Blood Water

CHAPTER 37

Even as they ran for the car, Sean glimpsed the showers of water sent up by the monster. The sound that came from its lungs was horrible, unearthly. James scratched the paintwork of the car door in his hurry to get the key in the lock: the monster was coming for them, eager to murder, to destroy.

James opened the door, got inside, then realized he had to stretch across to open Sean’s side. Looking up, he saw that Waites was almost upon his brother.

‘Sean!’ James reached for the door, but it was already too late. Waites launched into his brother, slamming him against the car with a sickening crunch. Sean collapsed like a sack of potatoes. James watched in horror, screaming inwardly as what had once been his teacher picked up his brother’s body and flung it up into the air; it crashed down into a puddle and lay still.

The monster turned to face the car once more and growled. James locked his door and put the key in the ignition, feeling sick to his stomach: how was he going to retrieve his brother and escape? He turned the key and the car started. The creature banged furiously on the roof, incensed at being deprived of its prey. Suddenly the glass of the passenger window shattered, but the car was moving now. James brought it round to where his brother lay.

The monster watched and shook its head. How could these creatures be so stupid? How could they risk their lives so selflessly? They didn’t appreciate the importance of self-preservation. It would simply kill them both now. Surely one of them escaping alive was better than neither. That had to make sense. But the older brother hadn’t just driven away. He had stayed. What utter stupidity.

The monster marched over to the car, shaking his head and wishing that the end could have been more of a challenge.

Sean was drifting in and out of consciousness. One moment he was underwater, bobbing along with the creature’s memories; then he was in the office, guarding the headmaster’s body; then watching Titus’s stomach explode; then he was seeing his brother plunge into the pool, consumed by several thousand wriggling black creatures. He felt everywhere and nowhere. He opened his eyes and saw a night sky, darkness. His body felt twisted, broken. His head pounded, his heart beat madly in his chest and there were stabs of pain when he breathed. Blinding light now, and the sound of an engine.

James knew he had to get out of the car to help Sean, and the sooner he did it the better. If the monster couldn’t reach him, it might attack his brother again. He opened his door and climbed out, running round to where his brother lay. He knew that moving him was a bad idea, but there wasn’t time to be careful. There was the yapping of that dog again – the one that had been in the centre. James realized that the monster was only metres away now; he looked down at his brother. Sean’s eyes stared up at him, then flicked down towards his left hand, which held something that protruded from his coat pocket.

‘The only way… ‘ Sean gasped weakly. ‘It’s all we have.’

James took the container and stood up. The little dog was barking at the creature, challenging it. James turned the container over in his hand and wondered how on earth he was going to do what he had to.

In no time the creature was right in front of him; it slapped the container from his hand, sending it flying to land in a puddle. It then gripped James by the neck and hoisted him into the air.

James choked and struggled; he kicked his legs out at his attacker while his hands tried to free the grip on his throat. But the monster’s strength and determination were too great.

Yet even as it squeezed the life from him, something shifted in the body it inhabited. So far it had managed to contain the feeling of pain from the ankle. Now though, with the added stress, Waites’s foot was rending, tearing. The creature groaned and staggered backwards, closing its eyes to block out the agony. Out of nowhere, the dog rushed in and sank its teeth into the wound it had opened earlier.

The monster screamed and tried to shake it off, but the little dog was clamped on with all its strength, made all the more determined by the noise. It began moving its jaws from side to side, destroying the already torn ligaments of the ankle. And then, suddenly, the ankle gave way completely; there was a crack as the bone fractured. The dog darted out of the way as the monster collapsed, releasing its prey.

There was a splash followed by more cries, and James lay there, massaging his neck and gasping for breath. He could see Waites’s foot – it was seriously damaged if not destroyed. There was no way that thing would be chasing after anyone now. He glanced around for his brother, and was surprised to see him crawling towards the monster, which was still writhing and crying out in agony.

‘Sean! Keep away from him!’ James could do no more than gasp; he doubted his brother could hear him over the screams of agony. Sean’s face was a mask of pain and exhaustion, but he crawled on – and James suddenly glimpsed the bottle in his hand.

‘Careful…’ he whispered, feeling like he might pass out at any second. ‘Be careful, Sean.’ Watching was all he could do now, much as he wanted to help finish off that awful creature.

As Sean twisted the top off the container, the eyes of the host fixed directly on him. The creature growled.

‘You have no hope. There are more of my kind, thousands more—’ It broke off and roared again in pain.

‘Yes, I know,’ Sean said weakly. ‘But they’re not like you.’ And he poured the remaining liquid into the open mouth, clamping his hand over it and holding the nose. There was a convulsion as the creature tried to disgorge the salt water, but it was forced to swallow the toxic liquid. It thrashed around in pain, then flung out its arms and pushed Sean away.

‘You’ll all die,’ it spat as it sat up. ‘Every single one of you miserable creatures.’

Then Waites’s mouth opened wide and the black slug emerged like a snail from its shell. It was foaming and hissing from the salt. As Sean and his brother watched, it oozed out and plopped onto the wet ground, where it curled itself up into a ball. The salt continued to eat away at it, turning it to liquid. Almost casually, the little dog trotted up to it, sniffed it, then started idly chewing it to pieces. It soon decided that the salty treat wasn’t such a treat after all and let it fall into a puddle, where it lay still.

Sean crawled over to James and slumped down beside him. ‘James?’

‘Yeah,’ his brother croaked.

‘We’ll never make it home like this.’ Sean was surprised to hear his brother attempt a laugh.

‘No, you’re right. We won’t.’

‘You know what?’

‘What?’

‘I wish I’d stayed in bed this morning.’

Now they both laughed and James managed, with no little discomfort, to put his arm round his brother. For several minutes they just sat there, leaning against the car, hoping the rain really had stopped.

‘What’s that game you got the other day?’ James rasped. ‘The one with the zombies in it?’

‘Undead Platoon,’ Sean told him. ‘Why?’

‘Fancy a game later?’

‘Yeah, sure.’

‘I won’t beat you too badly.’

‘Won’t beat me at all.’

‘Yeah I will.’

‘Nope.’

‘Yep.’

Sean shook his head.

James nodded his and they both laughed again.