Homer could not believe it, out of all the stupid people out fishing in a storm like this, he had to be the one to catch the most notorious fish out there. Sure he had dreamed of one day catching Barracuda just to say he did, but why today? He wanted to get back on land before the storm really did any damage and now thanks to the idea of competition, he was now stuck out in the Atlantic with a hurricane bearing down on him and a fish on the other end of the line that would not let go.
Homer began to reel the fish in, but as soon as he did so, he could feel the weight of the animal as it tried to fight back and bring him down into the deep ocean with him. Homer knew he had to hang on though and tried his best to keep his weight back against the boat, away from the edge so he would not fall in. But thanks to the rain that was now falling at a steady pace, the floor of the boat was now very slippery and trying to stand up straight was a very big challenge.
Roger and Barney stood beside him, not sure what to do in this situation, knowing how important it was for the fisherman to get his fish in as quickly as as safely as he could. Both of course were very nervous, and both were thinking that it was better to cut the line and just get moving, but maybe, just maybe, Homer could bring the fish in in less time it took for someone to do so. Of course that had to be a miracle for that to happen. If Homer needed them, he would call, but right now he was too busy fighting the marlin to say anything at all to them.
Moe of course was watching from the captains room, wondering the same thing that Roger and Barney were thinking. Should they just let the fish go? Sure the fish was famous in these parts, and sure it had killed his uncle those years ago, but was it worth fighting for in this weather?
"Patrick to Moe! Patrick to Moe! Are you really thinking of bringing that fish in in this weather? Over!" Patrick called on the radio while his boat drove by them. Moe picked up the receiver and answered back.
"I believe Homer is thinking that yes," Moe replied grumpily.
"Well then good luck to you, I'm heading back to land where it's safer," Patrick said.
"Yeah you do that, ya moron, thanks for risking our lives, I'll make sure my fist meets your nose later," Moe said back with a growl hoping that Patrick got the message that what he made them do was a stupid risk.
"Hey the last time I went fishing, the weather wasn't this bad, not my fault it decided to turn to crap," Patrick said.
"Yeah but it's your fault we're stuck out here now, if we don't come back in one piece, your ass is mine," Moe said angrily.
"Yeah well, you have to come back first," Patrick said.
Moe was about to retaliate in anger, but Patrick had shut off his radio and could not be spoken to. The damn coward, he left them out there to fend for themselves, some competitor he was. Moe growled under his breath and looked outside at Homer and the guys. Homer was hanging on for dear life on a slippery deck while Barracuda showed no signs of giving up without a fight. Moe knew the fish well, he heard stories from other fisherman how they would fight for hours and almost get him in before he would cut the line and disappear the way he came. There was no way they would be able to land him any time soon. Homer needed to cut the line, they had to get out of there before the storm got any worse.
"Homah!" Moe called through the intercom.
"Ask that bastard what he wants would ya Barney?" Homer asked, not taking his eyes off the fishing pole.
Barney turned around and gave Moe a questionable look before Moe responded back. "Tell Homah to cut the line, we got to get out of here!" Moe yelled.
Barney nodded and turned to Homer. "Homer we need to get out of here!"
"But Barracuda is on the end!" Homer yelled. Sure he was scared and sure their lives were at stake, but now his adrenaline was pumping and he was willing to fight until the storm was over.
"I don't care if Farrah Fawcett is trying to hook up with us we got to get out of here!" Moe yelled.
Homer did not reply, he just kept his eyes on the pole and the prize as the fish lept out of the water just two hundred feet from them before diving back down and disappearing to dive as far as it could go. Now that the thrill of the chase was on, he wanted to keep going, he just couldn't stop.
Roger and Barney though knew this was a terrible idea, they were not going to win this, even if they tried. Finally Roger did the most sensible thing he could think of. He grabbed his Swiss army knife and ran toward Homer. Before Homer could even react, Roger cut the line and Barracuda was gone in a flash while Homer fell backward onto the slippery deck. Moe wasted no time to start the boats engine to get out of there so he could beat the worst part of the storm and be on safer ground.
Homer of course was very angry by what happened and tried to get up off the boat deck but of course all the water on it was keeping him from doing so. "You bastard!" he said to Roger. "I almost had him, things would have been fine in a few minutes."
"No it wouldn't have Homer, you were nowhere near bringing him in and this storm is getting worse, we got to get out of here," Roger said before a huge wave came out of nowhere and pounded the boat sending Homer and the boys down the ramp and to the back of the boat.
"Hang on boys, we are in for a rough ride!" Moe called back to them as the boat dipped down a rather large wave.
Homer turned back to Roger, the look of gratefulness in his eyes. "Well I probably would have lost him any way."
"You're welcome," Roger said as he grabbed a nearby seat and began to strap himself in, hopefully they could get out of there alive.
