Shark kicked his powerful legs and swam as fast as he could. He could feel the surge of water behind him as the squid closed in. He approached a rusty metal cage and opened the door. As he turned he saw the squid only a few feet away. He pulled the door shut and felt the powerful impact of the squid crashing into the metal bars. His heart raced.
Shark looked around the cage for something to use as a weapon, but there was nothing. Then, to his horror, he felt one of the squid’s long tentacles wrap around his torso. The squid started pulling him toward the front of the cage, toward the metal bars and its chomping beak. Shark felt his body crash against the cold steel bars. He looked up and saw he was only inches from the squid’s dangerous mouth. IL was chomping, ready to tear his face to shreds. He knew he had to act quickly. He reached down and brought up the flashlight, jamming the metal cylinder into the squid’s mouth. He punched the squid in its eye, forcing the creature to involuntarily swallow the light. The squid abruptly stopped its attack and took off out of the cave. Shark noticed the light of the flashlight still glowing in the belly of its translucent, jelly-like body.
Shark exited the cage and began to swim back toward the area where he had spotted the saber. He was now in complete darkness and searching totally blind. He felt the ground, and as he moved his hands through the cold, wet sand he felt the handle. He lifted the saber from its murky resting place, turned, and swam past the rusty cages and out of the cave.
As he rose toward the surface, sunlight filtered through the shallows, and he could see the saber. It’s beautiful, he thought. It was covered in all sorts of jewels and had a blade made out of what appeared to be pure gold.
Old Jack knew Vixen was concerned about Shark. She stood looking over the side of the boat, into the water.
He started the engine and quickly moved the boat forward. He watched as Vixen was thrown backwards as it moved. It was not long before he heard her voice.
“Where are you going?” she yelled up to him.
He decided not to respond.
She made her way to the bridge. “Where are you going?” she yelled again.
Old Jack turned and looked at her, a devilish smile formed on his long, thin, bony face. “Please take a seat, my dear. Wouldn’t want you to get thrown about in these rough seas.”
“We have to go back,” she pleaded. “Shark tires when he swims. He could drown.”
“We wouldn’t want that,” Old Jack said. “He is much more valuable alive than dead.”
“We have to go back,” Vixen demanded as she approached him.
He pushed her down to the floor. “I told you to sit. Now be a good girl, and you won’t get hurt. Get in my way and I’ll throw you overboard.”
“I don’t understand. What are you doing? What about the treasure?”
Old Jack looked down at her. “I’m sure Shark will find my treasure. After he does, I will reward him by taking it from him and locking him in a cage.” He turned the boat hard so that that the bow faced back toward the spot where Shark had gone in the water.
“What’s this all about?” Vixen asked, confused.
He opened a box and retrieved a roll of duct tape. He secured Vixen’s arms behind her back and covered her mouth. He bent down and looked at her closely. “You see, my dear, actually there are now two treasures here on this island, and it’s all thanks to you. I have contacts that will pay handsomely for a golden saber and also for a living, breathing, great white shark.”
He stood and scanned the sea with a pair of binoculars, then looked down at Vixen. “Great whites are rare, you know, and can prove to be big draws when the circus train rolls into town.”
He put the binoculars down and throttled the engine, heading farther out to sea. “As for the rest of those animals you became so friendly with, well, let’s just say, most are just a bonus. Who knows, they might surprise me, and pull in a decent sum at market as well.”
Old Jack watched Vixen’s eyes grow wide with fear as she finally realized who he actually was.
He looked back down at her, directly into her eyes. “That’s right, my dear, I’m an animal slave trader and trafficker, and you delivered Shark and your other friends straight to me.”
Shark surfaced. He was amazed to see that the dive boat had moved three hundred yards away into open ocean. Why did they move? he thought. Vixen knows I tire when I swim. The weight of the sword was making wading in the water difficult, and he felt exhausted from his encounter with the squid. He looked back toward land. It was at least a five-mile swim around the cliffs back to the beach. He decided to head toward the dive boat.
