Loch

“Hurry!” Zaidee screamed to them, nudging the bow of the skiff against the bank.

Suddenly, the log beneath Sarah started to lift up into the air. She fell across it and hung on as it balanced crazily on the massive head of a beast. The beast’s left front flipper crashed out of the water, slapping on top of another log to give it leverage. Loch ran straight for the creature as it raised its snout and thrust its lower bed of teeth forward. The rotting log with Sarah on it began to slide off the beast’s head. Loch tore off a branch and smashed it against the creature’s fin. The beast snapped at Loch, its teeth locking on the branch, cracking it into specks. The sudden motion set the creature off balance, and its fin slipped from the log. As the beast’s own weight pulled it back under, Loch grabbed Sarah and ran forward with her across the final stretch of logs to the bank of the levee and the awaiting boat.

Zaidee was ready at the controls.

“I take it all back,” Zaidee told Sarah as she helped her onto the boat. “You do have guts.”

“Thanks,” Sarah said, collapsing into the boat. “You have guts, too.”

14

THE JUDGMENT

Cavenger had been glad when the helicopter had?arrived to remove Dr. Sam from the yacht and take him back to the encampment. You don’t win the Grand Prix by stopping if someone crashes, Cavenger had to remind everyone. While all the other drivers are feeling bad about the flames and the wreckage and the burning corpse, that’s when you floor it!

“What should we do now?” Emilio asked Cavenger when the fleet had finished the sweep of the lake.

Cavenger swiveled in his seat at the control board. “We start back, sonar active.”

Emilio transmitted the order to the fleet. Captain Haskell led the turnaround at the west end of the lake. The fishing trawlers clanked their way past each other in a wide semicircle, giving great berth to the nets and exchanging flank positions for the return search. Cavenger motioned Emilio to keep his eye on the sonar screens, got up, and went to the munitions chest. He lifted the lid to check the rocket launcher and grenades. If any creature came their way now, Cavenger wanted everyone ready for a kill.

On the skiff, Loch took over the wheel and threw the throttle open. The propellers growled, pulling the stern deeper and lifting the bow as the skiff began to plow out toward the open lake. A hundred yards away from the levee, Zaidee spotted a small, sleek, black shape darting in and out of their wake.

“Stop!” Zaidee yelled. “It’s Wee Beastie!”

Loch turned, saw the creature, and cut the throttle. He shifted into neutral and rushed to the stern.

“It’s really not a great time to be saying hello to our little plesiosaur friend, you know,” Sarah said. Loch and Zaidee hung over the rear railing as Wee Beastie scuttled through the remnants of the wake and swam right up to the boat.

“Hey, fellah,” Loch said, reaching his hand down toward the water. Wee Beastie rubbed his snout on Loch’s hand, fluttering his front fins.

“Where have you been, my little darlin’?” Zaidee leaned over, joyously stroking the creature’s head. “We’ve been looking for you!”

Clack click …

CLICK CLACK CLACK …

“Don’t tell me, I know,” Sarah said. “He wants us to stay and be lunch.”

CLACK CLICK …

“What are you trying to tell us?” Loch asked Wee Beastie.

Loch looked back at the twisted mill. A series of large waves flowed toward the rupture in the levee and out into the lake.

“They’re coming out,” Loch said.

“We’ve got to get Wee Beastie aboard,” Zaidee cried.

“Zaidee,” Loch said, “I don’t think his mom’s really going to like that. Besides, there isn’t time.”

CLICK CLACK CLICK …

Loch pointed Wee Beastie to the starboard. “Move away from the props, fellah!” he yelled as he rushed back to the wheel. Wee Beastie scooted back, still clicking away as the disturbance in the water behind them got nearer.

“Get us out of here!” Sarah shouted at Loch.

Loch opened the throttle wide, and the skiff lunged forward.

“He’s staying with us,” Zaidee yelled, watching Wee Beastie drop away from the gurgling props to dash in and out of the wake. Behind him the turbulence of the surface stalked them.

“Uh-oh,” Zaidee said.

“How many creatures are there?” Sarah asked.

Loch turned from the wheel to look back. “From what we’ve seen, I think there’s five or six big ones,” he shouted. “I think it’s just a family.”

“Enough to eat Greater Miami,” Zaidee said.

“What are they doing?” Sarah wanted to know.

“They’re not stupid,” Loch yelled over the roar of the engine. “They know the cover’s been blown on their den. There’s no place left for them to hide!” He turned the skiff west. Wee Beastie and the herd stayed with them.

“Are we the only meal around?” Sarah asked.

“No,” Loch said, “but Wee Beastie might have told them we’re their only chance. They’re not chasing us- they’re following us.”

“What can we do?” Zaidee asked.

“Try to get Dad on the ship-to-shore,” Loch said.

“I don’t know if I can,” Zaidee said, scooting to the radio. “It receives, but I don’t know if this thing can send.” She put the earphones on and grabbed the hand mike. “The helicopter took him back to the camp.”

“He’d clear out of there. Try the Volvo,” Loch said. “Let him know where we are and what’s happening.”

“Boy, are we going to be grounded or what?” Zaidee wailed, pressing the send button.

“I’ll do it,” Sarah said, reaching to take the mike.

“No way,” Zaidee said, pulling away and shouting into the microphone. “Big Z to Dad … Big Z to Dad … ”

Loch glanced over his shoulder. Wee Beastie still skimmed in the wake of the boat, leading the underwater herd.

“Tell Dad to get to the grid! Get there and open it!” Loch ordered Zaidee. “He’s got to open that grid!”

“What’s that?” Cavenger shouted, looking out over the bow of The Revelation. In the distance it had looked like a cat’s-paw of wind, but now they recognized the skiff heading for them.

“It’s one of ours,” Emilio said, checking it through binoculars.

“Who’s in it?” Cavenger demanded to know.

Emilio adjusted the focus on the binoculars. “Your daughter and Perkins’ kids.”

BLIP BLIP … BLIP BLIP …

The sonar screens of the control room leaped alive with closing, black dots. A rush of electronic sounds caused turmoil with the speakers, and the styluses on the graph machines nearly shot off the charts.

“What’s going on!” Cavenger roared, grabbing the binoculars. “What the hell do those kids think they’re doing?”

The radio receiver lit up. “Everybody’s picking up the signals,” Emilio said, confused. “It’s the boat, but it’s …