“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.
Chapter 25
Bruce cupped his hands around his mouth. “Jack?” he shouted. At his side, Shazam barked. When his son didn’t reply, Bruce bit his lip and continued along the road. He slipped a hand into his pocket, fingering the wallet with the lucky charms. If ever there was a time he needed their aid, it was now.
With Duncan and Erin’s help, he had searched almost all the village, but there was no sign of Jack.
“He’s got to be somewhere,” Bruce said.
At his side, Erin nodded. “We will find him.”
Bruce hoped she was right. The thick bank of fog had started to thin out, but now the light was fading. A solitary streetlight had already come on, throwing a pale orange sheen across the road.
Bruce stopped and turned to face Duncan. “What about that old madwoman? You know, the one who grabbed Jack and marched him into the bar.” He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of her before.
Duncan scratched his nose. “You mean Lillian Brown? I suppose it’s worth a try.”
“At thi
s point, I’d try anything.”
“Follow me,” Duncan said, turning tail and marching away.
Bruce and Erin followed with Shazam trotting alongside. Bruce looked down at the dog. “Some help you are. I thought dogs were meant to have a heightened sense of smell.”
Shazam looked up, and for a moment, Bruce thought there was sadness in the dog’s expression. “I’m sorry girl. I know you’d help if you could.”
Duncan led them away from the high street to a house overlooking the harbour. He stepped up to the door and rang the bell. When no one answered, he knocked.
“Doesn’t look as though anyone’s in,” he said.
Bruce stepped forward and started banging on the door. “Jack, are you in there?” he shouted.
Duncan grabbed his hand. “I don’t think that’ll do any good.”
Bruce exhaled slowly, turned away from the house and walked to the road where he leaned against the wall at the front of the property, trying to gather his thoughts. After a moment, he took his phone out and tried ringing Jack again, but the voicemail cut in straight away.
The sound of footsteps caught his attention, and he looked back down the road to see a slim girl with brown hair tied back in a ponytail running towards them.
“Mr. Roberts,” she wheezed, head bobbing up and down as she fought to catch her breath. “It’s … Jen and that … new boy …”
Duncan started towards the girl. “Sara, what is it—”
“What? What’s happened to them,” Bruce said, grabbing the girl by the shoulders before Duncan reached her.
Sara looked at him, her brown eyes wide with something he recognised as fear.
“Jen’s grandmother … she’s tied that new boy up. It’s … crazy. I think … she’s lost her marbles.”
“She’s what? Where are they?” Bruce demanded. He wanted to shake her, couldn’t believe what he heard.
“Calm down,” Duncan said, prizing Bruce’s hands from Sara’s shoulders.
“I need to find my son,” Bruce said, fighting to remain calm. He could feel his temples pound, could feel the throb of blood in the thick veins sticking out on his neck as he clenched his teeth.
“I understand,” Duncan said, “but terrorizing Sara isn’t going to help.”
“I’m not terrorizing her. I just need to know where Jack is.”
“They’re down by the cliffs past the cove,” Sara said.
“Then take me there,” Bruce said.
Sara looked at Bruce, her expression alarmed. “I … I…”
“It’s okay,” Erin said to Sara. “We’re here with you now.” She smiled.
Bruce nodded encouragement. “Please. If they’re in trouble, then I need to find them.”
Sara closed her eyes and nodded.
“Then let’s go,” Bruce said.
Sara lead the way, but Bruce could tell by the way she walked that her heart wasn’t in it. She had seen something or experienced something that she obviously didn’t want to repeat.
They followed the main road out of the village, past the small beach, and continued further along the coast. The road went up an incline so they now had a view of the sea to their left. The fog had virtually dispersed, but darkness had fallen, bringing with it a mantle of stars and a gibbous moon. If anything had happened to Jack, he would never forgive himself for dragging his son away from the city.
A scream pierced the silence, chilling Bruce to the core. “What the hell was that?” he cried.
“It sounded like Jen,” Sara said.
Before anyone could say anything else, Bruce started to run. Shazam ran alongside, her hackles up like a cat. Whatever was wrong, she sensed it too.
On one side of the road there were fields bordered by a low hedge. On the other, there was a drop to the sea, which he could hear crashing into the rocks far below.
The scream rang out again, louder and more insistent. With it came a shout for help that Bruce recognised as his son, spurring him to run faster.
Although dark, the light of the moon was enough to see by, and Bruce spotted a small trail leading towards the cliff edge. He followed it to a meandering path that wound down the cliff face. Without waiting for the others, he started down, using his hands to steady himself. Shazam accompanied him, jumping from rock to rock with the assuredness of a mountain goat.
The drop to his left was precarious to say the least, and he didn’t look in case it turned his stomach to see the water churning below. The tide was at its highest, and he could hear the waves sloshing between rock formations, invading crevices and cracks.
“Jack,” he shouted. “Where are you?”
