Shark Beast

by Russ Cooper

  "Dude! I know! I figured it out in foreign language class!" He waved his flag-sword. "And back when it got Gina, and --"

  He blanched.

  Ryan froze.

  For the first moment since he'd been in the library, Lina took her gaze away from the door, and planted it hot and whole on Ryan's face.

  "Gina?" she said, in her heartbreaking 14-year-old voice. "One of them got... Gina?"

  "No no no," stammered Derrik lamely. "She was -- no, she was-- she got away. That's what I meant to -- she just walked away. She just --"

  And then, though he fought against it, he grew quiet, in that way that guilty people do when their mind can't think faster than their lies.

  "She's... nothing happened," he said with a swallow.

  "GINA!" Lina cried, in a wounded howl.

  Ryan tried to hold her, comfort her, quiet her, something, but she pushed and kicked him away.

  "Ginaaa," Lina wailed plaintively, her eyes fixed on the slime dripping down the back of the open door.

  She had tears in those eyes... and, unmistakably...

  Fear in her voice.

  Fear.

  From behind the front desk, up rose a thick glob of that awful gelatine... small tendrils poking and probing the air with a wicked, twitchy delight.

  "Oh, dude," Derrik choked, then -- his eyes narrowed and his jaw went grim. "No. No way." Then -- "NOOO!" he screeched, suddenly, madly, "I LOVED HER! AND THIS IS WHAT YOU GET!"

  He picked up one of the small metal-and-mostly-plastic library chairs and hurled it at the front desk. It ricocheted off the corner and clattered to the dull green carpet.

  "TAKE THAT! AND THAT!"

  He picked up another chair and hurled that, too. It flew over the top of the desk into the open library office door. It disappeared into the dark and crashed against something.

  "NO! NO WAY! I'm going to kill it just like it killed Gina," he said, and he picked up another chair. He flipped it over, and wrenched off two of the protective plastic bits on the bottom of the legs, revealing nothing cut sharp chrome metal. One leg already was missing its protective bit, and the fourth wouldn't come off. He left it.

  Jabbing the air slowly with the metal legs of the chair, he started skulking around the counter, heading to the dark area in back.

  He lasted until he noticed a trickle of blood slipping down his cheek. A piece of glass, from the floor of the foreign language room...

  "Hey, dude, I'm bleeding," he said to himself, his eyes -- for a flash of a second -- showing the slightest frightful concern.

  Fright.

