The rain was merciless, dripping down his collar, turning the steel under his boots into ice-slick treachery. His rope slid dangerously in his wet hands. He paused, gasping, forehead pressed against the hull. One wrong move and he’d fall into the churning black water below, his little skiff already looking like a toy rocking in the storm.
Above him, the sky cracked again with thunder. Lightning flashed close enough to make his hair prickle. The thought of being a dangling target on a wet rope sent a new surge of fear through him. He climbed faster, forcing his aching muscles onward. Every pull felt heavier than the last, but he refused to stop.