PREDATOR ISLAND (Sea Lab Book 2)

CHAPTER 47

The predator feline lurked through the passage into the lower chamber, its monstrous front paws testing the floor to make sure it would hold its weight. It narrowed its eyes and surveyed its prey who stood at various locations around the room. It paused as if calculating what it would take to eat every last one of them. Then it roared like Jake heard it do several times before. But this roar reverberated around the room, blasting a deafening sound wave that made everyone shudder in their boots.

Rachel screamed and faltered, nearly fainting as she back-stepped, until she fell on her rear end onto a treasure chest.

Dr. Graham—who stood closest to the cat—stared sidelong as the animal moved its massive girth into the room, blocking the exit and their path of escape. He still had the shotgun aimed at Rachel, but slowly and surely, he began inching the double barrel around, in order to aim it at the feline.

Even having seen it on two separate occasions, the cat's sheer size stunned Jake. On the way into the room, the creature's shoulders rubbed against the passage walls and squeezed through the entrance, knocking loose wood and earth.

"You've served your purpose well," Dr. Graham said. "A little too well, I'm afraid."

And he swung the gun around, but in a blur, the cat leapt at him.

Before the barrel leveled on its target, a thousand pounds—if not more—of predator pounced on top of Dr. Graham and crushed him with its huge paws. He cried out and writhed under the cat, squashed by its weight. There were a few gurgled gasps and groans, and a frail attempt at a scream. Then he went silent after one horrific bite to his head and neck.

Jake glanced away. A quick end to one of their problems. But the biggest one remained.

While the cat fed on the body of the doctor on one side of the room, Rachel jumped up and bolted for the exit. Jake couldn't believe she had the nerve to move, but then again, he would have been equally as shocked if she had the gumption to stay. Everyone else reacted in kind. Dylan shoved Savannah forward to make her go first. To begin with she stumbled, but then she burst into a run, hurtling up onto the treasure chests against the far wall, that happened to be closed. With long strides, she bounded across them, and landed on the other side.

Initially, when her foot touched down on the first lid, Dylan darted behind her, followed by Tony, Sarah, and Jake in a consecutive beeline for the exit. There was no time waste. Their only chance of escape was to run with everything they had within them.

At first, the cat paid them no attention as it sunk its canines into Dr. Graham's torso and fed ravenously. After Rachel and Savannah made it out, ensued by Dylan and Tony, Sarah landed on the floor and made it as well.

But as Jake hit the ground, he hesitated...and bent down and grabbed Graham's shotgun...and a quick handful of shells that had spilled from the pouch on the doctor's waist. He shoved them into his pockets and then launched himself into a sprint.

Out of the corner of its eye, the cat caught sight of him as he fled into the darkness, trying to keep up with the lone flashlight in Sarah's hand. In a flash the animal pulled away from Graham's body and stretched out for Jake's leg. It snagged him by the boot and sent him tumbling like he was nothing more than a rat to play with later.

Jake slammed into the chamber wall as the cat resumed feeding on the doctor. Even while it devoured Graham it was still thinking about its next victim. Unfortunately, it wouldn't take it that long to finish eating the first item on the menu.

Jake scrambled to his feet, and in the beam of a flashlight, saw the shotgun and snatched it up.

Sarah had returned for him. She wasn't going to leave him behind.

"Come on." She waved her arm. "Move your tail...now."

Jake burst into a run behind her.

They pounded up the earthen stairwell into the room above and raced for the tunnel that led to the cave exit and the waterfall. Jake had no idea how long it would take for the cat to pursue them, but he expected it sooner rather than later.

"I sent the others ahead of us," Sarah yelled as they ran. "Luckily, it's a straight shot out of here."

"The cat'll come for us when it's through with Graham." Jake clutched the shotgun, his legs pumping up and down and heart exploding in his chest. He could barely speak but he forced the words out. "Get the others and make for the coast. Tony and Rachel hid among the rocks earlier. It's dark and the crashing waves provide sound cover and a distraction to keep that thing off our tails."

They rushed toward the cave exit, the flashlight beam bouncing as they ran. Ahead of them, the waterfall thundered, cascading into the pool with a steady downpour.

Another roar echoed throughout the cave system.

It was coming.

"Go," Jake said, throwing on the brakes at edge of the pool.

"You're coming too, Jake," Sarah yelled over the sound of the waterfall.

"No," he replied. "I have to kill it. I have to end this now."

"Are you out of your mind? Do you think that gun will stop it?"

"It's a twelve gauge." He cracked it open and confirmed the two shells in the chambers. "If it gets close enough, it'll blow half its head off."

"But you only have two shots."

"No, I've got a pocketful." He patted his pants leg.

"But you can only shoot twice, and then you have to reload."

"If my aim is true, I won't have to reload." Jake hugged her neck and kissed her on the side of the head. "Now go, I'll hide in the water and wait for it to come."

Further in the cave, something crashed against the inner walls and paws struck the floor like elephant feet. Sarah shined her light and picked up the predator's yellow eyes charging in their direction.

"Go," Jake said, and shoved Sarah into the water. "Go. Get out of here, now!"

She flung the flashlight at him, dove under the falls and disappeared.

Jake caught the torch, lined it up on the barrel and backed into the pool, standing with his back to waterfall. There, he waited for the feline to close the distance between them, which it did at blistering speed.