‘Their ’ands are like claws,’ said Soldier John. ‘They can’t ’old weapons. But they don’t need to, because their ’ands are weapons.’

‘They also like to kill their food,’ said Dr Jones, ‘whereas crabs are scavengers, generally feeding on food which is already dead.’

‘Do they mainly attack humans?’ asked somebody in the audience.

‘Dunno,’ said Soldier John. ‘I’ve never stayed around long enough to find out.’

‘They are a significant threat to humans,’ said Dr Jones. ‘If you’ve got a convenient cow or pig around then, yes, try throwing it in their way, but to be extra safe, I’d also run.’

Soldier John gave her an incredulous look. There were a lot of hands up in the audience now. Soldier John pointed to one. ‘Yes, you.’

‘How do they breathe? I don’t understand how they can live both underwater and on the land?

‘Well, the “giant crab” theory has some merit here,’ said Dr Jones, ‘because crabs have always been able to cope on both land and sea – just like kriks. Marine crabs have gills at the top of their legs which enable them to breathe on land, or in the water. The gills needed to be kept moist, I seem to remember, but some crabs were able to do this with, erm, their own bodily fluids, and so could survive for long periods out of the water.’

‘Does it have to be seawater?’

‘If they’re like marine crabs, then yes. They probably can’t get very far inland. But it’s worth bearing in mind that there used to be freshwater crabs too. I don’t think we know too much about how kriks survive. It could be either of those options – or neither of them.’

‘How long do they live for?’

Soldier John shrugged, grasping his shard with the air of a man who knew they wouldn’t live long around him.

‘There are a lot of factors there,’ said Dr Jones. ‘Obviously their food supply is rather a big issue – and their food supply may well have . . . erm . . . decreased recently, leaving them with less to eat.’

The Jellyfish gave a shudder beneath us – a sudden vibration as it shifted in the sea. Outside the Big House there were a few answering splashes as the larger tentacles swished around, spraying water against our walls.

‘Do they prefer to eat adults or children?’ said Lana.

‘I think they probably prefer whichever option is larger . . .’

‘So what happened to all the other children?’ asked Lana. ‘And the old people?’

James put his head in his hands.

‘Well, they got eaten, didn’t they? They were the weakest who couldn’t run fast enough,’ said Soldier John. ‘Only the strong survive – or are worth saving.’

Chapter 7

7

Jelly. I remember jelly, from before.