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I spun around, scanning up and down, praying that I wasn’t about to find his lifeless body.
“Tyler!” Yelling through my breather, I banged my torch against my tank, and the high-pitched clang rang through the water like a tolling bell. Adrenaline surged through me as sharp and as cold as the ocean depths. My pulse pounded in my ears. Splinters of wood, shards of metal, and a pile of other debris drifted past me, sinking to the bottom.
I peered up to the flaming surface, and through the debris, Tyler finally emerged.
Bubbles spewed from the side of his mouth and his mask was askew.
Oh fuck, he’s right below Rhino.
Kicking like I had a shark on my ass, I scraped through the water, screaming through my breather.
Shoving bits and pieces of charred wreckage aside, I yelled at Tyler to swim toward me. His panicked movements showed his confusion.
I snapped my hand around his wrist and dragged him away from certain death. His frantic kicks confirmed he understood my panic, and it was several deadly seconds before we reached safety.
I squeezed his shoulders and yelled, “Keep calm.”
He inhaled a deep breath and as he released bubbles in a slow and steady stream, I helped him reposition his mask. His wild, darting eyes met mine, and as he nodded, he squeezed our hands together.
Rhino released a mournful moan as the bow section, which had been keeping her above the water, was sucked into the ocean.
My ears still rang from the thunderous explosion that had torn my boat apart.
Rhino, my sturdy salvage vessel, which had weathered many destructive storms, drifted past us, casting bits and pieces from her body as she was sucked toward the bottom. Sections of weathered timber decking peeled away. Tangles of wires twisted and turned. Dad’s favorite cushion popped free and drifted away. Each fragment was like a piece of my heart sinking into the darkness.
Peering through the debris soup, I tried to see the equipment room, praying that Dad’s body was safe inside. But Rhino sank too quickly, and her battered hull hit the bottom like a mammoth doing a belly flop. A massive cloud of sand stole her from my view.
Tears fogged my mask, and closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer for Dad.
Dad had taught me everything about the ocean and the weather, and how the moon affects the waves and currents.
We are just a tiny speck on this vast, beautiful planet, he would say, never forget that Mother Nature is always in charge.
Dad also taught me how to fight for my beliefs and how to enjoy the simple things in life, like a silvery moon or a soaring eagle.
I released a shaky breath and let the bubbles carry away words that my father would never hear.
Go to Mom now, Dad. You are free of your demons. I love you. You are my hero.
Tyler’s hands found mine, and I blinked my eyes open. The flaming fuel still lighting up the surface added another depth to the sadness in his eyes. He gave my hands a squeeze, then signaled for us to surface.
We swam away from the fiery deathtrap on the surface and aimed for fresh air.
At ten feet below the surface, the hard drive inside Tyler’s wetsuit started beeping again. The fucking thing was a maddening pulse, counting down the seconds in our world that was suddenly dependent on time. We didn’t have water or food, and that meant our hours were numbered. Not many people survived for long once they became lost at sea.
It would be a fucked-up way to go.
We kicked through to the surface, and as I studied the water around us, Tyler scanned the sky.
“You see it?” Tyler whispered.
Inhaling the vile smoke-filled air, I searched for a red dot hovering over the ocean.
“Why are you whispering?” I asked.
“Just in case that drone has audio.”
“You’re kidding, right? That fucking beeping in your wetsuit is how it found us the first time around. Get rid of that damn thing!”
