by Michael Cole
“Anywhere but here,” Nelson said. He tossed a scoop of chum into the water. “Probably somewhere with a nice beach. St. Simons, maybe. They have good fishing, though I don’t know if you’re into that.” Forster made a smile, which suddenly went away as her eyes went towards the monitors. The blip on the tracking monitor was rapidly nearing their location. She then looked at the feed from the underwater camera. The image was blurry from the red dissipating cloud of chum, but the image of the white’s caudal fin was unmistakable as it brushed past.
“Speaking of fishing…” she said. Both she and Nelson looked toward the water. The triangular dorsal fin pierced upward, and slowly guided along the surface like a sail.
CHAPTER
13
It had been over sixteen hours since the white had fed. A massive fish of twenty-four hundred pounds, it needed to consume approximately three percent of its body weight each day to survive. Free from its confinement, it spent greater amounts of energy in the past several hours than it had in the past several months combined. The burning of energy increased its need to supplement through sustenance intake.
The smell of blood would have been considered great timing if the shark had the intellectual capability to think so. It turned southwest and quickly neared the source. It stopped when it detected the presence of a larger object, but it quickly determined that the boat was not a threat. The great white darted through the blood cloud, swirling bits of fish through the water as it searched. It swallowed stray bits of flesh and entrails, but nothing nearly sufficient for its survival.
Then it sensed a disruption in the water above it. Its nostrils simultaneously picked up added scent of blood. It tilted its cone shaped head upward, and its round eyes saw the meaty bulk. It was partially suspended over the water, but it gave the white no concern. It moved upward, and bared teeth to tear away its meal.
With all of its senses being so focused on the target, the great white was completely oblivious to something else traveling in the water. Thirty feet below it, Isurus Palinuridae zipped viciously into the chum, looking for any injured organism. Unable to find anything, it analyzed the boat, as it had learned these objects carried suitable prey aboard. The greater capacity in size didn’t bring disinterest, rather the hybrid considered the possibility of greater numbers. Its interest was slightly waned when it detected the displacement from the white. The hybrid kept a distance as it analyzed the shark. It was a creature of nearly equal size, but with flesh much softer. The beast knew it would provide much more adequate sustenance.
It held position and analyzed the great white’s movements, just as it would for the targets its creators intended it for. If it could detect a pattern, it would launch a more effective attack.
********
Forster reeled in the winch just as the white breached. Water sprayed on deck as its pointed head lurched toward the beef. Its jaws snapped shut upon nothing, as the food was winched in out of reach. Nelson nearly jumped back, amazed and almost terrified from being in such close proximity of an amazing animal. It fell back down and began circling back. Water splashed again, slapping against Nelson’s sweatshirt. Forster grabbed a scoop of chum and splashed it onto the meat for additional scent.
“Well, that was a dick move,” Nelson said. “Why did you not let him have it?” Forster pointed at the shark as she moved back to the control.
“See what it’s doing?” she asked. Nelson watched the dorsal fin moving outward, as if the shark had given up. “When I lower it again, he’ll circle back. I need it to come up a little closer to the gunwale. Hopefully, the rope will hold on long enough for me to drug it.” She lowered the beef down, then adjusted the crane slightly to help gain the shark’s attention. The circling back from the dorsal fin proved the plan was working. She raised it up again about a foot above the water. “Come over here.” Nelson walked over, and she handed him the control. “When I tell you to, hit this control. That’ll raise it again.”
“You’re gonna make him miss again?” Nelson asked.
“No, but it’ll cause him to come up further,” Forster said. “I’ll let you know when.” She quickly grabbed the pole and stood by the portside rail. She looked down at the water below the bait. Except for the red tint from the dripping blood, it was almost crystal clear. Seeing the white emerge would be no problem. The fin disappeared as the shark dipped down. She watched between the monitor and the water.
Finally, there was the brief glimpse of its pectoral fin moving upward across the screen as it passed over the camera. She looked down. Beneath the clear water was the unmistakable grey shape.
