of blood running down one of their arms. “You sure as hell aren’t bulletproof.”
He picked the huge one with the chest that looked like it was made of two beer kegs, aimed at its heart and shot.
The skunk ape darted to the side with the dexterity of a gazelle, and the bullet impotently sailed into the trees.
“How…how did it do that?”
“We’ll figure it out later, kid,” Rooster hissed, yanking him away and into deeper water.
And that’s when the fourth skunk ape, relegated to the shadows, came sprinting out from behind a twisted mangrove tree, holding a headless body high above its head.
Oh no! Angelo!
It launched Angelo’s body at them, slamming into Dominic and Rooster like the world’s heaviest medicine ball. They both went under from the impact. When Dominic struggled to get air, his hand errantly reached into the open cavity of Angelo’s neck, dipping his fingers deep into his best friend’s frayed innards. The last of his air burst from his lungs, and he kicked and pumped his arms until he was free.
He came up just in time to hear three quick shots. The skunk apes turned to their right and skittered away.
Liz had popped up from behind the roots of a mangrove, her pistol blazing.
The skunk apes shrieked, but it sounded more like fear than fury. They ran in a pack in the opposite direction and took to the water, splashing and making more noise than an old outboard motor. Liz followed them to the shoreline, emptying her last bullet into the white froth that the monsters had kicked up.
As suddenly as the madness had started, it was over. The skunk apes went under water and didn’t come back up. There weren’t even bubbles on the surface to betray the direction they had gone.
Angelo’s body bobbed against Dominic.
He looked down at what was left of his friend, and felt all of his defenses crumble. For the first time since he was a little kid, he wept.
Chapter Thirteen
They made it to the next island without any further surprises. Rooster figured the good Lord had had enough amusement with them, at least for the moment.
A royal palm tree made a good leaning post and offered shade from the relentless sun. Everyone was winded, soaked to their taints and scared. Rolling to his side, Rooster rummaged around one of the bags of supplies and opened a bottle of water.
“You all take a sip and pass it around. Leave enough to go around.” He took the first pull and had to stop himself from chugging it down. His body cried out for more, his stomach cramping. Instead, he wiped the top and passed it to Jack.
He looked over at John, who sat with his forearms over his knees, staring at the ground like he was looking into the center of a black hole. Poor bastard had checked out. Rooster couldn’t blame him. He’d seen a lot of bad shit go down in his life, but what had happened to Carol beat them all to hell. The way they ripped her apart, it was like watching a couple of little kids tearing a sheet of paper, except with blood spraying in every direction and internal organs slopping to the ground in a piping pile.
Dominic, on the other hand, looked like a penned-in bull waiting to enter the ring. He didn’t cry long, and Rooster had to physically restrain him from dragging Angelo’s body along with them. The way he saw it, that body would distract all the predators in the area, keep them away from those who still had heads.
“Anyone see which way they went?” Mick asked.
Liz answered, “It looked like they went for that other island over there, I’d say two hundred yards east of us. At least that’s the direction they started in.”
“It’s like they were fish,” Jack said. “Skunk apes are land mammals. How could they swim that great a distance without coming up for air?”
“You ever study a skunk ape to see how it swims?” Maddie asked.
Jack’s eyebrow rose. “That’s crazy. No one has.”
“Exactly, so no one knows what
He picked the huge one with the chest that looked like it was made of two beer kegs, aimed at its heart and shot.
The skunk ape darted to the side with the dexterity of a gazelle, and the bullet impotently sailed into the trees.
“How…how did it do that?”
“We’ll figure it out later, kid,” Rooster hissed, yanking him away and into deeper water.
And that’s when the fourth skunk ape, relegated to the shadows, came sprinting out from behind a twisted mangrove tree, holding a headless body high above its head.
Oh no! Angelo!
It launched Angelo’s body at them, slamming into Dominic and Rooster like the world’s heaviest medicine ball. They both went under from the impact. When Dominic struggled to get air, his hand errantly reached into the open cavity of Angelo’s neck, dipping his fingers deep into his best friend’s frayed innards. The last of his air burst from his lungs, and he kicked and pumped his arms until he was free.
He came up just in time to hear three quick shots. The skunk apes turned to their right and skittered away.
Liz had popped up from behind the roots of a mangrove, her pistol blazing.
The skunk apes shrieked, but it sounded more like fear than fury. They ran in a pack in the opposite direction and took to the water, splashing and making more noise than an old outboard motor. Liz followed them to the shoreline, emptying her last bullet into the white froth that the monsters had kicked up.
As suddenly as the madness had started, it was over. The skunk apes went under water and didn’t come back up. There weren’t even bubbles on the surface to betray the direction they had gone.
Angelo’s body bobbed against Dominic.
He looked down at what was left of his friend, and felt all of his defenses crumble. For the first time since he was a little kid, he wept.
Chapter Thirteen
They made it to the next island without any further surprises. Rooster figured the good Lord had had enough amusement with them, at least for the moment.
A royal palm tree made a good leaning post and offered shade from the relentless sun. Everyone was winded, soaked to their taints and scared. Rolling to his side, Rooster rummaged around one of the bags of supplies and opened a bottle of water.
“You all take a sip and pass it around. Leave enough to go around.” He took the first pull and had to stop himself from chugging it down. His body cried out for more, his stomach cramping. Instead, he wiped the top and passed it to Jack.
He looked over at John, who sat with his forearms over his knees, staring at the ground like he was looking into the center of a black hole. Poor bastard had checked out. Rooster couldn’t blame him. He’d seen a lot of bad shit go down in his life, but what had happened to Carol beat them all to hell. The way they ripped her apart, it was like watching a couple of little kids tearing a sheet of paper, except with blood spraying in every direction and internal organs slopping to the ground in a piping pile.
Dominic, on the other hand, looked like a penned-in bull waiting to enter the ring. He didn’t cry long, and Rooster had to physically restrain him from dragging Angelo’s body along with them. The way he saw it, that body would distract all the predators in the area, keep them away from those who still had heads.
“Anyone see which way they went?” Mick asked.
Liz answered, “It looked like they went for that other island over there, I’d say two hundred yards east of us. At least that’s the direction they started in.”
“It’s like they were fish,” Jack said. “Skunk apes are land mammals. How could they swim that great a distance without coming up for air?”
“You ever study a skunk ape to see how it swims?” Maddie asked.
Jack’s eyebrow rose. “That’s crazy. No one has.”
“Exactly, so no one knows what
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