Paintshark (12 page)

“Do you remember when you rang me in a panic after the swimming baths?”

She nodded. “Well I thought I’d do something that could make us some money, something that’ll make you and me famous, so that we’ll never have to work again.”

Kimberley watched her boyfriend’s eyes grow in excitement, which wasn’t shared.

“What did you do?” she asked.

Denton’s mouth opened, but no sound came out, he shrugged and looked over the side.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?”

“I SOLD YOUR STORY!” he snapped back. He apologised when he saw how her face fell. “Look, as soon as we get out of here we’re going to be celebrities, when you said about what you did In the pool, I knew that story would sell millions so I made a few quick phone calls to some magazine people and newspapers and there you go.”

Kimberley struggled to sit up, her eyes never leaving Denton’s. “Did you ring the police?”

“No, that wasn’t me, I don’t know who did that, the studio contacted me when they found out about the magazine deal…well I did leave them some messages first and they said that it’ll be good for you if I was there so you’ll see a friendly face when you came to.”

Kimberley shook her head in disbelief.

“It’ll be fine, I’ll take care of you in the game.”

Denton remembered. “No, wait…you have the powers so you can take care of us in the game and then when we get out…BINGO!”

He readjusted his grip on the oars. “I’d thought you’d be pleased.”

Kimberley raised her head and whispered, “Pleased? You’ve no idea what you’ve done…you’ve killed us, you’ve killed us all, me, Cassandra and–” She gasped and cursed herself for forgetting someone. “Felcey, He’s here too and you’ve probably got him killed.”

Denton raised an eyebrow.

“The nerd? What’s he doing here?”

“IT DOESN’T MATTER WHY HE’S HERE, YOU DON’T GET IT, DO YOU? THIS IS THE ‘GAME’ NOBODY WALKS OUT OF HERE ALIVE, THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE, THERE ARE CREATURES HERE AND THEY’RE GOING TO KILL US!”

Denton flashed his teeth at her. “They’re not going to kill me, I signed a protection contract from the studio, it means the animals can’t harm me.”

The boat rocked just for an instant, but this didn’t concern Kimberley. “SO CAN ANIMALS READ, DENTON? YOU’VE JUST SIGNED OUR DEATH WARRANT, DON’T YOU CARE ABOUT ME OR WHAT’S HAPPENING TO ME? I’M SCARED, DENTON.”

Kimberley looked down forlornly. “You’ve killed me.”

Still not taking her eyes off him she reached over. “Let’s swap seats, I want to row. Seeing how upset she was and how it was mostly his fault…Denton switched. Kimberley pulled hard with every stroke of the oars.

She watched as Denton tentatively looked around and over his shoulder.

“Not exactly a good time for a picnic, is it?”

Kimberley sighed and stared at him intently with her big blue eyes, the Network had given them a hamper to share, but that was the least thing on her mind, Denton tried to make peace.

“I was trying to help, Kimberley, I was just thinking about the money we’d need after we finish college, money for a house and stuff, just trust me, you know I got a plan to sort that stuff out, what do you think?”

Kimberley stopped rowing and answered him. “A house?”

“Maybe.”

She fumbled with the oars, ignoring him. “You should be doing this.”

“I thought you wanted to do that and you didn’t answer my question.”

She slammed the oars down. “You haven’t a clue about what you’ve done and yet again in all this time you haven’t once asked how I am. That’s your problem, Denton, you’re just so selfish. Look at me, do you remember what I said I’d done in the swimming pool? Do you remember how I was on the phone? I’VE GOT BLOODY SUPERPOWERS, YOU DICK, AND WHAT DO YOU DO? SELL THE STORY TO THE PRESS!”

Kimberley picked up the oars and carried on rowing around the mainland, taking short sharp breaths between each stroke, Denton admired her technique before speaking.

“So where are heading to anyway?”

“I don’t know, it’s cold and I’m scared.”

Denton muttered under his breath, “Fair enough.”

Kimberley ignored him.

He reached in to the bag by Kimberly’s leg and pulled out a small cake, his eyes were still focused on her as he bit down; chewing cautiously, some crumbs fell from his last bite and he caught them with his free hand and popped them into his mouth. Denton was beginning to enjoy the crumbly texture, when he baulked and withdrew the cake from his mouth. “I knocked at your mum’s house before I came here, she gave me some cakes for us for our journey.”

