In the middle of the night, a golden crescent moon shines over the Pacific Ocean. Below this tableau is the rusty old Shrimp Dancer missing its long time navigator and chief. Left to steer her is Adam Belfort. Not too sea worthy himself, he has no plans on taking her out very far. He knows what his fate is. Survival of the fittest. Kill or be killed. He has no other choice.
Pacing about, he is stunned and disordered. He turns to Ashley, "I must get rid of her."
"Now don't you get any ideas of being brave."
"Brave, hell! This is not bravery." He points to the ocean. "That beast out there… she will stop at nothing until we are next."
"We can pilot the boat back to shore."
Adam slips into the wetsuit as he talks. "She has us in her sights and won't let us go." Then over the wetsuit, he puts on the chainmail. He tucks Conrad's Saint Christopher under it.
"I'm sure if we move fast enough we can—"
Breaking forth is the sound of the giant squid as her tail crashing oh so close to the boat.
"She has us surrounded," Adam said.
Ashely cries, "What are we going to do?"
"A plan. I need a plan on what should be done next." Adam says those words, but his thoughts are disjointed and fuzzy. He sets his elbow on his cupped hand. His index finger rest on his lower lips.
Motivated by nothing in particular, Adam slowly moves forward a bit. Then picks up the tempo. Leisurely, he turns around, back in the same direction. The pacing increases. Then just as soon as it started, he stops. He just cannot think of anything.
Glancing over at Ashley, he walks over to address her. His wife's eyes are puffy. He wants to comfort her by saying that everything will be all right. Something profound that only a writer can create. But he is a loss of words.
Nervous, he fumbles Conrad's Saint Christopher that he has dangling around his neck all day. Now Adam has suffered the loss of two friends to the Kraken. "I sure miss him."
Ashley puts her arms around Adam. "I wonder if that creature even realizes the pain it has inflicted?"
"She is only doing what its instinct directs it to," said Adam.
Ashley lifts her head, "Why Jensen and Conrad?" She pulls away. "Why them? Why not another seal or other ocean lifeform?"
"Not after it tasted the flesh of a human."
Ashley lashes out, "Why us?"
"The Kraken is hungry," Adam responds, "And wants to make us her second course."
This gives Ashely the heebie-jeebies. He can see she if visual upset. He is not much better. He puts on a brave face as he consoles her, but his stomach in doing back flips. They are rocked by the beast of Fukushima marking her territory.
Thump!
They brace the side of the boat. Adam puffs his cheeks in his attempt to keep it together
Thump!
Now the predator is on the other side of the boat.
Thump!
Adam's nerves get the best of him. The world around him spins about him as he feels out of control. The blows get so loud, it's just a matter of time until the boat comes apart. Each thump sends a nerve wrecking vibration felt throughout the boat. With latest sets of thumps, Adam flinches. He lacks any sort of energy to carry on. He suffers from survivor's guilt.
Playing like an old flicker movie over and over in his head, Adam sees the horrific scene of his two friends being ripped apart by the great predator. The limps bobbing up and down in the water resembling apples in a carnival game. Knowing that those parts belong to special people in his life. Then the beast finishing it off like it was leftovers at a Thanksgiving feast.
Wondering if there was something… anything… he could have done to prevent it. He did give a weak effort to reach out to Conrad, but fear kept him from acting quicker. And yet he had the chance to stop Jensen. But, he was hell bent to get his revenge, and no amount of logic was going to stop the rage that his friend felt. It was like the beast itself, acting on impulse, no care in the world of what the consequences were.
However, now Adam feels that same revenge. He plops down on the bench. However, fear and confusion prevents him for acting upon such compulsions. Right now he needs to do something… anything… but he doesn't move. He looks down at his feet wondering why it will not move. It is as if his feet are stuck to the bottom of the boat. He drops his head between his knees.
A wave of nausea engulfs him. He heaves forward, but nothing comes out. It gets stuck hallway between his stomach and his throat. Adam looks up to see if Ashley notices, but she is lost in her own confusion and fears.
