by K D McNiven
“If only,” Jayden said with a scowl.
“I take it you two didn’t find anything out?”
“Unfortunately, no,” said Meg. “We asked several people. They all had the same reaction. Nobody wants to talk about it. How could something so mind-boggling be kept locked away?”
Captain Burke frowned, tipping his beer bottle to his lips and sucking the last dregs down. “Someone knows, and given time, they will fill us in. Something this enormous can’t remain a secret for long. Eventually, you’ll find a person who knows and who doesn’t mind sharing the details. Until then, we’ll rely on science.”
Chapter Two
⁂
The skies exploded with rain the following day, the water choppy and dark. Bright zig-zag flashes cut angry lines in the slate-gray sky, roaring thunderclaps following. The ORI vessel rocked unsteadily throwing them from side to side, forcing the crew to remain inside. Violent storms were not uncommon here, bringing with them torrential rains. They had been eager to dive and hopefully find some answers, disappointment evident on their faces.
Meg made her way main deck aft to the wet lab, finding Camilla studying one of their samples under the microscope. So engrossed, she didn’t hear Meg enter. When Meg dropped her hand on Camilla’s shoulder, she nearly went through the ceiling, her hand flying to her chest.
“Give me a heart attack, will you!”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. How’s it going? Find out anything on the bones?”
“It’s going all right. And, about the bones,” she said all in one breath. “First off, it’s definitely bones. Sometimes certain materials can look like bone and not be. Secondly, it’s definitely human. I have in front of me the radius, the lower arm bone. Determining its age is difficult at best. The formation of adipocere, a waxy substance created by body fat has preserved it quite well. Without further investigation, I’m approximating the bone to be around three years, maybe as old as five. One thing I did notice, the hand appears to have been ripped off.”
“Ripped off?”
Camilla nodded. “Possibly, the person got his or her hand caught in some kind of machinery or something that had the ability to tear the hand clean free. See how spiky the bone is here at the base? It’s reasonable to conclude that it may have been bitten off by a shark or large predator as well.”
“Wow,” Meg said. “Makes me a bit jumpy, if you know what I mean. All of those bones stacked up down there…and if something has been preying on people…”
Dark eyes flickered up to gaze at Meg. “It’s a little unsettling, yes. Hopefully, we’ll get to the bottom of it, and someone will be able to explain it away. Let’s just wait until we dive again and bring up more evidence before jumping to any conclusions.”
The research ship lurched, throwing Meg against the metal bulwark. She’d never get used to the roller coaster ride one experienced on pitching, angry waves. Waves that tossed ships as if it was no more than a feather.
“We may have to put off diving another day. Looks like we’re going to have a nasty storm to contend with at least through tomorrow. My stomach’s already a bit woozy from the ship’s up’s and down’s.”
“Know what you mean,” said Camilla, rubbing her belly. “I probably better secure some of the test tubes and breakable items before it gets any worse.”
“Here. I’ll help you.”
Meg began grabbing loose objects and putting them into plastic containers for storage. If the storm worsened it could possibly play havoc on their equipment, and accidents in the wet lab with all of the various chemicals could be a real problem. Better to be safe than sorry, she mused.
“Where’s Cory? I thought he was assisting you?”
Camilla grinned. “He was green around the gills. He never could handle foul weather. My guess is he’s stretched out on his bunk with a puke bag.”
“That’s a shame.”
“I’m sure he’ll be in tip-top shape by morning…assuming this blasted storm lets up.”
The storm lasted throughout the evening, forcing the crew to stay below, playing cards and games until time to retire. When they awoke, they were relieved to find the sun shining brilliantly in a cerulean sky, the day already steaming like a sauna from the humidity. The crew looked forward to diving again and the weather looked as though it would cooperate.
Meg was already busy checking air tanks and equipment and donned in her wet suit, she enthusiastically prepared to dive. She felt exhilarated, a sensation she always experienced right before plunging beneath the rolling waves. Since her divorce several years earlier she had made the vast prairie of oceans her home and could scarcely imagine being anywhere else.
She still remembered the day the call came in for her to join with the Oceanic Marine Research Center. She had been working as a PADI Master Scuba Diver for a few years and had signed up for a brief time as a dive leader for a coral reef conservation team. During that time, she had earned a great deal of respect from other divers and peers alike. Now, at the age of twenty-nine, she had finally achieved her heart’s desire.
Captain Burke had been elated when she’d accepted ORI’s offer as he’d been looking for the right person to head up the dive team on the research ship. To be honest, Meg had been just as thrilled. Times had been tough for her after the divorce. Five years of marital bliss only to discover her husband in the arms of another woman. The ordeal had taken its toll on her, she had to admit. Since becoming a part of the team and functioning in what she loved to do, things were much brighter—the pain less intense.
Hearing the padding of feet, she got off her knees and turned her full attention on the others who had gathered around. “All right, let’s gear up and take the plunge.”
“You won’t hear me complain,” Jayden said, rubbing his palms together and looking eager to dive.
