The water exploded as Jack broke the surface, gasping for air. But he wasn't alone. The shark was so close now that Lucious could see the jagged scars on its snout and the cold, unblinking hunger in its eye. There was no time for a rope, no time for a plan.
Lucious gripped his sword, his knuckles white. With a primal roar, he didn't wait for the beast to strike; he leaped from the boat.
For a heartbeat, he was suspended in the salt air, a shadow against the morning sun. Then, he slammed onto the shark's massive, sandpaper-rough back. The creature went wild, thrashing and twisting in a desperate attempt to throw the intruder. Sea spray and foam blinded Lucious, but he clung to the dorsal fin with a death grip, his body being tossed around like a rag doll.
Bracing his feet, Lucious raised his blade. With all the adrenaline-fueled strength he possessed, he plunged the sword deep into the shark's gill.
A horrific, gurgling sound rose from the depths as dark blood began to bloom in the water, spreading like a sinister cloud. The thrashing slowed. The great predator of the deep was taking its final, shuddering breaths.
In the chaos, Jack had managed to scramble back into the boat. He didn't waste a second, grabbing the oars and rowing frantically toward the center of the crimson stain where Lucious was still clinging to the carcass.
"Give me your hand!" Jack shouted, his voice cracking.
He pulled the boat right alongside the dying beast, reaching down to grab Lucious by the armor. With a heave, he hauled his friend back onto the wooden planks. Lucious sat there, chest heaving, his clothes and skin soaked in the shark's blood. He let out a triumphant, ragged scream that echoed across the empty ocean.
"I killed it!" he roared, his eyes wide with the shock of survival. "Jack, I just killed the shark!"
"You did, you did," Jack said, trying to steady his own breathing. "Now calm down, man. We're alive."
Lucious stared back at the water. The victory was short-lived; the scent of blood was a dinner bell in the ocean. Already, other fins were cutting through the water—a shark herd had arrived, attracted by the carnage. They began to tear into the fallen predator, a frenzy of silver and red.
"Lucious, start rowing," Jack urged, his face pale. "I want to leave this bloody madness behind."
They rowed in the opposite direction until the water turned clear and blue once more. When they were finally safe, the silence of the sea returned. Jack took a long, shaky breath and looked at his friend.
"Thank you, Lucious," he said quietly. "Don't worry, man. We've got each other's back."
The dog, who had been frozen in terror during the fight, finally came forward. He licked Lucious's hand, whining softly, happy to see his master safe.
Despite the horror, they had secured their breakfast. Jack pulled out a sharp, curved knife and held up the fin and tail he had managed to hack away before the scavengers arrived.
"My first time eating shark," Jack remarked, trying to lighten the mood. "Being a fisherman is more dangerous than I thought."
"Yeah," Lucious wiped a smudge of blood from his forehead. "And it might happen again."
They set up a small grill on the deck. The fin and tail were bony, but they cooked them until the meat was tender. They ate their fill, leaving a pile of bones that they discarded back into the deep. The "crazy morning" was finally over, and the weight of their exhaustion began to set in.
"Let's take some rest," Jack said, taking the oars from Lucious. "Every minute is precious, and you deserve it. I'll row for a while."
As the sun reached its peak, the heat became a new enemy. The shining rays were relentless. Lucious sat at the edge of the boat, occasionally dipping his hands into the cool ocean to keep his feverish skin from burning. Even the dog took a few cautious dips in the water, held steady by Lucious's firm grip, as they drifted onward toward the fabled sea.