Hellboy: Unnatural Selection(10)

Good. Abe would only have to keep this thing occupied for a couple of minutes, at most.

He ducked under and swam deep, passing beneath the alligator's swaying tail and hindquarters and pausing underneath the barge for a few seconds to check the situation. To his left Abe could see the dangling legs of the tourists who had flung themselves into the water. They hung there as if embedded in the lagoons pale gray ceiling, some of them swimming away, many more simply doing their best to tread water. One or two were in trouble, but others seemed to be helping them for now. Abe's main concern was to his right: the staggering bulk of the alligator.

Its stomach was as wide as most creatures of this sort were long. Its rear legs were as long as a man was tall and tipped with claws that could rip Abe to shreds. Its hide was warty and thick, and Abe had no idea just what he could do to draw its attention.

Something scratched his foot. Abe looked down, and for once he gave thanks for humans' disregard for their environment. An old bicycle, wheelless and rusted, protruded from the lagoon bed beneath him. Death by bike, he thought, and the words were in his old red friend's voice. Abe could already imagine the conversation they would have over this one.

He could hear the buzz of the police launch approaching now. The alligator, consumed by its feeding frenzy, appeared not to have heard, and Abe wanted to keep it that way. He grabbed the bike, kicked away from the lagoon bed, and gave thanks when it plopped from the silt. No time to think. He turned and kicked out for the lizard, metal frame held out in front of him, rusted ragged and sharp, and a second before he struck the beast, Abe thought, Not enough momentum, won't even scratch it.

He was right. The frame sank into the belly of the beast, stretching its hide, and sprang straight back out.

Abe floated there for a second, wondering what the hell to do now, and then the alligator slipped from the boat and sank down to his level.

Its head was the size of a small car.

Oh crap, Abe thought, and he vowed to spend less time around Hellboy.

The alligator was incredibly fast for its size. It twisted in the water, bringing its wide mouth around to gulp him in, jaws opening, teeth ragged with torn flesh and snagged clothing. Abe dropped the bike and struck upward, passing just over the tip of the monster's snout, surfacing briefly before diving back down. Marini and his men had arrived and were taking aim, and it couldn't be soon enough for Abe.

No gunshots. His brief appearance must have confused them, and now they were holding back in case they hit him. Shoot shoot shoot, he thought, kicking hard and slinking beneath the hull of the barge. But the alligator followed, and within seconds Abe had led it to the other side of the barge, out of Marini's line of fire ... and straight into the area of dangling legs. He felt it chasing him, the great pressure wave of water pushed ahead of it setting the webbing between his toes vibrating, and he knew that he had maybe seconds in which to act.

He spread his fingers and toes and stopped dead in the water. Turned. Kicked out at the shadow bearing down on him. The impact sent him spinning, but he felt the grumble of pain from the lizard as his foot glanced from its nose and scraped across its eyes. His kick had been lucky, and maybe he would not find that luck the next time. He struck upward and, with two powerful strokes, broke surface. He held onto the side of the barge for a couple of seconds until he felt the pressure wave of the alligator rising toward him, then hauled himself up onto the boat.

An immensely fat woman with purple hair and wearing a bright yellow dress screamed, and Abe screamed back.

Water erupted behind him and then settled again, and he closed his eyes, relieved that the gator had not simply come up out of the lagoon for him. It had tried to second-guess him, as he had hoped ... but he was way ahead.

"Detective! Get ready!" Abe shouted as he crossed the barge, almost slipping in the bloody mess on the deck. Marini and his men aimed down at the water on their side, Marini glancing up nervously at him.

This was make or break.

Abe grabbed up the remains of one of the dead tourists — a bloody torso minus limbs and head — and lobbed it into the lagoon between the barge and the police launch.

A second later the alligator rose up and clasped the torso in its jaws, probably wondering why it did not taste fish-man flesh.

"Marini!" Abe shouted, but there was no need.

Marini and his men fired. The reports were tremendous, sounding over the water and echoing back from the surrounding buildings. Five shots each, six, and by the time the alligator sank out of sight, the echoes were crossing each other. One of the men continued firing until his rifle clicked on an empty chamber, and Marini had to press the man's arms down gently. The young officer was crying. He looked up at Abe and this time did not look away. Perhaps having faced the monster, he could recognize humanity when he saw it.