Adam can hear himself breath. He is well aware that hyperventilation leads to loss of consciousness. He must be aware. He must be there for Ashley. Breathe in slowly… good oxygen… now exhale. Now a gulp of air.
Damn, too quick. Focus. Breathe in. Now bit by bit breathe out that bad air. In his mind he hears that comedy bit, "In with the good air, out with the bad… in with the good air, out with the bad." It makes him giggle. Good. Relax. Now he has control of his own inner self.
With his breath under control, he stands up. He knows he must act. Slowly shuffles towards the pilot's wheel. He must use the controls to get them the hell out of here. But the muscles in his body does not have any sort of strength to steer the wheel. He lacks any sort of energy to carry on.
Frustrated, he walks over to the edge of the boat. Glancing down, he is teleported into the infinite openness of the sea. He sees his own reflection in the dim water. God, Adam… you look like crap. The water ripples. He shifts his head forward.
Making her final pass is the Kraken heading towards the boat to finish them off, stalking its prey.
Adam must get out of his funk and in a hurry. He needs to come up with a plan and quick to stop the beast. Now is a good time for this knight in shining armor to step up to the plate and tackle his dragon. You sure picked a fine week to be brave Adam.
Standing on the deck of the old fishing boat, the couple spots the massive cephalopod surfacing a few feet away. Adam cringes as Ashley flinches as her knees buckle at the sight of the menacing fish.
Ashley's chin trembles. "Adam, look, it's heading straight—" She holds on to him.
"—yeah, I see it." Adam notices something moving all right. It was the beast's tentacles. Then her head rises above the sea level, peaking above it.
Those big black eyes of the Kraken glares at them. Her head is tossed with much force. Like a charging bull, the predator uses her full force against the boat. Adam quickly jumps on the deck and mans the controls. The squid grabs part of the boat with her tentacles. They are so thick and slimy. The barbs on her tentacles grip parts of the boat. Then she pulls real hard.
Still hungry, the Kraken reaches in with her mighty arms. Ashley screams. She runs to the rear of the boat outrunning the beasts reach. Try as she might, she just cannot get to her prey. "Do something Adam," Ashley shouts.
Do something! Like what? Watching the colossal squid reach for his wife scares him so. He looks down on the gearshift. He hits the gas, but cannot move forward. The more he guns it, the more it just stays puts. The engine lets out a roar of disapproval. Smoke billows from it. Damn it, if I continue, the thing will burn out.
Thinking quick, Adam grinds the boat to a halt. This action causes the squid to let go. Not missing an opportunity, he guns it. Adam spins the wheel franticly causing the boat to turn a one hundred eighty degrees. After recovering from the drastic shift, he pulls the gears throttle so the tiny fishing boat heads in the opposite direction of the beast.
However, Adam did not move fast enough. The Kraken rams the boat tossing it sideways. Everything on the boat gets thrown on end including the human passengers. Adam pulls himself up and goes back to the wheel. To boost their speed, Adam pushes on the gearshift operating the propeller.
The wheel quickly moves violently. "Holy crap!" Adam catches it so they do not spin out of control. White knuckling the wheel, he uses all of his mite to hold on to it. The force thrusted upon it feels like the Incredible Hulk was pulling it. The muscles on his fingers weaken. Adam lets go of the wheel. A big crack sound ensues.
He rushes to the side of the boat to check out the damage. All of a sudden he sees the familiar sight of the beast herself as she swims away. Floating on top is hunks of the rudder.
"Crap," Adam shouts.
"What is it?" Ashley said.
"The rudder!" He rushes forward through the narrow passage of the boat. He trips over a cooler bag and tosses it to the side. "She broke off about most of the rudder as well as some of the other major parts of it. The metal is bent to hell."
"Is that bad?"
"I'm no expert, but now I won't be able to steer the boat." Adam goes up to the steering wheel. He pushes the wheel the best he can, but sure enough, it will not turn. He slams his hand on it. "Damn! It's almost like she knew right where to hit us."
