Chapter 3

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Deadly Encounter

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Teng continues this for a while, climbing onto a new island. This will be the last one until the he heads for the shore. Thinking like this he heads out.

As he gets closer, he notices a reef below the surface. Many crustaceans, but not yet completely teaming with life. The world looks like it was just dumped there for new habitation or barely any life made it through the rift.

Suddenly he notices a black shadow in his periphery.

Knowing there is only two hundred metres to the shore he continues to swim, not sure if what he saw was an illusion or not. After a hundred metres of swimming Teng feels a sharp stab on his thigh, before quickly being dragged under.

Between the burning pain, and drowned of air, he turns to face his adversary.

Dark black eyes. Fins, and a dark sheen of grey covers its body. A shark.

Not willing to tussle with he burst out with anger smashing his fist on its nose.

Unfortunately, it pays no notice. It has killed hundreds of creatures in this ocean, and this one is just one more prey.

~

After a few seconds underwater, the shark bites a chunk of meat out of Teng’s thigh, before swimming away.

Not daring to waste this opportunity Teng heads for the surface. Gasping for air, he almost forgets the blinding pain in his thigh. Not wanting to stay any longer for fear of the shark returning or other predators, he rushes for the shore.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t get far. A fin brushes the surface, seemingly returning for its prey after eating the previous meat.

Despair fills Teng heart. As it’s threatening to overtake him, it starts warping into bitter anger instead. Teng’s anger quickly consumes him. There have been many times in Teng’s life he has considered taking his own life. In the end he didn’t. Scars not in the flesh, but in the spirit. His mind broken countless times, friends and family betraying him, ripping his heart in pieces. And now the shark also too dares to rob him.

The shark unaware of Teng’s feelings, speeds up, bulldozing him down, biting into his arm.

As Teng heads downwards his eyes grow colder, and colder. His already shattered from the remembrance of memories he wishes he had forgotten. His body screaming in pain.

‘No’ his body whispers. ‘We are not done yet’. Teng not wanting to be outdone by his body that is fighting so hard to live, his thoughts churn. As if pulled by an invisible force Teng’s body moves gently, as the sea constricts the shark. The shark struggles violently, quickly pulling his arm clean off, blood sprayed across the sea, and trying to escape.

His mind unwilling to leave with just his life. Bringing forth power he did not know he had, he plunges his right fist forward, a current of energy following. The water twists and turns, and ultimately the shark does not escape.

The shark being only a couple of metres above, is smashed upward, bursting out of the sea.

~

Teng feeling his thoughts becoming groggy, he heads for the island with last push of energy.

Entering the shore, he looks at now armless left side. Barely bothered about all the blood, only being slightly shocked at his missing arm, his eyes turn to see the sea, and sees the shark dead floating above the water.

Knowing he is not out of the wind yet; he wills the last of this new energy into his arm. As if it’s Teng’s Law the blood flow stops, however the wound doesn’t heal. Feeling anxious, he tries something different. Willing the moisture from his wound it quickly shrivels and dries out. Next is his thigh.

Just as he finishes, he tiredly falls unconscious, seemingly more from the overuse of his new energy then because of blood loss.