by Michael Cole
As the fish’s head briefly emerged, Wilkow saw the arm dangling out of the corner of its mouth. He saw the fish beginning to circle back. Just then, Brook broke the surface nearly thirty feet away from him. He drew a breath and began to swim toward Jeff and Richie’s boat. Unbeknownst to him, they were watching the fish speeding his way.
“Pull me up!” he cried as he neared their boat. Richie and Jeff didn’t respond. Jeff stumbled toward the anchor with a switchblade and sawed away at the rope while Richie lowered the outboard motor and pulled the cord. The propellers sprayed Brook in the face as it started pushing their boat away. “Hey!” the abandoned drunkard yelled. The boat only moved slowly at first while it gained momentum, but soon started making some distance from him.
“Swim to me!” Wilkow called to Brook. The man turned and paddled his way. Wilkow leaned over the side with his hand extended outward. He looked toward the fish’s direction, realizing it had disappeared. “Oh shit.” Just as he spoke, he witnessed Brook lift from the surface in a watery blast, carried into the air by the breaching Carnobass. Wilkow shrieked and ducked down into the boat. Water trickled down on him as the fish passed overhead, followed by heavy splashes after it crashed down along the other side of his boat. In one flare of the fish’s gills, Brook was reunited with Diesel.
Wilkow started the ripcord to his motor. The boat moved slowly for about five seconds. “Come on, come on,” he urged it. It finally picked up speed and swiftly moved forward. As it did, the water sprayed where the boat had been two seconds prior, and the fish thrashed about. After missing its target, the fish dove down about ten feet. It sensed the vibrations of two different targets. Each contained prey, and were moving in different directions. It sensed the motion of one target being more jagged. Its brain interpreted this as an “injury” in its prey, meaning it would be easier to attack, and the Carnobass quickly began its pursuit.
The johnboat’s bow angled upward as the 20hp motor pushed it forward at full speed. Both Jeff and Richie cursed as Jeff steered around a couple jet skiers that zoomed in their path. The boat barely missed the last one, tilting hard to the right as it turned sharply. Jeff kept his hand on the throttle grip and steadied the boat, while Richie watched behind them as the Carnobass leapt over Wilkow’s boat. Jeff noticed Richie’s facial expression grow more terrified.
“What is it?” he asked. Richie babbled, unable to form a coherent sentence. He pointed his finger back behind them, trembling both from fright and intoxication. Jeff looked behind him. “HOLY SHIT!” Like a black spiny razor blade, the large dorsal fin sliced through the water directly toward them. The boat was moving at top speed, yet the fish was gaining on them.
Jeff looked back to stern, just in time to see the pontoon boat directly ahead. It carried six people; three men, three women all college-aged. They all shrieked as they saw the crazed fishermen speeding their way. Jeff pressed the handle to his left, swiftly turning the propellers to portside. Richie slid off his seat and the boat hooked to starboard. The vacationers screamed and rushed to the other side. The boat barely missed them, spraying a stream of water onto the pontoon deck.
The Carnobass fluttered its tail to ram its prey. It shot forward, just as the target turned suddenly to the right. It sped past the turning johnboat, heading directly toward the pontoon boat.
The fish hit the boat with the force of a semi-trailer. Bits of metal and fiberglass spiraled in several directions. The boat vehemently flipped over, flinging all of its occupants off its deck. The boat settled upside down in the water, with its propeller still spiraling above the surface. They all hit the water, scattered, confused, and dazed. Some suffered broken ribs from the crash. Eighteen feet from the stern of the boat, one of the females broke the surface. Immediately, a panic attack set in. She screamed for help, while feeling down her left leg with her hand. She felt down by her knee; it was bent…in the wrong direction. Intense pain flooded her nervous system, and throbbed even harder as she instinctively tried to kick to remain afloat. Another person, her boyfriend, swam up to the surface after sinking several feet. Seeing his girlfriend in agony, he quickly started swimming toward her.
