by Z. Fraillon
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!
Jasper opened his eyes. Felix was directly in front of him. He could see the fear spread across his friend’s face. And he could see the Glibberhowl growing bigger before his eyes. It was feeding on Felix’s fear, its body bubbling out more and more thick slimy mud. The monster’s green eye was half closed in intense pleasure. But Jasper knew it wouldn’t keep feeding for long – Felix couldn’t hold his breath forever.
Thirty-one seconds were up. Jasper took aim. He heard a whoosh as the firelighter inside caught alight. He stuffed the FlameShooter up the Glibberhowl’s left nostril, then flicked the trigger.
The Glibberhowl’s green eye popped open in horror. And then it froze. Jasper just had time to see Felix’s look of relief before Mac appeared, and pulled them both towards the surface.
16
Jasper stared uneasily at the telephone. Mac had sent a hunt report back to Stenka, and now Stenka wanted to speak to Jasper.
‘She’s going to be pleased, yeah?’ said Jasper hopefully. ‘I mean, we did catch the Glibberhowl. She’s got to be glad about that, right?’ But he wasn’t feeling so sure.
‘This is Stenka, remember,’ said Mac. ‘She’ll be pleased we got the monster – but I had to report everything that happened. I couldn’t leave out the fact you went swimming with Scramblers.’
‘So how come you didn’t put in the bit about Saffy escaping in your report, then?’ Jasper whinged.
‘Well, that’s different,’ said Mac. ‘Can you imagine what Stenka would do? Escaping from a Hunt is unthinkable at Monstrum House. If she hadn’t come back …’ he trailed off. ‘I’m saving her skin, you know? And mine,’ he added. ‘Anyway, I reckon you deserve to get into trouble. Next time, you can test your underwater inventions in the bath.’
Jasper supposed Mac was right. And Mac had already had it out with Saffy. ‘Stenka always gives that speech about proving yourself to someone on a new crew,’ Mac had yelled at Saffy. ‘It’s supposed to make you determined to prove what you’ve got. It’s not supposed to make you nick off!’
Jasper looked at Saffy sitting there, munching on a chocolate bar. ‘Just ’cos you managed to weasel your way out of it,’ he mumbled, wishing he’d been as lucky.
‘Weasel?’ Saffy replied indignantly. ‘Just remember, I was watching. If it wasn’t for me hot-wiring the boat and finding Mac, you two would be fish food.’
There wasn’t any point arguing, especially as Saffy was right. He hated it when Saffy was right.
Felix walked into the room. ‘Has she called yet?’ he asked chirpily, heading over to the fridge for a chocolate bar.
Jasper moaned and shook his head.
‘She will. She’s just making you sweat it out a bit.’ Mac sucked on a lollipop thoughtfully. ‘I wonder what your punishment will be.’
‘But I got the monster, didn’t I?’ Jasper said weakly.
‘Yeah, but you also went into known monster territory without your hunt belt on. Even Saffy took hers, and she was escaping!’ Mac said.
‘OK, OK, I get it,’ Jasper groaned. He got the feeling Mac was enjoying this.
‘There’s no chocolate left!’ Felix complained from behind the fridge door.
Saffy shook her head. ‘Don’t even think about it,’ she said, just as Felix made a lunge for her chocolate
bar.
Mac leant over and looked closely at Jasper. ‘Seriously, though, it was good work to let yourself be guided. You kept control of the whispering beautifully,’ he said quietly.
Jasper froze. ‘How do you …?’
Mac glanced up at the others. Saffy and Felix were still fighting over the last chocolate bar and weren’t taking any notice. ‘It’s a bit freaky at first, but once you get your head around it, it’s actually pretty cool. It’s like having an internal monster compass. You just have to show it who’s boss.’
Jasper was stunned. Mac! A Whispered?
‘You can kiss my ...’ Saffy squirmed out of Felix’s reach, then shoved the last bit of chocolate into her mouth. ‘Which reminds me,’ Saffy turned to Jasper. ‘Which foot do you want to kiss first?’
Felix burst out laughing.
‘You said that if I escaped, you would kiss my feet,’ she reminded Jasper sweetly.
‘No way! It doesn’t count! You came back!’
Jasper said indignantly.
Saffy stood up and started towards him.
‘That’s only because I had to rescue you,’ she smiled smugly. ‘I could’ve been long gone.’
Jasper turned to Mac for support, but he just laughed.
‘She does have a point,’ said Mac. ‘Plus she’s got a cool idea for getting rid of the Scramblers in the lake. You better find your earplugs and nosepegs.’ He wandered out of the room.
Jasper was really looking forward to enjoying a nice relaxing swim in that lake. He hoped the plan was a quick one. Or one that consisted of Jasper lolling on the water while everyone else caught the monsters.
Saffy flicked Jasper with her towel. ‘Come on, where’s your hunt belt?’
‘Weren’t you planning to escape more permanently?’ asked Jasper.
‘What, and let you lot try to handle things?’
Saffy snorted. ‘I don’t think so!’
Felix rolled his eyes. ‘And I thought we’d finally got rid of her.’
The phone began to ring. Felix and Saffy looked at Jasper.
‘Saved by the bell. Enjoy,’ Saffy whispered, but she looked quite sympathetic.
Felix patted him on the back. ‘Tough one, mate,’ he said quietly.
Jasper plucked up his courage, and picked up the phone. ‘H-h-hello?’ he said, trying not to sound nervous.
‘Got ya,’ said Mac on the other end. He was calling from the other room.
‘Mac!’ groaned Jasper. ‘She’s going to ring any minute!’
‘No, she won’t. I didn’t say a word,’ he said.
Jasper couldn’t believe it. ‘But – I thought you had to report everything?’
‘I was just winding you up,’ said Mac. ‘What happens on a Hunt, stays on a Hunt.’
Jasper smiled and hung up the phone. Mac popped his head around the door. ‘I wouldn’t look too relieved,’ he warned. ‘You haven’t heard Saffy’s plan yet.’
‘He makes such good bait,’ Jasper heard Saffy say from the other room.
‘Bait?’ said Jasper. ‘No way, Saffy. I’m not being bait again! It’s your turn! Saffy? Saffy?!’
TO BE CONTINUED...