Excitement brewed in the air, though lurking in the recesses of their minds, they hadn’t forgotten the gruesome sight of bleached white bones piled up beneath the translucent surface. If they were honest, each of them would admit to being a bit disturbed over the matter. Perhaps fearful would better define it.
“A little later when we surface, I’d like to take the zodiac to shore and do a little investigating on our own,” Meg said, fitting her goggles on top of her head. “I looked through the binoculars this morning and spotted a couple of areas where a few more fish had washed ashore. I want to take a look and bring back more specimens for Camilla and Cory to test out. Also, if we could grab pieces of bone from different sectors to determine their age, we can also judge how long this has been taking place.”
“What do we know so far?” asked Jayden.
“Only that Camilla has guesstimated the bone we brought up last time is close to three to five years old and that something had ripped the hand clean off…or bit it off. Maybe a shark?”
“Let’s hope there aren’t any more bones that have the same affliction,” Jayden replied.
Meg grinned. “Getting nervous?”
“Darned right I am. That’s a whole lot of bones down there and it has not escaped my mind that once upon a time there happened to be flesh hanging on them. You can’t tell me you aren’t just a bit edgy?”
“I confess,” she replied. “I am a little uneasy. We dove two days ago. Luckily, we are all here to talk about it. So, if you’re all ready, let’s head down on the anchor line and bring up what we need.”
Scouring the ocean floor, they were able to balloon up several bones along with two skulls. It would be enough to keep the biologists busy for a time. When Meg was satisfied, she made a motion for them to return to the ship, all the while glancing back over her shoulder in case there were sharks wanting to feed on human flesh. The thought, a bit unnerving.
No sooner had they started to surface, then the water churned, silt clouding their line of sight. Meg looked around trying to see the others. No use. She could barely see her hand in front of her face. Because they weren’t too far beneath the surf
ace, she kicked her way upward where a few ribbons of sunlight pierced through the surface, stopping only briefly to keep from ending up with the bends. As her head shot outward, she pumped up her buoyancy compensator device to stay afloat, bobbing in the waves to make sure she had accounted for everyone. When she had, the team finned their way back to the research ship and climbed onto the dive platform.
“Hey, what happened?” asked Meg. “One of you stir up the bottom? I didn’t feel much of a current down there. Not enough to cause a silt-out anyhow.”
“What’s strange,” said Kyle Bainbridge, one of the marine biologist interns, pulling his mask upward onto the top of his head. “I’d just snagged some small bone samples and put them in my pouch when I swear, I felt something brush against my leg. At that exact moment was when the silt-out happened. Believe me, that was my cue to get the hell out of the water. I made a mad dash for the surface, not waiting around to see what might be lurking down there.”
“Hopefully, it wasn’t a shark looking for his breakfast,” chuckled Jayden, removing his fins, and managing to wriggle his arms out of his wet suit, letting it dangle around his waist.
“If so, I’m happy to report that none of us made it onto his menu.”
“I don’t see anything funny about this, Jayden,” Maddy added to the conversation, a scow on her face. “There are numbers of dead people scattered across the ocean floor and something is responsible for it.”
“I hear what you’re saying, Maddy. Look, it’s a tense topic and throwing a bit of humor at it helps it not seem so horrific.”
“It just gives me the willies to even contemplate what might be lurking beneath the waves,” Maddy replied. “One of us could be the next victim. It’s just not funny…”
“Sorry, if that helps,” he apologized. “Maybe it was in poor taste…I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Maddy, why don’t you head over to the wet lab and assist Camilla and Cory. They’ll have their hands full about now,” Meg said, removing her gear. Hopefully, Maddy would ease up, though her stress was completely understandable. Jayden was right, however. It was a nerve-wracking situation. A little humor never hurt anyone when used as a means to lighten the mood and push past their uneasiness.
“Roger that,” Maddy replied, her burgundy hair looking like a fiery torch under the sun’s rays.
Madison, who everyone on board addressed as Maddy, had signed on at the last minute and having a Ph.D. in Marine Chemistry made her a valuable asset. This was her first time to work alongside her husband Richard in the field and she had been walking on air. Meg only hoped this venture would not sour her desire to work outside the lab.
Later that afternoon, the team climbed on board the zodiac and made their way to shore. Jayden and Rourke leaped from the guts and into the water, pulling the zodiac onto the shore, anchoring it while the rest of the team climbed out and headed down the beach.
“Hey! Race you,” Jayden called out to the others and jetted off, water spraying as he clipped the edges of curling waves and soaked his pant legs.
Meg laughed and sprinted after him.
Once they reached the area where several dead fish lay rotting in a pile of sea kelp, they knelt to inspect, the stench more than a little unpleasant. Regardless, work was work and a person had to do what was required in order to accomplish their objective. They fitted on plastic gloves before tackling the job, gathering several of the fish and placed them into plastic bags sealing them to take back to the lab. Samples of the sand were taken as well, along with seawater to determine what pollutants they might be dealing with.
Kyle wandered from the team to where a wide stream of freshwater poured into the ocean. He planned on grabbing a few samples there in addition to what they had already gotten. Down on his knees, he dipped the plastic container into the warm water, capping it off when full. He frowned when he spotted the culprit for the dead fish…harmful algae bloom. The algae growth could be seen just below the shallow surface, developing along the bank.
