Shadows Deepen

by Mirren Hogan

  CHAPTER 4

  Flynn watched the door close, shutting her in.

  Shutting him out.

  He heard the lapping of waves against the beach in the quiet which ensued. Out to sea, thunder rumbled. The air was hot and sticky. A storm might cool things down a little.

  He walked around the side of the house and grabbed a shovel. He hoped the landlady wouldn’t notice him digging a hole under his bedroom window. It was only a shallow grave, but deep enough that other dogs wouldn’t be encouraged to dig there.

  The dead puppy smelled strangely sweet. He picked it up and lowered it gently into the hole. What exactly had done this? The damage looked a bit like what the kappa had done to his finger, but here and there it looked like lash marks. He pictured a manananggal tongue licking at it and shuddered.

  He lowered the dog and covered it with dirt and rocks. “Sorry little fellow,” he whispered. Wiping his hands on his shorts, he leaned the shovel against the side of the house, opened the door and hurried inside.

  Makani sat at the table, but her eyes were glued to the television. A pair of chopsticks hung limply from one hand, a takeout box in the other. She finally looked up at Flynn with real fear in her eyes. “This is getting scarier and scarier.”

  He closed the door behind him and locked it. “Please tell me you didn’t find dog hair in the chow funn.” He flopped down beside her and followed her gaze to the TV. “What the hell?”

  On TV, the newscaster was reporting on a breaking story: “We’ve just got word of another body found in the Diamond Head area. Sources have reported the victim is female, in her mid-twenties. HPD isn’t commenting on the identity of the deceased until her family is contacted. This brings the current total of mysterious murders on Oahu to five. More on the missing family of tourists from Australia after the commercial break.”

  Makani grabbed a fork and a box from the table, pressing it into Flynn’s hands, “Eat. I don’t think we’ll have much chance later.”

  He hardly felt the box in his fingers. It was overshadowed by the sick feeling in his stomach. “Those things, they’re killing people now? People who aren’t us?” He swallowed the bile rising in his throat.

  They were going to find Emma, her husband and their children, but would they find them alive? Flynn wished they’d call, say they’d gotten lost and they were sorry for the trouble they’d caused. He willed his phone to ring, but it didn’t.

  He put the box on the coffee table in front of him and put his head down between his knees, trying to settle his stomach.

  “Hey . . . it’s gonna be okay. Promise!” Makani wrapped her arms around him. “We’ll find them. Things will turn out.” She laid a kiss on his shoulder.

  “Yeah, alive?” His voice was muffled by his knees. “You can’t promise they’ll be alive, can you?” Bloody hell, none of this would have happened if he hadn’t bought her a drink and agreed to let her show him around. Maybe it would have happened, he conceded, but not to me and not to my family.

  He turned his head to look at her sideways, a hint of accusation in his eyes.

  She pulled away, her hands falling into her lap. “I think . . . if they were dead, we would have heard about their bodies being found.” Her eyes were dark and her brows furrowed as she tried to guess at what was going through his mind.

  “Unless they dragged them back to the karst. Or out to sea. Or . . . ” He shook his head. “If they were alive, wouldn’t they have turned up by now? Have any of those—boat operators gotten back to you?”

  “Ummm . . . ” She got up to check her phone for email and missed messages. “Tom from Kewalo Basin said no. And Ala Wai said they haven’t gotten anyone matching their description.” She tapped the screen a few more times. “I’m putting Annie on this. She might be able to turn something up—”

  He sat back up, confused. “Why, what has she got to do with it?” If she had any sense at all, she’d stay away from them both.

  She blinked at Flynn. “Annie can get access to records from private servers . . . including HPD. She can trace GPS signals when the authorities can’t.” Another email was shot out at lightning speed.

  “She’s a hacker?” he concluded. “Why am I not surprised?” Why not put his sister’s life in the hands of a gum chewing, cynical geek? The cops weren’t much use, maybe Annie would be.

