The rigid hull inflatable boat launched off the crest of a wave and I braced against the bar on the back of Alina's seat as it slammed down again in a mist of brackish water. The growl of its engines and the wind whipping around me filled my ears, and I cracked another smile as it raced at full speed across the swell, the flooded ruins of lower Russky Island rushing by to our right. I hadn't had this much fun in a long time, and focusing on our objective proved difficult. I forced myself to recall the morning briefing in the common room after breakfast, where Sam had emphatically offered our help, and Aleksander told us they would run out of medical supplies if they had another emergency like ours. That the most viable potential source for supplies they hadn't already picked clean was a container ship in the strait off the north-west coast of the island. He explained that the ship would have its own sick bay for its crew as they would be away from land for long periods of time and he hoped they'd find what they needed there. Antibiotics, penicillin, bandages, painkillers, antibacterial wipes, anything they could use.
This container ship was our goal, but we faced a major problem and the reason they hadn't previously searched it. His scouts warned shrimp swarmed the water around the ship and likely made its hold a nesting site. He also warned that what they needed may not even be there, but desperation outweighed the risk. They needed the supplies, hence the small army we had with us.
So, despite the risk, our team of twelve squeezed into the van and headed south downhill to where they had a small wooden shack they used for fishing and hunting, and where I discovered they had two, sleek, black navy speed boats hidden nearby.
Our team of eight would board the ship to find the supplies, while the second boat, carrying a crew of four and stripped of most of its seats, to make space for a small fuel transport tank, would attempt to siphon diesel from the engine room. Another essential resource they couldn't do without. At least that's what we planned, but I suspected the shrimp might have other plans for us. Despite the potential complexity of our mission, I hadn't stopped smiling for the entire forty minutes it took to navigate around the jagged coast of the island as the boat ploughed through the waves at forty knots. Fuck it, I would let myself enjoy this. The shrimp could wait.
As the boat launched off another wave, I grinned across at Sam seated beside me, and his face mirrored my thrill.
"I missed this!" he whooped. The roar of the wind drowned him out, but the ear piece I had fitted in my left ear ensured I could hear him. As well as everyone else on our boat and in the second boat trailing us.
Aleksander turned in his seat to the left of the driver in front of Sam, a wide smile plastered across his face. "The RHIB is one of the best things about the navy!"
"Oorah!"
I arched an eyebrow at Sam with a chuckle. "That's the most American thing I've heard you say. What the hell is it?"
He grinned at me. "The Marine battle cry."
"Ah ha." I frowned back.
Nikolai's voice cut in over my ear piece. "God and St. Andrew's flag are with us!"
I frowned over to where he hunkered behind the machine gun mounted to the bow of the RHIB.
"What's that, a motto?" Sam asked, as if reading my thoughts.
Aleksander pointed towards the stern, at the white flag with a blue cross slashing from opposite corners, rippling wildly in the wind. "Our ensign, St Andrew's Cross."
Sam nodded.
"What's the motto of your Marines?" Aleksander asked, shifting his AK.
"Semper fidelis," Sam replied, glancing across at me and as he caught my questioning expression, added, "which is Latin for always faithful."
"That's a good one." Aleksander smiled.
"Yeah. Always faithful to those on our left and right."
Aleksander nodded over his shoulder. "A good code to live by. We might be from different sides of the battlefield, but we're the same in that way. We fight for those around us." He slapped the driver, Buyan, on the shoulder. The stout Siberian gave him a curt nod and returned the gesture before facing forward again.
As Aleksander fist bumped Nikolai, I met Sam's eyes, and he gave me a smile before nudging me with his elbow, sending that familiar, warm spark through my body.
Over the month we spent healing with Aleksander's group, our friendship had deepened and we found ourselves on a knife's edge between friendship and something more, but despite his interest in going further, he'd made no move to do so, sensing my reluctance. I hadn't been able to get past my grief, the memory on the rooftop with Senya, still raw in my mind.
When Sam had tried to ask me, I told him I didn't want to talk about it, which pissed him off, but I couldn't. After a lifetime pretending to be made of stone, such vulnerability felt like an unacceptable weakness. It caught me by surprise and I wasn't sure what to do about it. It pissed me off, too. Back at the port, I wanted him enough to betray my brother and his clan, enough to become their enemy. I hadn't expected to be consumed by doubt and reluctance now that I had the chance. Nor did I think Senya's death would suddenly become so much of a problem for me. It shouldn't be. I'd put it behind me.
