Liam shook his head. ‘It’s too late for me. You were right. Things can never be normal. Not now.’ He slashed out with the blade again, gashing Tyler’s forearm. Blood spattered the rocks at his feet as he backed away.
‘You can’t leave now,’ Liam said, flashing a bloody grin. ‘You’ll bleed in the water and that big fish will come get you. Best you stay here with me and Dad.’
It was then Tyler realised Liam was beyond saving. There was no rational thought, no sanity left. In a way, it made his next decision easier. When every option led to death, there was no reason to fear. Without any hesitation, Tyler lurched into the water and started to swim for the overturned Zodiac.
Carrington realised two things in very quick succession. Firstly, that he couldn’t possibly outrun the shark, and second, that it was much bigger than he anticipated. His intention had been to lead it out into open water to give Benton time to flip the Zodiac and get to safety, but he knew now that such an option was impossible and would only serve to bring his own life to an end should the shark sink his vessel. Instead, he had started to angle back to the rock outcrop and the shallows. He knew that was his best chance of survival and the best way to use the immense size of the shark to his advantage.
The Megalodon chased its prey, compelled to attack. It increased its pace, angling up from under the stern of the vessel. It accelerated, striking the fibreglass hull just behind the propellers. The vessel lurched out of the water, for a split second its forward momentum slowing as its props spun on fresh air. Carrington was thrown into his instrument panel. Even though his speed control was at maximum, he pushed it harder anyway, using his right hand to steer the vessel. The shallow water warning started to flash on the instruments, and he could once again see the island in front of him. He could also see the Zodiac and Benton pulling it towards the rock outcrop island. Another strike from below caused the vessel to weave in the water. A light started to flash on the instrument panel along with a monotonous alarm sounded as the hull finally gave way and started to take on water. Knowing it was a race against time, he aimed for where the charts said was the shallowest point and hoped he could run the boat aground before it was swallowed by the ocean. Below the surface, the Megalodon moved in for the kill.
As Tyler swam to meet the Zodiac, he realised just how tired he was, how drained of energy he had become. It should have been easy, but every stroke was a monumental effort. His back and forearm stung as fresh blood seeped into the water with each stroke, but he had committed too much to turn back now. Even so, he kept waiting for that sting of blade on skin and expected at any time for Liam to grab him from behind and drag him back to the island. He didn’t risk glancing behind him, though and knew that every second he was in the water was a second closer to death. He was nearing the Zodiac now and could see an older man in the water trying to flip it over.
‘Help me with this,’ Benton grunted as Tyler swam closer. ‘I can’t flip it over by myself.’ Tyler reached the overturned inflatable, aware once again how alone and vulnerable he was. He could see Carrington’s boat coming towards them and the immense dorsal fin giving chase. The fear gave him a much-needed adrenaline boost, and he and Benton tried to flip the boat over, a task that wasn’t as easy as Tyler anticipated. It was difficult to get leverage of a solid enough grip to manipulate the rubber frame.
‘Wait, wait,’ Benton said. ‘We need to do this together. On three. Ready?’
Tyler nodded, aware that Carrington was bearing down on them at pace.
‘Alright, one, two… Three!’
They worked in unison, flipping the Zodiac right side up. Benton tried to pull himself over the edge, but the boat was light, and he almost pulled it back over. ‘Dammit,’ he said, letting go and treading water. ‘You’ll have to hold it on the other side until I’m in.’
They were both distracted by the scrape of fibreglass on rock as Carrington ran the ship aground in the shallow water. They watched as the Megalodon hit the rear of the vessel, tipping it onto its side on the rock plateau where it had come to rest. Inside the wheelhouse, Carrington was thrown towards the port window, unable to do anything as the ocean rushed towards him. The windows imploded, the glass shredding his skin. The vessel came to rest, half-filled with water. Carrington swam for air, feet treading water in the capsized cabin. Outside, the Megalodon sensed the blood in the water, and confident it had disabled and wounded its potential meal, moved in to finish it off.
Benton pulled Tyler into the Zodiac, both men exhausted as they sat in the small inflatable. They could see the fishing trawler on its side, then watched as the shark circled around it.
‘How can it do that?’ Tyler said, the adrenaline rush starting to fade. ‘We’re in the shallows.’
Benton shook his head. ‘Shallows here are different. It’s not just one landmass but lots of different underground islands spaced out in this area pretty much like the one you were on. Next to impossible to navigate so the whole area is just marked shallow.’
‘So there is deep water around it?’
Benton nodded. ‘Deep enough. Looks like the captain has run aground on one on of the little islands. Look, the shark is circling the boat.’
Underwater, the Megalodon swam around the rock island, the blood seeping into the water igniting its lust to feed. It scraped its snout against the semi-submerged bow, partially lifting it out of the water then letting it fall back to the rock platform. From his vantage point, Carrington got his first real concept of the scale of the creature and realised that his blood was attracting it. He tried to pull himself out of the water, climbing up the control panels towards the copilot’s chair. If he could get there and out of the window directly above him, he knew he would be relatively safe. He scrambled up, trying to haul himself out of the water, but he had damaged his shoulder when the boat capsized, and he couldn’t put any weight on it. He was about to try again when he saw a blur of movement a split second before The Megalodon struck the wheelhouse, giant dagger teeth clamping down on the steel frame which groaned in protest. Carrington screamed and flinched away, for a moment finding himself submerged and just a few feet from the immense jaws of the creature. The Megalodon shook its massive head and pounded its body against the rock outcrop. It was only then as the vessel slid forward and scraped against the rocks that Carrington realised what was happening. The Megalodon was trying to pull the boat back into open water.
Benton saw it happen and knew exactly what the Megalodon was doing. ‘We have to do something to help. Draw it away from the boat.’ He moved towards the outboard motor as he said it, checking the frame and control panel.
‘No, no engine,’ Tyler said, the fear now something impossible to ignore. ‘It will come after us.’
‘That’s what I want; we need to draw it off the captain.’
‘It’s not safe.’
Benton glared at Tyler as he pulled the chord to fire up the engine. It sputtered but didn’t fire up. ‘I don’t give a shit what you think. We came here to save you and now look what happened. We’ve already lost one man and I won’t let another die. If you don’t like it, feel free to get off the damn boat.’
Any further argument was pointless, as the engine spluttered to life. ‘Worst case, we can head into that island of yours and wait for the Coast Guard.’
‘No,’ Tyler said, glancing at the rock mile protruding from the ocean. ‘Not back there.’
‘Then help me navigate.’