“Hey guys,” he yelled. “Come over here.”
The team quickly headed his direction, hearing the urgency in his voice. When they jogged up beside him, they looked down at where he pointed.
“I’m wondering what chemicals could be washing down,” Meg said. “No wonder we’re finding dead fish. Fortunately, it’s at the beginning stages because we didn’t observe any indication of red tide.”
“No, but if we don’t go to the source and stop it quickly, it will become a marine ecological disaster as time goes by.”
“All too true. Grab some more samples. We’ll test out the oxygen levels and get hold of authorities to see how we can stop the river pollution.”
“Copy that,” Kyle said.
“The rest of us are going to head upstream a short distance and see what we can come up with,” Meg informed him, waving her hand in the air for the team to follow.
Further upstream, they stopped along the muddy bank to determine if the red algae growth had increased. Meg dipped her fingers beneath the cool, rushing surface and brought up a globule of mud. Not only could they see the algae bloom, but there was also an oily texture coating it. She brought it up to her nose and drew in a deep breath.
“Smells like oil.”
“If the authorities track it, they should be able to pinpoint where the oil is being released. It can’t be too far from the river,” Jayden said.
Richard walked a short distance upriver from the team, stopping dead in his tracks. His eyes bulged as he glanced down at the muddy area at his feet. “Get your arses over here. You’ve got to see this,” he yelled.
There was a sharp edge to Richard’s voice and knowing he never got too riled up about matters, they figured he must have found something attention-grabbing so they hustled his direction. When they rushed up next to him, they stared in disbelief. Stamped into the mud were animal foot imprints.
“What on earth are those?” asked Meg, dropping onto her knees in spite of the mud, feeling the wetness seep through her wet suit.
“They appear to be giant alligator footprints from what I can make out,” Richard said.
Meg placed her hand beside the footprint, her mouth dropping with surprise. “This footprint must be thirty-nine inches! And sorry, Richard. No alligators here. It would be caiman. The alligator is its closest relative, though the caiman isn’t quite as bulky.” She glanced up with a surprised look on her face. “However, far as I know, there is no caiman alive this big…is there?”
“Apparently there is,” remarked Jayden, leaning over Meg’s shoulder, hands on thighs, to inspect the phenomenon.
“Let’s look around here for more evidence to support that,” Meg said. “While you’re at it, please, be careful. We’re really not sure what we are dealing with.”
The team began to make a wide sweep over the area, their nerves brittle with anticipation. If indeed there were caiman that size, they could easily be taken over by the beast.
The tracks led them upstream about an eighth of a mile until they came close to a muddy embankment and spotted an opening at the side of a steep incline. They stopped just short of the cave and looked at one another. It didn’t need to be verbalized that making a decision to go inside would not be the best idea.
Meg grabbed the underwater camera, snapping multiple shots, then motioned for the team to head back the way they came. Meg took several more photos of the monstrous footprints along the way. She had seen the photos during their research and she tried to imagine a beast taller than herself and three car lengths long, but her mind didn’t seem capable of conjuring up anything so enormous.
In truth, the mere thought of an animal that size, walking unrestrained, sent chills down her spine. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t help wondering about the stack of bones and if this creature was responsible. By the look on the team's faces, Meg gathered they were also pondering the same thing.
After mulling around the banks for a time, Meg caught sight of an
object near the mouth of the river. She curiously walked over and bent on one knee, grabbing hold of the rounded item, turning it over several times.
“What did you find?” Kyle asked, stepping up behind her.
“I can’t be sure. I think it’s a tooth.”
He gawked at it. “I believe you’re correct. Good grief, that’s one helluva big tooth!”
Meg tucked it into her pouch, looking bamboozled. “You don’t think…”
As if reading her thoughts, he shook his head. “What we’re looking at is an overgrown caiman that likes to eat people for lunch? Yes. I believe we are.”
It didn’t take much prodding to get the team to head back to the zodiac, all the while looking over their shoulders. The last thing they wanted was an aggressive caiman attacking them.
Kyle fired up the motor and steered them back in the direction of the research ship, their minds spiraling with speculation.
“This is not exactly what I hired on to do when asked to work alongside a team of conservation biologists,” remarked Jayden.
“It definitely won’t be an excursion we will soon forget,” replied Meg.
Once back on board, Meg went straightaway to the pilothouse to locate Captain Burke. She didn’t miss the shocked expression on his face as she pulled the tooth from her pouch and held it out in front of him.
After studying it for a time, his gray eyes flickered up with wonderment. “This is extraordinary, Meg. I’m at a loss for words.”
“I snapped multiple pictures of the foot imprints and took the measurements. I’m heading to the lab and will have Camilla run it through our database and see what turns up.”
“Good idea. Keep me updated.”
“Absolutely Captain.”
When Meg entered the lab, she found Camilla, Cory, and Madison busily researching the specimens handed over to them after they had boarded.
“Meg,” said Camilla. “Sounds like the team had a wild excursion.”
“Wild doesn’t quite sum it up.”