her limbs, making movement difficult. She kicked furiously and scrambled with her hands, reaching for something, anything, to pull on to propel her forward.
There were now so many bubbles in the room, it looked as though the water was boiling. The creature was seconds away from her, its mouth open in anticipation of the bite it wanted to deliver. Unable to accept her fate, Erin’s feet struck the ceiling. Without hesitating, she kicked out.
The motion was enough to propel her to the trapdoor, and she grabbed the frame and pulled herself through, feeling the displaced motion of water at her rear as the creature bit down where her foot had just been. The flashlight dangled from a strap on her wrist. The wildly swinging beam revealed she was in a short corridor, and using the narrow walls, she pulled herself along.
The beat of her heart thudded inside her ears, making hearing difficult. Although she wanted to look back to see where the creature was, she knew she couldn’t. A second’s hesitation could lead to her demise. A short flight of steps at the end of the corridor lead down. Erin followed them to another door. It was shut. She reached out and pulled, but the door didn’t budge. It was probably the weight of the water holding it tight. Putting all her reserves of strength into it, she yanked the door open and a bulbous figure emerged, arms reaching towards her. Erin recoiled. Air rushed past her lips and streamed from around the regulator. The figure’s face was blue and swollen, the eyes like golf balls in the fleshy remains of its eye sockets. Disgusted, Erin clawed past the figure, sending it floating along the corridor behind her. She risked a quick glance back, saw the creature bite down on the carcass, saw skin and bone severed as it ripped its way through the corpse, shaking its head in frenzy. Bits of shredded skin hung suspended in the water like paper at a tickertape parade. A sick feeling climbed Erin’s throat. She fought it back down and swam on into the room. Once inside, she turned quickly and pushed the door shut. She was finding it hard to breathe, and a quick check of the gauges revealed that she was out of air, now running on what little remained in the tanks. Her vision was blurring, the edges of her sight going dark as though the world was shrinking.
There was no lock on the door, and when she turned to survey the room, she realised she was trapped in the boat’s galley. There was nowhere else to go. The sick feeling returned. Drown, suffocate or be eaten alive. What a choice, she thought.
It reminded her of when she’d accidentally locked herself in the cupboard under the stairs as a kid. The same feeling of claustrophobia. The same feeling of panic. Only this time it was intensified a thousand times. She cast her diminishing gaze around and noticed a wrench on the ground. Thinking she could use it to barricade the door, she swam across and picked it up. As she straightened, she noticed a fire extinguisher on the wall. She grabbed it, hoping that she could utilize it to cloud the water to allow her to escape. Every action made her lungs burn as she eked out the last of the oxygen.
She needed to act quickly, but what was the point? She was going to die anyway. Exhausted, Erin put the fire extinguisher on the table and floated buoyantly in the water at its side. It seemed ironic that the sea she loved and tried to preserve would become her tomb.
Before she had time to ponder the situation further, the creature crashed through the door. Although incapable of expression, she was sure the creature was grinning. It opened its jaws, drawing its razor-sharp teeth from the sheath of its mouth like daggers.
Heart beating like a jackhammer, she picked up the wrench and held it ready,
one last defiant act in the face of adversity. Time seemed to stretch out, seconds drawn painfully into minutes. The creature glided towards her, trailing its strange limbs as it thrust its grotesque head forward.
Then an idea sprang into her mind.
It was crazy, but she didn’t have anything else.
She needed to time it perfectly as she only had one shot.
She waited …waited until the creature was five feet away, then she smashed the wrench down on the valve of the fire extinguisher with all her might and prayed to God that it would work. The valve shot away, and the fire extinguisher sped towards the creature like a torpedo, trailing white foam in its wake.
Blinded by the trail, Erin could only hope her plan had worked. She swam out into the milky depths, feeling her way. She expected any minute to feel the creature clamp its jaw down on her arm, and a cold dread nestled in the pit of her stomach. Her failing sight made the situation worse, and her burning lungs threatened to pump their last breath at any minute.
Up ahead, the water was clearer, and she could just make out the creature lying sprawled against the wall, the fire extinguisher at its side. Thinking it was dead, she swam across it towards the door, when the creature’s mouth twitched.
She raised the knife in her hand, then stabbed it into the creature’s eye. A milky liquid gushed out and the creature slashed out with one of its clawed appendages. Erin forced the knife as far as it would go; putting what remained of her strength into the thrust. Blood replaced the milky film. She watched it seep out and drift around her like a strange fog.
Exhausted and giddy with lack of oxygen, she swam out of the boat and started her ascent, going as fast as she dared, which didn’t seem fast enough.
Despite knowing the creature was dead, she couldn’t help feeling that something was out there in the inky blackness, watching her.
But before she could think about it further, the edges of her vision blurred and then darkness pervaded.
Chapter 13
“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Bruce asked.
“Chill, dad. It’s not as if I could have gone far.” Jack patted Shazam on the head, and the dog reciprocated by licking his hand.
“That’s not the point.”
“What’s the big deal?”
“There was an accident earlier. A man was attacked in the sea. Some people think it was a shark.”
“Cool.”
“Cool? Jack, someone’s died.”
“Did you know him? Did I know him? No, then what’s it matter? People die all the time.” He could tell by his dad’s face that he wasn’t happy, but he didn’t care. At least they were now both of the same frame of mind. He’d only come home because he was hungry, and now he had to listen to this.
“If your mother heard you speak like that, she’d—”
“She’d what? Turn in her grave?”
The slap came without warning, knocking his head back with the force. Jack rubbed his smarting cheek. Shazam barked and then turned and padded away into the corner where she slumped to the ground, watching with puzzlement.
“Jack, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
Jack fought to keep the tears from flowing. “Tell it to someone who cares. I wish it was you that had died. I hate you.” He didn’t mean it, but he could see that his words had hurt his dad more than any physical blow.