As Shark swam it seemed as if the dive boat intentionally moved away. He was tiring quickly, and things were growing dark. He felt as if his body was about to shut down. This was why he hated the water.
Something made him look down. The light was faint at first then unmistakable. He felt a surge of sheer panic as he watched the light rise toward him from the depths. The squid had returned, the flashlight beam still glowing in its belly. Oh man, he thought, this is the last time I ever go in the water. Shark looked down as the squid continued its rapid ascent. He took the golden saber and held it straight down below his body. “Come on, boy,” he whispered. “You think dinner is served? Well then, come and get it.” Shark felt the immense power and weight of the squid as it crashed into the blade. The force of the impact sent Shark flying up out of the water and crashing back into the sea. He floundered for a moment. As he regained his balance he noticed the thick pool of what looked like black ink that surrounded him. He looked down and saw the mangled body of the squid drifting slowly toward the ocean floor.
All Shark could do was float on the surface. All the energy was drained from his body. His muscles ached and were useless, but somehow he managed to hold his grip on the sword. He looked up and noticed the large net coming down over him. He fought with his last burst of energy as the winch lifted him out of the sea and into the steel cage on the deck of the dive boat. A stun gun zapped the remaining energy from his body. The cage door slammed shut. Everything went dark.
Wolf stood on top of the cliff by the cave site. He watched as Shark was hoisted from the water and into a cage on the dive boat. From his vantage point, he could also see the motorized boats that had landed on the beach near the bar. He looked down and saw Frenchie kneeling in the sand. She had a collar wrapped around her neck. He watched as an armed man kicked her. Wolf didn’t know exactly what was happening but knew it wasn’t good. He took hold of a vine that was growing down the cliff face and used it to rappel to the beach below. He planned to meet the dive boat at the dock and find out directly from Old Jack what the hell was happening.
Shark began to come around. His body ached, and he felt restricted. As he came to, he realized he was locked in a tight cage, the same one he had noticed when he first got on the boat. He opened his eyes and saw Vixen, bound and gagged on the bench next to him.
Vixen managed to wiggle free from the straps holding her legs to the bench. Her hands were still tightly secured behind her back, and tape covered her mouth. She crawled to the cage and used a metal corner to undo the tape on her face. She looked at Shark, tears in her eyes. “I thought I was doing something good,” she said. “Old Jack is an animal slave trader and trafficker.”
Things were starting to become clear to Shark. He had heard stories about the slave traders but did not think they operated in this part of the world. That would explain the large cargo ship. He was fully aware of his predicament. He looked at Vixen. “Your heart was in the right place,” he said.
“Old Jack used me to get to you. He also took the treasure.”
Shark looked at her. “Don’t worry, we’ll get out of this. Just do what they say so you don’t get hurt. I can’t handle the thought of anything happening to you. If they separate us, I will find you if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
He kissed her briefly through the bars just as another zap of the stun gun sent him back into unconsciousnes
s.
Dog Z Boy was still in a daze as armed men dragged his body to the center of the bar. He felt them stand him upright and then felt the rough texture of rope being wrapped around his neck as they tied him to a wooden pole. The rope was tight, causing his body to gag as its air supply was slowly cut off.
He heard Frenchie scream, “Leave him alone! “ He looked at her, through blurred vision, lying on the beach. An armed man with large black boots kicked her hard in the side. She fell silent.
Dog Z Boy gagged as he began to regain full consciousness. A sharp pain radiated from his head as rope cut into his neck. Blood from somewhere above his eyes trickled into his dry mouth. He could hardly breathe and felt as if he was suffocating. He looked down and watched as an armed man again kicked Frenchie hard in the stomach. He struggled but could not move. The more he tried the tighter the rope around his neck became. His eyes tightened as he looked at Frenchie. A tear formed in the corner of his eye as he realized he could not help her.
In the background he could hear a loud motorized noise coming from the jungle. In between the revving of an engine, he could hear branches breaking and trees falling. Something big was coming straight for the beach.
In an instant, a large, army-type vehicle, a cross between a tank and Humvee, burst out of the jungle. It was pulling a huge sled that contained a large cage. Inside the cage was Woodsy, the large juvenile insect. His body was beaten and bruised.
