Creature From The Crevasse

by Michael Cole

  Susan was a co-worker from his job at a Red Cross center outside of town. She often would assist in his training by doing various tasks. Today, she would be standing by with a motorboat, docked in the water on public property. If Robert found himself in trouble while swimming, she would take the boat out to his location. On the other end of the lake, a second assistant named Don would also be waiting with a boat. But Don hadn’t yet notified them of his arrival. Robert would have to wait until he did so before going out for his long swim.

  Robert pumped out about twenty-five pushups, then stood back up. He looked up briefly at Susan, who gazed at him. There was no doubt she was checking him out. It was slightly awkward, being that they had been friends for a long time. Seeing her in those jean shorts and tight T-shirt did not help. He quickly looked away and tried to think of some more warm-ups. He was running out of them, and he didn’t want to wear himself out before swimming a mile.

  Finally, he heard the Blake Shelton ringtone coming from her phone. She dug it out of her pocket and read the caller ID.

  “Yep, it’s Don,” she said. She touched the screen to answer. “Hey! What took you so long?”

  “Sorry, it took a while to get over here,” Don replied. Susan rolled her eyes.

  “I’m sure it did,” she said. “So you’re ready?”

  “Yep.”

  “Alright. I’ll let Robert know,” she said. “By the way, have you made any progress with what’s-her-name?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Susan wasn’t convinced, but Don wasn’t trying hard to begin with.

  “Yeah, yeah,” she said, chuckling. “See you on the other side.” She hung up the phone and looked to Robert. “Looks like you’re good to go.”

  ********

  Don hung up his phone and took a seat in his red fifteen-foot speedboat, which he kept tied to this dock. Dressed in a grey shirt and green shorts, he rested his elbow onto the upper edge of the starboard side and stared across the lake. The smooth surface of the water gave a peaceful feeling, and softened his mood a bit. He picked up a pair of binoculars and looked to the opposite shoreline. It took a moment, but he sighted Robert approaching the water. Behind him was Susan, attractive as ever, mounting into her boat.

  Why he won’t hook up with her, I’ll never know, he thought. He figured Robert was just so focused on the competition that he didn’t have women on the brain. Afterall, professional athletes were often instructed to refrain from sensuous activities during training periods. And in Don’s mind, if Robert was able to resist Susan Jean, he deserved the gold medal.

  He lit up a cigarette, fantasizing about making a move toward her. But he knew it would be a wasted effort. He kept his eyes on Robert through the glass of the binoculars. From the long distance, he appeared like a toy figure on a monopoly board, staring out into the lake. Don felt useless, seeing that there was no likely event Robert would need his help. But they were friends, and Don was happy to do this small favor. He watched as Robert stripped himself of the white T-shirt and began to wade into the water. Although they were far off, he could read Susan’s expression as she watched him.

  “Just make a move already,” he said and snickered. His laugh turned into a cough as he accidentally took in too much smoke. “Fuck.” He brushed his hand through the air to blow it away. “Make it quick, Rob. I’m bored.”

  ********

  The water felt nice and warm to Robert as he stepped in. The water came up to his waist as he waded twenty feet out. Susan sat in the boat, hanging on to his shirt.

  “You sure you don’t want me to row and keep pace with you?” she asked. She took the tie-off line from the dock and took a seat. The boat slowly began to float outward.

  “You can row a little bit out, but there’s no need for you to tire yourself out and keep pace the entire time,” he said. “Just keep an eye on me with the binoculars. I’ll meet Don on the other side.”

  “Alright,” she said. “Just don’t do anything stupid, like swimming underwater where we can’t see you.” Robert laughed.

  “Don’t worry about that,” he said. He scanned the water one more time. It was as flat and undisturbed as before. The only thing he could see was a twelve-foot boat trolling his direction from the north. It was nothing that concerned him, as it was moving very slow. He’d be out of the way long before it’d pass by. He positioned his swimming goggles and took one more glance at Susan. “See you in a few!” He turned back and dove into the water, breaking the flat surface with several splashes. With several powerful strokes and kicks, he swam from shore at Olympian speed.

  Susan rowed the boat out, keeping a distance behind him. Despite Robert being insistent that she didn’t need to keep up, it was certainly the safer thing to do. A mile was a long swimming distance, with the record time being fifteen minutes and fourteen seconds. She was impressed with Robert’s initial speed, which appeared to be on par with that timing. She rowed several more yards out and then grabbed her binoculars. She could see the water fizzing around Robert as he moved further out. She glanced down at her watch. It was getting late, and there was certainly limited sunlight, but he should have enough time to reach Don before it got dark.

  We need to find an earlier time to do this, she vented in her mind.

  ********

  Throughout the day, the large fish had nestled down among the thick weeds in the seabed. It was unaccustomed to the heat of the daytime, and the sunlight strained its eyes. Without eyelids to shield them from the brightness, the large fish went deep where it was dark and cool, an environment most familiar to it. There it remained for hours, pumping oxygen-rich water over its gills. Now, hunger was starting to set in. It had fed earlier in the day near the shoreline, shadowed by canopy. But its body was now demanding more sustenance, a need overwhelming its other instincts.

