by Russ Watts
As Jay continued to cut through the rope, Don fired the weapon mere inches above Jay’s head.
“Fuck!” Jay screamed and jumped up. “What the fuck? You nearly killed me, Don.”
“I’m not telling you again, Jay. Next time, I won’t miss.” Don kept the gun pointed at Jay.
“You’re a madman. You would actually rather shoot me, than this fucking monster?” Jay kicked Diablo’s body over and over. He repeatedly kicked it and punched it, and Diablo grew more agitated.
“Jay, quit it,” said Don. Now the man didn’t look scared anymore. He was losing it.
Jay looked at Don. He was out of breath from the exertion of beating the monster. He took a step up onto Diablo’s back and straddled it, holding the knife above his head. “This is for the best, Don.”
“Jay, don’t do it. Don’t you do it.” Don was trying to offer the man a way out. He really didn’t want to shoot him, but there was no other way. If Jay killed Diablo, then it was game over for all of them.
Don tightened his finger on the trigger and watched as Jay prepared to hammer the knife down into Diablo’s back. As if sensing what was happening, Diablo pressed himself flat against the deck, and then bucked wildly, sending Jay tumbling backwards as he fell off Diablo. Jay caught hold of Diablo’s tail to stop himself from falling into the ocean, and then Diablo spun his tail quickly around, flicking Jay across the deck and slamming him into the side of the boat. Diablo sent his thick tail smashing into Jay over and over, pinning him against the side and pulverising his body.
“Jay!” screamed Amanda. She turned away, unable to watch as Jay was crushed. His pleas for help soon stopped as he received a blow to the head and fell unconscious.
“Hamish, Ryan, get that tarpaulin and throw it over Diablo. Then make as much noise as you can and distract it.” As soon as the tarp was over the monster’s head, Don jumped over the thing’s jaws and dived towards Jay. The shouting seemed to divert Diablo’s attention just enough for Don to reach Jay. He grabbed Jay’s hand and pulled him clear of the tail. Then Don threw him over his shoulder and carried him back to the others, all the time avoiding getting too close to Diablo. Once he was clear, he laid Jay down on the deck, propping him up against an oil drum.
“Jesus, is he…” Amanda knelt down and felt for Jay’s pulse. “It’s weak, but he’s still alive.” She looked over the man’s broken body and doubted if he would ever walk again. Any recovery would take years. His legs and arms were broken and he was bleeding from so many wounds it was hard to know where to start. His face was a mess and only a loose flap of skin indicated where his nose had been. Jay’s breathing was ragged, and as his head lolled forward, blood and teeth slipped from between his lips. “We need to get him inside. We need to stop this bleeding.”
They carried him down into the cabin and laid him out on the table. Hamish brought out two first aid kits, and Amanda began patching him up, dressing the wounds and bandaging the cuts. Don took his jacket off and balled it up to make a pillow for Jay. Ryan found a blanket and when they were done, he placed it gently over Jay.
“Will he be okay?” Ryan asked.
Amanda was covered in Jay’s blood. “I don’t know. He needs to get to a hospital. He’s got a lot of broken bones, probably internal bleeding…we need to get back to the mainland and get him to a hospital.”
“No,” said Don, “we’re not going anywhere.”
Amanda held up her hands. They were bright red, dripping with Jay’s blood. Her face was angry and Don was pleased to see there was no fear in her eyes anymore. “You see this, Don? He’s going to die if we don’t get him to a doctor. We have to go now.”
“No. We stick to the plan. He made his choice.”
Amanda turned to Hamish. “You can’t go along with this, surely? I don’t condone what Jay did, but we can’t leave him like this.”
“I’m not sure, honey. Don does kind of have a point. Jay brought it on himself, acting like he did,” said Hamish.
“And you, Ryan?” Amanda turned to Ryan who was stood in the doorway of the cabin.
“I think I need to show you how to use those guns. The Ocean King will be here soon.”
“Incredible.” Amanda wiped her hands on her jeans and left the cabin infuriated.
