by K D McNiven
Seconds later, Jayden rushed out waving his hand in the air. “Wait up!”
They turned to see him running like a freight train toward them as they prepared to step into the inflatable. Meg, for one, was happy to see him join them. It would help to ease the friction between Rourke and her. Hopefully, they could work through the awkwardness and simply tend to business.
The ride to shore amounted to Meg filling Rourke and Jake in on their findings over a couple of days period. She pointed out the area where they had located the bones, the orange float still marking out the location.
Richard killed the motor just short of the zodiac’s keel rubbing against the sandy bottom and drew the motor upward to keep the blade from dragging in the shallow shoreline. Jayden hopped out and moored it and waited for the others to join him on the beach.
Taking the lead, Richard headed down the shoreline, toward the tributary that bled into the Amazon River. He stopped next to the place where Meg had discovered the tooth. When Rourke and Jake met up with him, they both knelt, looking for signs that the phenomenon was perhaps nothing more than an enormous caiman, a freak of nature, or maybe they would discover the creature was, in fact, a Purussaurus. Much as Rourke would love to encounter such a miracle, his reasoning won over. It just wasn’t feasible.
Jayden and Meg stood back, talking quietly. Often, out of her peripheral vision, she caught Rourke glancing at them, then turned back to what he was doing. After a stretch of time, Rourke mentioned they should wander further up the tributary where they had found the first set of footprints.
As they walked, Rourke lagged behind until he and Meg were shoulder to shoulder. “You and this Jayden fellow have a thing going?”
“Excuse me?” His question caught her off guard.
“Just curious.”
“Why is that?”
“I haven’t spoken to you in a long time,” he said. “I guess I was wondering if you were seeing anyone.”
“Let’s just keep our focus on work, alright?” She quickened her steps to catch up with the others.
“Over here,” Jayden said, stooping. He took the camera from around his neck and snapped several more shots.
“Will you look at this!” Jake gasped, shaking his head in disbelief. “I figured someone had over-exaggerated or had one too many drinks of rum. This is mind-bending…never in a million years would I have ever believed we’d find Purussaurus actually roaming the Brazilian rain forests.” He got down on his knees in the mud to get a closer look at the prints. At the same time, grabbing his compact Canon camera and began snapping pictures.
Rourke could tell the water wasn’t too deep in this particular spot and decided to cross to the other side. The water sloshed over the rims of his boots as he took wide strides to the other side, and drenched his pant legs. “Four more over here,” he said, laying the .44 magnum rifle across his lap and taking out a measuring tape from his jeans pocket. He took the measurements and jotted them down on a notepad and took several photos with his cell phone.
“It appears these prints are five inches larger than the ones over there. Obviously, we’re looking at more than one.”
Briefly, he searched out the surrounding area, taking note of an extremely large opening a distance from them. He followed the prints further, seeing they led toward the entrance, stopping when he heard Meg call out to him.
“Did you find something else?”
“The tracks lead down to the water and it appears they may be going into a culvert of sorts,” he said.
“C’mon. We need to stick together. Besides, if they are inside, and they hear us, they may come out with the intention of having us for dinner.”
“Okay, you’re right,” he smiled, retracing his steps and crossing back over to where the group waited for him. “Besides, it’s getting late. Why don’t we head back to the research ship and call it a day? We can return tomorrow and go a bit farther upstream and check with a few of the locals around here.”
“Hopefully, they will be more willing to speak with us,” Jayden said. “I’m not sure why they were all closed-lipped about the whole thing.”
“Maybe they’re afraid if people find out, they won’t come here on tours. The Amazon River draws plenty of folks throughout the year. Tourism is always a boost to its economy.”
“Possibly,” Jayden shrugged, still puzzled by the local’s behavior.
As they walked back, Rourke withdrew a leather hip flask out of his pocket, unscrewed the top, and took a large swig of rum. He caught Meg looking his way and held it out to her. “Want a drink?”
“No thanks.”
“It will keep the mosquitoes away.”
“If only,” she said. “It would be nice if it did.” She slapped the back of her neck, and despite her liberal use of mosquito spray, she was still forced to battle the annoying things.
The sun was beginning to set and the skies were painted in wide brush-strokes of watercolored hues—purples, pinks, and reds. The team climbed back into the zodiac, while Richard pushed them off and scrambled inside. As the craft floated out away from the beach, Richard fired up the engine, and they roared off toward the anchored research ship looming in the distance. They jabbered excitedly about the extra footprints Rourke had found. More and more it was beginning to look like they might actually be dealing with a prehistoric Purussaurus, mind-boggling as it sounded.
When they were half the distance from the ship, a thudding sound struck the bottom of the boat. It rocked wildly and flipped the rounded nose of the boat upward, tossing the team into one another. A spray of water sloshed inside, soaking them. Worse, the jolt was hard enough to knock Richard over the side. He called out frantically and began swimming towards them.
“Hang on, Richard!” Meg yelled. “What on earth was that?” Meg gasped, her eyes widening with fear. She looked all around her trying to spot whatever it was.
