CHAPTER 44
“From in front or behind?” Ben spun to look over his shoulder, and then back to Emma. “Shit.” Where they were, there were few vantage points, no places of concealment, or even opportunities to mount a real defense.
It didn’t matter; he’d seen what the monsters could do, and trying to fight one in an enclosed area was not a good tactical move. He had to assume it was one of the creatures coming up from behind them. And a cave blockage meant it was a big one.
“We stay ahead of it.” Ben spun to Drake, and his voice became authoritative. “Sergeant.”
Drake’s head snapped around. “Sir.”
“We are going to double-time it, and you will keep up.” Ben glared at his friend.
“Damn right I will, Captain.” He put more weight on his leg and grimaced.
Helen grabbed his arm tighter. “I’ve got him.”
“Go.” Ben began to jog, taking the lead with Emma who was right on his shoulder. A few more paces back, he could hear the quick clacking sound the gun muzzle made as Drake jammed the barrel into the cave floor.
Ben spotted the narrowing of the cave and went through a natural archway. He immediately slowed as they found themselves in a huge cathedral-like cavern.
He began to walk. “Ah, shit.” He lifted his gun. Emma did the same. The huge cave was filled with piles of eggs, eggshells, and twisting snakes. Most were no more than 20 feet in length, but some were larger.
“Look; at the far end of the cave.” Emma pointed.
On the other side of the huge cavern, there was what looked like a well, with hand-carved stone blocks built around a hole in the floor. Around its edge were eight-feet-tall stone idols of natives in headdresses, huge, two-legged beasts roaring to the sky, and rearing snakes with the green gem eyes.
“This must be it. This is how the natives were climbing up here in the wettest season,” Emma said. “We just need to get through.”
“Well, no time for diplomacy.” He turned to Drake. “Shock and awe.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Drake grinned with zero humor.
Ben turned back. “Then let’s make some space.” He pointed his gun at the largest snake and fired twice in quick succession. The bullets created twin holes right between the 30-foot snake’s eyes, and it shuddered and fell to the cave floor.
Drake balanced on one leg and started firing the rifle, picking his targets and never missing. Emma followed, drilling holes in anything that moved.
The room quickly filled with a mist of blood, smell of cordite, and the sound of a furious hissing that grew so loud that it almost hurt the ears. But in just seconds more, most of the remaining snakes had vanished like smoke.
“Cease fire,” Ben yelled, but he had no choice. “I’m out anyway.”
“Me too,” Drake said.
Emma jammed in her last magazine and went to point her gun at a rapidly retreating, but wounded snake.
“No!” Ben yelled again. “Save it. It’s all we have left.”
Emma reholstered her weapon and looked quickly at her watch. “Shit; hurry.”
They ran to the edge of the well-like pit and looked down. Emma grabbed her last flare, punched it against her thigh, and dropped it.
It floated for a moment on a wind rushing up into their faces, and then fell slowly. It kept on spinning and falling into a pit that seemed bottomless.
“Look.” She pointed. On the outside of the 20-foot-wide hole, there were steps carved into the stone in a corkscrew design.
Ben stared down and waved a hand in front of his face. The fog was thickening, and he looked to Emma. “Time to portal close?”
She quickly checked her watch and grimaced. “We’ve got twelve minutes, and we need to be down… ” She shook her head. “… I have no idea how far.”
“Then no time to waste — and deeper has got to be better. So… ” Ben was first over the side. Stuck in his belt were a few of his spears tipped with the grenade slugs.
Drake had discarded the empty gun and hobbled as best he could. He moved Helen in front of him but grabbed her arm and looked deep into her eyes.
“Don’t look back. Just keep your eyes on Ben the whole time, okay?”
She nodded but looked like she didn’t trust herself to speak. Ben looked into the pit, and what looked like miles down deep, there was a pinprick of red light. With his back to the wall, he began to navigate a set of steps that were narrow, crumbling, and in some places coated in moss.
He moved as fast as risk would allow — too slow, and they were all staying — too fast, and he’d slip and tumble into the void.
Concentration, persistence, patience, his mind whispered to him as he descended. His legs wanted to run, and he fought with them every step of the way. Concentration, persistence, patience, he told himself over and over.
The snake burst into the nesting chamber and reared up. The bodies of the young were everywhere, and even some of the eggs were riddled with holes and leaking their precious life fluid.
Its tongue flicked out, sensing the fresh blood, and also tasting the chemical traces of the small beings.
The massive 70-foot creature had been challenged many times in its long life, and it prevailed every time. In its primitive reptile brain, it was concerned with territory, mating, eating, and survival.
But surveying the destruction of its brood created another sensation not felt before in its entire life—hate.
It surged toward the hole in the cavern floor and without stopping went over the surrounding stones.
In the darkness of the pit, it could see the creature’s flaring warmth — they weren’t far ahead of it. The Titanoboa increased its speed as it flowed like water around the outside of the shaft.
“Five minutes!” Emma yelled.
She heard Ben curse and try to speed up. He succeeded in slipping on one of the steps, and cursing even more.
The wind rushed up past them as it was sucked up inside the tunnel. The mist was so thick now that they could only just make each other out by their shapes and the glow of their flashlights.
“How far down — do you think—?” Ben continued to edge along. “—we need to get?”
Emma followed closely, her fingertips almost touching his, but he still became indistinct in the foggy darkness. She had to squint from the flying debris smashing into her. Behind her, Helen and Drake were just shadows.
“I remember, that first time, when I came out of the mist layer, everything just seemed to… settle down.” She wracked her mind, but the detail wasn’t there. “But I can’t remember how far I had to climb.” She grimaced. “It took a while. I think.”
“We must hurry.” Ben turned and yelled up the shaft. “Drake, get a move on.”
Ben turned back and kept going, and as his foot alighted on one of the steps, it simply crumbled underneath him.
Ben’s arms pinwheeled for a moment, and then he fell.
“Ben!”
Emma went to grab for him, but nearly overbalanced herself. Ben spun in the air and threw out both arms. His fingertips caught the edge of the next step down and he swung hard but managed to cling there.
Drake and Helen bunched up behind her, but their path was so narrow, no one was getting past anyone else. Emma carefully straightened and went to step over Ben’s fingers to try and get below him.
Immediately, the rushing wind stopped dead in the shaft.
She froze. “Oh no.” Emma lifted her gun, pointing it upward. “Everyone… get down.”