The fact that there was a moat didn’t come as a surprise, but as Paul and the first wave of his attack team stood on the edge of the murky water, looking at an expanse of about eight feet, he was shocked at what he was seeing moving beneath the surface of the water. The low growls and rumbles emanating from the bubbling water didn’t make him feel any more comfortable.
Tentacles sprang from beneath the murky surface every once in a while. There were other forms as well. Some looked like shark fins or snapping jaws. The shadows that past near the surface were all unwelcoming, so the team stood on the edge contemplating how to get over this roadblock.
“We could try to leap across it,” Jeb suggested.
“Yes, but how do we know those arms aren’t going to reach out and grab us,” Patsy said, which was precisely what Paul had been thinking.
“Could we throw together a bridge or something?” Becky stood with her hands on her hips, gazing at the other side of the expanse.
Derek looked up in contemplation. “What if we tossed a rope over the branches of those trees. Could we swing across?”
All of those ideas had merit, but there was something else they hadn’t considered. As the second wave caught up to them, there were now fourteen Guardians and Hunters trapped on one side of a monstrous moat, Larundel about a hundred yards off in the distance, and the Vampires within had to know they were there. It would just be a matter of time until they came out to greet the attackers. Unless, of course, there was a reason they wanted them to come in.
“Look, I’m not opposed to any of those methods, but I think we need to be cautious. No one moves unless they’re covered by at least two other team members, okay? And no Hunter goes until we’ve got Guardians on the other side.”
“Well then,” Tanner said, backing up several feet. “Who wants to cover me?”
“Got it.” Derrick dropped to one knee, his Beretta raised and trained over the surface of the water. Jeb did the same, careful that they had no other teammates in their crosshairs, and Tanner took off sprinting. He leaped up into the air and floated above the surface of the moat, nearly making it to the other side before a long, black tentacle reached out of the water and wound its way around his ankle, pulling him down into depths of the murky water.
Immediately, Jeb and Derrick opened fire, hitting the tentacle several times, but it didn’t sever the grasp it had on Tanner, and within seconds, he disappeared beneath the water’s edge.
Panic began to set in as Paul and the others scanned the surface, trying to decide whether to jump in after him or give him time. Paul had noticed Tanner had a knife in his hand when he went under, and the Leader was hopeful he could fight his way free. He put his arms out in an attempt to keep the rest of his team from jumping in, and a few seconds later, Tanner’s arm emerged, but then he was pulled right back down.
“Stay here!” he ordered, and without another thought, Paul dropped his Glock and dove in head first. The water was much hotter than he expected, and he felt as if his flesh was beginning to boil, but he knew the heat couldn’t do him lasting harm, so he swam down in the direction where he’d last seen Tanner.
Something grabbed him from behind. Paul wheeled around, knife in hand, and began to cut furiously through flesh. He couldn’t see well enough to know what it was, but the slippery, suction cupped texture made him think it was some sort of an octopus. He remembered what he’d been told about the crocodile and assumed this was actually a Vampire. His slashes sent ash into the water, confirming his suspicion, so he fought his way to the core of the beast, and once he’d found its trunk he stabbed into the area where he assumed he’d find the heart. After a few jabs with the silver knife, there was a great roar and then a wave of sound and fury washed over him, expending him back to the surface as the Vampire turned to watery ash.
Paul surfaced and saw his team still standing at the edge of the moat, though they looked ready to jump into the fray despite his orders. “Stay there!” he shouted and dove back down in an attempt to reach Tanner.
He saw him then, despite the dark water. He was wrapped up tightly, the white of his eyes visible in the low light but very little else. More than one creature had ahold of him, and he was completely entrapped in their sticky arms. Paul didn’t think there was any way he could defeat this creature on his own, so he broke back through the surface of the water. “Steph! Get in here!” He’d chosen her not only because she was a Guardian but because she was tough as nails, and before he could even dive back down, there was a splash next to him as she joined him in the water.
She made a shocked bleat as she saw what Paul had already noted, but it didn’t deter her. Kicking as quickly as she could, she swam off in Tanner’s direction, and Paul went with her, keeping an eye out for any other predators. Steph reached their friend first and began to saw at the tentacles, but knowing that wasn’t the best way to defeat these particular creatures, Paul made his way to the trunk. His knife plunged into the creature on the left, making instant contact with the heart but only weakening it. These suckers were tough, and it took several more jabs before it burst into ash.
Moving on to the other creature, Paul began to stab while Steph held it still. Eventually, he was able to work his knife through the jelly-like goo that made up the monster’s body, and it also turned to ash, freeing Tanner, who shot to the surface as quickly as he could, gasping for air. Despite not being able to drown, staying underwater for so long was extremely uncomfortable, and Steph and Paul came up to draw in deep breaths as well.
