Caly's Island by Dick Herman

Author:Dick Herman [Herman, Dick]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Venture Press
Published: 2016-03-05T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Zack had been running for over two hours when he hit “the wall” and collapsed. His body’s glycogen was depleted and had to start burning stored fat, but his system wasn’t delivering the energy fast enough. The baying grew louder and Zack raised his head. It had been a long run and he had shaken off the dog twice, first by wading up a stream, and then by darting through a lava field. But each time the animal had ranged until it picked up his scent. Now the chase was nearing the end game; however, he had one more trick to play.

He fumbled through the first aid kit in his fanny bag and found the small stainless steel tube left over from his days in the CIA. He cracked it open. Inside was a go-faster pill. Zack hesitated before swallowing it. His trainers had warned him what it could do to his liver, but it guaranteed a sudden burst of energy that was good for thirty or forty minutes. After that, “the wall” would be nothing compared to the crash landing he would suffer. He washed the pill down with the last of his water and stumbled to his feet, discarding his fanny bag. The pill kicked in and the chase was on again.

Twenty minutes later the baying stopped. The hunt was over, and he twisted around, looking for the beast. A loud crashing sound echoed from the thicket, but he couldn’t see the animal. He searched for a tree, but there was nothing high enough that was out of the reach of the savage jaws that could rip a man apart. Again, he heard the crashing sound as the dog closed in. Where was it! Out of ideas, he ran for the water and waded into the low surf. It was not a rational decision, and he was certain the dog could swim. He was swimming within a few feet and the cool water temporarily revived him. The dog broke from the thicket and bounded into the water with huge leaps. It came to the surface and paddled relentlessly for him. Zack rolled onto his back and backstroked, looking directly at the animal as it closed on him, paddling furiously, its eyes fixed on him. A white-hot anger surged through Zack. One of them was going to die and it wasn’t him. He took a deep breath and dove.

Zack stroked for the bottom, kicking hard. He turned and looked up in the incredibly clear water. The dog was trying to dive but only descended a few feet before lack of breath, or its buoyancy, forced it to the surface. Zack exhaled slightly and watched the animal as it circled, waiting for him to come up for air. His rising bubbles excited the dog and it tried to dive, but it only descended a few feet before popping to the surface. The odds had slipped in Zack’s favor.

Zack stroked for the surface, timing his ascent to blindside the dog. The dog stopped circling and Zack kicked furiously as he exhaled, surfacing behind the dog.

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