50

 

"Why can't we just run?" asked Max.  He was pale and fidgety, and he seemed about to cry.  "It can't catch all of us, not if we spread out."

"No, Max," Chase said, putting one arm around his son, the other around Elizabeth, who trembled slightly but seemed impassive, as if prepared to accept whatever could happen.  "I don't want it to catch any of us, especially not you two."

He went to the window, shaded his eyes and peered out into the darkness.  He could see the thing more clearly now, a ghostly shape against the black.  How much time did they have?  Chase couldn't tell, for the thing was moving slowly, veering left and right, almost aimlessly... almost, but not quite, for with every brief tack it advanced a few feet closer to the house.

"Let's do it," he said.  He turned to Amanda.  "Are you sure you've got the sequence down?"

"Positive.  But I still—"

"Good."  Chase took the children's hands and led them to a small closet behind the decompression chamber.  "It'll be dark," he said, "but you can handle that, right?  Amanda'll be with you."

Tentatively, the children nodded, and stepped into the closet.

Chase held out his hand to Amanda, moved close to her and whispered, "If anything goes wrong — anything — take the kids and head for the Mako.  You should have plenty of time; the least I can do is stall the goddamn thing."

"Simon..."

Impulsively, Chase kissed her.  "In you go," he said, and he ushered her into the closet and closed the door.

He went to the control panel on the wall, pushed the master button that activated the decompression chamber.  There was a hum as the machinery engaged, and a hiss as the pressure tanks buried in the walls began to fill.  He turned the lights out in the room, all except the pressure-shielded pink bulb inside the chamber.

The he climbed through the hatch and crouched down, waiting.

 

White Shark
titlepage.xhtml
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_000.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_001.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_002.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_003.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_004.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_005.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_006.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_007.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_008.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_009.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_010.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_011.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_012.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_013.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_014.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_015.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_016.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_017.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_018.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_019.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_020.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_021.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_022.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_023.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_024.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_025.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_026.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_027.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_028.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_029.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_030.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_031.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_032.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_033.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_034.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_035.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_036.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_037.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_038.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_039.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_040.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_041.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_042.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_043.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_044.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_045.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_046.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_047.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_048.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_049.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_050.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_051.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_052.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_053.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_054.html
Benchley, Peter - White Shark_split_055.html