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Tanner didn’t want to go. Miriam could tell. After their conversation on the pier, she wondered whether he had any curiosity left in him at all. Macy, of course, had no trouble flat out refusing, but it was more complicated with Tanner. He hadn’t said no, exactly, or even resisted. He had just sighed, dropped his shoulders, and told Macy to have fun. Miriam felt bad. A little. But she needed him.
The Mama Jean skipped over rough waters, the crisp sea-winds blowing Miriam’s hair into a frenzy until she managed to tame it in a ponytail. Newt sat on a higher level, behind a plexiglass shield, smiling at nothing, still wearing his sunglasses despite the waning sun.
Tanner sat across from her on a padded bench with frayed stitches. He was making a point not to look at her.
“Thanks for coming with me,” she shouted, hoping to be loud enough for Tanner to hear without Newt being able to eavesdrop.
Tanner just nodded, so Miriam moved across to sit next to him. He briefly acknowledged her. From here, they could have something more like a regular conversation. Neither of them liked to talk. Most of the time, they didn’t even need to. She would know when Tanner needed a gun, or a knife, or a light. She would know if she should follow closely or hang back. But for all the little nuances of their communication, she couldn’t quite figure out why he was so resistant to this endeavor.
“Aren’t you excited?” she asked.
Tanner looked at her this time, his blue eyes considering her. He looked like he wanted to say something, but then reconsidered, nodded once again, and faced back out to the ocean. Miriam knew what Excited Tanner looked like, and this wasn’t it. The Tanner beside her seemed worried, frustrated, and maybe a little bit angry.
She wanted to ask him to explain his feelings, but she didn’t really know how. It wasn’t something either of them had ever done. They shared respect and love, but, just as they’d been taught, it remained unspoken. Miriam felt the heat rising in her cheeks, along with a wave of indignation. She wanted to be excited. She wanted to share it with him. Why wouldn’t he engage?
“We might be able to do something Dad never could,” she said, hoping to stoke a fire within him. “There might really be something out here. And we could find it.”
Tanner looked at her again, poised to say something until he choked down his words. There was something new and different going on. Something she had never considered Tanner was capable of.
Fear.
“What? Say it,” Miriam pleaded.
He sighed, “You just don’t get it. What are we even doing?”
Miriam didn’t understand. They were doing what they trained to do for their entire lives.
“What do you mean?”
The boat hit a particularly big wave, causing them both to bounce. Miriam braced herself against the back of the bench. When the ride smoothed out again, Tanner pursed his lips, and Miriam felt certain he would clam up and never answer her question. Then he exploded.
“Cornelius is dead, Miriam! Dead!” he shouted, surely loud enough for Newt to hear.
Tanner’s words winded her. Miriam gasped, fought back stinging tears, and crossed her arms over her chest. Of course Cornelius was dead. She knew that. She didn’t need reminding.
“I know that, Tanner. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I have to find this thing. To show that he didn’t lose his life for nothing.” She tried to explain it calmly, but it came out too fast, her words falling over one another and threatening to become gibberish.
Tanner shook his head. The fear, frustration and worry all disappeared. Unlike the tears that Miriam fought back, Tanner’s eyes burned with anger.
“Why? So, you can die too!?”
The engine on the Mama Jean grew quieter, and the boat slowed down until it was coasting over the water at a smooth, hurried pace. Tanner’s words hung over them, piercing into the quiet ocean air. Newt most certainly heard the last part.
Miriam took deep, long breaths, trying to center herself, but her heart beat too fast for her to slow it down. Anger-fueled adrenaline coursed through her. She shot to her feet, where she wobbled, almost slipped, then fell back onto her bench.
Newt took the stairs down from the Captain’s perch two at a time, his long legs planting his feet surely on the wet deck of Mama Jean. Newt’s face no longer wore a smile.
Miriam felt certain Newt would comment on the argument, making the tense situation even worse, but he didn’t. Instead, he walked to the bow of the ship, between Tanner and Miriam, and slipped off his glasses to stare out onto the ocean.
“Here she is. The vortex.”
Miriam ran her eyes over the horizon in front of them and saw only water, calmer than what they had just navigated through, but otherwise nothing special. If there was a color difference, she couldn’t see it. She wondered whether Newt had even taken them to the right place.
As if he could sense Miriam’s distrust, Newt offered a steady hand to pull her up. “Come with me, pretty lady. I wanna show you something.”
She took his hand and floated to her feet, surprised at the strength in his wiry frame, then followed him up to his perch. Tanner stayed behind.
Once they were behind the plexiglass shield, Newt dusted off a small screen with his hand and pointed at it. “That’s the depth.”
It read just over two hundred feet. Deep, sure, but nothing out of the ordinary. A depth that Miriam expected in the gulf water this far from the coast. Unimpressed, she looked back out to the waters in front of them.
“No, no,” Newt said. “Wait for it. Keep looking. We’re almost there.”