  That's all it took.

  ~~~

  They were out there, a good dozen of them.

  Dusk now. They'd been out there for hours. The jelly-things glimmered, blue, lime-green, deep purple, pulsing with lava-lamp phosphorescence, like giant globular fireflies.

  "Colorrrrs," Lina slurred, touching the smudgy glass of the front doors. Ryan gave Lina another hit from Derrik's locker-stash, and he took a deep drag himself. Lina looked confused, somewhat distant, but she was giggling, and Ryan chose to take that as a good thing. Anything but fear, anything but fear...

  (Does sweet-weed-induced paranoia count as fear? he wondered dully. He shrugged. Nothing to be done about that now, is there?)

  "Uhmm, where we going again?" Lina asked, one eye squinting, as she tilted her head back loosely.

  "Going to find a phone," Ryan nodded, trying to look authoritative. "Going to find a phone, before it gets dark, going to make everything all better."

  "Alllll better." Lina blinked like a sleepy kitten. Then, wounded:"Gonna make Gina all better?"

  Smiling tightly, Ryan nodded, just once. "Make it all better," he said, quietly, giving her another hit. "Everything..."

  "Allll bettter," she lulled, blinking slowly.

  "Now we might have to walk a short ways," he said slowly, "or we might have to walk far, but either way most likely we're going to have to walk through town, so --"

  "Ooooh," she giggled. "Those lights look funny."

  She pointed through the glass, at the glimmering, shimmery creatures.

  The wounded look came back. "They going to hurt us?" she asked in a tiny voice.

  "They're just all part of the song," he said, patting her hair gently. "Remember? Like back in the library?" He swivelled his hips, wriggled his lips, and started singing Elvis's "Good Luck Charm," with a couple of extra exaggerated "uhh huhs" and "oooh yahs" thrown in. She didn't want to laugh, but she did, and, like he hoped (thanks to Derrik's locker-weed), her giggles bounded and bounced and spilled all over each other, which made her giggle even more.

  Ryan smiled hopefully.

  A parade of questions, through the soft buzz of his gently-toasting brain: Would he be able to keep it up? Would Lina keep laughing if any of those glowing things got too close? It was only a couple miles to his house, but that was a long two miles to try to keep a girl who lost her sister entertained. Would the weed keep working? Was it possible to think she could walk all that way, with those things swarming around, and not get scared, not even once?

  Seriously: would they make it?

  They shared another hit.

  He smiled again.

  Does it matter?

  He took her hand, and, gently humming "It's Now or Never", together they headed out into the rolling, wobbling colors of the night.

  But just then, suddenly--

  AAAAAAIGGGH! MY LEGS! MY LEGS! MY FREAKIN'--

  ~ ~ ELEVEN ~ ~

  Still Yet Again Out On The Beach:

  OPERATION:

  NOT GETTING SOME

  "--FREAKIN' LEGS! OH IT HURTS!"

  Suddenly, Tara screeched, jumping up and backwards (almost falling over completely, but catching her balance at the last second). She gave her head a shake, to get out of the make-believe "Gob-Slime" world she had just been entranced in.

  "--OHHH HELP ME PLEASE IT HUUUURTS SO MUCH--!"

  Adjusting her glasses, she winced at the sight before her--

  There he was, Beck, on the sleeping bag, wriggling and jerking about, with a geyser full of the fakest looking blood she'd ever seen. It was just spewing everywhere. Much too much to be coming out of a human body, let alone one as sickly and skin-and-bones as Beck's. Her startlement quickly turned to annoyance.

  "Oh, real mature, Beck!" she shouted, over his whiny screams. "What a cheap trick! Well, the deal's off, you jerk! I agreed to listen to your story, not some cheap stupid Halloween prank! And it's too bad--I actually liked your story, but you had to go and ruin it by being childish and lame!"

  "--OHH NO IT'S REAL HELP ME PLEEAASE--"

  "Yeah, real," she snorted, picking up her towel. "Yeah, nice tentacles. Real convincing-looking! Enjoy sleeping in your loser-bed alone with your rubber toy! You stupid... stupid... you stupid nerd!"

  "No! STOP WAIIT--AAAIIIGH!"

  "Forget you, Screech!"

  Spinning on her heels and sending a tart spray of beach sand into the air, Tara hurrumphed and headed off, sweet chunky thighs and all.

  He can find somebody else's French tests to copy off of from now on, the nerdy smurf, she thought, as she climbed away from the beach, and the smoldering remains of Operation: Getting Some. Wanted to go shopping on the boardwalk, anyway...

  Stalking off toward the grassy dunes, Tara didn't turn to look back even as Beck's screams trailed off into a warbly gurgle, then to silence.