The fish picked up on the muscular vibrations of the six organic creatures. Swaying its fins, it hovered several feet beneath the surface, looking upward to identify its prey. The nearest one was directly ahead, staying afloat with lopsided movements…a classic sign of wounded prey. The Carnobass opened its mouth and moved in for the kill.
The girlfriend desperately reached out for her man as he neared. He reached his arm out to her. As their fingers touched, the boyfriend’s eyes suddenly opened wide open, and his jaw dropped. He retracted his arm out of instinct and let out a horrified scream as he saw the swell rising up just behind his girlfriend. The white inside of the fish’s mouth could just be seen under the water, where his girlfriend was sucked downward.
It seized its prey and quickly dove downward, hooking its body as it turned. Its black caudal fin swept the surface from below like a broom. The boyfriend saw the webbed tailfin sweeping upward…directly toward him. It struck him in an upward motion, hard enough to launch him several feet into the air. Several bones snapped and all of the air was blown out of him. He fell back down, landing right on the boat’s propeller. The swirling blades repeatedly sliced through his flesh, spraying blood upward like a gruesome fountain. The remaining occupants screamed in horror as they watched their friend be torn apart like paper in a shredder.
Jeff and Richie both looked at the devastation behind them as they sped away. They felt a flood of relief overtake them when they realized the fish was no longer after them, but attacking the pontoon boat instead. They looked at each other and shared the moment with booming laughter. They cackled and pointed at the capsized pontoon boat, growing further away with each moment.
A deep loud droning noise cut their laughter short. They looked to each other, confused. The loud noise blared a second time, from up ahead. They turned around to face the bow, seeing the large speedboat cruising directly toward them at full speed.
Aaron clenched his teeth when he looked up from the rearview mirror and saw the fishing boat in his path. His muscles tensed and his heartbeat became rapid.
He sounded the horn a third time. In only a few short moments, the boats would close the distance. He grabbed the helm to steer.
“Oh shit!” Jeff shouted. He grabbed the motor handle and cut the boat hard to the right, precisely as the speedboat driver turned left to avoid collision. Both fishermen screamed as the larger boat slammed into their portside. Their boat bent inward and flipped. Jeff landed in the water only inches ahead of the ongoing speedboat. He barely felt the sensation of the water before the hull crushed his skull.
Richie hit the water a few feet past Jeff, and sank a bit deeper. The boat passed above him, grazing him with its underside. He rolled a few times under the water until the boat and its water skiers cleared. He stroked upward toward the sunlight, drawing a gasping breath after emerging. He looked back at the speedboat, which was slowing down and circling back. The sound of a second motor drew his attention. He looked back at his submerging johnboat; a piece of metal pressed against the motor lever, causing the propellers to spin at maximum velocity. The motor shook uncontrollably against the transom. Finally, it broke free, bouncing off the stern like a ricochet bullet…straight toward Richie’s face. The powerhead slammed into his forehead, caving in his face. The slowing propellers pushed his lifeless body downward into the depths.
********
“JESUS CHRIST!” Tim Marlow yelled out after witnessing the crash through his binoculars. McMillan leaned over the deck, watching the event unfold in the distance. Marlow grabbed the microphone extender and lifted it to his mouth, simultaneously turning on the emergency flashers. “Chief! Chief, it’s Marlow! Are you there?” He pushed the throttle forward, speeding the boat toward the scene.
“Uhh…Marlow?” McMillan said.
“What?”
“Hand
me the binoculars.” Marlow tossed them to him, and he looked in the distance past the speedboat, seeing the capsized pontoon boat. He passed the binoculars back to Marlow. He looked to where McMillan was pointing.
“This is Sydney. What’s going on?”
********
“Chief, we’ve got two separate accidents over here out by Rig’s Place, almost right in the center of the lake. A speedboat just collided with a johnboat going way faster than what it should, and we have a pontoon boat completely overturned!”
