Nicolás seemed to be now carrying some of Shawna’s pack.
“I don’t mind.” The kid shrugged.
“Whatever.” Ben turned away. “Let’s go.”
Just a hundred feet out to their right side, bubbles of methane came to the surface and popped. Some were Alka-Seltzer size and others were the size of tennis balls.
In an area devoid of trees, two large bubbles came to the surface, close together, and instead of popping, they blinked open. More of the creature surfaced, hanging in the water like a smooth-skinned crocodile, its mud-colored skin almost invisible in the murky, brackish water.
It watched the line of upright animals passing by it. They were just too large to swallow whole, which was its favorite attack method based on a mouth three feet across in a wedge-shaped head. But it also had the strength to attack larger prey and drag them under. It only needed to hold them down for a short while and then the water did the rest.
It would then wedge them in among the twisted stilt-like roots of the swamp trees, and wait for the warmth and bacteria to soften the flesh enough for it to be pulled from the bones.
The Mastodonsaurus’ short, strong legs and a thick paddle-like tail propelled it forward as it plotted an intercept course to set up an ambush.
Shawna dropped back to walk beside Chess. “This is fucked up.” She grimaced as she took a hand off her gun to touch the back of her neck that was still heavily bandaged after the attack.
“You got that right,” Chess said, letting his eyes move over the putrid water. Drake had told him to watch the trees as well, but he knew if there was going to be an ambush in here, it’d come from below the surface. He’d been in alligator-infested swamps before and he knew how they operated — get in close then finish their final run at you from under the water.
Nicolás plodded along just in front of them, and Chess was happy for the young Venezuelan to act as their stalking horse.
“Can’t see shit in here,” Shawna complained.
“Sure can’t.” She was right; the mist hung over the water’s surface like a veil of gauze. Added to that, the water was the color of dirty coffee. And it was further obscured by bubbles and ripples, and other signs of things coming and going below the surface.
That asshole Ben Cartwright was leading them into deeper and deeper water. Bad for them, but real good for any predators lurking about.
Shawna sloshed closer. “I say we back out. Head home. We’ve got hundred grand each in the bank. Good enough.”
Chess kept his eyes on the water as he spoke. “But I want a million. This is my retirement package.” He grinned. “Only reason I’m here.”
“Yeah, well, ask Buster whether $100,000 would have been enough.” She sneered. “A dead millionaire is just dead.”
He nodded. “I hear you, babe. But give it a few more hours. We’re nearly done here.” He turned. “Remember, we find this asshole or not, we get outta here and we’re rich. And it’s all over in another half day. You can suck it up for that long.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she agreed. “But we gotta keep these guys alive as well.”
He laughed, hoarsely. “Only the money man, Cartwright.”
“Ri-iiight.” She visibly cheered at the thought.
“And anyone else that gets to go bye bye, well that just adds a little more pressure to go home.” Chess slowed down and put a hand out, also slowing Shawna. “So let’s let these suckers get a little ahead.” He winked at her. “Bait.”
“Ahh, now I get it.” She grinned. “And the more I get it, the more I like it.”
Chess slowed them down even more as he caught sight of something. “Head’s up.”
The group was now a few dozen paces ahead of them, with Nicolás just on half that.
Then the attack came.
The surge of water was followed by a scream and then Helen went under.
Ben began to turn just as from the corner of his eye he noticed the V-shaped water movement. Even before he finished turning, the thing was launching itself from the water — all he had time to see was a massive mouth gaping open and snapping closed around Helen’s waist. There was a short scream, more like a squeak, as she was quickly taken under.
From behind him, Nicolás also shouted his shock and fear in Spanish. Immediately, Ben saw the water moving again, this time in a lumped wave as the thing tried to get back to whatever den it lived in, but now taking Helen with it.
Drake and Francis dived, and Ben raised his gun, but knew that with Helen in its mouth and Drake now also below the surface somewhere, if he didn’t have a clear target, he couldn’t dare fire a single round.
He spun, yelling at the other two mercenaries at his rear, who just stood watching. “Get the fuck after them.”
Francis came to the surface, shook the mud and grit from his eyes, and looked about. He then dived back under.
Ben surged after the beast himself, but the going was slow as the water was at waist level now. Ben just prayed that the predator was territorial and big enough to keep others away. The amount of noise they were making would have attracted anything else for half a mile.
“No shot!” Ben yelled and tried to run harder just as there came an explosion of water up ahead. The creature breached and Helen was still in its mouth, battering against the slimy, shovel-shaped head. But now Drake had both hands gripped around its paddle-like tail.
The huge form of Francis came back up again gasping for air, but he had swum underwater in the wrong direction.
Nicolás, who was closer, surged forward and dived then, grabbing Drake’s ankles, and the combined weight obviously created enough drag to cause the creature to spit the woman out and turn on Drake. Ben didn’t need a second invitation, and as soon as Helen came free, he fired.
Before the massive amphibian had a chance to get its jaws around Drake, it had lifted itself out of the water, and then Ben’s high-powered shell entered the wide-open mouth, punching the glistening head back and blowing a fist-sized hole out the top of its skull.
The shot echoed out over the brackish water and the massive beast rolled on its back, its stout legs bicycling and large taloned feet clutching at the air like webbed hands.
Drake pushed it aside and raced to where Helen grimaced in the muddy water. He pulled her to him and wiped hair from her pain-wracked face. Ben charged closer and quickly turned to the mercs.
“Keep a look out.”
He then helped Drake lift Helen up out of the water and onto some exposed roots.
She held her chest and breathed in and out rapidly through clenched teeth. She threw an arm out around Drake’s neck.
“Thank you.”
“I just thank God you’re safe. I’m going to take a look, okay?” He lifted her rapidly reddening shirt.
Drake turned to Nicolás who was streaked in mud and his brown eyes, blinking probably in surprise at his own bravery. He slapped the young man on the shoulder.
“Thanks, buddy.”
Nicolás smiled weakly. “I feel sick.”
“Makes two of us.” Drake went back to pulling Helen’s shirt away.
Helen let him and looked away. “Is it bad?”
Drake looked over the wounds and pressed various places on the ribs. She exhaled loudly when he did.
“I don’t think you’ve got broken ribs. That’s good. But there’s a lot of lacerated skin in here.” He turned to Ben. “We need to get to dry land, clean this up, ASAP.”
“I heard that.” He turned. “Chess, you and Francis get ahead, double time. Find us some dry land or a place out of this damned hellhole.”