Spurn (16 page)

W
e were at the edge of the water.

Could they drown if they were
bound? Did they need movement for their gills to work? So many questions I didn’t have the answers to. I pointed out toward the fast-moving dragon-octopus animals.

“Those are the creatures,
the ones Lucy and I think were modified by the Walker who kidnapped me.”

“If I keep the
big bugs occupied, can you rescue the Spurns?” He was already stepping out into the water.

“No, Dad
... I can’t swim. Dad!”

But he wasn’t listening any longer
. He’d decided he was a cowboy and was already astride creature one, holding on to two of its tentacles.

Bloody Walkers.

With a deep panicked breath, I stepped into the water. Saltiness lapped around my shoulders as I continued further out into the cool waves. Suddenly, the ocean floor stopped its slow tapering and dropped away violently. I went under, spluttering the entire way. Luckily, I managed to close my airway, otherwise I’d have drowned immediately. Kicking my legs, and doggy-paddling my arms, I made it back to the surface. I pushed my heavy hair off my face, wishing I was wearing the light Spurn wraps instead of jeans and a t-shirt, which weighed a hundred tons.

After a few deep breaths
, I ducked my head under, looking left and right. I was at a loss as to where Talina and her family were. The waters surrounding me were empty of all life forms – not surprising if those creatures were cruising around.

I continued my frantic search, my churning legs pushing me further from the shore. If I didn’t find someone soon, I’d be the one in desperate need of rescue.
Finally, I made it into the deeper water, close to where Josian was wrestling two giant octo-dragons. I shook my head, transfixed for a moment by the sight of such reckless stupidity. Walkers were awesome.

Ducking under again,
I could still see almost to the ocean floor. I noticed some movement in the dark area to my right. Pulling my head out, I gulped in as much air as possible. Hoping half-Walkers didn’t really need oxygen, I dived under and powered down. My muscles worked effortlessly; I enjoyed the mild burn as I churned through the water. I was relieved as the three Spurns came into sight.

It was their rolling movement that
had caught my eye as they strived to free themselves from the ropes. Talina’s eyes widened as I came into focus. My lungs weren’t struggling yet. I wasn’t panicking, but I didn’t want to push my luck. I knew if I got one of the three free, the rest would be okay. I was good with knots, but I didn’t have to worry about that since I’d strapped a small knife into the side of my now ruined right boot. I don’t like to leave the house unless I’m armed with at least one weapon.

Reaching down
, I yanked it free, and started to swim around Talina. The clear lenses flickered up and down over her eyes, which honestly made me want to barf into the water. Luckily, I managed to control that impulse.

Once I was at her back, I
lifted the knife; it was difficult moving against the water at this depth. Why the hell did the water feel heavy? Eventually I held the blade level with her bound hands. I sawed through the top section, groaning as I realized this was a double-layered vine-rope. I’d just cut into the second part when something that felt like steel bands gripped my ankles. I screamed, bubbles streaming from my mouth as I was dragged.

Pure panic gripped me as I was pulled at the speed
of a bullet through the water, heading out in to the deep. I shifted my head to the side, trying to see what was taking me. Images of sharks and octo-dragons ran through my head. But as I finally glimpsed my captor I realized it was something much worse than an ocean creature.

P
sycho-Walker was back.

I
didn’t have much time before I lost it, the lack of oxygen was starting to make itself known to my confused nervous system. My brain was pretty sure we needed oxygen to live, and it did not like going without.

I
n the back of my mind I knew we were eating up the miles, traversing away from the land. I clenched my fist and winced as something bit into my palm. I still had my knife. Somehow my pincher finger had clamped down on it. But how was I going to get into a position to hurt a Walker? It would have to be a near-fatal blow to slow him down. I would need to hit one of the major arteries. I quickly thought back to anatomy class, which at the compound was more a combination of first-aid and murder 101.

Sometimes you needed to know how the body was designed, so you knew the easiest way to kill a
person. I wasn’t generally the compound’s perfect little soldier, but in that class I’d eagerly listened. I was always on the street and needed all the advantages I could find.

Considering how fast Walkers healed, I’d have to sever the artery
, hitting it at a jagged angle to give myself the most time.

I had a few
options.

One of my
favorites was the femoral artery, easy to find, high on the inner thigh. It was a big artery, and if I hit it right he could bleed out in a minute. I had also been particularly proficient, during dummy practice, with the jugular vein and carotid artery. Although, considering how tall this Walker was, I’d be lucky to have enough reach for a clean shot into the side of his neck, which left, in the upper body, the brachial artery, though this small knife would have trouble severing the bicep muscle, and the axillary artery, which I could get to under the armpit.

I
favored the axillary. It would be hard for him to reach and apply pressure to slow the bleeding. Therefore, it was my best hope that the healing would take long enough to give me a chance to escape.

I need a different life.

Probably a true thought, since I’d just spent thirty seconds of my remaining oxygen contemplating the best way to bleed out a Walker.

He was slowing in the water
, and it was light around us now. As my head broke the surface I took a huge gasp of air. My lungs seized as I coughed in a rough manner.

“Hello
, my precious baby Walker. I missed you, lovely.” His caressing words washed over me.

I shuddered in revulsion. There was
an obsessive stalker quality to not only his actions, but also now his words.

“The feeling
is not mutual,” I muttered, trying hard not to think of my last lot of torture at his hands.