I tried to ignore the hint of tension in Sam's smile. As he met my eyes again, it faded, and I glanced around the boat at the team we'd board the ship with, to hide the awkwardness rising inside me.
Alina sat directly in front of me, to the right of the helm and the driver, Buyan. To the left, Aleksander turned in his seat, facing Sam behind him. I glanced past Sam to Danila, seated on his other side, who had also been eager to extend his help on this mission. Yevgeni sat in silence in the back row behind Sam, and Nikolai on the machine gun at the bow made eight. A sizeable team, but how the hell could I trust them enough to have my back? Dread settled over me at the prospect of having to rely on these strangers. It seemed Sam didn't have the same problem. He treated them as old friends, starting conversations and swapping banter like the easiest thing in the world. It was wrong.
"Okay, enough with the mushy shit," Nikolai's voice said in my ear and I glanced towards him. He had his arm stretched out to starboard. "We're on. Starboard bow, approximately five nautical miles!"
The RHIB lurched as Buyan yawed so that the bow pointed directly at the massive container ship stranded broadside across the strait just off shore. The ship listed heavily on its starboard side, and containers littered the surrounding water like giant sea mines.
"Copy that, Alpha," Vladik, the driver of the second RHIB, Bravo, said in my ear. I turned in my seat, tracking their progress off our port quarter, hanging back to avoid our wake. My gaze shifted to Arseni and Emil, who I'd only met at the briefing. Emil, a bear-like man with a dark, unkempt beard, and roughly cropped hair, scanned the water from behind the bow gun, and Arseni, a slim, lanky man with a shaved head, braced against the seat in front of him, staring forward. The fourth of their crew, unfortunately, I did know. Nikita, seated in the back row as far from the others as he could get, shifted his gaze and found me watching him. He narrowed his eyes before glancing away. Emil noticed my attention as well, his unfriendly stare lingering on me until I turned back around. Clearly, I wasn't the only one to have mistrust.
With a scowl, I white knuckled the bar on Alina's seat, the thrill of the RHIB's speed vanishing, replaced by the nervous anticipation of a looming confrontation.
"Alright, the sick bay and galley will probably be toward the top of the main tower," Aleksander said, glancing back at us. "Once we're aboard, split into your designated groups to our objectives. Designated groups are as follows." He glanced past the helm. "Alina, take Yevgeni and Natasha and go to the sick bay. You know what we need. Sam, Danila, you're with me. We'll hit the galley for food. Buyan, Nikolai, once you drop us off, go provide cover for Bravo."
Wait. No, he couldn't separate me from Sam. I frowned across the boat as everyone muttered acknowledgements, but I shook my head, panic spiking.
Sam glanced at me, seeming to catch my apprehension. "Nat, it's alright," he said, resting a hand on my arm.
"No, let me stay with Sam." I cut in, narrowing my eyes at Aleksander.
Everyone turned their gazes to me, Aleksander with a disapproving expression tinted with dislike.
Ignoring the prickling of nervousness, I pushed on, flicking my eyes to Alina, who appeared taken aback. "I don't trust them."
Aleksander clenched his jaw. "No one trusts you, either, but they need back up, and we can't all go to the same place." He flicked a glanced across at Sam. "I only brought you because Sam insisted you were capable. Prove to me you are by following orders."
I wanted to say I wasn't part of his chain of command, but Sam stopped me before I could, digging his elbow sharply into my ribs and shooting me a warning scowl.
"Stop it," he hissed.
I shook him off. "Why can't Danila go with Alina?" I persisted.
Aleksander leveled an almost hostile glare at me that made me sit back in my seat. "Because I don't want you with me, and Alina will keep an eye on you. If you want to argue further, you will stay in the RHIB."
He faced forward again as I caught Nikolai and Buyan glancing skeptically over their shoulders, and an awkward silence fell over the boat as it surged over the swell. At full speed, it covered the five nautical miles within only a few minutes, and the container ship loomed ahead.
Sam elbowed me again with an, I told you to stop it, expression. Ignoring him, I glared at Aleksander's back as he stood, gripping the rope on the rubber gunwales of the RHIB, peering towards Bravo, moving up on our port side. He made a sharp cutting motion with his outstretched arm, and the second RHIB raced off to the port stern of the ship.