  ~ ~ TWELVE ~ ~

  From The Hermit Crab Used Bookstore

  To The Beach:

  ESCAPE

  Roxy exited quietly out of the bookstore, and headed around the corner to the parking area in back.

  With a tartly determined strut, she made her way toward her car. Suddenly, out from behind the nearby dumpster, came a discombobulated Dickie, still in "prank" regalia, still sipping his soda.

  Roxy whipped around--"HI-YAAAA!"-- doing a quick, effective, and very impressive Tae Bo kick that sent him against the wall, sliding down unc
onscious.

  "No offense, but you really picked a bad time for a prank, Dick-o," she shrugged, as she made her way to the car, finds the door locked, fumbling through her pockets for the keys.

  ~ ~ ~

  "Roxy, where are--"

  D. J. stumbled past the dumpster, where he noticed Dickie dressed in odd Halloween garb, all passed out. For some reason, that didn't seem as strange as it probably should have. But before D. J. had time to dwell on that thought any longer--

  Out of nowhere, a dune buggy suddenly screeched up next to him. About an inch up next to him. Leaving him standing there, frozen, unable to believe he hadn't just been run over.

  Roxy called out, almost bored, "Coming or what?"

  She cranked open the passenger side door; he -- very shakily -- leaned in, muttering, "Who taught you how not to drive...?"

  "Not in the mood! Get in already!"

  And with that, D. J. found himself yanked inside the buggy, and they sped off into the night.

  "What-what are you doing? Where are you driving?"

  Roxy gave him a sour look. "I'm scared, I'm high and I don't know how to drive stick--how would I know!"

  "This is Hoagie's car, isn't it!"

  "I lost my keys up in the stupid attic! So he owes me!" she explained as they jerked and swerved across the road. "Plus, he's a man-skank. So he owes me for that too!"

  "Well, fine, he owes you--but let me drive!"

  "Why? Do you know how to drive stick!"

  "No!"

  "Then just--"

  "Stop--!"

  "Hands off, you friend of man-skank--!"

  "Roxy!"

  "D. J.!"

  CRASH! --over a splintery picket fence up and over a ragged dune, through some bushes and down a steep hill--

  "AAAIIIGH!"

  "ARRRGH!"

  --right into a tree.

  "You know," D. J. mumbled, wiping leaves off his forehead, "this car could explode in the next ten seconds, yet, oddly, I would feel safer."

  "BOOM!" yelled Roxy right into his ear. "There, smart guy, feel safer now?"

  "You know, I hate to say this, but if your side of the buggy explodes and mine doesn't... I'm gonna so laugh."

  "Fair enough. Who cares, but fair enough."

  "And, you know, another thing--"

  But Roxy didn't find out what that other thing was, as D. J. screamed when the naked Hooters girl jumped out from behind some bushes and started jabbering--

  "He's gone! He got--EATEN!" she cried, wide-eyed and shocked. "Out there! Coming to get me! Don't get out of the car!"

  D. J. and Roxy really didn't have time to be scared or puzzled, as the naked Hooters girl scrambled to get in the buggy with them. "What are you doing?" Roxy barked.

  "Uhm, yeah, what..." D. J. was distracted.

  "DON'T GET OUT OF THIS CAR! DRIVE AWAY NOW!"

  "Well, as you can see, Miss--"

  "NO! DRIVE! NOW!

  "But ma'am--"

  "Enough with this ma'am stuff," bellowed Roxy. "Get out of our buggy, tramp! This ain't no 'ho' buggy! I've had it with all you sluts!"

  "Now, ladies--"

  "DRIVE CAR! NOW NOW NOW!"

  "Drop dead! Slut slut slut!"

  "Girls ... gals ..." D. J. was gesturing nervously to the front of the bashed-in buggy, which was filling with smoke. "I think we have a problem--"

  "PROBLEM IS OUT THERE! EATING! COMING FOR US! COMING FOR YOU!"

  The naked girl wrapped herself tightly all over D. J. He looked over her naked shoulder, at Roxy, who was getting as steamed as the front of the buggy. "BOOM!" Roxy bellowed, and then jumped out of the buggy, running down the dune toward the ocean. "There! happy?"

  "NO! DON'T! COME BACK!" the naked girl screamed--right into D. J.'s ear, breaking whatever mood might have been possible, with a naked girl on his lap and all.

  "I... got to go... get her," D. J. said, part apologetic, part annoyed, as he stuck his pinky in his ear, to stop the ringing. He slithered out from under the naked girl --

  "NO! IT'S OUT THERE!" --

  --fell to the ground --

  "NO! GET UP! IT'S IN THE GROUND! RUNNN!"

  --got up, gave the naked girl a helpless look (oh, if this were any other circumstance), turned and ran after Roxy.

  "NOOOOO--"

  The smoke continued to billow, filling the buggy.

  ~ ~ ~

  "Roxy! Wait!"

  D. J. darted down the dune--stumbled, arms waving--but kept his balance--until he hit the bottom and started to flail, then fell--

