Shark & The Wolf: Predators and Prey

by Daniel D. Shields

  “Can I buy you a drink, my dear?” he asked.

  She flashed a bright, white smile in his direction. “Oh, thanks, but I prefer to buy my own.”

  She was independent. He liked that in a woman. “Surely, letting a fellow traveler buy you a drink, just to be nice, should not present a problem.”

  “I have a boyfriend. I don’t think he would appreciate it.”

  “A boyfriend, you say. Is he here with you at Tiki Wiki?”

  “No, I’m here alone; he’s back in Florida, down in the Keys.”

  “I heard the Keys are famous for great fishing. Is that what he’s doing?”

  She looked at him with a strange look on her face. Something he said bothered her.

  “Well, since he is a fish, a great white shark to be exact, I don’t think he would be out fishing.”

  Old Jack was surprised. “A great white, did you say? That’s an extremely rare species, extremely rare indeed. What does he do?”

  “He plays pool. He is the world’s only pool-playing great white shark.”

  Old Jack let out a big laugh. “Oh, now I get it. I was wondering what kind of man it would actually take to interest a beautiful woman such as yourself. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have imagined that it was a rare, great white pool- playing shark, but now that you mention it, it seems just right.”

  “Thanks, he is a great guy.”

  Cahira approached to take the fox’s order. “Hi, what can I get you?”

  The fox looked down at Old Jack’s drink and pointed. “What’s that?” she asked.

  “That would be one of our famous Rum Jungles,” Cahira answered.

  “One of those would be great.” The fox took the seat next to Old Jack.

  He looked at her again, noticing the sexy birthmark just above her right lip. “I’ve been known to knock the balls around a bit myself. I would love to play this shark of yours sometime.”

  “Well, if you ever get to the Keys just look for a place called Gill’s, and I’m sure you will find him.”

  Cahira handed the fox a Rum Jungle. Old Jack watched as she slipped the straw into her wet, red lips and took a sip. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “A little rest and relaxation?”

  She looked straight ahead, still sipping her drink. “I can’t say. It’s a secret.” She looked over at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Well, if you must know, I’m here looking for a treasure.”

  She looked at him with a shocked expression on her face. “What kind of treasure?”

  “It’s some sort of golden saber. It was hidden on the island years ago by a famous explorer.”

  “How do you know about this treasure?”

  “Well, it’s no secret. I have a map. The tourist shop sold thousands of them.”

  The fox reached into her back pocket and pulled out a map. “Does it look like this one?”

  Old Jack laughed. “It sure does. So that’s your big secret?”

  She looked disappointed. Old Jack almost thought he felt sorry for her. But he quickly pushed that thought aside. It was not possible; that emotion was not part of his instincts. But a plan did formulate in his head.

  “I’ll tell you what. My assistant, Wolf, and I are looking for the treasure, and if you would like to join us we would gladly divvy up the profits if we find it.”

  He hoped she would agree. It would be a great way to spend time with her, show her the real man that he was. He could convince her to drop the shark and take the ride through life in the passenger seat of the Old Jack convertible sportster. What a life it would be to look at her every day, he thought.

  Old Jack already knew where the treasure was buried. The plan developed further in his head. It was brilliant.

  “This shark friend of yours, does he swim under water?”

  “He can breathe on land and underwater. Why?”

  Old Jack moved in close to the fox and spoke in a whisper. “I have already located the treasure and need some help retrieving it.”

  “What kind of help?”

  “Well, if I tell you, you have to agree that we are in this together. You have to agree we split the treasure evenly.”

  “Where would we sell the treasure?”

  “That’s the easy part. I have a business associate who collects all things rare. I’m sure he would love to add any treasure we find on this island to his prized collection.”

  He could tell the fox felt nervous. She began to fidget, then looked directly at him. “Okay,” she said. “What kind of help do you need?”

