The Penny Drops (Sea the Depths Book 1) by Karmon Kuhn (warren buffett book recommendations TXT) 📕

in the night, Penny fell into a disturbed sleep. Her body was in constant, fitful movement, and her face wrinkled, relaxed, and then tensed over and over. Each time the pattern continued, I was distracted from my driving. What was happening in that mind?

After hours, dim, citrusy daylight seeped through the overlain water. We were nearing the shore. I couldn’t check the navigation without the possibility of being tracked, so I didn’t know which shore.

I pulled into a sandbank to eat and rest. Thankfully, Moz had put his bag into the juz̈uṣùs̈ before Zhoshi had arrived, so there was food. I peeled open the edible seaweed wrapper of some dried fish. I’m not sure if it was the sound or the smell that woke Penny, but on hands and knees, she crawled over, and I offered her some.

She wrinkled up her nose and scooted away from the stench. “I’m not hungry.”

“Are you sure? It has surely been a while since you’ve eaten.”

“I just feel kinda nauseous. Honestly, that smells like hot garbage.”

“My apologies.” I put it back in the pack, hoping that would mask the smell. Just in case, I changed the subject to provide a distraction. “Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s safe to go to my family. I don’t want them to get hurt.”

“Is there somewhere that you want to travel? We could go there.”

“I’ve never gone very far north. The idea of long, cozy winters again after living in California sounds kinda nice,” she said without smiling.

I smiled, despite the neutrality of her face. It was good to take a moment and think about what life had to offer and not just what we’d lost.

“Where do you want to go?” she asked me.

“I’ve read about the Northern Lights and always wanted to see them.”

“What if we go to Alaska? We don’t need passports at least. Well, I won’t, I guess. Heh.”

“Yes. Alaska is a good idea. My people prefer warm weather. The cold can be deadly. I don’t believe they would choose to travel that far to find us unless we leave evidence. If we are careful, I think that would be an excellent escape.”

“What can we do about the rest of them? We can’t just leave those women down there.” She winced and held her belly again. Her breathing became more deliberate.

“I know, but first we need to get you somewhere safe, make sure that you are okay, and come up with a plan of action.” I said.

“I think,” Penny started and was interrupted by the sight of an oncoming juz̈uṣùs̈.

We both held our breaths as it stopped in a sandbar and disappeared before our eyes. The tension in the air was palpable as we waited to see who would exit. When the door slid open, the interior of a personal juz̈uṣùs̈ peeked through the open slot and then, a familiar face. Zhoshi. It was him. Somehow, he’d found us.

Chapter 21

“W

hat do we do?!” Penny whispered harshly and wedged herself between the seat and control panel at the front of the vehicle.

My eyes darted around the juz̈uṣùs̈ and searched for an answer. Nothing came. Meanwhile, Zhoshi swam closer. Camouflaged or not, we were sitting ducks. As calm as the waves were today, Zhoshi would pinpoint our location by sending his vibrations eventually. It was just a matter of time.

I rustled through Moz’s satchel hoping to find some sort of answer or assistance. To my surprise, there was something. A hunting spear. I recognized it as the display item that had been featured in Moz’s office. I wasn’t sure if he’d included it as a means for finding food or as a weapon, but I knew how it would best suit us now.

“I need to end this,” I said.

“What do you mean?” asked Penny, eyes wide.

“He’ll never stop unless I make him stop.” I crawled to Penny’s side and kissed her softly. “I love you.”

Then, I pulled up her hood and mine and slid from the bottom-facing escape hatch. The small ripples of my movement alerted Zohshi to my presence, and he sent a threatening wave that even my human form could identify. I immediately took cover behind the vehicle.

I had the fishing spear inside the sleeve of my suit, so I only had one shot at an attack. As soon as the weapon ripped through to strike, I’d have a few minutes’ maximum to get back in the vehicle without drowning.

He swam and searched a bit more, and I let him. I wanted him to be angry and unfocused. After he’d swum around in circles, his tail created huge, manic vibrations in the water and showed his frustration. It was time. I leaned my legs out passed the edge of the juz̈uṣùs̈ and kicked them a few times.

In an instant, he charged forward. I gripped the spear with all of the strength in my body, and as he turned to face my side of the juz̈uṣùs̈, I thrust the spear forward and dug its sharp end into the fleshy part of his shoulder just below the clavicle.

Water began filling my suit. I took a breath so deep that my lungs ached, but I held it there. My hands were still on the embedded spear and Zhoshi jerked backwards, pulling me back with him. The force knocked most of the air from my lungs. I let go, but now that my hand was visible, he had a target.

As the water clouded with red, Zhoshi grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me toward him. He whipped his tail wildly until he connected with part of my body. Out of impulse, my lungs heaved for more air. Instead, my mouth and throat filled with seawater, and I sputtered. As much as it burned, I wasn’t overwhelmed by the approach of death. Was this really drowning?

I tugged at my arm and flung my feet around, but Zhoshi had a firm grasp. He