|
The crowd visibly stiffens. Many of them have been in trouble with the law before and realize what this will do to their parole.
"Nobody move," you shout. "Crowley's Point Police Department."
As you point your weapon with one hand, you casually use the other to borrow the cellphone of a sturdy Texan with a large gut that is flanked on either side by beautiful, if not pricey, women. The 911 call only takes seconds, and you know that it won't take backup long to arrive.
Everyone else knows that too-that they've got a minute or two to get themselves out of this predicament before they are arrested and thrown back into jail.
They look to Omaha for help, pleading with their eyes for him to do something.
Calmly and methodically he withdraws a remote control from his jacket pocket and presses a button. Nothing happens immediately, but you know that there will be some sort of consequence for what he just did.
"Put that down," you scream. "Lay it on the ground nice and slow. If you hit one more button, I'll shoot."
"I don't need to hit anymore buttons," Omaha said. "I opened the cage I wanted to open. Help will be here shortly."
You aren't sure what that means exactly until one of the women screams and points toward something that's racing toward you from one of the shadowy hallways at the other end of the aquarium.
You don't wait to see what it is-the malicious gleam in its red eyes tells you its not human. You fire your gun three times before the thing is upon you.
Portions of the creature resemble a horse, but there is a nightmarish aspect to the creature that goes far beyond anything equine. It walks upright for starters and has two small wings attached to its back. Two Tyrannosaur-like claws jut from its midriff, eager to pluck up some unsuspecting morsel.
Blood trickles from two gunshots in its chest, but the wounds don't seem to faze it any as it runs headlong into you, knocking the gun from your grasp. It stomps you with its hooves, cracking ribs and raising bruises. You try to roll away from the monster, but it follows you, smashing your bones every inch of the way.
It only takes seconds for The Jersey Devil to render you unconscious. You wake up just in time to feel yourself being hoisted up and hurled into the water.
At first you aren't sure what's happening, then you remember what's still waiting inside the shark tank. As the sharks and the Atlantean start to finish you off you hear the reassuring wail of sirens outside. But they're too late. The aquarium is empty and so are the predators' stomachs.
Not for long....
|
