Plague

Sam had to master a furious anger that burned within him. How had Drake escaped? Had he found a way to bribe Howard?

“He wouldn’t be standing there taunting us unless he thought he could beat us,” Sam said quietly. “Those bugs: I couldn’t kill them when they were a lot smaller.” He looked at Toto. “All you’ve got is the truth-telling thing, right? You don’t have some other power?”

Toto gave his answer to the missing Spidey head. “No weapons.”

“Can those things swim?” Jack wondered.

“If they could they’d already be after us,” Sam said.

“Do you think Drake can control those things, make them do what he wants?” Jack wondered.

“I guess we’ll find out sooner or later,” Sam said.

They all fell silent, gazing at him expectantly.

For the moment they were probably safe, Sam reasoned. Otherwise Drake would have come after them. If they went ashore it would mean a fight. And Drake was pretty cocky, swaggering around and taunting them from shore.

He could head the boat back up the lake. He could land and get around Drake’s insect army. They could make it to someplace where they could fight without destroying the marina.

“We need to get away from here,” Sam said.

“Hey, Sam,” Drake shouted. “I thought you’d like to know this isn’t my whole army.”

Sam didn’t doubt it.

“Your girl Brianna tried to stop us.” Drake waved a bowie knife in the air. “I took this from her. I whipped her, Sam.” He snapped his whip hand. The crack was like a pistol shot. “I broke her legs so she couldn’t run. Then . . .”

Dekka was halfway over the side, ready to swim ashore. Jack grabbed her and held her.

“Let me go!” Dekka yelled.

“Hold her,” Sam ordered Jack. “Don’t be stupid, Dekka. He wants us to come rushing at him.”

“I can beat him,” Jack said. “Dekka and me together, we can kill him.”

Sam registered the fact that Jack was actually making a physical threat. He didn’t remember ever hearing that kind of thing from Jack. But Dekka was Sam’s greater concern.

“I’m going to kill him,” Dekka said in a voice so deep in her throat she sounded like an animal. “I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him.” Then she shouted, “I’m going to kill you, Drake. I’m going to kill you!”

Drake grinned. “I think she liked it. She was screaming, but she liked it.”

“He’s lying,” Toto said.

“Who?” Sam snapped.

“Him.” He pointed at Drake. “He hasn’t killed that girl or hurt her.”

Dekka relaxed and Sam and Jack let go of her.

“Truth-teller Toto,” Sam whispered. “He can tell when people are lying.”

“I just decided I like you,” Dekka said to Toto. “You might be useful.”

Toto frowned. “It’s true: you just decided you like me.”

“Keep listening, Toto,” Sam said. He thought for a minute. Then he yelled, “Brianna may be dead, but we still have more than enough muscle to deal with you.”

Drake threw back his head and laughed. “Yeah, the rest of my army is finishing off the last few kids in Perdido Beach. It was a beautiful massacre, Sam, you should have been there.”

Sam made a motion to Dekka not to answer. The more Drake talked the better.

“But I still have Astrid alive, Sam,” Drake shouted. “I have her somewhere safe. I want to take my time with her.”

Sam waited, held his breath.

“Those are lies,” Toto said.

“All of it?”

“All of it.”

Sam breathed.

“Well, Drake,” Sam shouted across the water. “I’m sorry to hear about that. I guess there’s nothing left but for you to come and get me.”

His tone was so casual, it left Drake gaping openmouthed. It took the psychopath a few moments to regroup.

“What’s the matter, Sammy? Scared? Chicken?”

“No, actually we were thinking we might catch some fish,” Sam yelled. “I hear the trout from this lake are delicious. Would you like to join us? You can swim with that whip hand, can’t you?”

Drake stared. He looked at the knife in his hand as if it had somehow betrayed him. Then, eyes narrowed, he glared at Toto.

“Come on, Drake. Don’t be a baby. Come and get us.”

All the while Sam had been letting the boat edge closer, closer while not grounding. He was within ten yards of Drake. He didn’t have to raise his voice to be heard.

Without turning toward her, and speaking in a whisper, he said, “Dekka, can you reach him from here?”

“Barely,” she said. “The sharper the angle, the less I can do. But yeah.”

“On one,” Sam said. “Three . . . two . . .”

Dekka raised her hands and Drake rose feebly from the ground. He felt it immediately, knew what was happening, and kicked against the air like a marionette.

Sam raised his hands. Twin beams of green light fired. They hit one of the creatures, two feet to the left, but Sam swung right and caught Drake’s leg.

The leg turned bright and smoke swirled.

Drake lashed with his whip and caught one of the creatures. He yanked himself out of Dekka’s field and tumbled among the creatures, blocked from Sam’s beams.

“Will he die?” Toto asked.