Catacomb by J.F. Penn

Author:J.F. Penn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781915425331
Publisher: Curl Up Press

14

As quickly as the frenzy began, it ended.

The water settled back into an ominous calm. The only remnants of the chaos were the ripples that slowly faded away.

Walker turned to Laurel and Max, raising an eyebrow as his gaze met theirs in the dim torchlight. “Guess we need to be careful.”

He pointed across to where the stepping stones met the far bank of the lake. “We have to get over there and we have to do it quickly.”

To Max, the rough shoreline might as well have been the other end of the world. It lay in shadow, a mere silhouette against the deeper darkness beyond. She needed more time to prepare herself, to psych herself up for the crossing, but Walker wasn’t wasting any more precious minutes.

“Let’s give it something to keep it occupied while we make a run for it. Get ready.”

“No, not yet,” Max pleaded, her breath coming fast as the panic threatened.

But Walker reached into his pack and pulled out a knife, its blade glinting ominously in the torchlight.

With a swift motion, he slashed at the remaining ropes of the tattered bridge.

It crashed down into the water next to them, sending up a spray of brackish water that stank of putrid decay and rancid, rotting algae.

The creature beneath the surface attacked the falling bridge, its violent frenzy creating a momentary distraction as the water churned and frothed.

Max stood frozen by the spectacle as the dark waters of traumatic memory threatened to overwhelm her.

“Run!” Walker’s sharp command cut through her hesitation as he took off along the stepping stones.

He led the way across the treacherous path, leaping from rock to rock as his head-torch cast long, flickering shadows over the path ahead.

Max forced herself to run after him, her boots slipping on the wet stone as she focused on the next step, and then the next as Laurel followed behind.

The echo of splashing water and the splintering of wood spurred Max on, her fear transforming into raw adrenalin. The far bank of the lake was still an impossible distance away, but she was moving now.

They would make it. She just had to count her steps. Counting helped, and it was only twenty steps to the bank.

Twenty. Nineteen. Eighteen.

Her breath came in sharp gasps as Max lurched from rock to rock, each step a test of balance, a test of will.

Don’t look down. Don’t look down.

Walker was only a few steps ahead and suddenly he wobbled, his foot slipping sideways on a stone.

He flailed for balance, his torchlight flickering wildly across the water, and the brief moment was enough to break their momentum. Their hurried journey across the stones faltered.

Max paused behind him, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

As Walker regained his balance, there was a moment of silence.

The frenzied splashing behind them had stilled, and the sudden calm sent a chill of foreboding down Max’s spine. Her breath hitched in her throat.

Suddenly, something cold and slimy wrapped around her ankle.

She screamed, the sound echoing off the cavern walls.

The grip tightened, sharp spikes digging into her flesh, pulling her off the stepping stone.

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