  The sunlight coming through the surface was gradually subsiding, replaced by shadows from the trees along the shore. With the brightness levels down, the pain in its eyes receded. With a flick of its tail, the largemouth moved from its hiding spot at the lake bottom. In its search for food, it ingested two walleye, which were insufficient to its needs. It needed larger prey, which it could not locate in the depths.

  Vibrations from the surface caused the largemouth to look upward. There was something moving; a lifeform considerably smaller than itself, but larger than anything else it had encountered. The fish moved closer and curiously watched its prey swimming in a straight line. Ready to strike, it moved in a semi-circular motion along the surface to intercept.

  ********

  Robert stroked relentlessly, listening to the splashes in the water as he swam as if already in competition. The splashing sounds were almost always relaxing to him. He looked at it as a reminder that he was moving, and sometimes it even helped him gauge his speed.

  But then he heard another splash, one that certainly did not come from him. His body did not feel relaxation from hearing it; rather, he tensed up. He heard another splash, and then he stopped.

  “What the…?” he said to himself, catching his breath. He saw the water fizzing about forty feet away, with large swells of water rolling away from the disturbance. It was common for fish and birds to nibble at bugs, but this wasn’t anything as small as that. It was as if a large anchor had been dropped in the point of origin. He was about to resume swimming when his eye briefly caught sight of something emerging from the water. It was like two small sails gliding along the surface, one directly behind the other. The one in the back was rounded in shape, a stark contrast to the other sail which appeared to be more triangular. It was more bizarre, as it appeared there were spines protruding from the top. It appeared to be attached to a large submerged body. Before he could look closer, the swells reached him. He dipped under and had to stroke his arms to remain afloat, and when he looked again, the strange object had submerged.

  Robert’s heart was already pounding in his chest from his exercise, but the new anxiety he was f
eeling was worsening it. Something inside him knew he wasn’t alone in the water. He dipped beneath the water and looked through his goggles. After scanning for a moment, he saw the shape moving up ahead. Though the water clouded his vision, he could see the huge tail moving back and forth. The mouth opened and sucked in water, which was expelled through huge gill slits. From the mouth to the tail, the creature seemed to be well over twenty feet long. He saw it turn and look directly at him. Though the large circular eyes had no expression, they appeared to be fixated on him. He screamed in horror as the beast shot forward with a burst of speed. He broke the surface, uncertain of whether he was facing Don’s or Susan’s location.

  “HEY! GET ME OUT—” The air went from his chest as the intense pressure of the jaws crushed his ribcage. The huge fish hoisted him a few feet into the air before it splashed down. Robert attempted to take a breath, but took in nothing but lake water. In a lightning-fast motion, the jaws suddenly opened and shut, creating a suction motion that drew Robert all the way into its gullet. The creature felt its prey struggle briefly inside of it, before the life slipped away.

  As its eyes finally adjusted to the light level, the bass patrolled along the surface, the only place so far where it found sufficient food. Its eardrums quickly started picking up vibrations in the water. Something seemed to be approaching. The fish was still hungry, and it waited for the prey to come to it.

  ********

  “Oh my God!” Susan yelled, after she watched Robert get lifted out of the water. She threw down the binoculars and switched on the motor. As soon as it started, she began speeding the boat out to his location, roughly seven hundred yards out. The propellers kicked up water as they pushed the boat forward. She dug her phone from her pocket, selecting Don’s contact number. It rang twice before he picked up.

  “Don! I don’t see Robert!” she said in a panic. “Did you see what happened?”

  “I don’t know!” he said. His voice expressed alarm. “I… I saw him waving, and then there was this huge splash! I’m trying to get this damn boat started.”

  “I’m heading out there now,” she said, while fighting to keep back tears of fright. She heard Don cursing his motor as he attempted to start it. The starter cord made a loud screech with each tug. Finally, Susan heard the motor ignite.

  “Alright, I’m coming!” he said. “Any sign of Rob?”

  “No,” Susan said. “I’m just about where he was at. I’m going to slow…” A solid impact at the bow caused the boat to briefly lurch upward. It smacked downward into the surface. The momentum caused Susan to fall forward, hitting her head on the metal edge of the boat. The motor stalled out, and the boat started to drift while slowly spinning.

  ********

  The Carnobass instinctively shot downward after the boat made impact. The bow had struck it on the upper left side below the rear dorsal fin, popping off one of its scales. The exposed flesh bled and stung as the initial stages of infection started to set.

  After creating a distance, the huge fish began to circle back. Its small brain registered the impact as a deliberate attack, and believed the boat to be a challenger. It turned toward the boat above, which appeared motionless in the water. The fish started fluttering its tail, gaining momentum for a retaliatory strike. Suddenly, it stopped, sensing new sound waves and vibration coming from another direction. Another potential enemy arrived, similar in size and shape as the one which struck it. Waving its pectoral fins back and forth, the Carnobass maintained position, watching its enemy above.

