400 Minutes of Danger Read online

  35:40 Eggs, Sally realised. Big ones.

  ‘Larvae.’ Volchek was digging through his satchel. ‘They would be easier to capture and transport than a full-grown specimen. If we can scoop some out …’

  Sally didn’t hear the rest of his sentence—because she saw something moving on Volchek’s back. Something she had thought impossible.

  35:20 She shrieked and scrambled away.

  Volchek glared at her. ‘What is the matter with you?’

  ‘On your back!’ she squeaked.

  Volchek stiffened. His eyes went wide with terror.

  The creature on his back was even bigger than a lobster. Its spindly legs looked like unfolded coat-hangers, stiff and metallic. Its membranous wings were as long as short swords, and shimmered with a rainbow tremor. Its proboscis was a cruel spike, poised over Volchek’s shoulder blade.

  ‘Get it off me!’ he hissed. ‘Get it off!’

  34:50 Sally lifted the butterfly net. Would the creature even fit inside it? What if she swung and the mosquito came after her?

  She hesitated too long.

  The mega-mosquito stabbed its proboscis into Volchek’s back.

  34:05 He screamed in agony and horror. The mosquito’s eyes glittered as it sucked his blood through the tube. Volchek slapped at his shoulder, but couldn’t reach the giant insect. His arms started to flail slower and slower. He was going pale.

  Sally swung the butterfly net. It struck the mosquito, but wasn’t enough to dislodge it. The creature clung to Volchek’s back, draining the life from him.

  33:10 Sally abandoned the butterfly net and hurled the carry cage instead. It crashed into Volchek, knocking him off his feet—and crushing one of the mosquito’s legs. The giant insect leaped off him, wings buzzing, and turned to face Sally.

  Without the carry cage, she was defenceless. The butterfly net was clearly no help. She backed away as the huge mosquito hummed through the air towards her, a nightmare come to life.

  She tripped over a half-buried root and hit the dirt. The mosquito floated down towards her, as graceful as a dandelion.

  Desperate for something—anything—she could use to protect herself, she grabbed a fallen branch and swung it.

  32:30 31:45 The leaves smashed into the insect, unleashing a cloud of pollen. The creature squeaked like a speaker with a failing battery, and buzzed back. Sally expected it to come at her for another try, and brandished the branch threateningly. But the mosquito didn’t seem to want to get near her makeshift weapon. It drifted away across the lake.

  A sour smell lingered in the air. She sniffed the branch. It smelled a bit like insect repellent. Could it have discouraged the creature from attacking again?

  ‘Doctor Volchek,’ she whispered. ‘Are you OK?’

  Volchek moaned. His eyes had rolled back into his skull. His lips were blue.

  31:25 ‘We have to get out of here,’ she hissed. ‘Before it comes back.’

  No response. He must have lost too much blood. She thought of the pigs he had described—dry husks rotting away. She wished she had believed him.

  29:50 Sally jammed the insect-repelling branch into the back of her jeans, grabbed Volchek’s hands and tried to pull him to his feet, but he couldn’t support his own weight. Instead she held him by his armpits and dragged him back up the trail. His heels left twin tracks in the mud.

  Volchek was heavy, and it was slow going. Sally would be exhausted by the time she got to the plane. But she had no choice—it was her fault he was like this. If she hadn’t panicked, if she had swung the butterfly net earlier, he might have been OK.

  ‘Stay awake, OK?’ she told him. ‘Don’t die. Please don’t die.’

  She scanned the surrounding forest as she hauled him along. There was no sign of the mosquito. Maybe it was reluctant to stray too far from its nest. Or maybe the smell of the branch was putting it off.

  29:00 A strange noise echoed through the forest. A low hum, like a passing plane. Sally looked up, but the sky was barely visible through the canopy.

  She knew the rest of the path was mostly uphill. She didn’t like her chances of dragging Volchek up the steepest bits, but she didn’t want to leave him behind and go on ahead.

  They were somewhere remote. Mr List probably owned any planes flying through here. If she could flag it down …

  There was no time to waste. She dropped Volchek and scrambled up the nearest tree. The branches were thick and the leaves were thin—it was perfect for climbing. In no time at all she was pushing her head through the canopy.

