Tyler stared out at the water and listened to the waves lap against the rocks. It was just after dawn, and already hot. The day was going to be punishing to them with no protection from the sun. He stood and stretched, then headed away from them.
‘Where are you going?’ Nash said.
‘Checking this place out. There might be something you missed.
‘Trust me, there’s nothing to see,’ Liam said.
‘My days of trusting you are long gone,’ Tyler said as he walked away from them, intent on exploring the island.
The terms exploring and island both proved to be optimistic descriptions as the rock pile they were stranded on was too small to be able to do the former or be called the latter. It was essentially a large single rock jutting out of the ocean. A short ‘beach’ of smaller rocks and boulders was where Nash and Liam waited and watched him explore. The bulk of the rock was around fifteen feet tall and had become pitted and worn with exposure to the elements. Tyler looked at it and it was definitely scalable. For now, he dismissed it, instead picking his way around the edge, careful not to twist his ankle on the smaller loose rocks at his feet. The tide washed in, soaking his feet and ankles. It was only then he realised that he was both barefoot and still wearing his wetsuit. He picked his way around the giant rock, trying to ignore the lack of vegetation. The rear of the island was much the same as the front. A small depression had been partially eroded into the rock face, but not deep enough to provide them with any shelter from the elements. He stepped into it, checking anyway as the tide smashed against the rocks at his back. The depression in the rock was only two feet deep and seven high, and completely open to the elements. With some building materials, they might have been able to make a shelter. He chuckled a sharp bark that echoed from the rock at the idiocy of the thought. Building materials. Or a boat. Or a lifeguard. May as well wish for any of those things as they were just as unlikely. He ran his hand across the cool rock, hoping to find fresh water and seeing instead just a covering of moss creeping up the lower part of the wall. As desperate as the situation was, he wasn’t quite prepared to eat that yet, and so he moved on around the back of the island so that he was on the opposite side to where Nash and Liam waited. It was cooler here with the sun rising on the north side and not yet warming the stone. He stared at the upper portion of the rock face. This route looked easier to climb, but the penalty for falling was higher. Sharp boulders jutted like deadly daggers to await anyone who may lose a foothold or slip on the slick rocks. At best, it would be a broken ankle or severe laceration. At worse, death. He reached up and grabbed a jutting section of rock, pulling himself up onto his tiptoes, testing his strength. How long, he wondered, would that last with no food or water and exposed to the burning heat of the day? It was then he knew that there was no other option. He would climb whilst he still could, otherwise, he knew it would nag at him that he hadn’t explored every option. There was, however, a flaw in his plan. He looked down at his feet, his bare, wet feet and knew attempting to climb was madness. Nash had shoes on, or one at least, and as much as he didn’t particular want to wear someone else’s footwear, he decided he would ask to borrow them when he returned to the front of the island. He carried on, every step confirming what he had been told. There was nothing there. Just rock and crashing waves. He came back around the other side of the island, passing Liam on his way.
‘Seen for yourself now?’
Tyler glared at him. ‘You don’t have to be a dick all the time. We’re in this together.’
‘You do what you want, man. I’d have saved my energy if I were you. You’re gonna need it.’
‘We all are. Don’t talk to me like this is my fault. This was your show, not mine.’
‘You don’t know how lucky you were back there. You should be dead now.’
‘That’s enough, Liam,’ Nash said, glaring at his son. ‘Bickering isn’t going to help anyone. We need to figure out a plan.’
Tyler turned to Nash, the anger threatening to boil over. ‘You have something in mind?’
Nah frowned, one good eye refusing to focus on Tyler. ‘No, but… it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. You really don’t remember what happened, do you?’
‘I told you. I remember hitting the water when the shark hit the boat. Everything else after is a blur.’
‘It might come back to you. Just your brain flipping the circuit breakers and maybe threw a short circuit. It’s been a tough time.’
Tyler offered no reply and looked out again at the undulating ocean. ‘What the hell are we going to do?’
The lack of answer worried Tyler, although it didn’t surprise him. It wasn’t just that their options were limited; they were non-existent. He turned to Nash, watching as he touched the edges of his leg wound.
‘We can’t just wait here to die. We have to try something. You guys know the area and these waters. We need some options.’
‘You know as much as we do. You also know what is in these waters. We can’t go in there.’
‘We can’t stay here either. With this heat and no shade, we’ll be dead within a couple of days.’
‘That’s not even the worst part. Without water, we’re fucked,’ Liam said, still defiant, still trying to be the big man. Tyler didn’t want to get into another shouting match, and so he turned away and stared at the ocean. As he watched, the immense fin resurfaced. It made its way from right to left, slow and calculating around forty feet offshore.
‘It’s back. The shark. Are you seeing this?’ Tyler said, turning to look at the other. However, neither Nash nor Liam seemed surprised.
‘We know,’ Nash said. ‘He’s stalking the edge of the shallows. It knows we’re here.’
‘Sharks don’t do that. They don’t do grudges.’
‘This isn’t a grudge. We’re in its territory. Every twenty minutes or so, he’ll swim on by just to remind us he’s still there.’
Tyler watched as the fin sank beneath the waves. ‘It can’t come any closer?’
‘No. The water here is too shallow for him. We’re safe enough.’
‘Trapped more like,’ Liam said.
Tyler sat down hard, staring at the ocean. Everything that had happened was finally starting to sink in and the gravity of their situation was becoming more and more apparent to him with every passing moment.
Despite the intense, burning heat of the day, the night brought with it cold as the sea breeze assaulted their island. With no protection from the elements, they each tried as best they could to conserve their energy. The south side of the rock, where Tyler had found the hollow, was being relentlessly smashed by waves which made sleep difficult. Nash struggled, too, moaning in pain as his leg continued to weep blood as he drifted in and out of sleep. All day, the shark had continued to sweep past their island prison, making them aware of its presence. Tyler was glad for the dark just because he couldn’t see the dorsal fin sweeping passed, first right to left, then the other way. He lay on his side, curled against the rock face, knees pulled up to try and keep warm. He drifted in and out of sleep, on the edge of consciousness. Memories drifted in and out of his mind as he ignored the hunger and thirst that was already starting to become a problem. He thought of his childhood, long-forgotten snippets of memories that were completely meaningless. He remembered playing in the street with childhood friends when the worries of adulthood were so far away. He remembered excited gift opening on Christmas morning, the security of the family unit around him bringing his troubled mind some comfort. He also dreamed of drink. Precious alcohol. Now the shock had subsided, and the monster in the water was no longer a threat, the other monster, the one that lived inside him, was raging and desperate to be fed. Telling himself there was nothing he could to about it was no help. It still thrashed and raged, demanding alcohol.