Page 3 of Rainse
The accident kept replaying in my mind. The whale's fluke crashing down on us. The splashing water. Flying through the air, landing in the cold sea. And again, that fluke, waving at us as if saying goodbye. Or maybe 'fuck you, humans, stop bothering me'. It hadn't been one of the whales we'd studied, I was sure of that. I could recognise them all by their dorsal fins, and some had trackers attached to their thick skin to help us trace their movements and understand their behaviour better.
"Jammie, did you recognise the whale?"
My voice sounded as dry as my throat felt.
"No." He coughed. "But... I don't... know them all."
He sounded to be in a worse state than I was in. How long had it been? The one day I'd forgotten to put on my watch... We'd set out in the early morning and had worked for at least two hours, following a pod of minke whales that had come to these latitudes for breeding. They weren't part of my research project, but I'd been happy to spend a day with the other two researchers, helping Hugo record the whales' behaviour and teaching Jammie more about field work. My own research circled around orcas. Most research on them had been conducted in polar and sub-polar regions, which is what I was about to change.
Unless I drowned today. Would anyone continue my studies? Or would it die with me?
That thought gave me renewed strength. It wasn't the whale's fault. I didn't believe that. It had seen us as a threat, or maybe a toy and had reacted accordingly. We had encroached upon its territory, not the other way round. I'd only got a glimpse of its fluke - and I hadn't even seen the whale before it had crashed into our RIB - but I was pretty sure it had been a humpback whale. Just like minkes, they came into these warmer waters to find a mate.
I hoped it would meets its one true love. I didn't wish it ill, not even if this was to be the end.
I was done blaming other people - other whales - for my problems. Even if this whale's actions had been a little drastic.
A bird flew low over our heads. Marine avians were not one of my specialities. To be honest, I could barely tell apart a herring gull from a ring-billed gull. I was all about the cetaceans. My love had started with a cuddly dolphin toy as a child - I bet my grandmother hadn't expected me to make a career out of it.
My chest grew cold at the thought of my family. If the Minerva didn't find us, if we...
No. This was not going to be the end.
"Vee..."
Jammie sounded so very weak. I turned my head to look at the young man. He hung heavily in the water; his life jacket was all that was keeping him afloat. If only the RIB hadn't sunk, then at least we'd have something to hold onto.
"Yes?" I croaked.
"I don't... want... to die."
I reached deep for the last remnants of energy and flipped myself onto my front, then slowly paddled towards him. There were only two metres between us, but it felt like miles. I grasped his hand - icy cold - and squeezed it.
"I'm here. You're not alone."
He gave me a grateful smile, but even his smile was weak. His eyes were red-rimmed, salt crusted in his hair and eyebrows. His lips were split open in places. His skin was pale, almost grey. Not good. Did I look just as pitiful?
I turned onto my back again, but kept hold of his hand. The short swim had exhausted me. I had never craved water more desperately.
By the slow walk of the sun across the cloudless sky, I estimated we'd been in the water for at least five hours. It was afternoon now. And within a few hours, it would be dark. I'd spent enough time on lone ships in the middle of nowhere to know the absolute blackness that would fall over the world once the sun had set. No lights save for the moon and the stars. At least it was a clear day, with no sign of clouds on the horizon. Full moon had been a few days ago, so we'd have enough light to see a shark before it started to eat us.
Sharks were fascinating. And I wanted them to stay as far away from us as possible. It helped that we were floating and not trying to swim anywhere. Neither of us had any injuries save some bruises. If we were lucky, we'd not attract the sharks' attention.
If we were lucky.
I stared into the blue sky and wondered whether I should start to pray. I'd never been religious. Never seen the point in it. I could appreciate a pretty church or mosque or temple as a building, but I'd always lacked the urge to pray to some higher being. Until now. I couldn't save myself from this situation. I was relying on others to come to my rescue. Maybe a bit of divine intervention wouldn't be so bad.
"Vee..."
Jammie's voice was barely audible over the sound of the waves.
"Yes?"
"I can't... hold on..."
I squeezed his hand as tightly as I could. "You will hold on. You-" Water filled my mouth, salt erupted all over my tastebuds. I spat it out, coughing, spluttering.
"You will survive. We both will."