Panic hover
ed much too close to the surface and I needed to stay in control a little longer.

His expression darkened. “I think maybe you just need to spend a little time with a real man. You will come to
realize that we are a much better match than you and that Abernath.”

I laughed
, thinking he was kidding. The grip he suddenly had on my throat told me he was serious.

“No need to disrespect me. Do not forget your place
. No matter the beauty I behold, you are still a half.”

This was probably my best chance
. He was holding me close, his eyes locked on mine. He wasn’t looking down to see what my hands were doing. I didn’t even care that I’d be left floating in the water. Anything was better than being in his presence.

With his arm
gripping my throat, I had a perfect angle to hit the axillary. I tightened my grip on the smooth handle, preparing myself. I didn’t shift my eyes, afraid to give away my intention. Instead, I distracted him by moving my face closer to his. He didn’t remove his hand, but he allowed me this.

“Tell me what you have to offer me
. What am I missing out on?” I appealed to his massive ego.

Considering
its size, I should have enough time to not only hit the artery, but probably dismember him too.

He smiled
. His large white teeth reminded me of a shark about to devour its prey.

“Aribella, I shouldn’t have to explain anything to you. You have experience
d my power.”

I bit my lip
. I had absolutely no problem remembering the burn of his power. Psycho. I almost had the knife in position.

“
You have witnessed my intellect and skills. My creatures are perfect; they have done the job I intended.” He looked out over my shoulder, slight chuckles shaking his upper torso. “I have seen what no one else could. I scoff as they worship their so called gods and challenge them to be more omnipotent than me.”

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the glint of steel, and my angle was perfect. Without hesitation I stabbed upwards, the shallow water offering almost no resistance to my Walker speed and dexterity. Despite my squeamishness
, I never hesitated as it made contact with his skin. I continued to push until it was at its hilt.

I noticed once I pulled back that I had not only cut him with a knife, but
had also depleted some of my power. It was bleeding from me in slow ebbs. As soon as I recognized this, I halted the flow. Shock registered on his face.

“Should have used your omni
potent powers to see that,” I snarled as reached forward to twist the blade. “Maybe what you meant to say was impotent; it’d be more accurate.”

H
e bellowed then, dropping me from his grip. Reaching around, he attempted to staunch the flow of blood before realizing the knife was still lodged. As he pulled it free, small spurts of blood erupted from the wound.

“What have you
done to me, Aribella?” he spluttered as his blood gushed into the water, coloring it a dark red.

I kicked my feet, keeping my head above water
and working my way backwards. He didn’t follow me. Instead he went a deathly white color and started to sink into the depths of the water.

I
lay back, floating like I’d practiced on First World, and began to kick my legs hard, powering in the direction I hoped was land. I stared up at the half-sun. Its weak light was my visual guide. I didn’t think or worry about the creatures that much blood could bring. I just kicked.

It took me a long time to tire myself. I couldn’t even say when I noticed the slowing of my kicks, the heaviness of my body. But eventually, when I couldn’t kick any longer, I just floated. The sun disappeared.

T
he world shifted into shades of blue as the four moons spanned the sky. And for the first time I wondered if I would die out here, if my First-World side, which could drown, would prevent the immortality of my Walker genes. Finally, as my exhaustion reached its maximum, I let the few tears that had been threatening fall free.

F
aces crossed through my mind. Lucy, Lallielle, Josian – my family would be devastated. And then lastly, Brace.

I wished that
I’d told him how I felt, that although I hated that he’d lied to me, at the end of the day life is short and I didn’t want to die out here and never know what being loved by Brace was like. That he was the one to get me through the tough, lonely nights on Earth, and that I’d wait for an eternity for the perfect kind of love that I thought we’d have.

I held his image close.

For some reason I could feel his warmth, and a renewed sense of energy flowed through me. With a deep breath, I kicked out again, determined not to give up. Despite the fact I loved the inbuilt protection half-Walkers had – that I could keep my thoughts private and that no one could sense my energy – right now it felt mighty inconvenient.

“This seems like a strange place to be having a swim, Abby.”

I wondered for a moment if I was having one of those hallucinations-right-before-death. It spoke of my utter exhaustion that I barely even reacted as Talina hooked me under my arms, and pulled me close for a hug. I slumped into her, my head hanging heavily on her shoulder.

“I’m trying out for the next swim races, long dist
ance,” I slurred.

She just squeezed me tighter.
“Thank you for saving us. Raror and Gladriel are also out looking for you. I can’t believe I found you. We need to get you back before your father kills all Spurns for their stupidity, and then drains the ocean to figure out where you went.”

I managed a chuckle
. Her words were humorously accurate.

“Can you hold onto my back while I swim us to the Isle?” Her serious
features regarded me in concern.

I must have looked a little worse for wear
, but I managed a nod.

She helped me hook my arms, not too tightly, around her neck.

She started off slowly, probably to see if I could actually hold on, before her speed increased. Despite my greater height and weight, she seemed to have no problem dragging my butt through the water. I closed my eyes.

I must have drifted off because I was startled as Talina came to an abrupt halt. Shaking off my fatigue
, my lids opened slowly. We weren’t at the Isle yet. Water still surrounded us, but there was an obstacle in our path: an anemic-looking blond Walker.

“I would normally say give me the Walker
and I won’t kill you. But today I’m not feeling so generous.” His fury ricocheted ripples through the water.