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Quint looked at both Martin and then Hooper before looking at me. I looked down at my drink before picking up the bottle and pouring another for both him and Matt. His eyes settled on Matt as he began to speak, the story I'd heard once before when I was eighteen and had left me speechless now tumbled from his lips as if he had to tell it one final time.
"Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side. It was coming back from the island of Tinian Delady, just delivered the bomb, the Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in twelve minutes. Didn't see the first shark for about half an hour. Tiger. Thirteen footer. You know, you know when you're in the water, chief, you can tell by looking from the dorsal to the tail. Well, we didn't know. Because our bomb mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent." He took a large drink of the homemade rum I'd just poured him and continued the story. "They didn't even list use overdue for a week. Very first light, chief, the sharks come cruising. So we formed ourselves into tight groups. You know, it's kind of like old squares in battle, like you see on a calendar, like the battle of Waterloo. And the idea was the shark comes to the nearest man and that man he'd start pounding and hollering and screaming and sometimes the shark would go away. Sometimes he wouldn't go away. Sometimes that shark, he looks right into you. Right into your eyes. You know the thing about a shark – he's got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When he comes at you, doesn't seem to be living. Until he bites you and those black eyes roll over white. And then you hear the terrible high-pitch screaming and the ocean turns red, and spite of all the pounding and hollering they all come in and rip you to pieces. You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don't know how many sharks, maybe a thousand. I don't know how many men – they averaged six an hour. On Thursday morning, chief, I bumped into a friend of mine. Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Basketball player. Bosun's mate. I thought he was asleep – reached over to wake him up. Bobbed up and down in the water, just like a kind of top. Up ended. Well, he'd been bitten in half below the waist. He was the one who had given me the name Caroline, one I kept until she was born," I'd never heard that before, and I'd had no idea he'd named me at all even. "Yeah," he nodded seeing the look on my face. "Said it was his favorite name for a girl, said if he'd had a daughter, he'd call her that. Now he never did have a daughter, but I did." Quint took another drink and then looked at Matt. "Noon, the fifth day, Mr Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us. He swung in low and saw us. He was a young pilot, a lot younger than Mr Hooper here. Anyway, he saw us and come in low. And three hours later a big fat PBY comes down and starts to pick us up. You know, that was the time I was most frightened. Waiting for my turn. I'll never put on a life jacket again. So, eleven hundred men went into the water, three hundred and sixteen men come out, the sharks took the rest. June 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb." He finished off his glass and then pointed at it making me fill it up.
We all sat in silence for a little while, before the sound of a whale's song called out in the distance. "What is that?" Martin asked.
"It's a whale." Matt replied flatly, his eyes still locked on my father as the story of the Indianapolis rung though our heads. I'd heard the story once, with the omittance of how I'd gotten my name. Matt's hand found mine on top of the table and he laced our fingers together as we sat there, absorbing the story.
After a long silence Quint broke it, singing "Farewell and adieu to you, fair Spanish ladies, Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain."
It was Matt who began to sing next, a different song, one that we hadn't heard fifteen thousand times that day already. "Show me the way to go home, I'm tired and I want to go to bed." I couldn't help but smile as I looked at him before both Quint and I joined into the song, "I had a little drink about an hour ago And it's gone right to my head."Quint smiled at Brody who seemed to watch the three of us singing as if he couldn't believe that was happening after such a long day, night, and intense story. But that was just it, this helped, it eased the tension and I think Martin started to understand. "Wherever I may roam, by land or sea or foam, You can always hear me singing this song, Show me the way to go home. Home, home, home" Martin joined into the song the next time around, the four of us smiling and singing together at the small table. "Show me the way to go home. I'm tired and I want to go to bed I had a little drink about an hour ago And it's gone right to my head-"
It happened suddenly, a sharp jerk of the ship made me look at Quint, for a moment I thought maybe a clumsy dolphin had run into us, it had happened before, but then it came again, this time Matt stopped singing as well, and then the sound of splintering came. "Start the engine," Quint said and Matt took it upon himself to start to climb over to table to do what my father had said. "Fire her up," Matt made it to the inside helm and started the engine when another jerk of the ship made Martin fall over, cupboard doors and lockers swung open littering the ground with the various contents. Brody let out a yelp when he realized the ground was covered in about two inches of water, making me get out of the table and go outside.
The lights inside dimmed and went out suddenly, and Quint came out on deck with his rifle. He shot into the water a few times before Matt came rushing out. "Quint, what are you doing? Don't waste your time, come on!"
"What's wrong with this shark, Jesus Christ..." Quint mumbled as he fired at the shark again. "Hooper, take the wheel. Brody, forward deck – watch for him!"
"What's the plan Quint?" I asked softly as I approached him, gently taking the rifle, which he relinquished willingly. I would put it inside in a minute, but first I wanted to figure out the plan.
"The plan," he sighed and looked at me before looking at the boat beneath his feet. "Water's probably gone and mucked everything up... Better get to that."
"Okay, sounds good," I nodded and he nodded, both of us glad we had something to focus on.
"Get Hooper down here will ya? I want you up on the helm." Quint stated as his eyes scanned the ocean.
"Quint," I said gently. "We're all exhausted, we should take a little time to rest, all of us," I insisted when he turned to look at me sharply. "We can have one man stay up and keep an eye out for the shark while the other three rest, but we all need a few hours, hell you and Matt are still drunk." I shrugged and he seemed to consider that before meeting my eye and nodding.