  27:55 Sally squinted in the harsh daylight. She hadn’t realised how dark it was down there in the jungle. Eyes watering, she scanned the cloudless blue sky.

  She couldn’t see a plane—and that meant it couldn’t see her. It must be too high.

  But the droning was getting louder.

  27:30 Movement caught her eye in the treetops, back near the lake. She turned to look.

  At first she couldn’t make sense of what she saw. Her brain refused to accept it. Then the thing came closer, and it became impossible to deny.

  It was another mosquito—but it was huge, almost as big as a car. It was too large to fly. Instead it hopped, gigantic wings keeping it aloft for just long enough to glide from one treetop to the next. The sun glinted off its segmented black skin. Its clawed feet tore holes in the canopy. It looked like something out of a Greek myth. A monster that had escaped from the underworld.

  26:50 The mosquito Sally had seen before must have been a baby. This was an adult—possibly the mother of the eggs. It looked angry. It was almost a hundred metres away, but already she could see that its alien eyes were fixed on her.

  25:40 She let go of the branch she had been holding and fell down to the jungle floor, twigs scraping her arms. The ground was soft but she hit it hard, jarring all her joints. Swallowing the pain, she grabbed Volchek by his wrists and tugged him up the track. The adrenaline made him seem no heavier than a bowling ball.

  The droning of the mother mosquito’s wings got louder. Surely it couldn’t see her through the trees. Would it be able to smell her over the repellent branch? Maybe it could sense the hot blood under her skin.

  The plane was still at least a kilometre away, and the monster was getting closer. What could she do?

  No-one knew where they were. She was going to die in a remote forest, her body sucked dry and left to rot amongst the dead leaves—

  A bush next to the trail had the same leaves and the same insect-repellent scent as the branch sticking out of her pocket. Perhaps it would offer some protection. She hauled Volchek towards it.

  25:05 She was almost there when the mega-mosquito exploded through the foliage above, wings buzzing as it plummeted down like a falling chandelier. Its claws stretched out on long legs.

  Sally scrambled into the bushes and lay still beside Volchek, heart thudding. Had the mosquito seen her?

  24:20 There was silence for a moment. Then she heard the clicking of the leviathan’s joints as it walked up and down the path.

  Sally held her breath, hoping it couldn’t smell her through the sour odour of the flowers on the bush.

  23:50 A shadow crossed the leaves. The clicks came closer and closer. Then they stopped.

  23:40 Sally had never been so terrified in her life. She desperately wanted to cover her eyes and pretend this wasn’t happening.

  She screamed as the proboscis plunged through the leaves, stabbing the air right beside her head. A wicked barb bristled on the tip, ready to tear her flesh open and draw out the blood inside.

  23:25 The proboscis withdrew. Sally scrabbled backwards, trying to get deeper into the bush. She grabbed Volchek by the collar and hauled him in, just in time—the proboscis punched through the leaves again, eager and quivering. It missed Volchek’s leg by inches.

  She grabbed the deadly tube, hoping to break it off. But the shaft was covered with sharp hairs which stung her palm like thorns. She let go, and it disappeared.

 
The mosquito clearly didn’t want to come into the bushes, but she couldn’t keep dodging it forever. Sooner or later, that terrifying mouth would get her or Volchek. There was no way they could survive.

  Maybe she could leave Volchek here and draw the monster away. If she was on her own, she might be able to outrun it.

  23:00 Click, click, click. The mosquito was edging its way around the shrubbery for another try.

  Sally took a deep breath. Then she leaped out of her hiding place.

  She’d jumped out the far side, so the bush was between her and the mosquito—but it saw her immediately. Dozens of eyes rolled to face her, and the creature charged like an angry bull.

  22:40 Sally dodged around the tree trunks until she reached the trail, and then broke into a sprint. She could hear it chasing her, legs clicking, wings droning.

  It was faster than she had thought. She was in deep, deep trouble.

  The track was getting steeper, giving the mega-mosquito the advantage. It could jump from one rocky outcrop to the next, while Sally had to scramble around the tight turns. The huge wings buzzed like a chainsaw.

