For a long moment, no one spoke. Just the sound of the man struggling to breathe. Sharp. Uneven. Desperate. Jack grabbed a bottle and pressed it into his hand. “Easy… you’re okay.” The man nodded weakly, taking a small sip. Andrew crouched beside him. “Can you hear me?” Another nod. His eyes were still wide. Shaken. “What happened?” Andrew asked.
The man swallowed hard. “I… hooked something,” he said, voice rough. Jack and Andrew exchanged a quick glance. “Big,” he continued. “Really big.” He winced, glancing down at his ankle. “The line snapped tight… wrapped around my leg before I even realized.” Jack’s grip tightened. “I tried to steady myself,” the man said. “Grabbed for anything…”
He paused. “…I grabbed the throttle.” Andrew’s eyes widened. “The boat surged forward,” he continued, breathing unevenly. “And it just—” He gestured weakly toward the water. “—pulled me straight off.” Silence fell over them. The ocean stretched endlessly around them. Calm. Like nothing had happened. The man looked at both of them.
Voice quieter now. “I thought I was gone.” Andrew shook his head slightly. “…Not today.” The man exhaled. Then said softly— “I wasn’t lucky.” “I was found.”