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I pull a ‘Titanic’ and turn the helm completely starboard. It appears I’m trying to get around the rocks. The Titanic captain didn’t realize it was the wrong move, but I know better. I’m doing it on purpose. The sound is like nails on a chalkboard times ten as the rocks slice the Yokai’s hull. Even the scent of the salt is multiplied as we’re taking on water now.
“Fuck!” I yell, trying to convey anger instead of how relieved I feel. Fucking up Katana’s boat is just an added bonus.
“Turn off the lights!” Katana yells.Fuck that guy.It is the smart thing to do, though. I notice he’s not telling Sonomi to order her boat to go dark. Kat would rather Artyom have better shots at the Tentacle One than at him. I don’t give a shit if anyone on this boat, including me, gets hit as long as Arty can get Mari out of here.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A few heavy splashes can be heard. It sounds like at least two of Sonomi’s men went into the drink.
“Turn the lights off, you idiots!” Sonomi yells into her phone.
The Tentacle One goes dark as I hear the Splash’s engines rev up. Arty is going to make his move.
19
MARIKA
Bang! Bang! Bang!
My dad sits between my sister and me on the built-in bench attached to the wall, hugging us both tight. Honey is crying, her whole body is shaking with every sob, while I grow angrier with each passing moment.
“I’m here too,” Uncle Suki says, seated in his chair a few feet away. It's an unsuccessful attempt to be funny and keep us calm. He stands and drags his chair over and positions it directly in front of the three of us. He sits down and wraps his arms tight around all of us, burying his head in my dad's shoulder.
“We dropped three of their men,” a man's voice comes over Artyom’s walkie-talkie. I hear the boat engine roar to life, and I can feel the vibrations as we begin to pick up speed.
“There’s something in the water coming at us,” the walkie-talkie man is saying in a panic. “It looks like a fucking torpedo!”
“Full reverse!” Arty screams over the walkie. I hear what sounds like a car crashing into the front of the boat, and everything shakes for a second.What the hell was that?
“That was a warning, Artyom!” I hear Sonomi’s vile, wicked voice come over the walkie-talkie. “The next one will be armed.”
“That fucking ved’ma has torpedoes on her boat!” Artyom exclaims with what I think means witch in Russian before pushing down the button on the side of the walkie-talkie again. “Pull the cover off the red button on the control panel. Get the Tentacle One in your sights and fire. Now!”
Three loud whistles sound in succession as the boat jerks back and forth. Dad and Uncle Suki's arms tighten around Honey and me. The smell of sulfur is thick in the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
We all nearly fall out of our seats as the boat rotates.
“Three direct hits! The Tentacle One is blown to shit!” the walkie-talkie man bellows in excitement.
“I can blow you out of the water too, bitch!” Artyom hisses into the walkie-talkie.
“Blow that fucking bitch up!” Uncle Suki pokes his head up just long enough to yell at Artyom.
“Suki, chill. We only had the three shots. Could only fire them all at once,” Artyom explains. “But she does not know that.”
“We have Blondie here on the Yokai,” Sonomi says. My stomach drops, and I feel my entire body heat up. Beads of sweat begin to form on my forehead as panic sets in.Stay calm, Mari! Don’t lose your head.
“Stand down, Arty,” Josef’s voice comes over the walkie-talkie. “Do not fire!”
“Wait!” I stand and scream at Artyom. “Josef is on that other boat. You can’t fire on them! Please don’t hurt him!”
“I could not if I wanted to. As I said, we have no more rockets,” Artyom says, sounding annoyed. “But we have as many guns as they do, and we can move.”
A wave sweeps over me, an unfamiliar yet natural feeling. Everything slows down, and I feel calm and hyper-focused as I look Artyom in the eyes.
“Donotshoot Josef,” I plead with him. No, I command him.
