Shocked by Champagne by Lucy Lakestone

Author:Lucy Lakestone [Lakestone, Lucy]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781943134434
Publisher: Sky Diary Productions

16

“Phantom!” I shrieked at the sound of the massive gator’s roar.

I turned and ran up onto the dock as Mr. Mixy slid forward in a collapsing mess of wet earth and leaves.

Yelping, he dropped the shovel and scrambled for purchase, but the ground liquefied around him, shooting him half into the water. Beneath him, the gator emerged, the crumbling remains of his cave shedding from his bumpy hide. The white scars on his face glinted in the patchy sunlight as his throat puffed out in a guttural bellow.

Pushed up by the beast, Mr. Mixy screamed. He lurched to the side and out of the way of the creature, scrabbling to get back onto land as the bank’s edge dissolved into the water.

Phantom whirled to see who had destroyed his lair. The gator opened his mouth wide, water dripping off his sharp teeth. His bumpy tail followed his head around like the thong of a whip, whacking Mr. Mixy on the leg. Stephan lost any purchase he had and slid farther into the water, even as he clutched handfuls of dirt in his effort to climb out.

“Pepper!” he cried, just as a deeper voice called “Pepper!” from the stairs.

Neil. I looked up. He and the others rattled down the stairs, and at the sound of pounding steps on the dock, I swiveled my gaze to Otter. The airboat captain sprinted toward me, his gun in his hand.

I looked back at Mr. Mixy just as Phantom spun the other way, incredibly fast for such a big beast, and clamped down his teeth on the mixologist’s foot. Mr. Mixy cried out, grasping handfuls of dirt in vain as he tried to get away.

Whoa no. Had my murderous thoughts manifested into Stephan actually being killed by Phantom?

Was I enjoying this just a little bit?

Of course not! This was really bad. “Shake off your boot!” I yelled.

Mr. Mixy jiggled his leg even as he clutched at the scrub along the bank. He managed to grab ahold of a thick vine as Phantom tugged. And then, like a jet-powered log, Phantom launched into a roll, spraying water everywhere.

The death roll!

In that moment it was as if everyone oozed forward in slow motion, even as everything happened at the speed of light. I remained glued in place, like those dreams when you know you have to run but can’t move an inch.

Mr. Mixy screamed again as he was flipped and rolled, but somehow he clung onto the vine. About to be twisted into a pretzel and tenderized for dinner, he howled as his boot popped off in the gator’s mouth.

At the same moment, the sound of a gunshot blasted through the clearing. I ducked and turned to see Otter behind me, panting hard, pointing his gun at the sky.

The huge gator, oblivious to the shot, rolled even faster without the drag of Mr. Mixy, attempting to kill his prey—now, just Stephan’s egregiously fashionable boot.

Phantom’s spins abruptly stopped, and he wriggled away from the bank and submerged, leaving naught but a ripple behind him.

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