"Bravo, look for a way to the engine room to start your fuel run. I'll send Buyan and Nikolai over to give you cover once we're aboard."
"Copy," Vladik's voice crackled in my ear.
"All of you know why I chose you for this mission," Aleksander went on as he sat back down and studied the ship. "You're the ones I trust the most. I know you'll get it done."
"God and St. Andrew's flag are with us!" chorused a few voices in response.
Buyan pulled back on the throttle, easing us alongside the colossal hull of the container ship, its blue paint streaked with rust and the words Maersk Line emblazoned down the side in thick, black letters. I craned my neck to peer at the stories tall bridge tower, looming high above the deck at the stern as we moved into the shadow of the heavily leaning ship.
"Buyan, circle the ship so we can get eyes on and look for an entry point," Aleksander ordered. "Everyone keep an eye out for lobsters, and in particular, clickers. They've been previously spotted in the area. I think the shrimp eggs attract them."
I frowned at him. What the hell was a clicker?
A general affirmative followed, and we turned our gazes and guns to the water. No sign of shrimp yet, but it wouldn't be long. I shouldered my Kalash and scanned the waterline around the adrift containers, anger burning hot, turning to spear my glare into Aleksander's back. Asshole.
"Watch the keel through here, Buyan," Nikolai said, leaning over to peer into the water off the bow. "We're right above a sandbar." He gazed up at the container ship. "Poor bastards. The tsunami must have smashed them onto it."
I peered over the side as Buyan navigated carefully around the containers. Nikolai was right. Through the churning water, I could just make out the murky rise of the wide, underwater dune that jutted from the bottom of the channel, too close to the hull of our RHIB. It was miraculous the titanic ship had made it here. It must have taken a beating from the tsunami.
"Damn, how long do you think it is?" Sam asked, staring in awe at the hull.
"I don't know, three hundred metres?" Nikolai replied. "Careful of those containers, Buyan."
"No shit," the Siberian replied. "I know how to drive a boat."
"Cut the chatter. Movement to port." Aleksander cut in, training his AK-12 at the waterline. At his words, everyone snapped their attention to the ripple breaking the surface of the water between a couple of containers by the ship's hull.
Gunfire echoed from around to port, and Vladik's voice yelled through the radio. "Bravo, engaging. There's a large gash in the hull near the stern. I think we'll be able to enter through there, but there are lobsters everywhere and egg sacks inside. We're circling around."
Before Aleksander could respond Alina shouted, "movement right,"
I scanned the second ripple that suddenly appeared on our side and a second later, a shudder ran through the fiberglass hull of the RHIB as something slammed into it. Simultaneously, those on the port side opened fire upon the grey, serpentine creature emerging from the water. The RHIB lurched to the side, and Sam's shoulder collided with mine. Momentarily disoriented, I almost didn't see the second shrimp lunge at the RHIB. Its long, clawed arms dug into the rubber next to me, tail slapping at the water as it climbed onto the side of the boat, tilting it to the right. I struggled to keep balance as I scrambled to line up a shot.
"Get it off!" Alina shouted, firing a quick burst at the armoured creature's torso. "It'll punch a hole in the boat!"
It screamed a guttural cry of pain and I braced against Sam's shoulder as I unloaded into its ugly, circular maw, dark blood spattering me and Alina. Shots from behind me caught it in its soft underbelly. It faltered, and I kicked it in the face, sending it sprawling back into the water with a splash. I took a deep breath, but caught sight of another racing towards the boat.
"Alpha, we could use some help here!" Vladik shouted before another rumble of gunfire.
"Copy that, Bravo, we're a little busy," Aleksander replied between bursts of fire at the larger, more heavily armoured male shrimp that attacked them.
Buyan turned sharply between two containers and the shrimp crashed into one with a chitinous crunch, smearing the metal with dark blood.
"Nice driving, Buyan," Aleksander said, between breaths. "Now, get us out of here so we can help Bravo."
