JUNGLE FEVER, page 9
The hoard of rats edged closer, fangs bared. Their ears twitched as they turned to each other, unsure what to do. Without warning they disappeared from the doorway, their tails thumping and heads darting from side to side. Katya heard leaves crunching as the creatures retreated from the helicopter and into the jungle. With her gaze fixed on the doorway, she raised her gun and approached the opening. Cautiously she peered into the clearing. Carcasses lay strewn across the groundcover, but the rats had disappeared—why, she didn’t know. She turned to Roy, still cowering in the corner. “They’re gone.”
Roy opened his eyes. He forced a half-smile as he saw the open sky through the doorway, and pulled himself from the corner. He stumbled to join her and peered outside, breathing in the clear air free from the creatures’ stench. The chirping and buzzing of the jungle filled his ears, and for the first time that morning, a feeling of hope and optimism returned. He started to leave when Katya gripped his shoulder.
“Wait. We don’t know why they left. They could still out there.”
“I don’t give a shit. We have a chance to leave, and I’m taking it.” He climbed through the doorway.
Katya seethed with loathing. “You stupid man. Think! They are not dumb creatures. They were coordinated. Didn’t you see the way they worked together?”
“I don’t care. I’m getting out of here. I’m not gonna die stuck in some wrecked helicopter. No way!”
“Listen to me. I just saved your life, and I’m trying to save it again. Those creatures are intelligent. They—”
“Screw you, bitch,” Roy sneered. “I’ll do what I have to do to survive.” He climbed down the wreckage and stumbled into the rainforest.
Katya watched Roy disappear into the foliage. She glanced at the dead creatures on the ground and the encompassing undergrowth around the helicopter. She had a sinking feeling that the rats were close by, watching, waiting for a chance to attack. She checked her gun for ammunition. The magazine had a dozen rounds. She wrenched the pilot’s chair away from its broken mounts and positioned the seat over the hole in the windscreen, jamming it into the shattered screen to make sure it held tight. She peered out through the broken doorway one last time, then rested her head against the interior wall to regulate her breathing and calm her body. If the rats returned, she was ready for them.
With nose twitching and tail swaying, the Alpha fixed his red eyes on Roy as he stumbled through the forest. The rat sensed fear as the human crashed through the jungle, oblivious to his surroundings. Lesser rats understood their place in the hoard and kept their distance from the leader, but a small rat scurried close to the Alpha. Still transfixed by the human, but annoyed by the lesser creature beside him, the Alpha snarled to reveal black, rotted fangs. The Alpha whipped its steel-like tail through the air and struck the small rat across the torso, sending it flying into the bushes. Unperturbed, the Alpha thumped its tail, signaling the others to join him as he sniffed the air for the trail and followed Roy into the rain forest.
CHAPTER 12
Joanna opened the sliding door and stepped onto the balcony. “Oh, dear,” she sighed. “It’s only 9:30, and already the day’s humidity has settled in.” She sat on one of two sage wicker chairs and placed her hot tea on the small table between them.
Baxter, in an immaculate three-piece suit and with hair meticulously combed, followed Joanna onto the balcony and stood behind her. His electronic pad in hand and holstered pistol at his side, he was prepared to serve at a moment’s notice.
Joanna reached into her handbag and pulled out a monogrammed handkerchief to dab the beads of sweat from her forehead. Sadly, she gazed at her cup of hot tea. “Baxter, darling, would you be a dear and see if you can find me a cold beer, please? I’m afraid hot tea just won’t cut it today.”
“Of course, mum.” He stepped back into the hotel room.
Joanna lit a cigarette and stood by the railing studying the hotel property. The lobby and atrium, directly below, opened onto perfectly landscaped gardens that surrounded the building. Lush palms encompassed the hotel complex. The Olympic-sized pool sparkled in the morning light. A shade-sail protecting the tennis court and alfresco dining zone flapped in the sultry breeze. The hotel grounds ended at the river’s edge a stone’s throw from where the fast-flowing water disappeared over a picturesque waterfall that emptied into a lagoon at the base of the cliff. Enclosed on three sides by dense rain forest, the lagoon glistened in the morning sun. The hotel and the waterfall overlooked the lagoon and a strip of flourishing jungle vegetation that ran the length of the cliff’s base and stretched two miles beyond to the Pacific Ocean.
