by David Wood
With a muffled clang, the cage banged to a halt. A sharp, stabbing pain ripped through Aston’s shoulder and shot down his spine as he slammed into the solid bars. He shook his head, trying to clear the spots that danced in front of his eyes. Beside him, Slater had regained her feet. Her dive light flickered and she gave it a hard tap.
The cage was wedged tightly in the passageway, caught at an angle between two irregular protuberances of rock. Aston turned on his light and looked back in time to see a gaping maw hurtling toward them. Instinctively he raised an arm as the creature smashed into their cage. He felt the impact in his teeth, but the cage scarcely moved.
We’re wedged in tight.
The beast made another run, the jarring impact rattling their bones, but succeeding only in driving the cage more firmly into its bindings. After a third attempt, it changed tactics, biting down and thrashing. It was a horrifying sight, the giant teeth scarcely three feet away, scissoring like giant, bony sword blades.
But the cage didn’t budge.
This was their chance. He turned and began to work at the cage door. His fingers, numbed by fear and cold water, resisted his commands. He fumbled at the latch, keenly aware that death lay only yards away. After several agonizing seconds, he unlatched the door and gave it a shove.
It was stuck.
He tried again, but it wouldn’t open. The impact must have bent the cage enough to stick the door tight in its frame. It might as well have been welded for all the wiggle he could get out of it.
Behind them the beast continued to gnash.
Keep biting, you bitch. I hope you break your teeth.
Wouldn’t it be something if the beast gave up and left them alone, yet he and Slater still died here, unable to open the door before they ran out of air? They had to get this door open. Desperate, he threw his body weight against the cage. The pain was immediate and intense, more damage to his banged-up shoulder. He turned and threw his good side into the effort. Still nothing.
Slater realized what he was about, and joined in. Again and again they slammed into the bars. Aston knew that with the added exertion they were consuming air that much faster.
Come on. Come on.
He took one last glance at the crushing, snapping death, so close to them, and crashed into the cage door.
It came free, budging only a few inches. He hammered at it, pushing it back a little at a time until he opened a gap large enough to fit through. He stepped back and let Slater go first, and then followed.
Not wasting a second, they swam for the lair. He didn’t know what they would do when they got there, but at least they were away from the beast for now. And there was air up there.
Chapter 40
Paavo Rinne ducked as another bullet whined off the metal of the police launch’s helm. He scooted around the side of the housing and squeezed off two quicks shots toward the lunatic on the slowly sinking Merenneito. What the hell was wrong with Alvar Laine, dressed up like some kind of psychotic monk and shooting at the police? This entire exercise could not have gone more wrong. His deputy and two of the part-timers were dead, shot or knocked overboard and eaten, or both.
Rinne fell back behind the scant protection of the gunwale, gasping for breath. He pressed a hand to his bleeding arm where one of Laine’s bullets had scored a searing line. Blood oozed between his fingers, but not enough to worry about in the short term. He wasn’t going to bleed out any time soon.
Too bad a few of the madman’s bullets hadn’t struck… whatever it was that had risen from the depths to dine on his men. He could no longer deny the truth behind the legends. It was exactly as he had feared. The lake monster was real and Holloway had stirred it up.
Eaten. Visions of that giant maw kept flashing past his mind’s eye. The monster existed, but what exactly was it that madman Holloway invoked? A previously unknown sea creature, a mutated shark, a dinosaur, perhaps a demon from the very pits of Hell?
Rinne knew the local legends as well as anyone, had even glimpsed things now and then over the years that he thought might have been the monster that everyone knew existed. He knew as well that sometimes people disappeared, unaccounted for, and, to his shame, he accepted those losses like everyone else in town. It was unspoken, but the citizenry let the missing go and knew it kept the monster appeased. A price they all had to pay and most people simply avoided the lake, especially at night, especially at this time of year, so as not to be the monster’s next tribute. And all the while they pretended it was just a myth.
If he were honest, deep down he had never really doubted its existence. The night, so many years ago, when Mikael had come to his home to deliver the tragic news about Rinne’s father, he had known the lake monster was behind it. The waves closing around him like jaws, snatching him out of the boat? That was no mere storm that had claimed his dad. It was the monster, the legendary beast.
But it was all at arm’s length, all just as likely folklore as real. Until now. He had seen that mighty beast up close. He had seen it swallow his deputy whole as the man fell toward the lake surface after taking one of Laine’s bullets in the leg. He hadn’t even hit the water before that giant had surged up and snapped shut over him. And Laine had laughed and chanted and shot again while it happened.
Now only Rinne and one part-time deputy, young Adiel Jarvi from the sheep farm above town, were left. Jarvi lay flat on the deck where he had fallen when the monster had rammed the police launch and sent it tipping and rocking like a cork. The boy was frozen in terror, eyes squeezed shut, gripping a coil of rope for dear life.
