Patrick pulled into the parking lot of the marina at 5:00am. Sleep fogged his mind as he put the car in park and rubbed his hands across his face. He had heard great things about this boat, and he couldn’t wait to get out there. He stretched his body and stepped out of the car.
The morning air felt cool and damp against his dry skin. Seagulls argued above him as he walked toward the dock. A small group of people stood there, all looking as tired as he felt. Most sipped from Styrofoam cups. Patrick walked over and joined the group, smiling and nodding his head as they acknowledged his presence. A small white boat rocked on the surface of the water, barnacles clinging to the side. A man walked back and forth on the deck, ignoring the group in front of him.
“Want some coffee?”
Patrick turned to find a short balding man smiling up at him. A cigarette hung from his lip.
“Actually, that would be great,” Patrick said. “You sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all, I got a full thermos. Name’s Rick.”
Patrick extended his arm and shook hands with the man. “Patrick.”
“I hear this captain has got some real sweet spots out there. You do much fishing?” asked Rick as he handed Patrick a steaming cup.
“When I get the chance. It’s been a while.”
Rick laughed and blew a plume of smoke from his mouth. He rocked back and forth on his feet as he stared at the boat.
“I can’t wait to get out there.”
“Water looks a bit choppy today,” came a voice from behind them.
Patrick turned to find a tall, broad man staring out into the ocean. He turned and smiled. “The name’s Jesse. Nice to meet you boys.”
Patrick shook his hand and introduced himself. Jesse had a strong grip. Rick nodded his head and walked toward the boat.
“Is there a storm coming or something?” Patrick asked. The waves crashed against the pier.
“Didn’t hear anything about a storm, but the wind is pushing pretty hard. You’ll be all right,” Jesse said.
A heavy-set, weathered-looking man walked to the front of the boat and gestured the crowd toward him. He crossed his arms and smiled.
“Welcome friends,” he said, setting one foot on the edge of the boat. “Are y’all ready for the trip of a lifetime?”
“What’s biting?” Rick yelled with his hands cupped over his mouth. He stood on his tiptoes to get a better look at the captain.
“What’s swimming?” the captain yelled back. He laughed, a toothpick sliding from one side of his mouth to the other. “I promise you’ll catch plenty.”
The crowd grew restless and mumbled to each other. Patrick felt the anticipation in his stomach. Rick walked back to stand next to him.
“This is gonna be great. You guys better keep up.”
Jesse looked down at the excited little man and grunted.
“By the way, y’all just call me Captain Calhoun,” the captain said. “The water is a bit rough today, so you probably wanna take some kind of medicine for the motion sickness.”
Patrick pulled the bottle from his pocket and shook two pills loose. He remembered the last trip he took, and how he puked for hours. He offered one to Rick and Jesse.
“No thanks. I won’t be needing any of that,” Rick said with a smirk.
“Suit yourself, buddy,” Jesse said as he slapped the pills into his mouth.
“Once we get out there, we can’t turn back. We got some cots in the cabin just in case you get green around the gills,” the captain said. “My deck hand, Theo, will be helping you guys with everything. Now if y’all are ready, let’s get going!”
* * * * *
Patrick stood at the edge, watching the water splash into the air as the boat cut through its surface. A group of seagulls floated above them, screaming for a free meal.
He concentrated on his breathing. Waves of nausea crept into his stomach as the boat bounced on the waves. Salty mist sprayed his face. Jesse walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
“You feeling all right, buddy?”
“Yeah, I’ll be okay. Just waiting for the pills to kick in.”
“There’s some water in the cabin,” said a man cutting up squid. Translucent goo dripped from his apron. “Don’t suggest you stay cooped up in there for long, though. Makes the sickness worse.”
“Thanks,” Patrick said. “You want some water?”
“No, I’m fine. I got all the water I need out here,” Jesse said, staring toward the horizon.
Patrick stood up and stumbled toward the cabin door. The boat rocked and swayed, slamming him against the wall. He tried to catch his balance, but was tossed against another wall, then through the door. He crashed into the cabin and onto the floor. The smell hit him.
“You okay?” a female voice asked from above.
The blood rushed to his face and he didn’t want to look at her. Her hand wrapped around his arm and helped him to his feet. A wave of sickness hit him and he sat down.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks,” he said, looking at her for the first time. The smell of vomit filled the air, and Patrick felt nauseated. He concentrated on the pretty face in front of him.
The room was full of people, all looking terrible. Some sat in the corners, their eyes squeezed shut. Rick hugged a pillow, sweat beading his forehead. Patrick laughed to himself. The girl had a man’s head in her lap and ran her fingers through his hair. She smiled at Patrick, a bit of dried vomit on her chin.
“I’m Sarah. This is my brother, Bruce.”
“Patrick. Is he gonna be all right?”
