Josh gasped, trying to catch his breath as he ran. "Leave me alone!" He groaned when he felt a small stone hit him.
David and his gang of asshats loved picking on the younger kids. They were currently on Josh's tail, slinging pebbles at him, laughing when one hit him.
"Stop it!"
"Hey, fat boy, don't you want to play?" David called out.
Another pebble hit him right in his back. A surge of hatred filled his mouth and gave him speed. He ran toward the bog. He knew it better than they did. They had not found the clubhouse or even ventured into the swamp that far because of the smell and the gloomy oppressive air.
He picked up speed running to the east of the clubhouse. Here and there, the ground broke up. Josh jumped from hard ground to hard ground, missing the bog. He stopped and turned, breathing hard, staring in the swamp. Sure enough, the older boys came to a halt seeing him standing his ground, glaring at them.
David aimed and slung a pebble at him but he was far enough away now that he dodged it, careful not to step in the bog. The ground looked solid, and he didn't want to give away that illusion.
"Leave me alone, asshole!" he yelled.
David and his crew laughed. "Lookee here, fat boy's got some balls!"
One of the older boys stepped forward and promptly sunk into the bog. Josh laughed uproariously. "Better swim butt wipe!"
The boy sank to his stomach and started panicking. David tried to help, yelling threats to Josh, who continued to mock them. David bent down, wrapping his arms around his friend, cursing as the bog made him slip.
It was while he bent over it happened. Two hands came out of the bog and seized David by his head, pulling him down. The boy sinking managed to pull himself up, and they turned to get David, then blinked, realizing David was no longer there.
Josh gaped, horrified over what he had seen. Two hands had pulled David down. He had seen it now; David was no more. He called out, "Dude, David got pulled in. You gotta help him!"
He made his way to the patch of solid land they were on and thrust his hands into the bog to find the boy. He thought he felt something slither through his fingers like hair, but then it was gone. One of the older boys, whose name Josh didn't know, yelled David's name. Finally, Josh had enough; he grabbed the shoulder of the boy calling for David and shook him. "We gotta go! We gotta get grownups, they gotta hurry!"
The boys nodded and leaped to their feet. They easily outran Josh, but he kept up the best he could.
Into the shelter, they went. The first person they ran into was Father Barnes, who was volunteering and passing supplies to people. He frowned, looking at them. "Boys? Josh? what on earth is all over you?"
"David sank in the bog! We gotta help him, Father! He sank...I think he drowned!"
Father Barnes stared. "If this is your idea of a joke..."
The older boys shook their heads. One was in tears. "It's true He sank down!"
"He was pulled in, I saw it." Josh gasped.
The priest frowned then motioned for the older boys to go to one of the military personnel.
"Show me where, Josh, quickly. Lord, not another one."
Josh turned and ran as fast as he could back to the swamp where David had been pulled in. He was dismayed at how long it had been. Noone would survive underwater like that, especially not in bog water.
Josh pointed one shaking finger at the bog in front of him. Father Barnes leaned over to look. He hesitated then plunged his hand into the marsh. He frowned, leaning down further. Josh tensed, expecting at any moment for a hand to grab the priest and drag him down. Nothing happened.
There was a commotion as more people showed up. One had a stick which he plunged into the marsh to feel for the body. A crowd was gathering and then screaming. David's mother pushed up to the front, calling David's name. Several people had to restrain her while she sobbed and cried.
"Someone go in after him! Oh my God, save my son!"
Someone hugged her tightly, murmuring there was nothing they could do but try to retrieve the body.
She sank to her knees, wailing. Josh felt his own eyes burning but what he felt in his chest was horror. He had seen two hands grab David. That wasn't possible. No one could live under the swamp like that. What had it been? A monster? He didn't believe in monsters, did he?
Father Barnes stood up, put a hand on Josh's shoulder, and urged him and the other boys away.
"What happened, boys?" He asked attentively.
One of the boys sniffed. "We was chasing Josh just playing around, and he ran into the marsh, so we followed him. David leaned down and then fell in. We couldn't pull him up."
"Josh, is that true?"
"No. They were harassing me and throwing rocks at me, so I ran into the swap. I didn't think they'd be dumb enough to follow me, but they did. That one fell into the bog, and David leaned over to get him. Then these hands came out of the bog and grabbed him, and pulled him down. They couldn't save him."
"Hands? Josh?" The priest said doubtfully, "This is serious. Josh lying here won't help. So what really happened? David fell in, pulling up one of his friends? It's okay to tell the truth, Josh. This isn't your fault. Not one of you boys should be in the swamp. It's dangerous."
"No, really! I saw two hands come out...!"
"That's enough, Josh."
Josh deflated. They wouldn't believe him. He suddenly had a mad urge to get with Brian and the gang. Surely, they would help, right? Whatever had dragged down David was deadly. What if more people got close to the swamp?"
Just as he was thinking that, three more people appeared wearing army clothes. They were swift and no-nonsense about what they were doing.
A large back man tied a rope around a smaller white man of Asian heritage, and then he had the third guy hold the rope while the Asian soldier got into the bog. He sank into the bog, holding his head up. He took a deep breath and went down.
Everyone watched this nervously. After a few minutes, the crowd began to fidget.
"Hasn't it been too long? Barnes asked.
The black soldier shook his head. "Cameron can hold his breath for seven minutes."
After another moment, the two soldiers hauled their comrade up. It took another minute, as the soldier's head cleared the bog, and he began spitting the grit out. Another head appeared pressed against him, the body wrapped in one arm, and David's mother screamed again.