Nikolai's bow gun roared as it fired a torrent of bullets into the four shrimp that had emerged from under the ship's hull. I added my own bullets, but as the RHIB heaved to starboard and circled around in a wide arc to avoid the scattered containers, I lost the shot. Two more shrimp lunged from the water. Shit. My bullets ripped into the face of the closest one, but as it dove, they ricocheted off its thick armour uselessly. The second one also disappeared under the surface as the RHIB picked up speed and circled around the stern. One of the heavily plated males slid off the exposed propeller of the ship and, behind me, Yevgeni fired into the water.
"Don't waste your bullets," I told him over my shoulder and to my surprise, he actually listened and stopped firing.
As our RHIB cleared the stern, Bravo sped towards us, bow gun tearing into some shrimp directly in front of us and Emil had to cut it off abruptly to avoid accidentally shooting us. I immediately caught sight of the large, ten foot long fissure in the ship's blue hull just above the waterline so that water sloshed inside with every wave. It was wide enough that someone could squeeze through. I didn't envy the person who had to do that and hoped it would be Nikita. It was a good job for him.
As our boat drifted past it, movement inside caught my attention. I squinted into the dank gloom as sunlight glistened off something slimy and bulbous, my mind taking a moment to register what I was seeing.
"What the hell are those?" Yevgeni asked behind me, disgust in his voice.
"Lobster egg clusters," Alina replied, shining her rifle mounted light into the hull. Something inside shrieked at the intrusion.
"The engine room should be somewhere close by," Aleksander said. "That's our entrance."
"Well, that complicates things," Sam added.
Aleksander nodded with a grim expression before holding a finger to his earpiece.
"Bravo, form up on us and we'll retreat to a safe distance for a debrief and discuss our options." He gestured to Buyan, and the Siberian steered the RHIB away from the ship as Nikolai's gun boomed again.
I followed its line-of-sight back to the terrible creature that had just emerged from the water to climb on top of a container. Like the other shrimp, it had a segmented, serpentine body, and long clawed arms. But unlike the others, its head was a long chitinous, helmet-like plate lacking visible eyes. My eyes widened at its massive and very well armoured body. What the fuck? And as it opened its horrible mouth to shriek at us, I curled my lip in revulsion at the double rows of irregular jagged teeth inside.
"What the hell is that?" I raised my Kalash, but we'd gotten out of range, so there was no point in firing.
"Damn, that's not good," Alina replied, fighting to be heard over the booming of the bow gun as Bravo fell in behind us. "We call them clickers. They are nasty. Very hard to kill and wicked fast. This job just became a lot more difficult."
"But I didn't see any eyes. It can't be that dangerous," I said, frowning back at it.
Aleksander frowned over his shoulder at me. "You'd be wrong to make that assumption. They hunt using echolocation, with a series of high-pitched clicks that effectively give them a mental image of anything in front of them. Believe me, they don't need eyes to know where you are."
Shit. That meant it could hunt in darkness and murky water where we were blind. A shudder of fear ran down my spine, as I turned back to look at the creature, just catching its flat tail disappearing into the water.
"Shit, where'd it go? Anyone see it?" Aleksander swore, carefully scanning the water. "Nikolai?"
"Negative," Nikolai replied, swiveling his head from side to side, tapping the trigger of his gun.
"Keep going, Buyan. We don't want one of those trying to get onto the boat."
"I thought you said there were only shrimp on this island," I scowled at him as he craned his neck to scan the water.
"Well, technically, they are. They're just deadlier than the rest."
"Fucking great," I slumped back in my seat as Buyan steered the RHIB away from the ship into the open water, Bravo racing after us. I kept my eyes fixed on the surface of the water, as did everyone else. The engine droned in my ears, grating on my nerves as I struggled to listen for signs of the shrimp.
When the boats reached a few nautical miles away from the ship, Aleksander made a cutting motion across his throat and Buyan cut the engine while Bravo slowed and drew up alongside before doing the same. I glanced over at them and caught the sneer Nikita directed at me. Danila been insistent that they help with this mission, but why the hell did Nikita have to be here? I gave him the finger.
"Fucking child." He curled his lip at me before glancing towards Arseni, seated on the far side of the fuel tank. "Don't trust that one. She's a rat."
The stout man spat a wad of tobacco into the water before turning his weather-worn face towards him, narrowing his grey eyes. "I don't trust either of you. Shut your damn mouth and pay attention."
I smirked as Nikita glowered at me and I focused my attention on Aleksander when Sam elbowed me in the side.