“Now!” she said to Nelson. He pressed the button on the control pad. The winch reeled in the beef until it was level with the edge. Forster reached back with the pole, ready to plunge the tranquilizer into its jaw line.
Just as the great white’s nose broke the surface, another shape came into view. All Forster could initially make out was a large red body and a black marble shaped eye before the water exploded.
********
Isurus Palinuridae strategically watched the white as it made its pass toward the boat. By not moving its tail, it allowed itself to sink in order to provide itself more momentum later.
The white, oblivious to the predator below watching it, dipped down as it moved back toward the beef. Its eyes locked onto the target, just in time to see it lifting once again above the water. It swung its tail to gain speed to catch it before it was out of reach.
At that same moment, the hybrid seized the opportunity. It slashed its tail against the water behind it, propelling the six-thousand pound killing machine upward at a fifty-degree angle. Eyes rolled back, as did its antennae, and the jaws opened to their maximum potential.
Only when the jaws sunk into its hide around the left pectoral fin did the great white sense the intruder. The beasts collided, with momentum driving both of them upward.
Forster yelled in terror while falling on her back, witnessing the great white lifted out of the ocean by the mysterious red shark. Both titans cleared the surface, sending a huge splash washing onto the Neptune like a tidal wave. In one terrified jump, Nelson found himself backed all the way to the starboard side, while watching the two creatures angle back down. The white’s head smacked against the side of the boat, denting the railing, while the hybrid’s tail slashed the crane. Sparks flickered and joints groaned as the mechanism was forced into a different position. The Neptune rocked viciously from the hit. In the same moment, another massive splash encompassed the boat as the two hit the water.
The white squirmed within the hybrid’s grasp. Its blood filtered into the mouth that held it, enticing the hybrid further to finish the kill. It opened its jaws slightly and bit down again, creating several more dagger-like wounds. It moved rapidly in a tight circle, pushing the shark along. Swinging its tail harder, it gathered more speed and straightened its course.
Like an underwater wrestler, it rammed the great white into the side of the Neptune, denting the hull.
The impact rocked the vessel hard to starboard, nearly flipping it over entirely. Nelson and Forster fell to the deck and found themselves pulled to the side. The water came up to the gunwale and trickled down the inner side. The boat righted itself into position, rocking back and forth until it stabilized. It drifted in the direction of the anchor cable, causing it to slacken in large coils.
The hybrid shook the stunned white like a rag doll. Though they were nearly equal in size, the hybrid contained greater overall mass, and easily maintained the power to physically maneuver its prey. Finally, the pectoral fin tore away completely, leaving a gaping hole in the shark’s left side. In a single gulp, it swallowed the appendage.
The great white, free of its grasp, quickly drifted several feet away. Its brain did not yet register the injury. Its only concern now was survival against a dangerous predator.
The hybrid moved in for another bite. The white swatted its tail, just in time to avoid the jaws. The hybrid missed, a
nd turned to follow its prey. The white simultaneously turned to the left, hooking at a path that led to its enemy’s hide. It extended its jaws and bit down just behind the red dorsal fin.
Teeth cracked and splintered against the rigid shell. White shards sprang from its mouth like shrapnel, and slowly spiraled to the ocean bottom. Having instantly lost several teeth, the white was only holding the target with its gums. Hardly a moment later, nerves in its mouth lit up after one of the protruding spines along the hybrid’s back pierced its gums.
The white let go, and with no other alternative, decided to flee. It barely initiated its run when the hybrid turned itself toward it, and extended its jaws. Teeth sliced into the flesh where the caudal fin connected to the tail. The white, now bleeding from its side and tail, swung its entire body to-and-fro. The attempt to free itself proved ineffective.
The hybrid swallowed tiny bits of flesh that tore from the wound, while continuing to hold on as the white wore itself out. It slowly moved itself along, just enough to get a small flow of water through its gills. A shadow overtook the two fish as they started passing underneath the Neptune. The white continued tossing itself, eventually becoming entailed within the loops of cord.
