Brian Keene - Deluge - The Conqueror Worms II

“Get your fucking hands up,” he ordered.

Gail did as commanded, but Novak refused to comply.

“That’s not going to happen,” he told their attacker.

The man pointed the shotgun at him. “Then you can go to hell.”

CHAPTER 45

“How about this instead?” Novak raised one hand as the shotgun centered on his chest.

“Both of them, motherfucker.”

“I can’t,” Novak insisted. “I think I may have broke my other hand.”

“He’s not kidding,” Gail said. “Please…”

Their attacker swung the weapon toward her. “Shut up. Both of you just shut the hell up.”

“Look,” Novak said, his voice calm and assured. “We don’t have anything except the clothes we’re wearing. If you want the boat, you can have it. You can take it and sail right on out of here. Just don’t kill us.”

The stranger didn’t respond. Indeed, he gave no indication that he’d even heard Novak’s offer. His yellow poncho flapped around his waist as the breeze picked up. Raindrops pattered against his green rubber waders. The wet gauze covering his face seemed to move on its own. Gail tried to see past his aviator goggles and into his eyes, but they were shadowed. The man twitched his shoulders, let the shotgun slip lower, and then cleared his throat.

“I want the boat. But that can wait. Come here, sweetheart. And don’t try anything funny.”

Gail felt like she’d been kicked in the stomach. Everything seemed to stop. Even the rain. The waves became silent.

“Come on.” The man gestured with the shotgun. “Get in here.”

Lump in her throat, Gail moved toward the window. The boat rocked beneath her feet, nearly spilling her into the water. The man adjusted his grip on the weapon, holding it with one hand. He stretched his other arm out toward her and leaned forward.

“Take my hand.”

Gail did, trying all the while to keep her own hand from shaking. Her fingers closed around his wrist. The man leaned closer, and began to help her up. As he shifted his weight, Gail suddenly yanked his arm and flung herself backward. The attacker uttered a surprised cry and then toppled forward. Gail’s back struck the bottom of the boat. The man crashed down on top of her, driving the air from her lungs. The shotgun, still in his grasp, slammed against the deck with a ringing sound.

“You bitch.” His breath stank, and he smelled of mildew and sweat. “Now I’m gonna—”

Roaring, Novak erupted from the water behind them, and looped his uninjured arm around the attacker’s neck. The man tried to raise the shotgun, but Gail pried it from his hand. Then, Novak pulled him off Gail and into the water. The two of them slipped beneath the waves.

CHAPTER 46

Stunned, Gail wiped water from her eyes and blinked. Then she leaned forward and peered into the water, gripping the sides of the boat so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Sound returned—first the rain, then the cries of the birds overhead, and then the waves.

“Novak?”

Shadows moved beneath the surface, but she couldn’t identify them. Was it Novak and their attacker? McCann? A mermaid or shark-person or fuzzoid or other weird denizen of the deep? Shivering, she reached for the discarded shotgun.

Novak burst from the water, gasping and coughing. Screaming, Gail skittered backward. The boat lurched hard to one side.

“It’s okay,” he panted. Novak grabbed the side of the boat with his good hand and clung to it, eyes closed. “It’s okay. He’s dead.”

Gail opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a low, guttural moan. She closed her mouth, took a few deep breaths through her nose, and then tried again. Her voice still trembled.

“Are you okay?”

Novak nodded.

“What about McCann? Did you see him?”

“I’m right here.”

Novak’s eyes snapped open. Gail turned around and looked behind them. She gasped with relief when she saw McCann paddling toward them.

“Son of a bitch,” Novak said. “I thought he shot you.”

McCann shook his head, spraying water droplets as he climbed into the boat. “I thought he did, too. But he didn’t. When the gun went off, it startled me. I slipped and fell into the water. Where is he?”

“Sinking to the bottom,” Novak replied.

“Think he had friends inside?” McCann nodded at the office building.

Novak shrugged, wincing in obvious pain. “I don’t know. If so, you’d think they’d have come running when they heard us fighting.”

The three of them fell silent for a moment, catching their breath. Birds continued wheeling overhead. Eventually, a few of them landed on the rooftop and studied the new arrivals with interest.

“Wonder what they’re thinking?” McCann asked.

“Dinner-time,” Novak said. “They look as hungry as I feel.”

“Well,” Gail said. “We can’t just sit out here in the rain. You’re injured, and McCann and I are both shaken up. I vote we go inside. If there was anybody else in there, they’d have taken a shot at us by now.”

“Unless they’re waiting,” McCann said. “It could be a trap.”

Novak grunted. “It could be, but I’m with Gail. Better to take our chances inside, where it’s at least partially dry, than to sit out here and wait to get eaten.”

“Those birds won’t really eat us,” McCann said.

“No,” Novak agreed, “but there’s things in the water that will.”

Without another word, they guided the boat back over to the open window. McCann went inside first, muttering about getting shot at a second time. When that didn’t happen, he reached out and grasped Novak’s good arm, and hoisted him inside. Gail followed, after tossing up the line to McCann. Once inside, she offered the shotgun to Novak. He shook his head.

“You keep it.”

The room was dark and quiet and devoid of furnishings, other than a desk, a chair and a filing cabinet—the latter of which was lying on its side and badly dented, its moldering contents scattered across the floor. The air smelled thick and musty. Gail waited for her eyes to adjust, but she could make nothing else out in the gloom.

“Wish we had a flashlight.” Novak’s voice echoed.

McCann tied the end of the line around the desk, and then pushed the piece of furniture, grunting with the effort. He stood up and wiped his hands on his wet clothes.

“It’s pretty heavy. I don’t think the boat will go anywhere.”

“We’d better hope not,” Novak said. “Otherwise, we might be here for a while. Come on. Let’s explore our new home.”

CHAPTER 47

“No,” Gail said. “McCann and I can explore the building. You’re sitting your ass down and getting some rest.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. Your arm might be broken, not to mention you almost drowned out there.”

“It’s not broken.” Novak flexed his fingers, wincing even as he grinned. “It hurts like a son of a bitch, but it’s not broken.”

“Wiggle it.”

He did as she requested, rotating his arm around and swinging it back and forth. He hissed air through his teeth and then let the arm hang limp again.

“I still want you to rest,” Gail said. “Obviously, you’re in a lot of pain. You’re not going to be much good to us if you don’t recuperate.”

Novak sat down with his back against the wall and positioned himself so that he could see out the broken window. Water dripped from his clothes, running across the floor. He sighed. “And here I thought you guys wanted me along for my sparkling personality. You just need me to help fight monsters.”

Gail didn’t respond. Instead, she watched the rivulets of water. Rather than pooling around Novak’s feet, they made their way to the far wall, as if the office building itself was leaning in that direction. Frowning, she shifted her feet. The floor certainly felt level. She wondered if it was just exhaustion playing tricks on her mind. She’d never felt so tired in her life. All she wanted to do was lay down and sleep for a day.