CHAPTER SEVEN

‘Who is that?’ Jane called.

‘I aint no fear on,’ came a warbled voice, and even though she couldn’t see around the giant tree trunk to see what had spoken, Jane knew that she was dealing with another swamp hog. She immediately thought that she knew how to deal with this monster: she just had to use the name 'Elion'.

Sure enough, a swamp hog slunk around the tree and here, finally Jane saw one up close. The creature had the head of a pig, with tusks thrusting up from either side of its snout. The tusks were slick with mucus. Its head was huge and bristly, and its eyes were bloodshot. It had a body like a human, or an ape, and it walked on two legs. It stood over six feet tall and its muscles were shredded, and rugged, like somebody had twisted up heavy ropes and made them into arms and legs. It wore ragged pants that split over its muscles, and a grey shirt that was torn and stretched and filthy.

It sniffled and bubbles formed along its black flews.

Jane clenched her fists, and breathed out slowly and took in a sharp breath. A shot of adrenaline ran up through her chest and neck and into her brain. A quiver started in her lower back and spread to her arms and legs. Every tiny hair on her body stood straight.

'In the name of Elion ... leave.'

The swamp hog hesitated, suddenly suspicious that Jane might actually be dangerous. Its eyes crawled with indecision between being obedient to the name of 'Elion' and what it meant, and between its wild desire to do something sick and violent. It coughed out a wad of phlegm that travelled several feet, then it took another decisive step toward Jane.

She knew that this hog was different then the one she had chased away back down at the creek.

The hog said, ‘You gwin paint leaves red.’

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The swamp hog turned its snout to look out over the rope guardrail. It dripped mucous over the edge of the rail, and the mucous fell and flew apart. Jane read the hog’s mind: it intended to throw her over the edge, where she would plummet a thousand feet through the huge woods to her death. She had no illusions about the creature’s strength – underneath the bristled skin it was wired with muscle.

Immediately below Jane was a large branch with a dozen smaller branches hanging off it and fat leaves hanging off the branches. This might be just close enough to jump to.

Without turning, she spoke to Tom.

‘I am going to jump to that branch below and while I am doing it I want you to run.’

Tom didn’t answer.

Jane lowered her weight over her pelvis, putting a slight bend in her knees, and prepared for the hog’s attack.

The hog’s eyes travelled to the branch and its slobbering mouth opened in a confident grin.

Keeping her eyes on the hog Jane climbed over the guard rope and held it while she leaned out over the colossal fall.

This move confused the hog and once again it strained to think about how to handle this new development. It suddenly strode toward Jane with a growl rumbling up from its chest.

Just as the hog lunged Jane sprung into the air. She grasped the creature around the head and tipped her body over the guide rope with the hog’s head smothered into her breast, tipped so that the momentum of her weight joined the creature’s forward motion. The creature folded over the safety rope, dangerously off balance. Slowly, slowly, Jane’s weight dragged the creature past the tipping point. The creature’s legs rose from the boardwalk and its body teetered between life and death. Then, with Jane holding it by the head, it fell.

Jane didn’t fall.

In something akin to an illusion, she released the creature’s head and seized the supporting rope that ran under the walkway, and now she swung above the drop, supported by one arm and a shoulder that had just been wrenched. The squealing swamp hog plummeted from sight and after a long moment it thudded into the floor of the woods.

Jane held the rope and rested for a moment, gathering her strength. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder she brought her right hand up to the lower rope on the walkway’s guardrail, and swung her body sideways and clawed her feet up onto the wooden walkway. She rolled under the guide rope onto the boardwalk. She stood and shut her eyes and took two large breaths, and let the tension out with a hiss.

She said, ‘We’re safe now.’

She turned.

Tom was gone, replaced by another swamp hog, this one larger than the one that had plummeted.