Chapter 3

Before I could even reply, Janice fired back, "You're such a buzzkill. It's sunny and gorgeous. Anyway, I'm done chatting. The boat's about to leave. Just wait. We'll be back with a meteor goldfish in hand."

Soon, the speedboat carrying Janice and Timothy sped off.

It was just a shuttle, meant to drop them off at the snorkeling site, and then return for more tourists.

There wasn't a speck of land at the snorkeling site, only a couple of beat-up boats for people to rest on. If something went seriously wrong out there, there was no fast way to get help.

I hugged a coconut and waved at them with a wide grin. My entire payday now rested on their shoulders.

At last, I could breathe easy.

Please, if I got another life, may I never cross paths with them again.

The signal out at sea was terrible. At first, we got a few nice underwater shots from them.

Everyone in the group chat went wild over the photos, swearing they had to visit the place someday.

But before long, all contact dropped. No messages, no updates—nothing.

An hour passed. Then two. People in the chat started asking if they'd caught anything big yet, but there was no response.

Judging by the past, they'd already run into the piranhas by now.

According to the schedule, the captain wouldn't return to pick them up for another three hours. Until then, no one had a clue what was actually happening out there.

The moment the captain headed out, I sent a message in the group chat: [Janice, Timothy, how's it going? The boat's coming to get you soon, so snap a few more pics before you leave.]

Marcus joked: [Wow, they've been out there forever. Didn't think Janice had this much stamina.]

Minutes ticked by. Still no answer from either of them.

At this point, I figured they were already piranha food.

But to keep up appearances, I played the worried wife and started spamming the chat.

[It's starting to rain here. What should we do? Janice and Timothy still aren't back.]

[The captain's been gone a long time. Why's it taking so long? Would something happen?]

[I can't reach their phones. No replies on WhatsApp either. The signal's awful. Does anyone know who to call for sea rescue?]

Seeing me getting more and more worked up, the others started chiming in to calm me down, saying that everything was probably fine. It was a licensed tour company, and tons of tourists were out there.

But when they learned Janice had booked through a shady tour company, everyone fell silent.

They started complaining about how she risked her life just to save a little cash.

The group chat went into a frenzy. One minute, everyone was panicking; the next, they were trying to comfort each other. My father-in-law, Benedict Dawson, holding down the fort back home, was especially tense.

On the surface, I played the worried act to perfection. But I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from twitching upward. Finally, karma was doing its job.

I sat back, scrolling through flights home and checking what days were cheapest. Then suddenly, a video popped up in the group chat.

When I saw who sent it, I felt like I'd been hit by lightning.

The video had literally just been sent from Janice's WhatsApp.

Were they sending it from a fish's stomach or what? Were they actually still alive?

I could hardly believe my eyes. I tapped the video instantly.

It was raining in the clip, and out on the water, a massive shadow loomed, its sharp fangs practically glowing in the dark.

It looked almost identical to what I'd seen before dying back then. My hands shook. I nearly dropped my phone.

"Guys, we're rich. We actually found the meteor goldfish," Janice yelled.

"Look how vicious it is. If we didn't get it on camera, no one online would believe it." Timothy was at the front of the boat. Janice hid behind him, recording everything.

Their voices were laced with fear, but there was an odd thrill underneath the fear.

"No way a net's holding this monster. But relax, I brought a hunting rifle. Just watch me take it down." Timothy grinned.

He turned to the camera and flashed the rifle.

And then the video abruptly cut off.

My stomach dropped.

Timothy brought a rifle? Were they seriously still alive?

It hit me. Last time, Timothy was obsessed with the rifles locals were selling. I talked him out of it, saying he couldn't bring one back home, and so I totally let my guard down this time.

But this time, I hadn't gone with them. He probably bought one and brought it aboard, meaning they might actually survive.

How could I miss something so crucial?

I was kicking myself with regret. If I'd just watched them board, I could've stopped it.

The group chat exploded as soon as the video dropped.

Someone wrote: [No big deal. Timothy's got a rifle. That fish doesn't stand a chance. Can't wait for the victory feast.]

Timothy's cousin texted: [Timothy's a total badass. He's giving major Jack Sparrow energy. I'm uploading this to TikTok. He's going to blow up.]

His cousin posted the video online. It shot tens of thousands of views in minutes and even landed on the trending page.

Everyone was losing their minds, celebrating like they'd just won the lottery. I was the only one drowning in dread, my heart sinking.

I forced myself to stay calm and think fast. I needed another plan to make sure this grudge didn't go unpaid.

Oddly, more than an hour had passed. The boat should've returned by now. Still, not a single soul had come back.

The group chat kept pinging with people asking for updates. I dodged them with vague replies, saying maybe the fish was too big to haul back right away.

Someone added: [Can you imagine how much it'll sell for? Unreal! Janice really has guts. Who else goes on vacation and ends up rich?]

I waited. Then, finally, a boat appeared, emerging from the mist.

Before it even reached the shore, I heard people screaming. "Help! Someone's dead. The piranhas killed someone."