Chapter 4
Separated again from Rosie, Sheena had given up hope. She thought she
was beyond fear, as well, but now she discovered she was wrong.
It wasn't the small, foul-smelling man behind her that frightened her.
It was what lay ahead: the river.
She was accustomed to danger. She had faced the jungle's fiercest
predators. Some she had defeated in battle. Some she had stared down. Some she
had even befriended.
But the river toward which she and this evil little man were headed was
the home of creatures that could not be intimidated, could not be negotiated
with, and could not be defeated - at least not without high-powered guns. And
she had nothing, not even a knife. Already, she could hear their low voices.
Without realizing it, she had slowed her pace, and now Dooley slammed a
fist into her kidneys.
"Keep moving, bitch," he barked.
She stumbled forward, then turned to face him.
"Where do you take me?"
"I told you, cunt, we're going for a swim. Ever been fucked underwater?
You're gonna love it."
She started to answer him, but he cut her short with a vicious punch to
the belly. She fell to her knees, and he strode past her, through the brush, to
the river bank.
"Here we are, sweetheart," he said cheerfully. "Last one in is a rotten
egg."
He yanked the rope and dragged her by the neck to the edge of the river.
Even as she fought to breathe, she heard the low, reptilian voices - full of
excitement, and hunger.
Dooley bent over her and loosened the rope around her neck. "Don't want
you choking to death on me, honey," he said. "That would spoil all the fun."
Her hands were useless, but her legs were free. She quickly brought up
one knee and smashed it into the side of Dooley's head. He toppled into the
water, and she scrambled back onto her feet.
Dooley came out of the river roaring with anger - just in time to catch
a kick in the face.
Again, he was in the water. Blood spurted from his nose, which had been
flattened by the force of the blow. He wore a look of surprise and dismay.
Sheena had no intention of allowing him to gather his senses. As he
tried to pull himself out of the river, she kicked out again, but missed.
Suddenly, she found herself off balance and fell onto her back.
Now, it was Dooley's turn to use his legs. He raised a booted foot, then
slammed it into Sheena's exposed stomach. She groaned and curled up on her side.
He kicked her savagely in the back.
"Fuckin' bitch," he screamed. "You broke my fuckin' nose." Again and
again, he kicked her. Then he grabbed the rope, leaped into the river and pulled
her in after him.
The water momentarily revived her, and she struggled to escape. But with
her wrists bound and Dooley squeezing her throat and pressing all his weight on
her, the situation was hopeless. For twenty seconds, thirty seconds, forty
seconds she held her breath. They stared at one another, their faces no more
than two feet apart, hers underwater, his dripping blood into the river. Then
she could hold no longer, and her breath came rushing out in a fury of bubbles.
The air was replaced by water, which quickly filled her lungs. Her body
shuddered, then her eyes rolled back and she went limp.
"Good-bye, bitch," Dooley said hoarsely.
They were his last words. The crocodile had glided up to him unnoticed.
Now, with a quickness that belied its great size, it lunged forward and snapped
its jaws shut on Dooley's head.
The croc retreated slowly backward, into the river, its stateliness
marred only by Dooley's wildly thrashing arms and legs. Then, it and Dooley
disappeared, leaving only ripples on the surface of the greenish-brown water.
# # #
Gene arrived seconds too late to see his friend go under. But he saw
Sheena floating face down only a few feet from the bank. And he saw two
crocodiles swimming toward her.
He jumped into the water, grabbed the girl and pushed her onto the
shore. He followed clumsily, his hands and feet desperately seeking purchase on
the wet mud. He rolled onto the bank just as the first croc raised its head.
"Get the fuck away," he yelled.
He dragged Sheena from the edge of the river, but the crocs now were
clambering onto land, too.
"Help," he screamed. "Help me get her out of here!"
The crocodiles moved fast. For a fraction of a second, Gene considered
leaving Sheena and making a run for it. Then greed kicked in. He grabbed the
rope around her neck and swung her over his shoulder. He felt a tug at his pants
leg, and heard a loud rip as he pulled away, leaving a croc with a mouthful of
wet denim.
