Chapter 3: Isla De Tayun (3)
The men instantly pointed their firearms around, locating the threat. Felipe dropped to the ground with a high-pitched, petrified scream of his own as Nova flapped her hands over her face, tapping her sandals against the ground, shaking off the terror and disgust crawling over her body. She hunched so as not to be able to touch the damned things above them.
"What is it?" Bruce was already in front of her protectively, his gun out. Ready for action. They all looked around as Nova hid behind Bruce.
Pointing up, she whispered. "Bats. Lots and lots of ... Bats!"
Slowly, all the men looked up, and their postures instantly relaxed. "That's it?" One of the men demanded, clearly frustrated with her.
On shaky legs, Felipe rose to his feet and sighed, clutching his chest and muttering a prayer in Portuguese. She could tell he was praying only by the way he traced the sign of the cross over his body, lifted his gaze and pressed a reverent kiss to the cross pendant hanging from his neck.
Clearing his throat, he pointed to the furry little flying rats with wings. "They are vampire bats. Nothing to worry about. They will stay up there until nightfall."
Nova stiffened. "I'm sorry, what...? You said vampire... as in Dracula ... bats?"
The guide gave an easy shrug. It was the most nonchalant she'd seen him all day. "It's just a name. They don't suck human blood—well, not usually." He smirked, clearly amused by Nova's expressions. "They feed on livestock, mostly. On an island such as this, it would be monkeys and wild boars. They make tiny cuts and lap up the blood, and the animal barely notices. They're clever little things, even have an anticoagulant in their saliva to keep the blood flowing."
Nova clutched at the back of Bruce's shirt like he might be able to swat them away if they tried anything right now. She knew this was pathetic, and she felt pathetic. She was a strong, independent woman, but those furry fuckers are what now? Vampires?
She didn't care if they were clever; they just had to stay away from her. Somehow, this was a priority over the killers in the forest right now. They would spear her, sure. These little flying rodents freaked her out.
"And they won't move?" Nova asked.