Matthew Silver and the Monster Hunters, Book One: The Darkest Waters

Chapter Twenty-Seven

SilverCHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

It had been Jay’s idea to ditch the boat on the other side of the loch to throw the cops, who’d eventually be onto us, off our trail. I’ll admit that I’d gone overboard with the last plan, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

We went down to the docks again, and I was happy to see that our boat’s twin was still floating there undisturbed. I didn’t feel like jacking another police vehicle again. I actually had the utmost respect for the police, and I was feeling a little guilty.

We had to sail carefully with the lights off, while keeping watch for any monsters, cops, or Parker himself.

We docked the boat on the nearest shore by Parker’s cabin and hid it in some reeds and bushes We began hiking towards the cabin. Jade was moving along surprisingly well, but the terrain was just not suited for walking with crutches. I had to help her along so she wouldn’t stumble and fall flat on her face. The cabin was only a mile away, but we made slow progress. It took us around half an hour to get there.

All the lights were off, indicating that no one was home, but we stealthily crept in through the door with guns drawn, just in case. The place was deserted, but all of his gear and equipment were still there, so I used a roll of duct tape to make the armrest for Jay’s crutch a bit more comfortable. It didn’t look pretty, but she said it was better, although I wasn’t sure if she was being serious, or if she was just trying to make me feel better.

All of our night bags were still lying on the floor, which told me that Parker hadn’t been back to the cabin yet. We were only too glad to change out of our uncomfortably wet and cold diving suits. I changed in a matter of minutes, but I was worried about how Jay would manage. She just set her jaw stubbornly, and said that she didn’t need help, which I was glad about. I didn’t know what I’d do if she did ask for help.

She still took about fifteen minutes in the bathroom to change. When she came out, she wasn’t using her crutches, but was tenderly testing out her foot. “It’s getting better quickly,”she told me.

I scanned over Parker’s wall of weapons and gladly picked up another BR. Even if Parker was a double-crosser, every former and current Hunter had a BR stashed somewhere nearby. Jay had a hard time holding a gun and a crutch, but she picked up a pistol the size of a clock tower and slipped it into her waistband. It would separate her leg from her torso if it went off from her crutching around.

We dug into the greasy fridge and grabbed whatever we could find that looked remotely edible. Parker had stolen our boat and supplies, so we ate all his food. It wasn’t an equal trade, but I was hungry enough to not complain. I swallowed down an entire can of Spam, even though I hate the stuff. Jay gobbled up a leftover turkey leg, which I wanted, but she played the “injured”card, so I had to be the gentleman and let her have it.

“Let’s get out of here,”I told her. I had been about to take a drink from a half gallon of milk, when I noticed that the expiration date was four months past. I queasily put the carton back into the fridge. If I didn’t end up killing Parker, then at least I could hope he’d get food poisoning.

“Wait,”she cautioned. “We should try looking around. We should try figuring out who this guy really is. The Administrators will be interested to hear about him.”

I was eager to leave, but the prospect was intriguing. “Okay, but we have to hurry.”

We started sifting around through piles of paper, notes, and maps. I wondered if Parker really had been using all of this stuff, or if it was just for show, to trick us into believing that he really was trying to help us. It looked so convincing that I’d actually believed his story that he’d spent over a year trying to capture the monster.