  She could feel it getting closer. She was going to die.

  21:35 The rushing of a waterfall ahead almost drowned out the humming wings. Through the trees she could see the white foam disappearing over the rocks.

  The drop was at least ten metres, and Sally had no idea how deep the water was below.

  If she kept running along this path, the mosquito would catch her. But if she jumped over the waterfall, she might be pulverised by sharp rocks at the bottom.

  That was better than being eaten alive by a giant mosquito. She ran towards the top of the waterfall.

  The creature gave chase, but the densely packed trees benefited Sally now. She could slip between them, while the mosquito’s wingspan forced it to go around.

  20:40 All too soon she was standing in ankle-deep water at the brink of the falls, realising that she’d made a terrible mistake. Just looking at the river below made her dizzy. It was too far. She couldn’t possibly survive the drop.

  The mega-mosquito buzzed menacingly behind her. It had made it through the trees. It scuttled closer, shoving ferns and branches aside and then launched itself into the air, blocking out the sun. Its claws unfolded as it descended towards Sally.

  20:20 Sally stepped off the edge of the waterfall.

  Gravity took her immediately. Her stomach tried to crawl up her throat. The spray from the waterfall painted the whole world white. The wind roared in her ears as she plummeted towards the river.

  19:35 Smash! Sally hit the water feet first. The impact sent painful shocks up her legs. She was immediately sucked under the cold torrent. Too late, she realised there was no air in her lungs.

  She panicked, thrashing around as the current pulled her down the river. Her clothes were dragging her down. She couldn’t find the surface. The water was thick with dirt. She couldn’t see.

  One foot bounced against the riverbed. She tried to stand, but the turbulent currents knocked her over. She did an involuntary somersault, and water flooded up her nose. She was dizzy. Her chest ached. Her feet hit the ground again and she kicked, pushing herself upwards.

  18:20 Sally’s head breached the surface, and she gasped. The air put out the fire in her lungs, but she still couldn’t see. The sunlight dazzled her.

  She shaded her face with one hand and looked around. The river hadn’t carried her too far. She could still see the waterfall. She looked at the top of the cliff, but there was no sign of the mega-mosquito.

  17:55 Sally swam to the shore and pulled herself out of the water. She lay there for a moment, exhausted and unsure what to do next. She could go back for Volchek, but the mosquito might still be hanging around the area, and she might not be able to escape a second time.

  Or maybe it had gone back to the breeding ground. Sally shuddered, thinking of those pulsating egg sacs, and the squirming larvae within. Every single one could become a mosquito as big as a horse.

  She needed backup. Someone wearing body armour too thick for the mosquito to penetrate. Somebody with a rifle to subdue it.

  17:10 A man had stayed behind with the pilot to guard the planes. Guard them against what, Sally wasn’t sure—but maybe he would be able to help.

  She quickly realised she couldn’t find the trail she and Volchek had used, so Sally followed the river instead. It would flow downhill towards the ocean, and therefore to the airfield. Her wet shoes squelched along the dirt.

  15:15 She would have given anything to go home. If someone showed up right now with a helicopter she would give them all the money in her savings account and every single one of her possessions to use it.

  The worst part was knowing that even if she made it to the safety of the plane, she would have to go back into the jungle. Volchek was well hidden. Someone had to lead rescuers to him.

  She just hoped it wouldn’t be too late. He had lost a lot of blood.

  12:20 Soon the trees thinned out and she found herself at the airfield. It was just a narrow runway adjacent to a deserted beach. The ocean roiled in the distance.

  The guard had arms like tree trunks and a hat which mostly covered his wrinkled face. The gun on his hip made Sally wonder if he had known how dangerous this trip would be. Suddenly she was furious that Mr List’s mission had put her in harm’s way with no warning.

  ‘Hey!’ she yelled as she approached the guard. ‘Dr Volchek’s in trouble!’

  11:45 The guard looked over at her suspiciously. ‘You’re back already?’

  ‘Volchek’s in trouble,’ Sally repeated. ‘One of the giant mosquitoes got him. He’s unconscious—you need to help me carry him.’