"Everyone, keep an eye out for that clicker. If there is one, there will be others. We want to avoid them as much as possible," Aleksander said, standing, glancing between his people.
"Well, do we need the diesel? Can we just board the ship for the supplies and be done with it?" Vladik asked, eyes darting around the boat while he tapped his gun.
Nikolai shook his head. "Unfortunately not. We only have enough for a few weeks at most, and this little trip will eat into our supply." He turned to face Aleksander. "We really shouldn't waste this opportunity. We don't know when we'll get another chance."
Aleksander nodded. "Agreed. This needs to happen, so we have to adapt." He paused in thought for a moment. "New plan. For now, clearing out the lobsters around the engine room will be our priority, so Bravo can set up their transfer." He twisted to glance back at Danila. "Danila, I want you to jump ship to help Bravo, and the rest of us will help clear out the lobsters and provide cover while Vladik's team boards." He turned to face the driver of Bravo. "Vladik, once you're aboard, clear out any lobsters inside and start the transfer. The rest of us will cover you until the transfer has started, then our teams will board as per the original plan, and Buyan and Nikolai will return to provide additional backup." He glanced at each person around him. "Is everyone clear on that?"
Various mutters of affirmation. Aleksander nodded. "Excellent. Vladik, get your boat alongside so Danila can jump ship."
"Copy," Vladik replied, starting his RHIB's engine.
In the next minute, the second craft had circled around and nudged against the side of ours. Alina grabbed a rope on Bravo's side to keep the two boats together and Aleksander gestured for Danila to jump across. He shuffled past and carefully swung his legs over the side to slide into Bravo. As soon as he sat down, Aleksander signaled the green light by throwing his arm out in front of him.
He found his seat as the engine rumbled to life beneath us. "Let's get it done. Kill any lobster you see and watch for that clicker. God and St. Andrew's flag are with us."
"God and St. Andrew's flag are with us," everyone around me, including Sam, chorused.
"I've never had much use for a God," I said so that only Sam could hear me.
"There are no atheists in the trenches," Sam replied without looking at me.
"Is that another one of your philosophy quotes?"
"No, that's experience. Everyone needs something to believe in when shit hits the fan."
I scoffed. "Praying to an imaginary deity has never helped me. And really, anyone who still does after the world went to shit is delusional."
Alina glanced over her shoulder with a disapproving expression. "That's not for you to decide. Praying gives people hope where there was none and that is not delusional."
I narrowed my eyes at her, before glancing around at the water, the wind and roar of the engine drowning out all other sounds.
"You're wondering why I heard you when you thought I couldn't?" she asked, reaching up to fiddle with the black earpiece nestled in her ear.
"I'm wondering why you're listening to our private conversation," I replied, irritated. How the hell could she have heard that when I could barely hear myself speak?
"It's a little hard not to when it's spoken straight into your ear," Aleksander said in place of Alina, and my eyes flared as understanding washed over me like icy water. Oh, shit.
"Perhaps turn off your microphone the next time you want a private conversation." Alina added, giving me another disapproving stare before turning around in her seat. Aleksander's dark gaze lingered on me, stark dislike etched into his face. My cheeks flamed as I slid my focus past him to Nikolai, who also glowered at me over his shoulder. Unfriendly stares met me from Bravo as they moved up beside us. So everyone heard it. Fucking great.
Nikita shook his head. "I told you, a rat," he snorted, too smug.
I clenched my teeth and slammed back into my seat, ignoring the frown from Sam in my peripherals. My skin blazed as hot as my anger and I glared out over the water, wanting badly to shoot something. And that's when I saw it. The edge of the clicker's head plate as it dove underwater straight towards our boat.
Before I had the chance to warn the others, the RHIB tilted violently to port, and I grabbed the bar in front of me to stop myself from being thrown across the boat. Yevgeni wasn't so lucky. He sprawled sideways across the back of the boat, grabbing for the seats, but they were slick with sea water and his grip faltered. Sam threw himself backwards over the seats, grabbing Yevgeni's jacket before he could fall overboard.
The RHIB slammed back into the water with a jolt, throwing us forward, and I braced against Alina's seat, glancing back at Yevgeni and Sam as they righted themselves. They barely had time to catch their breath when the clicker launched its body clear of the water, slamming onto the bow and tilting the entire RHIB forward with its immense weight. My forehead smashed into the metal bar and red splotches flickered across my vision, my breath catching in my throat.
