Fangtooth

Chapter 24

The water lapped around Jack’s waist. He shivered. Throat raw through screaming, he fought the instinct to scream again and kept his mouth closed as a fresh wave pummelled against him.

The fog and sea seemed to be as one. Both were cold and pervasive. Something tickled his fingers in the water. He hoped it was only seaweed. But what if it was a jellyfish, or… Jesus, what if it was that shark people had been talking about. The thought made him quake and he tried again to get free, but it was no good. He might as well be clapped in irons. He scanned the sea that frothed around him, hoping, praying not to see a fin break the surface.

Who in their right mind would have tied him up out here anyway? It was crazy. He hadn’t done anything to anyone.

Another wave crashed into him, submerging his face as it passed over. He kept his eyes and mouth shut as tight as possible; thought the water was never going to settle. Goosebumps mottled his arms and legs.

When the sea smoothed out, he took a deep breath. The pungent smell of brine and seaweed invaded his nostrils.

He looked down. The water was up to his navel. At this rate, it wouldn’t be much longer before it was up to his neck. Then up to his mouth, then… God, he was going to drown.

He didn’t want to cry, but he couldn’t stop himself. Tears welled behind his lids; combined with the saltwater, his eyes stung, but he kept them shut tight, too afraid to open them in case he saw something he wished he hadn’t.

He thought about his dad. There were so many things he wanted to say to him. So many apologies he wanted to make for the things he had done wrong. Now he might never get the chance.

A final, desperate scream born of anger, fear and frustration burst from his mouth. When his anger was spent, he slumped against the post.

Then he heard it. A voice calling his name. “Jack?”

He couldn’t believe it. Hope rushed through his veins. “I’m here. Help me,” he cried.

Although it hurt, he twisted his head as far as possible to trace the source of the caller. He heard rocks skitter, heard a muffled yelp, then heard his name called again.

“Jack, is that you? Where are you?”

He recognised the voice, Jen. His heart soared. “I’m here. Hurry. Quick.”

Movement caught his eye, and he squinted to make out Jen in the fog. He had never been so glad to see anyone in his life. Someone else appeared beside her who he identified as the girl that he had seen Jen with at the harbour.

“Thank god,” he said, choking back tears.

Jen and the girl stood just beyond the water’s reach. “Jack, what the hell’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Someone’s tied me to this post and I can’t get free.”

“Jesus. Hold on, I’m coming.”

“Be careful,” the other girl said.

Jen slipped into the water and waded towards him, holding her arms aloft.

A fresh wave swept in, causing Jen to sway precariously. “Watch how you go,” Jack said. “It’s not as if I can rescue you.”

Jen shook her head. “This is no time to be joking.”

“Who’s joking?”

The other girl stood back on the rocks and watched.

“That bastard Zander,” Jen said. “I thought he might be angry, but this!”

Jack felt something tighten in his bowels. “Zander? What’s he got to do with this?” he asked as Jen reached his side.

“When I heard you were missing, I went to see Rocky. That night outside my house, he heard what you said about the drugs, and he told Zander.”

“Jesus. Great boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend.”

“You broke up?” Despite his predicament, a warm feeling swept over him that even the cold, incessant waves couldn’t dampen.

“Yeah, he’s a jerk.”

Jack grinned.

He felt Jen’s hands trying to undo the ropes. She gritted her teeth at his side, her sweet breath washing over him.

“Jesus, these ropes are tight,” she said.

“Get away from him.”

Jack and Jen turned as one to see who had shouted. The fog had dissipated over time, and Jack could see a figure scurrying across the rocks at the base of the cliff. The previous warm feeling in his stomach evaporated, replaced with ice.

It was the madwoman, Lillian Brown.

She ran past Jen’s friend, pushing her aside as she went.

“Gran? What’s going on?” Jen said.

Jack frowned. “You know her?”

“Of course I know her, she’s my grandmother.”

“Jenny, get away from him. Now,” Lillian screeched.

The water lapped across Jack’s chest, and with each ebb of the sea, the tidemark rose higher and higher. He tried to stand on his tiptoes to rise above the water, but it was useless.

“Gran, someone’s tied him to this post. I’ve got to get him free.”

“You stupid girl, I did it. Now leave him be, and get away.”

Jen scowled. “You? I don’t understand.”

“How else are we going to bring back the fish? The sea needs a sacrifice. Fresh blood.”

“Sacrifice! You’re crazy,” Jack squealed.

“Gran, tell me what’s going on.”

Lillian waded into the sea, waving her arms. “Don’t you realise how hard it was for us to drag him all the way out here? Now get away from him.”

“This is crazy. You can’t let him die.”

“Why not? How else are we going to bring back the fish? Why do you think they came back last time? We can’t keep taking without giving something back.”

Jen frowned. “Last time?”

“Yes, look what happened then. I offered a whole family, and the fish returned.”

“The Johnson’s,” Jack said, remembering the story of the family who had lived in the house previously. “You’re fucking crazy.”

“Tell me that’s not true,” Jen said. “You didn’t do something to the Johnson’s, did you?”