A narrow tributary snaked from the lagoon and through the green landscape to a delta opening on the beachfront. As the sun rose, the humidity from the basin dimmed the morning light, creating a soft orange radiance across the island. “Very nice,” she murmured, lowering her sunglasses to get a better look at the magnificent vista.
Baxter stepped into a cloud of drifting cigarette smoke and brushed aside the rancid odor. He placed a cold glass of unpasteurized and unfiltered Pilsner Urquell on the table and resumed his position behind his employer. “If I may be so bold, mum, those cigarettes are doing you harm. Would you care for some nicotine gum, or possibly a vapor-pen? I hear the watermelon flavoring has an agreeable fragrance. I have both for such an occasion.”
“No, thank you, Baxter. As you know, I like to live dangerously. Please, sit down.” She offered Baxter the spare chair beside her. “You’re making me nervous back there.”
“We’ve had this discussion before, mum. With all due respect, my position requires knowledge of place and decorum. Thank you for the offer, but I shall refrain from acting on the invitation.”
Joanna took a drink of the cold beer and sighed with satisfaction. “I respect your dedication, Baxter—I really do—but the offer will always be there.”
“Thank you, mum,” he replied with genuine sincerity.
Joanna took another drink of the beer and allowed the cool refreshing beverage to wash down. “Good choice, Baxter.”
“Thank you, mum.”
“And, please, stop calling me mum. The Merricks and their clients will think I’m your mother, for God’s sake.”
“Yes, mum.”
On the balcony above Joanna and Baxter’s, Klaus was dusting a chair for Wolfgang who was waiting patiently to be seated. With the business of the morning over, Wolfgang now wore sweatpants and a loose-fitting shirt. He gazed toward the pool where the contestants gathered, surrounded by several armed guards.
On the adjoining balcony, Adedowale and Abeo rested against the railing, waiting for the first event to begin.
CHAPTER 13
The First Event
The guests watched from their hotel balconies as the six contestants in different colored jumpsuits assembled beside the Olympic-sized pool. The contestants cast tentative glances at one another as Merrick, his Baikal pistol tucked behind his belt, positioned himself before them. Less than waist-deep yellow river water, the source of the pool’s water supply, filled the lower section of the pool whose exposed concrete walls glared in the morning sun.
Merrick tapped his headphone to confirm that the system was working. Simon’s youthful voice sounded through the earpiece. “The cameras are in position, and your voice is being transmitted directly to the guests’ earphones, Mr. Merrick. On your command, I can have your voice broadcast through the speakers set up around the hotel. Everything is working one hundred percent from my end; all systems are go. Ready when you are, sir.”
“Thanks, Simon.” Merrick cleared his throat. The time had come to launch the franchise that would change his life forever. He could smell the millions, all his, ready for the taking.
Merrick stood before the six contestants like a general addressing his troops. He encompassed all those before him, his arms wide. “Let’s get the show started!”
Several men in black tactical garb positioned themselves around the group. They kept a watchful eye for any breakaways with suicidal thoughts of escape. Beside Merrick, Van Sant fixed his gaze on the contestants, his Beretta tucked into his shoulder holster for all to see.
“Screw you,” an Australian voice called from the contestant line-up. He flipped Merrick the bird.
Merrick grinned at the Aussie in the yellow jumpsuit. “I like Australians. I honestly do. The Gallipoli campaign was an unmitigated disaster, yet you Aussies made it your finest hour with that spirit of true comradeship coupled with your never-give-up attitude against overwhelming odds. You can’t help it. It’s in your nature. It’s in your blood. You have that fighting spirit—much like we Brits.”