“I don’t think we want to know,” answered Jayden. “But we need to circle back for Richard, and fast!”
Rourke quickly took Richard’s place at the motor. Without a moment to lose, he swung the boat back around and sped toward him to fish him out of the ocean.
They were all on edge, watching diligently for any activity in the water. Whatever had raked the bottom was large. Starboard side they caught sight of the water churning inches beneath the surface—something long and gray. The thought of a Purussaurus attacking sent ripples of fear coursing through them. Rourke eased the boat up alongside Richard, a sense of panic on board, though they managed to keep it under control.
Meg and Rourke leaned over to grab Richard’s arms when the boat was struck once again, the jolt nearly toppling Meg over the side, except Rourke caught her shirt in time, reeling her back from the edge. Her eyes widened and she fought for her breath. Regaining her composure, she situated herself beside Rourke once more while he made another circle back for Richard because the current had pushed them further back.
Richard looked terrified and yelled out to them, beating his arms in a frenzied attempt, propelling himself ever closer to the zodiac. Something hard and scaly brushed against his leg and a tremor of fear seized him. He was thrust back once more and feverishly, heart pumping, he battled to close the gap between him and the inflatable.
“Get me out of here!” he screamed. “There is something down here!”
Richard felt the whip of a tail striking him, a sharp pain shooting through his side. His arms stroked frantically against the current, exhaustion overwhelming him. His efforts were cut short when something caught his shirt and began dragging him under. He thrashed, his hand reaching down, and tried to rip the tail of his shirt free. He was being dragged under, and he knew he had to do something quick in response, or he would drown. Out of his back pocket, he withdrew his knife from its sheath and reaching behind, sawed madly at the material. Desperate, he realized what held him prisoner. Sharp teeth! Golden sunlight piercing the surface reflected off their whiteness. He glimpsed the long-rounded s
nout and the wicked slanted eyes. His lungs were burning, and he knew he couldn’t hold his breath much longer.
Relief washed over him as the material gave way. Free, he kicked his way upward, his head shooting through the surface, wheezing as he gasped for breath. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Rourke caught sight of him once more, reaching out desperately for Richard, barely catching hold of him. It all happened so fast. Richard screamed agonizingly, a pool of blood bubbling up around him in the water. His thrashing made it difficult to haul him into the boat, but as Meg joined forces with Rourke, the two of them made a desperate attempt to get him out. They tugged fiercely on his arms until they were finally able to reel him upward out of the ocean, helping to draw his legs over the side.
All of them stared horrified when they caught sight of the bloodied stump, where his foot used to be. Rourke tore off his shirt, binding it tightly around the lower leg to shut off the blood flow. While he tended to Richard, Jayden worked his way to the back and managed to steer the zodiac toward the ship. The monster no doubt still swam beneath the waves, and he did not want to chance being flipped over.
Richard writhed violently, sweat popping upon his brow. The team held him firmly, not wanting him to bleed out. He’d already lost a sufficient amount of blood and they were afraid if they didn’t get him medical help soon, he wouldn’t survive. He moaned loudly for a time, then his body went limp, losing consciousness.
“Hold on Richard, “Meg said.
Once the zodiac bumped up against the platform, Rourke tossed a mooring line to Jayden who had leaped out. He tied it off quickly, then reached out to assist Rourke and Jake in getting Richard out.
“Meg, run to the pilothouse and have Captain Burke call ahead for the police to send someone to pick up Richard. He needs to go to the hospital as soon as possible. And bring back some blankets, he’s going into shock.”
Meg raced up the metal steps, her heart drumming with fear. No one needed to say what they believed took place in the water a moment ago. Meg had seen the numerous bones—hands sheared clean off the wrist, skulls of both animal and humans, and had they not gotten Richard out when they did, no doubt he’d be another set of bones stacked on the bottom of the ocean floor. She choked back the vomit settling in her throat.
Everything happened so fast. It was like a whirlwind on board. The police were on their way to take Richard to get medical assistance, and Madison sat next to his lifeless body, tears streaming down her face.
Meg couldn’t imagine what she must be going through. She stepped up beside her, squatted, and draped a light jacket over her shoulders. “Is there anything I can get for you?” Meg asked. Worry lines were cut into Meg’s face. She felt helpless.
Maddy shook her head, her face chalk white. Shock had settled in on her as well as Richard. The whole incident almost more than any of them could handle.
In the distance, they could see boat lights heading their way. They knew Richard hung by a tenuous cord, and they prayed he’d make it to the hospital in time. Thankfully, the medics had come along with the police and began immediate treatment.
Maddy pleaded with them to take her along. She needed to be at his side—needed to see if he would pull through. Seeing she was his wife, they allowed her to board the boat, and they headed back to the mainland.
Rourke glanced starboard where he spied Meg sitting on a crate, her knees drawn up to her chest, and her head resting on her knees. He walked over, tenderly dropping his hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, are you alright?”
“No, not really.” Stoic as she’d tried to be, she broke down into sobs, the horror she had just witnessed hitting her full force.