“You spoke to my mum? What did she say? Is she going to help me?”

Denton shut his eyes and rubbed his hands down upon his face. “She said to tell you ‘good luck’.”

Trying to lighten the mood, he nudged her in the stomach playfully.

“Did you make this yourself?” he asked.

Kimberley forced a smile out. “Yeah, I baked them a few nights ago, why do ask?”

Denton reached into the back of his throat with his thumb and forefinger and skilfully pulled out a length of blond hair.

“No reason.”

Kimberley pulled a face, much like Denton after his hairy encounter. “Soon be there now and then you can moan to your heart’s content,” she said.

“I wasn’t moaning! I just had a mouthful of hair.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“You saw it didn’t you? I could have choked to death.”

“That could be arranged,” Kimberley said, her voice raised in annoyance.

“We’ll see,” Denton said, a glint in his eyes. Kimberley rolled hers in exasperation, she spoke with concern, “Do you actually know where they’ve put us? We’re in the middle of some lake with who knows what?”

Denton held his finger to his nose to stop him sneezing, and just about succeeded.

“I remember this place, either they’ve recreated it in a studio or they’ve brought us to the actual lake, but my dad used to bring me fishing here when I was young, there’s a fish, I think there called ‘Dyers’? When they reach the surface the males’ backs glow yellow to attract females.”

Kimberley looked over the side of the boat into the calm water.

“I don’t see any.”

Denton did the same. “Me too, that’s odd, it’s mating season as well, there’s usually loads of them, maybe they tried your cake.” Kimberley wasn’t impressed, so he tried something else. “Speaking of mating season…” Denton stood up in the small boat and wobbled his way towards Kimberley, she stopped rowing as he lifted her from the seat and held her by the waist.

She protested sternly at first but he kept hold, she finally giggled and tried to wriggle free from his hands.

“Stop it, Denton, not here,” she grinned.

“Why not?” he cooed.

Kimberley protested. “Because I said so.”

Denton went back to her waist. “Nobody’s going to see us.”

Kimberley elbowed him in the stomach.

“We’re on a game show, dummy, with millions of viewers…of course people can see us.”

Denton stood up straight and turned around, still holding his guts, Kimberley put a finger to her mouth and shushed him.

“Denton please, I hear something.”

He stopped and went quiet, trying to hear whatever his girlfriend had heard. “I don’t hear anything, you’re imagining it.”

He went back to squeezing her waist and kissing her neck, not caring about the TV audience but Kimberley was pre-occupied with the sounds she heard earlier, she sniffed the air which had become stale all of a sudden; she had become totally oblivious to the amorous advances of Denton and held her hand to her nose. “Can’t you smell that?”

Denton had his hands all over her now but gave a reply. “I can’t smell a thing.” He sniffed just to make sure and whether or not there was a smell…he was going to lie about it anyway just to keep her quiet.

“Yeah, I can smell something now you mention it, smells terrible too!”

Kimberley knew when she was being humoured. “Don’t lie; you can’t smell anything really, can you?”

Denton put up his hands in mock surrender. “I can’t win, can I?” He gave an even bigger sniff and this time something putrid hit his senses, his face turned. “Yeah, I can now and I’m not joking, smells foul whatever it is.”

Kimberley looked nervously over his shoulder.

“I don’t like this, it’s getting worse.” She sat back down to continue rowing. “The sooner we get out of here the sooner that smell will go away.”

But Denton wasn’t convinced and bent down to pick her up again. “One more kiss before we get going then?”

“NO!”

He wobbled in the boat as he went to her, still pleading amid the expanding pungent smell, then Denton made a grab at Kimberley’s bottom, she shrieked. “I SAID NO!”

The shove she gave him was strong was enough to send Denton tumbling backwards out the boat and into the cold murky waters. He yelled, “What did you do that for? It’s freezing in here!”

Kimberley couldn’t contain her laughter and it filled the late evening air, Denton wasn’t amused. “Don’t just stand there, Get me out!”

He was keeping his head above water and wasn’t struggling, but the water was beginning to feel too cold for him, Kimberley watched him with aplomb and her arms fully folded, just wobbling slightly.