  The guard looked back at the plane. ‘I’m not supposed to leave my post,’ he grunted.

  ‘Are you kidding me? Volchek is dying!’ She didn’t think this was an exaggeration.

  The guard touched the radio on his shoulder. ‘Natasha, do you copy?’

  ‘I read you. What’s up?’ Sally recognised the pilot’s voice.

  ‘I have an unconfirmed report’—the guard glared at Sally, as though she was making this up—’that the doctor is down. I’m leaving my post to investigate.’

  11:05 ‘Roger that.’

  The guard clicked off his radio and gestured at the jungle. ‘Lead the way, kid.’

  10:30 Sally ran back down the trail, the guard following. She couldn’t hear the humming of the mosquito, but that didn’t mean it had gone—just that it wasn’t in flight. Every shifting shadow and silhouetted branch looked like the monster.

  ‘You might want to get your gun ready,’ she panted.

  06:35 ‘You think I can shoot a mosquito?’ the guard grunted. ‘My aim is good, but not that good.’

  ‘It doesn’t have to be. This thing is way bigger than we were told. It’s like a hippopotamus.’

  ‘Uh-huh. Sure.’

  Sally wanted to scream. If he didn’t believe her, he was going to get them both killed.

  05:10 They reached the bush where Volchek was hidden. Sally pulled the leaves aside and grabbed his wrist. ‘Help me get him out.’

  The guard looked at Volchek’s pale skin and the ragged wound on his shoulder blade. ‘Wow, you weren’t kidding,’ he said. He gripped Volchek’s other wrist and they dragged him out onto the path.

  ‘Doctor Volchek?’ the guard said. ‘Can you hear me?’

  Volchek didn’t respond.

  ‘Is he …’ Sally didn’t even want to say the word. She had never seen a dead body before.

  04:30 ‘No,’ the guard said. ‘He’s breathing. But we have to get him out of here.’

  ‘I am so on board with that plan. Can you help me carry him?’

  Ignoring her, the guard hefted Volchek over his shoulder like a big sports bag.

  ‘Come on,’ he said. Then his eyes widened as he stared over Sally’s shoulder. ‘What is that?’

  04:05 Click, click, click.

  Sally turned in t
ime to see the mega-mosquito racing up the trail towards them, proboscis swaying, eyes glistening. Its massive wings twitched as though it was a broken robot.

  ‘Run!’ the guard screamed. He sprinted back towards the airfield, Volchek bouncing on his shoulder.

  03:40 Sally hurried after him, but couldn’t keep up. After carrying Volchek, climbing that tree, fleeing from the monster and swimming for her life, she was completely exhausted. She knew if she slowed down she would be killed—but her legs had nothing more to give.

  Tears streamed down her face. This was it.

  02:35 Something caught her ankle, and she fell. At first she thought she had stumbled over another root, but then something grabbed her shoe and she realised the mosquito had tripped her up with a long leg.

  She hit the ground and rolled over. The monster pinned her down with two clawed feet. Sally could see her terrified reflection in its compound eyes. The proboscis was right in her face, ready to plunge into her eyeball and suck out her brains—

  And then the mosquito froze.

  It clicked, turning its strange head to look back at its rear legs.

  01:50 Sally followed its gaze. An ant was climbing up one of the mosquito’s shins.

  The mosquito stabbed at the ant with its proboscis, but it missed—and then there was another ant climbing up behind it. And another. And another.

  The mosquito was distracted. Sally scrambled out from under it. The creature didn’t chase her. It kept nipping at its legs as more and more ants climbed towards its thorax.

  Looking past the creature, Sally saw a carpet of ants. The ground was seething with them. It was an army, marching for the mosquito. Sally backed away, getting out of their path.

  01:15 The mosquito launched itself into the air, but it couldn’t stay up for long, and the ants were already chewing holes in its wings. It landed back on the ground, collecting more ants.

  Sally stood frozen in place, unable to look away. The giant mosquito was thrashing in silent pain as the ants tore it apart, piece by tiny piece. Its legs got shorter and shorter. The blood of other animals dribbled from its swollen belly as the ants dug through it. The mosquito’s wings became stumps. Its eyes went dark as the ants took them.