Read The Spur of the Platypus for Free Online

match for them, especially in the water.
    Another sting and Flex’s body began to seize up. His arms would no longer cooperate, and he felt the ocean begin to pull him under. Prescott slipped from his fingers as they both sank beneath the surface.
    Venom after venom swam past them, brushing their deadly tentacles against him. They were going to drown, and being able to hold his breath longer, Flex was going to have to watch Prescott die before his very eyes.
    Seconds ticked as Flex struggled, precious bubbles of air escaping his mouth as Flex fought to reach out to Prescott, to save him.
    A man o’ war next to him was there one moment and the next gone. What the...
    More and more man o’ wars were disappearing, something pulling them deeper into the ocean, quicker than Flex could see. Who was helping them? Then, he saw who it was when one swam past.
    He wasn’t sure what type of venom it was. He appeared completely human except for the blue coloring on one side of his body, while the other side was silver and black striped. He’d never seen this venom before.
    Skilled fighters in the water, the man o’ wars were quickly outnumbered and killed in mere seconds. Most just used a knife to slice their necks. They didn’t even seem affected by the tentacles that were connecting with their bodies.
    They were graceful swimmers as one pulled Prescott up to the surface and another grabbed a hold of him and pulled. They broke the surface, and clean, fresh air hit Flex’s face. He gasped and sucked in a lungful, trying to see where Prescott was.
    The guy pulled Flex until the water was shallow enough in the surf to pick him up. Other platypuses were being carried out of the water, the men running toward the beach. Flex lost sight of Prescott and began to panic. They had been under too long. Did Prescott make it?
    His back hit the sand, and the man peered down at him. His face had a bluish tint to it as he leaned down and began sucking at his stings. Flex jumped as the man’s lips made contact with a particular nasty sting on his leg. If he could have jerked away, he would’ve, but his limbs were nonfunctioning.
    Flex’s head drooped to the side, and he saw other platypuses having their wounds sucked on, all lying on the beach in the same manner. Flex felt the pain lessen, and he sought out Prescott, finally spotting a crowd of men surrounding one individual.
    Prescott lay prone on the beach as one guy leaned over him and began doing mouth to mouth. Flex screamed and rolled over clumsily, crawling to Prescott, limbs failing him. Twice his face hit the sand as he desperately tried to get to his mate.
    The venom that had been working on his wound shouted, “I’m bringing his mate over. Clear a spot.” The venom picked him up and ran him over.
    Flex’s hand shook as he grabbed a hold of Prescott’s ice-cold fingers as the venom continued to try to revive him. “I can...” Flex began, but the venom pulled him back.
    “Let Mills work on him, just catch your breath,” the guy said behind him.
    “I just...found him.” Flex pulled Prescott’s hand to his chest. He wanted to do more as others helped Prescott. Watching was a cruel joke as Flex prayed to see Prescott’s chest move. Two puffs into Prescott’s mouth and then another guy began doing chest compressions. The cycle repeated, and Flex started to shake in terror.
    Please breathe. Please!
    Flex hissed as his whole body began shooting pain once more.
    “Shit. Just lie next to him and let me help you.”
    That wasn’t a problem because all of Flex’s strength left him, and he flopped onto his side as another guy caught him.
    Some began sucking on his wounds again. If Flex didn’t automatically feel the pain lessen, he would have been freaking out. He had seen it before where others had sucked a snakebite and spit out the venom, but these guys were fucking swallowing the shit. What...the...hell?
    Flex could feel the various stings subdue as he focused on Prescott. A