“I should let you freeze in there,” her voice as cold as the water keeping Denton company.

“Come on, Kimberley, joke’s over now, pull me up.”

For the first time Kimberley detected a hint of fear in his voice.

“Are you going to cut the crap?”

All Denton could manage was a slight nod and Kimberley decided to end his premature swim and pull him out, she leant down over the boat’s edge and reached out her hand and paused and then pulled it back, her hesitation worried Denton, with teeth chattering he stammered a question. “What’s wrong?”

Kimberley peered in to the abyss of the ocean and said nothing, her silence worried Denton.

“What do you see?” there was some distress in his voice and Kimberley put him out of his misery.

“It’s nothing, I thought I saw something, must be imagining things.”

Her arm went back out to Denton’s aid; a gigantic shiver rode through his body, which made Kimberley smile, he grabbed her hand and stole a stare at her big blue eyes and then seemed puzzled as they widened in unmistakable terror.

Kimberley let out a deafening scream as Denton was flung high above the water’s surface. As he fell back down screaming, two massive black tentacles shot from beneath the cover of water and caught him in mid-air, one had hold of his arm and the other his leg, the tentacle holding his arm let go and went for his chest, wrapping itself around and beginning to squeeze, his leg was pulled violently and Denton screamed in a frenzy.

In the boat below Kimberley watched, transfixed at the horror happening above her head, she had screamed enough but it wasn’t going to help Denton, she had fallen backwards into the boat and struggled to get back up, but where could she go? She was stranded in the boat and then came the panicked realisation that she was to be next.

One tentacle had entangled itself all over the upper part of Denton’s body, his head was completely covered and he was losing consciousness, powerful suction cups stuck fast to his skin, more tentacles rose from the water and the suction was only released momentarily in order to toss Denton back into the air like a discarded rag doll. The creature was playing with him now and two tentacles were playing tug-of-war with him, and with an almighty crack that sounded like a tree branch being snapped, Denton came apart in two and fell back down in the water.

Kimberley threw her head forward and vomited into the lake. What came from her mouth next was an agonising cry for help as the tentacles came crashing down on the boat, sending the girl hurtling in to the water, which by now, was slightly warmer with the flow of Denton’s blood on the surface.

She bobbed up and down in the water; it was still very quiet. Whatever that creature was it didn’t make that much noise, the only noises which filled the night now were that of a girl almost eighteen years old, sobbing.

Something brushed past her leg; she tried to kick out but only managed to ruin her rhythm of treading water. Kimberley couldn’t see anything, frantically looking in to the blackness of the lake, she took short sharp breaths and looked to shore.
She had to make a swim for it.

Kimberley’s strokes at first were erratic and clumsy, composing herself and trying to subdue her past emotions away until she was safe, starting again these new strokes were strong against the now choppy waters, she didn’t know how far away the shore was, a few hundred yards maybe?

A sudden urgency to live swelled inside her and with each crawl through the waves was another chance of safety. Kimberley dared not to look back, the body of Denton was still etched in her mind and wherever he was…she didn’t want to see him ever again, only remember him how he was before it happened.

She just wanted to go home and be safe in her parents’ arms; all she wanted was a cuddle and someone to tell her that everything would be fine. But her plans of a safe, quick reunion with her family were premature, she wanted to know why they didn’t fight to get her off this show. As her mind drifted away, she felt a little tug on her leg, Kimberley froze instantly and took in water, spitting it out immediately she waited and then mouthed silently,
please no.

The waters parted like a huge hot knife ploughing through butter as Kimberley was dragged screaming through the lake by another of the large tentacles, it had wrapped itself around the same leg it touched earlier, but now its grip was much firmer and Kimberley was being dragged certainly to her doom, the tentacle wasn’t squeezing that hard, but it had submerged enough times as her lungs began to take in too much water, it wasn’t going to pull her apart…just drown her.

Each time she penetrated the surface she had time to scream before her mouth was filled with water and she gasped for breath.

The waters danced around her so fast it was as if they were celebrating her oncoming demise, each time she was sent under water, Kimberley thought she could see bright colours spinning around her, they looked so beautiful in the late evening sky and she wanted to tell everybody about the sights she could see, her head began to hurt.