A loud boom rocked the ship, followed by more screaming. Davin jerked his head towards the door, instinctively taking a step. He had to go help. His gaze slammed into Alex’s.
“I swear to the Gods, Alex, if you don’t stay put, I will tie your ass down myself! Just. Stay. Here.”
Alex
With that Davin turned, slamming the door behind him. Alex took several deep breaths, trying to slow her racing heart. He wasn't going to keep her here. Fuck him. She wasn’t a princess stuck in a tower, and she definitely didn’t need to be rescued. Easing to her feet, she slowly straightened. Pain shot across her lower abdomen.Shit. Shit. Shit. Gods that hurt!
Leaning back against the edge of the bed, she moved her dressing gown to the side and checked her bandages. No new blood seeped out, thank Kiel. Letting the gown fall back in place, she scanned the room. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen. She would have to go up there in this flimsy gown with her ass exposed but at least it was better than sitting down here waiting to be fish food.
Grasping the ties on the gown, she pulled them as tight as she could. It still hung on her petite frame but at least it covered most of her nakedness. Alex limped towards the door, using the bed and wall to help her stay upright. She wasn't moving fast,but she was moving. Opening the door, she stumbled into the hall when the ship pitched suddenly. Gasping, she panted through the pain but kept moving forward.
Davin
Davin staggered through the ship, stumbling out onto the deck as it lurched. He could see Captain McConnell standing near a group of passengers and deckhands alike, barking orders, trying to regain some semblance of control. Davin strode over, clapping him on the shoulder. McConnell tilted his head in acknowledgment but finished his orders before turning to him.
“What the hell is that thing, Monroe?” he barked, anxiously running his hand down his beard. They watched as the passengers of the M.M.S. Iris struggled to keep their footing, slipping in all directions, some even falling overboard, as the beast continued its assault on their ship.
Davin watched as the beast turned, mouth opened wide, exposing its double row of teeth and elongated curved fangs, just before it snapped its jaws around the torso of a man trying desperately to swim away.
His screams of agony pierced the air, blood spewing down the beast's maw. The man’s screams abruptly cut off as his legs ripped free. Davin couldn’t look away. McConnell gagged. The upper half of the man followed the rest of his body down the gullet of the beast.
The water was stained with the blood of its previous victims, various body parts bobbing in the waves. The devastation around them rapidly increased as panic and fear took hold. “We have to do something before it turns on us.” Davin’s voice shook with frustration. “Where are your weapons?”
“This is a med ship, son, not a war ship. We only have the weapons we can carry on ourselves and even that’s limited.” McConnell took a beat, considering. “Although, this ship were converted from a fishin’ vessel. There’s bound to be a mounted harpoon somewhere buried ‘neath the supplies and equipment near the bow of the ship.”
Davin was running before McConnell finished his sentence, hailing any sailor he could find to assist. Reaching the bow of the ship, he surveyed the mess of covered containers, rusted tools, and debris, not having a clue where to begin.
Several men came up beside him; most were sailors but there were a few guards and citizens sprinkled in. “Help me search! Captain McConnell said there would be a fishing harpoon somewhere in this crap.” Containers went flying, tarps thrown off, and it was all Davin could do to ignore the tortured sounds from the water around him.
“Sir, I think I found it!” a soldier in muted gray and red called to him as he removed a filthy brown tarp, revealing a rusted looking spring launcher. Davin grimaced as he took in the sight. It wasn’t much to work with, but it would have to do.
“Good job, soldier!” Davin said, clapping him on the back. “Let’s get this thing operational.”
Working together, they cleared the area around it and thankfully uncovered the harpoon as well, still attached to its line. This is going to take a damned miracle. As much as the gruesome sight of the water turned his stomach, Davin surveyed the surface, watching and waiting for any sign of the creature that had caused such massive destruction.
His senses were overloaded; the ship careening back and forth from the waves caused by the massive beast’s movements, the reflection of the sun glaring off the water, burninghis eyes. Anguished screams haunted him, tumultuous sounds crashing into one another like waves in a hurricane. There was a gnawing fear in his gut that if he didn’t stop this thing, they were all as good as dead.
He fitted the harpoon into the launcher, ensuring that the line still held tightly and that there was nothing obstructing its direction. This was as good as it was going to get; he might only have one shot if the line didn’t hold.
His vision narrowed to the break in the surface of the water, inhaling deep, he let it out, murmuring “Be the calm - the steady hands in the dark.” The mayhem of the wreckage and victims fell away, a razor sharp focus settling over him. His eyes locked on the creature cresting along the side of the M.M.S. Maura.
The speed of the thing was incredible. He would need to release the weapon perfectly, as there was no room for error. The scales along the sides and back of the beast were impenetrable, testified by the broken spears littering the water, thrown in desperation, only to have them ricochet off its body.
He’d seen the black eyes of the monster only once. There were no scales protecting them, a soft spot, a weakness he could take advantage of. But it would be a risk. One he had no choice but to take.
The sea beast reared up out of the water, its head swiveling in Davin’s direction, as if it knew what he was about to do. He didn’t hesitate. Letting his instincts take over, he released the spring, sending the harpoon flying through the air.
The beast roared as the harpoon speared down into its eye. Cheers arose around Davin, the citizens aboard celebrating his hit, but Davin didn’t dare pull his gaze from the beast, his instincts telling him that this wasn’t over yet.
The beast shook its head frantically, trying to dislodge the weapon. The line streamed from the ship as the monster foughtdesperately, diving towards the bottom of the lake. Davin’s stomach dropped.It's going to drag us with it. If that line holds or the harpoon isn’t jerked free…
The beast disappeared, dropping into the depths, out of sight, as the rope unraveled at Davin’s feet. His hands moved to his side, yanking his blade free of its sheath, as the line pulled taut, jerking the ship with it. Davin slammed forward into the rail, almost losing his grip on his blade.
Regaining his footing, he swung his sword, the blade glinting in the sun as it sliced into the line, fraying it. The ship jolted, causing the remaining fibers to pop, severing the line. Davin hit the ground hard, his sword skittering across the deck, the thick rope sailing over his head. He sprang up, rushing to the rail, the beast nowhere to be seen.
The utter destruction of the M.M.S. Iris tore at his heart. The ship was capsized, holes riddling the hull, water rushing in as it sank. Splintered wood planks, various supplies, and bodies littered the water around the vessel. People swam towards them, hysterical in their need to be rescued, while others clung to the sinking ship, desperate to stay afloat.
“Drop the jolly boats! Get those people out of the water now!” Davin shouted the order in the general direction of any crew within earshot. They jumped into action using the pulleys and levers to lower the boats as quickly as they could. He gripped the shoulder of a passing soldier, the same one who found the harpoon. “Use the rope ladders for any who are close enough.”
