“Not much,” commented Shorty. A small whitecap knocked the corncob from his hand. He swam a couple meters to retrieve it, and then swam back. After gobbling it down, he threw the stock away. He stared at the other two flotation cases. “Have the other two more food?”
“Safety supplies in one. Expensive geophysical equipment is in the other.” Danny elucidated, “We have to stretch out what little we have.”
Nodding acknowledgment, Shorty directed their attention to his right by waving and pointing. “I saw something floating in that direction that could be a raft.” He added quickly, “I’ve been trying to follow it. I couldn't catch it in this jacket though. It’s too small and hard to swim in.”
“Yeah, you’d likely tire and drown,” Danny agreed. “Well, it's up to me then.” While positioning the three luggage pieces until Beth controlled them, his bloodshot eyeballs fixed sternly on her. “Just stay here. I'll swim around a bit and look for the raft. Maybe you two could switch lifejackets.”
While nodding, she noticed Shorty smiling. Knots turned in her stomach. "Danny," she whispered, "hurry back."
In no time long arm strokes eased Danny out of sight.
Shorty quickly discerned Beth’s struggle with her lifejacket. He pointed. “I’ll take it off and fix it for you.”
“No thank you.” Moving away from him, her heart beat faster then a hundred drums at a Pow Wow. “I’ll do it myself.”
“Come on,” he coaxed. “You'll be better off.” Shifting close to her, he stretched to seize her.
Goose bumps formed on goose bumps in the chilly water. With a trembling hand, she pushed his arm away. When he continued to advance on her, she splashed salt water in his eyes. She could think of nothing else to do, but it was enough of a distraction for her to move away and slightly distance herself from him. “What do you mean?”
Sounding a celebrating, spine-tingling laugh, Shorty drove the message home. “There’s not enough food for all of us!”
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