“I’m an engineer, remember? I know the size of things, and I’m telling you this wasn’t an optical illusion. The thing was huge. It would make a blue whale look like a tadpole.”
“What else did you see?” Changing the subject was probably the best way to handle the disagreement without it turning into an argument. But it would be a cold day in hell before she’d believe a creature that enormous could stay hidden for long.
“It had a long neck. And a long tail. It swiped me with it when it turned around, and my leg’s been hurting ever since. I’m scared to look at it.”
Flora felt the air leave her lungs as the pressure returned to her chest full force. She’d known Liam was in shock and half hysterical, but he’d never said anything about being hurt. The ship had no doctor, of course. Since she was a woman, the crew expected her to be on top of things like bandages and antiseptic spray. And because they were men, they never expected to need a doctor in the first place.
“Can I see?”
When he nodded, she moved closer, looking at the door again before lifting the blanket. Praying the guys wouldn’t choose that moment to return, she helped the young man struggle out of the damp wetsuit. Before the suit was at his hips, she saw the blood.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” He studied her face while his own grew paler. “It’s really bad, right? I knew it—I should have listened to you. Then none of this would have happened.”
Privately, she agreed with him, but this wasn’t the time to rub it in. “Sshhh…I won’t know anything until I get a closer look at it.” Liam propped himself on his elbows, staring down at his leg, but she gently pushed him away. “Try to relax.”
His leg was so swollen she wouldn’t be able to pull the suit off without injuring him further. It had acted like a compression bandage, but now that they’d relieved some of the pressure, an astonishing amount of blood was flowing over his stomach. Luckily she had brought the ship’s meager first-aid kit with her, just in case. “I’m going to need to cut the suit off in order to bandage your leg. Is that all right?”
To her relief, he agreed, and for the first time, she noticed how weak he was. He had already lost a lot of blood. She had to keep him from losing any more. Swallowing hard against any queasiness, she took out her Swiss Army knife and began to saw through the legs of the wetsuit. The sound of the neoprene tearing filled the room and ended any need for conversation. He kept his eyes focused on the bunk above him, but Flora noticed he gripped the blanket with both hands.
“Am I hurting you?”
“No. Just…scared.”
His leg was swelling before her eyes, looking less and less like a limb and more like an overstuffed sausage. It was likely the pressure from the suit, which was now several sizes too small, that caused him pain. Frustrated with the lack of progress, Flora took a deep breath and grasped both sides of the cut she’d made. Pulling hard, she split the suit’s leg to the crotch, not missing Liam’s wince.
It took all the self-control she had not to gasp. Liam’s leg was an angry purple where the circulation had been cut off, but that wasn’t the worst. Three gashes exposed the meat of his leg, revealing flesh that looked like raw steak. A wave of heat and nausea swept over her, and she closed her eyes, focusing on slow and steady breathing. I cannot faint. I must not faint.
“It’s serious, isn’t it?”
At the sound of Liam’s voice, she opened her eyes. In his terror, he had regressed to a boy about Zach’s age, and her motherly instincts kicked in. She squeezed his hand, but before she could reassure him, he cut her off.
“Don’t lie to me. I can tell how bad it is by the look on your face. I’m going to die, aren’t I?”
“Of course you’re not going to die.” Unless he got gangrene or some other blood infection, but she wouldn’t dwell on that. The edges of the wounds were red and oozing, and she prayed the creature that made them hadn’t been venomous. “But I can’t bandage these cuts. They’ll have to be sewn.”
“Go ahead. I can take it.” She could see the muscles in his jaw clench as he gritted his teeth. Flora felt lightheaded as her earlier panic attack threatened to return.
“What do you mean, ‘go ahead’?”
“Stitch me. I’ll try my best not to scream.”
“I can’t do that—I can’t sew. One of the guys will have to do it.”
Liam stared at her like she’d suggested amputation. “Are you crazy? I’m not letting those lumbering oafs near me with a needle. You have to do it, Flora.”