Don looked at Jay. The man probably wasn’t going to last long, which was true. But he was damned if he was going to let one man’s stupidity jeopardise this mission. The objective was to take down the Ocean King, and everything else was secondary.
“Got any more beers?” Don asked Hamish, breaking the silence.
Hamish shook his head. “I’m all out. Only had a few. I hadn’t planned on coming out for long. The pantry’s nearly bare. Just a few tins of beans, nothing much really.”
Don sat down and watched Jay’s chest rise and fall. “Ryan, do me a favour and show Hamish and Amanda how those guns work. It won’t be long now. I’m just going to keep an eye on Jay. I’ll be up soon.”
Ryan left the cabin and Hamish went to follow him.
“Hamish, before you go, I just wanted to tell you something,” said Don. “Look after her. You’ve got a special one there. Don’t fuck it up. She loves you.”
Hamish nodded and left the cabin. Don waited. He had to be right about this. He knew Jay was unlikely to make it back to shore alive, and he didn’t want anyone else to suffer the same fate. Should he feel bad about Jay? He didn’t want the man to die, but he hadn’t made him do anything. So much depended on him being right that Don’s head felt like a water balloon about to burst. What if he was wrong? What if the Ocean King was still on land, hiding in a creek or a river somewhere, nursing its wounds until it was ready for round two. What if it didn’t track Diablo to the trawler? Perhaps the monster would head back to California. It had found plenty to eat on its last visit, so why would it bother with a small fishing trawler.
Jesus, Don, this is no time to doubt yourself. Think how much has changed in the last few hours. Not everything is in my hands. Poor Meghan, she was so sweet and carefree. That’s what it must be like to live free of guilt and grief. At least you got to know her briefly. She’s free now. She’s waiting for me.
Don hung his head and let the tears come for Meghan. There were so many other things he should be thinking about, so many other people relying on him, but he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Why was she dead and he still alive when he was old and useless? What was the point? Don wiped his face and looked at Jay. He had been stupid, but now Jay was going to die too. How many more people had to suffer?
Don looked out of the window. The storm had not developed, and the sky was clearing. A wisp of cloud scattered on the horizon separating the crisp blue ocean from the sky. And yet, the boat was being buffeted about strongly enough to make him uncomfortable. They’d been at sea for hours, yet, it felt like days. He just wanted it over with. Why was the boat rocking so much, when the clouds were fading and there was no wind? Don suddenly raced outside.
Swirling mist gave way to an increasingly turbulent ocean. Foaming waves bit at the hull of the Mary-Jane, casting serious concerns into Don’s mind. The choppy waves were only close to the boat. A few hundred feet away and the ocean remained calm. He looked down into the water, ignoring the others who were examining the weapons. Diablo was still barking, but the sounds were weak. Don hoped it was dying. It just had to hang on to life a little longer.
Over the rail, Don watched the water churn and swirl, leaving a trail of foamy wake behind it. “Hamish?”
Hamish came over to Don carrying the AK47 over his shoulder.
“Hamish, this is no storm. There’s no wind, and look at the shore. The water’s calm, almost flat. So why are we rocking like this?”
Hamish looked puzzled too. “I could take us further out. Maybe there’s a rip current, although we’re too far from shore for…”
The trawler suddenly tipped as the water below swelled. They grabbed the rails until the trawler settled down again.
“I don’t
get it,” said Amanda joining them. “What’s going on?”
“Underneath us,” said Don realising what Hamish was saying.
“Something’s knocking around down there, churning the water up.”
“You think it’s found us?” asked Amanda.
“Could be…but I don’t understand what it’s doing down there if…”
Don saw the water churning and turning red, and then the first piece of meat bobbed to the surface. A huge chunk of flesh with strands of loose tissue like red seaweed hit the side of the boat. One side was dark grey, the other pink and ragged, as if something had taken a bite out of a hunk of beef and then spat it out. Another piece floated to the surface, smaller in size to the last, and the water calmed down. The body of a shark drifted to the surface. It was easily twenty feet long, and its mouth was open. Several teeth had been torn from its gums, and it was obvious where the chunk of meat had come from, as one side of the shark had been gored.