Miriam looked back down. The depth remained relatively steady, moving only a few feet in either direction, but then the number shot up, from two hundred to just under six hundred.
Six hundred feet? Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas came in at almost seven hundred. How could this exist without being cataloged alongside all the other holes?
Any anger Miriam held for Tanner evaporated with excitement. “Tanner! Come here. Look at this. This thing is huge.”
Tanner was slow to get up, but he started to make his way to them.
“How wide is it?” she asked Newt.
Newt tilted his head back and forth. “Not sure, exactly. Twenty, Thirty yards maybe. Never measured. It’s big, though. And there ain’t no fish here. Never is. Never was.”
Tanner joined them in the cockpit, his eyes finding the depth finder without assistance. Miriam watched his face, hoping for a spark of excitement. Maybe it was there. The smallest glimmer.
A radio crackled to life. “Mama Jean. Come back to me. Over.”
Tanner tapped her on the shoulder and pointed out in front of them to the silhouette of another ship. It was too far away to make out, but Miriam knew from the voice on the radio exactly who it was.
Newt cocked an eyebrow. “Excuse me a second.” Picking up the worn CB handset, Newt pressed in the button. “This is Mama Jean. What you need, Bark? Over.”
“Turn around, Newt. Those kids shouldn’t be out here!” Bark’s voice reverberated.
Miriam took offense at being called a kid, but, moreover, even though Bark had made it very clear that he wouldn’t go near the vortex, there he was, a few hundred feet away. The hair on the back of Miriam’s neck prickled. Something strange was afoot.
“They ain’t hurtin’ nothin’, Bark. Go back to your fishin’.”
Fishing. Bark’s job. And something he couldn’t do here. Newt said there were no fish. Miriam’s heart sunk deep into the bowels of her gut. Every one of her honed senses started going off. Maybe it wasn’t a kraken, per se. But something bad.
“I think he’s right,” Miriam suggested, “We should probably turn back. It’s almost dark.”
“Newt, don’t do this to them,” Bark’s voice came back over the radio.
Out of the corner of her eye, Miriam sensed Tanner’s body stiffen, instantly alerting her to an impending move.
Tanner pushed Newt against the back of the cockpit and stood menacingly in front of him. “What’s he talking about?”
Newt shrugged, his eyes wide. “I don’t know, man. Honestly. Bark’s crazy.”
The boat shook, knocking Miriam to the ground. Newt slumped against the wall but held his footing while Tanner managed to plant his hands on either side of Newt to keep his balance. Miriam tried to scramble back to her feet but once she got to her knees the boat reeled, spinning around. She tumbled against the floor, her body jolting towards the doorway. She looked down the wet metal stairs leading to the deck, then past the bow of the ship where something writhed in the water, thick tendrils of muscle shifting in and out of the waves. It could only be one thing.
Miriam gasped and grabbed at the railing to haul herself back up. After pulling herself half way, she felt two strong arms lift her by the armpits, planting her back on her feet.
Tanner shouted into the cockpit, “Get us out of here. Now!”
Miriam couldn’t see inside, but she heard the engine of the Mama Jean start. The boat surged forward.
“Get inside!” Tanner shouted as he pushed Miriam into the cockpit with Newt.
She watched as one of his feet stepped into the cockpit with her, but then Tanner disappeared, backward and over the railing. Breathing hard, Miriam ran to the door, careful to hold on to the frame. Tanner held on to the railing, his biceps pushed to their limits, veins popping out down his arms. Miriam lunged toward him and grabbed one of his hands.
“Newt! Help me!” she shouted behind her.
Miriam looked down Tanner’s body to see a slimy, wet tentacle snaking out of the water and wrapping his legs together at the ankles.
She planted her feet under the bottom rail and held tight to Tanner. The force of his weight pulled hard against her, shooting hot pain up her legs. She gripped Tanner’s wrist with her other hand and pulled as hard as she could, locking her eyes onto his.
“Hold on! Hold on!”
He inched towards her and she pulled harder. The motor of the Mama Jean sputtered and whined, pulling against the force of the tentacle. She wanted Newt’s help to pry Tanner free, but she needed him at the wheel even more. The boat started to dip towards Tanner. Surely this thing couldn’t capsize them. Not a boat this size.
Miriam’s ankles and shoulders screamed for relief, but she refused to let go. The tension slacked and as the boat tilted upright his head slammed into the railing with a thud. Miriam held on, but with Tanner’s weight pulling down on her arm, she wouldn’t be able to hold on for long.
Then, Tanner’s handhold on the rail relaxed, and fell. Miriam tried to grab his wrist, but she was too late. The blow to his head had knocked Tanner unconscious and she wouldn’t be able to reel him back in. He slipped further down, as Miriam folded herself over the railing, the hard metal digging deep into her ribs.
“No!” she protested, but it was too late. Tanner slipped from her grip and into the water.
