Michael Bray - Feed

‘Hey. If you want a cut of this gold, you better come help me.’ Liam, it seemed, had rediscovered the shoulder chip he had lost and was now close to the floor, kicking in place and looking back at him where he floated twenty feet above him in the open water.

Exposed.

That thought scared him, and so instead of following his instinct to kick to the surface as fast as he could, he descended, joining Liam on the debris-covered seabed. Now separated by just a few feet, Tyler could see how angry his fellow diver was.

‘You need to get your shit together and help me. You’re no use just gawping at the scenery.’

‘Sorry,’ Tyler said, resisting the urge to do a full three-sixty and look at his surroundings. Every passing second raised his anxiety levels and made him long for the surface. He pushed those thoughts aside and tried to focus on the task at hand. ‘What do you need me to do?’

‘We need to survey this area to see how much gold there is. I didn’t expect it to be even here, never mind in such large amounts. We need to be efficient in getting it to the surface I—’ Liam paused and looked past Tyler, his brow furrowed.

‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ Tyler said, joining him in staring out into the black waters.

‘Nothing I… I thought I saw something.’

‘Saw what? What did you see?’ Nash blurted into their microphones. For once, Tyler didn’t mind. He wanted to know the answer to the question also.

‘It’s nothing, I thought I saw something move that’s all. Trick of the light.’

Tyler opened his mouth to speak, intending to tell Liam he too had seen something and to suggest they head back to the surface when he spoke again. His voice was an octave higher than normal.

‘Look, it’s nothing, alright? I made a mistake. Let’s just do our fucking jobs.’

And so they did.

They moved around the debris field, marking the locations of the gold by the GPS tracking system attached to their wrists. Each coordinate would be relayed to the surface where Nash could make a virtual map of the gold and make a plan to retrieve it. For Tyler, it was only pride and the fact he didn’t want to see the smug look on Liam’s face that he remained beneath the surface. He was trying to distract himself with the tedious work of marking the locations of the gold and telling himself that he was about to become a very rich man when Nash’s voice crackled over the speaker.

‘Stop moving, both of you.’

Tyler didn’t immediately acknowledge the instruction, or why it would have been said until he saw the shark swimming towards them with casual grace. Tyler froze, heart thundering as he watched the majestic creature draw near.

‘It’s huge,’ he whispered, more to himself than in communication.

‘It’s just a great white,’ Liam said, the arrogance becoming something Tyler was finding harder and harder to ignore. Liam was still working, cataloguing samples.

‘He’s right,’ Nash said, sounding almost disappointed. ‘Looks like she’s a big one, though. Fifteen footer.’

Tyler wasn’t sure about that. From his exposed position, it seemed much bigger. Its massive head swayed as it swam over them.

‘Relax, he’s not interested in us,’ Liam said as the shark increased its speed and disappeared into the dark. Tyler looked across at him and was about to say he was heading back to the surface when he saw one of the sunken boats in the distance move towards them. He blinked, and there was the split second realisation that it wasn’t a boat that was moving, but something else.

‘Jesus Christ, it’s real,’ Tyler muttered. Liam, too, was frozen in place and staring at the giant making its way towards them. It was something beyond either of their ability to comprehend. Tyler had considered the white shark as big before he saw the Megalodon. The creatures head was as large as the front of a school bus, its jaws partially open to allow the seawater to flow through as it drifted through the water. Its skin was a brownish grey, and as it came closer, Tyler could see that it was pocked with scars from a lifetime of battles. On its flank, just above the enormous dorsal fin was an old splintered remains of a wooden harpoon.

‘Nash, what do we do?’ Tyler asked, his throat dry as he watched the immense predator come out of the gloom. ‘Nash, can you hear me?’

‘Don’t do anything. Don’t react. Don’t move. Put your back against the nearest hull and wait.’

‘Wait? Are you insane?’

‘He’s likely not interested in you. He seems curious about the drones.’

‘It’s coming towards us, Dad,’ Liam said, the arrogant man replaced by a frightened boy.

‘Do as I say. Don’t move, and for Christ’s sake, stay calm. It will sense your fear.’

‘Sense our fear? It’s not a damn psychic,’ Liam blurted, close to losing control.

‘He’s right,’ Tyler said, recalling the parts of the book Nash had given him. ‘Sharks sense electromagnetic pulses in their prey when they are distressed. You don’t want this thing to see you as a viable meal.’

‘Meal? That thing would swallow us whole.’

‘Then do as I say and don’t move,’ Nash hissed, causing the microphone to crackle.

The Megalodon cruised past them, the pressure as it displaced the water pushing them back against the hull of the sunken boat. Tyler had never experienced terror in such a pure form. It surged through him, his stomach light and rolling as he waited to see if he was about to die. The giant shark opened its mouth, exposing its nine-inch serrated teeth, then, just as Tyler was sure he was about to be devoured, the Megalodon changed direction, more interested in the drones that were surrounding the scene as it played out.

Tyler turned towards Liam just in time to see him disappear as he swam for the surface. ‘Hey, what are you doing? We were told to stay still,’ he hissed as he watched the Megalodon drift towards the drones. If Liam heard him, he didn’t respond. He was already disappearing from view into the dark. The Megalodon had turned away from him now, leaving him on the edge of following Liam or doing as Nash had said. In the end, his instinct told him to flee, and so he kicked his legs, trying to remain calm as he ascended in pursuit of Liam.

‘What are you doing? I told you both to stay still damn it!’ Nash grunted through the mic. Tyler, like Liam, failed to respond. The riches hidden on the sea floor could stay there. He didn’t care about it anymore. All he wanted to do was to breathe fresh air and leave the domain of the monster shark, never to return. As he left the safety of the light cast by the drones, he was incredibly aware of everything going on around him. The immense isolation, the resistance of the black waters against his skin, the presence of the prehistoric giant that could, if it so chose, end his existence with little effort.

‘Damn you two, you’re ruining everything,’ Nash bellowed through the speakers. Tyler risked looking down into the artificial pool of light cast by the drones. The Megalodon was agitated and charged one of the drones. The manta moved toward it in response. There was an immense explosion as the shark’s jaws clamped down on the drone, sending it reeling away. The other drones were moving closer to the shark, but Tyler was aware his pace was slowing and he was desperate to get back to the surface. He turned his attention to the opaque mass above him and swam into is, legs tiring as he kicked towards the surface.

He came up twenty feet off the port side of the boat. Liam was already climbing the ladder on the transom. Tyler swam for the ladder, wanting to get there before father and son decided to leave without him. He was exhausted, his legs heavy from the exertion. He gripped the steel rung, pulling himself out of the water, his feet scrambling for purchase on the wet rungs. On the deck, Nash was pacing, clearly agitated. Liam was on all fours, breathing hard.