“Jesus,” whispered Ryan as he looked over the side of the trawler. “It’s here.”
CHAPTER 16
OCTOBER SATURDAY 18TH 13:50
The Great White rose up through the foaming water. As Don looked closer, he could see its belly slit open and its innards were spewing out. Seagulls cartwheeled and cawed overhead, spying the food. Hamish saw deep lacerations on its skin, and half of its massive jaw had been ripped off. The shark flipped over in the water and drifted away from the trawler.
“How much longer?” asked Amanda. She fidgeted nervously with her hair, winding it around her fingers, letting it go, and then winding it up again.
“Not long now,” said Hamish, “it’s toying with us. It’s as if it knows it can’t just come up here and kill us or take the boat down. It knows we’ve got something nasty waiting for it. Maybe it took a peek when we weren’t looking and saw what we did to Diablo. Maybe it saw we’ve got enough C4 to blow its ass back to hell.”
“Maybe.” Amanda felt her nausea rising once more. The boat had stopped rocking and settled down into the natural waves, tipping faintly to the left and right. The ocean looked calm again. “You think it’s gone?”
Don shook his head. “I doubt it. It’s beneath us, working out what to do. That shark just got in the way. She’ll show her face soon.”
“Well then, good,” said Amanda resolutely. Despite her sickness, the swell was subsiding, and she was feeling more confident about things. She looked at Hamish. “If – when – it comes back, we’ll do better next time. I’m not out here to catch a cold. I’m out here to kill it.”
Hamish opened his mouth to answer, to tell Amanda he was impressed with her resolve and that he loved her, when a large bubble floated to the surface of the ocean, at least seven feet across, and popped, causing him to hesitate. He expected the creature to surface, but not just yet. He had assumed it would wait a while, draw the game out. When a cat played with its food, it didn’t eat it straight away. No, it would mess with it, tease it, and even cajole it into thinking it could get away right before those sharp teeth dug in. A bubble breaking the surface like that wasn’t natural. And if it came from the creature, then it wasn’t far away at all.
“Look at that,” said Ryan who was seeing the same thing. “The water’s all milky and…gross.”
Don looked down into the creamy white water that was circling around where the bubble had burst. There was nothing else to see, but it was certainly unusual. A dull shadow flitted briefly below the surface, and then the water started churning again, faster and faster until the milky substance began frothing up.
Hamish took Amada’s arm. “I don’t like this. Something’s going on.”
“Get your guns,” said Don. He raced to the chest and pulled the C4 and detonator out. “Ryan, get up to the wheelhouse. Concentrate your fire on its eyes. Hamish, Amanda, stay close to me. Remember, we have limited ammo, so aim for its head and don’t fire until it’s close enough.”
The three of them stood on the deck, waiting. A minute passed and Don could feel the sweat trickling down his back. He could sense the tension amongst them all. He wasn’t alone in worrying what was going to happen. Another minute passed, and nothing happened. The Ocean King had not appeared, and made no attempt to engage them.
Come on, where are you? Show yourself. Come and get your child. What are you waiting for? Where are you?
A third minute passed, and Don could see the fear on Ryan’s face. The boy had faced the monster before and lived. Clearly, he was having doubts he was going to live through their second encounter. Hamish and Amanda were side by side, facing the ocean. Don was proud of them. He still didn’t know Hamish well, but the man had just lost his father and here he was, putting his grief to one side to support Amanda.
