Silurid Page 9

  “And what might that be?” Devon asked.

  “I’ll get to that in a moment,” Professor Stone said then continued by saying, “I hate to say this, Jess, but I suspect Vernon is suffering from delusions. Maybe even bordering into dementia.”

  Jess wished Professor Stone would just get on with it.

  “Anyway, after a couple of years and many futile attempts, he finally made a breakthrough—a discovery that I found quite astonishing, almost unbelievable. Vernon had developed a process to incorporate key qualities of an entire family of species and meld them all into one, something that has never been done before. Only there was a problem,” Professor Stone said.

  “And what was that?” Jess asked.

  “It no longer had to do with the project. Instead of harvesting a staple food source, he ended up breeding an integrated species that extended outside the normal and practical realm of aquaculture. By doing so, Vernon had managed to condense a million-year evolution process into a three-year span. To be more concise, Vernon has created a species more powerful and more deadly than any other marine creature on the planet.”

  “How can that be possible?” Jasper asked.

  “We would have to ask Vernon. If I could see the program he was running on his computer—”

  “All of his equipment was destroyed when the lab caught fire,” Jess said.

  “Well, then. With most of the pages of his journal ruined, I can only offer an educated guess.”

  “Come on, professor. Just get to the chase,” Jasper said.

  “Okay. To start, you must know that there are well over two thousand species of fish that fall into the category of Siluriformes,” Professor Stone said.

  “Would you mind translating that into layman terms?” Jasper asked.

  “I’m sorry. I am referring to catfish.”

  “Get real, professor. Catfish?” Claude jabbed Jasper in the ribs.

  “Yes, remarkable creatures. They range anywhere from European Wels that weigh over six hundred pounds to the minuscule candiru that are so small that they can evade a person’s urinary tract.

  “Siluriformes are the most unique of all species. That is probably why Vernon decided to use them for his experiment. He has inter-bred two silurid that he has named, Zeus and Athena. Are you familiar with these names?”

  “Yeah, they’re Greek gods, right?” Jasper said.

  “That’s right. Zeus is the god of thunder. That’s what Vernon has named the male. Let me give you a demonstration,” Stone said, and walked over to one of his aquariums.

  “This is an electric catfish. Larger members of his family are capable of giving off three hundred and fifty volts of electricity. Listen.” Professor Stone turned a switch on a small speaker that was beside the aquarium.

  A crackling sound emitted from the speaker.

  “Damn, professor, are you telling us that these things are electrically charged?” asked Jasper.

  “Yes. A three-hundred-and-fifty-volt charge can stun a fish, even a human. An eight-foot electric eel can generate a charge of up to five hundred volts. That is enough to put down a horse. Judging by the current size of Vernon’s creatures, they could easily generate five times that amount. That would be enough to easily kill an elephant. Who knows, maybe a herd of elephants.”

  “Claude almost drowned today. I bet one of these creatures had something to do with it,” Jasper said.

  “You really think so?” asked Claude.

  “I’d bet money on it. Before you were pulled under, I went to pick up a dead fish out of the water and got the crap shocked out of me.”

  “Where was this?” Jess asked.

  “Chickaree Creek.”

  “Devon and I had an encounter at the boathouse. But, we didn’t get a good look at it,” Jess told Jasper and Claude.

  “That confirms it. They’re here at the lake,” Professor Stone said.

  “What about the other one, Athena?” Devon asked.

  “That, of course, is the female. Athena was known as the goddess of warfare, and aptly so. Both of these fish have a protective armor that covers most of their bodies. They have a keen sensory system that enables them to detect prey at phenomenal distances. And as they are still maturing, they have insatiable appetites. If these silurids were to invade the populace, by that I mean streams, lakes, even the oceans, they would destroy the balance of aquatic life as we know it.”

  “You said these things are still growing? What makes you think that?” Claude asked.

