***

Rylie focused on the beast before her, targeting the long-armed monstrosity with every bullet she had left. Her aim was good—great even—and she targeted the same spot Zeph had in hopes of cutting the monster in half, of seeing its flesh tear and rend, and its bones peeking through the gore.

She heard Netto dive off the side and her fear grew as he vanished to go after her sister. She suddenly felt alone and Rylie let out a strangled screech as she faded out everything beyond her control, her eyes on the creature in the mist. Hundreds of bullets slithered over her arm as she overheated the turret under her hands.

“Please die, die, die, die!”

Rylie had tunnel vision. Her sister was in danger and that justified exacting revenge on the beast in the distance. Da focused on getting them out, piloting the watership with a finesse born of years on the water.

The metal burned under her palms.

Rylie blinked back the dew on her lashes. Her adrenaline ruled her and with little sleep the night before, she swore to the gods of Earth and the gods of Kepler that her loved ones would remain safe into this new day. A surge of energy coursed through her veins.

The monster buckled forward, bowed over by the region of pain she gifted it. The watership was struck again and all she could do was hold on and close her eyes as it dipped below the waterline. Her nostrils burned when she unexpectedly breathed in the salt water.

They bobbed back upward and she coughed, sucking in the fresh morning air. Rylie checked her weapon and cranked a new set of bullets. She had no idea where her sister or Netto were; all she knew was that they had to survive. The retort of the cannon stabbed her eardrums and her ammo reserve depleted rapidly under her trigger-happy finger.

Within minutes, she had killed their supply. The watership rocked beneath her. Rylie looked out at the beast that remained far too close and prayed that Janet was all right.

The ship jerked and with that, she unbuckled herself, only to stumble back onto the bow. Her body slammed into the floor, rolling, before it she hit the wall of the cabin. Her vision sparked before she regained sight. Rylie swept her hands beneath her and shoved herself. Not hurt. I’m okay.

Grappling her way to the stairwell, she descended to the back of the ship. Her father was strapped within the helm seat and she crawled toward him, gripping the railways. Water and wind rushed over her skin.

Rylie yelled until Da turned around. She raised her arm and he clasped it pulling her the rest of the way. She settled in the co-captain's seat, barely managing to buckle herself in before they dipped again below the waves.

“We need to stop!” she screamed.

“We’ll be crushed if we do.”.

“Janet was thrown overboard. Circle back.” He looked at her, eyes wide, with his face sunken and strained. The ship groaned to a halt as she and her da shared a look. The behemoth roared in the distance.

They both turned toward the leviathan. Adrenaline soared through her and she shielded her eyes from the spray of water as the waves roiled below.

Rylie licked her lips and scanned the ocean, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the Cyborgs or Janet, but all she saw was an endless sea of serpents.

“What’re we going to do?” Her hair whipped around her head.

“We get your sister.” He unbuckled and leapt from his seat. “Man the ship!” She bit down on her tongue and she swapped places to take hold of the controls. The ship spun around and she swiveled back. Rylie didn’t dare blink while maneuvering through the waves. She swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat.

Da reappeared with several gun cases in hand. She didn’t glance over, knowing he held the Cyborgs’ weapons. The clicks of guns being readied sounded beside her. One of them landed on her lap and she gripped it while keeping one hand on the controls.

“Now!” Da roared and she stopped the ship. Rylie ducked down and followed him to the side. Their backs hit the side railing at the same time. Water hammered down on them from above and when it cleared, more water quickly replaced it. She pressed her feet to the ground and used the weight of her soles to keep herself in place. A broken piece of glass skidded by her feet.

Rylie bent over and felt around her new gun for the trigger, blinded by the salt in her eyes. She had never used such a weapon before but found her bearings, and with her fingers curled around the grip she spun around and took aim. Da fired beside her.

Her fear overshadowed the raw excitement flowing through her as she stared at the monster. It was larger close up. She sputtered in fear but snapped her mouth shut. Her hands slipped on the grip and shot off her weapon.

