those things are capable of,” she shot back. She stabbed a stick repeatedly into the ground between her feet.
Jack was quiet for a moment, then said, “It would make sense that something that large would have considerably sized lungs. Maybe they’ve adapted to living in the Everglades so they can hold air longer, seeing as there’s so much water in the environment and being under the water is safer than above. It keeps them in a predatory position.”
Rooster picked up the empty water bottle and tossed it at Jack’s head. “No one gives a shit, Einstein. We got to get up and get moving. Night’ll be coming soon, and I don’t want to leave my ass exposed like this. Further we go into the interior, the better chance we have to find a secluded spot.”
He counted the guns that were left to them. Six.
“How many bullets you all have left?” he said.
They each opened the chamber.
“I’m all out,” Liz said.
“Thought you would be,” he said. The way that girl came charging out of the woods like Annie Oakley and that chick from Alien was damn impressive. He removed two of the four bullets he had left and tossed them to her. “Don’t wanna leave you empty.”
She smiled and loaded them up.
“I’ve got two,” Dominic said, looking at him like he was the bullet fairy.
“I still have four,” Jack said.
“Me, too,” Mick chimed in. “You can have one of mine, kid. And Jack, you look like you could use another. Something tells me once you start pulling the trigger, you’re not stopping. ”
Or hitting anything , Rooster thought.
“Okay, that means you all can only pull your trigger if you have a clear, close shot. There’re at least four of them out there, and it didn’t look like that one bullet even fazed the one I plugged. They’re fucking fast, so the more distance between them and you means the more likely they’ll dodge your shot. You’re gonna have to wait until they’re almost on you. Everyone understand?”
All heads nodded, except John’s.
“All right, let’s start hauling ass.”
He held out his hand to help Maddie to her feet. Her hand was soft but there was a lot of strength there. Liz approached them and said, “What are we going to do about him?” She nodded at immobile John. The man was a vegetable.
“I’ll get the kid to help me with him. You two take the lead. One of you keep an eye on the ground for snakes, the other to the sides and forward in case our friends show up. There’s lots of natural lean-tos out here. If we find one a good distance from the water, we stop.”
They nodded and started walking through more sawgrass. Their legs looked like they had traipsed through a herd of raging cats, but they didn’t so much as wince when the sharp blades cut through existing wounds.
“Hey, Jersey, help me take a side so we can get going.”
Dominic didn’t look happy to be on babysitting duty, but he did what he was told.
They walked through the palm and mangroves, taking deep breaths to detect if the Bigfoots were near. Rooster’s eyes stung from sweat, and more than once he was tempted to dump John’s deadweight, if only to relieve some of his own pain. His ribs were killing him. But Dominic stayed strong, and he’d be damned to give up before some punk kid.
Jack was blathering on about what little he knew about skunk apes, from what they ate (fish and plants) to his theories on whether or not they could build and use tools. It was nothing but nervous chatter, and none of it seemed the least bit useful. All that hot air made Rooster’s head spin.
Finally, Mick turned to Jack with narrowed eyes and said, “Can you please shut up?”
He did.
And then they heard the shot.
Chapter Fourteen
Rooster and Mick darted to the girls with their guns at the ready.
“You girls okay?” Rooster said.
Maddie waved a hand. “We’re fine. Liz stepped on that sucker’s tail. I didn’t want to give him a
Jack was quiet for a moment, then said, “It would make sense that something that large would have considerably sized lungs. Maybe they’ve adapted to living in the Everglades so they can hold air longer, seeing as there’s so much water in the environment and being under the water is safer than above. It keeps them in a predatory position.”
Rooster picked up the empty water bottle and tossed it at Jack’s head. “No one gives a shit, Einstein. We got to get up and get moving. Night’ll be coming soon, and I don’t want to leave my ass exposed like this. Further we go into the interior, the better chance we have to find a secluded spot.”
He counted the guns that were left to them. Six.
“How many bullets you all have left?” he said.
They each opened the chamber.
“I’m all out,” Liz said.
“Thought you would be,” he said. The way that girl came charging out of the woods like Annie Oakley and that chick from Alien was damn impressive. He removed two of the four bullets he had left and tossed them to her. “Don’t wanna leave you empty.”
She smiled and loaded them up.
“I’ve got two,” Dominic said, looking at him like he was the bullet fairy.
“I still have four,” Jack said.
“Me, too,” Mick chimed in. “You can have one of mine, kid. And Jack, you look like you could use another. Something tells me once you start pulling the trigger, you’re not stopping. ”
Or hitting anything , Rooster thought.
“Okay, that means you all can only pull your trigger if you have a clear, close shot. There’re at least four of them out there, and it didn’t look like that one bullet even fazed the one I plugged. They’re fucking fast, so the more distance between them and you means the more likely they’ll dodge your shot. You’re gonna have to wait until they’re almost on you. Everyone understand?”
All heads nodded, except John’s.
“All right, let’s start hauling ass.”
He held out his hand to help Maddie to her feet. Her hand was soft but there was a lot of strength there. Liz approached them and said, “What are we going to do about him?” She nodded at immobile John. The man was a vegetable.
“I’ll get the kid to help me with him. You two take the lead. One of you keep an eye on the ground for snakes, the other to the sides and forward in case our friends show up. There’s lots of natural lean-tos out here. If we find one a good distance from the water, we stop.”
They nodded and started walking through more sawgrass. Their legs looked like they had traipsed through a herd of raging cats, but they didn’t so much as wince when the sharp blades cut through existing wounds.
“Hey, Jersey, help me take a side so we can get going.”
Dominic didn’t look happy to be on babysitting duty, but he did what he was told.
They walked through the palm and mangroves, taking deep breaths to detect if the Bigfoots were near. Rooster’s eyes stung from sweat, and more than once he was tempted to dump John’s deadweight, if only to relieve some of his own pain. His ribs were killing him. But Dominic stayed strong, and he’d be damned to give up before some punk kid.
Jack was blathering on about what little he knew about skunk apes, from what they ate (fish and plants) to his theories on whether or not they could build and use tools. It was nothing but nervous chatter, and none of it seemed the least bit useful. All that hot air made Rooster’s head spin.
Finally, Mick turned to Jack with narrowed eyes and said, “Can you please shut up?”
He did.
And then they heard the shot.
Chapter Fourteen
Rooster and Mick darted to the girls with their guns at the ready.
“You girls okay?” Rooster said.
Maddie waved a hand. “We’re fine. Liz stepped on that sucker’s tail. I didn’t want to give him a
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