Wendy and Tyde stared gentle motion of the water pulled at the flap of the bag, revealing its contents.
Rocks.
The bag was stuffed with rocks. There were no explosives.
Swim! Swim now! Tyde willed the thought to Wendy. They needed to get away from Lenny. They were stupid to trust him in the first place.
A shadow passed overhead like a low flying jet. Tyde and Wendy stopped. The shadow turned in a slow circled and began its decent.
Something silver flashed and passed through the water. Tyde momentarily thought a school of fish was fleeing the creature. His leg stung, salt burning a fresh wound. Thin tendrils of red wound through the water, drifting upwards, calling to the monster. They were trapped.
The narrow opening leading to rocky ledge beckoned, signaling a small glimmer of hope. Jefferson led them there on the previous dive and it cost him his life. Now it was the only hope to save theirs.
-56-
Returning to the marina was one of the last things that Milo wanted to do, ranking only marginally above staying on the island and waiting to get eaten by a giant crab.
“Where are the RBDF boats docked?” Travis asked as he pulled the patrol car behind a large dumpster and turned off the engine. The marina parking lot was quiet. Somewhere on the other side of the property the seawall slipped into the water, a makeshift grave for Milo’s brother. Seeing people die was nothing new to Travis. Hell, during his last detail in Roswell, New Mexico, he had seen an entire town devoured by an obese teenager, his body infested with a sentient alien slime. But this one caught him off guard.
Stan was a good man; perhaps one of the few remaining on this planet and Travis could see that he loved his brother. He could also see that Milo and Stan’s relationship had never been an easy one. They had probably spent most of their time beating the crap out of each other, but that did little to lessen the pain. Travis only hoped that Stan had drowned and not been eaten by that monster. Sadly, that was what passed for hope.
“There,” Milo pointed towards a long shadow on the far side of the parking lot.
“What about one of the larger ones?” Cal asked. He pointed towards two massive ships.
“The smaller ones are better,” Milo said. “We aren’t going to get very far in one of those. They max out around thirty miles per hour.”
Cal scoffed, “In case you haven’t noticed, that dinosaur is fucking huge. I’d feel much better in a bigger boat with guns on it.”
“Enough,” Travis cut in. “We’re taking the speed boat. Let’s just get going.”
The water was dark and glassy. Streaks of red and pink cut across the sky as the sun struggled to pull itself above the horizon.
Everyone hesitated on the dock, though none wanted to admit it.
“I’ll drive,” Milo said. He climbed down into the boat. “Get the lines and be ready to jump. As soon as the engine starts up that thing is going come looking, so we need to move.”
Cal and Travis tugged at the thick lines that tied the boat to the dock.
“We’re good,” Travis said.
Milo twisted the key and twin engines roared to life, sputtered and died. A cloud of black smoke drifted from the engines.
“Should we try a different boat?” Cal asked.
Something moved in the deeper waters, not far from the end of the dock. It could have been the tide or a passing school of fish.
“No time.” Milo turned the key again. The engines chugged, belched smoke and roared to life. “Good enough. Let’s go.”
The other men leapt from the dock, landing in the waiting boat. Cal’s feet shot out from under him, his head and feet trading places. There was a hollow thunk as Cal’s head bounced off the deck of the boat. Cal groaned and tried to climb to his feet, but collapsed back onto the deck.
“Stay there,” Travis said. “You’re going to hurt yourself or shoot one of us.” Cal nodded.
The boat chugged in reverse until Milo shifted and pulled the throttle back.
Cal heard a roar, thought it might be the engines struggling to meet the demands placed upon them by Milo.
“Get up,” Travis demanded. “Get up right now.”
“I thought you said to stay here,” Cal groaned.
“Now,” Travis shouted over the engines.
The engines growled in fits of mechanical rage, but something echoed above them. Something primal. Something alive.
A swell grew and pulsed, becoming a moving wall of water. Travis aimed the Uzi and fired. The bullets disappeared into the water, doing little to slow it down.