“I don’t think he has anything left in his stomach, but he’ll be fine. It’s his first trip.”
“And you?” Patrick asked, pointing at her chin.
She turned red and rubbed her sleeve across her face. Bruce moaned and shifted under her.
“Did I get it?” she asked. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“You got it, don’t worry about it,” Patrick laughed.
Bruce jolted awake, his eyes bugging out of his head. He jumped up with his hand over his mouth, but didn’t make it far. A stream of brown liquid shot from between his lips and splashed onto a cooler.
“I’m guessing that was where the water was?” Patrick asked, covering his nose.
“Yeah, sorry about that. He’s been sick this entire trip so far.”
“No problem. It was nice to meet you, Sarah, but I think I’m gonna head outside.”
She extended her hand, but brought it back to cover her own mouth. She shook her head and gestured for Patrick to leave.
As the fresh air hit him, he heard splashing and heaving from behind him. Theo the deck hand continued to cut squid and nodded his head as Patrick walked by.
Patrick walked toward Jesse and sat down. The man looked at ease, smiling as the waves crashed all around them.
“Do not go into the cabin. Trust me,” Patrick said.
“Don’t plan to. It’s way too beautiful out here.”
A soft crackling emitted from the speaker above their heads.
“Sorry about the rough ride, folks. We’re not too far from our first stop now, just a few more miles. Just hang in there, the fun is about to begin.”
Theo walked up, a greasy bucket in his hand. He grabbed poles and baited them, piercing the squid with the metal hooks. He turned and smiled at Patrick and Jesse.
The boat came to a stop after another hour. Everyone held a baited pole, eagerly holding the line over the water. A large portion of the group stayed in the cabin.
“Okay folks, drop your lines!” yelled the captain through the speaker.
The reels screeched as everyone dropped their bait into the water. Patrick watched his chunk of squid disappear into the depths. Jesse stood next to him, his thumb over the open face of his reel.
Shouts rang out all around them as poles bent toward the water. Patrick felt a tug on his line, and he tugged back. Jesse whooped and hollered as he began reeling in his catch. Patrick laughed as he reeled, the fish on the other end fighting for its life. A red scaly fish emerged from the water, its eyes bulging from its head.
“Nice one, buddy. But not as nice as mine,” Jesse said, displaying his catch, about twice the size of Patrick’s.
Theo strolled by, unhooking fish and re-baiting hooks. He grunted as he did this, not speaking to anyone. He stomped away, his boots squishing with every step.
A figure burst through the cabin door and ran to the edge of the boat. His legs kicked as he retched into the sea. He pulled himself up and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. It was Rick.
“Nice one, Rick! Keep throwing out that chum for us, buddy!” Jesse yelled, elbowing Patrick and laughing.
Rick held his hand in the air and extended his middle finger. Patrick and Jesse snickered as they both dropped their lines back in the water.
They stayed at that spot for about half an hour, steadily catching fish before the captain’s voice rang out again.
“Okay, folks! Reel ‘em in, let’s move onto the next spot!”
* * * * *
Patrick breathed in and out as the boat plowed through the ocean. The taste of bile stung the back of his throat. The ride got rougher as they pushed forward, and the sickness threatened to return.
He stumbled back into the cabin, grabbing anything he could for support. The smell of fresh vomit hit him like a punch in the face. His stomach rumbled. He covered his mouth and searched for a place to unload his sickness.
He found a small sink near the restroom, leaned his head over, and heaved into it. Vomit filled the sink to the brim, the drain bubbling as it swallowed the mess. Patrick wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt and took long deep breaths. He staggered toward an empty cot and plopped himself down.
“Welcome to the party,” Sarah said. She sat in the same spot as before, Bruce unconscious next to her.
“I just need to lie here for a minute.”
Patrick closed his eyes and imagined himself at home, lying in his bed. He drifted into a dream.
He stood on the deck, holding a fishing pole. The line grew tight, and something strong tugged on the other end. He yanked on the pole, rotating the reel as fast as he could. He peered over the side of the boat.
Something white thrashed in the water. Patrick kept reeling, pulling the creature out of the sea. A human baby dangled from his line. The hook protruded from the side of its cheek. Its eyes bulged from its head, arms and legs flailing.
“That one’s too small. Gonna have to throw it back.”
Patrick turned to face the speaker. A giant red fish smiled at him, a gasping woman in its grasp. It dropped her to the deck with a thud. She writhed on the ground, wheezing for air.
“Now, this one is a keeper.”
It placed its foot on the woman’s head, reached down, and yanked the hook from her mouth.
The sounds of crashing waves jerked Patrick awake. His clothes stuck to his damp skin. The boat wasn’t moving. They had stopped and Patrick saw people standing outside with poles in hand.