  “One of Vernon’s entries. Even though the fish are in a mature stage, they still continue to increase in mass.”

  “Professor. We saw growth markings at Vernon’s lab. How big could these fish get?” asked Jess.

  “Hard to say, twenty-five, thirty feet.”

  “That means they’re bigger than a great white shark,” Jasper said.

  “Much larger. Great whites generally only get to twenty feet. These creatures are larger than the Grampus orca.”

  “Say, again,” Devon asked.

  “Killer whales,” Professor Stone said. “They get up to twenty-six feet in length.”

  “So professor. What do you figure one of these fish weighs?” asked Jasper.

  “These silurids would most doubt vary in size and weight being a male and female which is often the case in certain species. An educated guess would be somewhere in the range of five to six tons.”

  “Jesus, that’s a damn big fish,” Jasper said.

  “I’ll say,” Claude said.

  “There is something else that I should mention,” Professor Stone said.

  “Jesus, what else? Next, you’re going to tell us that these damn things can breathe fire like a dragon,” Jasper said with a grin.

  “Hardly. But, they do have lungs, much like ours, and can spend short periods of time out of the water. In fact, they could probably—”

  There was a loud thump at the door, which caused everyone to jump.

  The front door opened, and Kelly came in, drenched from the rain.

  She closed the door and froze once she saw everyone staring at her. “What?”

  “Kelly, aren’t Sean and Nell with you?” Kate asked.

  “No. That’s what I came over to tell you.”

  “We’ll have to decide later what to do about these—silurids. Right now, we have to find my brother and sister,” Devon said, jumping up from the table.

  “Let’s not forget about Vernon,” Jess said.

  “What? Your brother is here?” Devon asked.

  “I believe so,” she answered.

  “I need to get some stuff from my trailer,” Jasper said. “Claude and I will use my bass boat. We can cover more area that way.”

  “Professor, you and Jess better come with me. We’ll take the Lake Patrol boat,” Devon said.

  “Kelly and I will check the trailer park,” Kate said. “We might as well wake up Liz while we’re at it.”

  Everyone scrambled for the door just as the lights went out.

  “Damn, we’ve lost power!” Jasper yelled in the dark.

  Someone fumbled in a kitchen drawer then clicked on a flashlight that shone on Kate. She had grabbed the phone and had the receiver pressed to her ear.

  “That’s not all,” she said. “The phone’s dead.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “I don’t believe it,” Sean said.

  “What?” Nell asked, turning around in the bow seat.

  “Look. The lights at the resort just went out.”

  It would be difficult getting back without the lights to guide them. Nell turned and peered out over the boat’s bow.

  “My arms are killing me,” Sean said.

  “I think I see something. It’s Grizzly Island. I can see the old tree. And there’s Max,” she said, able to see her dog in the dim moonlight. Max sat patiently at the base of the tree.

  “I can’t believe he swam all the way out here,” Sean said. He dipped the oars and leaned back.

 
; “We’re coming, boy, don’t worry,” Nell yelled.

  Sean rowed vigorously toward the island.

  Finally, the aluminum boat skimmed onto the sandy beach.

  “You stay here, while I get Max,” Sean said. He stood up and caught his foot on something and fell halfway out the boat.

  “Man, what next?” Sean slipped his foot out of the strung bow with the quiver attached. He snatched up the bow-fishing rig and marched off toward the tree.

  Nell watched anxiously as Sean walked away. She did not like being left alone in the boat, but as long as she could still see Sean, then she would be all right. Just as long as—

  The moon disappeared behind a cloud, the night darker than the inside of a closed coffin.

  “Sean. Sean! I’m scared,” she called out. She couldn’t see the tree now, even though it was only fifty feet away.

  The stern of the boat rose up and a wave swept onto the beach.

  Nell lost her balance and fell out onto the sand. She got up, brushed the wet sand from her pants. She knew it was best to stay put. If she wandered off and Sean could not find her, she would be in big trouble. And then she had a terrible thought.

