Chapter 2: At the Brink of Death

    #DeepOcean

    "Shit!" The shark speeding towards me forced me to kick out so I could swim away. My legs hit the water hard, even though that was of little help. Humans did not stand a chance competing against fish in a swimming competition—let alone competing with a shark.

    The sound of teeth attempting to chomp down came closer behind me!

    Crunch!

    "Urgh!" I broke the surface and breathed in before diving back into the sea. Underneath, I could get away through the door to the dolphin cage. Dylan did not slow down the chase even when I plunged through the water. The tips of my toes almost went into its mouth. "Ugh!"

    I took advantage of when it closed its mouth to kick off from its mouth in order to help me swim faster. I had not seen Dy yet, and I did not know what was happening on the surface. The situation might be better than mine. Dylan kept his eyes on me as I swam around looking for the cage door, which was shut. The door was equipped with both a sensor system and a latch. We used the door latch because sometimes, we needed to dive down by ourselves now and then.

    Dylan chased after me when I tried to jerk the latch up, but since it had not been opened for a long time, it would not budge because of the grime and plaque encrusted on it.

    ‘Damn it!’

    I cursed in my mind, keeping my eye on the shark as it went around and tried to charge toward me again. I pushed my feet against the door and yanked hard at it, the center of the gazes of a pod of dolphins in the cage. They circled around the door, trying to knock it open as their protective instinct told them to help the person who had raised them.

    But there was not a single chance of survival as long as the door remained shut.

    Whoosh!

    The waves were parted from a distance. Dylan's teeth were all I could see. Its mouth was open wide, ready to swallow me whole. My heart was racing because the blood from my hand meant Dylan would not leave me alone. It would not be a kill for the sake of filling its belly, but for its own satisfaction. The smell of blood would stimulate its killing instinct.

    It would not be good if his own sharks killed the owner of the research center.

    Squeal!

    The high-pitched sounds of the dolphins drew Dylan closer. I held onto the iron cage firmly. If I waited for it to open, I would surely die. An idea flashed through my brain. I looked straight into the shark's eyes. I showed him no fear because fear would instantly give it what it wanted. Dylan swam through the water faster, and right when it was close enough to sink its teeth in, I quickly dodged to the side so that it hit the cage.

    Bang!

    The walkway shook because of the powerful collision. Dylan crashed into the cage so hard, it was briefly stunned. I used this moment to ascend to the surface. I was almost out of air. Apart from being eaten by a shark, I might die of drowning. I kicked my legs faster and rushed to the surface.

    God was not on my side. Before I could fully take a breath…

    Death came for me!

    "Sol, be careful of Dy!"

    "Ah!" I could see a long shark fin chasing after me the moment the other research center staff rescued Bernard from the water. I could only shake my head at the moment. I rushed to escape from the devil right after I had gotten away from its younger brother. Nothing could guarantee that if I escaped, Dylan would not rush at me from under the water. I needed to keep a lookout while diving and watch out for Dy rushing toward me.

    Its mouth was wide open. It almost touched my legs because I had been focusing too much on Dy. I had not been paying attention...

    Dylan was now waiting in front of me.

    "Shit!" I cursed and stopped swimming abruptly, before kicking off and diverting course to get far away from it. Now, it turned out that I was swimming in between the two. Those devils circled around me like they were both teasing and challenging me. They waited for my next move, because either way would lead to the same ending.

    Death.

    "Shit..." I mumbled. My eyes twitched seeing their long fins. I was not afraid, but it was chilling. I did not know which one of them would kill me.

    Everybody else was also standing and watching expectantly on their edge.

    "Sol!" Eric shouted. He was trying to find a way to save my life. "Throw bait into the water! Lure it away from Sol!"

    "Those whale calves. Let them out!"

    "But we are caring for them, Steve!"

