Captain Vlad's sharp eyes locked onto the colossal shadow gliding beneath them with terrifying speed. "Get down! Now!" he hissed at John, his voice a low, urgent rasp. "Don't you dare make a sound."
Minutes stretched into agonizing hours. The only sound was the creaking of the wood against the ice. Vlad gestured for John to peek over the edge. John recoiled, his heart hammering against his ribs, but the Captain's gaze hardened. "No look, no pay," Vlad muttered coldly.
Swallowing his fear, John took a deep breath and peered into the frozen abyss. "Nothing," he whispered, his breath clouding in the air. "I think it's gone."
Vlad exhaled a long, shaky breath, his face unusually pale. "By the gods... I thought we were dead."
"What was that thing?" John asked, noticing the Captain's hands trembling. He had seen Vlad face death before with a stoic grin, but now, the veteran sailor looked haunted.
The Captain began to rub the jagged scar on his face, his features contorted in phantom pain. "That beast," Vlad whispered, "is the reason for this mark. The Snow Lizard."
He described the nightmare: a creature the size of a man, with limbs built for slaughter and teeth like serrated saws. Their favorite prey was the Ice-Blade fish, but as Vlad added with a grim, mirthless smile, "They don't mind the taste of human flesh. We're lucky it left."
Before the words could fully leave his lips, a Snow Lizard erupted from the depths, its screeching hiss shattering the silence. It soared over the boat, its claws missing them by mere inches because they were crouched low. It splashed back into the freezing water with a violent thud.
"We need to move, John! Out! Now!" Vlad roared. John scrambled to plug the last hull openings with stones. "It's done, Captain! The boat is secure!"
Vlad gripped the steering oar, weaving the vessel through the jagged floes. But the water began to boil with movement. Dozens of Snow Lizards were surfacing, their cold, reptilian eyes locked on the boat.
"Damned lizards!" John cursed, his voice cracking. "Aren't the fish enough for you?"
"Less talk, more work!" Vlad barked, swerving hard to avoid a lunging creature.
They entered a graveyard of towering icebergs, giant frozen monoliths that looked like ancient skyscrapers. "Captain, look! A tunnel in that berg!" John pointed toward a dark opening.
Vlad's eyes lit up with desperate hope. "Our only chance!" He steered the boat toward the narrow entrance, but a swarm of lizards gathered behind them, closing the gap. Vlad gritted his teeth. He knew even if they made it inside, the pack would follow. He needed a distraction. He needed bait to save himself and the haul.
"Captain, what do we do?" John shouted over the chaos.
Vlad looked at John, his expression unreadable. "I have an idea. Look over there, John!"
As John turned his head, a powerful shove sent him stumbling backward. Before he could comprehend the betrayal, the world turned into a blur of white and blue.
SPLASH.
The water was so cold it felt like liquid fire, instantly paralyzing his limbs. Gasping for air, John broke the surface, his eyes wide with shock. "Why?" he choked out, reaching for the boat.
"It's not personal, kid," Vlad shouted, not looking back as the boat surged toward the tunnel. "This is life. You either kill, or you're the one being killed."
The boat vanished into the darkness of the tunnel. John's scream froze in his throat. It wasn't the sub-zero water that hurt the most; it was the Captain's icy stare—a look that told him his life wasn't worth the price of a single fish.
Behind him, the hissing of the lizards grew louder. Hundreds of hungry eyes reflected on the surface of the ice, closing in...
To be continued...