The self-appointed captain of the Shrimp Dancer is in a conundrum. He has zero experience piloting any sort of boat. But, it doesn't take a well season sailor to tell him that they are up against it if the boat cannot move.
Without warning, the beast leaped out of the water. She used her massive weight to plop itself on the small fishing boat. Then lands on the bow of the boat. The front part submerges in the water. The couple get tossed about. As Ashley slides forwards towards the water, Adam grabs her. Then the boat bounces back upright.
Once in its upright position, the boat takes on water. It is ruptured. Adam grabs Ashley and pulls her on her feet. It's at this point that he notices the boat fragmented to smithereens. The wood from the boat spread out into the ocean. It's a miracle that there is any boat left.
With squinted eyes, Adam looks out behind them. The beast is not finished with them. She lifts her great tail. Adam grabs Ashley and braces for impact. It comes crashing down up them like a hammer ringing the bell at the carnival. Certainly, they will die here if that couple ton tail hits them.
Just as the force of it came towards Ashley's skull. Adam pushes her out of the boat towards safety. Instead, the tail knocks over the mast knocking Adam down. Dazed, he gets up. His arm is bleeding, but not too seriously. The pain is the least of his worries.
As if it was getting running room, the Kraken circles away from the remains of the Shrimp Dancer. With pent-uprage build up inside of her slimy belly, the beast centers her frenzy towards the vessel. Then at full speed, she heads towards them. Bracing for the impact, Adam hides behind the upper platform.
The mighty squid crashes straight into the fishing boat. The shockwave felt like a nuclear bomb. A bruised and battered Adam pulls himself away from the platform. He surveys the damage and realizes that it is a matter of time until the boat will sink. Then he smells gas. He checks the tank and because of the impact, it is leaking fuel in the tank. Adam jumps off.
A great explosion sends debris flying in the air.
The boat is still intact with half of it blown away. It soon bursts into flames. Clouds of dark smoke billows in the sky. The fallout is the scattered remains of Karl Jensen's legacy… the Shrimp Dancer.
****
Cold and wet, this is the last place that Ashley wanted to be. As the boat exploded, she managed to dodge the falling embers of the vessel. She sees some of the debris strewn about. She swims over to a large hunk of wood. She puts her weight on it in an attempt to use it like a buoy. But, she tips over instead.
In the distance, just past the navigational buoy, she sees the DPV floating on top. She will just hop on it and save herself. She does not need a knight in shining armor to protect her. She was an independent woman before she married Adam, and she will remain so now.
He is worthless as a protector anyway. He is afraid of everything that moves. Does she really think he will come through now? Well, yeah there was that time he stood up to his boss from the newspaper, but it was not like his boss was going to physically devour him for dinner.
Plus, he was no match for that realtor guy, Edward Wilcox. She thought it strange that her husband folded so quickly to the guy. What hold does he have over Adam? If he wants to act so brave, why doesn't he go after him? Coward!
She moves her arms hoping to swim towards the DPV device. Behind her is the fast approaching squid. When she faces front again, she takes on water. She coughs up the nasty tasting salty ocean.
She is not covering much distance. The DPV is not any closer than it was before she started to swim towards it. She is not the swimmer like her husband. However, try as she must, the scooter is her only chance she has or the beast will make lunch out of her.
Shaking her head as if it will change the movie in her head, Ashley cannot get those revolting images out of her head. Playing before her like a TikTok video caught in a loop, she has visions of the horror show played before her as she saw what the beast did to Karl.
Poor Karl! He did not deserve that. None of us do. Our last moments at the tentacles of this slimy squid. To suffer in a slow, painful death. Yes, this might be the beast's instinct to feast on a prey, but I will be damned if I am going to be the next bounty.
The up and down motion of the waves makes it difficult to get any sort of traction. Her arms are tired and she fights to stay afloat. Her body feels a heaviness. She is so caught up in her internal conflict, she has forgotten her goal. The DPV device. It is gone! No… it just dipped down a bit with the waves.
