by C. J. Waller
Just as Kaafi was about to get impatient, three ladders were dropped down. Kaafi motioned for Abshir to go first. The boy slung his rifle and took hold of the ladder, careful not to lose his footing and fall into the churning waters. If he did, he’d be lost forever, pushed under by the wake of the ship and more than likely, shredded by the huge aft propellers. Abshir climbed as fast as he could, finally getting to the top and over the rail. Kaafi waited for the sign and when it came, he took the RPG from Tarabi and nodded for him to follow. The large young man made it up the ladder in a third of the time it took Abshir and his scrawny arms.
“You follow as soon as I am up top,” Kaafi said to Najiib. “Let the skiff go. It will be destroyed under this ship and no evidence will be left.”
Najiib nodded, even though he didn’t need Kaafi to say anything; it was not his first run and he was well aware of the procedure. But Kaafi was in charge.
He timed the jump perfectly. He positioned the skiff next to the ladder so all he had to do was grab it as soon as he let go of the rudder. With all his strength, Najiib hauled himself up the ladder as the skiff became submerged and then lost. He didn’t even give it a second glance as he adjusted his AK-47 and climbed up to join his compatriots.
The others were already moving the plan along as Najiib climbed over the rail and stepped onto the deck. Men held their hands up in the air as Kaafi and Tarabi shouted at them to keep moving and take them to the bridge. He knew Kaafi would rest control of the ship from the captain quickly and then steer towards the rendezvous point. In less than an hour, they’d switch out the crew and then be on their way to the secure port.
“We are to move aft and go below deck,” Abshir said. “Find the engine room and make sure no crew is there to shut down the engines.”
“Yes, I know,” Najiib said, struggling to keep the annoyance from his voice. He was supposed to pilot the ship once the crew was handed over to Daacad, and resented that the man’s son was ordering him around like he was the rookie, instead of Abshir.
“Yes,” Abshir nodded, “then let us go.”
Najiib waited, and then started to laugh. “Aft is that way,” he smiled, realizing his resentment was misplaced; the boy was no threat. “Follow me.”
Abshir looked over his shoulder at the many huge containers that were stacked row after row upon the deck of the ship, then hurried and followed Najiib aft and to a large hatch that led below deck. It took them a few moments for their eyes to adjust, as they moved into almost total darkness.
“They have cut the main power,” Najiib smiled as he pulled a small flashlight from his belt. “But there will be backup power keeping the navigation, communication, and ventilation systems going. Not to worry, I will get this up and going soon. Then we will have full power and can take the ship where we want.”
The engine room was several decks down, and Abshir was sweating and out of breath by the time they worked open the hatch and stepped into a cramped, hot room. It smelled of grease and ozone, making Abshir’s nose twitch. He tried to stifle it, but the sneeze couldn’t be held back. His head rocked forward as he let loose, and he sneezed so loud that he almost didn’t hear the gunshot. Sparks flew out against the wall right where his head had been.
But as he felt heat sear the side of his face, he realized someone was still shooting at them. He ran to the side, opening fire with his AK-47, shooting randomly into the engine room.
“Stop that!” Najiib shouted. “You’ll kill us both!”
Another shot rang out and it was almost impossible to tell where it came from, as the entire room echoed with the ear splitting bang. Najiib waived his hand, gesturing for Abshir to crouch low. He did and tried to see under the machinery that ran the ship. There, across the room, deep in shadow, but just at the edge of Najiib’s flashlight, was a pair of boots.
Abshir smiled and took aim, laying the AK-47 almost flat on the floor. He pulled the trigger and a man screamed, falling flat so Abshir could look directly into his eyes.
“Finish him,” Najiib said, “we’ll take his corpse up top as an example.”
“No! Wait!” the man screamed, but Abshir did not hesitate. All he could think about was the approval of his father. The man’s head was ripped apart, a third of it becoming spray against the iron and steel of the room.
“I will have this going soon,” Najiib said. “Can you drag him up?”
“I will try,” Abshir said as he slung his rifle and made his way to the far side of the room and the bloody corpse.
