Sucked Under (9 page)

‘No leaks,' Felix confirmed, inspecting the seals. He looked at the water and nervously fingered his hunt belt.

Jasper thought guiltily of his own hunt belt dumped on the floor of the cabin, but there was no way he was walking around in broad daylight with a mini toilet-plunger hanging from his waist. He just hoped Mac didn't notice that he wasn't wearing it.

Jasper stepped into the lake, up to his ankles. The water was the most brilliant blue he had ever seen. Even the pebbles looked blue. He scooped some water into his hands and splashed it over his head and face.

‘Ahhh, that's better,' he sighed. He squinted into the glare from the sun, and wondered if Mac had brought any sunglasses. Jasper stood back up, feeling slightly dizzy.

Guess I'm not used to so much sun,
he thought. Almost a whole year in freezing weather was obviously having an effect on him.

Jasper looked longingly at the water. His whole body was urging him to dive in.

‘Surely a quick dip would be OK?' he muttered under his breath.

‘
YEEESSS,'
Felix whispered behind him.

‘Really?' Jasper asked Felix in surprise.

Felix looked at him suspiciously. ‘What? I didn't say anything. But Mac said no swimming.'

‘Yeah, yeah,' Jasper smiled. The water lapped temptingly at his feet. ‘But you know we really need to test the FlameShooter 6000 in the deep. I mean, if everything goes according to plan, we'll be shooting the flame up the tube and into the monster's nostril. That means we'll have to pull it under the water and shoot upwards. We need to get deep enough to test it.'

Felix was shaking his head wildly from side to side.

But Jasper was convinced that they needed to test the FlameShooter. Otherwise the plan could go all wrong. And that wasn't something he was keen on. Especially as Jasper was the one being used as bait.

Felix was still shaking his head. ‘Don't be stupid. Let's get Mac and –'

Jasper grabbed the FlameShooter 6000 from Felix and headed deeper into the water. ‘You worry too much,' he grinned. ‘Everything will be fine. I'll only go knee-deep.'

Jasper waded further into the water and stared up at the sun.
So good,
he thought. He was feeling great.

‘Jasper!' Felix called anxiously from the bank.

Jasper realised that he had walked further out than he meant to. The water was already up to his chest. And it felt
awesome.

Jasper couldn't remember the last time he'd been swimming. He lifted his feet and took a few strokes, holding tightly to the FlameShooter.

The feeling of weightlessness was fantastic.

Jasper dived under the water, letting his breath out slowly. It was like a whole underwater world.

Jaa ... speer ... yessss ....

Jasper shot towards the surface, his heart hammering.

KOOOD … JAAAA … SPPEER, KOOOM ...

He wished he'd had more classes with Señor Hermes. Jasper closed his eyes. He tried to see a blank piece of paper. He tried to think of the letters. He could hear his name, but he couldn't understand the other words.

But in the end he gave up trying to see the words, and focused instead on staying calm. He
didn't
want panic. He floated on his back and tried to breathe deeply, thinking of Christmas and birthdays and anything nice.

The whispering stopped.

Jasper turned and waved to Felix. Felix waved back.

Jasper treaded water, glancing at the bank. He was somehow further out than he had thought. Much further out. His toes couldn't touch the bottom anymore.

Felix was still waving. And suddenly, the thought of all things nice didn't work so well for Jasper. He realised Felix wasn't waving a friendly ‘how are you doing' kind of wave.

This was more of a frantic ‘get back to the shore NOW' kind of wave.

15

Keep calm,
Jasper thought. He knew he was a strong swimmer. And he wasn't
that
far out. He started swimming back towards the shore.

As he stroked through the water, Jasper couldn't help noticing how quickly the sky had darkened. Surely he hadn't been out here for
that
long? Or had he? Jasper felt as though he'd lost all track of time. He found himself squinting to make out the bank. He couldn't see Felix anywhere. His eyes felt tired and sore.

Jasper started swimming more frantically, trying to keep his breathing even, trying to keep his fear under control. With every stroke Jasper felt as though he was getting further and further away from the bank. He looked up. He
was
getting further away from the bank. His head felt fuzzy from all the swimming. He desperately tried to keep images of the Glibberhowl out of his head. But it wasn't working.

Jasper felt a cold prickle of fear run over his scalp. He froze, feeling something stirring in the water beneath him. And if it was the same something he thought it was, then fear was the very worst thing for Jasper to be feeling.

The water around him swirled, sucking downwards, like he was caught in a whirlpool. Jasper felt something slimy sweep past his leg. He started swimming again as fast as he could towards the shore. He forced himself to take deep, rhythmic breaths as he pounded through the water.
Just a fish, just a fish, keep calm, keep in
control,
Jasper said to himself.

But Jasper
knew
it wasn't a fish. It was the Glibberhowl. And
he
was the victim.

