The three of them watched those eerie figures in the water, with only their heads above the surface, the tips of their noses and their lips catching a faint gleam.
Their eyes were closed, their wet hair plastered to their foreheads, like a row of black stone posts planted in the water.
Dick turned to glance at Oliver, his eyes saying, What's going on here?
Oliver was also staring at the pool.
He had spent five years on this island, yet he had never seen anything this sinister.
Ririko gently tugged at their sleeves and pointed to a narrow path leading toward the side of the building.
Her eyes said, Don't just stand there. Hurry, before they wake up.
The two men nodded in understanding.
Keeping to the shadow of the wall, the three of them crept along the stone path.
In that eerie setting, they tiptoed, making every step as light as possible.
Just as they were about to get past the pool, only two steps from rounding the corner into the building's shadow, the toe of Dick's boot struck something.
A small pebble flew up and landed in the pool.
Plink.
A ring of ripples spread across the water.
All three of them froze.
In the pool, the figures with their eyes closed opened them in unison.
More than twenty pairs of eyes snapped toward where the three of them stood in the darkness.
The water began to churn. Realizing there were intruders, the figures immediately moved as one.
Ririko's voice exploded beside Dick's ear. "Run!! They're Talon Assassins!! If they catch us, we're dead!!"
All three turned at once and broke into a sprint.
A rapid series of splashes came from behind them.
The Talons had surged out of the pool and were pursuing the three intruders