Crybaby - Chapter Sixteen
Crybaby - Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen of the blockbuster new novel, Crybaby by best selling, multi-award-winning author Mark Watson...
CRYBABY
©Copyright 2024 by Mark Watson
CHAPTER 16
BOOM!
The night was thick with humidity, a suffocating mist rolling down from the mountains and pressing in like a damp, heavy blanket. The jungle surrounding the village loomed, a shifting mass of shadows alive with noise. Insects buzzed incessantly, while the occasional rustle of leaves hinted at unseen creatures lurking just beyond the tree line. It was the kind of night where the jungle felt more alive than the people in it.
High above the village, perched on the newly built watchtower, Sunil and Praveen stood as sentinels, their eyes scanning the dense canopy for movement. The air clung to their skin, heavy with moisture, and tension filled the night after a week of death and destruction wrought by Crybaby’s violent rampages.
Below, the village was a patchwork of flickering fires, though most homes were silent. The villagers huddled behind flimsy walls, hoping the night would pass without incident, unaware of the treachery playing out in the old fort where Rahul’s gang dealt with traitors. Their fragile peace hung by a thread.
Sunil shifted uneasily on the creaking boards of the tower. "You think we’ll see anything tonight?" he whispered.
Praveen, still fixed on the distant treeline, didn’t look away. "This is a bullshit job," he muttered.
To Sunil, the watchtower felt more like a precarious perch than a safe haven. If Crybaby, the rogue elephant terrorizing the region, decided to charge, they’d have no escape. The elephant had already proven no structure was safe, having demolished walls, smashed the village police station, skewered the chief on a tusk, and left devastation in his wake.
As the hours dragged on, the moon crossed the sky before disappearing, plunging the night into pitch darkness. Sunil leaned over the railing, straining to see beyond the vague outlines of the top of the trees. "Nothing," he muttered, rubbing his exhausted eyes. Eventually, both men slumped against the planks, their bodies aching from days of hard labor, first from working in the quarry and then from building this accursed watchtower.
Sleep crept in despite their attempts to stay alert.
A sudden jolt shook the tower, jerking them both awake. Sunil’s heart raced. "What the fuck was that?" he whispered, gripping the railing.
Praveen was already awake, rigid with fear. "Did you feel that?" he asked, his voice tight.
The jungle had gone unnaturally quiet. Then, from the darkness below, a deep rumble echoed—a low, resonant sound that vibrated through the tower and into their bones. It was the unmistakable rumble of an elephant.
"Shit," Praveen breathed, his eyes wide with terror. "It’s Crybaby."
Sunil peered over the edge. At first, he saw only shadows, but then the massive silhouette of Crybaby emerged, crashing through the trees at the tower’s base. The moonlight glinted off the elephant's long, sharp tusks as his enraged trumpeting filled the air, a deafening war cry that shook the jungle.
"Get the explosives!" Sunil yelled, scrambling to his feet. Panic surged as Crybaby’s hulking form tore through the jungle, flattening everything in his path.
Praveen fumbled with the makeshift explosives hidden at the tower's top—a desperate last resort. His hands shook as he worked, the explosives their only chance.
"He’s ramming us!" Sunil screamed, tugging at the pulley system meant to drop the explosives. It jammed in his hands. "It’s stuck!"
Praveen’s trembling fingers fumbled with the detonators as the watchtower shook and lurched. "I’ll blow this fucker to hell!" he shouted, though his voice betrayed the fear gripping him.
In their panic, something went wrong. A spark, a flash of light illuminated Praveen’s terrified face. "No!" he shouted, but it was too late.
The explosion tore through the night with a deafening roar. Flames engulfed the top of the tower, sending beams, planks of wood, and metal flying. Sunil and Praveen were hurled into the air, their screams lost in the fiery blast. The watchtower collapsed in on itself, a twisted wreck of wood and fire crashing to the ground.
Crybaby, caught at the blast's edge, let out an enraged bellow. Knocked off course but not stopped, the fire and noise only fueled his fury. With a final trumpet, he crashed through the wreckage, his enormous form fading into the jungle’s shadows.
The huge boom from the blast echoed through the jungle like a thunderclap, jolting the entire village from its uneasy sleep. Lights flickered on in huts, doors creaked open, and anxious voices rose into the night air as people hurried outside, their faces pale with fear. The distant rumble of the explosion still reverberated in the hills, carrying with it the promise of more destruction.
Up in the hilltop fort, the lookout snapped to attention. He had been half-drowsing when the flash of light and the thunderous noise reached him. Startled, he ran to the edge of the ramparts, his eyes widening as he saw the billowing smoke rising from where the watchtower once stood. Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted down the narrow stone corridors, his footsteps echoing off the walls as he raced to wake Rahul.
Rahul, the leader of the bandits, was already sitting up when the lookout burst into the chamber. The massive, distant explosion had reached even his ears, shaking the old fort's foundations.
"Crybaby must have attacked—there was an explosion."
Rahul’s eyes narrowed. "Wake the others. We move now. If Crybaby’s attacking the village, this is our chance to kill that fucker."
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the village, Ahanna and the rangers were the first to respond. Armed with tranquilizer rifles and torches, they raced down the path toward the watchtower’s remains, the beams of their lights cutting through the thick night air. Dawn, in the form of a bruised and darkening horizon, curled its fingers over the landscape.
The villagers closest to the scene had already gathered near the wreckage, their faces lit by the flicker of hastily lit lanterns. Women clutched their children, men stood with makeshift weapons, uncertain of what to do next. The once-sturdy watchtower was a ruin, reduced to splintered wood, twisted metal, and smoldering fire. Smoke billowed into the sky, the acrid smell of death and burnt timber filling the air.
Ahanna moved quickly, her sharp eyes scanning the wreckage. She feared what they would find beneath the debris. "Search the area!" she called out to the rangers, her voice steady despite the tension rising in her chest.
The rangers fanned out, their torch beams sweeping over the scattered remains of the structure. Ahanna's heart sank when she saw bloodstains on the ground, near a section of broken railing. "Look for survivors!" she ordered, her voice rising.
As they combed through the debris, one of the rangers called out, "Here! I’ve found something!" Ahanna rushed over, her boots crunching on broken wood. Beneath a collapsed beam, they uncovered parts of Sunil and Praveen, charred and smoking like meat on a barbecue.
Raj came sprinting from his house in the village, still fumbling to pull on his uniform. His breath was ragged, his eyes wide with urgency as he joined Ahanna, just as a deep, rumbling sound echoed ominously through the jungle.
Ahanna stiffened, the low vibration sending a chill through her body. It was Crybaby—and he was close. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and the distant trumpeting of the rogue elephant grew louder, cutting through the stillness like a warning. She gripped her rifle tighter, her heart pounding.
Raj stood beside her, panting, fear etched across his face.
“Shhh,” Ahanna hissed, holding a hand up to silence the others. Her eyes scanned the dark jungle.
“Crybaby’s here.”
END OF CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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