Rinne realized a strange calm had descended. The rain had eased, the wind had died down, and the surface of the lake was gradually settling. After the mayhem of the seething water, the leaping monster, Laine’s shouts and gunshots, everything was suddenly, eerily quiet. He chanced a glimpse over the rail and saw Laine scrambling up the prow of the Merenneito, now almost vertical in the water as the boat went down. The zealot’s eyes were wide, his breath coming in ragged gasps, as he scanned around the dark lake surface, presumably terrified the beast he seemed to worship might burst up any moment and snap him in two. Rinne doubted the man’s crazed zealotry would save him. A part of the Superintendent wished that’s exactly what would happen, good riddance to the lunatic, but in truth he’d be happy to never see the leviathan again.
The lake remained still. Where had it gone? Perhaps it had finally had its fill and gone back to wherever it lived. For now.
With his gun levelled two-handed, arms straight in front of his chest, Rinne stood and took aim at Laine. The zealot saw the movement in the police launch’s lights and swung his own weapon up. Rinne squeezed off a carefully aimed shot as Laine’s gun clicked rapidly. Rinne’s shot clipped Laine in the shoulder and sent the cloaked man spinning into the water even as the Superintendent realized Laine’s gun had been empty. Finally the man had run out of bullets. It was about time.
Laine howled in pain and thrashed in the water, crying out. The Merenneito shifted and began to sink rapidly.
“Help me!” Laine yelled. Seeing Rinne make no move to come to his aid, he began to swim for all he was worth. His awkward strokes sent up splashes as he thrashed about, weighed down by his sodden cloak. “Please.”
“You want me to save you now?” Rinne shouted, incredulous. “I should let you drown for what you’ve done.”
“You don’t understand!” Laine hollered back, paddling just to keep his head above the surface. “The God of the Lake must be appeased! I’ve protected the people for years, as my father did before me. Without us managing the sacrifices, the God would have rampaged and killed everyone long before now. It must be worshipped. It must be fed!”
Rinne barked a humorless laugh. “Then I should leave you there to be its next meal. Or are you so in love with your monster that you won’t sacrifice yourself like so many before you? How many, Laine? How many have you
fed to this monster?”
“It isn’t like that,” Laine shouted again, his voice cracking with sobs. “I’m a servant. I have to keep serving.”
Rinne shook his head. The fool was right – Rinne absolutely did not understand and he never would. But it was his duty to protect and he couldn’t leave Laine there in the water to die. Let him survive this day and face the courts. Let the law make a bold example of him.
Rinne turned to Jarvi, still flat on the deck. “Get up and help me.”
The young man vigorously shook his head, not even opening his eyes.
Rinne kicked his leg, hard enough to make the kid yelp. Fear was understandable, but he would not abide cowardice. “Get up! The only way we’re going to get out of this alive is if we get off of this lake, and I can’t do it without your help.” That was a lie, but it did the trick.
Reluctantly Jarvi rose to his feet, his whole body racked with tremors. He looked around, eyes wide as they scanned the lake. “Where is it?”
“Gone,” Rinne said. “I’m going to motor over to that idiot in the water. You pull him on board.”
“You think this boat is going to stay afloat?” Jarvi asked in a quavering voice.
“It’s taken a battering, but we’re still level. I’m sure we’re taking on water in a dozen places, but we’ll be all right for now. Just get that fool out and we’re going straight home, son.”
“What was that thing?”
“I don’t know and right now I don’t especially care,” Rinne snapped. “Now do as you’re told.”
Jarvi’s eyes were still wide, his reluctance evident, but he moved to the rail as instructed, too stunned, it seemed, to say anything more. Rinne guided the boat over to Laine, still flailing in the water and pleading his case.
“Shut up and let him help you,” Rinne called out as Jarvi leaned over the side, one arm extended.
Laine grasped the young man’s hand and the water beside the boat burst up like a geyser. In the midst of the churning froth, that massive, tooth-crammed maw rose and took Laine with it. Jarvi screamed as Laine refused to release his hand, and the young deputy was plucked off the deck and carried high into the air. As Laine disappeared down the massive throat, Jarvi was dragged forward, only his legs hanging outside the mouth. Rinne stared in horrified fascination, the attack taking only half a second, before the monster’s jaw slammed shut and Jarvi’s severed legs slapped back down onto the deck in a spray of blood.
Rinne realized the monster itself was only a moment behind those amputated limbs. He gripped the helm with white knuckles as the massive bulk slammed across the bow of the police launch. The boat lurched up, the bow smashing down into the water under the weight of the monster. As gravity took over Rinne had a moment hanging one-handed from the wheel as the launch flipped. Knowing the boat was coming down capsized, he released his grip and plunged into the lake with the bulk of the vessel crashing down above him. Everything was a maelstrom of icy water, surging bubbles and cracking hull for a moment, then stillness.
Rinne held his breath, trapped beneath the launch. Its spotlights still worked, lancing through the dark water. He saw the slick, grey bulk of the creature sinuously turn and come powering back up toward him.
He was lost if he stayed in the lake, no way he could ever outswim that predator. One chance remained. He kicked hard for the helm and used the inverted wheel to haul himself toward the deck that now hung like a wooden ceiling above. He grabbed the door to the below decks stairs and dragged it open, feet braced against the helm to steady himself. The launch lurched and jolted violently backward as the monster smashed into it, but Rinne refused to release his grip. The door popped open and he hauled his bulk up inside as the boat was rocked again by another crash. He pulled the door closed and crawled through the upside down vessel into the small cabin and a welcome pocket of air. He burst from the water, sucking oxygen into burning lungs.