    "So? You will let those sharks eat our boss, Nashley?!?" Their conflicting shouts did not reach me at all. All I could hear was the quick, irregular beating of my heart, and my breathless pants when I stared at the sharks in front of me. I pursed my lips, trying my hardest to stay still while working on a way to help myself out of this situation.

    Though I had raised them, that did not mean I could trust them. In the end, they would follow their natural instincts.

    And the blood on my hand was the most excellent bait for them.

    "So, this is how you guys are going to play?" I said softly, looking at the two of them circling around in different directions. They moved back and forth, so I knew that they were not going anywhere. The incredible speed with which they charged toward me made me realize they wanted to devour me at the same time. The long fins glided through the water. I held my breath and counted to myself.

    One.

    Two.

    Three...!

    Bang!

    The two sharks violently crashed into each other when I kicked myself out of those massive teeth. They hurtled violently into each other, and that was what I had aimed for. I took that chance to climb toward the research center walkway, but the pain in my hand slowed me down more than I thought it would. I frowned as I tried to force myself and looked back at the predators behind me.

    Dy was chasing after me. It saw my legs under the water, so I was still a target. The mouth full of teeth opened wide and almost took both of my legs, but...

    Bam!

    I was pulled out of the water. Dy could only leap and chomp on the walkway. He did not care that his body would crash against the handrail, which was now bent out of shape. If Eric had not helped me, my legs would have been the ones bent out of shape instead. I panted, staring at the devil baring its teeth at me. The shark tried to bite the iron cage to reach the place where I was sitting. Our eyes met and they sparkled with enjoyment.

    My lips curved into a smile. Thus, I did what I should not have.

    “Smooch!” Dy’s eyes grew wide. I think that was what it did when I gave the shark a peck on its mouth, far away from its long teeth and its attempts to bite. Then, I kicked its face with all my might, making it return to the water. The shark would be hurt for a while, but it would be fine after a time. I could only chuckle at the shark after I had hurt him. “Dumb shark.”

    It was a pity no one considered that funny.

    “What the hell are you doing? He was going to tear off your head!”

    “You saw that he didn’t.”

    “That doesn’t mean that it can’t!” Eric yelled. He yanked me to my feet. He did not care that the pressure of his hand was having an effect on my hand, which was bleeding. A moment ago, I had felt one or the other’s teeth grazing my hand after I had tried to dodge them when they had bumped into one another.

    More blood oozed out. It was rather lucky that I had not lost my hand.

    “What were you thinking of when jumping down there? You think you’re some kind of fearless hero?!?"

    "Was I supposed to let someone die?"

    "!!!"

    "I own this place. I'm responsible for everyone’s lives. If you work for me, then I will take care of you with all my heart. I cannot be afraid of dying, but I need to be afraid of who will die here in this place I own," I snapped, and pushed his hand away while Nashley and Steve quickly wrapped a blanket around my body. "If I hadn’t helped, Bernard wouldn't have made it. You think Dy would have let him go?"

    "And you think Dy would have let you go?"

    "Well, he already let me go."

    "..."

    "You should also let me go, Mister Ex-boyfriend." Eric's mouth was set in a hard line at my words. He really shouldn't have started an argument with me after I was almost at death's door, but I knew I would get no sympathy from a man like him. He was probably speaking for other people as usual when he said he was worried about me yesterday.

    Other members of the team seemed afraid that I would jump down into the sea again, so Nashley led me out of there.

    "Sol, let's take care of the cut before more blood comes out. That’ll be bad."

    "..."

    "Steve, don't forget to take care of Bernard. He must be terrified," Nashley said. She wrapped her arms around me and escorted me into the center. I took my eyes off Eric. I thought I shouldn't be wasting my time fighting with him. I turned my gaze to Dy and Dylan who were swimming around separately, thinking how a moment ago, that was pretty fun.

    I wouldn't do this so often, though. There was too much to lose.

    "Hm. Still, it was pretty fun."

    ………………

    Dr. Owen took care of the wound for me. He teased me about losing a leg or an arm. I chuckled because I had had the same thought. When Dylan's mouth came closer, I had imagined myself cut in half, turning into bits and slid down into the shark’s stomach.

