by Michael Cole
********
Water splashed into his face repeatedly as Nic waited for David at the stone wall of Mako’s Edge. Today, please, his mind lectured. After another long minute David finally swam over. Nic held his head out of the water long enough to briefly remove his mouthpiece.
“You were always a slow swimmer,” he remarked. David smirked behind his snorkel and held up his right hand, flashing the finger. “Thank you, I am number 1,” Nic joked again before replacing his mouthpiece. He then pointed west, indicating that they needed to move alongside the structure. David gave a thumbs up to signal he understood, and both scientists began kicking west. After swimming about one-hundred feet, they took a dive and aimed their flashlights. The lights scanned the wall of the island before locating a massive round section of dark black. They had reached the mouth of the cave.
Holy friggin crap! David thought. This bitch is huge! His heart thumped with excitement as they slowly approached the cave’s edge.
********
Dressed in jean shorts and a flannel short-sleeve shirt, Jane tapped her bare feet on the property deck as she stared out into Razertooth Cove. She knew her dad was out and about, which would make this the perfect opportunity for Greg to pick her up on his new boat. It was a pleasant sunny day and she was excited to be spending the day alone with her boyfriend. Her secret boyfriend. The mental reminder of this fact bothered her. She didn’t like that her father didn’t know about Greg, and felt guilty for always turning down his offers to take her out for a day on the Catcher, especially now that she was going out on her boyfriend’s boat.
In the distance, she saw a small speck of white. Is it Greg’s boat? Or is it some fisherman trying to catch himself a trophy? The white grain gradually grew bigger as it approached, and began to take form. It was her boyfriend’s twenty foot long boat, brand new off the line. It demonstrated to Jane just how spoiled Greg was, coming from a wealthy background. She took after her father in believing that becoming wealthy was a good thing, especially if an individual works hard at doing so. However, being spoiled to this extent without putting forth any self-effort was annoying to them. Jane tried to put these feelings aside in order to focus on having a pleasant time with her boyfriend. Greg controlled the small vessel from within its tiny cabin, steering it beside the Catcher.
“Damn!” he exclaimed as he looked up at the large fishing vessel that dwarfed his own. “I never realized how big your dad’s boat was until now.”
“Gonna get your parents to buy you one like that next?” Jane’s remark slipped. She kept a straight face and didn’t look him in the eye, resisting the impulse to cover her mouth after realizing what she’d said. Luckily, Greg was unable to tell whether or not she was kidding. She forced a chuckle and climbed aboard his boat from the dock. The deck of his vessel had a small bench on the port and starboard sides and a small coffee table in the middle. On the table rested a portable battery-operated television set. He had a red cooler located near the cabin entrance stashed with packaged sandwiches and soda all smothered in ice. Wow, Jane thought after viewing her surroundings, He may be spoiled rotten to the point where he doesn’t have to do a damn thing for himself, but I’m sure as heck gonna take advantage of that today! Greg reversed his boat away from the dock, turned it around, and headed toward the opening of the cove.
“Ready for a little sunbathing?” He turned and smiled at his girlfriend. She wrapped her hands around the back of his head and pressed her lips to his for a long minute. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
********
Lisa Thompson was still dressed in her day clothes while she sat on a sprawled out towel on the beach. After arriving, she quickly lost interest in getting in her bathing suit and sunning herself. Her mind was on Napier, and she hated it. She’d spent so many of these years resenting him for what he did back when they were teenage lovers, and the fact that she could sense herself having any feelings for him almost felt like sacrilege. In her mind, she knew she was meant to never see him again, and if he were to reappear in her life, he’d be the same womanizing loser he was when she left him. But instead, he did reappear in her life, and he was almost the opposite of what she’d expected. He was much more mature in his behavior than she had expected him to be, possibly a result from having a child. Financially, he definitely wasn’t the perfect choice, but Thompson had learned from her previous marriage that money was not the key thing to a relationship. In addition to her thoughts of Napier, her mind was also dwelling on the likely end of her military career. She loved the adventure, the skills she learned, the companions she made, the places she saw. And now, after a single incident, it appeared she was going to lose it all.
