Fangtooth (11 page)

Chapter 23

Although she searched around the harbour
and looked in the bar, Jen couldn’t find Zander anywhere. His vessel was moored
up, and she shouted out his name, but no one answered, and the boat looked
deserted.

It was hopeless trying to look by
herself. Zander and Jack could be anywhere. She took out her mobile phone and called
her best friend, Sara to help with the search.

When Sara arrived, she was chomping
bubble gum. “Hey, what’s up? Have you seen this weather? It’s thicker than
custard,” she said as she jumped up on the harbour wall to sit next to Jen

“Yes, it’s no wonder someone’s gone
missing in this.”

Sara blew a pink bubble and nodded. When
the bubble popped, she dragged the gum back into her mouth with her tongue.
“Yeah, he’s cute. ‘Bout time we had some decent talent around here.”

“He’s all right.”

“All right! I saw the way you looked at
him. Eyes almost popped out of your head. You’d better not let Rocky see you
looking at another guy like that.”

“Rocky and me are finished.”

Sara’s nose twitched and she flicked her
brown ponytail through the air in disbelief. “No way. So what about this new
boy? Are you, you know …”

Jen blushed and shook her head. “No,
nothing like that.”

Sara grinned and blew another bubble.

“Honest, there’s nothing going on.”

“Whatever.”

”There’s not. But we’ve got to find him.
He found some cannabis on Zander’s boat—”

“No way,” Sara said, almost dropping her
gum.

“Listen, will you. Rocky heard Jack
talking to me about it outside my house—”

“So Jack’s been to
your house. And I thought you said there was nothing going on,” Sara said. “You
dirty dog.” She winked.

“Look, will you let me finish. Rocky
heard Jack mention the drugs, and he went and told Zander.”

“Oh shit. Do you think Zander’s done
something to him?” Sara asked.

“I don’t know, but you know what
Zander’s like. Remember that man the other year, that tourist they said spilt a
bit of beer on Zander. He ended up in the hospital with his ear bitten off.”

“That was just a rumour,” Sara said.

“So explain why after Rocky told Zander
what Jack had done, Jack goes missing?”

Sara shrugged. “I don’t know. Perhaps
he’s gone back to the city. Who in their right mind would want to stay here?”

“If that was the case, he would have
told his dad. But he hasn’t. He’s looking for him.”

“Have you looked in the bar for Zander?
That’s where he usually is.”

Jen nodded. “I already checked there.
And at his boat, and at his shed at the end of the harbour.”

“Well how are we going to find him in
this weather?”

Zander’s boat creaked against the
harbour wall, the sound like a groan. Jen took a deep breath, shivered as the
fog chilled her nostrils. “We can check around the village for a start.
Anywhere you think they might be. It’s better than doing nothing.”

“And what about Rocky?” Sara asked.
“Does he know where they might be?”

“He says not, but then he’s not likely to
tell me. Can you go and look around the village, ask anyone you meet?”

“On my own? You’ve got to be joking.”

“It’s better if we split up. We can
cover more ground.”

Sara shook her head. “I’m not going in
search of an ear-chomping madman on my own. No way!”

Jen sighed. “Okay, then come with me.
Hurry, we’ve wasted enough time.”

She jumped down
from the wall and headed into the fog with Sara at her side. Although she
didn’t say it out loud, she was glad Sara was going with her. Whether the
ear-biting story was true or not, the thought of tracking down Zander by
herself wasn’t appealing.

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.