This snake was even bigger than the one locked in its death roll with the dinosaur. Perhaps it had been called by the first or had heard the commotion via vibrations in the ground, but it ignored the humans and poured forth toward the fighting pair.
Ben and Emma leaped aside but got to their feet quickly when it became clear the snake was going to pass them by. They watched it go and still couldn’t tear their eyes away as the second snake sped into the fighting pair.
It didn’t stop or even deviate, but simply accelerated, opened its mouth, and shot its head and neck forward to thump into the flanks of the Giganotosaurus and then clamp its jaws down hard. Immediately, the snake’s massive body was brought into action, throwing itself forward and wrapping itself around the great beast’s torso.
The Giganotosaurus must have known the dynamics of the battle had shifted as it dropped the first snake, which fell limp to the ground, and tried to bite at the muscular coils that were now wrapping around it.
The two colossal legs of the dinosaur planted and it raised itself to its full height as the body of the snake engulfed it — loop after loop, until the massive theropod, still upright, was bound in place and could only scream its primal rage.
“Look.” Ben nudged Emma and pointed to the gargoyle images of the carved intertwined deities at the temple’s entrance.
She nodded. “Yeah, this battle has played out before.”
“Come on, quick.” They bounded up the steps and sprinted inside.
“Drake, Helen,” Ben yelled into the cavernous space so his voice could be heard over the titanic struggle going on outside.
“Yo,” came an answer from the furthest room. Drake’s light appeared and then he and Helen followed it.
“Goddamn monster burst outta that portal. Went past us like we didn’t exist.” Drake looked pale but managed a grin regardless. Helen just looked ill.
Ben pointed to the room with the steps to the basement. “Now’s our chance. Those bastards have bigger fish to fry than us.”
Ben led them down the steps and slowed as he approached the ink-black hole in the wall. He leaned in and shook his head. “Still stinks in here. A nest for sure.”
“Yeah, and even the young ones are bad news.” Drake lit a flare and tossed it as far in as he could manage.
The red glowing stick bounced a few times and came to rest about 60 feet in. The carved portal opened out into a cavern. The smoke of the flare blew toward them.
“A breeze,” Emma said. “Warm air rises, so this is the best news we’ve had in days.”
“Years.” Ben grinned at her, but then turned back and tilted his head, listening.
Emma watched him for a moment. “You hear something in there?” she whispered.
“No, and that’s the problem. It’s gone quiet, but I mean from outside, and that tells me the fight is over.” He moved his remaining explosive spears from one hand to the other. “There’s no choice now; we’ve got to stay ahead of the snakes, and stay ahead of the gateway closing.”
Ben stepped inside.
CHAPTER 41
Ben led them in, walking carefully, holding the rifle up. Emma was at his left shoulder, gun ready but pointed down for now. Her eyes were wide and she was as alert as a hawk.
On Ben’s other side, Drake also had his gun ready, but also had Helen clinging on tight to his arm. She looked on the verge of panic—not good, Ben thought. If things went bad, they needed to remain cool and clear-headed, and able to move quickly. Ben knew from his mission firefights that it was indecision, hesitation, and panic that were always the first killers.
He had a spare gun and would have liked Helen armed, but given her state, he bet that when the chips were down, she’d more than likely drop it, or shoot one of them by accident.
Ben held up a hand. The cavern had opened out and then forked. There were several passages before them, and the gentle slope of the ground they’d been traveling on meant they were probably already quite a way below the surface. They’d left the flare far behind and were at the edge of its faint red glow, but their next discovery told Ben they were still well within the danger zone.
“Coprolite,” Helen observed as they passed the balls of chalk-like packages.
“Their shit,” Emma added. “And no, not fossilized.”
Some of the crap balls were the size of footballs, and some the size of large watermelons. In amongst the droppings, there were the remains of crushed bones. Ben didn’t want to think that the remains of Fergus or the others would soon end up deposited here. He shuddered; for that matter, he didn’t want to end up that way either.
The rocks inside the cave were smoothed, as if they had been polished by something heavy sliding over them over and over. And he knew what.
“Is this the nest?” he asked.
Helen peered around Drake. “No; there’d be clutches of eggs scattered around. This must just be an antechamber.”
“Damn; I have no idea which way,” Ben whispered as he flicked his light into each of the passages in front of them. “Emma, this is your field. Which way do we go?”
Emma turned slightly, spat on her hand, wiped it on her pants, and then held it up in front of her face. She moved it around and then pointed.
“The entrance on the left; that’s where the breeze is coming from.”
“Good enough for me,” Ben said.
“Hey, look.” Drake had his flashlight shining up against the flat wall. It was heavily carved with glyphs and drawings. “Je-zuz.” He shook his head.
Ben added his light. “They were as bad as the snakes.” The images showed men, women, and children all roped together by the neck, dozens and dozens of them, and all being led out past the gargoyle statues of the carved snake and beast.
The next image showed them standing before the monstrous snake. And the last image was of the snake beginning to consume them, as the tied-up victims stood calmly as though simply waiting for a bus ride.
“Bastards,” Emma spat. “I used to think they killed their people first and then fed the parts to the Titanoboa. That was bad enough. But it’s worse; they fed the snakes with their own people goddamn alive.”
“I think they got what they deserved,” Ben said. “Looks to me like the snakes got tired of waiting for their dinner to be brought to them and decided on a little self-service.”
“Karma is a bitch,” Drake said, chuckling. “And now the snakes run the place.”
“Let’s keep going.” Emma glanced over her shoulder.
“How much time have we got?” Ben turned to see her still looking over her shoulder the way they’d come. “Emma?”
“Huh?” She turned to him. “Sorry?”
“You okay?” He followed her gaze, but there was nothing to see and the cave now extended back well beyond their light beams. “Time left, how much have we got?”
She didn’t even need to check her watch. “Based on the last apparition of Primordia, I estimate we’ve got 1 hour and 20 minutes. We must be below whatever line it is, or we all stay.”
“Okay. Give us a countdown every ten minutes to keep us focused and, you know, motivated.” Ben half-smiled at her.
“Yeah, motivated.” She grinned back.
He led them on through the passages that were still large enough to run a truck through. Ben had hoped they’d narrow, but guessed it wouldn’t matter, as the snakes were able to fit in fairly small spaces. He hoped they could go some places where the snakes couldn’t, but anything real tight, there was a chance they’d get stuck. He’d risk it, they all would, if it gave them even the slimmest chance to get the hell out of this place.