Sydney and Joel looked at each other in disarray. Sydney quickly started moving out the door.
“Dispatch, you copy this?” he questioned into his radio.
“Affirmative, we copy,” Dispatch responded.
“Alert EMS and Fire Rescue. Unit Four, I’m going to the dock right now. Once I get a boat, I’ll meet you out there. In the meantime, do what you can and keep us informed.”
“Ten-four.”
A second voiced boomed over the radio. “This is Unit Five. We also copy and are en route.”
Sydney climbed into his Jeep and immediately switched on the siren and flashers. He backed out of his space and sped out of the parking lot. Cars pulled to the side at the sight of the red flashers. Once on the road, he floored the gas pedal.
********
The sound of crashing metal and horrified screams permeated the air, drawing the attention of several boaters, lake-home owners, and anglers. After confirming that the fish was not pursuing him, Wilkow slowed his boat to a stop. He stood up and looked toward the source of the screams.
His heart felt as if it jumped into his throat upon seeing the devastation. The same speedboat he had seen earlier was circling around, while the skiers trailing behind, screaming in panic from what they had just witnessed. The shock worsened with the sight of the pontoon boat, and the struggling people in the water trying to climb onto it for support. Further in the distance was a police vessel, cruising towards the scene with siren lights blazing.
Wilkow’s first instinct was to continue fleeing to shore. He grabbed the motor lever, only to stop and look back once again. He knew the fish was picking off the swimmers and would likely attack the other boats.
“Oh…hell!” he groaned. He knew they needed to be warned. He started the motor once again and curved his path to take him to the incident.
********
The stern of the johnboat slowly disappeared under the water as it sank to the depths. As Marlow approached, the speedboat had come to a complete stop. The water skiers were in the water, kept afloat by life vests. The boat driver kept moving from side to side, looking into the water for the anglers he had, crying, “Oh my God” repeatedly. Marlow brought his boat alongside his.
“You guys all right?” The boater looked up, appearing even more upset when he saw the police.
“I don’t know what happened!” Aaron said. “I was just towing my friends, and then these guys suddenly darted in our path. We tried to get out of the way, but I guess they did too…and then…”
A scream from one of the young skiers cut him off. He rushed over to the side to look out to her. She was backstroking in a panic, away from Jeff’s floating body. He was facing upward, and his head was completely disfigured. The boater felt the blood rush from his face and he quickly turned away. The realization that he killed that man hit hard and quickly overwhelmed his senses.
Other screams drew the attention of the two officers. The people on the pontoon boat were piling up on the underside, waving frantically.
“Help us!” they cried. “Please help!” Marlow realized they were gathering near the bow, staying away from the stern.
“What the hell?” he mumbled to himself. He raised the microphone to his mouth. “Stay calm, we’re gonna come to you!” He then turned his attention to Aaron. “Listen to me!” The boater kept his back turned, taking shallow, shaky breaths. “SIR! HEY! Listen!” Aaron finally looked at him, looking very pale. “We have more units coming. Just stay put, and get your people out of the water!” The boater looked to his friends. The female skier, Rachel, was frozen in a panic after seeing Jeff’s mangled face. The other skier, Jordan, swam to her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and attempted to calm her down. The boater looked back to Marlow.
“Okay,” he said.
Marlow throttled the boat toward the pontoon. The screams grew louder as he got closer. Two of the occupants stood up on the underside, while the other two clutched the side of the boat, still in the water from the waist down.
“Is everyone okay?” he yelled out to them.
“There’s something in the water!” one of the people cried out.
“Nathan…he…he’s dead!” another one screamed. The hairs on the back of Marlow’s neck stood up. He brought his boat near them.
“Okay, we’re going to help…oh my God!” He saw Nathan’s bloody mangled corpse on the propeller blades. The small crowd continued shouting at once.
“Something’s in this lake!”
“Vanessa’s gone!”
