Chapter 5
"Well," Emily said as they eyed the small dark lake just outside of town, "Where is it?"
They had followed the GPS here, but nothing seemed to be happening. Forest Coal Lake was a manmade lake, practically a giant pond, with bushes here and there along the winding edge. They created private little swimming nooks. It had a dirt bank, and was grassy. They used to play catch in the water with little gobs of algae. Kind of gross, now that Emily thought about it.
Will glanced around, into the dark woods and hills surrounding them. Spooky. About half a block away was a little all night café. And on the other side of the road were houses, all dark and quiet for the night.
"Maybe it's in the water," Will said.
Emily glanced down at the dark rippling water. "Mmm," she said, tapping the surface with her toe. "Looks pretty calm to me."
Just then a giant black slimy creature vaulted out of the lake and slammed Emily to the ground as she screamed.
Will screamed too and fell backwards. He got up quickly and tried to pry the creature off of Emily. It was sort of manhandling her. Possibly trying to strangle her, but couldn't quite figure out how. its "skin" looked like black green tar, but not solid, more gel-like. And not smooth. It was kind of like those cakes that had that scalloped pattern all over them. But it wasn't neat like that, like scalloped frosting. It was more like someone had tried to scallop frost with black whip cream or something. Gloppy and messy like that. 'I'm doing it again,' Will thought. Over analyzing.
He tried to kick the creature, but it wouldn't budge. He pushed, he pulled. Nothing was moving this thing.
Emily was punching it with her fists. Trying to hurt it with the pointy edge of her knuckles. Knowing she didn't have much strength, but she could cause pain maybe. It sort of had a hold of her shoulders and was shaking her a little bit. Her fists sort of sunk into it an inch or two before they hit something solid. It was kind of making her nauseous. Then it sort of laid down on top of her, to squish her or something and she couldn't hit it anymore. And she couldn't breathe really. She squirmed underneath it, and it still tried to shake her by the shoulders, slammed her back onto the ground now and then. She yelped. Her heart was pounding. She could see Will hopping back and forth over the monster, trying to get it off.
Then Will came around to her head and stood behind her. He reached down and grabbed under her arms and pulled as he simultaneously kicked the creature in the face. That seemed to distract it. Though not as much as you might think. For a thing being kicked in the face it barely registered mild annoyance. But it let go of Emily and tried to swat Will's foot away, as Will pulled Emily to her feet and got her away from the creature.
Emily gave the creature another angry kick in the head as soon as she was on her feet.
"Whoa," Will said.
They started to stumble away from it, but then it got up and started stalking towards them like a big slimy bigfoot. Will took one step towards it, turned to the side, and kicked one foot high in the air as he jumped and smacked the creature square in the chest with his foot. It fell backwards with a thump into the dirt.
"Ow," Will said as he awkwardly landed back on the earth. He grabbed Emily and helped her run as the creature, stunned for a moment, got up again into a crouch. It glared after them, or it seemed to. It didn't actually have eyes. Or a face. Just gloppy black green slime where its face should be. Then it turned and sort of slithered or slunk back into the lake. Making a big ripple that settled quickly.
Will was invigorated. Having beaten the monster back so easily. "Well," he said happily, "That wasn't so bad."
Emily, covered from head to toe in black green slime, snapped around to face him. She gave him her best PMS look. Will gasped.
"I'm sorry," he said. He patted her on the shoulder. He barely had any slime on him. She was fuming now.
"Come, my darling," he said gently, "Let's read up on how to stop this thing." She stopped fuming a little.
"Was that a kung fu kick?" she asked sulkily.
"Have you seen my movies?" he asked in his strange dignified British voice. She swatted him.
They got to the picnic table where they had left their backpack before. Will wiped his slimy hands on his jeans and said, "Maybe I'd better look in the book."
Emily sat down moodily, looking at her slime covered arms in dismay.
Will flipped through the pocket guide, by the light of the small pen light. "Hmm," he said.
"'Hmm' what?" Emily asked.
He said nothing, only continued to read, fascinated.
Emily cleared her throat loudly. "Oh, yes," Will said, realizing he should be reading aloud to her. "'The slime monster guards bodies of water and is very territorial. It will attack anyone who tries to touch or go into the water it has claimed as its own.'..." He read further to himself and said, "Wow." Emily crossed her arms and pouted, slime dripping off of her. She kicked him under the table.
"Ow," he started speaking again, "It says it comes from some other dimension, and there is a tear most likely under the water. It's too hard to get down there to make it go back through it, so... we have to kill it," he looked at her with a grimace.
She sighed. He went on, "To kill it you need to pour salt in its... eyes." He looked grossed out.
Emily looked incredulous, and like she was at the end of her rope. "Fine," she said seethingly, and got up from the table.
She started stomping in the direction of the all night café. Will trotted after her. "You really don't like getting dirty, do you?" he said.