As I fought to regain my vision, eerie, high-pitched clicks emanated from the foul creature as it swiped at Nikolai with a heavy clawed arm. I blinked as Nikolai scrambled back, reaching for his AK-12 strapped to him as Aleksander opened fire. The clicker's head snapped toward the sound, but the bullets pinged uselessly off its thick plates. It let out a piercing cry, throwing itself sideways towards Aleksander. He ducked to avoid its wicked claws and kept firing, aiming for the abomination's underbelly, but it folded its heavily plated arms before it like a shield and scattered the shots. A bullet clipped the corner of the wheel console and ripped into Sam's empty seat beside me. I let out a breath, grateful that Sam had moved to the other side. My head throbbed as I shifted to get a shot, but from this angle, I would likely shoot my companions before the mutant, so I couldn't do anything but watch the others fight it.
At the bow, Nikolai shouldered his AK-12 and let loose a controlled burst, but he was at the wrong angle and hit armour. Sam and Yevgeni had positioned themselves so that they could fire either side of Aleksander, but as the RHIB pitched in the waves, they had to stop.
"Bravo, a little a help!" Aleksander yelled above the gunfire.
"Negative Alpha, can't get a shot!"
I glanced towards the second RHIB as it sped in an arc in front of us.
"Hold on," Buyan said, leaning on the throttle and steering towards the container ship. "I'm going to try to dislodge it."
My eyes flared as the RHIB picked up speed, hurtling towards the closest container, the bow pointed straight at it. My pulse raced as we sped closer, the image of us slamming into the container at full speed flashing through my mind. I braced against the seat.
Unable to get a shot, Aleksander smashed his AK into the mutant's head with a crack, and it responded with a heavy strike that he barely deflected with the body of his weapon. The edge of the arm plate glanced across his face and he shouted in pain, blood running down his cheek from the gash its spikes had opened.
Nikolai fired another quick burst at the mutant as it clawed at Aleksander, and it turned its attention on him, but had to reload.
"Fuck!" he growled as he fumbled for a new magazine.
"Aleks, duck!" Sam shouted from behind.
Without looking back, Aleksander covered his head with his arms, hunkering down in his seat as Sam and Yevgeni fired, ripping into the mutant, but it hunched over, protecting its belly, and their shots did nothing.
"What the fuck?" Sam said, appalled.
"Brace!" Buyan shouted.
Sam and Yevgeni stopped firing, ducking into a brace position, and Nikolai threw himself to the deck behind the gun. My chest heaved as the RHIB hurtled towards the container and just as I was sure we would smash into it, Buyan jerked the wheel and the bow lurched to the right at the last second.
The rubber gunwales glanced off the wall of the container and Buyan fought to maintain control as the mutant slammed into the metal with a stomach wrenching crunch and the boat shuddered with the impact. My fingernails bit into my scalp as the RHIB bounced into the adjacent container before bouncing back into the first, jarring my back. I sucked in a breath as the RHIB picked up speed again after clearing the containers.
Tentatively, I sat up in my seat as those around me did the same.
"Fucking hell, Buyan. That was a little close. I think I need a change of underwear," Nikolai said, pulling himself into a sitting position. "Fuck, those things are bitches."
"Feel free to take over," Buyan retorted, circling the RHIB back towards the stern of the ship.
"Nope, I'm good." Nikolai stood, returning to his gun.
"Exactly."
"Excellent driving. That's why you're at the helm," Aleksander said, letting out a breath.
"Don't tell him that. It'll go to his head." Nikolai cracked a grin as if we hadn't just been inches from smashing into a wall of metal.
"Holy shit, are you guys alright?" Vladik called, voice trembling. I glanced over at Bravo as they circled back around. "I thought for sure you'd end up as a smear on that container."
"You didn't just underestimate my boat handling, did you, Bravo?" Buyan replied, grinning towards the second RHIB.
"Oh, see, now it's too late," Nikolai waved a hand at Buyan. "Big head."
Someone chuckled over the radio. I glowered at them, shaking my head. They chose now to joke?
"That's enough, we're not done yet," Aleksander interjected, hiding a smile. But his face quickly turned serious as two shrimp lunged at the boat, reminding everyone that clickers weren't our only problem.