The man held a 9mm pistol in one hand and something else in the other. Abshir couldn’t see what it was in the darkness, so he hooked his hands under the man’s arms and began to drag. It was a considerable effort to get the man out of the engine room, and Abshir sighed heavily at the thought of dragging the corpse all the way up to the upper deck. But to quit would be shameful, so he pushed on.
Nearly exhausted, his muscles burning, Abshir finally stepped out into sunlight. He pulled the corpse partially out of the hatch, and then collapsed to the hot steel of the deck, his chest heaving from the exertion. He closed his eyes and turned his face to the sun, letting the heat he had known his whole life invigorate him. He was not one of those people that needed shade, or needed the coolness of artificial air. He loved the sun and the smell of the sea. He was right at home.
After a few moments rest, Abshir opened his eyes and looked at the man’s body. He reached out and pried open the man’s hand, taking what was clutched inside. Abshir looked at it for a couple minutes as conflicting emotions warred inside him. Finally, he frowned and threw the object away, letting the breeze take it. As Abshir once again lifted the corpse and started to drag it towards the bridge, the thing the man had held –a photograph of him with a woman and two small children- floated through the air and out over the open sea.
“There you are, Abshir,” Kaafi said as the teen stepped onto the bridge, nearly collapsing from his exertion. “What do you have there?”
“An example,” Abshir said, yanking the corpse over the threshold of the bridge’s hatch, “for all to see.”
Tarabi laughed loudly and menaced the group of men seated on the deck in front of him. “See that? Do you? That will be you if you don’t cooperate? Now, how many more are on the ship? Where are the weapons?”
“Ich spreche kein English. Sprechen sie Deutsch?” a man seated in front of the others asked. “Sprechen sie Deustch, ja?”
“What is that?” Abshir asked. “German?”
“Ja,” the man nodded, “Deutsch. Ger-man.”
“Parlez-vous francais?” Kaafi asked. The man, the captain of the ship, shook his head sadly. “Nein?”
“Nein,” the captain replied.
“Do you speak this?” Tarabi asked, smashing a fist into the face of the man seated directly behind the captain. All of the men cried out in shock. “Yes?”
“Tarabi,” Kaafi warned, “you hit when I say so.”
“Yes,” Tarabi nodded, “I know.”
“Do it again,” Kaafi death grinned. Another man was hit. Kaafi grabbed the captain by his collar and pulled him across the bridge and into a corner, isolating him from the others. “You speak English. I know you do. I had to learn it and I know you learned it. All ships’ captains speak English.”
“Nein, nein,” the captain replied, shaking his head. “Ich sprechen---”
Kaafi slapped the man across the face, open handed like he’d slap a girl. He did it again and again until the man held up his hands, blood trickling from his lips and nose.
“Okay, okay, stop now, please,” the captain said. “Please, no more of the hitting.”
Kaafi laughed –a short, dark sound- and stepped back from the captain. “Good, now we are getting somewhere,” he said. He looked back at the other men and Tarabi. “Now you can tell me who my friend should kill first. Which one dies now?”
Tarabi pulled a long knife from his belt.
“Nein!” the captain shouted, holding out a hand. �
�No, please!”
“Then you do what we say and no tricks or lies, yes?” Kaafi asked. “Or they die. Understand?”
“Understand,” the captain nodded, “no tricks. No lies.”
“And you will call me captain, yes?” Kaafi asked.
“Ja,” the captain nodded, “Captain.”
“Order your engineer to turn the power back on,” Kaafi said.
“You killed him,” the captain replied, pointing to the corpse by Abshir’s feet. “Kleimer was the engineer.”
“You don’t have a second engineer?” Kaafi asked. “For a ship this big? I think you do.”
The captain glanced to the group of men. Kaafi watched his eyes closely.
“That one there?” Kaafi asked, pointing at a man in the middle of the group. “You. Come here.”
The man looked from Kaafi to the captain. The captain nodded and the man got up, carefully stepping away from the leering Tarabi.
