5/2 19:06

Kevin and Hugo stood near the thing's head, keeping a careful distance as they looked it over. Its eyes were still half open, and neither of them had the nerve to go check whether it was alive or dead. Instead they retreated under a nearby eave, watching the water rise steadily while they kept an eye on the creature. Across the whole stretch of ground in front of the bar, rainwater and blood mixed together, and a stench of rot and animal musk drifted through the air.

"What is that thing?" Kevin asked.

"I don't know. Wasn't it supposed to be some kind of alligator?" Hugo pulled a pack of cigarettes from his chest pocket, but they were all soaked through.

"What do we do with it?"

"Maybe we wait for the rain to stop first. Something this big, we'll need plenty of hands. Skin it, keep the bones, give it to the bar owner — ought to fetch a good price." Hugo pulled out a cigarette and shook it off.

"Won't it just flood?"

"Probably will. We made a hell of a racket and not one person's come out to look — I'd say the evacuation order's really gone out."

"So what actually is that thing?"

"What could it be? A lizard?" Hugo felt around in his pocket for his lighter, trying to get the cigarette at the corner of his mouth lit.

"A lizard... the Meuse River lizard?"

"Nice ring to it. Sounds like it could be the town's claim to fame."

"Let's hope there's no second one."

"Amen to that."

The rain kept pouring down, and Hugo and Kevin just stood there looking at the monster, saying nothing more.