PREDATOR ISLAND (Sea Lab Book 2)

CHAPTER 52

When Sarah first entered the thin strip of jungle bordering the coastline, she nestled herself among the palm and pond-apple trees to keep a watchful eye on Jake and his trap. There were even a few coconut trees mixed in with the wooded area, one of which she leaned against currently. She thought about Jake being in danger and her about to go rescue him, when unbelievably a coconut falls, hits her on the head, and knocks her unconscious. Laughing that off, she hoped Jake's plan worked. Although the snare was thought out and carefully laid, it seemed hardly sufficient—like trying to kill Moby Dick with an arsenal of darts.

She remembered reading the classic tale when she was a child. Stories were one of the ways she overcame her fears when she was little. She still had a copy of the book at home, the same copy her adoptive father gave her on her eighth birthday. William Hardy was not only the executive director of Sea Lab International, he had married her mother, took her in as his own, and become her hero. Jake had a lot to live up to in comparison to her dad. But by the looks of it, he was up to the task.

The thoughts conjured up images of the classic tale. Those memories brought to mind harpoons and that made her think of spears. She lifted the machete and came to the conclusion that the blade was light and shaky. It was more a tool than a weapon. As Jake waved his arms and yelled to attract the predator, her gaze wandered to a stand of thin trees, somewhat thicker than the saplings they used for the tepees.

Sarah picked out a young tree the size of her wrist, reared back and whacked it at the bottom with the machete. With one swing she chopped it down near ground level, leaving the bottom sheared off at an angle like a wedge. After hacking off the skinny limbs, she sharpened the end on all sides to make a five foot long crude spear.

She tested the weight of the weapon in her grip. It felt light enough to throw yet strong enough to pierce tough hide without snapping in half. And although throwing it might be feasible, it didn't seem like the best way to go. What if she missed? What if Jake needed her, and she missed, and he was killed? No, she'd have to get close enough to make it work, if that became necessary.

She turned back to the clearing where Jake had become more animated, jumping and shouting louder. He paced back and forth, and after a few minutes, his hands went to his hips, a sign of frustration. He probably had serious doubts about the plan of luring the cat into the open to systematically mow it down with their available ammunition. Honestly, it was their only option other than running and hiding, and trying to survive until morning.

The more she thought about it, the more she believed that's what they should do. Retreat to the rocky coast and join Rachel and Savannah in the shadows, hoping the predator wouldn't come looking for them? But if it did...

More than self preservation, she knew Jake felt an obligation to rid the island of the animal. The cat slaughtered the park rangers and killed other species native to Cocos. Natural order had to be restored. And they were the only ones in position to accomplish that.

Sarah scanned the mountain ridge all the way to the waterfall and beyond. The jungle was quiet. Not a sound.

She wiped sweat from her forehead and allowed her gaze to skim over to the roaring falls.

Her brows furrowed. A shadow appeared near the bottom of the downpour where the water crashed into the pool. As she focused, a fine mist rose from the surface, obscuring the plunging curtain.

Sarah squinted, trying make sure the dark blur wasn't her imagination.

Then it vanished.

She rubbed her eyes, but still the waning crescent moon provided meager illumination at best. Jake turned his back to the waterfall and said something to Dylan. Then he shouted to Tony. Sarah couldn't make out what he told them.

At the base of the falls, the shadow morphed into a dark figure gliding across the surface of the pool and rising as it moved...toward Jake.

A hard lump lodged in Sarah's throat as she realized what was happening. The big cat found another access point within the cave system behind the waterfall. Somewhere inside the long tunnel system that led to the treasure, there was an offshoot they'd missed. Jake's eyes were on the steep slope in front of him, not on the pool.

The animal's bulk emerged from the water and started creeping toward Jake. Sarah leaped to her feet, waved her arms wildly and yelled a desperate warning.

Jake heard her calls and turned toward her. But he wouldn't look at the pool.

Sarah bolted into a sprint across the clearing, ready to strike with the spear as the cat prepared to attack. As she neared Jake, he looked at her as if he were puzzled, like he had no idea what she was doing.

She screamed as loud as she could, and that got his attention. It also drew the eye of Dylan, who turned and saw the stealthy predator about to launch itself at Jake.

Dylan fired and so did Tony. The shots hit home because the big cat jerked and shook at the impacts.

Tony's blast from the shotgun proved too far away to inflict a major wound, but it drew the animal's attention away from Jake and toward the tepee.

Sarah was halfway there when the cat sprang from the water and landed on the bank with a thud, it's one good eye zeroing in on Tony's position.

To distract it, Jake squeezed off a shot. One of his three .38 caliber bullets. It stung the cat like an angry wasp, but it kept slinking forward.

Now their rounds were down from twenty to seventeen, dwindling like their chances to make it off the island alive.