As the others were busy fighting, and the bow gun boomed, I spun as Yevgeni screamed in pain behind me. Another shrimp had launched from the water and spat its corrosive, tar-like cocktail, spattering the exposed skin of Yevgeni's cheek and neck. He writhed in agony, swiping at the black muck with the sleeve of his jacket, smearing it further.
"Stop it!" I shouted at him, pulling my pack towards me. "You'll make it worse!" Of course, he didn't listen to me, the pain making him desperate. I retrieved the near empty bottle of solvent I used to clean my guns from my pack and leaned over the seats.
"What are you doing?" Alina gasped, reaching for me as the others focused on killing the shrimp.
"This will dissolve it," I replied, pulling Yevgeni's arm away from his face.
"Are you sure?" Alina grabbed my arm, fear in her eyes.
"Yes, someone did it for me once." I yanked my arm from her. Clenching my teeth, I remembered my own pain from the shrimp spit that had hit me and how Viktor had drowned it in his solvent to stop it from burning, something I never expected, but it worked. I shook my head, pushing the memory away, upending the bottle over Yevgeni's skin. The pungent liquid thinned the ooze, and it ran down his neck in black rivulets before I wiped them away with a cloth. Yevgeni panted, distress etched over his face, brushing the angry red burn marking his cheek and neck with his fingers.
As the gunfire fell silent around me, Yevgeni met my eyes with shocked awe. "Th-thank you," he stuttered.
I nodded and sat back in my seat, throwing the empty bottle into my pack, trying and failing not to think about Viktor and how he'd both saved me and taught me another valuable lesson of survival.
For a moment, I didn't register Alina's voice as she spoke to me, until I lifted my head and noticed four pairs of eyes staring at me again. But this time, it wasn't dislike. It was surprise, and I averted my eyes, suddenly self-conscious.
"How did you know to do that?" Alina wondered, eyes wide.
I frowned at the wash from the RHIB as it raced towards the ship. "I've learned a lot about surviving out here," I said after a long pause. My gaze drifted involuntarily to Sam and his grimace made it worse and I glanced away.
Once we eliminated the remaining shrimp around the hull of the ship, Buyan eased the RHIB up beside Bravo, already alongside the stern.
"Heads on swivels. There could still be more," Aleksander said, scanning the water. "Bravo, get ready to board. We'll have to-"
"Bravo, look out!" Nikolai shouted a heartbeat before another clicker slammed into the stationary RHIB, knocking it into the hull of the ship. I just caught sight of the head plate as it disappeared back into the murky water.
"Fucking hell," Vladik growled, struggling to control the boat. "I'm breaking off until we deal with that fucker! We can't board with it around."
"Copy that, Bravo," Aleksander gritted his teeth, shooting at the beast as it re-emerged from the water. Gunfire blasted my ears, but I still couldn't get a shot and it ducked below the surface again. Buyan leaned on the throttle, moving the RHIB alongside the hull as Bravo circled around, Emil's gun ripping at the water as the clicker propelled itself through the waves. Straight at our RHIB.
Crunch.
Time seemed to slow as our RHIB careened to starboard before I knew what was happening, colliding hard with the hull of the container ship. A moment later, the clicker hurled itself onto the gunwales, smashing our boat against the hull again, throwing me against the cold metal of the ship. Pain shot up my arm as the torn metal sliced into my skin. I screamed, and the clicker snapped its head in my direction and no one could stop it from leaping across the deck straight at me. It caught me in the chest, knocking me backwards into the hull of the ship, pain radiating up and down my spine and into my ribs, forcing the breath from my lungs. I tried to grab for the ropes as my body fell, but my fingers found only slick rubber. Sharp claws raked the spot over my head as I slipped between the RHIB and the container ship, freezing water engulfing me.
Wake from the RHIB'S propellers forced me into the sandbar and I struggled for the surface through a maelstrom of sand and churning water that seemed to hold me in place until the boat moved forward, leaving me behind. I kicked hard off the sand through the current from the RHIB'S wake, barely making any headway while my lungs burned, panic rising at the thought of them leaving me here to drown. The swell knocked me against the hull when I struggled again to the surface, blood blossoming from the slash near my elbow, staining the water red around me.