“You are the Second Engineer?” Kaafi asked. The man nodded. “And you can restore the power?” The man looked at the captain. “Hey!” He looked back to Kaafi. “Answer my question.”
“Ja,” the man said, “I can be turning the power on.”
“Good,” Kaafi said, “then do it.”
But the power came on without him.
Kaafi smiled.
“Then I do not need you,” Kaafi said and shot the man in the stomach. Blood burst from the wound and splattered the captain, making the man scream. Kaafi laughed and looked at the other men. “Stay in line, do as you’re told, and you will be needed.” He nudged the dying Second Engineer with his foot. “Try to escape or fight and you won’t be needed. Understood?”
All of the men nodded that they understood.
“Abshir?”
“Yes, Kaafi?” Abshir asked, stepping forward.
“Help Tarabi secure the men,” Kaafi said, “and have Najiib join me here. We are losing time.”
Abshir nodded and smiled, waving his AK-47 at the men, then towards the hatch. They didn’t need any more instruction and quickly stood up, their hands on their heads. Single file, they left the bridge with Abshir and Tarabi right behind.
“Come back for the bodies,” Kaafi said, “they will stink up the bridge.”
“And do what with them?” Abshir asked.
“Throw them overboard,” Kaafi said.
“Oh,” Abshir said.
“Is that a problem?” Kaafi asked.
“No, just…”
“What? Out with it, Abshir.”
“Should they not be blessed?” Abshir asked. “What about their souls?”
“They are Christians,” Kaafi laughed. “They have no souls. Into the sea with them.”
Abshir nodded. He followed Tarabi out and they secured the men with rope to the rows of pipe that ran the length of the bridge. The sun was boiling hot and would kill the men in hours if they were left like that. But in the time it would take to get to the rendezvous point, they would only be weak and not dead. It would keep them from fighting back if they got any sudden burst of courage.
Once secured, Abshir went back and dragged the two corpses one at a time to the railing. He set his rifle down and squatted, struggling to lift the First Engineer over the rail. After considerable effort, he managed it, and watched as the body tumbled through the air and was lost into the churning wake below.
Catching his breath, Abshir started with the Second Engineer. As he got the body halfway over the rail, something fell from the man’s pocket. Abshir, leaving the corpse draped over the rail, bent down, and picked up a brand new iPhone.
“Look, Tarabi!” Abshir shouted, waving the phone.
“Good for you,” Tarabi nodded. “What’s that around it?”
Abshir studied the case the phone was in. It was hard plastic, but with an orange foam outer shell. He squeezed it a couple times and the foam returned to form each time. “I think it floats,” Abshir smiled, “in case it falls into the water.”
“Yes, that would be a good place to float,” Tarabi mocked. “Now get rid of that body.”
Abshir grabbed the man’s legs and lifted the corpse again. He nearly screamed when the man struggled slightly, not quite dead.
“Bitte,” the man whispered.
Abshir ignored the man’s plea and shoved with all of his strength. He leaned over the rail and watched as the body bounced off the hull, sending it flying just to the outside of the ship’s wake. The body hit the water and floated away. Abshir watched it as it bobbed face down in the water, the man finally dead from the impact. He wondered if that man had a photograph on him of his family; he should have checked his pockets, but was too startled by the man being alive.
Abshir was about to turn away when something caught his eye. Even all the way up on the upper deck, Abshir could see the shadow of a large shape down in the water. It was huge. Abshir shook his head and squinted, thinking it was a trick of the sunlight playing across the water. But the shape was there and moving towards the floating corpse.
“Tarabi?” Abshir called, keeping his eyes focused on the shadow. “Come see this.”
“Are you stupid?” Tarabi asked. “I am watching the crew.”
“But---”
“Shut up, boy,” Tarabi said, “don’t waste my time.”
Before Abshir could respond, the shadow became substantial, its mouth, filled with row after row of teeth, broke the surface of the water, swallowing the corpse whole. Abshir jumped back, a small cry escaping his throat, his eyes wide with fear. The thing was gigantic. Bigger than anything he’d ever seen.
“What is wrong with you, Abshir?” Tarabi asked. “You cry like a girl.”