  ********

  Don saw Susan’s boat viciously bounce upward and then smack down into the water. He hurriedly drove his boat over to hers, which slowly drifted and spun about. He switched off his motor as he neared her, then stood to his feet to look over the side. Susan was on her hands and knees, completely in a daze.

  “Hey, Susan!” Don called to her. “Jesus, are you okay?” Grabbing the starboard edge, she lifted herself to an upright seated position. She had a nasty cut on her brow, from which blood trickled down her face. She cupped her hand over her cut. It only hurt a little, numbed a bit by the adrenaline she was still experiencing. The hull under the bow was partly indented. “Jesus, what did you hit?” He scanned the water for any floating objects.

  “I don’t know,” she said. Her voice sounded as shaken as she visibly was. His boat started to drift past hers. Don started looking around frantically. He was now looking for Robert, who was still nowhere to be seen.

  “Rob!” he called out. He considered diving into the water, but there was a feeling of anxiety keeping him out. He replayed the huge splash that occurred before Robert disappeared. He didn’t know what caused it, but that unknown struck enough fear into him to keep him in the boat. Susan ignored the pain while she scanned the water for Robert.

  “Robert?” she called out. “Come on, babe! Where are you?” There was no reply, which worsened the dreadful feeling inside. She stood up and looked into the water, hoping he was just playing a prank on them.

  ********

  The beast slowly moved in closer, preparing for an attack. As it neared, it caught the sight of smaller creatures on top of the inanimate objects above. Its insatiable hunger immediately went into overdrive. It remained deep and moved almost directly under the nearest boat. It could see its prey peering over the side, unaware of its presence: perfect for a surprise attack.

  It waved its caudal fin, creating a strong burst of speed which propelled it upward. In less than a second, it closed the distance and hyperextended its jaws.

  Susan didn’t have any time to react. One moment, she was looking into a glassy lake surface. Then she saw something emerge; a gigantic circular white entry leading to a dark tunnel underneath. Water erupted upward and instantly she was caught by the jaws, which clamped down on her waist.

  Don turned around just in time to witness the enormous fish breach the water. Green with a large black stripe down its side, it twisted and turned in mid-air. Susan’s legs briefly kicked from the outside of its mouth. It came down on top of her boat, driving it under. The Carnobass was buried by an enormous splash, which sprayed Don who was screaming in horror. The natural instinct to flee took over. He twisted his motor key in the ignition. It revved for a moment, but stalled.

  “Start, you fucker!” he cursed the machine. He tried again, only to have the same result.

  The Carnobass sucked Susan’s mangled corpse into its gullet. It quickly redirected itself to the remaining boat. It could hear the panicked actions of its remaining target. With a flick of its tail, it darted at an upward angle to launch another attack.

  “Come on!” Don yelled at his boat. He turned the ignition with a hard jerk. Finally, the motor came to life. Don immediately pushed it to top speed. The boat shot forward, nearly throwing him over the stern. He grabbed the transom to support himself. He looked up, just as the fish breached where the boat had been a moment prior. The Carnobass splashed back down and immediately began pursuit, its spiny dorsal fin cutting along the surface like a great white shark. Each flutter of its tail created a fresh burst of speed that brought it nearer to its target.

  Don’s eyes widened with shock. The enormous beast was catching up to him, despite his boat going at top speed. He watched the long double-fin cut slowly closing the distance. He hoped for a miracle. He knew he had to be nearing the beach.

  He turned his eyes to the bow. The shore was there, less than a hundred feet off and quickly closing. Between him and the shore was a boat with a trolling motor. On board was a man of forty, wearing a grey cap and red flannel shirt. He barely had time to react upon seeing Don’s boat speeding toward his.

  The bow slammed into the portside of the trolling vessel. The propellers still spun as the bow flipped upward, launching Don into mid-air. Screaming, he waved his arms wildly and kicked his legs. He landed a few feet from shore, bouncing off the sand beneath the shallow water. His boat completed two full flips before crashing down into the lake. The other boat had c
apsized completely and drifted toward shore, with the portside completely caved in.

  The fisherman took a breath as he emerged alongside it. Pain flooded his side as he did so, as several broken ribs poked into his lungs. He tried to kick to shore, but only had use of one of his legs; the other was broken at the femur. He painfully paddled his arms. The overwhelming pain limited him to only gain a few inches with each stroke.

  Disoriented and in pain, he didn’t even notice the Carnobass approach from behind him. All he saw was the shadow from its huge bulk, and all he felt was the suction-like force which drew him backward into its mouth. He was in an upright position when the jaws shut downward, flattening his body into a fleshy pancake. His neck was forced downward between his shoulders, bending his spine into disproportionate positions which caused vertebrae to snap. Ribs were smashed together, and internal organs exploded from within. The ravaged corpse was then swallowed, and the Carnobass instantly swam back out to the deeper region of the lake. There it would take a short time to rest, but not too long, as its body was demanding it find more sustenance.