  She turned.

  The boat was gone.

  The moon broke from the cloud cover for a brief moment.

  She could see the boat drifting out onto the lake in too deep of water for her to retrieve. Sean was going to go ballistic. Didn’t I say to stay in the boat! Now, we’ll never get home!

  The boat disappeared into the night.

  “What do I do now?” Nell said, wanting to cry.

  She saw a dark shape coming toward the island.

  As she watched, praying that it was the boat drifting back, she suddenly realized it was much too big. She rubbed her eyes, took another look, but still couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

  A giant fish emerged out of the water.

  Nell took a few steps backward.

  The fish moved onto the shore on its belly. It looked down at her with cold, black eyes then opened its mouth—which was large enough to gulp down a cow—and released an eerie gasp.

  Nell stood still, her feet frozen to the ground.

  The fish looked like a humongous catfish but different. Unlike a catfish that had smooth skin, this fish was covered with large octagon-like plates—not scales—resembling large stepping stones. Its ribcage was pronounced and sleek—a design that made the fish appear to be a fast swimmer. All the catfish Nell remembered had flatter bodies, as they were bottom feeders. This fish had a high-ridged back.

  It had eight whiskers like a catfish, except these were six feet in length. The large whiskers flitted about, caressing the wet sand.

  Nell realized the whiskers were searching for something.

  Searching for her!

  The fish slithered over the sand, stopped, then tucked its front fins under its body. It pushed its chest up, supporting itself under its fins and towered over Nell.

  It stood taller than their trailer.

  Slowly, the fished walked toward her.

  “SEAN!” she screamed.

  Nell turned and ran blindly in the darkness until she collided into Sean.

  “I thought I told you to stay with the boat,” Sean snapped, standing at the base of the tree, holding Max by the collar.

  “It’s a giant walking fish and it’s coming this way,” Nell shouted.

  “There’s no such thing,” Sean said.

  “Look for yourself,” Nell said, hiding behind Sean.

  “You can’t be serious,” Sean said, once he saw the fish.

  “Believe me now?”

  “Get back!”

  Max broke free and charged the fish. He stopped short of the fish, barking and snarling. The fish glanced down and lunged for the dog.

  Brave, but not entirely stupid, Max reared back on his haunches and dodged the fish then came back for another assault.

  Irritated by the persistent dog, the fish jerked back with the shaft-like appendage behind its front fin.

  Max ducked as it swept over his head.

  “Get out of there, Max,” Sean yelled. “Nell, up the tree! Come on, I’ll help you.”

  Sean picked her up so that she could grab onto the lowest branch. She used her feet and pushed herself up. Sean was right behind her. They kept climbing until they were almost twenty feet above the ground. It was another ten feet up to the top of the tree.

  “We’ll be safe up here,” Sean said.

  “Maybe you can scare the fish off with that,” Nell said, pointing at Sean’s bow.

  “I’ll do better than that,” Sean said, pulling an arrow out of the quiver. He inserted the base of the arrow in the bowstring. He pulled back, aimed, and released.

  The arrow flew straight for the fish’s head, but instead of burrowing into the fish’s flesh, the arrow only glanced off the hard shell and fell to the sand.

  “What the—?” Sean plucked another arrow from the quiver and took another shot.

  Again, the arrow was unable to penetrate the fish.

  “This thing is like a Brinks truck,” Sean said.

  The fish lumbered toward the base of the tree.

  Max came from behind. Sensing the dog, the fish cocked its tail to one side and came back with a powerful swipe, narrowly missing Max. He turned tail and scampered away.

  “MAX!” Nell yelled.

  The fish began to push itself up the trunk of the tree.

  “It’s okay, Nell. We’re safe up here.”

  Nell yelled when she lost her balance. She grabbed for a branch but missed and fell.

  The fish was directly below.