  He again leaned in close, right next to her ear, letting the clean scent of her hair permeate his senses; it reminded him of the smell of the air after an African monsoon rain. “You see, my dear, the reason no one has been able to locate the treasure is because they have all been looking on dry land. I can tell from the map that the treasure is hidden in a cave. I’ve done some underwater surveys and found an entrance to a cave under the water on the other side of the island. When the explorer came to the island and hid the sword, the cave was exposed, but the sea levels have risen in the last few hundred years, so now the cave and the treasure are under water.”

  “Why do you need Shark? Why can’t you just get scuba gear?”

  “The sword is hidden deep inside the cave. Even with the best dive technology, we just wouldn’t be able to get to it. But a shark, able to swim and breathe under water, should have no problem.”

  “I don’t know if he would come. He doesn’t have much money.”

  “What if we were to give him the money?”

  “He wouldn’t take it. It’s a pride thing.”

  Old Jack looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, my dear, I have a plan. But first, what I need to know is the name of my new beautiful partner.”

  The fox blushed. “My name is Vixen.”

  He reached over and touched her soft hand. “It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Vixen. You can call me Old Jack.”

  He snapped out of his daydream. “Yes,” he whispered to himself. “You did have a plan, Old Jack, and it worked out beautifully.”

  He heard the sound of a commotion coming from the end of the bar. Customers were complaining about the circus show they had just seen. He listened.

  “I think that man Shaw is a coward!” a man yelled. “I still don’t get why he had to kill the bull.”

  “I’m with you,” another man said. “Put that guy in a ring with the bull and take away his weapons, and the bull would kick his ass.”

  Old Jack sat for another moment and listened to the drunks complaining. What do they know about survival? he thought. The mindless banter started to annoy him. “Blah, blah, blah,” he whispered to himself. He stood, finished the last sip of his whiskey, and headed out through the lobby to his room.

  CHAPTER 14

  Revenge

  Shark awoke. The hatch in the ceiling was still open, and a ray of moonlight streaked down upon his face. He rolled to one side and felt the pain. His body was beaten and bruised. Up above he could hear loud snoring. He knew the sound was coming from his attacker, who was obviously passed out drunk on top of the car.

  The train made a sudden jolt as it went around a curve. Shark could hear the body of the ugly man rolling on the roof of the car. Then it happened. The ugly man, unconscious, fell through the open hatch. His body slammed to the floor of the rail car, landing two feet from Shark. The man moaned; he was dazed, and then he passed out again. Shark could see a set of keys hanging from the man’s belt. He retrieved the keys and unlocked his restraints. He quickly put the chains on the ugly man, then sat, waiting for him to regain full consciousness.

  As the ugly man started to wake, Shark noticed the wincing look of pain on his face. He watched the ugly man rub the palms of his hands on his forehead, then in his eyes. He’s probably promising himself that he will never drink again about now, Shark thought. Shark could tell the man was still in a bit of a fog as he licked his dry lips and tried to move
his body. Shark watched as the ugly man jerked his arms and showed a sudden sign of wonderment and shock when he found they did not move freely. Shark continued to chew, knowing the ugly man would hear him. The ugly man seemed to be regaining his senses as he realized he was chained.

  “What . . . what’s this?” the ugly man said. He looked around, undoubtedly realizing that he was inside a rail car. He was now quickly gaining full control of his faculties and Shark could sense his panic setting in. As the ugly man turned toward him, Shark could see his eyes grow wide in disbelief. Yes, Shark thought, it’s true, and it’s real—the animal you beat ferociously the night before is now only a few feet away. Shark continued to chew; he could tell by the man’s reaction that he could hear it. Shark watched as the man reached down toward his right leg, knowing that he must be feeling some sort of pain. As the ugly man reached down to touch his leg, his face turned to a look of pure horror as he realized the leg was gone. The man screamed in agony.

  Shark stood and tossed the remains of the man’s shinbone into the corner. He took two steps forward, bent down, and looked the man in the eyes. “You should really think about adding more salt to your diet. You’re not as tasty as I would have thought.”