Cannot give up now. Survival is the key. Must… get… to the… scooter… before—
--she plunges down in the water. Kicking her legs, she rises back to the top. Dark and hazy Ashley has lost her bearings. Where is that thing? In the mist, she picks up a yellow craft in the distance. Now too weak to move, she slowly paddles her arms towards the scooter. Her eyes blurry, she can barely make it out.
Fading from her vision is the DPV. Must swim faster towards her only method of survival. Ah, almost there.
All hope is lost. She goes to it, but cannot make it in time. Ashley will never arrive before the great predator has her way with her.
****
Watching from his viewpoint of the wreckage of the boat, Adam can see the beast about to pounce on his wife. He is a good swimmer, but even he is having trouble with the bobbing and weaving of the waves. How do the fishes do it? Like a dolphin, he dips down and arches his body up and down. Glancing above the crest of the waves, he sees the beast gaining on his wife.
He knows there is no way he can swim fast enough to catch up to her. Looking around for answers, he notices the remains of the Shrimp Dancer. If he can get on it, maybe the engine is not burnt out and he can get to Ashley before it's too late. However, it is sinking ever so slowly.
Glaring off of the light of the moon is a remnants of the fishing boat. Could it be? Adam sees lifeboats Jensen had attached to the craft. With all of his might, he swims over to it. Now he can rescue both Ashley and himself. The hell with trying to kill the Kraken. Their safety is the most important thing now.
After what seems like an eternity, Adam finally makes it to the wreckage. However, his joy is short-lived when he finds out that the lifeboat is securely tied to the Shrimp Dancer. Getting it free from the mother-ship will be most difficult. It will take some time, which he is in short supply of at the moment.
He finally makes it to the wreckage. Now he can get use the lifeboat to save Ashley. However, his joy is short-lived when he notices that it is tied tight with rope. He pulls on it, but Adam cannot release it from the mother-ship. A scream makes his hair stand on end. It is Ashley.
He pulls on the lifeboat again. Parts of the ropes catches on a hasp that holds it fast. Then another tug and it falls free right into the ocean. Damn, hope it did not damage anything. Adam gives a quick search and everything seems okay. He jumps into it. He turns it on. Good, it still works.
Pointing the boat do west, Adam sees Ashley in the middle of the ocean heading towards the DPV device. Good girl. That should keep her afloat long enough until I get there. At that moment, he presses the accelerator in the direction of his wife.
Then to his horror, the Kraken makes her appearance with vengeance in her cruel, soulless eyes. A lump appears in Adam's throat the size of an apple. The thought of her being consumed by the creature horrifies him.
He heads towards her at top speed. The Kraken gets closer to Ashley and is in striking distance. He presses the accelerator as far as it will go. Come on, come on.
There is no option, he must get their before the beast does.
****
There are not too many times in a predator's life when a prey is so easy to catch that it is just a matter of picking up that tasty tidbit and just devour it. Such is the case for the beast of Fukushima as she sees one displayed right before her eyes. The fact that she may or may not be hungry is beside the point. Hunger has nothing to do with it. She will feast now and store it as body fat for those lean times.
Moreover, it seems that the Kraken is not done feasting. She is tempted by this two-legged creature treading water in front of her. Heading towards it, she plans to make this her next meal. Now with her pace increased, she can only figure that it is because of her improved appetite for this new kind of fish has inspired her to move even faster.
As she gets closer, she notices that this new species of fish does not have the same outer shell as the others. This should make it easier to devour. Ah, she is upon it now. Dangling in front of her is the next victim like it was there waiting for her. So easy to catch. Strange that this new kind of fish cannot swim very well. Perhaps its only purpose in life is to be her personal piece of food.
What will she do after she is done feasting? What lies beyond… she has no care in the world. It only seems that life is there for the choosing and will hand over food to her whenever she sees fit.