He was right there. At the base of the ship. She could see him. She could save him. Miriam yanked off her shirt and shimmied her jean shorts down to the floor, stripping down to the one-piece bathing suit she wore underneath. As she dove into the water, Newt shouted after her. She didn’t know or care what he said.
She popped up to the surface and coughed out warm, salty water. He should be right here. Miriam stretched her arms around her in every direction and scanned the dimly lit surface for any sign of Tanner. He had to be here. Dammit. Where was he?
Water splashed onto her face just as his body popped up ahead of her. She swam — hard — but he was moving through the water, not floating. She couldn’t catch him. That thing had him. It was the only explanation. She pushed hard, throwing her hands over into the water and kicking as fast as she could. With each breath, she made sure that she could still see Tanner’s body gliding away from her.
Tanner stopped suddenly, and Miriam almost bowled him over with her frantic stroke. She had him. She could see his chest rising.
“You’re gonna be okay,” she promised through ragged breaths. “I got ya. I got ya.”
His eyes fluttered, and then snapped open. “Miriam?”
Miriam felt hot tears push their way onto her face. “Yeah. I’m here. Can you swim?”
Tanner wriggled out from her grip and pushed himself upright to tread water. He winced. “I don’t know. My ankles.”
Miriam nodded and offered a relieved, blubbering laugh. “It’s okay. I can get you back.”
At least she hoped she could. Miriam was unsure how far she’d swum from the Mama Jean. A quick scan of the horizon showed that it wasn’t far, steadily puttering toward them with a searchlight brightly shining their direction. They were still too far away to be fully illuminated, but Newt had the right track. It would only be a couple of minutes.
Miriam held Tanner close to her, one arm hooked under his so that he could float on his back. They needed to get out of the water, but she was so tired. She couldn’t catch her breath, and Tanner’s dense, muscular frame was too much for her to pull. She tried to kick forward towards the boat but moved slower than she wanted.
That thing was out there. What had she been thinking? Tanner was right. This whole thing was utter madness. They didn’t need to do this. They needed to live. They needed to keep each other. Tanner was the only family she had left. She wouldn’t lose him. Not tonight. Not ever.
After an excruciatingly long wait, she heard Newt holler across the water, “Ahoy there!”
Only a little further now. A life preserver splashed into the water. Relieved, Miriam lunged at it and grabbed hold, then secured Tanner.
Newt pulled on the rope attached to the preserver and Tanner glided away from her. Lighter now, she ducked down and started a freestyle stroke towards the Mama Jean. They’d made it. They would be all right.
Her speed outpaced that of Tanner’s, and before long Miriam pulled herself up on the deck, salt water rushing off her. She bent over and grabbed her knees, taking deep breaths. She didn’t allow herself long before she sidled up next to Newt and took the rope behind him. She pulled as hard as her tired muscles would allow.
“Oh, Jesus!” Newt exclaimed.
Miriam peered around his frame and saw writhing in the water. Her heart sank.
“Pull, Newt. Hard!” she yelled as she heeded her own advice, ignoring the pain against the tender parts of her hands.
Newt leaned further and pulled harder, but the rope started moving the other direction, burning Miriam’s hands. She couldn’t grip it. She grunted and screamed and blinked away hot tears. She fell to the deck, trying to use her weight to anchor herself, but she only slid towards the railing. She shook her head. She wouldn’t give up. She couldn’t give up. The line went slack. Miriam wailed.
Without giving it a thought, she tossed herself back into the ocean, but saw no sign of Tanner, the life preserver, or the rope. She turned in every direction, drowning out the cries from Newt for her to get back on the boat. She would find him. He would resurface and she would be ready.
She waited, and when the waiting became too painful, she swam. She picked a direction and pushed forward, stopping periodically to catch her breath and scan the waters. There was nothing. No signs. Minutes passed by, and Miriam felt the hope draining out of her. She would not accept this. Not Tanner.
Her face burned, and she couldn’t breathe. She considered diving. Not because she thought she could find him there, but because maybe then she could join him. But she didn’t. She only swam and surveyed and swam some more. The Mama Jean caught up and trailed beside her. Newt begged her to get back on the boat.
That probably made more sense. The boat was safer and potentially faster, but no. She needed to be here. With him. As long as she stayed in the water, then she was with Tanner. He would pop back up. He had to.
But she knew he wouldn’t. It had been too long. She stopped swimming and gave up, relaxing her muscles. If she drowned, she didn’t care.
Newt would have none of it, though. He pulled up beside her limp silhouette floating in the ocean and reached down a huge fishing net on a pole.
“I don’t know if this will work, pretty lady, but I’ll scoop you out if I have to,” he said, far too exuberant for Miriam to accept.
She gave in to his pleas and hoisted herself up the side of the ship and collapsed on the deck. Newt didn’t stop to check on her or make sure she was okay. Instead, he rushed up to the cockpit and fired Mama Jean’s motor for all it would take.
Miriam laid on the deck and cried.