    Dylan could devour me in one bite. I was small, and it was bigger than other sharks.

    "It would have turned out better if you had thought before you acted."

    "It was too sudden. I didn't expect Bernard to fall." I smiled, looking at the bandaged wound that had needed a few stitches. Their sharp teeth had torn into a layer of skin. I licked my lips when the pain kicked in. Still, I was not someone who would throw a tantrum.

    It was like when Bernard fell. Instead of screaming and calling someone for help, I had helped him myself.

    "It is a relief Bernard is safe. Please go see him. There are beers in the fridge. Maybe he wants someone to listen to him."

    "This is why everyone is so worried about you.

    "..."

    "You always care about others." I looked down and sighed as I listened to him. "I know you are the owner of this place. You must take care of us, but that doesn't mean you need to risk yourself every time something comes up."

    "..."

    "No one wants to see you injured. Everyone wants to see you happy, because we all know how exhausted you are," Owen said without looking at me. He put away the first aid kit after dressing my wound. The velvety voice of the man who was almost ten years older than me made me sense his concern.

    It was better than a burst of anger, like Eric had done.

    "Eric worried about you the most." I rolled my eyes, getting a smile from Owen. He ruffled my hair as a form of comfort. "I know he likes to raise his voice at you, but he isn't as bad as he appears to be, or else, he would have let you be eaten."

    "I'd rather be eaten than argue with him."

    "But for him, arguing with you every day is a precious thing."

    "..."

    "Don't be too hard on your ex. You worry about him, too." I made a surprised face in jest when he said that, gaining another laugh from Owen. He tousled my hair a little harder than before, before putting things back in the lockers. I stared blankly out the window, thinking about what Owen had just said. How could I not know how much Eric worried about me? But I chose not to acknowledge it, for fear that he might think that there was something between us still.

    If I chose to cut ties, those ties would never be reconnected.

    "I'm not going back," I mumbled and looked aimlessly out over the undersea creatures. The medical room was on the underground floor; that meant we could see the deep sea. I saw Dy swimming around. It was not lying in wait for a chance to eat the whales that I had been raising. Dylan was swimming nearby. These two were always together.

    I found it surprising they did not eat one other. From what I had studied about the megalodon, they would bear only one offspring at a time. Most would not survive because they would be eaten first. The stronger one would become the leader, no different from a lion leading its pride. But with these two creatures, they helped each other.

    I had not seen them fight. I wonder if they shared the same parents or not.

    Father’s data files had nothing about their family. There were only data about their personalities, physical traits, and other important things, so I thought the secrets were in my father’s diary, which he carried on him.

    But the diary disappeared after he died.

    "You should rest. There is nothing to worry about at the moment."

    "I don't want to go back. I can see what they are doing here."

    "..."

    "Have you ever missed your sister? Have you ever wanted to go back to see her?" I asked him, without looking at his face. My gaze lingered on Dy, who was coming closer. The sonar was not beckoning it, but the lights from the back attracted its attention. Owen was stunned. It had been a long time ago since I had mentioned his sister. Family was a delicate matter. They all missed home.

    But as I said, working here meant you needed to leave everything else behind.

    "Sometimes. It's only natural."

    "That's nice. I wished I had someone to miss."

    "Sol."

    "It must be a nice feeling. Just a mere thought that you could go back and meet the person you love—your heart would pound, right? I can remember a little of that." I smiled. I thought of when my parents were alive. When my father was on a business trip far away, I always missed him and waited for him to come back. I remembered going to the movies together every weekend. Dad would smile happily. We would walk together hand in hand into the sea.

    Unfortunately, I could no longer do that again. My parents had gone to work somewhere else far, far away.

    I could not go after them, or I simply did not want to, yet.

    "I don't know if they miss me or not. When I'm not here to tease them." I laughed, pointing to the brothers. They moved closer, their black eyes staring at us. "I missed them. It's like missing you guys when we are not together."