She flew back across the ship until her back smashed against the opposite side. It didn’t stop her from aiming and firing again, bracing against the recoil.

This time she saw it as whatever pulsed out of her gun hit its target and lit up the sky with a fiery blast. When she shielded her eyes this time, it wasn't to protect them from the water but to protect them from the light. The leviathan roared and she dropped the weapon.

Someone bumped into her and she turned her head expecting to see her da, but gasped when she realized it was Janet settled against her side. Rylie threw her arms around her.

Zeph hunched over them and helped them to the helm. There were spots in her eyes as she tugged Janet along. She took hold of the buckle and belted herself in as the ship tilted onto its side.

Rylie screamed for Da but was only answered with more gunfire. Zeph threw a blanket over her sister who shook violently. She didn't know where the Cyborg had found a scrap of cloth that wasn't soaked, but she reached over and took her sister's arm and was happy that he had.

“Don't move.” Zeph tucked the blanket ends around Janet before he turned to face her. “Get us out of here.”

Rylie nodded and faced the console, powering it on. Zeph didn't wait to watch and he left before she could ask him where Netto was. The ship coursed with power right as the beast came upon them. A wave rose as the boat dipped forward, splashing them with water.

No, that's not water.

She wanted to vomit. The ocean was red with blood, and what serpents weren't lost in the waves feasted on the dead.

She jerked the ship to its side but not before the limb struck them straight down the middle. They were pushed below the water in the next breath and she screamed as the ship popped back up.

Rylie looked back only to immediately evade another thrash, and saw the entire chunk of railing on either side of the boat had been crushed and destroyed. Her sister curled up into a ball next to her, and she prayed that Zeph had made sure her da was all right.

The watership sputtered but managed to pick up speed. Rylie found herself shaking uncontrollably, hoping that she could get her family away. She could hear the clattering of her sister's teeth.

Another flash of light erupted in the sky, followed by an ear-piercing screech. She rode the waves out of the periphery of the creature and lost all concept time as her focus took over.

Soon, she was far enough away from the breach that the waves no longer crashed into the watership, but simply lapped at its sides.

The sound of laughter made her stop the boat. She turned around to see Zeph, stark naked except for the gun in his hand. Wounds covered his skin. Da was sitting on a half-crushed seat next to him, but neither one of them were looking at her. What had once towered like a tall building over them was now bowed down and gushing blood.

Rylie stood up and went to her da, staring not at the dying behemoth that continued to seize and shake, but at the things that gathered around it. Horrible creatures from the ocean deep that broke the black water and ate the dead and dying.

“Netto’s still out there.” Rylie barely managed to get the words out. She had to believe that he was okay. That he hadn’t died going after her sister.

“Of course he is!” Zeph continued to laugh and holler, but his excitement abruptly ended and he turned toward her.

Half of his face had been torn off.

She gaped as pink water gushed down his frame and joined the waves, taking in the metal plating underneath his skin. Seeing it was harder than merely knowing it existed, that the Cyborgs didn't have human bones, but metal. Man-made metal.

Rylie swallowed.

“Take care of your sister and drive the boat back the way we came. Drive until you can no longer see any of this in the distance,” Zeph said, waving his hand.

“What about Netto?”

He turned away from her and began to shift.

“I want my trophy,” Zeph said just as he dove back into the ocean.

She ran to the rail and leaned over, crying out Zeph's name, but he was already lost within the dark water. Rylie didn't know how long she stood there staring at the seafoam. All she could remember was being transfixed until a cold hand touched her shoulder and Da pulled her away from the side.

“Time to go,” he said, his voice cracking as he stared into the distance. She turned to see what he was looking at long enough for more giants appear out of the early morning mist.

Rylie took a step back. Bigger things arose from the water. And not all of them were on the other side of the signal. She pushed back her fear and followed Zeph's orders.

Rylie left the Cyborgs behind.