“Get us the hell out of here!”
“Hurry! Get us out!”
The distant echo of somebody else calling out got Marlow’s attention.
“Now what?” Looking past the pontoon, he saw a johnboat speeding their way. With one hand on the motor handle, the man onboard waved at the officers. The sound of the motor muffled his voice, making it difficult for them to understand what he was saying.
“What?” McMillan called out to him. “We can’t understand you.”
Dr. Wilkow switched off the engine as he drew near. Its droning sound settled down, and he cuffed both hands around his mouth.
“GET EVERYBODY OUT OF THE WATER!”
“We got EMS en route, and we’re going to get these people…”
“No, you don’t understand!” Wilkow shouted. “There’s a giant frickin’ prehistoric fish in this lake!” He instantly regretted using the word prehistoric, especially seeing the surprise in the officers’ faces. “I’m not joking around! It’s in new territory, and I think it’s staking its claim! It’ll see every boat around here as a natural competitor!”
If the situation at hand wasn’t so dire, Marlow would probably be rolling on the deck laughing. Wilkow certainly looked and sounded like a madman, but yet Marlow was finding himself convinced of a threat in the water.
********
Gravel kicked up as Sydney arrived at the police dock. The docks consisted of three square wooden platforms by which both police vessels would moor. Both the police cruisers were already out on the water, leaving the police jet ski. Sydney had barely shifted the Jeep to park when he yanked his keys from the ignition and dash down the small hill as fast as he could.
Almost midway there, the pain in his leg fired up. As if he had suffered an electric shock, Sydney’s leg seized up. He shrieked and fell to his hands and knees. He gritted his teeth while quickly pulling himself back up.
He dragged his foot while scuffling down to the deck. He snatched a blue life jacket and put it on. With all of his weight on his good leg, he jumped onto the small watercraft like a cowboy onto his horse, landing perfectly in the seat. He engaged the throttle and slowly moved the jet ski out. He flipped a switch to activate the small emergency flashers on the sides. A small radio was installed just below the steering control. Sydney snatched up the speaker.
“This is the chief; I’m on my way,” he said. He replaced the speaker and accelerated the throttle. The motors moaned like a racecar engine as the jet ski quickly gained speed, leaving a swishing trail in the water behind it that soon settled back to normal.
********
Circling back from its dive, the Carnobass moved upward into its kill zone. The shapes above, like silhouettes, contrasted sharply against the bright background. The images registered much clearer to its brain. The sunlight, which had brought so much pain to the creature, was no longer straining to its eyes. The creature was finally adapted to its new environment.
> The police vessel moved into its feeding ground up above. Seeing the boat’s considerable size, the fish believed it to be a challenger, just like many it had encountered its underground world. The Carnobass aligned itself at a forty-five-degree angle with its head facing the boat. It flapped its tail hard, creating a jet propulsion that sent it speeding toward its target. Each flap generated force for a ramming attack used to shatter bones and exoskeletons of other giant species with ease.
********
Marlow was in mid-sentence, directing the victims on the pontoon boat, when suddenly his vessel shook violently following the sound of crunching metal. Both he and McMillan fell to the deck and rolled toward the stern, as the bow tilted upward. The boat tilted up for one long moment before gravity pulled it back down, generating a huge splash.
“What in the name of—?” Marlow yelled out. The cruiser rocked heavily as it leveled out while large swells of water rolled outward. The pontoon boat bobbed in the waves. Water crashed along its side and over the exposed underside. The two people standing on top fell to their stomachs, while one male swimmer clinging to the side lost his grip. The pontoon boat moved with the swells and a distance of a few meters formed between it and the swimmer.
The swimmer quickly started paddling back. He stopped when he believed he saw another swell coming up. It was when he looked to his right that he realized it wasn’t just an upsurge of water, but the huge green bulk of the bass. He screamed and paddled harder, only to be sucked backward into the creature’s mouth.