They both turned at once. Scanning the horizon. “Where was that?” Jack whispered. Andrew didn’t answer. He was already moving—eyes sweeping across the water. Nothing. Just open ocean. Jack stepped higher, trying to get a better angle. “I don’t see anything.” The sound didn’t come again. For a second, Andrew wondered if they imagined it.
Then— there. A faint disturbance. Far out. A small splash. Then gone. Jack pointed. “There! Did you see that?” Andrew fired the engine. The boat roared back to life. “Hold on.” They surged forward. Cutting through the water fast. Eyes locked on the spot. But as they got closer— it disappeared. Jack’s voice tightened. “Where’d it go?!” Andrew pushed harder. “Keep looking!”
Then— another splash. Closer this time. Not random. Not waves. Something moving. Something struggling. Jack leaned forward. “Straight ahead!” Andrew adjusted course. The distance closed fast. And then— they saw it. A shape in the water. A person. Barely visible.
And something about the way he moved— was very, very wrong.