soared toward them—a shimmering school of flying fish, more teeth than body, tiny black eyes full of malevolence and hunger. The creatures swerved in mid-flight, targeting Henry. The teen stumbled backward, screaming, but Gail stepped in front of him, clutching a can of roach killer in each hand.
“I’ve got this.” She unleashed a spray directly onto the fish, who wheeled away, plunging back into the water.
The ship rolled again as it got caught in the whirlpool’s current. Sarah, Novak, Gail, and Henry grabbed on to each other to keep from falling.
Listen to me, all of you, came Simon’s voice in their heads. You need to leave this vessel immediately, before Leviathan arrives. Swim toward the center of the whirlpool. Don’t fight it. Just let it take you through the door.
How will we know when we’ve reached the other world? Gail asked.
Sarah was surprised that she could hear the question. Judging by Novak and Henry’s expressions, they heard, as well.
You’ll know, Simon said. The important thing is that you not fight the current. Let it sweep you along. If you fight, you could end up somewhere else. The Lost Level, or a different realm than the one I’m sending you to. Or simply wandering the Labyrinth.
What about you? Sarah thought. You’re coming, too, right?
No, I cannot. This ritual requires a sacrifice. That sacrifice is me. Consider it a karmic debt for what we did to the people aboard Locke’s ark. Had we not sacrificed them, we would not have made it this far. And now, to insure that the rest of you make it through the door, a further sacrifice is required.
Fuck that, Novak protested. Can’t you use one of these shark-men? Hell, we could catch one of those mermaids or something. Use one of them instead.
I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way, Mr. Novak. And besides, somebody has to remain behind to stop Leviathan and his spawn from following you through the doorway.
I’m the Captain, Novak said. If anybody is going down with the ship, it’s me.
Leviathan roared again. They glanced up, startled to see how much closer he was. He loomed over the boat now, blotting out the sky.
There is no time for bravado, Mr. Novak. Now go! All of you.
Novak stumbled as something pushed him toward the rail. Sarah felt it, too—as if a giant, invisible hand had shoved her. Gail and Henry struggled against the unseen force, as well. Above them, one of Leviathan’s tentacles curled around the antenna mast, snapping it off. Novak’s resolve dissipated. He turned around and jumped into the water. Gail, Henry, and Sarah followed.
Even as she slipped beneath the dark, foul water, Sarah could still hear Leviathan thundering overhead.
CHAPTER 89
Something brushed against Sarah’s leg. She opened her mouth to scream, forgetting that she was below the surface. Cold, black water rushed down her throat. Gagging, Sarah reflexively tried to breathe, and more water flooded into her. She glanced around, frantic, but couldn’t see anything. She might as well have been swimming in ink. She shuddered, choking, as the unseen form pressed against her leg again. Then, something else seized her hair and jerked her upward.
Sarah broke the surface, coughing and gagging. Waves crashed over her head, threatening to plunge her below again, but the grip on her hair remained. She lashed out blindly, raking her fingernails across her attacker’s face.
“Stop it,” Novak yelled. “Sarah, it’s me. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
She blinked water from her eyes and saw Henry and Gail struggling to swim toward them. Both were caught in the whirlpool’s current, and their efforts proved useless.
“Help!” Henry reached for her.
“Don’t fight…” Sarah coughed, hacking up more filthy water. Then she took a deep breath and tried again. “Don’t fight it, Henry. Simon says to go with the whirlpool!”
Nodding, the boy surrendered to the swift current, fighting to stay afloat. His eyes were wide and panicked. Gail dog-paddled next to him, her horrified expression illuminated by the light pouring from the center of the vortex.
A telephone pole floated by, spinning clockwise and trailing wires and cables like tendrils. Sarah reached for it, but Novak tugged her hair, pulling her back.
“Don’t,” he grunted. “It’s infected. There’s white fuzz all over the side. We can’t take that shit through the doorway with us.”
The pole zipped past them. Henry and Gail did their best to avoid it.
“You can let go of my hair now,” Sarah gasped. “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Novak said. “I’m sorry. Just wanted to make sure you—”
His grip tightened and his muscles tensed. Sarah was about to ask him what was wrong when Novak screamed. Suddenly, he was jerked up out of the water. Sarah went with him, dangling by her hair, until the fistful Novak had been clutching ripped free at the roots. She plummeted back into the water and surfaced again in time to hear Henry and Gail shrieking.
Novak thrashed hundreds of feet above them, punching and kicking, caught in the grip of one of Leviathan’s tentacles. Even as she began to swim toward him, Sarah knew it was pointless. Already his struggles grew weaker as the teeth-lined suckers sliced through his clothing and feasted on his flesh. She paddled in place and watched, transfixed, as droplets of his blood fell with the rain. Novak gave one last strangled cry, and then went limp.
Three more tentacles snaked toward her, parting the water like eels. Leviathan loomed over the ship, dwarfing it with his towering mass. When the creature roared again, Sarah’s ears popped. She turned and kicked as the tentacles raced across the surface. Behind her, she heard the sirens screech. Henry and Gail’s expressions grew even more terrified.
“Don’t turn around,” Henry yelled. “Holy shit, just swim! Swim toward us!”
Even as he said it, Henry began paddling away. When Gail did the same, Sarah glanced over her shoulder. A dozen dorsal fins cleaved the water, pursuing her, as were a host of sirens, starfish creatures, and other denizens of the Great Deep. In their midst were Leviathan’s tentacles, leading the chase. But then, where Novak’s blood had spilled just seconds before, something strange began to happen. A red line appeared in the water, quickly growing in size and length until it encompassed the whirlpool. The first of Leviathan’s tendrils crossed the line and exploded. Seconds later, one of the shark-men and something that looked like a cross between a seahorse and a centipede both leaped from the water, intent on overtaking Sarah. Both disintegrated in a shower of gore as they crossed the line.
It’s Simon, Sarah thought. He’s doing this.
Indeed, his voice echoed in her head. It sounded strained and weak. But the barrier won’t hold long. Hurry, Sarah. And good luck…
Weeping, Sarah turned back to Gail and Henry, and swam toward them. When she’d reached them, the three held on to one another, arms around their shoulders, and kicked to stay afloat. The churning current grew stronger, sweeping them toward the center of the vortex.
“My God,” Gail sobbed, staring at the ship. “I just… my God.”
Leviathan had focused all of his rage on the vessel. As they watched, his tentacles encircled it, lifting the ship from the water. He flung it as a child might toss a bath toy, and the ship crashed back into the water, lying on its port side. Unable to cross the mystical barrier, the other creatures swarmed toward it.
“Look!” Henry pointed at the whirlpool.
Sarah and Gail turned back to the vortex. There, in the center of the light, they saw a beautiful blue sky with white, cotton-ball clouds. Below the clouds was a line of green treetops. It was then that Sarah realized what the source of the light was.
“It’s the sun,” she said, squeezing Gail and Henry’s shoulders. “That light… it’s been so long since we’ve seen it. I’d forgotten…”
“Know what else?” Henry flipped his wet bangs. “It’s not raining there. Look close. You see?”