  --right on top of Roxy, knocking them both to the beach sand.

  "Ooh! Get off me you creep!" She wriggled unmercifully beneath him, throwing a couple kicks in for good measure. "Why don't you go back to your naked slut girlfriend--!"

  "Ooof! owch! C'mon, Roxy--OW!--We just met--I don't even KNOOOW her--ooof!"

  They both rolled in separate directions. As soon as the plumes of beach sand settled, they eyed each other. Roxy, of course, was ready to give his one good working ear a nice bellow when--

  "NO! IT'S COMING! IT'S EATING THE CAR--"

  They both turned to see the naked girl, even more terrified than before, flailing around nudely at the top of the dune.

  "--IT'S EATING EATING EATING EEEATINNGG IT--!"

  "You stink, you know that?" Roxy said, resignedly.

  "What did I do?" D. J. gave her a helpless, clueless look.

  And that's when the naked girl took a step and stumbled down the dune--

  --headed right for them.

  When the dust plumes settled this time, Roxy just let out a big ole sigh, shook her head and said, "You know what? You two have fun. Whatever! Who knows! Who cares! I'm going for a swim. Why not! It's crazy time!"

  And she stood up, dusted the beach off of her, and headed for the waves, clothes and all.

  "NOO! IT'S GOING TO GET OUT! IT CAN SWIM! IT SWIMS BETTER IN THE GROUND--"

  D. J. was on his feet now, covered with sand. He looked at the two girls, the screechy girl first--hmmm, sure was naked--then darted a few steps toward Roxy.

  "C'mon, Roxy, don't be silly. You can't go out there at this hour. You're high, you just drank psychedelic tea, you'll get cramps or something."

  "Don't care," she snapped, continuing toward the waves. "Nobody does, and I don't care about that either."

  "NOOO! IT'S COMING!--!!"

  "Oh, man, be like in the old-time movies and punch her in the mouth," Roxy called out. "She's driving me NUTS--"

  "NOOO--" suddenly became a scream. An ear-piercing scream. An unnatural scream.

  D. J. was transfixed -- Roxy, with another annoyed sigh -- "What now?" -- turned reluctantly--

  And saw this:

  The nude girl, up to her naked knees in beach, as if she were sinking in quicksand. The beach, rippling around her, almost as if it were water and not ground.

  And, then, this: blood.

  Lots of blood.

  Spraying in a geyser of red, splattering all over the girl's naked body, as she whipped around in a frenzy of jerky, puzzled, panicky movements.

  Roxy just went wide-eyed and froze, muttering, "No way--"

  The naked Hooters girl went silent, her mouth popping open and shut like a fish trapped on dry land, as the blood continued to shoot up and out from the undulating sands. The girl's arms still waved, but much slower now, much more aimless, as she sank another foot or so.

  The shark beast was visible now, crawling up out of the sand as it continued to devour the girl. It looked like a cross between a pitbull and a mako shark, and some sort of electric squid, with stinging tentacles whipping around crazily, along with four snapping lobster-like claws. It made no sound other than what came from the gnashing and chewing of those incredibly jagged dagger-teeth and a pair of long, sharp, twitching sabre-fangs.

  Which gave D. J. the chance to be a hero, one he abdicated for about 20 seconds (he was a bit frozen in place by shock as well) and then, suddenly, wherever people get that bu
rst within that makes them take action and do the right thing instead of just stand there and watch, numbly--

  D. J. scooped Roxy up in his arms, and began running for the dune.

  But then the shark beast--with an impossible gulp--swallowed the naked girl (or, well, most of her), and turned its shining silver eyes on D. J. and Roxy. They--and the creature--became suddenly, perfectly still. Eyeing each other. The moon glinted eerily in the shark beast's grisly stare.

  It was a tense, long moment--

  Then D. J. made a dash for the dune.

  --but the shark beast scrambled to cut him off, wriggling and hissing, tentacles snapping in the air, forcing D. J. to retreat, edge backwards, carrying Roxy to the edge of the cold ocean waters.

  This seemed to calm the shark beast, gave it an apparent sense of the prey is trapped, and it scuttled back to finish what was left of the Hooter's waitress. It never took its glinting eyes off of D. J. and Roxy, as it began chewing on the girl, wrapping its stinging tentacles around her for a better grip, slicing and cutting at the tough parts with those awful claws.

  All during this those shark beast eyes kept glinting, unblinkingly, at D. J. and Roxy. As if to say...

  Don't worry.

  You two are next.

  ~ ~ THIRTEEN ~ ~

  Back In The Hermit Crab Used Bookstore:

  MORE ATTIC SEX