“It was just a tree.”
Eventually, the fog lifted. Gail assumed that she must have zoned out for a while, because she wasn’t even aware that it was gone until she realized that she could see structures in the distance, sticking up above the surface. With the fog gone, their spirits seemed to lift, if only slightly. They spoke to one another again in hushed, cautious tones, mindful of what might be lurking beneath the waves, listening for them. Novak checked McCann over and made sure he was uninjured. Then he tried to make his second-mate and Gail both as comfortable as possible—a hopeless cause, given their current situation. Still, Gail smiled at the attempt. Not for the first time, the gruff ship’s captain had touched her heart.
They drifted slowly past the structures she’d seen in the distance—the upper floors of buildings that had yet to be fully submerged. None of them would offer viable shelter. The sickly white fungus clung to the exposed sides, climbing up the masonry with fuzzy tentacles. Gail stared down into the coffee-colored water and saw an entire town beneath them—office buildings, cars, housing developments, gas stations, playgrounds, shopping malls, schools, churches and fast food restaurants, all completely submerged: a town for the new denizens of the deep. She wondered if the shark people and some of the other creatures they’d encountered would move into the dwellings now that their previous inhabitants were gone.
“So what do we do now?” McCann’s voice quavered.
Gail turned to look at the others. Water dripped from McCann’s nose, and Novak’s hair was plastered to his head. Both men were shivering. They appeared as uncomfortable and miserable as she felt.
“Well,” Novak said as they glided over a sunken grocery store. “One thing is for sure. This boat is too light and too hard to navigate when shit gets choppy. We’re okay now, because we’re in a relatively shallow area. But once we get out over a valley or low spot again, we might have trouble. Keep an eye out for any long pieces of wood without that fucking white shit on them. We need something to help us row.”
“It’s too bad we can’t anchor,” Gail said. “Then we could stay in one spot and wait for the others to find us.”
Novak shook his head. “I don’t think the others are coming back.”
“But Riffle wouldn’t have just left us like that, boss.” McCann’s tone was earnest and adamant. “There’s no way he’d abandon us out here.”
“Maybe he thought we were dead, or maybe that monster fucking island went for them, and they had to run. I don’t know the reason, but I know that they’re nowhere in sight, and I don’t look for them to return. We’re on our own out here.”
His words seemed to echo out over the water.
CHAPTER 43
There was no way of telling time. The sun was a pale, muted disc hidden behind the impenetrable clouds. Eventually, the waters grew calmer. The waves died down to nothing more than ripples, and the sound of the raindrops pelting the surface grew louder. When Gail leaned over the side, she was able to see more ruins beneath them. The rooftops were closer to the surface, and much more debris floated around them.
“We must be entering higher ground,” McCann said. “The water is getting shallower.”
Novak nodded in agreement. “Keep an eye out.”
Soon, the bottom of the boat began to scrape overtop the underwater structures. Treetops, steel girders and jagged, exposed construction timbers jutted from the water like skeletal fingers. Other than the rain, the area was completely still. There was no sound or movement. Even the seabirds had disappeared. The white fuzz wasn’t as prevalent in this region as it had been in other places they’d sailed through in recent weeks. It clung to a few of the trees and girders, but most of the ruins were relatively free of it.
They passed a circular water tower and a church steeple. Both towered above the waterline, but neither structure offered shelter from the elements. The current took them close enough to the steeple that Gail could have reached out and touched it, but there was nothing to salvage other than roofing tiles. Novak made a half-hearted attempt to grab one of the gutters, announcing his intent to use it as an oar, but the gutter held fast. The boat rocked dangerously beneath them, and Gail urged him to sit back down. The boat bumped against the side of the steeple and then kept drifting.
“Look ahead.” McCann pointed. “How about that? It looks secure.”
Gail and Novak turned in the direction he had indicated. Ahead of them was a large, rectangular office building. The four topmost floors were above the water. An array of antennae and ductwork covered the roof. It appeared deserted, and intact. There were no broken windows, and no cracks or holes in the sides of the building.
“It looks solid,” Gail said. “But the current isn’t taking us anywhere near it.”
Novak stood up again, more carefully this time.
“What are you doing?” Gail asked.
“Getting us there. I’m already wet, right?”
Without another word, he draped his legs over the side and then slipped into the water, nearly capsizing their boat in the process. Novak clutched the bow with one hand and blinked water from his eyes.
McCann paled. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, boss-man. Look at how dirty that water is. The pollutants are a lot thicker here than they were further out to sea.”
“Then I’ll make sure I don’t swallow any.”
“Are you crazy?” Gail moved to the front of the craft. “Have you forgotten about the shark-men already?”
“We want to get away from them,” Novak said, “along with all the other creepy-critters out here. That building looks like our only shot. Now sit down, Gail. If you guys want to help, paddle with your hands.”
Still gripping the bow with one hand, he began to propel them through the water, grunting with the effort. McCann leaned over the side and began paddling with his hand. After a moment, Gail did the same from her side. They moved slowly, and she kept her eyes on the water, waiting for something to charge up from the depths.
CHAPTER 44
Treading water, Novak pulled the boat alongside the building. The hull bumped gently against the side, scraping the wall. Novak grasped for a handhold. Foul seawater dripped from his hands and arms. Gail eyed the droplets, thinking about her suspicion that the strange fungus was possibly spread by contact with the water. She kept her misgivings to herself. After all, if that were true, they’d all be infected by now. After suffering through endless days of rain, it was impossible to stay dry. The air itself felt drenched.
Novak latched onto a windowsill and steadied the rocking craft. Small waves lapped against the concrete walls. Raindrops made circular patterns on the water’s surface—no two alike. Gail turned her attention to the office building. While only the four topmost floors were above the surface, the structure seemed stable. It wasn’t leaning, and there were no cracks, holes or broken windows that she could see—at least on this side. The swirling fog hid the ductwork and antennae array she’d seen on the roof earlier. There were no lights behind the windows. Gail tried peering through one, but it was fogged over.
“What do you guys think?” McCann asked.
“It’s quiet,” Novak said. “Sealed up. Looks stable. There’s no way of knowing what kind of shape the interior is in, but I say we try to get inside.”
“What if it’s not deserted?”
“Then we’ll ask them if they mind sharing.”
Something splashed loudly far out in the mist, and the little boat rocked harder. Gail glanced behind them. There was a dark shape in the mist—something large, looming above the surface. She turned back to McCann and Novak to verify that they saw the same thing, but both men had their attention focused on the office building. She looked again, and the shadow was gone.