Brian Keene - Deluge - The Conqueror Worms II

Later, when they talked about it, Gail would have trouble accurately describing what she’d seen. Despite the creature’s massive bulk, much of its body was concealed by the fog, rain and surf. She had a sense of a cross between a dinosaur and a whale, but the anatomy was all wrong, as were its colors and markings. Its hide looked like earth, rather than flesh. The thing’s lower half was beneath the water but its upper bulk towered far above the waves, looming over them like a skyscraper. Mist swirled around it and raindrops bounced of its body. When it roared, the fog momentarily parted before congealing again.

Warren began muttering the Lord’s Prayer. Gail simply stared, too terrified to speak or even breathe.

Then the shadow deepened as the monster loomed closer.

“Hang on,” Warren shouted. “It’s getting ready to dive. Hang on to me and don’t let go! We’ve got to—”

The rest of his words were lost as the beast slammed into the water and sank beneath the surface, kicking up huge waves in its thunderous wake. A twenty-foot swell slammed into them, tossing them about like corks. For one moment, they rode the crest together. Then, the surge forced both of them below and pried them apart. Gail opened her mouth to scream. Water rushed down her throat. She turned and spun, not knowing which way was up or down. All she could see were bubbles and foam. She reached for Warren, but he was gone.

CHAPTER 40

When Gail’s head broke the surface a second time, Warren was nowhere to be seen. She tried to shout for him, but she couldn’t. She’d swallowed too much water, and her throat felt raw. Her lungs ached, desperate for air. She inhaled and then choked. A spasm rocked through her. Barely staying afloat, she clutched her stomach and vomited seawater. She squeezed her eyes shut and gasped. When she opened them again, it was just in time to see a massive wave bearing down on her. Before Gail could move, the wall of water slammed into her, forcing her beneath the surface again.

She opened her eyes underwater, glancing around frantically, but all she saw was churning foam and bubbles. She kicked upward, emerged, and gasped for more air. Her stomach cramped again, but thankfully, she did not puke. The rain hammered her scalp. Each drop felt like a hailstone.

“Warren? Oh, God… WAAAAARRREEENNNN!”

Thunder answered her. Gail raised her head and stared into the sky. The gray haze flickered momentarily blue, lit by unseen lightening. The mist grew thicker, seeming to cling to her. Shivering, Gail rubbed her arms and bobbed on the surf.

“Warren? Lynn? Anyone?”

“Gail!”

The voice was faint, almost obscured by the roar of the waves and the driving rain. Gail cocked her head and listened closely. The call came again.

“Gail! Gail, over here!”

“Novak? Where are you? I can’t see you.”

“Keep shouting. I’ll find you.”

She did. The mist had a strange, dampening effect on sound. Novak still sounded far away when the bow of the lifeboat suddenly emerged from the fog less than eight feet from where she floated. Sobbing and shivering, Gail swam toward it. Her arms and legs felt heavy, and for one panicked moment, she didn’t think she’d reach him, and that Novak would drift right on by. Then she was clawing at the sides of the craft. His powerful hands closed around her wrists. His skin was cold. He pulled her up into the boat and deposited her on one of the benches.

“Are you okay?”

Gail nodded. Her teeth chattered. She noticed McCann lying beneath one of the benches. His eyes were closed. He didn’t move.

“Is he…?”

“He’s alive,” Novak said. “Just unconscious. But his pulse is strong and his breathing’s steady. Something knocked him out. He was floating face down in the water. I fished him out. Lucky for us both I managed to snag the boat before it drifted away.”

“But how?”

“I don’t know. I was dog-paddling, looking around for the rest of you, and it came drifting toward me on a wave. Damn thing almost ran me down. Have you seen or heard the others?”

“Warren… he… we were together and then a wave pushed us under.”

Novak cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted for Warren and Lynn. He repeated the process several times but there was no answer. He turned back to her and grinned.

“How about this weather?”

Gail’s stomach fluttered when she saw the look in his eyes. It was the expression of a man teetering on the edge.

“The ship’s gone,” Gail said. “There was a break in the fog, and we saw—they left us here.”

“Bullshit. Riffle wouldn’t do that.”

“I’m telling you, it’s gone! What are we going to do, Novak?”

He stared at the ocean, and then suddenly leaned forward and pointed over the starboard side. “Look, it’s Warren.”

Gail turned to see. Sure enough, Warren floated by on the crest of a wave. His body was limp.

“I’ll get him.”

Before she could react, Novak leaped into the ocean and quickly swam toward the unconscious man. Gail gripped the sides of the lifeboat, watching carefully, urging him on. With a few powerful strokes, Novak reached Warren and flipped him over. Then he screamed.

Warren’s head was gone.

“Get in the boat,” Gail yelled. “Novak, get back here, Whatever did it might still be out there.”

He waved her off and began tugging at Warren’s corpse.

“We’ve got to find his head,” Novak called. “If we can find his head, he’ll be okay.”

“Novak, you’re in shock! Goddamn it, McCann and I need you alive if we’re going to make it out of this. Now come back here. Please?”

He turned toward her and when Gail saw the haunted expression in his eyes, her heart broke all over again. She had to strain to hear him over the rain and surf.

“You’re right. Need to get my shit straight. ”

He released Warren’s body and gave it a gentle push. The headless corpse floated away, spinning slightly as the current caught it. Novak swam toward the lifeboat.

A sleek, black fin appeared behind him.

CHAPTER 41

“Swim,” Gail yelled, waving her hands. “Oh my God, Novak—fucking swim!”

The shark fin sliced across the surface, drawing closer to him. Novak raised his head and stared at her. Seawater dripped from his chin.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t turn around. Just swim. Hurry!”

Novak turned around.

“Oh, shit.”

“I said not to look!”

Eyes wide, he plunged toward the boat with broad, powerful strokes. He kicked his legs. The water churned behind him. The fin closed the distance between them. Novak glanced over his shoulder, saw its proximity, and screamed.

Gail watched from the side of the boat, leaning so far forward that the craft tilted dangerously under her weight. She’d never felt more helpless than she did at that moment. She had always scoffed at the idea of events occurring in slow-motion, but that’s what was happening now. Each heartbeat, each breath, seemed to last an eternity. For an instant, her senses were hyper-accentuated. The rain drumming against the boat sounded like gunshots. The waves roared like freight trains. Novak’s face was flushed red, whether from fear or exertion she couldn’t be sure. Maybe both. She could see a lone, black hair hanging from Novak’s left nostril, and the lines around his eyes…

…and the white splotches of fungus growing on the shark’s dorsal fin.

The creature bore down on Novak. Gail spotted its silhouette gliding beneath the surface, and realized that it wasn’t one of the half-shark, half-human hybrids that they’d encountered, but instead, just a regular old run-of-the-mill shark. Tatiana would have called it old school, but Tatiana was still aboard the ship, and the ship was gone.