Abruptly, the creature’s massive head poked through the entranceway. Its eyes, fluid and lava orange, bored holes in Caplan’s forehead. Slowly, it bared its teeth, spitting and drooling on the floor. Then it roared again.
Caplan’s brain tried to come up with a little quip, a joke. Anything to break the wall-thick tension. But he was too terrified to think straight.
The giant bear rammed its left shoulder into the entranceway, squeezing partway into the security area. It strained for a couple of seconds, kicking dust and debris into the air. Then it backed away, only to slam into the entranceway yet again.
Caplan scrabbled backward like a crab. He’d never felt more outmatched in his life. Forget his axes, forget guns. He’d need a damn missile to take out a creature of that size.
Again, the creature backed away. And again, it rushed forward on all fours, crashing into the entranceway and sending sharp vibrations through the surrounding walls.
Think, Caplan thought. Think!
The creature’s rear left paw scratched against the ground, searching for purchase. Its front left arm pressed against the entranceway as it tried to force itself through the too-narrow gap.
“Hey!” A voice, one Caplan hadn’t heard in many months, rang out. It was licorice-sweet, but full of menace. “Over here!”
Caplan perked up at the voice. It gave him meaning, purpose. But it also filled him with anger. Damn it, Amanda, he thought. You’re going to get yourself killed.
The bear’s front and rear paws froze in place. Its torso twisted toward the room’s center.
Seizing his opportunity, Caplan leapt to his feet. Racing forward, he plunged both blades into the creature’s front left arm. Blood spurted out, wetting the creature’s wiry fur.
Roaring with pain, the bear lashed out. Its left arm smacked into Caplan. Stunned, Caplan fell to the floor. Then the creature yanked itself out of the entranceway and raced toward Morgan’s voice.
Caplan touched his chest and winced. No broken ribs, but he’d have a nice bruise by morning.
Assuming he lived that long.
Still clutching the axes, he struggled to his feet. He felt faint, woozy. Shaking it off, he looked into the large room. The creature bounded onto the platform, bellowing with fury. It knocked over a bunch of tables, scattering them to the lower floor. Then it began slamming its paws into the platform.
Caplan snuck into the room, taking cover behind one of the skeleton exhibits. Peeking out, he watched the giant bear rip a piece of metal away from the platform and knock it in Caplan’s general direction. The metal hit the floor and bounced a few times. Squinting, Caplan saw copious amounts of blood on the metal. Amanda’s blood? he wondered. Or the creature’s?
There was no time for a blood test. Obviously, Morgan was hiding underneath the platform. A platform that was seconds away from being completely dismantled.
“Hey, furball,” Caplan shouted, holding his axes aloft. “How’s your arm?”
The creature’s head spun toward Caplan. And suddenly, Caplan felt very small and insignificant. Probably should’ve thought this one through, he ruminated. And then he was running for his life.
With a mighty roar, the creature leapt off the platform. It smashed into the skeleton, knocking over the metal support structure. Bones launched into the air, spinning like so many Frisbees.
With the bear in hot pursuit, Caplan retreated toward one of the many stations. He darted around a giant silk pod, eight feet wide and four feet tall. It was connected to a black box and looked similar to the ones he’d seen in the Vallerio. But he heard no thumming or thrubbing. Instead, his ears detected soft cracking noises and he felt vibrations coming from within the silken strands.
“Run, Amanda,” he screamed as he passed the pod and hurtled a pair of waist-high machines. “Get out of here.”
The creature veered off path, scampered across the floor and threw itself into the next station.
Arms flailing, Caplan slid to a halt just a few feet from the bear. He stared dumbly at its lava eyes, its bloody paws. Then he shifted his gaze to the creature’s wounded arm. “There’s more where that came from,” he said in the toughest voice he could manage.
Snarling, the creature advanced a few inches.
You’re talking trash to a bear, Zach, Caplan thought. Guess that means you’ve finally lost it. Slowly, he backed up, keeping the axes in front of him.
“Hey!” Morgan’s shout echoed in the room. “Did you forget about me?”
Her voice sent a shiver down Caplan’s spine. Obviously, she had no intention of leaving him to face the creature alone. That left him with two options. Defeat it or find a way for both of them to escape.
The creature shifted its gaze to the platform. Caplan did the same and saw Morgan. Her entire body, from her sweaty, bedraggled hair to her trembling legs, looked exhausted. But her gaze was one of pure defiance.
The bear started toward her, moving with great deliberation.
Caplan opened his mouth to yell at it, to goad it back in his direction. But that wouldn’t solve his problem. So, he raced back to the station. Muscles tense, he swung his axes at the pod. The silk-like strands vibrated, trembled. New cracks appeared and Caplan attacked with them with ferocity.
The pod yawned open and Caplan ducked behind it. He caught a glimpse of the black box’s small plaque. It read, Megalonyx jeffersonii. The name, which he assumed to be a combination of genus and species, meant nothing to him.
The pod rustled and stretched. Then a large beast, covered in brown fur and a thick mucus-like substance, slid out of it. It shook itself, as if arising from a deep slumber, and rose on all fours. With a strident screech—AHHEEEEE—it shuffled away from the pod.
The bear twisted around. Catching sight of the beast, it rose to its full height and clawed viciously at the air.
The beast, not to be outdone, rose upon its hind legs as well. It was shorter than the bear by a foot or two, but outweighed it thanks in part to a short, powerful tail. It possessed a rodent-like snout and a strange jaw filled with oversized teeth.
The bear strode forward on its hind legs. Then it threw itself at the beast. Snarling, the beast fought back, snapping at the creature’s visage and clawing at its chest. They tussled for several seconds, broke apart, and then slammed into each other again.
Caplan took his gaze off the titanic struggle and locked eyes with Morgan. Her brow tightened. Then she hurried toward the staircase.
Caplan slipped away from the pod and melted into the shadows. Slinking along the wall, he made his way back to the entranceway where he found Morgan waiting for him. She frowned, gave him a quick once-over. Then she led him into the checkpoint area.
High-pitched screeches and furious roars rang in Caplan’s ears. Turning around, he cast one last look at the epic struggle. The giant bear held the beast down with one front paw and wailed at it with the other one. Blood was everywhere.
Caplan picked up his backpack and donned it. Then he glanced at Morgan. Oh, how he’d waited for this moment. A moment to apologize, to tell her the full truth of her brother’s horrible death.
“Are you, uh, okay?” he asked.
Smooth one, Zach, Caplan thought. Real smooth.
Morgan stared at him. “You shouldn’t have come here, Zach.”
“Why not?”
She didn’t reply. Instead, she reached for a rung and hoisted herself onto the ladder. Then she began to ascend the shaft.
Caplan grabbed a rung and took one last look at the battle. The beast lay dead on the ground, its head twisted in an awkward direction. The giant bear towered over it, continuously pounding the corpse into fleshy pulp. “What is this place?” he called out as he started to climb.