The Australian folded his arms in a gesture of non-compliance. Merrick shook his head. This defiance could not go unpunished. The time had come for him to assure the clients and contestants that he was a man to be reckoned with.
“You see”—Merrick scanned his iPad for the contestant’s name—“Trevor, I need to show everyone what is at stake and, in no uncertain terms, the consequences of non-compliance.” What a waste, but I must make an example of the contestant in yellow to show the world who is in control. Merrick leveled his pistol at Trevor and fired.
As the bullets tore into his flesh, the Aussie’s body jerked like a macabre marionette, splattering blood over the other contestants before falling backward into the pool. In seconds, blood stained the surrounding water.
Below the water’s surface, a sleek shadow undulated toward the floating corpse. In horror the contestants watched its dim form pass beneath the body before disappearing into the murky depths.
The contestants turned to each other, their expressions grim.
The shadow reappeared. As it circled the body, the water erupted beside the dead man. When the water settled, the contestants jumped back, terrified.
A thirty-foot python was wrapping itself around the dead Aussie and squeezing his lifeless body. As the snake’s grip tightened, blood and bodily matter spewed from the corpse’s mouth. The snake’s head rose from the water. For a moment, its yellow reptilian eyes studied the men beside the pool while it decided whether they were a threat.
The snake turned to the dead body within its grasp. In preparation for its meal, its mouth widened. Slowly its jaws descended over the head leaving only the Australian’s body visible. Then the body disappeared inside the reptile. The contestants stared in horror at the outline of the human inching down the length of the giant snake, until the reptile disappeared beneath the water.
“Leaves you speechless, doesn’t it?” Merrick addressed the contestants mimicking a shiver. “No matter how many times I’ve seen this, it still sends shivers down my spine.” Lincoln and the other contestants exchanged grave looks while Van Sant averted his gaze from the pool, preferring not to see a man consumed by a giant snake.
Merrick turned his attention to his clients watching from the safety of their balconies. “The reticulated python, native to Asia, is one of the lesser understood snakes. Its muscle structure allows it to constrict around its prey, crushing its prey’s body. Many of us have been led to believe that a snake can unhinge its jaws to feed on larger prey. This is not true. In pythons, ligaments rather than bone connect the jawbone to the skull, thus allowing the creature to widen its jaws up to one hundred and fifty degrees. With its widened mouth, the snake can feed on anything from small rodents to”—Merrick paused for effect—“larger animals. Once his prey is immobile, the snake swallows its victim whole and begins to digest the meat and bone. The python is indeed a remarkable creature.
“The python you see before you is indeed larger than most found in the wild where they can grow up to twenty-five feet. Thanks to our state-of-the-art breeding program, our snakes weigh three hundred and thirty pounds and are a minimum of thirty feet with a belly diameter of no less than six feet. A creature of this size can be reproduced, but, because of the time required to breed and nurture the creatures, a fully mature specimen can only be guaranteed in six months. If time is a consideration, I can supply smaller specimens up to twenty feet long. The contract includes shipping, and I personally guarantee transport of said creatures—should you prefer not to take advantage of this island’s facilities and location.”
Merrick turned back to the contestants. “The rules are simple. The game is over when one of you dies in the pool. If everybody survives—and I doubt that very much—” he shrugged and indicated his weapon, “then the last man out of the pool never leaves the island. Okay, boys, in you go.”
Red leaped into the water with a maniacal laugh, but fear and apprehension gripped the others. With caution, they descended into the murky yellow pool.
The waist-high water made mobility difficult, so Lincoln knew that to outrun anything would be next to impossible. Green, who was balding and middle-aged, whispered, “They’ve screwed up.” His tone held a hint of arrogance.
“How?” Lincoln asked, keeping his eyes on the water around him.
“A human body is more than enough food for a python. That snake won’t feed again for days, maybe weeks.”