As the obsidian surface of the sea parted, an elongated snout, nearly as long as the boat took shape. A tangled nest of teeth jutted from the side, more revealed as the creature’s head emerged from the water, an ancient call breaking free from its cavernous throat.
Cal steadied himself, his possible concussion suddenly less threatening. He lined up a shot.
“Just fucking fire already!” Milo shouted over his shoulder.
More rounds were absorbed by the water.
“It’s gone,” Travis said. “Where the hell did it go?”
“Who cares?” Cal asked. “It’s gone. Isn’t that enough?”
“It’s a predator,” Milo said. “The only way it would give up the hunt is if there was an easier meal.”
“Easier meal?” Cal repeated.
“Get to Dean’s,” Travis barked over the engines. “Make this thing go faster.”
-57-
The blood thinned, almost disappearing as it wafted higher on the gentle currents. It would be completely unseen to most. Not all.
The creature sensed the blood, the invisible tendrils twisting through the water and stirring its most basic, yet strongest need. To hunt. To feed. This was the creature’s purpose, what it had been created to do.
Broad, oar-like, flippers pushed the creature deeper into the cave, closer to its prey, to the source of the blood. These waters were filled with food, some easier to catch than others, but the creature did not know how to become discouraged. When one prey became difficult, another would become available.
Three waited below.
Tyde followed Wendy into the narrow offshoot that led to the rocky ledge. Lenny was somewhere behind them, but after he slashed Tyde’s leg he had seemingly disappeared. Bubbles trailed behind Wendy, more than usual. Her breathing was frantic. Tyde had limited knowledge of the experimental diving gear, but panicked breathing would deplete any supply.
The walls of the passage shook as the monster rammed its gnarled snout into the sides. Teeth gnashed, crushing the rocks caught between powerful jaws.
The ledge loomed overhead. Wendy’s feet disappeared over the side as she pulled herself out of the water. Tyde followed.
“You’re bleeding,” Wendy said, her words thin and forced. Her shoulders heaved as she struggled to breath.
“I’m fine,” Tyde said without looking. The truth was that he had no idea how deep Lenny had cut him. Investigating the wound would only serve to further upset the both of them. Tyde pulled a knife from the sheath on his ankle. Blood coated his arm. He sliced a long strip from the left leg of his bathing suit, wrapped it around the gash and tightly knotted it. Blood welled around the makeshift bandage.
“You’re not,” Wendy said. Her breathing had slowed.
Tyde laughed dryly. “No, I guess I’m not.”
“Neither of us are,” Wendy added. “We never were.”
“Is this really the time?” Tyde snapped. “There’s a fucking dinosaur waiting out there to eat us and you want to have an impromptu couple’s therapy session? Seriously?”
“You know you’re a real asshole,” Wendy snapped.
“I’m an asshole?” Tyde asked. “Yeah, maybe. But at least I never cheated on you.”
“No, you just murdered someone,” Wendy said. “Let me bask in the holy glow of Saint Tyde. Oh please, let me model my life in your pious image, you sanctimonious asshole.”
�
��I didn’t murder him,” Tyde said.
“Call it whatever you need to.” Wendy turned her back and hugged her knees to her chest.
“I fought with Tim, wanted to scare him,” Tyde said. “I just wanted him to…to stop what he was doing. What you were both doing. I just wanted him to go away so we could have time to fix our marriage. I just wanted time. I never wanted what happened to him.”
“Time?” Wendy spat. “That’s all you keep talking about. Time. Jeez, Tyde, all we’ve ever had is time and all we’ve ever done with it is use it to further fuck up the other one. How can we fix a marriage that’s fucking toxic?”
“It wasn’t always,” Tyde protested weakly.
“No, I guess not,” Wendy answered. “But really, was it ever a marriage? We had fun together and thought that getting married would keep that going, but it didn’t. It killed it. It’s going to kill both of us too.”
“I married you because I love you,” Tyde said. “Not because it was fun. It was never fun.”
