Tendons tore from the Eel’s jaw as it tore open. Turquoise ooze flung from beyond its rigid teeth, soaking the pilot’s bloodstained uniform. As its mouth hinged further open, it pulled its meal deeper within its stomach, until the human disappeared beneath the predator’s lips.

            Keith’s heart raced as he fled from the scene. He paddled through the chest-deep water as it tried pulling him back into the grasps of his pursuer. Emerging from its hideout behind him, a pair of pale, crystal eyes locked onto the flailing human. Slipping beneath the water, the eel body violently curved, whipping its tail back and forth as it propelled itself forward.

            Glancing over his shoulder, the eel was closing the gap to Keith quickly. His kicking legs landed flat on the collapsed catwalk. Finally, he had made it to solid ground. Water sledged off his shorts as he kicked his feet up high out of the water. Step by step, moving became easier and easier until he was running once again. Once again, a shriek pierced Keith’s eardrums as the Alba eel erupted onto dry land. It shouldn’t be able to follow him up here for long.

            Turning back from the top of the catwalk, the prey observed his pursuer. Its gills flexed as it struggled to breath above the water. After a brief moment of pain, the eel did the impossible. For the first time since it finished its meal, the eel’s lips opened and closed. The sound of breathing emanated from its throat. Now readily equipped to live on dry land, it took a deep breath in.

            Shit. Keith turned, kicking his pace into a dead sprint. Slithering tickled his ears, growing louder and louder with each step he took. The catwalk’s railings flew into the cabin’s abyss as the serpent’s body weaved on and off the narrow walkway.

            The stairs! Before Keith, the stairs edged closer and closer. Passing by the final cargo containers, he grabbed hold of the railing and began climbing in volumes of three. Within only a couple of bounds, he pivoted to the top of the staircase and beelined it for the exit just yards in front of him. From behind him, he could hear the tearing of flesh. The eel’s scales weren’t used to the sharp metal grips, allowing the perforated steel to rip through its tough skin. Blood oozed from tears in scales, dripping from the stairs to the floor below. It crawled slowly, slugging its way over each step. Faint wheezing emitted from the creature. From its neck, rows of gilled flexed in a distressed manner. They wriggled and writhed in pain as the eel gasped for air from its mouth.

            Taking no chances, Keith exited the plane, hopping onto the back of his Sea Skipper tied next to the door. Hand tight on the throttle he revved the engine. Water erupted from the exhaust as the engine roared to life. Teeth tore into the doorframe behind him, ripping metal hunks from the body to enlarge the exit. Frayed metal edges tore once again into the eel’s body, complementing its previous wounds. Shrieking once again, it snapped its jaws at Keith. Rigid yellow teeth still stained red with blood, slammed open and shut as they inched closer to their meal. Revving the engine once more, he took off. The rumble of the engine created fissures in the water, splitting the sea in half. Opposite to when he arrived, the plane shrunk into the horizon.

            Keith’s heart pounded, still rushing from the lethal encounter. His mind focused on the wind, the water, the beautiful sky. Anything to take his mind off the nightmare he just experienced. Air deeply filled his lungs, as he attempted to calm his heart rate. The wakes beneath the sea skipper melodically weaved sporadic designs into the waves as the vessel rocketed across the ocean’s surface. Below him, a dark silhouette appeared. It grew closer and closer, nearing the surface. Now just a couple of feet below the sea skipper, its details grew more visible. Blood streamed out of the sides of the creature, its eyes twitching in each direction until they finally locked on to their prey above.