Sarah lay face down on the bed, Bruce snoring beside her. Rick looked cramped and uncomfortable on his cot. He moaned and whined as the boat rocked.
Patrick stood up and stretched. His stomach felt better, and he wanted to get outside. Who knows how many fish he could have caught by now.
“What the fuck is that?”
Patrick didn’t recognize the voice, but looked out of the window. A small group of people stared at something on the deck. They all jumped back, their eyes wide.
“Get if off me! Somebody get if off!”
A man sprang up and struggled with something on his face. He screamed as he tossed his body against the wall. Jesse ran forward, trying to calm the man down and get a look.
“Holy shit!” he yelled as he backed away from the man.
Patrick swung the door open and ran toward the commotion.
The man lay on the deck, rolling around and whimpering. What looked like a starfish clung to his face, covering everything except his mouth. Jesse bent down and pulled on it, but with no success. The man’s screams turned to gurgles as blood oozed from between his lips.
Jesse pulled, the veins in his neck bulging. The man quieted and stopped thrashing.
Patrick leaned down and touched the surface of the creature. It cracked open and a large yellow eye stared back at them.
“Oh, Jesus!” He pulled his hand away and backed up.
The eye darted in all directions, looking at the spectators surrounding it. It pulsated on the man’s face, blood dripping from all sides.
A scream rang out from across the deck.
More screams echoed through the boat as the starfish attached themselves to flesh. Jesse ran toward a woman, one of the creatures stuck to her neck. He tugged on it, clenching his teeth.
Patrick backed away from the bloody scene. People struggled and thrashed as they pulled on the things attached to their skin. He pushed the door open with his foot and scrambled into the cabin. He slammed the door, jolting the others awake.
“Patrick? What’s going on?” Sarah said as she sat up. She looked around at the screaming people outside.
“There’s something out there. I—I don’t know what it is.”
“Will you shut the fuck up, I was just finally—” Rick started to say as he glanced out the window. “What the hell?”
The door burst open. Everyone jumped as Jesse crashed to the floor.
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” Rick asked, with a suspicious smirk on his face.
Jesse looked up at him, breathing in heavy gasps. “Some kind of animal is attacking everyone. I don’t know—”
He clutched his side and shrieked.
Patrick kneeled down. “Are you hurt?”
Jesse grabbed Patrick’s arm and grunted. “On the side of my stomach.”
Patrick lifted Jesse’s shirt. The yellow eye stared back at him.
“What the fuck is that?” Bruce asked from beside Sarah. His face contorted and he ran to the door with his hand over his mouth. He left a trail of vomit as he jerked the door open.
“Bruce! Come back!” Sarah yelled.
“Don’t go out there, man!” Patrick said, but was too late.
Bruce leaned over the side and emptied his stomach into the water. They watched as he wiped the bile from his mouth.
A tentacle burst from the ocean and thrashed above him. The suckers throbbed over his head. Before anyone could shout a warning, it shot forward and wrapped around his face, dragging him toward the edge.
“Bruce!” Sarah jumped up and ran toward her brother. Patrick wrapped his arms around her waist and held tight.
Bruce’s muffled screams were barely audible as he stretched his hands toward them. His body disappeared over the edge with a splash.
Sarah collapsed to the floor and wept. Patrick slammed the door shut and looked around the room for anything heavy.
“Help me, God damn it!” he yelled at Rick, who sat curled into a ball on his cot.
Jesse continued to grunt in pain, blood soaking his shirt. Patrick pushed everything he could find against the door. Cots and coolers stacked on top of each other. The familiar crackling of the speaker filled the room.
“This is your captain speaking. I just wanted to apologize for this slight inconvenience. I want you all to know it’s nothing personal. It’ll be over soon, I promise.”
“That sorry motherfucker!” Rick said from the corner of the room. “He knew about this. He knew these things were here!”
Sarah bawled on the floor.
Patrick walked over to Jesse. “How you doing?”
“I c—can’t breathe.”
He convulsed on the ground, trying to suck in air. His face turned blue. His eyes bloodshot.
“Hang in there, Jesse.”
Jesse exhaled loudly and lay still.
Patrick leaned over his body. The eye of the starfish stared at him unblinking. He jumped as a loud bang exploded from the door.
“What y’all doing in there?” said a shrill voice. Another loud bang and the cots spilled over each other.
Theo stared into the room. Patrick shuddered at the malevolence in the deckhand’s eyes. A long pole with a hook on the end poked through the door.
“Leave us alone!” Sarah screamed. She stared at the door with wide eyes.
Theo slammed his body against the door, tossing the makeshift barrier aside. He stepped into the cabin with a smile.
“Howdy, folks.”
Patrick ran at the deckhand. Theo slammed the pole into the side of his face. He crashed to the ground, his ears ringing.
Theo reached for Sarah, laughing as he ran his hands down her legs. She screamed and kicked at him.