    "It's the same feeling as when I miss my sister."

    "Hmmm?"

    "You're not alone, you know." He moved closer to me. I turned back to look at him. There wasn't much distance between us. He was only an inch away. My gaze dropped to his red lips, which were slightly parted. Owen was one of the types of sexual partners I preferred.

    But he had never crossed the line with me since we had known each other.

    "Don't do anything crazy, Sol. You'll drive them crazy.”

    "They can't come in and bite you, Doctor." I bit my lips, cunningly and naughtily. My hands wrapped around his neck. I stared deep into the beautiful ocean-colored eyes. Last time, I gave him a peck on his cheek for taking care of the wound, and when I did that...

    Dy left huge teeth marks as a warning.

    I glanced at that bite mark, which was visible not far from us. I had people install thicker glass panes. A medical room was just as necessary as a control center. If this room was destroyed, it would be as if we had lost an arm. Thus, Owen did whatever it took to preserve this place.

    For example, rejecting my charms. He tried to peel my hands off, but I would not let him...

    "Dy is watching us."

    "So?"

    "Sol."

    "Shhh, be quiet."

    "..."

    "Relax." My mouth curved into a sly grin. Leaning closer, I thought of giving him a kiss. But I changed my mind. The damp tip of my tongue brushed his lips lightly. Not invading or anything. I licked him like a puppy. It stunned him for a moment. Owen closed his eyes and compressed his lips tightly, feeling the bit of saliva I had left on his mouth. I seductively bit my lip before turning back to the big shark that was staring not far from us.

    I looked into Dy's eyes with a cheeky grin. Worse than that, I pressed my cheek on to the chest of the person in front of me. I looked at the beast, challenging him to do something.

    In the water, it might be the king above all others, but as long as I did not go outside...

    He was just a fish in an aquarium.

    And being fish in an aquarium was nothing fascinating. So Dy slowly opened his mouth to show off his teeth before charging forward to bite into the glass panes between us.

    Thud!

    The large teeth marks were the only sign indicating how much it wanted to crush me. It was a warning. As soon as I stepped out, it would kill me. Revenge for driving it crazy.

    But do you know, even though it wanted to kill me...

    It could not be denied that it loved me a lot as well.

    So, I gave him a mischievous grin before saying to his face...

    "Heh, you stupid shark."

    ………………

    I went back to bury myself in the pile of work in my bedroom. I had been away for just a month, but the amount of work I needed to finish made me clutch at my head. Most were just errors that needed some fixing. There were solutions; they just needed my signature for approval or a discussion with the research team first. Cigarettes were lit, one after another. The white smoke permeated the room.

    Darkness filled the sea. I glanced at the clock, realizing that it was a little past midnight.

    Dylan and Dy were still around, as if they were afraid that I would escape.

    Their black eyes seemed to stare defiantly at me, but I just shook my head. I smiled faintly and propped my chin onto my hands, looking at them.

    "I'm not going anywhere..."

    Knock, knock.

    "Hmm?" While I was absorbed in watching them, there was suddenly a knock on my door at midnight. I needed to look away from the brothers and turn back to the shadow moving in front of the room. I initially thought it was Bernard, but he would not work this late at night.

    Until a face popped up in my mind. I bet it was...

    The head of the research team.

    "He is really such a nuisance." I shrugged and rolled my eyes, but I opened the door for him anyway. Eric could not possibly get in unless I gave him permission, which was not at all possible. I pressed the sensor to open the door. We looked into each other's eyes. I shook my head at the sight of the arrogant face. "I think it is too late for you to bother anybody."

    "I just brought you a glass of warm milk."

    "..."

    "I assumed you were still awake." I stared at the blue glass in his hand. Eric would not look at me in the eye. He seemed afraid that I could sense his feelings. "I saw the lights were on, and I thought maybe you couldn’t sleep."

