Michael Bray - Feed

An image flashed into Tyler’s mind of the dive and the attack by the shark. It was as if the missing link in his memory had been found, and everything fit together exactly how he knew it should. ‘Just how was it supposed to go down?’ he said, glaring at Nash.

The older man stammered and looked away. ‘I just mean we were unlucky.’

‘No. That’s not it. I remember when I was down there. How those drones of yours that were supposed to give us light. They moved towards the shark when it approached. As if someone were guiding them.’

‘You’re confused, it’s just your brain playing tricks, that’s all.’

‘No, for the first time it’s clear. You moved them towards the shark, didn’t you?’ Tyler recalled what happened the way the drones had exploded. At first, he thought it was because the shark had attacked them, but now as he replayed it in his mind, he knew that wasn’t the case. ‘You put explosives in the drones, didn’t you?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Nash grunted.

‘Hey, leave him alone, what the hell is wrong with you?’ Liam stepped between his father and Tyler, but there was no stopping him now. He needed to say it.

‘You used us as bait. You knew that thing was down there and would come for us. It was never about gold, was it? It was about revenge for what happened to you all those years ago.’

‘Shut up, just shut up. It’s not true.’ Nash was flustered and agitated.

‘It all makes sense. What was supposed to happen? We go down there to draw it out, you send your explosives-filled drones to kill it and get your revenge for what it did to you then we rake up the treasure at the end? Or were we supposed to die down there, too, leaving it all for you?’

‘You’re not making sense, the sun is making you crazy,’ Nash screamed.

‘Why don’t you just admit it? The plan you had failed and now we’re all stuck here. You fucking killed us.’

‘I’m not admitting anything. You’ve got sunstroke or something. Don’t you try to put this on me.’

‘You heard him. Leave him alone,’ Liam said, glaring at Tyler. The anger was still surging through him, but he knew well enough that getting into a fight would expend more energy than there was to waste. Instead, he went to the place he now referred to as his on the rock and dragged the deflated raft with him; he had, after all, earned it and so it was his. Not wanting anything more to do with Liam or his father, Tyler pulled the raft over his head, giving him a little respite from the sun. As he lay there on the hot rocks with anger surging through him, he was more determined than ever to get off the island and to freedom, even if it meant doing so at the expense of Nash and Liam.

Night.

Without the burning heat of the sun and the alarming hunger and thirst, it could almost be paradise. Countless stars were painted across the sky which was cloudless and crisp. Tyler lay on the deflated raft, one end rolled into a pillow of sorts. He was on his back, staring at the sky and wondering if life out there was as cruel and brutal as it was on earth. He hadn’t spoken to the others since the argument earlier, and even though his anger had cooled, he was just as certain that everything he had accused Nash of was true, even if there was no way to prove it. He tried to clear his throat, but it was too dry. He would have given anything for a glass of water, just to clear away that dryness.

‘Hey.’

Tyler looked to his right. Nash was staring at him in the gloom of the moonlight. Beyond him, Liam was on his side, sleeping.

‘I’ve got nothing else to say to you.’

‘Then just listen,’ Nash said, his voice a near whisper barely audible above the crashing waves. ‘You were right.’

‘About what?’

‘Everything. I wanted it dead. That bastard thing ruined my life.’

Tyler turned to face him. ‘So why deny it? Why the denial earlier?’

‘I can’t let my son know. Just believe me when I tell you that neither of you was supposed to be in the firing line for this. You were supposed to stay still on the bottom. The explosives in the drones were supposed to kill the shark from safely above you. Remember I told you? I said stay on the bottom. If you had just done what I said, it would have worked.’

‘It was a crazy plan,’ Tyler hissed, too tired to get angry.

‘It could have worked. Even if the explosives didn’t kill it, then it would have scared the shark away, hopefully; left it disfigured like me.’

‘Unbelievable.’

‘I don’t expect you to understand. I just wanted to set the record straight,’ Nash grunted.

‘No, I understand perfectly. Your lifetime vendetta against this monster came down to revenge. When it went wrong, it put us all in danger to the point where it’s going to cost us all our lives. But at least you have a clear conscience, right?’

Nash frowned and looked out over the black waters. ‘It was about revenge. No point in denying that. But my conscience ain’t clear. Not by a long shot.’

‘Then why say anything? What does it achieve? Why not just keep quiet.’

‘Because we don’t have long left. Another day or so and we’re done for. We can’t survive like this. At least now it’s all out on the table.’

Tyler nodded past Nash to Liam. ‘What about him? Doesn’t he deserve the truth?’

Nash glanced at his then back to Tyler. ‘He wouldn’t handle it. He’s not calm like you. He gets… angry. Volatile. He has medication for his brain, but of course, it was lost on the boat. For him, it’s best he thinks this was all an accident. It’s important to keep him calm.’

‘And what if I decide to tell him otherwise?’

Nash shrugged. ‘I’ll deny it. A son will always believe his father over a stranger. Besides, soon enough, it won’t matter. Don’t tell me you haven’t felt it. The gnawing in your belly, the delirium, the need for water.’

Tyler said nothing. There was no need.

‘Thing is,’ Nash went on, ‘is that human nature will take over. Soon enough, when desperation takes over, we’ll see what the two of you are made of.’

‘What do you mean?’

Nash smiled, the expression ghastly in the poor light. ‘You know what I mean. When a man becomes desperate, all the rules go out of the window. It comes down to who wants to live the most and how far you are willing to go to do it.’

Despite the heat that was still embedded in the rocks, a chill surged through Tyler. ‘You mention the two of us. Why not yourself?’

Nash chuckled. ‘Isn’t it obvious? I’m the weak link. Old and crippled. I’ll be the first to die here, there’s no doubt about that.’

‘Nobody has to die here, Nash. There might be a way.’

‘Only… there isn’t. This isn’t some bullshit novel or Hollywood movie. There isn’t some third arc plot twist to get us out of the shit. The end is coming for us all; it’s just a matter of how long it takes.’

‘I won’t give in. I won’t just stay here and wait to die. You might and that’s up to you, but not me.’

Nash shrugged. ‘No, I don’t think you will. I wonder which of you will do whatever it takes to live a little longer?’

‘You sound sorry you won’t get to see it.’

‘I am. Both sorry and curious. I think you stand a good chance of survival all told. I just don’t think you’ll go as far as Liam will. That will be your downfall.’

‘Yeah, well, I don’t intend for it to come to that. I intend to do everything we can to make sure we live a little longer, together. There is always a chance.’

‘Not always. Not now.’

Tyler turned on his side and pulled the deflated raft over him like a blanket. ‘We better get some sleep. Save our energy.’