Azad and Ellie clung to the shattered remnants of their boat, bobbing up and down on the relentless waves. The storm had passed, but the aftermath left the sea a dark, roiling mass beneath them. Their clothes were soaked through, their limbs heavy with exhaustion. The sky, now a dull gray, hung low above them, and the only sound was the soft creaking of the broken wood as it floated aimlessly on the water.
Azad wiped the saltwater from his face, his eyes scanning the horizon. "What now? We can't just drift forever."
Ellie, still catching her breath, reached into the pocket of her soaked armor. "We need another boat," she muttered, pulling out her crafting table.
Azad blinked. "You kept that thing?"
Ellie shot him a look. "Do you ever plan for anything? It's what's going to save us—again."
Before she could start, a low, menacing growl echoed from beneath the water. Azad's stomach dropped as the sound intensified, growing louder and more threatening with every second.
"What... what is that?" Azad asked, his voice trembling.
Ellie's expression darkened, and she glanced down into the water. "Oh no," she whispered. "The drowned..."
Azad looked down and saw them—horrifying, waterlogged creatures, their skin pale and rotting, with seaweed and barnacles clinging to their bodies. Their hollow eyes locked onto him as they swam toward them, growling hungrily. His blood ran cold.
"Drowned?" Azad's voice cracked. "As in... zombies from the ocean?"
Ellie nodded, her eyes wide with fear. "They're coming fast! Azad, you have to cover me while I craft a new boat. We need to get out of here!"
"Cover you? With what?!" Azad gestured to their crumbled boat. "I have nothing!"
Ellie shook her head, already setting down the crafting table on a floating piece of wood. "Just punch them, kick them, anything! Just buy me time!"
Azad groaned, his heart pounding in his chest as the first drowned broke through the surface, its decayed, bloated body rising from the depths with a gurgling snarl. Its arms flailed, reaching for him with skeletal fingers.
"I hate this world!" Azad shouted as he swung his fist at the nearest drowned, connecting with its waterlogged face. The creature reeled back but quickly recovered, its guttural growl more aggressive than before.
"Focus, Azad!" Ellie called out, her hands working furiously on the crafting table. "I'm almost done! Just hold them off a little longer!"
Azad fought with everything he had, kicking and punching the drowned as they continued to surge toward them. Every blow he landed seemed to barely slow them down, and more kept coming. One of them grabbed hold of his leg, its cold, slimy fingers wrapping around his ankle.
"Get off me!" Azad yelled, shaking his leg wildly to dislodge the creature. His heart pounded as more drowned clawed at the surface, their grotesque faces mere inches from him.
Ellie cursed under her breath, her fingers moving frantically. "I'm almost there! Just hang on!"
"Ellie!" Azad shouted as another drowned lunged at him. He barely managed to dodge its gnashing teeth, the stench of decay making him gag. "You better hurry!"
"Just a few more seconds!"
Azad kicked one of the drowned square in the chest, but another grabbed onto his arm, its dead eyes staring into his. He swung wildly, managing to knock it loose, but his strength was fading. His arms burned with fatigue.
Suddenly, a massive wave of cold water surged around them, and Azad lost his balance. As he flailed in the water, gasping for air, he saw Ellie lifting the newly crafted boat.
"Got it!" Ellie cried triumphantly.
But before Azad could celebrate, pain shot through him as sharp teeth sank into his butt. He screamed in agony, twisting around to see one of the drowned latched onto him.
"Get it off! Get it off!" Azad yelled, thrashing in the water, trying to shove the creature away.
Ellie, trying not to laugh, pulled him up by his arm and shoved him into the boat. "Hurry, get in!"
Azad scrambled onto the boat, still yelling in pain as he clutched his behind. "It bit me! It actually bit me!"
Ellie collapsed in the boat beside him, laughing uncontrollably, her body shaking with the effort to keep it in. "I can't believe you actually got bit… on the butt!"
Azad glared at her, his face red both from exhaustion and embarrassment. "This isn't funny, Ellie! What if I turn into one of those... those drowned things?!"
Ellie wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling. "Oh, Azad, you're not going to turn into a drowned." She couldn't help but burst into laughter again. "No, idiot, it doesn't work that way!"
Azad sat there, sulking, his butt still throbbing in pain. "I swear, if I grow gills, I'm blaming you."
Ellie grinned, trying to stifle her laughter as she started paddling the boat away from the mob of drowned. "You'll be fine, princess. Just relax."
Azad grumbled under his breath, still nursing his wounded pride. The storm had passed, but the memory of it lingered in every ache and bruise, every breath they took. For now, they had survived—barely—but the ocean was far from done with them.
"Next time," Azad muttered, "I'm making the boat."