  Sean reached out and snagged the strap on her life vest. Nell dangled in the air while Sean held on.

  The fish looked up and opened its gaping maw.

  “Don’t let it eat me,” Nell pleaded with her brother.

  “It’s not eating anyone,” Sean said, pulling her up.

  The oak’s roots sucked out of the mud, the weight of the heavy fish too much for the old tree to bear.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “I checked the rental boats. There’s a boat missing,” Jasper said, bouncing down the boat docks. Claude was right behind.

  “Then they must be out on the lake,” Devon said. He was standing at the helm of the 17-foot Whaler used for patrolling the lake. Professor Stone and Jess were also onboard.

  “What do you have there?” Devon called out.

  “If these things are as dangerous as the professor says they are, we’re going to need some fire power,” Jasper said, raising a shotgun over his head.

  “Jasper, you know the rules. No firearms in the resort.”

  “What would you suggest? Bring our poles?”

  “Okay, just be careful. Sean and Nell are out there.”

  Jasper and Claude climbed down into Jasper’s bass boat moored next to the Whaler.

  Claude sat down in the passenger seat, while Jasper got behind the steering wheel.

  Jasper fired up the 150-horse power outboard motor. Claude plugged in the cord for the portable spotlight.

  Slowly, both boats backed out of their berths then turned to face out toward the flat water of the lake.

  Devon switched on the navigation lights and the bright halogen searchlight.

  The boats roared off, bouncing over the water until they both leveled out. They rode alongside each other, increasing their speed. At forty miles per hour, both boats peeled away from each other in different directions like a well-executed aquatic stunt.

  ***

  The rain pelted Nell and Sean, struggling to stay in the tree.

  “Did you see that?” Sean said, holding onto Nell.

  “See what?”

  “I thought I saw lights on the other side of the lake.”

  “No, I didn’t see anything,” Nell said.

  “They must know we’re out here and are looking for us. It won’t be long now,” Sean said.

  That’s when the tree shudd
ered and toppled over.

  Sean and Nell clung on like two ticks on a dog as the tree crashed into the water. Gradually, the branches began to sink, and the water rose above their feet.

  The fish moved up the trunk of the tree, pushing its head through the branches, breaking them off. It shoved its way in closer and closer.

  “Sean, what do we do?”

  “I don’t know, just keep backing up.”

  “Where? There’s nowhere to go.” They were already to the top branches of the tree. Beyond was nothing but water.

  The fished opened its cavernous mouth, expelling a sour smell. Then it let out a gurgling gasp so frightening that Nell screamed.

  The tree began to sink, dipping further into the water.

  The fish continued to smash through the branches.

  “Get in, quick!” a voice called out.

  Nell turned and saw a man in a rubber raft appear out of the dark.

  “I suggest you hurry,” the stranger said.

  Sean held onto Nell. She reached out for the man’s hand. She was quickly swept onboard. Sean jumped in after her.

  The fish made a wild attempt to get at them, but was caught in the thick, gnarled branches.

  The man pushed the start button, throttled the handle on the small outboard, and cut an evasive course to clear the tree limbs.

  “Thanks for getting us out of there,” Sean said.

  “It’s the least I can do,” the man replied.

  “I’m Sean. This is my sister, Nell.”

  “Please to make your acquaintance. My name is Vernon. Vernon Murdock.”

  “Where did that thing come from?” asked Sean.

  “That’s a long story. Right now, I suggest we get moving. I don’t think that tree will hold him off for long,” Vernon said, speeding up. He kept glancing down at a black box at his feet.

  Nell could see a tiny screen lit up with two red dots inside of green squiggly lines.

  “We forgot Max!” Nell shouted.

  “He’s right here by my feet. He’s a little banged up, but he’ll live,” Vernon said.

  Nell had been so busy watching the fish that she had not bothered to look down. Though Max was extremely tired from his ordeal, he still managed a few wags of his tail when he looked up at Nell.