Just as planned,
he thought,
except for the
‘no-one to help, all on my own' bit.

Jasper swam fiercely as the monster swept past again. He could see its dark shadow beneath him. He could see it coming towards him.

The swirling current pulled him closer and closer to the Glibberhowl.
Not if I can help it
. Jasper kicked his legs harder, but he couldn't get away. He gripped the FlameShooter tightly.

Jasper felt something slimy wrap around his leg and pull him down. He turned to see a wall of mud rising out of the water. A small, green eye peered excitedly from the thick, brown mucousy slime, looking straight at Jasper. He could just make out two black nostrils.

It comes out of the water to attack!
Jasper thought helplessly. He wondered if he would ever get the chance to tell Mac.

Jasper tried to aim the FlameShooter, but he wasn't wearing his hunt belt and he realised he had no way to light the fuse. He kicked his legs, but they were covered in slime. He shut down his mind, refusing to let himself panic, refusing to let the monster grow bigger.

But then it had him. The Glibberhowl slurped at him, then dived. Jasper felt himself being sucked under.

He took one last deep lungful of air before he was pulled down into the dark watery depths.

Jasper's lungs were burning. He couldn't hold his breath for much longer. He was going to die. How had this happened?

Then his head filled with whispering again.

PREEETTY SCRRAMBLLEEEERRS!

A blank piece of paper popped into Jasper's head. The words crossed themselves out until he saw exactly what the whispering was saying.

Scramblers!
he thought.
There are Scramblers!

He remembered Mac saying he needed to survey the area for other monster species. He remembered how blue the pebbles had looked at the bottom of the lake.
They must have been
Scramblers, not pebbles.
Jasper realised why everything had gone so wrong. Now it was beginning to make sense – the confusion, the sore eyes, the dizziness. He had been Scrambled. Again! Stupid Scramblers!

Jasper wasn't feeling scared anymore, just determined. He knew what he had to do.

To get the Scramblers out, he needed to blow his nose as hard as he could. If only he had enough breath left to blow with. But Jasper's lungs were empty.

He kicked strongly against the Glibberhowl. He had to get to the surface.

Then strong hands gripped Jasper from above. He looked up to see Felix's neatly nose-pegged and ear-plugged face above him, pulling him towards the surface of the lake. There was a furious swirling of water, and then the Glibberhowl released Jasper's legs and moved silently away.

No way,
Jasper thought. He kicked as hard as he could towards the surface. His lungs were screaming in pain.

Felix wrenched Jasper upwards until his head broke through the surface of the water. He didn't know air could taste so good. He gasped in the cool night breeze, choking and spluttering.

Jasper didn't wait to become confused again. He blew his nose as hard as he could. A bright blue Scrambler shot out of his nostril, covered in snot. Instantly Jasper's head cleared. He'd just have to keep his head above water, so no more Scramblers could get in.
I really wish I had
my earplugs now,
he thought.

Jasper gave Felix the thumbs up. ‘Thanks, I seriously owe you one,' he rasped, as they treaded water in the middle of the lake.

Felix didn't look so pleased. ‘Did you see it?

It was
huge!
And its eye! A horrible green!' Felix sounded terrified.

‘No, no, calm down. It's gone!' Jasper said. The last thing they needed was for the Glibberhowl to come back now.

But it was too late. The Glibberhowl had slimed itself around Felix's leg and was pulling him under. Jasper tried to grab hold of Felix, but the monster was too strong. In seconds Felix was gone.

‘FELIX!' Jasper screamed desperately.

The sound of a boat's motor roared towards him. Jasper turned to see a speedboat hurtling through the water, with Saffy at the wheel and Mac behind her.

‘Saffy!' cried Jasper. The boat swerved to a stop next to him.

‘Got ya!' Mac reached into the water and pulled him up into the boat.

‘It's got Felix!' Jasper screamed. Felix wouldn't be able to hold his breath for long at all. He had asthma attacks at the best of times.

Mac's jaw dropped open. ‘Where? When?' he shouted.

Jasper pointed. He was still clinging to the FlameShooter. Saffy was throwing off her shoes, getting ready to jump in. But Jasper knew
he
was the only one who had a chance.

He grabbed a box of matches, popped the seal off the FlameShooter 6000, and lit the fuse.

Thirty-one seconds.
Jasper sealed the tube again to keep it water-tight, shoved some plugs in his ears and nose and leapt into the water.
Thirty-one
seconds before the firelighter catches alight.

Jasper swam further and further under the water. But he couldn't see anything.

And then he realised that he was relying on the wrong sense. Jasper closed his eyes and listened.

YESSS!

Jasper had no idea where he was swimming, but he knew the whispering would lead him towards the monster. He just had to follow it. He felt excitement creep up inside him, and for the first time since Jasper had learnt about the whispering, he was pleased to have it.

YEEESSSS!! HEERE!