“Come here, Meg,” he said, drawing her to her feet and wrapping his arms tightly around her. “I’m sorry. I know Richard and Maddy are your friends. We’ll head in first thing tomorrow morning and check-in. Right now, maybe you should go lie down and get some rest.”
“I don’t think I can sleep after that. I feel sick.” Any other time, Meg would have resisted his move to reassure her. However, she had to admit, wrapped in his strong arms, she felt comforted, more at peace. To be honest, she wanted to stay locked in his warm embrace. It had been so long since she’d been held. It just wasn’t possible. Regretfully, she stepped back, out of the security of his arms.
“Can I get you something from the medical room…Ibuprofen or something to settle your stomach?”
“No, I’ll be fine. You’re right though. I need to lay down. My legs feel like jello, and my insides are doing flip-flops.”
“How about I take you to your cabin at least and make sure you’re going to be all right?”
She sniffed and nodded her head. “Thank you, Rourke. If you hadn’t grabbed me out there, I…”
“I know. You’re safe now. Why don’t you go on to bed and rest up?”
Chapter Six
⁂
Meg tossed and turned the night long, waking up in a tangle of sheets. Unable to put the nightmare out of her mind, the incident played over and over in her head like rippling sound waves. She prayed Richard had survived the trauma. She almost dreaded finding out.
When morning dawned, she slipped into her faded blue jeans and a pink T-shirt, slid her feet into her converse tennis shoes, and made her way top deck. Rourke, Jayden, and Captain Burke stood near the railing, coffee in hand. All heads turned her direction as she made her way over to them. Puffy eyes and a red nose revealed she had been crying.
“No need to ask,” Rourke said with a sympathetic smile. “Richard is recovering nicely. Madison called this morning to give us a head’s up.”
“Thank God,” Meg said, stress draining from her face. “I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“Nor us.”
“Can we go visit him today?”
“Yup. We were just discussing that,” Rourke replied.
“We also talked about going upstream to see if we can find out who the culprit is who has been dumping oil into the stream and take care of it before there is further damage to the ecosystem here. There’s been enough damage as it is,” Kyle added, knowing Meg had been eager to finish up their investigation. He also thought it would help settle her nerves a little after the horrifying incident of yesterday.
“Great. I’m all for it. I need to keep busy,” she admitted.
Camilla finally emerged from her quarters, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. She yawned widely and managed a smile, her dark hair an unruly cloud of tangles. “Mornin’,” she said. “Any news?”
“Rourke just said Richard is recovering. We’re going today to check in on him if you want to ride along,” Meg said. “And we’re going to drive upstream to see if we can locate the culprit guilty of tossing oil into the stream.”
“Sure. It would be a nice change from my research. First, I’m desperate for coffee, so I’m going to head to the dining hall and grab a cup.”
“I’ll go with you,” Meg said.
“Count me in too,” Jayden piped up, chasing after them.
Rourke watched the three disappear around the corner, still wondering if Meg and Jayden were an item. Strangely, he found himself somewhat protective, and if he admitted it, a bit jealous as well—a feeling he’d not experienced in a long while. Regardless, he had no say-so about anything she did. He had forfeited that a long time ago.
Two hours later, the team was heading toward the shoreline, except for Captain Burke and Cory, and a few others who would work onboard in the pilothouse with the captain. Cory, even though he had his doctorate in marine biology, often multi-tasked because of his incredible knowledge in engineering.
As the team motored across the bucking surface of the water, the memory of the horrifying incident still lurked in their minds. All of them felt relieved when they stepped out of the zodiac onto land and made their way to the rental jeep.
Even though Richard was a pasty-white from blood loss, he did manage a wan smile upon their entry. M
adison sat beside him her eyes hooded, obvious she had not slept a wink through the night.
“You are a sight for sore eyes,” Meg smiled. “We’re all so thankful you made it out alive.”
“It’s not an experience I’ll soon forget,” he replied, his voice gravelly. “I suppose it could have been worse. At least I survived the attack. What’s the plan now?”
“We’re going to do some investigating today,” Meg said. “We’re heading upstream. I believe we are going to search out a few more of the locals to see what they have to say about the creature.”
“You might start here,” Richard said. “One of the nurses made a comment…I was half- dazed when I heard her speaking to the doctor. She made mention of a young tourist who had come in maimed from an attack of some kind while swimming offshore.”
“Do you have her name?”
“Adriana is her name. She came in to check on me about an hour ago. She should be returning with meds shortly.”
No sooner had Richard made mention of her, the nurse entered the room, dressed in blue scrubs and a clipboard tucked under her arm. She wore a bright smile on her brown face.
“Good morning,” she greeted them.
“Good morning,” Meg replied. “Richard told us he overheard a conversation between you and the doctor about another patient brought in who had been attacked by something in the water?”
“Yes. One of many I’m sad to say. Unfortunately, the last one did not survive. Her leg and arm were missing and had deep teeth punctures along her spine. It was terrible. Such a tragedy. We believe a large caiman caught her unaware. By the time they got her to the hospital, it was too late.”
“How awful,” Meg replied, a shudder racing through her. “Has anyone made mention of seeing the creature?”
