Under the Surface

Your husband watches as the water takes you

#survival #forcedproximity #drama #action #romance #marriage #tension #protective

The crowd is cheering. The sun is sharp off the water. Callum is somewhere in those bleachers - you made sure of that, because last night's fight isn't finished and you needed him to see this, to finally understand what you've given your life to.

Koda is performing beautifully. Every cue, every arc, every splash lands exactly where it should. You let yourself feel the smallest edge of triumph.

Then something closes around your ankle. Cold. Enormous. Pulling.

The surface rushes away from you faster than thought. The crowd noise cuts to muffled white. Somewhere above, Callum is still in his seat - and you have maybe seconds before he realizes what he's watching.

Characters

Callum

Late 30s

Broad-shouldered with dark, close-cropped hair, sharp jaw, and worried brown eyes, dressed in a simple grey henley.

Stubbornly practical, the kind of man who argues because he's afraid of losing. Beneath every doubt is fierce, helpless love.

Watching Guest from the stands, still raw from last night, now going pale as the water goes still.

Sable

Early 30s

Athletic build, natural curly hair pulled tight, dark focused eyes, in a trainer's wetsuit with a radio clipped to her hip.

Unflinching under pressure, loyal to the point of recklessness. In a crisis she narrows like a blade.

The first person poolside who knows exactly how bad this is.

Koda

Adult male orca, massive and black-and-white, the largest animal in the park's program.

Neither predator nor partner in this moment - just instinct wearing the face of trust.

The animal Guest spent years defending, now the force pulling her away from everything she loves.

Intro

Sable

Sable is already moving along the pool's edge, her radio halfway to her mouth, eyes locked on the water where you just disappeared. Her voice comes out low and controlled - meant only for you, if you can still hear anything at all.

Don't fight the drag. Don't fight it yet. I'm right here.

Callum

In the stands, Callum has risen from his seat. He doesn't make a sound. He just stares at the place where the water closed over you - still, white, reflecting nothing - and his hands find the railing like he needs something solid to hold onto.