As she rested on the sandy beach, she tried to distract herself by watching the vacationing tourists doing various activities. The beach was dotted with hundreds of people, with most of the men wearing nothing but swim trunks and the majority of the women wearing bikini outfits, which revealed golden skin. Over a hundred people were swimming in the water, some as far out as forty meters, while on the sand, several vacationers played games such as volleyball and football, and others simply enjoyed sun tanning. The air was filled with joyful screams and shouts as people of both genders kicked up sand playing their games, which grew louder when a score was made. Thompson continued scanning the beach and saw a high thirty-foot life-guard tower where a muscular gentleman wearing red swim trunks and a white t-shirt with a red cross symbol was seated on top with a pair of binoculars, keeping a close eye on the events in the water. About twenty feet behind the tower was Chief Bondy, dressed in his usual police uniform. He was standing next to a wooden picnic table, underneath a tarp held up by four large posts set up in a square formation. He was communicating with his deputies by radio, probably issuing instructions to them. She redirected her attention to the horizon, watching numerous fishing vessels moving to-and-fro in the distance. From her position, the boats looked like little grains of rice scattered about the ocean’s surface. If the fishing around here is as bad as Rick claims, then these fishing guys are in for a boring day, she thought. Her mental reference to Rick brought him back to her thoughts, and reminded her of how much she enjoyed being in his company. And of course she couldn’t help but think of how handsome-looking he turned out to be.
“Damn it!” she cursed under her breath. Why must I keep thinking about him? She sighed and balanced her chin in the palm of her hand. Suddenly a quote from her father played in her mind like a tape recording.
“Never pass up a good thing. And sometimes, you may not immediately recognize that good thing for what it is. But once you do, hang on to it.” Thompson cracked a smile, the first real one she had in days.
“You’re the best, Dad,” she thanked her late father’s spirit. She decided she was going to try to meet up with Rick. Only this time, she wasn’t going to be under the influence. But the question was how to get in touch with him. She didn’t want to just surprise him again at his house, and who knows if he was even home? Then an idea lit up her brain like a Christmas tree. Rick was friends with the chief, who would be able to help her get in touch with him. And the chief conveniently happened to be right there. She quickly got up from her spot on the beach and made her way over to Bondy. Time to go out on that boat of his like he suggested last night, she thought with a smile.
********
In the name of all that is good and holy… Nic thought as he peered into the monstrous mouth of the cave. The opening was larger than the institution had estimated, and it probably ran deep. Possibly through the entire island. He sank at a steady pace before paddling his feet to level himself out at the center of the dark opening. He pointed the beam of his flashlight into the darkness, but the light didn’t capture any images, rather it was consumed by the black tunnel. David quickly leveled himself out nearby, a little to Nic’s left. He too shined his flashlight into the cave, but still he couldn’t see much more than some small bits of muck and seaweed floating about in the water. He and Nic ma
de eye contact, the latter pointing into the cave, which signaled that he was about to enter. As he approached, he aimed himself toward the left corner of the cave, that way he could examine the wall of the tunnel while they explored. David took the right side. The two scientists moved in, and were quickly swallowed by the darkness that blanketed the inside of the cave, with only their flashlights and instincts to guide them.
********
Sensory receptors in its solid exoskeleton picked up small vibrations and electrical activity occurring within the habitat. Its brain began clicking signals at a steadier pace, stirring the creature fully awake from its state of hibernation. Immediately, instinct assigned a priority to the beast: to feed. The electrical signals in the water informed the creature that prey was already nearby, infiltrating its habitat. It was as territorial as it was carnivorous. It contracted its eight tentacles, pumping blood into them. The suction cups on each leathery arm swelled, and the muscle in the center of each one which contained spear-like barbs inside began to pulse. The bulb-shaped eyes stimulated, giving the creature sight in the shadowy surroundings. It stretched its mandibles and clipped the water with its bird-like beak while it opened and shut its two large pincers like a couple pairs of scissors. Despite the immense size difference compared to the smaller prey approaching, instinct still drove the creature to use stealth. It didn’t just want to remove the threat to its habitat, it wanted to feed. And it would take a lot to satisfy it this time.
