Chapter Five

“Let go of me!” Brooklyn screamed as she desperately tried to free herself from Grishma’s razor sharp claws.

“Ouch!” Thin leafy tree branches snagged Brooklyn’s clothing and swatted her in the head as the beast sprinted through the thick foliage.

How can I escape? Where is it taking me? Brooklyn’s mind flooded with questions of survival as she frantically scanned her surroundings, hoping for some type of escape route.

Is that a river? Brooklyn strained her eyes to see through the gradually thinning forest. Sure enough, a substantial, quickly flowing body of water was directly in front of them.

Dusk was approaching by the time they reached the muddy banks of the river. Grishma dumped Brooklyn on the ground with a thud. She pretended to be unconscious as the hideous beast inspected her. It was all she could do to keep from throwing up as it breathed directly on her face. Yuck! And I thought coffee breath was bad. This is the worst smell ever!

After Grishma left to drink some water from the river, Brooklyn surveyed the area around her and an escape plan began to formulate in her mind. If I can just make it to the river, the current might be fast enough to carry me away before Grishma can even react!

She waited for the beast to return and settle on the ground a few feet away. Bile was creeping up her throat. She tried hard to keep it down. After a short time, the beast appeared to be sleeping. This is my chance! Silently, Brooklyn crawled commando style toward the edge of the river.

Almost there, just a few more feet, keep going! I’m going to make it!

That’s when it happened. Her foot caught on an exposed tree root and made the smallest of sounds. Grishma instantly snapped its ginormous head around and zeroed in on Brooklyn as she was approaching the fast moving murky water.

Before the wretched beast could open its deadly jaws and release a bloodcurdling scream, Brooklyn hurled herself into the water.

Brooklyn gasped as her body entered the river. The water was so frighteningly cold her limbs struggled to keep her afloat.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Grishma racing down the shoreline. Luckily, the gruesome beast appeared to avoid entering the fast flowing water.

I’ve got to get to the other side, she thought, paddling hard to the shore only a few feet away. “I’m going to make it!” she screamed.

Then something happened. The water’s already frigid temperatures dropped further and every laborious kick of her legs got heavier, like she was swimming through slush. She reached out to the shrubs. Her fingers grazed the leaves. She needed to find the strength to close her hands around the branches. Her teeth chattered, her hands were blue, just a little closer!

Suddenly, something brushed up against her leg. Brooklyn began to thrash and flail in the water. She kicked her legs wildly, trying to move away from whatever just touched her. Now the branch was behind her, and out her reach. The current sucked her further down the river. Her head bobbed below the surface. She gasped for air, but water took its place and she choked.

Something tugged her under. I’m going to drown! I’m going to die here in Necoh! If she weren’t already underwater, tears would have flowed down her face. Her emotions made her chest heave and more water rushed up her nose. One final surge of adrenaline coursed through her body, giving her the will power to reach the surface again. When her head finally burst through the surface, she gasped desperately for air.

Before she could think about death any further, she felt another more powerful tug. This time, she forced her eyes open to view her attacker.

A large blue tentacle wrapped itself around her leg and began to squeeze. Squinting to see what the tentacle was attached to was a huge mistake.  

A muted scream escaped Brooklyn’s lips as the creature resembling a horrifying mix of a sea serpent and some type of squid tugged her under the frigid water.

The bluish-black creature was as long as a school bus and at least ten tentacles extended from its elongated body. Its head was shaped like a large pumpkin, the kind Brooklyn used to carve for Halloween when she was a little girl.

Checking on its prey, the snake-like beast turned its head around to inspect her. Additional tentacles poked and prodded her and its yellow eyes glared at her. She knew she only had seconds left until her air supply was fully depleted.

Damn it! What can I do? Then, an idea popped into her head. She had always been a huge Animal Planet fan and she remembered watching a show during Shark Week that gave pointers to individuals who were being attacked by a shark. Play dead! No wait — that was if a bear was attacking you. Oh yeah, if a shark was attacking you, you were supposed to poke it in the eyes!

Using her last bit of energy, she thrust her fingers toward the monster’s bright yellow eyes.

