What the Sea Swallows

Vincents P.O.V



The waves were crashing over me as I struggled to get to the surface for breath. Lungs burning I bobbed to the top, getting a quick glance at my surroundings. There was a person just of the the right, treading water as if it was simplest thing to do.

"Help.... I cant... I cant swim...!" I gasp out, in between the waves sloshing me around side to side.
"What? You passed your middle school swimming test, right?"  He asked, trying to keep me in his view as i was being tossed around the open sea.

"Well... yes and no!" I shouted back, suddenly feeling guilty along with desperate.

"What? How can it be both?" He asked confused.

"I cheated!" I screamed out, feeling like this was some sort of divine punishment to prove to me that cheating was bad.

"How can you cheat?"

"I stood right on the drop from shallow end and pretended to tread water!"

"So... you cheated?" It seemed like it was hard to understand this.

"Yes! I cheated!"

I watched as he started to look nervous. He glanced back at the ship that was nearly beneath the waves, the ship we used to be on.

"Try to grab onto something!"

"Like what?!"

"Anything!" He said as he was glancing around. He must have found something because he started swimming in that direction.

"Wait! Don't leave me!" I shouted. Trying to follow him which really wasn't much more than me thrashing in the water a few moments before I realized it was making me sink faster.

"I'm not! I'm getting you a board for you to use! Relax and try to tread water! " He shouted back at me, and I could tell that he was getting farther away from me.

"How?!" I shouted towards him, not unable to see him at all and getting more panicky as the minutes ticked by.

"Just try! Figure eight hands! Im almost at the board now, ok?"

I sat there like a duck on water, sinking and desperately kicking back up to the surface before sinking down again. I was wearing myself out quickly, to quickly.

"AH!" I heard the guy cry out.

"What?! What happened?!" I shouted, desperate to make sure that the person who was trying to save me was alright.

"Nothing, just pricked myself on this board. I'm heading back now, ok?"

"Please hurry.... Please... Please!" It was becoming a lot harder for me to try to stay above the water level. I had worn myself out to quickly. I look over and I can see him coming towards me, but thats not all I see. There was a distinct fin right behind him, following him.

"I'm coming! Just try to last a little bit longer ok?" He shouted back to me, almost to me at this point.
"N-no... theres...!" I was trying to stay above the water to let him know about the danger that was approaching him from behind.

"What? I'm just bringing a board for you. See?" He told me, completely oblivious to the danger lurking directly behind him.

"S-s-SHARK!" I shout right as he's pulled under the water, disappearing from my sight.

I wait there in anticipation, scared out of my mind as I try to stay above the water myself. I held my breath and waited for him to come back to the surface. Finally he popped up and I let out the breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding. He was gasping and splashing and I noticed that red had started to stain the water. My face paled as he was pulled under yet again.