standing next to a manual crank take his hands off it.
“But if I don’t, it might snap! The entire setup will be ruined. Three hundred and—”
“I don’t care about the money!” Ólafur’s voice booms out, floating over the water effortlessly. We’re not the only ones listening, and I see many of the Taxin that were underwater pop their heads up, staring at them both.
Lilibeth grabs my wrist, while her eyes stay glued to the choppy water. “This may be tricky, so keep an eye on the churning water.” Wrapping my arms around her, I phase to the choppiest area I can see from where we stand. As we look down from the gateway, it looks much the same as it did last time we were in this situation earlier today.
“It’s more, isn’t it?” Lilibeth’s voice sounds tired, and I know exactly how she feels. We’re far enough out that the reef has dropped off into the black depths of the ocean. But we’re also over where the water is churning, and there are flashing scales and white eyes, milling over each other and pressing against a protective net barrier that was installed for the dock.
We both look down, and Lilibeth sighs. “This must only go around so far. I’m sure they could only afford to put it a certain distance. Somewhere along the lines, some of them must have gotten out or in or something?”
“Mm,” is all I answer as we watch them continue to pummel the barrier. They must have been in the deeper depths? It’s hard to say exactly, but it looks like it isn’t going to matter for much longer.
It’s impossible, but I think like I hear the netting tear. They’re gnawing on the netting at the spot where food comes out from the channel. What hasn’t already been eaten is floating by, but I don’t think that’s why these infected Taxin continue to thrash.
In one particular area, the food is clumped together and floating on top of the water. A part of me is relieved to see the meal isn’t identifiable. I’m not sure what species they’ve shipped in from Teleplay, but it’s thankfully been dehydrated and ground up.
The Wen-infected Taxin below us ignore the clump. They’re concentrating on breaking through the barrier further down from us, and it doesn’t take long to see why. Groups of slow-moving young female Taxin are swimming along leisurely , following the food out into the deeper water, oblivious to the danger they’re putting themselves in.
Adult Taxin have begun following them out, after noticing what’s going on. Cutting off their spawn, they begin herding the youth back, but it’s too late. The sheer scale of the infected cluster overwhelms the barrier, and it doesn’t rip so much as snap. With a ricochet back, the barrier parts, and crazed, snapping faces with blank milky white eyes head for the group.
“Fuck!” Lilibeth and I phase closer, watching helplessly as the infected Taxin overtake the adults. “What do we do?”
She’s crouched down where we hover over the water, and I snatch her up, phasing us to the shore. The last thing I need is her interacting with the Earth dimension while we’re out over the water. It’d be bad if we fell in while that swarm invades the shore.
We watch as more Taxin jump into the water, hauling the youth out. There’s yelling back and forth as they begin to look for safety. I snatch one of the young Taxin from the shore and bring it to where I see some of the Taxin police representatives farther back, motioning me to their open vehicles. Lilibeth follows suit, grabbing a young Taxin in the water and running it to the cars. We are all running back and forth, but I only make two trips before I see the first blood tinging the top of the water. Gurgled cries begin as the Taxin adults attempt to get out of the water. Ólafur’s head pops up only a short distance away, carrying two Taxin females slung over his arms.
Just as I pick up a female that’s managed to pull itself from the water, I see Ólafur’s face contort as he yells, collapsing down in the water to his knees. The young females are practically thrown at me, and I snatch a wiggling, wet body while Lilibeth catches the other. We’re able to phase back from the car after dropping them off, but I can’t help but think how much easier it’d be if we could phase