“Yeah, I agree we can’t deploy grenades when we’re in the tunnels. But if that thing is as big as we think it is, we might need those explosives. The M4’s might do little more than piss it off.”
“We need to lure it out then,” Fergus observed.
“Yup.” Ajax rested on his haunches, staring down into the darkness. “When I was a kid, we used to go fishing for moray eels on the rocks at the seaside. One of us had string with some meat tied on it, and he’d dangle it just outside the eel’s home, while another of us held the spear ready. When old Mr. Eel smelled the meat, out he’d come, mouth open, those razor-sharp teeth ready.” He laughed cruelly, as if relishing the memory. “What he got instead was a five-pronged spear in the neck — we never missed.”
Ajax stood. “So, to draw out our giant eel, we need some bait.”
“We go hunting?” Fergus asked.
“Nope, I got a better idea. C’mon.” Ajax went and crouched by Juan, and looked at both Camilla and Helen. Fergus stood behind him.
“Ladies.” Ajax saluted with two fingers and smiled warmly. “Listen up; to get home, we’re going to have to flush that big bastard out of his, our, cave. When it comes, we’ll need every ounce of firepower we got — that means you two ladies blasting away as well.”
“You mean downstairs, in the dark?” Camilla’s voice was small.
Ajax nodded slowly.
“I’m ready,” Helen said.
“That’s the spirit.” Ajax looked down at the comatose Juan. “And your boy’s gotta play his part as well.”
“What?” Camilla frowned. “How?”
He looked up and into her eyes. “Well, we need something to tempt the snake out of its hole. Juan’s the only one that can’t fire a gun right now, and… ” He grinned. “… won’t run away if something makes a lunge at him.”
“You… want to… use him as bait?” Camilla’s eyes were wide, and she began to shake her head. “What kind of monster are you?”
“The kind that wants you, and all of us, to live.” Ajax continued grinning, his silver tooth glinting in the fading light. “Do you have a better plan?”
Camilla put her hands to the side of her head. “No, no, not happening.”
Ajax twisted his features into mock concern. “Oh, so you want to take his place? Are you sure?”
“That’s enough,” Fergus said. The redheaded soldier leaned his head back for a moment. “Look, it’s a shit option, but it’s the best shit option we got. We can protect him.”
Camilla spluttered, and Helen turned to the men and spoke through clenched teeth. “I don’t like it either.”
“Me either,” Fergus said. “But it’ll probably work. And we’ll be there to blast the shit out of anything that comes out. It’s the only way to maximize our firepower while the snake is focused on something else — I think we’ll need to try it.”
The group fell into silence for a few moments, and then Ajax looked at each of their faces. The half-smile was still on his lips as he spoke.
“Good, team meeting over. Help me get our boy up so we can begin.”
They dragged Juan up, and between he and Fergus, they carefully pulled him down the steps. Helen and Camilla followed, guns drawn, but Ajax thought that both of the novices would more than likely shoot him or Fergus than hit the freaking snake no matter how big it was, so they were instructed to keep their weapons pointed down, and not to fire until told.
But what he really needed the women for was to add to the noise and confusion when the thing came out. All he needed was for the monster to be disorientated for two seconds — enough time to line up a kill shot. Also, having four targets for the snake to potentially attack meant the odds of him being killed went from 50–50 to one in four — much better.
They crept down, just using their flashlights. It was how they remembered the large room, with the portal opening at the end. The rocks were polished smooth by something about eight feet wide continually rubbing against them.
“Keep your eyes on that freaking hole, man,” Ajax said to Fergus.
“You got it,” Fergus replied.
Ajax grabbed a large block of stone and dragged it about 15 feet to be right in front of the hole. Then he took Juan and slid the unconscious man across so he was sitting up with his back against the stone, facing the dark hole in the wall.
“Just like he’s home watching football on television,” Ajax said, sniggering.
The man’s head lolled, but he stayed in place.
“And now, we ring the dinner bell.” He pulled out a flare, holding it tight, but turning first. His grin had fallen away. “You ready for this?”
Fergus nodded, the stock of his rifle in tight against his shoulder. Helen and Camilla were too frightened to even speak.
“Let’s boogie.” He jammed the flare against his thigh and waved it inside the tunnel.
“Hey!” he yelled. His voice echoed away into the stygian depths. “Hey!” he yelled even louder and waved it twice more. “Come and get it.”
Ajax then dropped the flare between Juan’s feet, and they all retreated back into the shadows, guns pointed at the large hole in the wall.
Ajax licked his lips. “Hold fire until that big asshole comes out.”
They waited, with just the sputtering noise of the fizzing flare and its infernal red glow. Ajax wished the stupid flare was silent as it masked the approach of anything from within the cave-tunnel. But at least it lit up the first 10 feet of the interior, so as a trade-off, it was justified.
He’d positioned himself the furthest back of the group, and he tried to visualize how it would play out. He saw several scenarios; one of them, unfortunately, was the snake coming out fast and overshooting Juan. Then, either Camilla or Helen would probably start firing wildly as they tried to follow it with their guns. That’d mean they’d probably be firing across at the opposite side of the room, where Fergus was. Being at the back, he put himself behind that. He hoped.
Ajax looked briefly over his shoulder, reconfirming his bearings. He’d also put himself close to the stairs in the event everything went to shit. He wanted to be the first one out. Live to fight another day was his motto.
He looked across to Fergus. He was the only guy he could count on to score a hit every time. The man had his gun in hard at his shoulder and his eye down on the barrel. If Ajax could take one person with him down the chute, Fergus would be the guy.
Ajax planned on letting the others pepper the thing with the SIG Sauer’s standard bottleneck rounds, and hope they did the required damage. But he knew if it pushed through that and came outside of the portal, then boys and girls, cover your fucking ears, ‘cause he was going to lay down some fragmentation shit and end the argument right there and then.
He waited, his nerves begging to stretch. He looked up off his gun sight. “Hey, maybe no one’s home,” he said.
“Maybe,” Fergus replied. “But we don’t know how deep it goes.”
The flare sputtered down and then went out, leaving them in total darkness. Four flashlights came on as one. Camilla’s beam was shaking like she was having convulsions, and Helen’s wasn’t much better.
Ajax grabbed another flare from his thigh pouch. “Last one, then we’re going in.” He ignited it and tossed it in front of Juan again.
The room bloomed with the Hadean red glow once again. The group waited, their nerves stretching to breaking point, and their eyes focused hawk-like on the smoothed portal opening.
After another few more moments, Ajax ground his teeth and cursed. It should goddamn be working; they had a body, still alive and warm. The light and heat from the flare should have drawn any hunter in the area. It should fucking-shit-goddamn work.