Blood Water by Dean Vincent Carter Read Free Book Online

corner where he could watch,
hoping that somehow someone would set him free.
    They ran towards the car to get out of the rain.
    'I had no idea the weather was so bad,' Morrow said.
    'The bridge is flooded. The water is into the town
now. I've never seen it like this,' Sean told him. 'I don't
know how the rain can last this long. There hasn't been
a let-up to allow the water to drain away.'
    'Looks like the specimen chose the perfect time to
escape. So much panic and confusion.'
    'Where did you find it, Dr Morrow?' Sean asked as he
watched his brother struggle to get a clear view through
the windscreen.
    'In a small pool near the caves beyond the lake. It
was dormant, asleep. I thought it was a rock at first, it
was so hard. But when I picked it up it must have sensed
the warmth in my hand and it just . . . came to life. I
don't know how long it had been like that, but some
marine life can remain almost lifeless for years and years
before reawakening.'
    'Why didn't it infect you?'
    'It was slow and sluggish to begin with. And unlike
Holland I was careful. I'd never seen anything like it
before so I kept it in a jar while I studied it, only taking
it out when I wanted to see how it behaved with other
creatures. I used a mask and handled it with forceps. It's
funny, I thought the precautions I was taking were silly.
I was treating it like any other animal when . . . when
things started to go wrong.'
    'What other creatures did it infect?' Sean asked.
    'Just fish and one of the pythons. I didn't have time to
test it on anything else, but I imagine the results would
have been similar . . . If it was able to absorb information
from those creatures – basic information like the way
they moved – imagine what it could learn from a human
being . . . Although now I don't think I want to imagine
that at all. Several good people have died. I would be quite
happy to find that thing and destroy it, even if it is one of
a kind. It's far too dangerous. Shame . . . It could be one
of the most important discoveries of the natural world . . .'
    'But human lives come first,' James said.
    'Yes, exactly. Besides, we have no idea what its agenda
is – if it has one.'
    'Agenda? You mean it's not just killing for the sake
of it?'
    'I don't think so – at least not completely. When it
was in Holland it seemed agitated, like it was looking
for something. Maybe it did just want to go home.
Maybe it killed them all because it was scared. God,
what have I done?'
    'It's not your fault,' James said. 'You had no idea this
would happen.'
    He drove as fast as he dared. Sean watched the road
ahead for dangers. They came to two more floods, both
times driving through carefully. Morrow stayed silent
for a while, sitting back in his seat and thinking, perhaps
formulating a plan.
    The sky was growing ever darker and the rain was
heavier, if anything. Sean kept thinking of the river
water encroaching on the town, sliding hungrily towards
the shops. It could already be seeping into ground-floor
rooms, pouring into basements. What damage would it
do if it was allowed to rise even further? The visions that
went through his head were almost apocalyptic. He'd
seen news reports of floods around the world: people
on rooftops being winched up by helicopters, upside-down
cars floating down rivers, buildings collapsing,
possessions sinking or floating away for ever. It couldn't
possibly get that bad here, but if the rain didn't stop
soon, it would certainly cause devastation. He wondered
if his own house was in danger. He didn't think so. They
were quite a distance from the river, and higher up than
the town, but . . . Horrible thoughts came into his mind,
setting off his headache again.

CHAPTER 10
    As they approached the town, they started seeing other
cars. People were either leaving work early or collecting
their children from school, knowing it might be impossible
later. When they drove past the industrial