  “She’s probably the best lead I can dig up.” Makani slid her phone onto the table and sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. Short of going out there and checking the karst ourselves, there isn’t much else we can do.”

  “I just hate feeling so helpless.” He entertained the thought of going back to the karst, but he knew he’d be going alone. “I feel like I should be out hunting these things down and making the world safe. Is that too Rambo?”

  “A little—but it’s understandable.” She leaned against Flynn and chewed her lip. “If you want . . . we can do that. We probably need a few more lighters and cans of hairspray though. And salt.”

  “What about a giant water gun full of seawater?” A reluctant smile crept onto his face. “Would that kind of salt work?” Then he’d look like an action hero. Well sort of, because water guns were usually blue, red, green or a combination of those, rather than black like an actual hero’s weapon.

  “Ummm—yeah, why not? It worked on the first flying freak. And Walmart’s got everything.” She quirked her lips to the side and considered what they were discussing. “I think I’m suggesting we take this into our own hands. Feel free to talk me down. Or not.”

  He hesitated. “We can’t let them go on killing people. Correct me if I’m wrong, but your cousin isn’t going to believe us if we told him about them, is he? Nor will anyone else. Except your friend Annie. If we don’t do something, it might get worse. Do we want people to start believing in them just as they’re killing everyone on the island? If more people believe, will there be more of them?” That idea was particularly unappealing.

  “Maybe . . . I don’t know. This isn’t an exact science, Flynn. This—whatever it is, doesn’t come with an instruction manual.” She drew her legs up and curled into a ball. “If scientists could cut my brain out and study it to stop all this, I’d be totally for it!”

  He considered her comment for a moment and then said, “I suppose it’s too much to ask that it’s a coincidence that you saw these things the first time and now? I mean, maybe someone else caused them and you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Maybe there was an ancient burial ground under her grandmother’s house.

  “I really doubt that . . . ” She unrolled and stretched out, a hand over her eyes. “Because these things follow me. This is just the first time they’ve started attacking people.”

  “We have to do something.” Hopefully they didn’t just appear, or there would be an endless supply of them. Then his visa would run out long before this was over. He leaned forward and picked up the box. He might as well eat, he’d need his strength.

  Picking her chopsticks up, she started poking at the fried rice. Her phone rattled, and she grabbed it up. “Annie’s got the reports from HPD—so far, nothing. But she’s working backward from there to see if there’s anything they’ve missed. God, she’s brilliant!”

  “Evidently.” Her words made his anxiety increase. How did five people go missing with barely a trace left behind?

  “Have a little faith.” She picked up a chow funn noodle and flung it at Flynn with her chopsticks. “So, we eat, then if Annie gives us more info, we move out? Like something out of an action movie?”

  Wiping the noodle off his cheek, Flynn popped it into his mouth. “If we can get what we need. Salt, water, balloons—”

  “Why d’you need balloons?” She cocked her head and stopped mid-bite. “Wait, let me guess: more Rambo action?”

  “Water balloon, filled with salt water,” he replied. Planning made him feel a little more cheerful, if just for a few moments. “Instant grenade. Harmless to humans, deadly to—something, hopefully
!”

  “Your creativity is sexy!” She laughed quietly and really started into the food. “Maybe we should get the water guns? Those things shoot far now.”

  “Why not both? One for throwing and one for close-quarter combat?” He was having too much fun with this, while people were dying. That thought sobered him. “Do you know a guy who sells flamethrowers, by any chance?”

  “Ummm—” She actually seemed to search her brain. “No. But so far, aerosol cans and lighters are working fine. We should stick to what we can carry. Besides, if we’re going down into the karst, we need things we can lug around easily.”

  “I thought you were never going back there?” That gave him an idea. “Have you got a gas can? We could pour it on the water and set the whole thing on fire. And then have cooked, weird-looking prawns and fish.”

  “I’ve got a gas can—it’s under my broken car door, somewhere.” She put the takeout box down and leaned across the table toward Flynn, “And I’ll go, just because you need someone to cover your ass. In fact, we can get everything we need at Walmart. I wanted a new toothbrush, anyway.”