He quickly calmed himself. The supply of air might be limited, and he would do himself no favors using it all up. He had to relax, breathe slowly.
The beast struck the boat again and again, the force of each impact jolting him from head to toe. But he was safe, at least for now. He wouldn’t immediately drown as long as the boat held together and the precious air remained. He just had to hope the monster tired of battering the police launch before it broke to pieces and sank.
Chapter 41
Aston and Slater pulled themselves up from the water onto the rock shelf of the monster’s lair. Bright light flashed into the cave as the camera Aston had set into the far wall registered their movement. Aston stood, offered Slater a hand, and hauled her to her feet.
They stripped off their fins, masks and respirators and stood clutching one another, gasping for breath. Water dripped from the ceiling of the dank cavern, probably filtered down from the storm up above, plinking on the rocks and spattering the smooth surface of the dark water that filled the cave. It was the only sound in the otherwise silent space.
Aston’s breathing began to slow and warmth returned to his extremities. His muscles ached, but his heart still raced. The survival instinct ran strong, and he was nowhere near giving up.
“What the hell do we do now?” Slater asked eventually, looking up at him with a dazed expression.
Aston shook his head. “We need to find a way out.”
Slater pointed at the water shimmering darkly in the bright white LED light. “The only way out is back down there. I’m not too eager to chance that.”
“We’re relatively safe, at least for the moment,” Aston said. “The monster is stuck behind the cage.” He looked around, searching. Could there be another means of egress?
“But for how long? That thing is crazy powerful. It’s bound to smash its way through eventually.”
Aston couldn’t disagree. “Especially now we’ve opened the cage door. That will structurally weaken it, make it easier for the beast to buckle the thing.”
Slater rolled her eyes. “Well, thanks for that!”
“If this is the cave from Old Mo’s story, the one the Nazis found, we know there was a way into it from on land. Somewhere in the hills around the lake.”
“Was being the operative word,” Slater said. “We saw the Nazi knife, remember? It’s entirely possible this is that same cave, but according to the story, the Nazis never made it out again.”
Aston nodded. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way.”
“Maybe.” Slater’s voice betrayed her doubt.
“Besides, if we check around, we might at least find some tunnels or caverns too small for that bloody great monster. After all, we have air up here so we can preserve what’s left in our tanks. Maybe we can hide out somewhere safe and wait for the beast to bust its way through. Eventually it’ll come looking for us and when it can’t find us, it’ll go away. When it does, we can sneak back out, dive the shaft and escape into the lake.”
Slater gave him a flat look beneath lowered lids. “That’s your plan? Wait for the monster to chase us down and the give it the old, ‘Nyah, nyah, you can’t get me’, then we wait for it to leave and hope it doesn’t hang out in the lake waiting for us?”
Aston raised his hands. “I guess so! I mean, it’s not really a plan, more of a worst case scenario. You got any better ideas?”
Slater laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, no. I don’t. You’re right, our options are pretty slim and maybe you’re onto something. Let’s search and see if there is anywhere to hide. I feel vulnerable as hell standing here expecting that thing to burst up out of the water any moment.”
“It’s too quiet,” Aston said. “We should be able to hear it crashing into the cage, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know. Maybe not. How well does sound travel in a place like this?”
“I guess it doesn’t matter. If we’re lucky, it’s given up for now, gone
back out to the lake to see if there’s anyone left up there for it to chomp. That’ll buy us some time.”
Slater winced. “Do you think there is anyone left?”
“Who knows? If nothing else, I hope it eats that arsehole, Laine.”
“Laine,” Slater breathed. “What’s with that guy?”
“I don’t know.” Aston was staring at the dark mirror of the water, eyes narrowed.
“What are you thinking?” Doubt rang in Slater’s voice. “You look like you’re concocting some sort of scheme.”
He turned to face her. “Maybe we should chance it.”
“Chance what?”
“If the thing has gone back to the lake, it might be our only chance to get out. The cage is wedged crosswise, but I think we could squeeze past it.”
Slater shook her head. “I’m not ready. I can’t do it. I like your other idea better. Let’s make sure there isn’t another way out. And if not, we’ll hole up until it comes looking, then when it leaves again we know it’s gone. We know it’s not just lying in wait. Let’s let everything calm down for a while.”
Aston too was reluctant to get right back in the water. “Okay.”
Leaving their equipment by the rock wall, they moved deeper into the cave, searching by the illumination of their head-mounted flashlights. As they picked their way through the jumble of bones that carpeted the ledge, a fetid, sickly-sweet smell twisted Aston’s gut. He knew that aroma – decaying flesh. Clearly, some of these bones were fresh. He glanced at Slater, who held a hand over her nose and mouth, and motioned ahead with the other.
Beyond the skeletal remains, the cave opened out a little, the ceiling rising a few feet higher. Past that, as the rock sloped back toward the cave floor, three dark patches punctured the wall. The smell of decay still hung in the air, but weaker, more tolerable.