Page 8 of Lagoon

How was Jonathan to protect Bub then?

He swam as fast as he could, thinking to himself that he’d simply catch up, wrestle Dr. Stine out of the creature’s arms and all would be well. He could picture himself doing it. If he could only get there, he was sure he could do it.

But Bub was too fast.

The creature disappeared through the hole in the rocks, bound for the river, and Jonathan knew he’d be no match for the current. He swam to the surface instead.

RILEY WOKE COUGHINGwater.

She had struggled and struggled in Bub’s arms, but then she’d lost strength, lost focus, lost oxygen.

She must have passed out, sucked water into her lungs.

Now, she was lying on a rock, the river rushing all around her. Bub was kneeling over her, looking her over as she coughed and coughed.

When she was finally done, her lungs empty, she collapsed back on the rock, gasping for air.

“Dr. Stine!”

The voice was distant, far off, hard to hear over the rush of the river around her.

Weakly, she lifted her head. There, on the river bank, she could see Dr. Greyson. He waved both hands at her. “You’re alive!”

She gave him a meager wave and then lay her head back down.

Bub moved, leaning toward Dr. Greyson, his posture aggressive.Like I’m a prize,she thought.Like he’s protecting me.

Was she dinner? Was Bub about to eat her?

Bub let out a strange, groaning sort of sound, keening and awful. Then he turned back to her and brandished his webbed fingers. Out of the tips of them came long, thin, needle-like claws.

She suddenly had energy. She moved away, trying to get off the rock.

Bub stopped her. He held her down. He stabbed her in the abdomen with all four of those claws on his fingers.

It hurt. She screamed.

Bub pulled the claws out and jumped off the rock, into the river. He swam to the riverbank, climbed out and ran for Dr. Greyson, making that awful groaning noise again. He ran, very fast, over the bank.

“Dr. Greyson!” she cried. “Run!”

Dr. Greyson hesitated for an interminably long time, but eventually, Bub was too close, throwing back his head, showing an array of sharp teeth in his wet, dark mouth, and Dr. Greyson did run.

He tore up the side of the river bank with Bub right on his heels.

She sat up and watched as both of them disappeared.

JONATHAN RACED BACKfor the lab.

He made it back to the dirt road that led to the lab, and it was all downhill from there, so he could pick up speed.

But Bub caught up with him and tackled him to the ground. He rolled Jonathan over and held him down and screamed into his face.

Jonathan fought with all his might, not even worried about hurting the creature.

Bub kept screaming.

Then, suddenly, the creature let go, retreating, backing away. It turned around and ran back towards the lagoon and the river.

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