"I was almost killed!" she screeched.
Will looked around to make sure no one had heard that. No house lights came on. She fumed some more as they walked.
"This is stupid!" She said, "It doesn't even have eyes!"
Will looked in the book awkwardly with the pen light as they quickly walked, "Well," he said, "They sort of have an eye 'area'. Hit it with the salt in its 'eye area'."
"Oh, I will," Emily said angrily.
It was kind of cute when she got angry. 'Cause she was so non-threatening looking. Will tried not to smile at her.
They reached the café, and Emily stormed inside, took a salt shaker off of an empty table, and looked at the nearby waitress, who was staring at her with her mouth slightly open. Emily in fluorescent light covered in black green slime was quite a startling sight.
"Thank you!" Emily said briskly as she marched right back outside with the shaker of salt. Will quickly dug in his pocket for a few coins and left them on the table as a tip. He gave the waitress an apologetic look as he slunk back out the door after his crazed wife.
He followed Emily as she walked quickly and determinedly back toward the lake.
"Whoa," he said. "Don't we want to think this through? It's a big ugly messy creature, Em. We can't just go charging after it."
But she was not listening. She went right back up to the edge of the lake and bent down to tap the surface with her fingers. "Hey, slime monster!" She yelled. Will once again looked around at the quiet houses.
It took a moment longer than the first time, but as expected the slime monster projected itself out of the water quickly and tried to attack Emily. She had unscrewed the lid of the salt shaker and now quickly tossed the loose salt into the creature's face.
It screamed with a disgusting gloppy choked sound and grabbed its 'face.' It stumbled and fell forward onto the ground. They both jumped back to avoid it. It rolled around on the ground for a moment, clutching its face and moaning a muffled watery moan and then it stopped. It lay still. Emily crept forward gingerly and tapped its elbow with her toe. The slime monster instantly became a puddle of shapeless goo. They both gasped, it was so sudden. The black ooze started to roll gloppily back toward the lake. It was on the bank that sloped down into the water.
"Ew," Emily said.
"Yes," Will agreed. He was feeling a bit nauseous now.
"We have to seal the tear in the lake now," Emily sai
d.
"What?" Will stumbled after her as she stalked back over to the table. "Is that even possible? It's underwater."
"Look in your little book," she waved her hand at him as she dug around for the Veil Sealer. "I know the gadget does that." She pulled out the black shoe horn and started messing with the settings as she walked back over to the lake.
Will shuffled through his book nervously as he walked along beside her. "Oh!" he said, reaching the right part of the book, "It says underwater sealing..." he trailed off as he watched her work.
She didn't need his instructions. She had studied the user guides a bit during their down time. She had readjusted the settings and now set the Veil Sealer on the surface of the lake.
Will said, "But—" then stopped.
"It's waterproof," Emily said.
And apparently it floated too. It was a timed release charge that went off a few seconds after you set it to 'Underwater Seal'. Suddenly it buzzed slightly and the whole lake lit up for a few seconds with a blue white otherworldly glow. Then it settled into darkness again. Emily picked up the dripping Veil Sealer and stood up. She put its settings back to normal and turned it off.
Just then a pretty little glowing haze of light fluttered by, from behind them and then past the bushes. It looked like a flock of partly transparent mystical fairy butterflies. Emily stood perfectly still.
"I'm going to choose to ignore that," She said. She turned around quickly and went back to the picnic table.
Will looked in awe after the butterflies, but couldn't see where they had gone.
He joined her back at the picnic table where she was packing up their stuff again, "Obviously, we are going home now," she said. But before she had even finished speaking the tinkling music alarm began to go off again.
He could see the inner fury rising up in her again.
It burst out of her all at once. "No!" She hopped up and down with anger.
"Aww," he said. He took her by the shoulders. "Come on, here we go..."
"'Here we go' where?" She said, once again sulking.
He had an idea. He grabbed the backpack and led her across the road quietly to one of the houses. They went around to the back yard. She looked at him, puzzled.
He set down the bag and grabbed the nearby garden hose. He mimed hosing her off. She rolled her eyes and held out her arms. He turned the squeaky hose knob as quietly as he could and began to spray her with water. She scrunched up her face as the cold water hit her. He brushed slime off her as he watered her down. It came off fairly easily, considering how muddy it looked. She was a sopping wet shivering mess by the time he was done. He carefully washed his hands in the water and rinsed the slime off his shoes.
Emily cocked her head at him and smiled.
Will sucked in his breath, "What?"
She held out her hand and he reluctantly handed her the hose. He spread his arms and closed his eyes, waiting for the torture. Emily happily sprayed cold water all over him, soaking him completely. And brushing off the one or two slime spots on his sweatshirt. She turned off the hose with a squeak.
"All better," she said. Just then a light came on inside the house.
"Who's out there?" An older man's voice said out the open window.
Emily and Will quickly tip toed out of the yard.