Finally, the hybrid yanked its head back in a powerful motion. The entire caudal fin tore away, leaving a bleeding stump at the end of the white’s tail. Now shaped like a bulky eel, the bleeding shark started to sink as it was unable to swim. Its body rolled like a log as it descended, furthering its entanglement within the cord.
Nelson helped Forster to her feet. “What the hell was that thing?” She shook her head, equally astounded and terrified.
“I don’t know! It just came up…I’ve never seen anything like it!” She looked at the monitor connected to the camera feed. The screen was cracked, and the water had shorted the circuits. She then hurried into the wheelhouse and switched on the nearest computer. She clicked a button, flipping through camera images until she found something from the feed on the bow hull. She saw the white sinking, and the mysterious red shark moving in toward it. She noticed the anchor cord wrapping itself around the white’s body as it rolled.
“Oh, shit!” she said.
The Hybrid sped forward, ramming the white downward. It bit down on the dorsal fin. The cord quickly went taut, squeezing the white’s belly.
The Neptune’s bow dipped down and swung slightly to starboard like a fishing pole with a prized catch.
Forster and Nelson both stumbled again, this time rolling forward. Forster lost her footing and fell, cracking her forehead against the helm. Blood quickly trickled down her face.
“Oh, Jesus!” Nelson called out, hurrying to her side. He grabbed a dry handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it to the gash on her head. He looked up through the windshield. His body tensed again with fear when he saw water spilling over the bow rail.
The cord snapped. The Neptune lurched backward, tilting to stern and back. After it steadied, he brought himself to his feet. He lifted Forster off the floor. She was nearly unconscious. He moved several items off the table and laid her across it on her back. He rolled a towel and positioned it behind her head for support. She started to mumble gibberish.
“Shhh! Just relax, Julie. You’ll be okay!” he said.
He quickly turned to the helm. Luckily, the engine was still on. He located the throttle and began moving the boat. His initial course of action was to alert an EMS squad by radio, but glowing orange lights on the control board gave him concern. The boat had likely suffered major damage during the assault. He turned the Neptune toward home and throttled at full speed.
With the island in distant sight, he grabbed the radio speaker.
“This is Chief Joseph Nelson of the Pariso Marino Police Department. Have an ambulance squad ready at the dock at Felt’s Paradise!”
Below, the hybrid ripped away chunks of flesh from the dead great white. In a powerful motion, it tore the dorsal fin completely off and swallowed it, tracking device and all. Its body became camouflaged in the bloody water, as the red cloud engulfed the ocean around it.
CHAPTER
14
Blurry, contorted images flashed rapidly in her mind. She repeatedly saw ocean blue stretching out for miles. At that point, everything seemed peaceful. Then there was grey. At that point, the serenity steadily began to fade, and a shaky feeling of madness started to cast over like a storm cloud. She saw the image of the great white, and then a massive blur of blue. Only this time, it wasn’t peaceful. It was explosive and chaotic. Then there was the red image of the mysterious leviathan. Teeth bared, it leapt from the water. The peaceful feeling was gone, and now everything seemed like an earthquake. The entire boat jolted, and seemed as if it would go under. The last thing she remembered was falling to the floor.
Adrenaline blasted through her veins.
“Shark!” Forster yelled. She sat up abruptly, nearly knocking the assisting RN to the floor in the process. The doctor hurried into the room.
“Whoa, whoa! Julie, you’re alright! You’re in a hospital!” he said. The nurse also quickly hurried to the bed to calm Forster down. Forster hyperventilated for a moment before realizing she was not on the Neptune. Her breathing quickly steadied, and she laid back in the bed. She looked at the doctor, a bearded man in his forties. He was about to administer a sedative, but held back after she started improving on her own. “Hi, Julie. I’m Doctor Ebraheim. How are you feeling?”
