After twenty minutes of grueling exertion, the creature finally began to yield to the pressure. Mike worked the reel slowly, pumping the rod up and down as he brought the heavy mass toward the surface. He peered into the clear ocean water, expecting to see the sleek gray shadow of a hammerhead or the broad silhouette of a tiger shark.
Instead, a blinding, unnatural shimmer broke the light beneath the boat. Mike blinked, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. Rising through the water was a creature of brilliant, glowing orange—a shade as vivid as a fiery sunset.
It was roughly six feet long, with a broad, prehistoric head and ridge-like scutes running down its back. Its pale, ghostly eyes seemed to reflect the morning sun. Mike stood frozen on the deck, his heart pounding in his chest. It looked like a mythical monster, a living anomaly rising from the depths.