Net Yourself a Big One

Wrote this for the Writer's Cramp, but missed the deadline, again. (word count 999)



“Pull up the nets, we’ve got to get out of here!” Captain Raymond Escobar shoved the nearest man into action. All the rest jumped to do as ordered.

“How long, Cap?” Escobar turned to the quiet and efficient first mate. He was clearly worried. Once again Raymond wondered what the guy’s story was. One of the most honest men Escobar had met, Jason was an unlikely candidate to be working on an illegal fishing vessel.

“Not long, the Horizon radioed the New Zealand navy is on its way.”

Jason wheeled around and shouted toward a passing crewmember. “Change the flag!” As the crewmember hustled to obey, there was a shout from starboard.

Masses of gill net loaded with Antarctic toothfish sat on the deck. The crew was leaning over the side struggling with the nets. Both Jason and the Captain moved to the edge. A dark mass appeared to be tangled in the net. Captain and first mate glanced at each other and then added their strength to the group of men heaving the thing over the side. It fell onto the deck with a heavy thud, rolled and came to rest legs and arms spread wide. Everyone stared at the naked body, stunned. Several men crossed themselves and a couple of others muttered prayers under their breath. In the relative quiet, Escobar’s voice sounded louder than usual. “Cut the rest of lines and get under way!”

The crew jumped into action, but Jason and the Captain continued staring at the body. “What do you think it is?” Jason asked, his voice tight.

“What concerns me is where it came from.” Escobar poked the creature with the toe of his boot. The webbed toes and fingers were prominent but on closer inspection there were other anomalies. The body was completely devoid of hair and appeared to have a layer of fat under the skin. It was male. A large flap of skin covered most of its genitalia and kept it pressed against the body. The eyes, large, round, open and fixed were a nondescript dark color that changed as the light changed. The nose was long and beak-like, while the cheek bones were nearly flat. The jaw, which was relaxed and dropped, was elongated. Sharp, pointed teeth lined the inside of the mouth.

“You’re worried about where it came from?” Jason sounded surprised. “What does that matter?”

“We’re close to one of the ice shelves where tunnels have been discovered. No one really knows what’s in there.” He paused. “I don’t believe in aliens.”

Jason nodded. “So where did it come from? I’ve never heard of anything like this.”

“Doesn’t mean much, not in areas where fishing is controlled and gill nets are illegal.”

Jason turned an astonished face toward the captain. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that it looks like it belongs in the water. Some weird cross between a fish and human. If it’s part human, it could have been smart.”
The ship’s engine began to thrum and the ship shuddered as it moved forward. Escobar shouted above the engine, “Come about, and head for home.”

“We could dump the body, put some distance and keep fishing,” Jason suggested.

“No, there might be others. If they’re smart, they may not take the drowning of their kind well. Better to take what we have and get out these waters. We’ll dump the body, but there’s no point in making it easy to find.”

The steady thrumming of the engine changed to a rattle. The ship lurched, stopped, lurched forward again and then came to a stop as the engine cut out. It was silent, the boat bobbing, suddenly adrift. It was seconds before any of the crew reacted, then two dashed off to check the engine.

Moments later a high pitched whistling filled the air. Everyone froze. It wasn’t long before dark shapes began to appear over the railing. They were taller than the one still sprawled on the deck and they were fast. Their feet slapped against the ship, a webbed hand over the face of a crewman and held tightly as the crewman twisted against an unyielding grasp, until their necks snapped with a loud crunch. Those that managed to avoid being grabbed were running, screaming, all reasoning capability gone. Escobar and Jason were rooted to the spot, both powerless to stop what was happening. A pistol fired once, then again.

In three possibly four minutes, all was quiet. The creatures ringed themselves about the Escobar, Jason, and the body. “Stay still,” Escobar murmured. “Don’t do anything aggressive and for God’s sake don’t run.” Jason cut his eyes Escobar’s direction. He was trembling and the pulse in his throat was pounding, but he stayed where he was.

A female pushed past them, kneeled down and gathered the body in her arms. She stood and walked to the rail. With a long last look at both Escobar and Jason, she leaped up onto the railing and then dived into the sea, taking the body with her. One at a time, the rest followed. When they had all disappeared over the side, Escobar sank to the deck, cradling his head in his hands and giving in to a serious case of the shakes. Jason turned his head to the side, vomited and then flopped onto the deck beside Escobar. Neither one said anything.

Sometime later, Escobar realized they weren’t alone. Someone was talking to him. He looked up into the face of a naval officer. Why are they on board, he thought? They can’t board us, we’re flying an Equatorial Guinea flag. He turned his head and saw that no flag was flying. The officer repeated himself twice before Escobar was able to concentrate on the words. “What happened here sir?”

Escobar opened his mouth to answer, trying to think of what he could say. No one would ever believe the truth. Before he’d come up with a story, he heard Jason’s voice. “They were monsters, monsters!”