A wave buffeted Lillian back. “It worked, didn’t it? It was the only way. It’s still the only way.”

Jack felt Jen frantically tearing at the knot. His heart felt as though it were about to explode. This was madness.

“Hurry up,” he hissed as another wave rolled towards them.

“I’m going as fast as I can,” Jen said.

Jack stared at Lillian, saw the madness in her eyes, the savage look of fury.

The wave washed over them, sending Jen flying. Submerged, Jack held his breath and waited for the water to recede… and waited, and waited.

But the water didn’t recede. He tossed his head from side to side, yanked against the bindings, twisted his wrists, and then without warning, his hands were free. Relief surged through him. Then he realised his feet were still bound.

His lungs felt as though they were about to burst. Bubbles streamed from his mouth and nostrils as he started to exhale. Frantic, he bent over at the waist and pulled at the binding around his ankles. He started to feel dizzy. The strong flow of the water buffeted him from all sides. His fingers struggled with the knot, searching for some way to untie it. When he had a hold of what he thought was one end of the rope, he traced it back to the knot, felt for the ridge where it crossed over, then pulled with all his might.

The knot came free, and he wrenched his legs out and swam, gasping for breath to the surface, where he gulped in a deep lungful of air. Nothing had ever tasted sweeter.

“Jack, thank God,” Jen said as she swam across. When she reached him, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, then his lips. Jack rejoiced in her salty kiss, never wanted it to end.

When she finally released him, Jen said, “I’m sorry, Jack. If I’d known…”

“It’s not your fault,” Jack said. He tore his gaze away from Jen and looked back towards the shore where Lillian stood, the wind buffeting her hair and clothes while she stood immobile, staring past them. There was no sign of Jen’s friend.

“You’re too late,” Lillian cackled, pointing a bony arm out to sea.

Jack and Jen looked where Lillian indicated. Less than twenty feet away, the water appeared to bubble and froth as something rose from the depths.

Next minute a large, black, shiny head as large as Jack’s burst forth, spraying water in its wake. Jack stared wide-eyed. He had never seen anything like it. Two small, beady black eyes set high on the head looked back at Jack, sending a chill through his body. The surface of the creature’s head appeared haggard, riddled with small cavities delineated by serrated edges. Scales that resembled thin plates adorned what he could see of the thing’s skin. The creature opened its mouth, revealing fangs at least six inches long.

Whatever it was, this creature wasn’t natural.

At his side, Jen squealed, turned and started to swim for shore. “Come on,” she shouted, forcing Jack into action

He found it ironic that although he had given up eating meat, that didn’t mean he wasn’t on the menu. Well, this meal wasn’t going to be served up without a fight. He started to swim, hearing the terrifying splash of water at his rear as the creature came after him.

With the tide coming in, it made it easier for Jack to swim for shore. Of course, it was also easier for the monster at his rear, too, which, as a denizen of the sea, was probably a more adept swimmer. But Jack and Jen were far enough away that he thought they had a chance.

He looked towards the shore to see how far he had to go, glimpsed Jen’s grandmother standing on the rocks, watching impassively.

Whether it was a result of the hit on the head, being tied up, fear, or the cold, Jack felt himself flagging. His arms and legs felt leaden, and he struggled to claw his way through the water. He couldn’t get the creature’s face out of his mind, those big, long teeth like curved knives bearing down on his legs.

The thought spurred him on and he kicked out furiously and swept his arms through the water like a man possessed. Up ahead, Jen waded out of the water, and he was glad that at least she wouldn’t become the creature’s dessert.

Next minute, his fingers brushed against the rocks below, and he scrambled to his feet. The rocks were slimy with seaweed, and he felt his left foot slip, but he just managed to maintain his balance. Waves crashed against him, as though lending a helping hand to push him to shore, and he sighed with relief when he finally stepped out of the ocean.

He hurried up the rocks towards Jen, and then stood with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. After a moment, he turned to face Jen’s grandmother, who stood further back, glaring at him vindictively. The fog had now thinned considerably, and he could see a cliff face behind her.

“What the hell is that thing?” he asked. “And what the hell did you think you were doing, you crazy bitch? I’m going to call the police.”

Lillian smiled sardonically. She raised a spindly arm and pointed out to sea. “I don’t think you will,” she said. “The sea still needs its sacrifice.”

Jack turned and looked where she indicated. In the swell of the waves, he could see the creature’s head, its eyes peering back at him. Next minute, the creature swam towards the rocky shore. Jack crouched down, picked up a rock and threw it at the creature, surprising himself with his good aim when the rock struck it on the head. He felt a sense of satisfaction, but the creature seemed unfazed.

Knowing that he was safe where he was, he spat out to sea. “Fuck off back to whatever rock you crawled out from under,” he said.

But as he watched, the creature drew closer and closer, then when it was feet from the shore, it raised itself out of the water and stood up on reptilian squat legs to reveal a thick, black body. The creature raked web-interlocked claws in the air, opened its mouth and made a high-pitched wailing sound, then it advanced.

Jack stared open mouthed. “Oh, shit,” he said.