  He laughed. “Some plastic bags might be a good idea too. For, um, bits of monster.”

  “I still have those in the jeep from the first one.” She pointed with her chopsticks, potsticker stuck between them. “Ummm . . . salt. Salt water. Water balloons. Water guns. Lighters. Aerosol cans of whatever. Gas. Gee, it’s like setting up a beach camping trip with my brothers!”

  “Or schoolies week. Or spring break here.” He put his empty box back on the table. “All we need is excess alcohol and we have a party.”

  “I could go for something stronger than beer, right now. If we make it through this alive, we’re going on a bender.” Makani smiled and polished off her fried rice. Another buzz sounded, and she checked her phone. Her eyebrows shot up, “So . . . Annie got a signal off your brother-in-law’s phone. Last ping was an hour ago. At the karst. Or near it.”

  “What, how, who—?” He shot to his feet. “We need to get over there, now!” His head was buzzing so hard he could have just run out the door without thinking.

  “Slow down, Crocodile Dundee! We need to gear up first, and then we go get them!” He watched her stand, start collecting her things and throwing them into her pack. “If you got a backpack or something, now’s a good time to grab it.”

  “What? Oh. Yeah.” He hurried off to his room and dug under his bed for the backpack he’d used as carry-on luggage on the plane over. He looked around for his camera before realizing he didn’t have it. Would the insurance cover loss of camera to monster gunk and HPD? Probably not. He tugged the bag over one shoulder and joined Makani.

  “Ready?”

  “Yep! Let’s go shopping!” Makani had borrowed one of his socks and slipped it on over the bandage. She threw her phone in the side pocket of her bag and started out the door. “If I get an infection from the water down there . . . I’m gonna be seriously hella pissed!”

  He looked down at her leg and frowned. He’d have to make sure she didn’t have to go too deeply into the water. That might be difficult; she was stubborn and independent and he liked that about her, but not at the risk to her own life.

  Silently, he followed her out the door, his mind on his family and hoping they weren’t heading into a dead end.

  CHAPTER 5

  The drive back into town was, thankfully, non-eventful. The stores were still busy, crowded with locals and tourists alike. Makani navigated the massive super-store with practiced ease, even hunting down the biggest and baddest water guns in the toy section. Unfortunately, they were yellow, orange and green. Handing two to Flynn, she said, “Does this look sufficiently bad-ass for you?”

  “No.” He looked it over and grimaced. “But it’ll hold more water than the rest of them. At least it’ll look better in the dark.” He held it up to his eye, action hero style. “How do I look?” He grinned boyishly.

  “Like . . . a grown-ass man with a water gun!” She tried to ignore him as he followed her around, gun slung over his shoulder, giving stares back to anyone who looked at them funny.

  She picked up two more and threw them in the cart with a handful of Zippos, and a dozen cans of Aquanet. Several liter-sized bottles of water were added into the mix, as well as a few boxes of Magnum-sized condoms. Apparently, the store had run out of water balloons earlier that day.

  He laughed when he looked into the trolley. “I feel safer already,” he said, pointing to the condoms. “I wonder if any guy is really that big?”

  “Sure! I bet they fit you just fine. We’ll save one, and you can try it on. How’s that?” Her sense of humor was undiminished, even with the possible threat of impending doom.

  “No thanks, I’d prefer to throw it at a monster,” he replied cheerfully.

  “Are you seriously going to deny me victory sex? Because I plan on getting this done, and then proceeding to get rid of excess adrenaline the best way for both of us.” Ergo, the faster the checkout line moved, the sooner they could get things done.

  “Of course, I’m not,” he replied. “I’m just denying that a condom need to be involved. Suk suk, yes though. Definitely suk suk!” He lowered his voice as the pimply checkout boy stared.

  “Just checking!”

  The kid flinched away when Makani looked at him, and he hurried to get everything rung up. He was probably wondering what kind of people they were, and the selection of items they were buying probably didn’t help his fascination.