Just then, Don heard the unmistakeable bark of the Ocean King. It was close enough to make the hairs on his arms bristle and a shiver run down his spine. “The wolf is at the door,” he said quietly, as he ran his eyes over the water, trying to find the source of the noise. The vivid memory of all the death and destruction at the park yesterday came flooding back into his mind. Wild Seas was gone now and half the city destroyed. There were so many dead, so many people who were in the hospital now with missing limbs and deceased family members. So many children in the crowd who never made it home. So many husbands, wives, and lovers…
Another bark indicated the thing was closer now, yet, Don couldn’t see the advancing creature, only the distant Californian coastline. He wondered if his mother was okay, if she was watching events unfold on television, or if she knew he was about to face the deadly monster. He wondered if she would pray for him. He knew it wasn’t that his mother was a cruel person, but she had decided what she wanted to believe, and nothing he could ever say or do would change that. God knows he had tried. Every year, he vowed he would have no more to do with her; it was pointless trying to reason with her, and the unsavoury scene at the grave last week had reminded him of that. Margaret O’Reilly had forgiven her neighbour for stealing her cable for twenty years, she had forgiven her priest for sodomising those poor boys, and she had forgiven Bush for every war crime committed under his watch. But she could not forgive her eldest son for not bringing her youngest home. So every month he paid his dues, depositing hundreds of dollars into her account and driving past her house most evenings to make sure she was safe. Don began to wonder if there were any beers down in the galley, and he smacked his lips together just with the thought of it. His mother seemed more like a memory than a real person. He couldn’t envisage seeing her or her house again.
As Don’s mind wandered, he barely even noticed the next bark. Its hollow ring bounced off the trawler’s hull, echoing back across the water. If he had heard it, he would’ve realised the thing was much closer now. It was as if it wanted them to know it was coming for them. The Ocean King was announcing its arrival, showing no fear, only a driving hunger, and a burning desire to reach its prey. It didn’t care if they knew it was coming now. There would be only one winner in this battle, and a rusted fishing trawler was no match for the Ocean King.
Don was stirred into reality when another bark came. There was no doubting now that the sea monster was not headed for the mainland, but straight for the boat. Don straightened up and looked dead ahead. A smooth dark shape manifested itself. Like Daniel headed into the Lion’s Den, Don couldn’t help but feel the odds were against them.
“Amanda, Hamish! Get ready!” he shouted. Don gripped the handrail of the trawler and watched, as a bulbous dark-green shape emerged, rising from the water. It was almost close enough to touch. He could smell it now too. The aroma of rotting fish came foremost, followed by the sting of salty seawater. Droplets cascaded down onto Don as the Ocean King drew itself up and loomed over him. He felt himself get colder as it reared up out of the water, a hundred feet in the air.
The monstrous creature seemed to hover in front of him, its wet body standing tall and proud before him, and Don looked up. The thing’s head was bending over,
examining the ship, and he could see its yellow eyes scanning the length of the trawler, probably weighing up how many bites it would take to sink it. Its jaws opened wide, so wide you could fit a tank inside, and silvery rivulets of seawater dripped onto the deck below. The monster let rip, bellowing loudly, and sending waves of fear crashing through Don. When he had seen it at the park, it had almost been unreal, as if he was watching some old Godzilla movie from the fifties. But now, he was right in its sights. The roar filled his ears and he winced as the noise whistled through his head. The smell as it roared was terrible, unnatural, reminding him of rotting meat left out in the midday sun. Don’s knuckles whitened and his stomach clenched, as the behemoth rose from the depths further and threatened to engulf the trawler entirely. It had propelled itself up by its long tail, and its two front feet were clear of the water. Don knew there was no backing out.
“Hail Mary, Mother of God,” he whispered. Without thinking, he unloaded a full clip from the Colt he held into the creature’s belly. With his feet locked and back braced against the trawler’s side, he kept squeezing the trigger until there was nothing left. He tried to lift the gun as he fired, but the head was too high to reach. He couldn’t see the thing’s face anymore, so decided he would try to wound it, perhaps open up its stomach. The bullets hardly scratched its skin, and Don watched as the things flabby white underbelly just absorbed the bullets, as if they were nothing more than marshmallows sinking into jelly. He watched as the others fired as well. All three of them fired round after round into the beast. It bellowed and Don saw blood. Finally, the Ocean King’s blood began to flow, oozing from the gunshot wounds. The plan to shoot it in the head had disappeared as soon as it had loomed up over them. It was too big, too tall, and too quick: they had to hit it wherever they could and not be picky about their target.