Blood of the Ocean

We continued swimming deep underwater…

Matthew swam ahead with skill and ease, while the rest of us struggled slightly to keep up. Everything seemed fine until Matthew suddenly pulled out an electronic device from his pocket. His face instantly paled with shock and fear. The water around us churned violently, pushing us backward.

Marcus called out, "Matthew! What's wrong?!"

Matthew turned to us, his voice urgent and shaken. "We need to take another route—now!"

I looked at him, confused. "Why, Matthew?! What's happening? Tell us!"

He exhaled sharply, his fear evident. "There are three massive sharks ahead. Their blood is toxic—they're among the deadliest creatures in the ocean!"

A strong underwater current slammed into us, and we barely managed to stabilize ourselves.

"It's too late…" Matthew muttered.

Something massive surged up beneath Ray. A monstrous shark, terrifyingly fast, its razor-sharp teeth gleaming, was coming straight for him!

Matthew yelled, "Watch out, RAY!!" and yanked him away just in time.

The shark glared at us, bloodthirsty and ready to attack. Suddenly, two more sharks appeared, surrounding us completely.

Matthew quickly pulled out three knives from his belt. His eyes darkened as he glared at the sharks, provoking them further. Then, without hesitation, he launched a barrage of knives at them!

The sharks thrashed wildly before going still, their blood seeping into the water, dyeing the ocean around us in a deep crimson.

Matthew shouted, "Be careful!! That blood is completely toxic! Stay close to me—I know the way out!"

We swam behind Matthew as fast as we could. After a while, we finally saw land ahead of us.

Just as we neared the shore, Marcus suddenly stopped moving—his body went limp. He was sinking!

Matthew dove down to grab him and quickly realized the problem—a crack had formed in Marcus's breathing helmet, allowing the toxic blood to seep in!

We dragged Marcus onto the shore—a small, deserted beach along a highway, surrounded by nothing but desert. We desperately tried to help him, but nothing worked…

Matthew clenched his fists. "We need a doctor—NOW!"

I shouted in frustration, my fear for Marcus growing. "THERE'S NO ONE HERE! We're in the middle of nowhere!!"

Suddenly, a figure came running toward us, yelling in a panicked voice, "MARCUS! HOLD ON!!"

He dropped to his knees beside Marcus, his face filled with worry.

Ray, startled, asked, "Who the hell are you?!"

The man caught his breath. "I'm Marcus's older brother! I'm a doctor—I can help him!"

We exchanged shocked glances, watching as he worked quickly to treat Marcus. Moments later, Marcus gasped awake, coughing up water. He looked up at the man and weakly whispered, "Brother… Draco…"

Tears welled in Draco's eyes as he pulled Marcus into a tight embrace. "Why… why did you do this, Marcus? Please… please come home with me."

Marcus's expression darkened with sadness. "I can't, Draco… It's too late."

He gently pulled away and turned back to us. "We have to move—now."

Ray had already prepared a car for us. We climbed in and drove off, leaving Draco standing behind, tears streaming down his face as he watched his brother disappear into the distance.

By sunset, we arrived at a small, hidden base—our last refuge after our main hideout was destroyed by the police.

I turned to Marcus, still processing everything. "You told us you were an orphan—you said you had no family."

His voice was low, heavy with regret. "I left my family behind when I was a kid… I disowned them. I lived alone ever since my father died."

He exhaled shakily. "Forget about me, Shadow. We have bigger problems."

I looked around. "Where is the rest of the mafia?! Phantom, Michael, and Max?!"

Louis hesitated before answering, his voice filled with tension. "Phantom, Michael, and Max… they were captured. If we don't save them within the next 24 hours…"

He swallowed hard. "They'll be executed. Live. On national television."