After she finishes her meal, she replies,
"Very well, very well. Let us take turns keeping watch tonight."
"Hey, wake me if you get tired, remember!" she says firmly, pulling a blanket over herself and lying among the bags.
I do not answer. I tilt my head up, staring at the full moon.
Then I glance toward the captain, who is reading a newspaper at the helm. I approach, climb the steps quietly, and stand before him.
"Captain, may I ask you something?" I say softly.
With a pipe in his mouth, he replies,
"Hm? What is it, young man?"
"Is there any certainty there will be no storm tonight?" I ask clearly.
"Hm? Why do you ask?" He takes a sheet of paper, looks at it briefly, then looks back at me with a soft laugh. "There is nothing to worry about. I have sailed this route more than once, son."
"There is truly nothing to worry about?" I press.
"Nothing at all. Sleep soundly, and we will arrive by morning. Simple as that," he answers.
"Thank you," I say, descending the steps. Instead of returning to Rose by the wall, I walk toward the railing.
I look up at the sky. My heart continues to question, my mind refuses to be silent, yet the countless stars and the bright moonlight begin to calm me.
I lower my head and close my eyes. Nothing.
I open them again and look at the illuminated sea—
"Red?"
I blink, close my eyes, and open them once more to be sure. The sea remains red.
A single drop of water falls from the sky and lands on my face. I clench my fist. There is truly no breath left in me to face another trial.
I turn to wake Rose, but—
GMMMRRRMM—A deep, heavy sound crawls through my bones and the ship's planks. I tense and freeze. The vessel shudders, yet no one wakes or seems to notice.
I run straight to Rose, who is still asleep. "ROSE, WAKE UP, ROSE!" I shout, shaking her shoulder.
"Hm? What?" she mutters, stirring slowly, rubbing her eyes. "My turn, right?" She looks at me, and her face tightens when she sees the strain on mine.
"The water is starting to rise. I told you—my instincts are never wrong."
Lightning splits the sky. People begin to wake. The rain starts to pour.
GRRRMMMRR—This time, it is closer.
The crew rushes onto the deck. "What is that?!" "Captain!" Rose looks at me, her face pale. "Hiro… that isn't the whale from before, is it?"
"No," I say. "That one is already dead. This is its predator."
Storm. Lightning.
"EVERYONE! LOWER THE SAILS!"
We work under the rain. Lightning cracks the sky, sometimes just thunder without light. Rose and I haul crates inside, pull ropes, while Oliver, Santiago, Grizz, and Gruzz climb the masts and run the lines. The captain shouts orders, Bartra watches the dark horizon.
"FASTER! MOVE!"
"Damn it, why a storm now? This zone should be safe!"
He can only see flashes when lightning splits the sky. A shape. A shadow. Too big.
Everyone turns to look at it.
The captain stares, stunned. "WHAT—"
I freeze.
Rose stares as well. "WHAT IS THAT—"
She freezes.
Everyone freezes.
The captain drops to his knees, trembling.
"LEVIATHAN." The captain's word carries through the silence.