Page 55 of Totally Shipped
“Don’t splash, don’t move,” I shout out. I’m pretty sure that’s the right thing to do. Despite the bad rep, sharks don’t often attack humans unprompted—I think.
The shark slides under the body of the water again.
Think, Gray, think.
The shark fin slashes through the water towards us and nudges at the raft. Daisy screams as it rocks, and some of the wood comes loose. The bamboo was barely lashed together in the first place, and under the battering of half a ton of shark muscle, it doesn’t stand a chance.
“He’s coming again,” cries Leander. “I’ll get in the way.” The shark’s great head rises out of the water, and the jaws crunch down on the battered Mary-Mo buoyancy aid.
It’s never going to give up.
“GRAY!” screams Daisy. I put out my hand to comfort her, and that’s when I see her bleeding leg. A steady flow of blood trickles down her thigh and through the bamboo slats of the raft.
Blood in the water.
“BLOOD! DAISY’S LEG!” I shout. “WRAP SOMETHING AROUND IT!”
She immediately grabs at the clothing lashed to the life ring and pulls some toward her leg, but the raft is rocking wildly and she starts to slide.
The shark splits the ocean, the great mouth grinning as it races towards us.
Daisy is trying to scramble backwards, Leander is plunging under the water towards the beast, and Killian is swimming to the back of the raft, aiming to pull Daisy out of reach. Harvey is thrashing beside me, going completely crazy, clinging to me and the raft.
“LEANDER!” Daisy screams.
“HARVEY! LET GO!” I yell, desperate to get him off me. The shark tail thrashes in the water; there is chaos and churning water everywhere.
Once again, Harvey starts pulling himself up on the raft, almost capsizing it. I try to punch him, but miss.
He’s stretching past me, trying to grab something.
A second later he has a jagged length of bamboo in his hand. Time slows as I watch him plunge it into his wrist, then pull it out. Again and again he stabs—blood begins to gush.
“To save Brooke. To save my baby,” he croaks, then pushes away into the ocean, thrashing about, screaming at the shark.
“OVER HERE! OVER HERE!”
I watch as he stabs his shoulder, trying to get more blood into the water.
With a flick of the tail, the shark goes under again, this time coming up, jaw open and lines of dagger-like teeth just inches from Harvey.
There is a terrible noise and Harvey screams.
I swear I can hear his bones snap.
“SWIM!” yells Killian.
He’s right, we have to go…NOW!
Holding on to the raft, I kick with everything I have. Daisy and the baby are the only things that matter. “Hold on, Daisy.” I’m praying the raft structure will maintain for just a little longer, the shore is so close.
She’s screaming and crying, completely incoherent.
I glance up and see Daisy looking over our heads. Harvey’s screams have been cut short with a grotesque gurgle. Horror is reflected in her face.
“NEARLY THERE…” I scream.
My feet touch sand.
