Chapter 3: Megondagua
Chapter 3: Megondagua
~~[846 Words]~~
None of them saw it coming. Not a chance.
They were still spaced out, lost in their own thoughts, when something suddenly yanked one of the fishing rods—hard, fast, zero warning.
"Lisa, your rod's got a bite! "Yelled a guy holding a bottle, grinning like he already knew it was jackpot time. "That's got to be a monster, you're going to hit it big!"
Lisa didn't even blink. She lunged for her rod, grabbed it tight, and cranked the reel with everything she had. Not good enough, she thought, so she pulled the rod right out of the holder.
"Lisa, don't take it off!" Saedan shouted, panic written all over his face. And before anyone could react, the thing on the line nearly dragged her straight overboard. He reached her just in time, throwing his arms around her and holding her back.
Everyone stared at Saedan, stunned—except for the old man. He just watched, unfazed.
She twisted around, laughing breathlessly. "How'd you get here so fast? You were way over there and then, you're now right behind me! How's that even possible?"
"Everything in this world holds its own kind of possible", he looked into her eyes, steady and then sighed softly. "Don't worry about it", he said.
Saedan stepped in behind her, his arm bracing across hers. He didn't seem bothered at all, but his face went red as he helped steady her grip on the rod. That fish, whatever it was, was still fighting.
Lisa grinned, eyes wide. "It's huge," she whispered.
"Keep going, Lisa. Feels like a monster."
She kept turning the reel, but every second that pull got meaner and heavier.
"I can't do it," Lisa gasped, her arms shaking. "The force—"
She lost her grip. The handle spun out of control, the line shrieking as it shot out.
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Saedan eased her down and took over. Calm as anything, he slid the rod from her hands. "I got this. Step back. Just watch."
She stepped away, flashing him a soft, cool smile.
Saedan slammed the reel tight.
"Oh, you want a fight? Slow." A crooked grin spread across his face. "You're strong. Never felt a pull like this before. What on earth are you? " He kept smiling, shaking his head. "Unreal. The ocean always has some new trick."
He muttered, "Still."
Now he was ready, locked in and bracing himself—no way, absolutely no way he'd let a fish beat him.
But neither side gave up. They dug in, tense and stubborn.
Then—snap.
A violent jolt. The line whipped free, broken clean. Left nothing but a bare rod, a limp coil dangling. That fish was gone. Didn't even get a peek.
Saedan straightened up slowly and fell silent, thinking.
"No-ooh!" the skinny guy cried off to the side, gently slamming his fist on the rail. "That thing was huge, what a waste!"
The old man stepped closer and lowered his voice. "That was no ordinary catch. What do you think it was?"
Saedan shrugged. "Hard to say for sure," his voice went cold. "Feels like a shark, except—" He paused, eyes narrowed. "Something's off. Too big, too strong."
That silence weighed heavy.
Then the water erupted.
A massive shape barreled up from below, breaking the surface, slicing through the waves like nothing. A dorsal fin, giant and unmistakable.
"There you are," Saedan murmured, the corner of his mouth curling into a fascinated smile.
"That's a shark, alright," the old man breathed. He went rigid the moment he saw how impossibly large that fin was, bearing down on them, close enough to send chills through his bones. His nephew was right. "It's so big… that's—that's impossible—! Everyone hold on; it's coming straight for us. Calvin, get this boat moving—now! Go!"
Panic splashed through the group.
"No", Saedan's voice sliced through the chaos. Quiet and firm. "Don't."
The old man whipped around. "What are you—" He stopped, thrown completely off. "What are you saying, Saedan? Look at that fin,that thing could swallow the boat whole."
Calvin was frozen at the helm, hands hovering, waiting for an order that didn't come.
"I'll handle it," Saedan said, grinning.
"Are you insane?" one of the women screamed.
The fin vanished beneath the waves. Slow, then gone. Like it had never been there.
Silence settled. Thick, tense.
Everyone held their breath.
Something shifted in the water.
Then the back of the yacht exploded inward.
A gigantic jaw, big enough to swallow half the boat, chomped down on the hull, tearing through steel with rows of razor-sharp teeth. Gone. One of the propellers clipped right off.
The force slammed the yacht forward, its bow leaping upward. The ship groaned, tipped, and started sinking, devoured from behind.
Fear struck them numb.
Wild eyes. Hearts hammering. Nobody was moving, frozen, brains refusing to accept what they were seeing. Because this wasn't any old shark.
One look told them everything.
"A Megondagua....," one of the women whispered, terror squeezing at her chest. "But how—" She stared, bracing herself against the rocking deck so she wouldn't fall.