A loud hiss erupted from the creature’s mouth and it instantly released Brooklyn from its grasp.

Yes! It worked!

Without hesitating a second longer, she swam to the surface and sucked in air. It had never felt so good to breathe! After filling her lungs with much-needed oxygen, Brooklyn glanced at her surroundings. The woods had thinned and she was quickly approaching a clearing.

She looked over her shoulder. The water must have pulled her away quicker than Grishma could run. As she approached the shoreline, she cautiously eyed a makeshift wooden structure jutting out over the water. Is that a pier?

Anxious to get out of the water, Brooklyn propelled herself toward the pier as quickly as possible.

Reaching the rickety structure was strenuous, although the water temperature had warmed significantly, which allowed her limbs to work.

Oh thank goodness!

Wrapping her arms around the slimy wooden pillar, Brooklyn began to search for a way out of the water.

She worked her way around the pillar until she spotted a rope ladder that reminded her of the one she and Jax had used to enter their tree house as children.

Pulling herself up the ladder consumed her final bit of energy. As soon as she reached the splintery, weathered boards holding the pier together, exhaustion overcame her and she collapsed.

Nightmares flooded her sleep and she awoke screaming for the second night in a row, only this time Ryder wasn’t there to comfort her.With all that had happened, he had slipped her mind until now. Tears welled in her eyes. I wonder if he’s trying to find me?

Feeling somewhat rested and extremely exposed on the old wooden pier, Brooklyn got up and walked to the shore.  

Why would there be a pier in the middle of nowhere? Someone must live near here.

Searching for some evidence of civilization, Brooklyn managed to find a path overgrown with vines that resembled poison ivy. That’s the last thing I need to deal with right now. Carefully stepping over the vines, she followed the dirt path until she reached a clearing. Oh no! What happened here?

Looking around, she saw remnants of several small cottages that had burned down long ago. Inspecting the ruins closer, she noticed cups, plates, and makeshift furniture appeared in some of the homes that weren’t damaged as badly.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” She knew she was taking a chance, but she was incredibly lost, not to mention scared. “Hello? Please, someone, I’m lost and I need help.”

Her heart was thumping too loudly in her chest to notice the slight movement in the bushes to her left.

“I… I… I can try to help you,” stammered a squeaky voice.

“Who’s there? Where are you?”

Stepping out of the bushes, a small furry creature appeared with teddy bear-like ears and big round dark eyes. “You look like an Ewok,” Brooklyn said with a smile.

“What’s an Ewok?”

“Um, don’t worry, it’s not important. My name is Brooklyn.”

“Really? Because you look just like Princess Sophie.”

Brooklyn scrunched up her nose. “Princess who?”

“Princess Sophie, don’t you know who that is?” he inquired.

“Nope, not a clue.”

“Wow, you must live in the Halias Swamp or something, I thought everybody knows who Princess Sophia is. Or was,” he replied correcting himself. “Anyways, my name is Albie, and I am from the Tribe of Topher.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Albie from the Tribe of Topher.

“Where do you hail from?” he asked.

Should I tell him where I am from? Maybe not yet, I better play it safe until I know I can trust him.

“Um, my family lives underground in a cave system, across the river, and deep in the forest.”

Albie gave her a quizzical look. “How in the world did you get here, my dear?”

“Well, that’s a bit of a complicated story, but the short version is that Grishma attacked my friend and me, and then it kidnapped me. I tried to get away by throwing myself in the river. Then, some creepy snake-like thing with tentacles froze the water around me and attacked me, so I poked it in the eyes, swam away, and pulled myself out.”

“Grishma kidnapped you and you got away? And a Nalun in the Swive River attacked you? How did you ever survive?”

She shrugged. “I guess I just decided I wasn’t going to die today.”

“I do believe you are the bravest young woman I have ever met. It would be my honor to escort you to my village. You may eat, rest, and stay as long as you like.”

“Well, I do believe you are one of the kindest Necohians I have ever met! Although I cannot stay long, I would be extremely grateful if I could get something to eat and a bit of rest before I depart to find my friend,” said Brooklyn.

“Come, Princess, ahem, I mean Brooklyn. Please follow me.”

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