Page 41 of Fed By Fear

Gator’s white eyes watch me from the shadows.

“If you don’t untie me, I’ll drown.”

“No you won’t,” he answers, unblinking.

The water hits my waist. This entire cabin will be completely flooded in a matter of seconds.

“Please, untie me.” I can swim but not if I’m attached to a meat hook.

“No.” He’s infuriatingly calm given the situation.

Water crests above my chest. I kick, fighting to break free. The weight of the water slows my movements.

“Gator, I mean it.”

“So do I.”

Ice-cold water slides past my throat, unlocking a new level of panic. “Please. Untie me. Please. I’ll drown. I can’t—” The water covers my face. Tilting my head all the way back gives me a brief moment to suck in air before the freezing water crests over my scalp.

This is it. I’m going to die here.

Water rises above my hands and suddenly, I’m weightless. Pumping my legs twice pushes me upward. My chained hands slip over the hook with ease. Well, I wasn’t expecting that.

Great. I’m free. What now?

Glancing back to the corner sends a new chill up my spine. Gator is gone. My gaze whips side to side, searching the flooded room. I don’t see him. Fighting the fear of wherever he is and what he’s planning, I lock in to pure survival mode. The water is murky, making everything more challenging to see. I have a decent idea of where the cabin door is.

Swimming with my hands bound slows me significantly. I hit the front wall, clawing all around until I feel the doorframe. Hooking my fingers around the edge reveals that the front door is already cracked. I swim down, shimmying my shoulders to fit through the opening.

Something brushes past the back of my legs. I scream, wasting my precious remaining air. Not my brightest moment. Ignoring whatever is behind me, I follow the bubbles, out the door and up toward the surface. My lungs are so tight. The burn goes all the way through them and into my back. If I could get this damn chain off I’d be able to swim much faster. Instead, I’m forced to alternate between frog-pumping and quick kicks. I sink back a little every time I draw my legs back up and push off.

The water outside is far clearer. I can see a moon in the sky above. I’m getting closer. Rapidly kicking my legs delivers me to the top of the swamp.

Warm air bathes my face as I break the surface. Sucking in glorious lungfuls of air helps to fight off the burning ache still lingering. Keeping half of my face out of the water, I kick my way to the edge. Digging my fingers into the muddy bank slams my system with euphoria.

I made it. A laugh that feels wildly out of place springs out of me. “I made it!”

“Traded one horror for another, ghost girl.”

Slowly tilting my head up brings me straight into Hunt’s arachnid gaze. Crossed arms and bared teeth. His scaly body serpentines back and forth. Those black, lidless eyes glaring. Hovering beside him, Madness’s twin faces grin.

My reaction time surpasses what I would expect I am capable of in this moment. Swinging my legs forward, Ipush off the wall. My body shoots backwards in the water, bringing me nearer to the center of the flooded swamp.

Hunt shakes his head. “You do realize we can swim?”

Madness cackles maniacally. “Swim, yes, but we’re not the ones you should be afraid of right now.”

Both of their gazes lift over my head. The swamp trembles. I can feel him coming. Treading water, I turn. Spines jut from the surface. The protrusions lead to a bumpy green tail that’s cutting back and forth through the water. The front of the creature rises up, revealing ghostly white eyes.

Holy shit. Is that Gator?

He swims with unmatched speed straight toward me. Just before he reaches me, he ducks, disappearing beneath the surface.

Where the fuck did he go?

A shadow passes below. Something sharp scrapes across my calf. Gator’s terrifying form is fully revealed to me when I dip my face beneath the water.

The skin of an alligator runs from the point of his spiny tail to the end of his sharp-toothed mouth. His feet are tipped with curved talons that must be several inches. Powerful legs lead to a smooth-looking stomach and chest. His arms are overly long, so long they must drag on the floor when he walks. The hands are massive, spindly fingers with pointed claws.