  The ugly man looked as if he was going to scream but as he opened his mouth no sounds came out. Shark stood upright and noticed the man’s urine staining the floor.

  Shark lifted the ugly man by the neck. “Where’s Wolf?” he said in a no-nonsense, demanding tone.

  The ugly man was inches from Shark’s mouth, a look of disbelief on his face.

  Shark opened his mouth wide. “Yes, those are pieces of your flesh wedged in my teeth.”

  “Wolf is fifteen cars up,” the ugly man mumbled. “Please don’t kill me.”

  Shark had to turn his head from the man’s foul breath. “You’re a disgusting piece of humanity.”

  Shark threw the man’s body like a rag doll. It hit the wall and collapsed to the floor. Shark jumped and grabbed the edge of the opening in the ceiling. He climbed up and headed down the roof of the train.

  He was counting as he moved from car to car. When he reached number fifteen he sprung open the hatch and dropped his large muscular grey arm down into the darkness. He felt Wolf’s grip and pulled him up and out of the car. Shark quickly undid Wolf’s shackles, knowing that time was running out for Vixen.

  “What about the rest of them?” Wolf asked. “You know this train is loaded with animals just like us.”

  Shark looked up and down the long train. “We need a place to make a plan.”

  Shark jumped down from the roof in between two rail cars, his mind racing to come up with an idea. He grabbed a hand hold, leaned out, and looked up and down the side of the half-mile-long train. He leaned back in and looked at Wolf. “Here’s what we know. The humans are in the cars at the front and the back of the train. They’re heavily armed but if we strike quick we have the element of surprise. I think the first thing to do is take out the caboose. We can then move forward and unhook all the cage cars just behind the last passenger car. By the time they realize part of the train has been disconnected, we should all be long gone.”

  “Sounds like an awesome plan,” Wolf said as he raised his fist into the air.

  Shark banged his fist against Wolf’s. “I’m glad you like it. Now let’s just hope it works.”

  The natural movement of the train made the cars rock from side to side. Shark had to take extra care to balance himself as he jumped from roof to roof, heading toward the back of the train. As he reached the caboose, he could hear men talking on the back railing.

  The two armed men were sharing a flask of whiskey, watching the tracks disappearing into the distance. Shark knew they had no idea he was listening.

  “The problem with Shaw is that he’s cheap. I mean, how long have we been working for him without even an offer of a raise?”

  “I’m with you, pal,” the other man said as he took a swig of whiskey. “The guy makes hundreds of millions on these shows and keeps it all to himself. I heard he used some of it to buy that new casino in Vegas and that breeder’s mill with that hyena. I guess in the long run, he figures it will be cheaper for him to use the animals he breeds in the shows rather than paying for them.”

  “He’ll be breeding animals just to slaughter them. Don’t seem right,” the other man said.

  Shark swung down over the back of the train and grabbed both guards by the neck. He banged their heads together and lowered their unconscious bodies to the floor. He kicked their rifles to the side. He looked up and noticed Wolf coming through the front of the caboose, making his way through the empty cabin.

  “It looks like the coast is clear,” Wolf said as he picked the guns up off the floor. “Let’s throw those guys off the back of the train and get moving.”

  “I need to get some info from them first,” Shark said as he dragged the two men into the cabin. “See if you can find some tape and a medical kit with some smelling salt. These boys and I are going to have a little talk.” Shark watched as Wolf went through cabinets; he grabbed a red box, opened it, then handed a small white package and tape to Shark.

  Shark taped the men’s hands and legs and waved the smelling salt in front of their noses. They both woke quickly. Their eyes filled wide with fear. Their bodies twisted as they tried to free themselves from the tape restraints.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Shark told them. “If you free yourselves, I will have no other option than to kill you.”

  Both men stopped wriggling and froze.

  Shark continued. “Here’s the deal. I heard you talking and know you don’t like Shaw. That’s a plus for you. I’m willing to set you both free but you have to tell me what I need to know.”

