Issue #156 : To The Depths
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Levon sat cross-legged along the side of the river and looked out into the swirling fog. He could hear the sound of traffic from the bridge to his left but other than the vague outline of the structure itself, he could see nothing. Even the water of the river seemed to flow off into a vortexual gateway that led off into oblivion. He looked up at what sounded like wings flapping and birds calling out into the far distance. Turning back to his book, he shivered slightly at the sudden rush of cool air and pulled his jacket tighter around himself.
In the mass of fog, he heard water splashing, as a large fish jumped up into the air and splashed back down. He frowned as he looked up from the book. In all the time he had come down here, he couldn’t remember any time when he had seen or heard fish in the river acting like that. Certainly he knew that some fish that would rush to the surface and nearly take flight from jumping so high, but he never associated wildlife that exotic with this river.
Still, that was about as noteworthy as it was worth, so he returned to the book, giving the fish no more thought.
The next series of sounds came to him so rapidly that he wasn’t even sure which occurred first. He heard a wet sloshing sound and an impact onto hard ground. The closest thing he could identify the sound with was that of someone climbing out of a swimming pool, water streaming down off of the person as they stepped down onto the ground. He heard heavy breathing, followed by a growl like some kind of animal and then rapid footfalls. They were soft at first but quickly grew louder, as if someone was charging at him.
Levon turned a moment too late as a figure leaped forward and grabbed him in a bear hug, pulling him down onto the ground and across the cold, hard mud. He yelled out something incoherent, even to himself as he twisted around, trying to get free or at least turn around enough to see who was attacking him. Part of him clung to the hope that this could be one of his older brothers, playing an overly elaborate prank on him. The feel of the person’s skin was slick and clammy, like a lizard, still wet and slippery from the water and before too long, he was able to wriggle free. He tumbled to the ground and scrambled away, trying to catch his breath as he stood to turn and face his attacker. What little breath he had came rushing back out in the form of a scream, sounding to him like it had come from over a mile away.
The thing standing in front of him wasn’t even a person, not by any definition he had heard of.
It was at least two feet taller than him, so thin that it looked at first like you could knock it over with a touch. When he saw the firm texture of tightly wound muscular structure under the surface of the skin, he knew how wrong that impression had been. All he could look at was the massively over-sized head atop the body, the mouth gaping open to reveal multiple rows of teeth, gleaming in the morning light with what looked like blood.
Levon took another step back and felt his foot catch on something. As he waved his arms to keep his balance, the thing shrieked, so loud that he clapped hands over his ears as it rushed at him. He felt the impact, as if he had just been tackled by the entire defensive line for the school’s football squad and he was on the ground. Hands gripped his arms and held them to his side and in the back of his mind, he noted that there were three hands holding him down, not two. There was a hallow clicking sound all around him as the thing lunged, snapped at him, missed and lunged again. He twisted from side to side, pulling as far away from those questing teeth as he could manage.
Somehow, he managed to get the two of them rolling down the hill towards the water, and as the thing’s weight came down more fully on top of him, he felt a bulky object in his back pocket. The Christmas present from his roommate last year that he almost always forgot to bring with him when he left the house.
Today had been a rare exception.
The object he felt in his pocket was his pocket knife.
Levon jerked his arm back and was able to pull his arm free enough to snake his hand into his pocket. Before he could pull it free they rolled again, enough that his arm was now pinned underneath his body. He could feel the outline of the knife in his fingers and frantically pulled, trying to get it loose. The thing leaned in closer, it’s weight pinning him down into the mud underneath him. He felt the slick moisture and could smell the wet, fishy smell of the river, as if after a fresh rain. The teeth were closer and he seemed to have less leverage to be able to move out of the way.
The engine of his strength, driven by panic, gave him a surge of adrenaline and he pulled his arm free. As the thing scrambled at his arm and lunged for his hand, he flipped open the knife and plunged it into the thing’s midsection, praying that there would actually be something vital underneath there.
He flinched as the thing lurched back, screaming so loud that he was surprised that there was no screeching sound of cars stopping on the bridge. Someone must have heard it. Levon opened eyes and saw the thing, staggering back towards the water as if drunk. It weaved from side to side and never made it the full distance, dropping first to its knees and then to the ground.
There was no more sign of movement.
Levon took in a shuddering breath and stooped down to pick up the knife that had been pulled free. He looked around, seeing the serenity of the fog again settle around him as he began to wonder if he had just dozed off and dreamed the entire thing. Still, the thing lay there on the bank of the river and the blade of his knife was stained brightly with its blood.
His head snapped up at the sound of the thing screaming, but so much louder than it had been before. He realized, with a sinking in his stomach that it was coming from all around, amplified because there was more than one this time, a cacophony of voices where before there had just been one. He heard all of them, the crashing sound of multiple legs and arms, bursting up out of the water and dropping down onto shore. He heard them, growling and shrieking at him as they rushed up out of the water to claim their fallen comrade, to make amends for the life that he had taken.
Levon stood there limply, the worthless knife slipping from his fingers as he looked up in the sky. He lost himself in the fog, mixed with darkness that rushed in at him, along with the snapping jaws and teeth that sought only him.
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