“Come on,” he whispered. “You have to let me go eventually.” He checked his air gauge once more. The needle had fallen further. The whale might be saving him from the shark, but it had no way of knowing that his breathing supply would not last forever.
The baited nets were dragged farther from the pod. The shark moved toward them, then turned back. “It’s not taking it,” someone complained. “Give it more,” the officer ordered. Another load of fish went overboard, filling the water with movement and scent.