But Roger was not fast enough and before he could snap the belt on him, a rogue wave came up out of nowhere and knocked him out of his seat. It brought enough force to bring both Homer and Barney down with it, it wasn't long before all three were sliding on the deck of the boat and into the bow before the wave disappeared.
Homer sat against the bow, sputtering and trying to shake the water out of his ears and hair. Not that it did much good, the rain continued to hammer them as they tried to stand up and make their way back to the safety of the captains quarters. They knew that would be the safest place, away from the waves and lightning.
"Boys, be careful, take it easy and hang on if we hit another wave!" Moe called from the wheel well.
None of them said anything, they knew what they had to do, like Moe said, they had to be careful and hope they would not get swept away. But their hope quickly faded when another wave hit, sending them flying against the wall of the boat. Homer felt himself fly into the air and land heavily on his side and it wasn't long before he felt a sharp pain hit him on his upper arm. Once he got his bearings, he looked it over and discovered he had hit a piece of metal that held the fishing poles. Blood was now flowing freely from the wound but he had no time to worry about it before Barney yelled out.
"Homer help!" he cried.
Homer looked up and saw Barney all the way at the back of the boat. Roger was lying beside him, motionless. The wave must have hit him so hard that he ran into something and hit his head. As quickly as he could, Homer got up and made his way to his friends side. There was a large gash on the side of his head and that was what probably knocked him out cold.
"We need to move him!" Homer cried, knowing that it was important to get him to a safe spot before any more damage could be done.
For a moment the boys slowly positioned themselves so that both could carry their friend to safety. But in the process, another large wave hit the side of the boat, sending all three of them into the side of the boat where both Barney and Homer lay there stunned for a few minutes as they tried to shake it off.
"I got to admit Homer, this is pretty scary," Barney said as he hoisted himself up.
"I know but we can do this, Moe can bring us back safely," Homer said as he tried to lift himself up only to get pummeled by an even bigger wave than the last one.
Homer quickly shook it off before turning to Roger to help move him out of the way. But he was not where he had last seen him. Homer gasped in shock and looked around the boat for any signs of Roger, but he was gone. Where did he go?
"Homer look!" Barney called out as he pointed at something in the water.
Homer looked to where Barney was pointing and saw Roger being taken away by the sea, Homer knew that sooner or later, he would sink, he had to save his friend. Remembering the rope they used to tie off at the dock, Homer grabbed the nearest one and tied it around his waist as tightly as he could.
"Hang on to me Barney, as soon as I get a hold of him you pull me in," Homer cried before he jumped in without a second thought.
Barney hung on the best he could, even though the waves kept coming at him, he still held fast, making sure he did not lose his two friends to a horrible hurricane. He turned to where Moe was driving the boat, he seemed to have stopped moving and was watching and waiting for Homer to rescue Roger. He then turned back and saw Homer making his way toward Roger who he could no longer see, but knew that Homer somehow had an eye on him and was ready to get him soon.
The next instant though caused Barney to panic. One minute, he saw Homer bobbing against the waves for a few seconds and then suddenly disappearing underwater. Barney began to wonder if he needed to pull his friend back in before he drowned. But the rope was not showing any signs of a fight on the other end, Homer had to know what he was doing. He waited ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds, and just when he was about to pull Homer back up, Homer appeared again, and he had Roger with him.
With as much strength as he could muster, Barney pulled Homer in from the dangerous waters, often getting clobbered by strong waves that nearly knocked him into the water himself. But he kept fighting until Homer finally reached the bow. He did not get in right away, instead he passed Roger over to Barney who quickly dragged his friend over to where Moe was driving while Homer helped himself out of the boat, which wasn't difficult seeing as how the way the boat moved up and down, he could easily get in.
After a few moments of negotiating his way to his friends, Homer finally collapsed beside Roger who still remained motionless. For a few moments, he lay there, letting his lungs calm down from all the work he did before finally saying anything.
"We got lucky," Homer said.
"Yeah but we still gotta get out of this storm and I can tell we have a long way to go," Moe said as he kept his eyes on the horizon.
"Just be careful, we need to get Roger back without any more damage on him," Homer said as he tried to assess his friends injuries.
"I will do my best, all we can do is hope and pray," Moe said.
Homer let out a sigh and looked up at Barney, both knew that Moe was an experienced boater, and both knew that he could get them back. When he could was the biggest question, they were already in the heart of the storm and they knew they could not get more drenched than this. Hopefully though the boat would keep going and that they would reach land safe and sound. Moe remained brave and steadied his course, not caring where he landed, just as long as they lived through it.
A/N: Please stay on the line, and while doing so please leave a review because those are very important to me. You're reviews keep me going, without them this story will disappear into nothing and you don't want that now would you?