It hovered there in the water, immense and unmistakable, waiting. Marcus froze, suspended in the water, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. The shadow loomed in the distance, not advancing, not circling — just hanging there as if it had been waiting for him all along. He tightened his grip on the camera, uncertain whether to lift it or let it hang uselessly at his side.
Instinct screamed at him to swim back toward the boat, but another voice, quieter yet insistent, urged him to stay. If it meant to strike, it would have done so already. His breaths came slow and heavy, each exhale bubbling toward the surface. He narrowed his eyes, trying to pierce the blue between them, but the distance played tricks on scale.