  Throwing everything in the jeep, Makani sped them to the beach, not five minutes away. “We’ll load up on seawater, and get our asses moving. That sound like a plan?”

  “Yes ma’am!” He gave her a jaunty salute and they climbed out of the jeep.

  The next few minutes were spent blowing up condoms and filling them with water while trying not to laugh too hard. Each con-grenade was tied tightly at the neck and loaded into the backpacks. Flynn emptied the fresh water from the bottles and refilled them with extra sea water. Armed to the teeth, he set his backpack into the back of the jeep and put his arms around her.

  “I love you. We’ll get through this, together.”

  She nuzzled into his chest, and took a deep breath. She wanted to remember the way he smelled, just in case. “Love you, too. Flynn, I’m sorry you’re stuck in this mess with me.”

  “Better you than Tony,” he assured her. “I’m still having more fun than I was when I was studying law. Come on, let’s kick some monster ass!”

  Shaking her head but smiling, Makani pulled away and started the hot-wiring process. She looked up from under the dashboard, and spotted that almost-familiar face. Old, stringy black hair and rags. The woman turned to look at her and smiled. That gave Makani the creeps, and she looked away. Finally, she got the monster started and backed out of the parking lot.

  They were a ten-minute drive from the entrance to the karst. Makani couldn’t help but fear what might be waiting for them in that pit.

  The rumble of thunder that had been distant an hour ago was closer now. A flash of lightning lit the car park like day for a fraction of a second. When the light was gone, the night seemed darker than before.

  She shivered. There was a stickiness to the air, but a chill still ran down Makani’s spine. Pack strapped tight, lighters and spray cans distributed, unlubricated extra-large saltwater condom grenades in hand and a heavy water gun under her arm. If this weren’t so potentially dangerous, Makani might have taken a picture of them and posted it on Facebook.

  “I feel like a five-year-old, going to war against my sisters. We used to do this every summer, until the drought led to water restrictions and we had to stop wasting it.” Flynn must have been as on edge as her; he’d been out of the jeep almost before it stopped.

  “Please tell me you would win?” She turned a little smile up at him, chewing her lip in worry. This might not be the best course of action, but it was all they could think of. She sincerely hoped they would manage to pu
ll it off.

  “Of course, I always got the most wet. Oh . . . ” His voice trailed off. “Well if getting wet is the worst thing that happens, then, that’s not so bad.” His tone was light but laced with nerves.

  She blinked twice, “That’s very reassuring, dude. Come on, let’s get your family saved!” She got her water gun at the ready, pumped the pressure up, flipped her headlamp on, and started through the gate that took them into the opening of the karst.

  He followed her back into the damp, wet hole, gun in hand, grenade in the other.

  Inside the karst was eerily quiet. Only the sound of distant thunder and their legs sloshing through the shallow water broke the silence. It was as if they were the only people left on Earth.

  “This is much creepier than the first time.”

  “We know what we’re walking into.” Her headlamp swung slowly from side to side, careful to stay in the middle of the path. Dodging the low stalactites and hanging roots, the first sign of trouble was the disturbance in the water ahead. The barest ripple wrinkled the surface, and Makani stopped in her tracks.

  “Flynn,” she whispered, “watch your feet. Get your lighter out—” Her own hands slid back and she started to ready a spray can.

  He pulled his lighter out of his pocket and fumbled around, trying to arrange his hands so he could hold gun, lighter, spray can and condom grenade. On land, she would have tapped her foot. Here, she just waited impatiently until he was ready.

  The thunder rolled, farther away now. A sucking sound from up ahead became louder as they moved through the tunnels.

  “What is that?”

  “Not a spiny crawfish.” She moved faster, the burn aching in the water. As they reached the point where water was up to her waist, Makani spotted the first of the monsters on a ledge. A kappa was dining noisily on the carcass of a large carp. It looked up, hissed, and dropped its kill. Slithering over toward them, the creature opened its mouth and lunged for Makani.