Cryptotrappers!

Cryptotrappers- Kappa Catastrophe

I froze as the Kappa stared at me. It was somewhat like a big frog; Greg was right about that at least. But it was ape-like too, in a way. Not hairy but the face, it was more ape than frog, with no obvious teeth but a vicious beak. It was unnerving, to say the least. But definitely the most prominent feature was the dish, full of river water, like a bowl, and surrounded by wiry hair; the helmet in Greg's analogy I supposed. Of course, I hadn't a clue of the purpose, at the time. But no matter what, as it surveyed the scene, it didn't let one drop spill out; it had to be important somehow. Though the Kappa was hunched, it was already not far from my height, and I guessed that if it stood at full height on its skinny, lanky limbs, it would be taller than me.

Staring down the fiend as if skulked, my movements felt like running in a dream as I stood frozen in fright, until Sid grabbed me and pulled me further into the comforting dark corner of the container. I watched with bated breath as the strange amphibian reached out to us with malice, before it crouched down, and instead pulled up a large hunk of seaweed and ate it. That's when Sid too slowly crouched, reached down and picked up a mostly intact cucumber from the floor. He grabbed my arm tightly, threw the cucumber loudly out of the container and pulled me past the Kappa as it turned its head. The chase was on.

Escaping the Kappa was like a sick game of hide and seek. I could always hear it, just around the corner, behind me, above me, sometimes below me. No matter where I was, it was there too, like it was stalking me, tracking me, toying with me. I'd lost Sid's hand along the way, leaving me alone and defenceless against this threat that I had no clues on how to stop. It didn't seem to know where I was precisely; thank the heavens for that at least; but it wouldn't take much for it to find me. Just as my panic reached a peak, I noticed something in the floor. It was a shoe, probably left behind by the poor captain or some other crew member whose body wasn't found on ship. My only chance. I threw it behind me, and like before, the Kappa took the bait and followed. I gathered all of the strength I could in my legs and dashed for the exit. Sid was already there, waiting and beckoning me. I ran closer and closer the exit, the Kappa getting closer behind me now that it had realised that it had been tricked. With its webbed hands almost around my neck, I burst through the police tape as Sid slammed the door in its ugly ape face. The last thing I saw as I stood panting and recovering was it diving from the boat and disappearing deep into the depths of the river. It had gotten late. We needed to sleep.
"Split costs on a hotel?"
"Absolutely, let's go."

Even trying to, I couldn't sleep. And it was nothing to do with the hotel beds, they were comfortable enough. My eyes closed and my body went into rest, but scenes from the day played in my head, and my eyes snapped back open. After reporting the current situation to Eva, Sid had gone almost directly to bed, and I didn't want to disturb him. But apparently, I had done so.
"Struggling to sleep?" Sid's gravelly voice came from the other bed.
"That obvious?" I asked him, tiredly.
"You're crinkling." Sid replied, sitting up in the dull moonlight that invaded through the window.
"Sorry, that's my emergency... cheese snacks." I admitted, throwing the unopened bag aside. "I thought they'd help."
"I know what you're thinking about." Sid blankly responded. "Was that your first time seeing..."
"Yeah. In real life, at least."
Conversation lulled, and I thought for just a moment that he'd fallen asleep.
"It doesn't get easier, you know." Sid finally replied. "Your first, your fiftieth, they all hit you about the same. It doesn't get easier, even when you get more numb. But there's still that once voice in your head, the one that tells you that you couldn't have stopped this. It isn't your fault. But you can stop it happening to anyone else. That's what keeps me moving on these missions."
I didn't reply, as I heard Sid shift in his bed.
"Just... try to get some sleep. You'll need energy for tomorrow."

Hours passed, the sun rose in the sky, and I had still gotten no sleep. At six o'clock sharp in the morning, Sid awoke from his sleep. No matter what, no matter how tired, Sid always awoke at six in the morning sharp, come rain or shine, bruise or gash or broken bone. I never found out why, but I could guess. Still, with us both awake, we began to prepare for the day. First, I took a quick shower, using a hairdryer, also known as one of the best parts of staying in a hotel, to tame my wild set of hair. Next, I gulped some complimentary cereal, which also wasn't a bad perk of the stay. Then I dressed quickly out of my pyjamas and into my typical casual wear work outfit- a tee shirt, jogging bottoms and a hoodie, with a diving suit underneath. Hot summer months, I know, but it was so comfy and layers could at least protect me somewhat from being thrown into a wall, right! Sid was in a skull tee and ripped jeans, which showed the wetsuit legs beneath them; a man of many things is Sid but style is not one of them. Regardless, we were ready to head towards the Thames again.