Fear rippled over my skin as a distorted clicking echoed through the water, a heartbeat before the shape of the clicker materialized through the murk. Parts of its carapace bore deep fissures, exposing pale grey flesh underneath, with a wide gash splintering the front of its head plate. Surely, this wasn't the same abomination that had attacked us before. It couldn't have survived the collision with the container, could it?
My chest spasmed, fighting to take a breath, and my eyes locked on it, following the cloud of my blood that stained the water. Its split head plate directly focused on me and I knew it had found me. I kicked off the hull as hard as I could, my chest burning with the need to breathe, but the clicker, much faster in the water than I was, rocketed after me as I flailed for the rolling surface. The clicker snapped at my legs and I booted it in its terrible teeth. It recoiled in a small cloud of blood, giving me space to shoot to the surface, gasping for air.
Fear drove me towards the tear in the ship's hull. I needed to get out of the water or I was dead. The crest of the next swell propelled me in reach of the giant tear and I grabbed hold, ignoring the sharp metal digging into my fingers. Just as I went to pull myself inside, the clicker lunged at me, forcing me back underwater with its clawed arms, pushing me deeper. I struggled against it, but it was stronger than me in the water. Something disturbed the surface, a boat hull maybe, but darkness closed in around the edges of my vision and I couldn't be sure. Maybe it was another shrimp, and I was about to be the main course. Fuck that!
Senya's voice filled my head. "You're a survivor. Act like it!" I pulled my knife.
As bullets ripped through the surrounding water, I rammed the blade into the flesh exposed by the split in the clicker's head plate. It jerked back, wrenching the knife out of my hand, blood swirling around it. In a frenzy, it lunged at me again, forcing me back towards the ship, where I rode the swell up to the tear in the hull and threw myself inside. More seawater enclosed me as I dropped, but it was shallow enough for me to stand. I ducked as bullets sparked off the thick metal. The earpiece that was still wedged in my left ear buzzed with weak static before dying completely and I pulled it out, throwing it in the water.
Shit. I needed to see where my boat was and try to get their attention. I pulled myself back up to the tear in the hull to peer out when the clicker tried to force its way inside, knocking me back. My eyes flared as I noticed my knife still embedded in its head. Fucking hell, why wouldn't this thing die?
Gritting my teeth, I pulled my revolver, hoping the water wouldn't make it jam, but of course, I wasn't so lucky. I swore as the gun failed to fire and, with a growl, made a grab for my knife, yanking it free. The clicker shrieked and swiped at me, but I leapt back. Readjusting my grip, I drove the knife back into the gash in the clicker's head, right down to the hilt. Its body jerked twice, then went limp even as machine-gun bullets ripped into it from outside. The grey flesh tugged at my knife as I pulled it free, then kicked the body back through the gap. I sighed a breath of relief, leaning against the hull, chest heaving, glancing up at the sound of a boat engine as it drifted alongside.
Sam called my name, and I leaned out to wave, pain and fatigue washing over me, glancing at the six horrified expressions staring back.
"Fuck, are you alright?" Sam asked, leaning on the gunwales and eyeing the blood streaming down my arm.
I shut my eyes and wrapped my fingers around my arm with a wince. "I'm over nearly fucking drowning. That's how I am."
"I thought you were dead," Alina added in a trembling voice, brow knitted with concern.
"Close enough." I sighed, struggling to regain my composure. "Please, just get me the hell out of here."
"Hold it steady, Buyan," Aleksander said, and the RHIB nudged the hull of the ship. Sam leaned over to grab the torn metal to steady it.
"Careful we don't get another hole," Alina warned, and I eyed the black patch adhered to the rubber. It must have happened after I fell.
I watched the RHIB pitching heavily with the swell and bump against the ship, not looking forward to having to jump across. This was going to suck. But as I reached up to the tear, something with lots of legs scuttled up my calf, making me jump.
"What the fuck is that?" I swatted at it and it splashed into the water before dashing up the rusted metal by my shoulder, its many legs working to move its fist sized, segmented body. I curled my lip in revulsion as it disappeared into the darkness and a shudder swept through me as I remembered the spiders in the sewers. But this was something else, and I froze as a splash echoed from beyond the narrow band of light.
"Nat, what's going on? We can't hold this all day," Sam said, straining to keep the boat next to the hull.
But I couldn't answer, throwing myself to the side as something lunged at me from beyond the light.