Dead Water Zone by Kenneth Oppel Page A

railing.
    “Get him off!” he heard Monica yell. Her voice sounded a long way away.
    He pushed himself quickly to his feet and faced Sked. “All alone, aren’t you? No friends this time.” His voice was trembling, but he noticed that Sked looked uncertain.
    “You’re swimming home, Sked.”
    The spider boy laughed—a shrill, demented hooting that sent terror through Paul. Then Sked lunged. He clamped one thick hand around Paul’s windpipe, the other onto his ear, as if trying to rip it off his head. The searing pain paralyzed Paul for a second. He felt himself gag for breath. Light bloomed in the corners of his eyes—a bright, desperate purple. Very detached, he realized he was being strangled. Sked was trying to kill him. He was looking into Sked’s fevered, pockmarked face, smelling his breath. He was going to die.
    His vision wavered, and for a moment he was looking into the face of Randy Smith. With a sudden rage he drove his numb fist into Sked’s chin, and the hands loosened. Paul felt a burst of dark,intense pleasure. He lashed out again, punching Sked in the stomach, winding him. The hands fell away from his throat and ear. Another punch in the face sent Sked staggering back. Paul danced forward and struck him again. He realized he was bellowing, a deep guttural roar racking his throat. He could feel the superb strength of his body, wanting to break bones, see blood.
    He pinned Sked to the deck by sitting on his legs. He caught him around the neck with both hands, squeezing.
    “How’s that?” he shouted feverishly into the spider boy’s face. “How does that feel?”
    Sked’s fingers tried to pry away his hands, but Paul held tight, tighter.
    “Just get him off, Paul!”
    The spell was broken. Paul looked down at Sked, took hold of his leather jacket, and half dragged, half lifted him toward the side of the boat.
    “You’re dead!” Sked screeched hoarsely, and then he was laughing again. “They’re going to get you! You are dead !”
    Paul shoved him backward into the night water and watched him flailing about until he was swallowed by the mist. He dropped to his knees. It hurt to swallow, and there was a faint ringing in his right ear. Several fingers were already swollenaround the joints, and he could only bend them halfway. His stomach lurched and he made it to the railing just in time. He’d been ready to kill Sked—he would have done it. A second wave of nausea swept over him.
    A hand rested gently on the back of his neck. “You all right?”
    He spat to clear his mouth, waiting for his breathing to smooth out.
    “I thought you were going to kill him.”
    “Me, too.”
    “I would have stopped sooner, but I saw another boat. I just wanted to get as far away as possible.” She took his hands carefully between hers. They felt cool and soothing against his burning skin.
    “Your brother set us up,” he rasped.
    She stared into the mist.
    “He was the only one who knew where we were! Monica, are you listening to me?”
    “I’m listening,” she replied, her voice expressionless.
    “He told Cityweb where to find us! They wanted to kill us! Both of us! Why’d Armitage do that?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Your own brother!”
    “I don’t know why he did it, all right? He’s gothis own reasons, probably. You can’t trust anyone, not even family. They all betray you in the end! Look what you did to your brother!”
    “That’s not fair! It’s not the same!”
    She wasn’t listening. “Everyone does it to everyone else. You should never trust anyone!” She was raging through her tears now. “You should never put yourself in a position to lose! I was stupid to get involved in any of this,” she muttered in disgust. “Look at us!” She flung out her thin hands at the fog. “This is a loser’s situation.”
    “Where are we?”
    She sighed, jamming her hands into her pockets. “Out in the shipping lanes.”
    Foghorns sounded mournfully across the water, seemingly from all