A kitchen range hood wasn't exactly a deadly weapon. Big, sure. But smashing it down wouldn't do much damage. Bella's movements looked frantic, but she was precise—clamping the hood over the gator's jaws like a muzzle. No idea how long it would hold. Didn't matter. It bought them time.
"Run! Into the water! Swim!"
Hailey was a star swimmer on her school team. Bella's speed needed no explanation. She even slipped in a kick to the gator's belly before following Hailey out.
"Hailey! Hailey!" The father screamed from the staircase.
"Grab your dad!"
Bella spotted the overturned rescue boat. Police-grade gear really was durable—flipped it upright, still worked.
"Get on! We're leaving!" Storm winds drowned out everything. She had to shout.
She pulled Hailey aboard first, then reached for the father.
Halfway up, the weight in her hands doubled. Before she could react—a bloodcurdling scream.
Bella dove without hesitation.
Underwater. Six-meter gator. Jaws clamped on his right leg.
Clouded eyes full of pure savagery. It twisted hard, trying to drag him under.
Bella didn't know how to save him. She pried at the jaws. But underwater, no leverage. The bite force was insane. She strained to force its mouth open while kicking its head. Stalemate.
Teeth buried deep in flesh. Even if she got the jaws apart, he wouldn't break free.
This leg was gone.
Barbossa lost a leg. Now this guy was about to lose one too. Bella wanted to laugh. Were her ancestors cursed? Every "dad" in her life had the worst luck.
"I'm cutting off your leg!" she shouted.
The man was tougher than expected. No idea how she planned to do it, but he nodded.
"Hailey! Hold him!"
Bella grabbed a meat knife drifting past—probably swept out from the kitchen.
Sawing off a leg was never easy. But his was already mangled. Gaping wounds. Flesh shredded from the dragging. Barely attached.
She assessed the damage. Cut hard along the outer edge of the bite.
Hailey held her father's shoulders from above. Leg came free. Bella pushed from below, Hailey pulled from above. They hauled him onto the boat.
"Bella! Get up here!"
Hailey screamed. She didn't want the stranger who saved them to get hurt—or worse. She wanted to jump back in, but her father was critical. Severed leg, massive blood loss, pale and unconscious. She tore off her sleeve to tie off the stump. Blood kept pouring.
Bella was anxious too. Tried to climb up. The giant gator kept circling, refusing to let her go.
Terrifying speed underwater. Locked onto her. Ignoring the boat completely.
Two circles. Then it lunged.
Bella dodged right—
The gator opened its jaws and fired an ice arrow at her face.
What the fuck?! This thing has magic?!
Boat right above her. Nowhere to dodge. She fired back with Frost Ray.
The two ice attacks collided. Exploded into a cloud of jagged shards. Visibility gone.
For a low-intelligence creature, sudden chaos meant confusion. The gator sensed the currents cautiously, swinging its massive head left and right, membrane-covered eyes searching.
A thin ray of ice struck its rear leg.
Instant reaction. It spun to counterattack.
But a three-meter gator and a six-meter one moved very differently. Size was an advantage for hunting. Huge disadvantage in close-quarters combat.
Bella had already repositioned to its flank. Ignoring the energy drain, she fired again. And again.
Belly. Tail. Hind legs.
Three direct hits. Seemed like only its mouth could shoot ice. Rest of the body? Nothing.
Repeated casting made her dizzy. But while it was slowed, she rushed in. Knife into its eye. Twist. Hand into the socket. All her strength—she tore the gator's skull apart.
Filthy blood clouded everything. She kicked the corpse twice. Dead. Finally dragged herself onto the boat.
Tanning the hide into a wallet? Passing thought. No skill, no time.
"Go! Move!" More gators incoming. Hailey knew how to steer and knew the area. Bella let her pilot while she checked the father's injuries.
The severed right leg—Bella had grabbed it—lay to one side. Stump mangled beyond recognition. Even with modern medicine, reattachment odds were slim.
The boat sped on. They rescued another family along the way. Reached the emergency shelter just before the hurricane peaked.
Plenty of injured residents. Several had witnessed the gator rampage from a distance. Those who'd encountered the beasts up close? Besides Hailey and her father—who was in horrific shape—everyone else was dead.
Police asked a few quick questions, then handed them over to medical.
A helicopter waited to take the father to Atlanta. Whether the leg could be saved was unknown. Hailey went with him.
"Thank you. Really... thank you." Before boarding, Hailey said goodbye to Bella.
"Take care of your dad. He's a good father." While he was out, Hailey had told Bella about their strained relationship.
Divorced parents. Distant father-daughter bond. Familiar story.
They'd been in a cold war before this. But after surviving something like this together? Maybe—just maybe—things would finally heal.