"Have the Chief take the first watch." he ordered before going to lay down on the hammock hung in the cabin. I nodded and then walked over to Martin and relayed the decision, he agreed to take the first watch, giving me, Matt and Quint some time to get a little rest before he'd come and wake me up, Matt and my dad were both still drunk so I knew they'd need a little extra sleep, no matter what either of them said.
Matt and I were laying up at the helm, I'd taken a few cushions from the table we'd all been sitting at just a little while ago and made a makeshift bed. Because it was still summer it was warm out and we had no need for blankets, Matt was spooning me as we laid there, his face nuzzled into the nape of my neck. "Caroline?" he mumbled, making me open my eyes. I hadn't been sleeping even though I probably desperately needed it.
"Mm?" I replied.
"When all this is over, will you come back with me?" he asked.
"What to like, the institute?" I looked over my shoulder at him and he sighed as he pressed a kiss to the back of my neck.
"Back to my parents, back to that life, back to real life?" he explained and I sighed.
"Is that what you want?"
"Mhmm," he replied sleepily. "But I only want it if you want it."
"Well, I don't see much of a career here in the information services." I replied and I felt him smile against the back of my neck.
"Unless it's on shark information." he replied making me let out a small chuckle.
"True," I replied before I sighed and looked out over the horizon. "What about my house here?" I asked.
"We could come back on weekends and the winter, and in the summer rent it out to rich tourists." he replied making me chuckle lightly.
"You've really thought this out huh?" I asked and he shrugged.
"Mostly I just know I don't want to lose you again." he replied.
"Well... You won't lose me again. But we'll figure out the living situations later, okay?"
"Okay." he sighed and I rolled over, snuggling closer to him and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "Mm, love you," his voice was breathy and barely there.
"Love you too," I told him as he fell asleep and I laid there for a little while longer. Would I leave Amity to go back to the life that never seemed to suit me? Rich families with too much time on their hands fancying themselves the latest generation of Edwardian society? No, probably not. But I'd stay with Matt, that much was sure, I didn't want to be away from him again. Even if that did mean going back to that lifestyle.
When Martin woke me up I hadn't realized I'd even gone to sleep. I got up and stretched before moving away from the makeshift bed where Matt was still snoring lightly. The sun had started to come up and was peeking about halfway up over the horizon when Martin went into the cabin to sleep on the hammock that used to be mine. I sat there in the morning air, watching the sun come the rest of the way up as I scanned the surrounding areas for any sign of the yellow barrel or the shark, but it seemed like Mister Whitey had taken a siesta at the same time we had.
When Quint woke up he growled at me for not waking him up earlier before barking at Matt to wake up and help him with the engines. Matt jumped to alert thinking we'd gotten the shark but when he realized that Quint just needed help he sighed and ran a hand down his puffy face and then retrieved his glasses from where I'd set them mere hours before.
As the two worked Martin made some coffee while I still kept an eye out for the shark. When he came up to the helm he nudged me lightly and then nodded his head down. "Go get a little more rest," he told me.
"I don't need-" I was cut off by an overwhelming yawn before I ran a hand over my face. "Okay, but only until you need me okay, then you have to wake me up."
"I promise," he nodded while I climbed down the ladder.
"Quint, I'm going in for a cat nap, Brody's on helm if you need anything." I told him and he grumbled something in return I didn't pay attention to as I walked in and climbed into the hammock.
"Quint! Quint! Quint! There it is!" I awoke to the shouts from the helm and sat up bleary eyed as I looked around. It looked like Hooper and Quint were still working on the engines because Hooper propped himself up to see what Martin was yelling about. But even I could see it, the bobbing yellow barrel that had disturbed my sleep was like a taunt from the too smart shark.
"I think he's right under the keg," Quint was saying as I walked out of the cabin to see what I could do. "Grab that boat hook." I handed the boat hook to Quint who in turn handed it to Matt who moved to the edge of the boat and started trying to hook the line.
"Quint, if we can get close enough, I've got things on board that'll kill him." he commented.
"We just want to goose him up a little, Come on." Quint encouraged Matt who finally hooked the line and started to drag it towards the boat. I could just picture the shark waiting for Matt to reach out for the line and then popping up and taking one of his hands, or his entire arm, but he didn't. Matt took the rope and started to coil the rope like a lasso, holding it carefully as he did so, so if the shark made any sudden moves he could drop the rope easily and hopefully keep all of his joints. "Okay, when he runs, you drop that rope or you'll lose your hands. I've seen fingers torn from the knuckles. Old fishermen's homes full of them," he knelt down next to Matt as I watched. "Hey, boy," he spoke with gruff kindness. "Give it to me a minute."
Quint took the rope from Matt and started a few coils but before too long the rope was pulled from his hand, his other hand dropped the coil immediately, like he'd taught me all those years ago, but the rope burn on his hand had resulted in a cut. The shark burst from the glassy water, his jaws opened wide as it shot up vertically and I grabbed Matt's arm instinctively. Matt watched it, no longer obsessed with taking pictures or understanding it, he just watched the way Quint did.
"Start the boat," Quint said carefully and I started to climb up to the helm while Martin went into the cabin. "Where are you going?" Quint asked.
"I'm going to make a phone call," Martin replied. I heard loud banging come from inside the cabin followed by Martin's screams of "You're certifiable Quint! Certifiable!" Matt climbed onto the helm with me and I looked at him.
"He smashed it didn't he?" I asked and Matt nodded. "We're screwed, aren't we?" I asked and Matt sighed before looking out at the ocean.
"Well we are now." he replied and I looked out to see the yellow barrel resurfacing again.
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