She thought of the one time she’d attempted to save some money by sewing a button on Zach’s coat herself. She’d sewn the coat to her jeans, and the button had still fallen off.
“I’ve spent all my time in labs, Liam. I’m not exactly domestically gifted. Let me staunch the bleeding, and I’ll see what I can do.” Part of her was drifting outside herself, marveling at this Oscar-worthy performance. She actually sounded calm.
The bandages in the first-aid kit were not going to cut it. Flora ran to her cabin for one of her sheets, which she assumed were much cleaner than anything in the men’s cabins. Tearing the sheet into strips, she splashed rubbing alcohol on them, rinsed Liam’s leg with water, and tied the makeshift bandages around the wounds. She’d suspected Liam would fight with her about going upstairs for help, but she needn’t have worried. He’d fallen unconscious by the time she finished, either from the pain or the shock.
* * *
As it turned out, Frank was the one who sewed Liam’s leg, having done some time as a medic in the navy. “Idiotic kid,” he muttered as Liam moaned in his sleep. “Could have fucking died. Why didn’t he tell anyone he was hurt?”
“I think he was scared.” Flora was as far away as she could get while still being able to hear what was happening. She leaned on the doorframe and rubbed her queasy stomach. The three Pepto-Bismols Thor had given her hadn’t helped.
“Dying is a whole lot scarier than getting stitches,” Frank said. “There. Done. Somebody hand me some scissors so I don’t have to cut this damn thread with my teeth.”
There was something eerily Frankenstein’s monster-like about Liam’s leg, which was now zigzagged by ugly black stitches, but Flora had to admit Frank had done a masterful job. He was as neat as the cosmetic surgeon who’d sewn her son’s forehead after Zach took a tumble from his treehouse. If Liam was lucky, he might not even have much of a scar.
When Frank brushed past her, Flora hesitated before reaching out to touch the man’s arm. He had always unnerved her the most, after Apostolos. She had never seen him smile, and he resembled a criminal more than a sailor. But perhaps she had misjudged him. Although he’d tried his best to seem irritated, he’d shown more tenderness with Liam than she could have hoped. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “Someone had to do it. I think I’ve earned myself a few beers, that’s what I think.”
“Will he be all right?”
Frank glanced over at Liam, who was still sleeping. The younger man was still unnaturally pale, but at least a little color had begun to seep into his cheeks. “Yep; no thanks to him, though. As soon as he’s upright again, he’s going to have to go a few rounds with me.”
The sailor left, and Thor moved to leave as well. “Join us for a drink? There isn’t anything else you can do for him right now.”
She shook her head. “Someone should be here when he wakes. You didn’t see him earlier. He was so panicked and scared. I don’t think he’d handle it well if he’s left alone tonight.”
“Can I bring you something, then?”
“Not for me, but Liam could probably use some water.”
“You got it. Waters all around.”
He patted her shoulder as he walked by, but she called him before he could reach the stairs.
“I overheard you guys talking and you seemed pretty upset. Was it about Liam, or something else?”
Thor frowned. “It wasn’t Liam. We didn’t even know he was hurt until you told us. It’s a g
ood thing you stayed with him. Frank’s right. He would have died if you hadn’t found out about that cut.”
The notion was enough to make her shiver. “If it wasn’t Liam, then what?”
“Something’s wrong with the engine. Whatever hit us after we pulled Liam out of the water must have thrown it out of whack. George and I couldn’t get it going again.”
Her nausea intensified. Flora clutched the doorframe for support. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we’re stuck here until we can fix whatever’s wrong or get someone to tow us in. But that’s a long shot. Apostolos thinks no one is close enough to get to us in good time, so we’re going to have to fix it ourselves.”