Bruce bowed his head, turned and started to walk out of the room. “I’m really sorry, Jack. I’m doing my best.” Then he was gone.
Jack stood rubbing his cheek for a while longer. It was typical of his dad to make him feel guilty. This was shit with a capital S.
Well fuck him.
Jack picked up his jacket. “Come on Shazam, let’s go.”
Shazam barked eagerly and followed Jack out of the house. In a village where nothing much happened, Jack assumed a shark attack was probably big news.
There was a crowd of people on the beach, looking out to sea. Jack couldn’t see much from where he was, but there didn’t seem to be anything happening, so he continued towards the harbour.
Shazam ran on ahead. Before the high street, she sat down and waited, looking back with her tongue lolling as though saying hurry up.
Jack took his cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one. When he reached Shazam, he indicated she could cross, and then followed behind.
There were a couple of boats in the harbour. On board Storm Bringer, men were busy mopping down the deck. Jack sat on the harbour wall and watched them. At his side, Shazam sniffed the air, muzzle pointed towards the boat and her hackles slightly raised.
“What’s the matter, girl?”
Shazam barked once, then sat down and used her hind leg to scratch behind her ear before settling on the pavement. She looked up at Jack with big, sad eyes. Jack wished he knew what she was thinking.
He exhaled a cloud of smoke and stared at the trawler. Rusty streaks ran down the sides of the pilothouse, above which antennas protruded like sea anemone tentacles. Large booms protruded from the deck.
“Hey, you haven’t disappeared yet then?”
Jack turned to see Jen standing behind him on the road. A hot flush spread across his cheeks. Dressed in a pink crop top with the words Sexy Beast emblazoned across her chest, and three-quarter length green pants, she looked cuter than ever. Even the way she chewed her gum looked sensual.
“No, I’m still here. The house hasn’t gobbled me up yet. No boyfriend around today?” he asked, peering surreptitiously along the road to see if he could spot him.
“Nah. I’m a free agent today. So what are you doing?”
“Heard something about someone being attacked in the sea, so thought I’d come see what’s going on.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. Someone on their holiday. News travels fast in the village. One whiff of scandal and the local gossips spring into action faster than the Marines. You’ve never lived till you’ve seen eighty-six year old Mavis Bench with a bee in her bonnet. Quicker than a fuel-injected rocket. Something about a shark, I heard. It’s the first time I’ve heard of one attacking anyone in this country, never mind around here before.” She shrugged, and Jack couldn’t help staring at her chest which jiggled slightly. “So you’re a voyeur?”
“What, sorry, I didn’t mean ...” He looked up and blushed.
Jen grinned. “I mean about the attack. You know, like one of them people that slow down to look at car crashes on the motorway. What did you think I meant?”
“Nothing. That’s what I thought you meant.”
“Sure.” She giggled.
Jack felt stupid. “So what are you up to?”
“Same as you. Thought I’d see what was going on.”
Jack nodded. “Smoke?” He offered her the packet.
Jen shook her head. “Nah, them things’ll kill ya.”
“If the house or the sharks don’t get me first you mean.”
Jen laughed. “The shark would probably give you a miss for someone with more meat on their bones.”
Jack tried not to show it, but her comment hurt, drilling home the insecurity about his weight.
“I don’t mean you’re skinny,” Jen said as though she had read his mind. “I just mean there’s probably plenty more people they would like to eat first.”
“Like Rocky, you mean?”
Jen wrinkled her nose. “That’s not very nice.”
“I’m sorry. Just don’t know what you see in him.”
“I should hope you wouldn’t, not unless you were, you know.”
“Hey, I’m straight as a gun barrel.”
“I don’t doubt it. You want to get something to eat?”
Jack cocked his head to the side. “That a dig at my size again?”
“Nah, I’m just hungry. But if you don’t want to...”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t interested.”
“Good. Come on then.”
“Is it okay if my dog comes too?”
Jen peered over the harbo
ur wall. “Sure. At least then there’ll be someone intelligent to talk to.”
As if in agreement, Shazam barked.
“See what I mean.” She leaned over the wall to stroke Shazam’s head. Jack reluctantly looked away, embarrassed that he might get more of an eyeful.
“So where we going?”
“Well, you might have noticed the village isn’t awash with McDonalds or Burger King, so we can grab a bite at my house.”
Jack nodded. “Sounds great.” As they started to walk away, he said, “That boat, Storm Bringer. You know much about it?”
“That’s Trent Zander’s boat. Local nutcase. Every town and village has one, but I think we’ve got more than our fair share.”
“Nutcase. How?”
“He’s just someone you wouldn’t want to mess with.”
Jen lived in a house just off the high street. Her parents were both at work and her grandmother was out, for which Jack was grateful. He hated meeting people’s parents. Especially a girl’s parents. A girl’s father had that way of looking at you as if to say, ‘if you hurt my princess, I’ll cut you into little pieces’.
They sat at a small rectangular wooden table in the kitchen cum dining room. The large front window looked out to sea.
“Nice house,” Jack said.
Jen shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess. What would you like to eat?” She opened the fridge and pulled out a plate. “Ham sandwich?”
“Ah, I didn’t tell you did I?”
“Tell me what?”
“I’m vegetarian. Sorry.”
“No problem. You eat cheese?”
Jack nodded.
“Cheese and onion sandwiches okay then?”
“That would be great.” Shazam whined softly from under the kitchen table and licked her lips. “I don’t suppose you could give my dog some of that meat. Unlike me, she’s a carnivore.”
“No problem.” She started to place some of the ham onto a separate plate. “Oh sod it. You can have the lot.” She piled the ham back on the original plate and placed it on the floor. “There you go. Enjoy.”
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