“Settle down, bitch.”
Patrick rubbed the burning on the side of his head. His vision blurry, he saw Rick jump on Theo’s back, baring his teeth. Theo ignored the small man clinging to him and swung his hook toward Sarah. It slammed into her calf, the metal piercing her flesh.
Rick clawed at Theo’s face. Sarah shrieked in pain as blood pumped from her leg.
“You feisty little fucker,” Theo said as he flipped Rick over his shoulder. Rick landed on the ground and struggled to get back up. Theo pulled his filet knife from its holster at his waist. Rick tried to scramble away, but the blade found his back.
Rick looked at Patrick as Theo twisted the handle. The deckhand slammed his greasy boot into the back of Rick’s neck, pressing him to the floor.
“You’re next, cowboy,” Theo said, staring at Patrick. He pulled the knife from Rick’s back, lifted his head by the hair, and ran the blade across his throat.
Sarah screamed behind him, the bloody hook in her hand. Theo turned, growling as he prepared to jump on her. She swung the pole, the hook catching him on the face. He gasped and dropped the knife.
The hook punctured his cheek, the metal shining from within his mouth. Sarah held the pole tight as Theo struggled.
Patrick jumped up. He leaped over Rick’s body and grabbed the knife. Theo saw him coming, but Sarah held him in place. He reached his hand toward Patrick as he ran at him.
Patrick pushed the knife into Theo’s chest. The deckhand stopped struggling with Sarah and wrapped his fingers around the hilt. He smiled at Patrick.
“You’re both gonna die.”
He fell to his knees, Sarah still holding the pole. The hook tore his cheek open and ripped free as his body dipped toward the floor. Blood poured from the ragged flesh. Sarah dropped the pole and crawled to the corner of the room. Theo gurgled as his body fell on top of Rick.
Patrick ran to Sarah. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head from side to side, covering her face.
“What in the hell happened in here?”
Sarah screamed and Patrick jumped. He grabbed the pole and turned to face the voice. Captain Calhoun pointed a gun at them.
“Don’t do anything stupid. This has gone far enough.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I made a deal.”
“What do you want from us?” Sarah said. Her bloodshot eyes bored into the captain.
He laughed as he walked forward. “I just plan on keeping my end of the deal, that’s all.”
Jesse stood up.
Patrick looked out of the windows and saw the others standing as well. The eyes on the starfish darted all around.
“Oh, God,” Sarah whimpered.
“You see, these are the most fertile waters I have ever fished,” Captain Calhoun said, still pointing his gun. “They told me as long as I bring them fresh meat, I could fish all I wanted. Been making a killing.”
Jesse walked toward the captain with jerky movements, his limbs twitching with every step. He gasped for air, thin slits on his neck opening and closing.
“Looks like your time’s up, folks.”
Patrick held Sarah in his arms as the rest of the people entered the cabin. Her body shook against his, her face buried into his shoulder. Patrick braced himself as he stared at the creatures. They walked past him, not so much as acknowledging his presence.
They surrounded the captain.
“What are you doing?”
“Your time is over,” they all said in unison. Their voices sounded singsong, and they continued to approach him.
“We made a deal, God damn it! I kept my end, you bastards!”
“Our waters have suffered enough. You take more than you give, and that was not the deal. You must forfeit your life as payment.”
They descended on him like a wave. He fired his gun, dropping a few of the creatures before the horde surrounded him. He screamed as they tore at his flesh, stuffing bits into their mouths. The captain struggled, but there were too many of them. His screaming became a gurgle, then all went silent.
Sarah jammed her face into Patrick’s chest. Patrick could only watch. The son of a bitch deserved all of it.
The creatures stood, all grabbing bits of the captain. The bodies of Theo and Rick, as well as the fallen creatures, were grabbed also. They all turned toward Patrick and Sarah, gasping for breath. As they stared with bloodshot eyes, a piercing high pitched screech emitted from their throats, their gills throbbing on their necks. Patrick felt Sarah shudder in his grasp. The creatures turned their backs on them, the pieces of the captain dripping blood onto the floor. They dove over the edge of the boat and splashed into the sea, taking their meat with them.
Jesse hesitated and looked back at Patrick and Sarah. His gills pulsated as he cocked his head to the side. The head of the captain swung from his grasp. He turned and followed the others into the water.
Patrick and Sarah stayed glued to their spot. The blood of the dead smeared the floor.
“What now?” Sarah asked.
“Do you know how to drive a boat?”
The boat rocked violently. Patrick was flung against the wall, Sarah falling to the floor. She grabbed at her leg and winced.
“What the hell was that?”
A tentacle exploded from the water and hovered over the boat. More tentacles gripped the edges, splintering the wood.
Patrick crawled toward Sarah and held her tight.
The seagulls screeched above them, waiting for their share.
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