Funny how things could change so drastically in a matter of hours. That morning, all she’d wanted was to convince Apostolos to let her stay, and now more than anything, she wished to be at home with her son. Maybe she could ask her parents to chip in for the karate lessons, because there was no way she was setting foot on a ship ever again.
She could hardly wait until the problem was solved and The Cormorant was gliding through the water, putting hundreds of miles between her and whatever death awaited them down below.
Chapter Ten
“So, you’ve all got your drinks? And you’re sitting down, I can see that.” Apostolos sounded grimmer than usual.
“Is it Lashay, boss? The kid’s going to be okay, isn’t he?” someone named Archie asked. Thor hadn’t talked to him much, but he’d noticed the man stayed quiet whenever the other guys razzed him.
“The kid’s going to be fine. Although we need some antibiotics. George, you still got some of the stuff you were taking for that ear infection?”
George grunted in assent.
“Make sure you give it to the woman tonight. Forget that bullshit about not sharing medication. If that kid gets an infection out here, he’s royally fucked.”
“I did my best, but he needs to get to a hospital as soon as possible. I didn’t like the look of those cuts. He could be infected already. When are we underway?” Frank asked, his voice a low growl. A sheen of sweat glistened on his bald, bullet-shaped head.
Of all the people Thor would have expected to fight for Liam, Frank would have been his last choice. Thor was sure Liam would be similarly surprised when he woke up and discovered who had saved his life.
“That’s why I wanted you sitting down. The ship is crippled. Until we’re able to repair the engine, we’re dead in the water,” Apostolos said.
A chorus of protest rose from the table. Only George and Thor were silent.
“Whatever it is, we can’t get at it topside. Someone is going to have to put on a wetsuit and take a peek at the hull, see if we can get at it that way.”
Thor was glad he was sitting down. Apostolos hadn’t shared that part of the plan before. The protests grew even louder.
“After what happened to the kid?” Frank asked. “It’s suicide.”
“We don’t know what happened to him. My guess is he got himself all excited about this sea monster bullshit, saw a whale or something down there, and injured his leg climbing into the ship.” Apostolos surveyed his crew, treating Frank and Thor to a withering glare. They were the only men who had been unfortunate enough to see Liam’s leg—Frank in particular had seen it up close and personal—and there was no way in hell it got that injured from the kid climbing into the boat.
“I don’t think anyone else should get in the water before we know it’s safe. Have we picked up anything on sonar?” George asked. For some mysterious reason, he alone never seemed intimidated by Apostolos.
“Not a thing. It hasn’t been working properly since the woman did her little survey.” Apostolos smirked. “Appears she was right—there is something down there. Guess I’m going to have to find a different reason to fire her.”
The Greek met Thor’s eyes, silently challenging him to rush to Flora’s defense, but the younger man kept his mouth shut. After what they’d seen that day, Thor didn’t think Flora gave a rat’s ass about keeping her job anymore.
“So we can’t tell what’s down there. Suicide, that’s exactly what this is. With all due respect, sir, I don’t think any of us is that big a fool.” George crossed his huge arms and glowered at their boss.
“Don’t you get it? It might be suicide to stay. Our problems started when we sent that string down. Suppose, just suppose, we’re in this thing’s territory. I don’t plan to hang around here any longer than I have to.”
There were a lot of uneasy looks being handed around the table. And then Thor felt that familiar urge, that irresistible impulse that his mom had predicted would get him killed one day.
“I’ll go.”
Everyone stared at him like he was crazy, but the truth was, he felt guilty for what had happened to Liam. He’d believed that some kind of creature was responsible for the destruction of the drill string, and he’d let Liam get in the water anyway.
“It’s your life, kid. What’s left of it, that is,” George said, but Thor could see the relief written on his face. Even though the big man could have taken the rest of the crew on at once, he’d grown increasingly wary. Almost as if he thought they’d sneak up behind him and throw him overboard as bait the moment he wasn’t on high alert.
“Absolutely not. It can’t be Thor.”