********
To the northeast corner of Mako’s Center, most of the fishing vessels had cleared out due to a lack of progress in that area, in an attempt to produce more favorable results on the northwest side of the island. The outcome was a vast overcrowding of fishing boats, all fighting for space to conduct their fishing. Within the floating crowd were two white vessels, riding parallel to the north.
“I didn’t pay three grand for this shit!” Ray Dillard nearly shouted as he clenched his fingers around his pole. He was seated on a chair attached to the deck of his thirty-foot long boat, which he personally titled Babe Magnet. Wearing a red-yellow Hawaiian shirt with khaki shorts, the thirty-two year old playboy was simply a bank manager in his regular life in California, where he nearly lost his job twice due to flirtations with clients, sometimes while on shift. Some of those incidents led to much more than simple fun flirting, which in turn led to the end of his marriage, something he didn’t value that much to begin with. Lucky for him, the ex-wife was happy enough with the divorce and decided not to burden him with alimony.
With him on the deck was a date from the island: a golden skinned nineteen-year old woman sporting a new white bikini. She was lying face down on a towel, sunning her back while Dillard cast the baited twenty-eight pound line thirty yards out. After the two-pound weight made its splash, he glanced over his shoulder at the controls, where his cousin Tom Frost drove the vessel forward to begin dragging the line.
“And we’re off again,” Tom said. The thirty-year-olds voice lacked the enthusiasm that it had at the beginning of the competition. There was hardly any catch to be had, and to make matters worse, his whole upper torso was getting sunburnt where his white tank top didn’t cover him. His legs fared better, thanks to the white exercise pants he wore.
“What the hell happened to all the fish around here?” Dillard complained.
“Hey baby,” his young date smiled from her stretched out position on the deck. “You’ll get something this time.” He looked down at her and smiled back. However, as he eyeballed her nearly bare back, it was obvious that it wasn’t her words of confidence that made him grin.
“Tom!” he called out like a Marine sergeant. “Make sure we don’t run into this hotshot’s boat over there off the port side. Asshole wants our space.” He pointed to the white vessel trailing along left of the Babe Magnet. Strapped to a fishing chair on its deck was a woman, who clutched a pole similar to Dillard’s. He saw this, and in his mind it was competition. Okay lady, think you’re gonna steal my fish? Joke’s gonna be on you.
“Aye aye, Captain,” Tom said.
********
The breeze cut through Thompson’s hair as she stood on the upper deck of the Catcher, while Napier steered the boat out east away from the popular fishing areas. The sky was nearly empty of clouds, save for the occasional isolated cirrus floating in the light-blue world above. The ocean was flat like a sheet of glass, with reflections of the sun sparkling like golden holiday decorations. The sun was hot, but the ocean breeze helped to moderate Thompson’s temperature. The Catcher’s engine hardly made any noise as Napier throttled it forward. In the cabin, he tried to focus on the blue, beautiful horizon. However, his eyes often drifted to the window on his left, where Lisa stood. He couldn’t help but wonder what was on her mind. The butterflies in his stomach were beginning to flap their wings as he contemplated what could result from hanging out with his high school sweetheart.
Once again, after watching the horizon for a minute, his eye drifted toward her again. She had an athletic figure, beautiful red hair that freely hung just beneath her shoulders, tan skin, and lovely blue eyes. He didn’t know what she saw in him…if she even did see anything in him. He figured he was a graduate school dropout with an iffy ‘career’ as a fisherman, with plain brown eyes, pale-white skin beside his perfect farmer’s tan on his forearms. On top of that, he was the one who cheated on her in high school, dumping her for another senior for the prom dance. To Napier, he wasn’t sure if that still mattered after all of these years, but then again he knew most women’s minds worked differently. Quickly, his glance, or what was meant to be a glance, turned into a long drawn out stare. For a few moments, she simply stared ahead, with a small grin on her face. Then she turned and looked at him. Napier didn’t bother to hide the fact that he was looking at her. Without saying anything, he gave a smile and a wave. Instead of return the friendly gesture, Lisa pointed a finger toward the front of the boat and began to say something: “You trying to run this guy over?”