“Exactly,” Wendy nodded. “But what good is loving each other if that’s what it does to us? We never should have gotten married. It never should have gone beyond a vacation fling.”
“Yeah, well it’s a little late for that,” Tyde said. “How much air do you have left?”
“Change of subject?” Wendy laughed, though devoid of humor. “Not much.”
“Take my tanks.” Tyde pushed them towards his wife. “Keep your breathing controlled.”
“We’re going back in the water? With that thing? And that insane doctor?” Wendy shook her head. “No, I’m not going.”
“Staying here isn’t much of an option,” Tyde said. “Besides, I’m sure you’d prefer different company.”
“Tyde,” Wendy began. “I didn’t mean to–”
“It doesn’t matter,” Tyde cut in. “Not any more. Just get the tanks on and stay behind me.”
-58-
A narrow channel led into Dean’s Blue Hole. Milo had guided his boat through countless times, but never with the trepidation that he currently felt. The water was calm and dark, a few small swells undulated across the surface. There was no sign of the monster, but the ocean could hide anything, even a prehistoric nightmare.
“Do you see anyone?” Milo shouted to Travis, who stood in the bow of the boat, his Uzi trained on the water. The engines rumbled as Milo shifted into neutral; he thought about turning them off, hoping to avoid the attention of the monster, but didn’t relish the idea of trying to restart the engines if it appeared.
“It’ll know we’re here either way,” Cal said, as if aware of Milo’s concerns. “Let the engines idle, I get the feeling we might need to get out of here soon.”
“There,” Travis motioned towards a small shadowy form in the water.
Milo turned the steering wheel and let the boat glide towards the shape.
“I’m so glad to see you,” Lenny waved from the water. He belched and silvery stream of liquid oxygen splashed into the water. “Get me out of here.”
“Where are Tyde and Wendy?” Travis asked. His words were sharp and punctuated with the barrel of his gun.
“The creature got them,” Lenny lied. “We dove into Dean’s to set off explosives and hopefully trap the monster, but we weren’t successful. Now get me out of here before it comes back. We need to leave now.”
“How’d you get away?” Cal questioned.
“All these pointless questions can be answered in the damn boat. Now get me out of the water,” Lenny demanded.
“Just get him,” Milo said.
“But he used people as bait before,” Cal protested. “He’d do it again. I say we leave him.”
“I can’t say that I entirely disagree,” Travis added. “If Tyde and Wendy are missing, then it’s a safe bet that this asshole had something to do with it. Leave him.”
“What about Tyde and Wendy?” Cal asked.
“We’ll do a lap,” Milo said. “Make sure they’re not on the shore or in the water. Then we need to go.”
“Wonderful plan,” Lenny chimed in. “Now if you’d be so kind.” He held his arms up.
Cal moved to the back of the boat where a small platform and water waited. He held out his hand as Lenny swam around the side of the boat. “Over here.”
“There!” Travis pointed to a spot a few hundred feet off the bow of the boat.
Something moved in the water, at first no more than a few ripples, but growing in size and rising like a small island.
-59-
There was hardly enough room for the monster to turn its sleek body and head towards the rumbling echo of the approaching boat engines. Tyde was relieved to see the monster turn away from hunting him and Wendy, but knew that what had drawn it away was probably Milo and the others. This was a temporary reprieve at best and most likely a death sentence.
Turning back to Wendy, Tyde motioned towards the surface. She nodded and waited for him to swim out into the main chamber of Dean’s. Tyde kept close to the wall. He had no idea how the creature hunted, sight, smell, some primitive ability to detect electrical impulses in the water – any were plausible. Still, staying out of sight seemed like a good idea no matter the mechanism by which the monster hunted.
Slipping over the edge of Dean’s and into open water felt like a hollow victory. In the distance, Tyde could hear the mechanical growl of the a boat engine, but being underwater, had no real way of determining its direction. A strange chopping sound joined the roar of the boat engines revving up.