Frank sneered. “And why the hell not? Because he’s the son you never had?”
Thor was shocked at the amount of vitriol in the man’s voice. Guess people got more honest when they feared for their lives.
“No, asshole, because he can run this barge if something happens to me. You guys know this ship is a prototype—we’re the only two on board who know how it works.”
“I’m also your best mechanic now that Liam’s out of commission,” Thor said. “If you send one of the other guys down, they might not know what to look for.”
He had Apostolos in a corner, and could see by his expression that the captain knew it. There were no cobwebs growing on the brains of Frank, George, and Archie, but they were oilmen and sailors. Maintaining the ship and other mechanical functions had always fallen to Liam and Thor. On the prototype, most of the operations were intended to be handled by robotics, greatly minimizing the costs of supporting a large crew. Unfortunately, this meant there wasn’t a lot of available brainpower when things went wrong.
The men waited for the Greek’s decision. The air in the room got so heavy Thor could barely breathe. This hadn’t been the relaxing break he’d hoped for, and he wished he’d stayed in the cabin with Liam and Flora. At least he wouldn’t have heard his colleagues accept his potential death with such ease. Aw, who was I kidding? They were never my colleagues, not really. They came from different worlds, different generations. All they had in common was the desire to make some decent money and have a bit of an adventure at the same time.
“How are you in the water, Anderssen?”
“I’m not a competitive diver like Liam, but I can hold my own. I’ve done enough dives to know I can stay submerged long enough to examine the ship.”
“Tomorrow then. As soon as it’s light, you’ll meet me on deck. I want everyone else there as well, just in case there’s more trouble.”
Thor pushed away from the table. “I should relieve Flora now if I’m going to be awake that early. Who wants to take the third shift in a couple hours?”
The men glanced at each other as if Thor were speaking another language.
“What are you talking about, Anderssen?” The gruffness had returned to Apostolos’s voice, making Thor wonder if he’d imagined the concern the captain had shown him only moments before.
“Liam’s in a bad way, sir. If he wakes and finds himself alone, he might panic and do something stupid.”
Frank snorted. “I think he’s used up his quota of stupid for the day, kid. Wouldn’t worry about that.”
“He may need something, then. Some water. More painkillers. We can’t leave him to suffer this out on his o
wn. Flora thinks someone should stay with him, and I agree.”
He ignored the mutters from Archie and Frank about how whipped he was. He couldn’t help it if Flora was the only one who made any sense most of the time.
“The woman’s with him now?” Apostolos asked. The way he never used her name bothered him. She was always “the woman” now. Thor couldn’t remember whether it had always been that way.
“Yeah.”
“Then let her stay with him. That’s as good a job as any for her. God knows she won’t be any use to us on the deck tomorrow.”
“But she’s an oceanographer with a degree in marine biology as well as a geologist. If anyone can figure out what this creature is and how to deal with it, it’s her.”
“I know how to deal with it. The last thing I need is that woman yapping in my ear about her theories. I’ve taken about all I can stand of that.”
“We can’t leave her there around the clock, sir. Someone has to relieve her eventually.” Thor wondered if Flora had left Liam for a minute since the incident, even for a bathroom break or to get something to eat. He was pretty sure she hadn’t.
Apostolos shrugged. “Let her stay there. If she decides there’s something else she’d rather do, she can come see me.”
He laughed then, and it was the kind of laugh that made the fine hairs rise
on the back of one’s neck.
Chapter Eleven
This was too easy.
Whenever I thought humans had reached the upper reaches of idiocy, they surprised me. Perhaps my little love tap had been too gentle if they were going to send another one down to me.
With the way things were going, I might have to acquire a taste for human flesh. The few times I’d tried it in the Dark Ages, I hadn’t cared for it. Too stringy and malodorous. Of course, they didn’t move around as much now as they had in the good old days. Perhaps they were tenderer. It was a shame they had to keep sending down the scrawny ones.
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