  “I’ll tell you anything,” the first guard responded in a frightened tone.

  The second guard joined in. “What do you want to know?”

  Shark stood and looked down at both men. “You two were talking about a breeder’s mill that Shaw bought with the hyena.”

  “Yeah, that’s right,” one guard answered. “What about it?”

  “Is that the same one that purchased animals at the last auction?” Shark asked.

  The other guard chimed in. “Yeah, its real name is Animal Mill or something like that. It’s on their van.”

  Shark bent down close to the men and showed his sharp teeth. “Where is it located?”

  The guard on the right spoke first. “It’s inland, about twenty miles west of Matadore. That’s the last town we performed in.”

  “There’s only one dirt road that leads to it. You can’t miss it,” the other guard said.

  Shark looked up at Wolf and gave him a nod. Wolf walked over to the men and one by one threw them off the back of the train.

  “We’re moving on that animal mill as soon as we’re done here,” Shark said. “After that, I’m going to find Old Jack and have my day with him.”

  “There isn’t anything about any of this that seems right,” Wolf said. “I’ll help you see this thing through.”

  Shark grabbed the two rifles and tossed one to Wolf. “I appreciate that, Wolf, I really do.”

  Shark exited the caboose and made his way forward on top of the cars. As he passed over the animal cages he could hear the animals inside cowering in corners, undoubtedly thinking that the ugly man was coming to pay them a visit.

  When he reached the last animal cage, he jumped down in between the cars. Directly in front of him was a window. He peered in and could see about twenty armed men dining and drinking. He looked at Wolf, who was standing behind him.

  “We have to do this as quietly as possible,” Shark whispered.

  “I understand,” Wolf replied as he reached down and felt for the pin release in the car’s connector plate. “I think I have it.” He looked up at Shark. “Once I pull this pin the two chassis should separate. There might be a small jolt, but hopefully they won’t notice.”

  Shark looked throu
gh the window again at all the armed men. He knew that if this failed they would come out firing. He hesitated for moment but then gave Wolf the order. “Okay, pull it, pull it now!”

  Wolf pulled the pin. The entire train jolted slightly as the two cars separated. Shark and Wolf had their guns aimed at the back of the passenger car, expecting the men to come through at any second. They watched and waited but nobody came. The front of the train slowly slipped away into the darkness as the back of the train stopped dead on the tracks.

  They went from cage to cage and opened the doors. They unshackled the animals and helped the ones that needed assistance down off the cars. Animals of all types gathered next to the train.

  A large group of elephants was the last to be freed. The big bull, his tusks almost as long as Shark was tall, looked down at Shark. “Thank you—you don’t know what this means to us.” The bull tapped Shark on his shoulder with his tusks. “My name is Bull.”

  Shark looked up. “Nice to meet you, you can call me Shark.”

  Shark was the first to hear it above the commotion. A whistle was blowing up the tracks. The train was coming back. He could see men with rifles on the back, and they started shooting, causing the animals to scatter in a panic.

  As the bullets flew, animals fell dead. Shark knew he had to do something to stop the attack.

  Bull looked down at him. “The man running this operation separated my family. He left my small son to starve to death on the Serengeti plains. You and the wolf have done enough. We all appreciate it. My group will handle it from here.” Bull looked up in the direction of the train. “It’s payback time.”

  Bull summoned his herd with a loud trumpeting roar and led the massive group of elephants on a stampede directly toward the oncoming train. Shark could feel the ground vibrate as they ran. The men fired, and some of the elephants fell, but the herd continued its charge. The elephants hit the side of the train, which caused it to derail off the tracks. The large train made a loud, mechanized squeal as it flipped over on its side. Shark watched as the men with guns climbed out of the wreckage and were quickly impaled by long, mighty tusks. Shark could see flames coming from the flipped locomotive and in another instant heard the loud explosion that sent pieces of the train skyward. A massive fireball turned the night sky red.