“You sure about that?” Gray asked from behind, facing the opposite direction in preparation for the python’s return. The eldest of the contestants, he understood that his small physique and mild manner would be no match for the coming event.
“One hundred percent,” Green replied.
“Why so sure?” Lincoln was still not convinced of Green’s assumption.
“Think about it. It will take hours, if not days, for the snake’s internal digestive system to process that amount of meat and flesh. Merrick and his gang of thugs screwed up big time. Believe me when I say this: We’re safe for now.”
Lincoln shrugged. Green made sense. The snake would probably feed on the dead body for some time. He continued to scan the water for movement beneath the surface, but for the first time since entering the pool, the tension in his mind and body toned down a notch.
With a thumbs up from Merrick, several guards positioned themselves around the edge of the pool and lifted the large metal grates built into the sides. The grates had been flush with the concrete edge, unnoticed by the contestants.
The contestants peered into the gaping holes behind the lifting grates. The three-foot-wide concrete aqueducts were covered in algae and moss. Water stained the front of the ducts while darkness shrouded the rear. The faint humming of a compressor reverberated about them. As one, the contestants felt the deep rumbling throughout the pool and surrounding area. They glanced at one another and braced themselves, dreading the unknown.
Horizontal torrents of water burst from the aqueducts and into the pool smashing the contestants with the force of a freight train. Green and Gray lost their footing and slammed over in the waist high water.
Lincoln managed to keep upright, but the force of the water gushing around him pushed him off balance. He struggled to stay above the water until another aqueduct opened, and the geyser slammed him full on. Like the others, he fell into the roiling water.
Lincoln searched under water for moving shadows or unwanted visitors. He surfaced and took in a lungful of air.
Stay alert. Stay focused.
Moments later, the others surfaced.
The guards lifted a set of metal screens adjacent to the grates. Long shadows deep inside the water torrents flowed into the pool. Lincoln and the other contestants turned to Green with narrowed eyes.
Green shrugged sorry as several thirty-foot pythons glided beneath the water searching for their next meal.
Shit.
Long narrow shadows shot through the water and surrounded the five men.
Merrick picked up the knapsack beside him and pulled out five knifes. “The rules are simple. Kill one, and you get to live.” He threw the knives into the center of the pool yelling, “May the best man win!”
Lincoln was the first to react. He dove into the murky water and found a knife. He gripped the handle with all his strength as the first shadow passed by. A snake’s head emerged from the silty water, its yellow eyes focused on its next meal—Lincoln Monk. Lincoln waved the knife before him in preparation for the strike. He followed the snake as it glided through the water with ease, circling him. Because the bottom of the pool was covered in slime, getting a foothold was difficult. Lincoln slipped several times as he maneuvered about trying to keep eye contact with the deadly predator. With his oxygen running low, Lincoln had no choice but to break surface. He sucked in as much precious air as he could without taking his eyes off the snake.
Lincoln shot a glance at the other contestants in the pool. Red was slicing a deep gash down the belly of a python writhing around him. Green, grinning from ear to ear, searched the water, beckoning a snake for a fight. “Come on, my little princess, let’s see want you have for daddy.” He passed the knife from one hand to the other, readying himself for the fight. Gray stood his ground, waiting for his snake to strike. With fear in his eyes, he held his knife out before him, his hand shaking with fright.
Lincoln recognized that the older man would be no match for a jungle predator like a python. The other contestants, younger and leaner, stood a better chance of survival. Gray would be the first to die. Lincoln twisted in the water, keeping constant eye contact with the python closing in on him. He felt empathy for the older man who seemed doomed to die a horrible death.
Wolfgang took a mouthful of Heineken and leaned forward over the balcony’s rail to watch the outcome, grinning with satisfaction at the first event. He paid particular attention to Red, already slicing another gash down the snake’s spine. The writhing snake thrashed about, its long tail whipping through the water. Wolfgang leaned over to Klaus. The assistant tapped his earpiece. “Mr. Merrick, my employer would like to enter a wager. Would that be out of the question?”