Wendy frantically motioned towards the surface. Tyde knew what worried her, sharing the same concern of being left behind. They could stay underwater and risk missing their only chance to be rescued or break the surface and risk being eaten. The promise of temporary safety could not be allowed to outweigh the possibility of an actual escape.
Bullets peppered the surface of the water, throwing small sprays of water into the air surrounding the monster. Tyde couldn’t help but picture a hellish fountain showcasing the nightmarish relic from a time man was never intended to know.
A sleek, gray speedboat cut a tight circle around the monster while people onboard fired at the creature. The monster bellowed, equal parts anger and pain, as it attempted and failed to catch the boat.
“They can’t do that forever,” Wendy said, treading water next Tyde. She opened her mouth to say more, but a thick liquid gushed forward, splattering into the surrounding water. A second stream of the experimental oxygen spilled from Tyde’s mouth. It was cold, driving a chill through his bones and twisting his guts.
“Your tank is empty,” Wendy coughed. The needle of the gauge on Tyde’s shoulder strap had dropped solidly into the red. He must have been without air for the majority of their swim for the surface, but never once panicked or tried to buddy breath. Tyde had wanted to keep her calm, keep her safe. He always had. Wendy found herself regretting so much.
“So is my stomach,” Tyde replied.
The monster dropped beneath the water, leaving only salty spray and turbulent water in its wake.
“Over here!” Tyde began swimming towards the boat.
“They won’t hear us over the engines,” Wendy said.
Tyde stopped swimming. Wendy was right, but was there really a need to be nihilistic when the odds were already stacked against them. Tyde wanted to say something cutting, to hurt Wendy like she had hurt him, but he kept his mouth closed.
Pulling a small orange cylinder from his shoulder, Tyde pushed the gray rubber button and hurled it towards the boat. The strobe began flashing.
“Turn yours on too,” Tyde said. Wendy did.
The first strobe disappeared into a yawning whirlpool as the creature’s massive jaws emerged and snapped shut.
“Turn it off Wendy,” Tyde said. “Turn it off.”
“I can’t.” Wendy fumbled with the strobe light. “It won’t turn off. I can’t turn it off.”
Water swelled as the monster was drawn to the flashing light and cl
icking sound it emitted.
“Give me the strobe.” Tyde held out his hand. “Wendy, give it to me.”
She hesitated. Tyde snatched the flashing light from her dive harness.
“Tyde!” Wendy protested as he swam away.
Somewhere in the distance, Tyde could hear the roar of the boat engine drowning out the cries of his wife.
-60-
Milo watched as Tyde began swimming across Dean’s. The water swelled and pulsed around him, but the creature had yet to appear. It wouldn’t be long before both the tourist and flashing strobe disappeared.
The boat engines revved as Milo swung it towards Tyde.
“What are you doing, you idiot?” Lenny belched from the passenger seat bolted to the deck of the boat. Milo cast a dirty look as Lenny released a torrent of mercurial liquid into the boat. “He’s drawing it away so she can escape. Go get her.” The doctor sat awkwardly in the seat, his dive gear still strapped to his back, a boxy black bag hung from its belt. Out of habit, Cal had moved to help Lenny out of the rig, but thought better of it and left his former employer as he was when they pulled him from the water.
Milo’s hand drifted to the handgun tucked into the waistband of his board shorts. Shooting Lenny seemed like a pretty reasonable decision given that Milo was convinced that he had used Tyde and Wendy as bait. Now Tyde was doing the same thing, but for completely different reasons.
“She’s over there,” Travis shouted from the bow of the boat.
Cal frantically swept the barrel of his shotgun back and forth across the surface of the water. “Where? Where?”
“Put that shit down before you shoot her,” Travis snapped and pushed the barrel of the gun down.
Wendy held her arms overhead, hands clasped, the universal dive signal that she was okay. Okay was a bit of a stretch given the circumstance, but Travis figured there were a limited number of motions one could do while treading water.
“Slow down,” Cal shouted. Milo pushed the throttle towards neutral and let the boat glide forward.
RIP Tyde Page 14