Napier’s eyes returned ahead to the Catcher’s path, intersecting with the path of a much smaller police cruiser which was moving in from the starboard side. “Crap!” He quickly eased off the throttle and steadily veered his vessel to the right, steering it behind the stern of the cruiser. He brought the Catcher to a stop and stepped out of the cabin. He looked out to the port side at the cruiser, standing next to a visibly amused Lisa. Standing on the deck of the police vessel were two uniformed officers, one standing at the stern railing, and another near the control booth. He recognized the latter to be Deputy Jones, and he waved down to him.
“Hello!” Napier said. “Sorry about nearly running you over.”
“No problem. Just keep your eyes on the road,” Jones chuckled. “Hey, Rick, you’re not out here fishing are you?”
“Heck no,” Napier shook his head. “Just taking the boat out, enjoying a little bit of sunshine.” Jones cracked a smile as he focused on Napier standing next to Thompson.
“Oh…. I see now,” he said, barely containing his own laughter. Napier gave him a questioning look, not understanding what the deputy was getting at. “I’ll leave the two of you alone.” The other deputy had already failed to contain his laughter, despite covering his mouth with his hand.
“Wha-?” Napier stared quizzing for a moment, then gave a quick glance at the beautiful Lieutenant Lisa Thompson who stood next to him, and then his mind quickly did the math. He shot Deputy Jones a wide eye look. “Oh…No no no! It’s not what you think!”
Great! Pleading like this will definitely convince them. His mind once again scolded him.
“Okay, okay,” Jones said, holding his hands up, as if beseeching surrender. “So what are the two of you doing out here…alone?” His contained laughter was forcing him to crack a monstrous smile. Napier opened his mouth to answer, but failed to produce any words.
Okay, what exactly are we doing? Lisa wanted to come out here and… spend time on the boat? Hell, I don’t even know.<
br />
“Well, uh…we’re…taking the boat for a…ride.” Nice choice of words. Lisa was also laughing, and beginning to blush, which didn’t help Napier’s current situation. “We’re just, fuck! It’s not what you think!” Jones’ colleague was nearly cracking up, and Jones himself wasn’t far behind.
“Sure it’s not!” he laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll place a message through the radio to alert all units to avoid the Catcher! Don’t want you charged with indecent exposure!” Laughing at his own remark, he returned to the cruiser’s controls, turning back once to wave farewell to Napier. “See you later!” He throttled the cruiser north, its engine slightly muffling the uncontrolled laughter from the deputies. Napier bit his lip as he watched them leave.
“Assholes,” he said with a smirk. He looked over at Lisa who was smiling and looking out at the ocean, admiring its beauty. “Is there anywhere specific you wanted to go? You never did tell me.” He asked.
“I think this is a nice place,” she said, looking into his eyes. Napier returned the smile.
“As you wish,” he said. Quietly, they stood side-by-side at the railing, staring out into the horizon.
********
Ryan Rein had begun to double back, as his search through the murky waters proved ineffective in locating any predatory creatures. As a matter of fact, there was nothing to be seen. The waters around Mako’s Edge were a dead zone, which was very strange because in the weeks prior, fishermen like Old Hooper had reported that this particular area was home to large population of fish. Rein, enthusiastic about stalking whatever killed Denning, took the barren area as a sign that something had frightened the populations from the area. As he explored the possibilities in his mind, he grew excited, knowing that this unknown life form would make a great hunt. However, it was nowhere to be seen. The light strapped to his spear gun acted like headlights on a vehicle, pointing whichever direction Rein swam. He had been swimming toward the Thunderhead when his eyes caught the sight of the large mouth of the unnamed cave. Its immense size caused Rein to consider a new possibility: that the ‘something’ he was hunting could have made this cave its habitat. He changed his direction and took a few slow paddles toward it, contemplating going inside. However, he knew that Nic and David were also exploring the structure, and knew it would bring him misfortune if he were to accidentally injure either of the two scientists.