    "I'm working. I was away for almost a month, and I need to catch up on a lot of work."

    "Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?"

    "I thought that you would offer to stay with me like the old days." I crossed my arms, leaning against the doorway. I looked at him with a playful expression. When we were together, he would offer to stay if I worked late. He would monitor the data or do something that let me know I was not alone.

    You know, right, that when two people are alone together, things will not end up with just sleeping and handholding.

    Although he seemed stiff, he was quite good in bed. :)

    "I have no right. You know that."

    "Obviously. We broke up." I grabbed the milk and took a sip. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with what I had said. I might have hurt his feelings a little. "Thanks for the bedtime milk."

    "No problem. I just wanted to...make up for speaking badly to you."

    " Hmmm?"

    "For what happened before."

    "..."

    "I didn't mean to do that... really." He finally revealed what had brought him here. I did not know whether he had realized this himself or whether Owen had talked to him. "I know I was too harsh. I was just frustrated that you never take care of yourself. You only risk your life for others."

    "I did it because I own this place. I told you so."

    "And don't you think that that kind of sacrifice will make others worry?" Eric asked. This was the first time he spoke normally to me since I had returned. His eyes were full of confusion as I beamed at him. It was not a sly grin, just a normal smile. "You know we can't trade a life for a life."

    "But we can choose who stays."

    "..."

    "I'd rather choose your lives over mine, because at least the only burdens I have left are this research center and those two creatures." I gestured behind me. It was unnecessary to turn back and see if the two brothers were there. "But you guys still have your families to go back to. There are many people waiting for you."

    "But not having a family doesn't mean you don’t matter.”

    "Eric."

    "You are not alone. At least you have me." The sincerity in his voice amused me. Maybe I was drunk on milk, or maybe he was intoxicated on the coffee he had drunk. My response made Eric sigh. He reached for my hand and squeezed lightly. "It's not about whether we broke up or are still together. As long as I'm with you, I will always worry about you."

    "..."

    "You’re the most important person here. Everyone is your family. Isn't that enough to keep you alive, Sol? " My gaze dropped to our intertwined hands before mulling over what he said. I knew of all the feelings he tried to convey, but I had chosen not to accept them because my life was not as easy as he thought.

    While he was concerned about me, I only thought about how to keep those two creatures alive each day.

    Instead of seeing the team as a family, as Eric said, I saw Dylan and Dy as my family.

    At least they reminded me of the world after death. I would not be afraid when that time approached.

    "I’d like you to think about the feelings of those you leave behind."

    "I can’t. I think you should go back and rest. It’s already late."

    "Sol…"

    "I understand everything you said, but some things cannot change." I smiled and pushed him out. “Let's say that tomorrow we will meet at ten. I will not get up late, so you don’t have to come find me again.”

    "You are rejecting me again."

    "I think we've fought enough for today, Eric."

    "..."

    "Good night." I pressed the button to close the door, ignoring Eric, who still had more to say. I waved at him through the round window. It was the only window through which he could see what I was doing. I turned back and buried myself in the documents, looking at the monsters who were motionless not far away. They stopped moving and went to sleep. Even though they were fish, it was not like they could not sleep.

    The funny thing was that they slept close to my room. It was like we were keeping each other company during sleep.

    Every day and every night.

    "Going to sleep before me like this isn’t very nice, guys.”

    "..."

    "Tired of chasing after me?" I grinned and put my hand on the glass, with my eyes on the sharks. "But I'm not tired of running away from you. Until I die, I'll let you guys chase me as much as you want."

    Flinch!

    "But you guys must grant me my wish." My voice trailed off. I leaned my forehead against the glass. I hoped those words could float away with the breeze from the air conditioning in the room, passing all the obstructions in between, and reach them. Dy floated toward me. The waves probably brought it here.

    Right now, my big guy was falling asleep, but I was...

    Sobs.

    I had no excuse. I just wanted to see my only wish come true.

    "When it's really my turn to die, you guys must be the ones to kill me."