“How did I get here?” Forster asked.
“The police chief brought you to the harbor, and an ambulance brought you here an hour ago,” he explained. “You’ve been in and out since you arrived.”
“I don’t remember,” Forster said. She felt the bandage on her forehead. The pain set in, like a bad migraine. She winced and gritted her teeth.
“You suffered a good blow to the head when you fell,” the doctor said. “You’ve got a couple of stitches, and a mild concussion. Luckily, it wasn’t worse. I would suggest taking it easy for a while.” Forster looked down at herself. She was dressed in a hospital gown, which was basically a thin sheet with hardly any weight to it. She immediately hated the bare feeling of not having any clothes on. The doctor understood what she was thinking. “I’m sorry, we had some aides get you out of the scuba gear you were wearing. They were constricting you too tightly.”
“No, I understand,” Forster said. It didn’t make her hate being there any less. “Am I free to go, or…”
“This isn’t a jail,” the doctor joked. “I would advise resting for a few more minutes. Your clothes are here. The chief was kind enough to bring them from the boat.”
“The Chief…. Joe!” Suddenly she worried that he was injured in the incident. “Where is he?” she asked.
“He’s in the lounge,” the doctor said. “He actually arrived a couple of minutes ago. There’s word going on about the water being unsafe. I’m not sure what it’s about, exactly.”
Forster knew, however. A flood of images rushed through her mind, each of them clearer than those from her recent chaotic dream. She remembered the huge splash, and the glimpse of the mysterious red creature lifting the white from the water was burnt into her brain. There was a sense of dread that something so violent and powerful could exist. The shock of what unfolded right in front of her face still had her heart racing. There was also the curiosity of what that creature was. She only saw it for a moment, and she wasn’t sure how accurate her memory was. The questions that lined up in her mind worsened the headache.
The doctor pulled a prescription pad from his coat pocket and scribbled on it.
“Here’s a prescription for 800 mgs of Ibuprofen,” he said. She took it from him and he turned to leave. “If you feel worse, feel free to come back.”
“Thank you,” she said. The doctor left and the nurse removed the IV lines. Once she had the room to herself, Forster got dressed into her clothes and steadily made her way down to the checkout counter. Once she checked out, she headed for the lobby
. It didn’t take long for her to find Chief Nelson. He stood at the far wall in the lobby, dressed in his police uniform. He had his cell phone to his ear, and had his free hand cupping his other ear to block out chatter from within the room. Forster waited for him to finish his conversation, which seemed an unpleasant one judging by his tone. After a few moments, he ended the call, then saw her standing there.
“Oh hey!” he said. “I was about to head up to your room.”
“Oh, hell no,” she said. “Not in that hospital gown.” He smiled at her joke, and struggled to shake the image from his mind, though it wasn’t a disagreeable one.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. Forster put her hand on her forehead.
“Hurts like a bitch,” she said. “But I’ll live.” She looked toward the front door, which led to the parking lot. She remembered she didn’t have her car. “Would you be so kind to take me back to work? My car’s there.”
“I’d be happy to,” Nelson said. “I think you should take the rest of the day, at least. Perhaps it’s a good time for you to plan that trip.”
“Yeah, I think so. Nevertheless, I need to leave instructions for the aides,” Forster said. She held up her prescription pad. “Just let me get this filled, first.”
The trip from the hospital to the aquarium was a short, direct one. Forster had already taken one of her pills and prayed it would kick in soon. The pain throbbed in her forehead, and a little bit in her temple. Because of the pain, she hadn’t spoken much throughout most of the fifteen-minute trip outside of minor small talk. But now, she could use anything to get the pain off her mind. She recalled Nelson’s seemingly unpleasant phone conversation in the lobby.
“So, everything alright in your world?” she asked. Nelson glanced at her, unsure what she meant. “You seemed ‘ecstatic’ when I found you. Problems with the ol’ lady?” It was a rhetorical joke; she knew he wasn’t married.