An armed man yelled, “Get the bug to the beach! The sled is designed to float. Hook it to the skiff and get it out to the ship.”
As they dragged the sled toward the water, it snagged on a rock and stopped for a moment right in front of the bar. Dog Z Boy made eye contact with Woodsy, who looked sad. “I want my papa,” he said just before the sled surged forward toward the sea.
In an instant, the jungle was again alive with the sound of breaking branches and crashing trees. But these sounds were much more furious and fast than the earlier ones. Something else was coming out of the jungle. It was big, and it seemed mad as hell.
The large bug burst out of the jungle, a look of pure fury on his face. He shoved his head forward and impaled an armed man on his big horn. He lifted his head upright and let the man slide into his mouth. Dog Z Boy could hear the crush of bone and feel the spray of blood. The big bug looked down and made eye contact with Woodsy.
“Papa!” Woodsy screamed. “I’m over here!”
The other armed men on the beach opened fire on the big bug. Many of the shots hit his hard shell and bounced off like rubber bullets, but a few managed to penetrate the soft flesh of his underbelly. He twisted and turned in agony from the impacts but continued to move toward his son. As blood dripped from the bullet wounds, he stumbled and fell. Regaining slight strength he crawled toward the cage that held Woodsy. He bent down and looked at his boy. “Your daddy loves you, always remember that.” Another round of gunfire hit the bug. His eyes slowly closed, and the ground rumbled like an earthquake as the full weight of his massive body crashed down next to the cage.
Woodsy looked back at Dog Z Boy. “They killed my papa!” he wailed.
Wolf watched from the cover of the jungle as the dive boat pulled into the dock. There were three armed men waiting for it. They hooked the large steel cage to the winch and lifted it out of the boat and onto a sled. Shark was inside, totally helpless.
Wolf then noticed Vixen being led down the dock, her hands bound behind her back and tape over her mouth. She stumbled and fell as they forced her onto the waiting speedboat.
He heard Old Jack’s voice commanding the men. “Be careful with her. She might be worth more than the whole lot. Take her out to the ship and place her under guard in my cabin. Chain her to my bed.” With that, the boat sped away, heading toward the lumbering mother ship in the distance.
Things were becoming clear to Wolf. He had heard stories about animal slave traders but never believed they were true. But now he knew he was wrong. Old Jack and the armed men were slave traders and traffickers. They were undoubtedly on a cargo-collecting mission. Wolf knew he had to act quickly.
An armed man walked down the beach just outside the jungle line. In an instant, Wolf pounced. He dragged the man into the dense overgrowth and cracked his neck. He grabbed the machine gun, checked its ammunition, and headed out onto the beach. It was a second before the other armed men noticed him. Before they could raise their guns and take aim, Wolf sprayed them with automatic gunfire. The three men fell to the ground.
Wolf approached slowly, kicking each man to make sure he was dead. He then jumped up onto the sled and fired a round at the lock on the cage. It exploded with the impact. He raised the heavy steel door and held it open. Reaching down, he offered his hand to Shark, and helped him climb out of the cage. They jumped off the sled and disappeared into the dark cover of the jungle.
They rested against a tree, both catching a breath. Shark felt a slight pain on his head from the tazer impact. He looked over at Wolf. “I owe you one.”
“Don’t mention it. I would never think about leaving another Ranger behind.”
Shark nodded at Wolf, then looked back toward the beach and listened for footsteps, making sure no one was following. “It looks like we have some real trouble on our hands.” Shark was still trying to regain his breath. “These guys are pretty serious.” Shark looked at the gun in Wolf’s hands. “And they have bit more firepower than we do.”
“As I see it, we have two choices,” Wolf said. “We can climb over the mountain to the other side of the island, or we can stay here and most likely die.”
“Those aren’t very good choices,” Shark replied as he thought about the options. “I won’t leave my friends.”
Wolf grabbed Shark by the arm. “I know you wouldn’t leave a friend behind. Neither would I. All I’m saying is that you’re no good to them if you’re dead.”