“Out there,” Abshir said, pointing towards the rail as he backed away, “something out there.”
“In the ocean? Really?” Tarabi laughed. “There are many something’s out there.”
“It was a shark,” Abshir said, his eyes wide with fright, “a very large shark.”
“Good for it,” Tarabi said. “It found some free food.”
“It was a giant,” Abshir said.
“Like me,” Tarabi smiled, “the Tarabi of the sea!” He watched how Abshir shook. “What is wrong with you? Sharks can’t fly. Unless you go swimming, it won’t get you. But I will if you don’t stop being like a little girl.”
Abshir nodded. “Yes. Sorry.”
He tried to smile at Tarabi, but he couldn’t quite do it. The image of the size of that mouth filled his mind. He was not good at math, barely having had any schooling, but he knew sharks well enough to figure out the length of the creature. If he was right, he didn’t think the shark would need to fly for its mouth to reach the upper deck fifty feet above the water.
“Go get Najiib,” Tarabi said. “Tell him to go to the bridge like Kaafi asked.”
“Right,” Abshir said absently, “I’ll get him.”
He made his way to the aft hatch and down to the engine room slowly. He felt better in the cool darkness, away from the rail and the water. He found Najiib walking towards him and he stopped.
“What is the largest shark you have seen?” Abshir asked.
“What kind of question is that?” Najiib replied. “Why ask me that?”
“I saw a shark,” Abshir said, “it ate one of the corpses.”
“One of the corpses?” Najiib asked, looking up towards the upper deck. “How many men did Tarabi kill?”
“None,” Abshir said. “Kaafi killed the Second Engineer when you got the power going again. To make an example.”
“Oh,” Najiib said. “So what is this about a shark?”
“The one I saw was sixty, maybe seventy feet long,” Abshir said. He saw the look on Najiib’s face. “No, no, I am serious, Najiib! It was a giant of the sea!”
“There are no sharks that big,” Najiib said, pushing past the boy and taking the steps up. “Not even great whites. Maybe a whale shark, but even that doesn’t get sixty feet. And doesn’t eat corpses. Your eyes tricked yo
u. It was the sun on the waves making the shark look bigger than it was.”
“Right,” Abshir said, following Najiib up, “you must be right.”
“Do not mention what you saw to your father,” Najiib said. “He will think you are not fit for runs. Men that cannot trust their eyes cannot be trusted at all. Keep what you said to yourself and I will keep it to myself. Understood?”
“Understood,” Abshir said. “But I already told Tarabi.”
“He is a fool and your father will not listen to him,” Najiib said, tapping the side of his head. “Nothing up here worth your father’s time.”
“Yes, okay,” Abshir replied, “thank you, Najiib.”
“Go help Tarabi and I will speak to Kaafi,” Najiib said. “And no more monster sharks.”
“No more monster sharks,” Abshir smiled, feeling silly over what he saw. Of course it hadn’t been seventy feet long. That was stupid. That was little boy thinking. And his father didn’t send a little boy on a run, he sent a young man.
Najiib was able to adjust the ship’s heading and they were at the rendezvous point in under an hour, pushing the engines at full. Abshir stayed by the rail, his eyes scanning the horizon for his father’s ship. He purposely avoided looking down into the water.
“There!” Abshir yelled towards the bridge. “I see them!”
Per procedure, Kaafi had stayed off the radio, but turned it on when he got the word from Abshir. He switched channels until he found the one Daacad had given him.
“We see you,” Daacad’s voice said after they finished their quick greetings. “Bring to full stop and wait. A skiff is on its way to you.”
The skiff bounced across the waves as it sped towards the ship. At full stop, the ship didn’t produce a dangerous wake, but it was still a trial getting the captive crew down to the skiff. Abshir watched as the skiff sped away, Tarabi seated behind the prisoners with his AK covering them, and headed back to the mother ship. There hadn’t been enough room for everyone to go at once, so he waited behind. The skiff would come back with a small crew to help Najiib pilot the ship to the secure port.
Then there it was again: a dark shadow in the water, just behind the returning skiff.
