Two Clickers attacked the first men to reach the top.
Bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the walls as the ambushed soldiers tried to shoot the monsters dragging them along the corridor. Men rushed up the steps. Two short bursts of gunfire dispatched the Clickers. The two captives, still held by their attackers, were pulled to the ground when the dead creatures fell. After Ramirez and Sullivan had untangled themselves from the monsters’ dead limbs, they climbed to their feet and backed away.
Colbert ran his eyes over the men. “Are you hurt?”
Surprised they felt no pain, the two men checked their bodies for damage. The only casualties were ripped clothing and damaged pride from being ambushed.
Colbert glanced at Richard. “Clickers?”
Richard nodded.
Each soldier glanced at the Clickers when they passed. All noticed their sharp, vicious teeth, claw-tipped limbs and their frightening eyeless faces. The two men had been lucky.
They passed along the short corridor through a doorway and followed Richard’s vague directions through the ship.
CHAPTER 16
A Rescue Mission
WHEN LUCY AND her new companion reached a metal door that blocked the far end of the mushroom tunnel, Pinky peered through the small barred opening set in the door before removing the prop that held it closed. The door squealed slightly when Pinky opened it wide enough for them to slip through. Lucy followed Pinky into a rocky area dotted with trees and thorny, large-leaved bushes. Distant squeals and howls alerted Lucy they were not alone. The presence of other creatures put Lucy’s senses on alert and again caused her to wonder if the creature she followed could be trusted. Though she thought it unlikely, it was a carnivore and she couldn’t help but worry that she might still end up on Pinky’s menu. Her hands gripped the makeshift weapon tighter as she carried on.
She almost tripped over Pinky when the creature stopped without warning. Lucy brushed its tail away from her face and took a step back as Pinky crouched behind a bush and pulled aside a branch. After peering out at something, it whimpered and turned to Lucy.
Even though its permanent killer smile remained, Lucy was surprised by Pinky’s sad expression and wondered what had caused it. She knelt beside it and peered through the gap in the foliage. Across the room a creature, the same species as Pinky, though slightly more muscular, was in a cave entrance thirty-feet from the ground, throwing rocks at the vicious six-legged creatures the size of a large wolf attempting to climb up the rock to reach it.
Pinky grabbed Lucy’s arm to attract her attention, tapped its chest and then pointed at the trapped creature.
“Is that your mate,” asked Lucy, attempting to make sense of Pinky’s gestures.
Pinky looked at her curiously and then stood, pointed at the spear Lucy held and mimicked jabbing the air with it.
“You want me to help you rescue your mate.” Though Lucy felt sorry for the two creatures, she didn’t have the time or the confidence they could succeed. The spaceship would soon slip beneath the sea and the whole vessel would be flooded, killing everything aboard. Rescuing creatures that would soon be dead was pointless. She noticed Pinky staring at her. It seemed to have read her reluctance and pointed at her eyes and then across the room. Lucy gazed in the indicated direction. A metal staircase, all but hidden in shadow, hugged the far wall. It led up to a balcony and in the gloom shrouding the top was an open door. If she could get past the Wolf Monsters it could be her way up to the next level.
Pinky whimpered as she stared at a Wolf Monster climbing unseen by Pinky’s mate up the rock to one side of the cave entrance while the others distracted the trapped creature’s attention.
Lucy watched, hoping the trapped creature would see it in time. The lone Wolf Monster drew level with the cave and moved along a small ledge. One of its back legs slipped off the edge, sending a rock tumbling noisily down the cliff. Aware it had lost the element of surprise, the Wolf monster rushed at its prey.
Pinky’s mate turned and faced the threat. When its attacker leaped, it dodged clear of its claws and smashed a rock at its head. The Wolf Monster hit the ground and rolled. Dazed by the blow, it rose on its legs unsteadily. Pinky’s mate gave it no time to recover and rushed at its attacker and shoulder-barged it over the edge. The Wolf Monster struck the rock repeatedly as it tumbled down the cliff, leaving behind a trail of dark blood. Though still alive, as soon as its battered body struck the ground, the pack leaped on it and started feasting.
Lucy studied the ground between her and the staircase. Bushes and rocks would hide her approach over much of the distance. A plan formed in her mind that just might work. She turned to Pinky and even though she knew the creature couldn’t understand her words, she hoped her tone and hand movements would hint at her meaning, and whispered, “I will help you.” She brandished the spear and pointed at the Wolf Monsters. “I go. You stay here.” She pointed at Pinky and then at the ground.
Pinky looked at the ground with a puzzled expression.
Lucy sighed. She could do with a console to plug Pinky into to teach her English. She took a few steps away. Pinky followed. Lucy shook her head, held up a hand and backed away. Pinky remained and watched her go.
Stopping often to glance at the Wolf Monsters preoccupied with eating one of their own, Lucy moved across the room using the rocks and bushes as concealment. When she glanced back she noticed Pinky watching her from behind a bush. Lucy carried on and soon reached the bottom of the staircase. So far her presence had gone unnoticed by the Wolf Monsters, who had now picked the bloody bones of their comrade clean and refocused their attention back on the trapped creature.
Pinky watched the strange intruder cross the room. When she climbed the staircase it became anxious. Why wasn’t it attacking the monsters? Pinky snarled when Lucy disappeared through the doorway. It had been tricked. It looked at the pack of vicious creatures between her and her mate. It might be able to kill one, perhaps two, before she was brought down by the more powerful foe, but she would die in the end. It would be a useless death. Her mate would still be trapped.
The Wolf Monsters howled when they realized no more rocks were being thrown at them and their prey had no more to throw. They started climbing.
Pinky turned away. She couldn’t bear to watch her mate die.
A loud, piercing, warbling cry rang out.
Pinky shot her gaze at the sound and smiled her killer grin.
Lucy stood halfway down the staircase waving the spear in the air.
The Wolf Monsters stopped climbing. For a few moments they did nothing other than stare at the strange creature, then five split off from the group and rushed at the new prey while the three remaining beasts continued their climb.
Pinky leaped from the bushes and rushed across the room.
Lucy watched the five vicious beasts approach and noticed Pinky’s rapid dash for the rock to help her mate. Lucy hoped she had bought them both enough time and they both survived. When the Wolf Monsters reached the bottom of the staircase, Lucy could wait no longer. She turned, ran up the oversized treads and rushed through the open door. A sprint along a short corridor brought her to another door she had already checked was operational before alerting the Wolf Monsters to her presence. As the door opened, the first of the Wolf Monsters skidded into the room. Its claws scratched on the metal floor as they sought traction on its smooth surface. A second beast slammed into it, knocking them both to the floor. As two more entered, Lucy nipped through the opening and closed the door.
Though she thought it unlikely the Wolf Monsters could open the door, Lucy didn’t want to linger and be proved wrong. She moved through the short corridor and opened the door at the far end. Her face dropped when she stepped onto a balcony entwined with alien ivy and gazed at the jungle-choked room. The tall foliage was too dense for her to see the far side of the room or how far away it was. Aware she had to keep moving, Lucy climbed down the stairs overgrown with creeping fauna and entered the jungle.