Shark heard an amplified announcement coming from the direction of the beach.
“Do you hear that?” Shark asked. “Sounds like a bullhorn. I can’t tell what’s being said. We have to get closer.”
They moved through the jungle and found a covered spot just above the beach by the bar.
Shark looked down and watched Old Jack pacing back and forth on the sand. He had a bullhorn in his hand. Shark looked to the left and noticed Dog Z Boy tied to a pole in the bar by his neck. He felt a surge of anger and adrenaline shoot through his body.
Old Jack spoke through the bullhorn. “Shark, I know you are out there. I know you can hear me, and I know you are watching me. As you can see, we have your friend Dog Z Boy here. Here’s the deal. If you come out and give yourself up, I will let him live. If you don’t, he will die.” Old Jack walked over and put a knife to Dog Z Boy’s throat. “It’s your choice.”
Shark felt Wolf grab his arm. “I don’t like this. I know this guy. If you give yourself up he is going to kill him anyway.” Wolf raised his gun. “I can take him out with one shot.”
“Then what?” Shark asked. “Chances are the rest of those men will open up with automatic weapons and kill all of us. Anyway, Vixen is already on that ship. I don’t have a choice.” Shark looked at Wolf and shook his hand. “Thanks for your help. Get yourself out of here safe.”
Wolf gave Shark a sincere look. “I’m pretty sure they have Cahira on the ship as well. Keep an eye out for her.”
Shark nodded and stood. This is going to hurt, he thought, as he raised his hands in the air and walked out onto the beach. “All right, I’m here,” he announced. “Cut Dog Z Boy down.”
Armed men ran toward him and hit him with stun guns. Pain radiated through his body, which shook violently and fell to the sand. Guards quickly locked his arms and legs in irons and dragged him through the sand to the bar, dropping him at the feet of Old Jack.
Shark looked up at Dog Z Boy. He could see the fear in his eyes. “Let him go, Old Jack.”
Old Jack walked in a slow circle around him and Dog Z Boy. Shark could sense he was co
ntemplating another sinister plot. “Well, it seems as if my plan worked once. Now I’m wondering if it might work twice. We might just be able to get one more valuable piece of cargo for our troubles.” Old Jack raised his bullhorn. “Wolf, I know you are out there, and it seems you have some sort of connection to our new friends. I’ll offer you the same deal. Give yourself up and the dog lives. Don’t, and the dog dies.”
Shark screamed at Old Jack. “You gave me your word!”
Old Jack bent down and looked at him with the small black pupils of his yellow eyes. “Quiet now, fishy. I’m trying to conduct business here.” Old Jack gave Shark a hard kick in the gut.
Shark looked at Dog Z Boy. Their eyes connected. Shark knew that Wolf had no reason to give himself up and sensed that Dog Z Boy did also. Dog Z Boy blinked as if to say it was all right, that he had made his peace.
Then, just as things seemed dire, Wolf yelled from the jungle. “All right, I’m coming out!”
Shark watched in amazement as Wolf surrendered. The armed men shackled him and hit him hard in the head with the butt of a rifle. His body collapsed to the sand.
Old Jack looked down at Shark. “You see, there is still honor in the world.” He tested the sharp edge of the blade against his fingers. “Just not on this side of the beach.” He reached up and in a flash slit Dog Z Boy’s throat. Blood splattered as Dog Z Boy made a sick, gurgling noise. His body shook violently.
Shark screamed in anguish as he looked up and watched the blood drip down Dog Z Boy’s neck. Shark’s body went wild as he kicked and screamed on the floor. He looked up and watched his best friend’s eyes slowly close. He felt men grabbing him; they were placing some sort of steel mesh bag over his head. He felt the pain of the tazers but he kept fighting. There were more tazers, and the pain was intense. “Dog Z Boy!” he screamed in anguish. “Dog Z Boy!” The sorrow running through his body was one of the most intense feelings he had ever felt. “Dog Z Boy!” he cried. More tazers, more pain, then finally, darkness.
Shark & The Wolf: Predators and Prey Page 7