A moment’s silence, then a voice, “Dad, we’re over here... But be careful. There’s … something here. Some sort of creature…”
Creature? Bruce followed the sound. Jagged rocks pierced the flesh of his hands, but he ignored the pain. He had to reach his son. Nothing else mattered.
Two figures stood in what looked like a recess in the rock less than twenty feet away, but between them and Bruce was the sea.
Bruce looked at the expanse of water, the moons reflection glinting from the surface like a shoal of dancing fish.
“Jack, swim across,” Bruce shouted. Shazam stood on a rock, growling.
Then Bruce noticed movement at the water’s edge, saw something black and shiny that clung to the rocks. Moonlight glinted from its body, and despite the distance and the lack of light, Bruce felt a sudden ray of terror pierce his soul.
The creature opened its mouth, revealing large fanglike teeth, and emitted a keen wailing sound that chilled the marrow in his bones.
What the hell was that thing?
Shazam barked loudly, her tail between her legs as though in fear.
He watched Jack throw a rock at it, trying to drive it away. The rock missed, splashing harmlessly in the water beyond the creature. Jack threw another, which hit the creature on the head, but with no discernible effect.
Rocks skittered at his side, and the next moment, Erin stood beside him.
“What the hell is that thing?” Bruce asked as he looked at Erin.
She swallowed, her face ashen. “I knew I’d seen them somewhere before, but not like that. It’s impossible ….” She pursed her lips, shaking her head as if unable to believe what she was seeing. “Anoplogaster cornuta.”
“Can you say that in fuckin’ English?” Bruce snapped.
“Fangtooth.”
Chapter 26
Erin squinted to see through the dark. It didn’t seem possible, but there was no mistaking that pitted face, the hard ridges between the two beady eyes and the teeth … god those teeth, which looked like a steel-jawed mantrap in the chasm of its mouth.
“I don’t understand,” Bruce said. “What the hell is it?”
Erin rubbed her eyes, hoping the action would change the scene before her, but it didn’t, of course it didn’t.
“Well, if it’s what I think it is, they normally only grow to about the size of your hand. But this …”
Bruce pointed at the creature. “My god, it’s crawling out of the water. It’s got arms and legs!”
Erin swallowed to hold in the bile as she remembered Kev’s body bitten in half.
“I’ve got to get my son out of there,” Bruce said. Before Erin could reply, he clambered down the rocks to the sea’s edge.
Erin wanted to follow him down, but her legs were shaking and she found she couldn’t move.
Shazam barked like something demented. The sound drilled into her ears, deafening.
She stared at the creature, almost too afraid to blink. Arms and legs! It wasn’t possible. It was like something conjured in a nightmare. Almost close enough to reach out and touch already, she didn’t want to get any closer. She thought she could smell it in the air, a pungent fishy aroma that made her feel sick.
“Hey, get away,” Bruce said as he picked up a rock and threw it at the creature, striking it on the back.
The Fangtooth
turned its head and looked at Bruce, then it raised its head higher and stared at Erin. Her legs turned to jelly. On the verge of collapsing, she tried to control her breathing, was hyperventilating.
Its black eyes seemed to bore into her, and it almost looked as though it were smiling. The spiky dorsal fins along its spine seemed to quiver, then it slowly slid back down into the water and disappeared below the surface.
“Can you climb along the rocks?” Bruce shouted.
Jack shook his head. “There’s no way we can get across. We tried.”
The creature’s disappearance spurred Erin into action. With her legs functioning again, she scrambled down to Bruce. She was still breathing erratically, but at least she didn’t feel as though she were about to collapse. She kept warily glancing at the sea, and was about to speak to Bruce when she saw movement in the water, and the creature’s head broke the surface only feet from where she stood.
Erin staggered back in alarm as the creature started to swim towards them. When it reached the rocks, it scrambled ashore, and with nothing to stop its progress, it moved quickly up the slight incline towards where they stood. Shazam growled, baring her teeth.
Bruce picked up a large rock and threw it at the creature, hitting it square between the eyes, but the creature didn’t even flinch.
“Come on you bastard.” Bruce picked up a piece of sturdy driftwood as thick as his arm and smashed it across the creature’s head. The wood shattered on impact with a loud crack, but the creature seemed unfazed. “What the …”
The Fangtooth opened its mouth, allowing Erin to see inside its cavernous, tubular throat. A rotten stench flowed out, like something dead, then the creature started to advance, using its arms and legs to move in a lizard-like fashion across the rocks.
“Bruce,” she yelled, “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.”
“I can’t leave Jack.”
“They’re safe where they are, but we’re not. And you’ll be no use to them dead.”
With an almost imperceptible nod of his head, Bruce shouted, “Jack, stay where you are. We’ll go and get help. Come on Shazam, we’ve got to go.” He grabbed the dog’s collar, turned tail and followed Erin back up the cliff.
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