along as I desperately swam to the boat. We made it, but we couldn't get back in. The side was too high to grab and hoist myself up. I looked for a ladder, but there wasn't one nearby. I thought there might be something to hold onto at the back of the boat, but I didn't want to risk the time to swim there. I had to get Annie up before the shark, or whatever it was, decided to finish its meal.
"Annie, I'm going to go under the water and put your feet on my shoulder. Okay?"
"Why?"
"We're going to play a game. I'm going to try and push you up as high into the air as I can, and you have to try and get into the boat. Okay? Think you can do it?"
A shark fin emerged less than ten feet away. It traced the surface as it headed toward us and sank back beneath.
"I don't want to do that," said Annie.
"We have to, baby. We have to. Okay? I'm going to go under. You put your feet on my shoulders."
"No," she said.
"Yes." I dove under and grabbed onto Annie's feet as she kicked to stop this from happening. I held her ankles and stretched myself down into the water as far as I could, then sprang back up.
We rocketed in the air and Annie easily cleared the side of the boat. I heard her strike the bottom with a thud and then start screaming in pain and anger. I've never been happier to hear her cry.
Next it was my turn to stay alive.
"Grab my hand," said Billy from the side of the boat. I was happy to see him, but then I remembered he was supposed to be with Kim.
"Where's Kim?" I asked as I took his hand. He grabbed onto me with both hands and pulled me up until I could grip the side with my free hand. I dragged my left leg over the edge of The Casper.
"Jesus Christ," said Billy. "What happened to your foot?"
"A shark, I think. How's Kim?"
I flopped down to the floor and the pain from my injuries became suddenly far too apparent. I didn't want to look at the damage the shark had done.
"She's fine," said Billy. "She got banged up pretty good, but she's not paralyzed or anything like that. I think the jolt of the explosion hurt her back and her legs, but she started moving after you got out of the cabin. She's fine. Fuck me, you're not though."
I started to cry. "They're okay?" I asked. "My girls are both okay?"
"Yeah. They're fine. They're both fine."
My body convulsed with wave after wave of sobs as the relief overcame me. I was racked with pain, and I could feel the confusion of blood loss set in, but my girls were both okay. That's all I cared about.
"Where's that bag of bandages and shit?" asked Billy as he gazed out over the water for the My Little Pony bag that David had taken from the school. He unlatched a long pole with a hook on the end from under the lip of the boat's edge.
"I wish I'd known you had one of those about five minutes ago," I said as I watched him lean over the edge to retrieve the bag of supplies.
"Yeah, but then you wouldn't of been able to go fight sharks to save your daughter, and I know how much you wanted to do that. You crazy ass." He pulled the bag into the boat and set the pole aside so he could search for something to bandage me with.
I dared a glance at my foot. It gushed blood, but it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I thought I was going to look down to see that it was gone completely, but it was still there, and I cried out in relief.
"Sit still," said Billy. He started to wrap my leg with a large pad and pressed on it to stop the bleeding. "Here," he said as he tossed me a white rag. "Press that against your head. You've got a pretty nasty gash up there."
"We should get going," I said as I wiped blood out of my eyes. "Why isn't the boat moving?"
"The explosion must've rattled the engine. I'll try to get us going as soon as I can."
"I smell gas," I said.
"Yeah, I smell it too. A fuel line might have snapped."
"I can take care of myself." I sat up to take over and bandage my own foot. "You go get us moving. I want to get out of the water as soon as we can. I'm sick of your fucking
"Annie, I'm going to go under the water and put your feet on my shoulder. Okay?"
"Why?"
"We're going to play a game. I'm going to try and push you up as high into the air as I can, and you have to try and get into the boat. Okay? Think you can do it?"
A shark fin emerged less than ten feet away. It traced the surface as it headed toward us and sank back beneath.
"I don't want to do that," said Annie.
"We have to, baby. We have to. Okay? I'm going to go under. You put your feet on my shoulders."
"No," she said.
"Yes." I dove under and grabbed onto Annie's feet as she kicked to stop this from happening. I held her ankles and stretched myself down into the water as far as I could, then sprang back up.
We rocketed in the air and Annie easily cleared the side of the boat. I heard her strike the bottom with a thud and then start screaming in pain and anger. I've never been happier to hear her cry.
Next it was my turn to stay alive.
"Grab my hand," said Billy from the side of the boat. I was happy to see him, but then I remembered he was supposed to be with Kim.
"Where's Kim?" I asked as I took his hand. He grabbed onto me with both hands and pulled me up until I could grip the side with my free hand. I dragged my left leg over the edge of The Casper.
"Jesus Christ," said Billy. "What happened to your foot?"
"A shark, I think. How's Kim?"
I flopped down to the floor and the pain from my injuries became suddenly far too apparent. I didn't want to look at the damage the shark had done.
"She's fine," said Billy. "She got banged up pretty good, but she's not paralyzed or anything like that. I think the jolt of the explosion hurt her back and her legs, but she started moving after you got out of the cabin. She's fine. Fuck me, you're not though."
I started to cry. "They're okay?" I asked. "My girls are both okay?"
"Yeah. They're fine. They're both fine."
My body convulsed with wave after wave of sobs as the relief overcame me. I was racked with pain, and I could feel the confusion of blood loss set in, but my girls were both okay. That's all I cared about.
"Where's that bag of bandages and shit?" asked Billy as he gazed out over the water for the My Little Pony bag that David had taken from the school. He unlatched a long pole with a hook on the end from under the lip of the boat's edge.
"I wish I'd known you had one of those about five minutes ago," I said as I watched him lean over the edge to retrieve the bag of supplies.
"Yeah, but then you wouldn't of been able to go fight sharks to save your daughter, and I know how much you wanted to do that. You crazy ass." He pulled the bag into the boat and set the pole aside so he could search for something to bandage me with.
I dared a glance at my foot. It gushed blood, but it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I thought I was going to look down to see that it was gone completely, but it was still there, and I cried out in relief.
"Sit still," said Billy. He started to wrap my leg with a large pad and pressed on it to stop the bleeding. "Here," he said as he tossed me a white rag. "Press that against your head. You've got a pretty nasty gash up there."
"We should get going," I said as I wiped blood out of my eyes. "Why isn't the boat moving?"
"The explosion must've rattled the engine. I'll try to get us going as soon as I can."
"I smell gas," I said.
"Yeah, I smell it too. A fuel line might have snapped."
"I can take care of myself." I sat up to take over and bandage my own foot. "You go get us moving. I want to get out of the water as soon as we can. I'm sick of your fucking
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