52

 

Over the hum of the machinery, Chase heard glass breaking and wood splintering, then a low, guttural sound.

 

*          *          *          *          *

 

It crossed the threshold into the large room, focusing on the faint pink glow.

It heard machine sounds, and saw a big rigid object in the center of the room.  The glow came from inside it.  It shuffled over to the object, moved to the end where a round door hung open and bent down.

In the dim light, it saw at the far end of the object a human, like the one it had recently vanquished, but slighter, weaker, frightened.

Prey.  Easy prey.

It stepped inside.

 

*          *          *          *          *

 

Chase smelled sourness and salt and rot, heard a footfall on the steel.

He didn't dare look down, didn't dare make any movement that would alter his reflection in the mirror.

The thing passed him, and now he could see the hairless ivory flesh of its legs and buttocks, the webbing between its toes, the curved steel claws clotted with blood.

Chase's legs began to cramp.  He willed himself not to move, and begged the thing to keep going.  Two more steps, he thought, just two more, then he could... the thing stopped.

 

*          *          *          *          *

 

It was confused, something was wrong.  The human was there and then not there, and it saw something else, something it did not recognize.

Suddenly it knew.  It was seeing itself.

With a roar of rage, it turned.

 

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