“Yeah, maybe. Or maybe they came here. Michael claimed he saw Guy enter into another dimension. Maybe we crossed the threshold in the storm. Maybe we’re not in our plane of existence at all.”
Ariki shook his head. “Look, I like to keep things simple. Here’s simple: this is an island. Meaning we keep moving and eventually cover enough ground to find this laboratory. Maybe even find our missing scientists. Either way, it’s gotta be better shelter than out here.”
Damon nodded. “Suits me. We’ll follow your lead. I’ll cover your rear.” He leered at Elena. “Unless you want to put your lives in Private Ruiz’s hands again.”
She snatched up her MK8 and slung it over her shoulder. “Whatever, Damon.”
“Don’t feel too bad, Private. I’d have thought you and your little boyfriend would be dead by now.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
Raspy laughter scraped from his throat. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”
The rain continued its assault. Floodwaters roared by, swallowing the dry ground. At the most shallow, the water was ankle deep. But sudden drops into waist deep or higher were frequent, and nearly everyone had to be hauled out at one point or another.
It’s a miracle none of us have drowned yet. But in this place, it’s only a matter of time before something awful happens.
The jungle was another enemy; thick with hazards, rank with the scent of rot. It tripped them up with hidden footfalls, restrained them with thick creepers and vines, oppressed them with stifling humidity. All the while, the sensation of watching eyes prickled Elena’s skin. Every shadow quivered with movement, every branch and leaf swayed from winds that never touched her. The rainforest seemed to grow thicker and more menacing with every faltering step she took. Whispers prickled her ears, obscene murmurs just out of range of comprehension, sick giggles and garbled undertones coagulated with the promise of torment.
“This ain’t cool, man.” Hayes licked his lips and flinched at every sudden movement. “This ain’t cool at all.”
“Stay focused.” Ariki’s voice was calm, but Elena wasn’t fooled. She knew he felt it too. It was as if the jungle was about to vomit madness all over them. Ahead of her, Nathan’s head jerked back and forth, as if he feared an attack from his blind side. She glanced behind to see if Damon was affected as well.
He wasn’t there. Only pouring rain and blurred forestry were visible. Her breath caught in her throat. “Hold up.”
Ariki had to yell over the roar of the deluge. “What is it?”
“Damon’s gone.” She gestured helplessly.
Ariki plodded over to stand beside her. He squinted into the heavy rain, gritting his teeth. “Dammit, what the hell?”
“They got him, man.” Hayes jerked his rifle back and forth. “Didn’t hear nothing. We’re next. We’re next, you hear me?”
Ariki seized Hayes by the collar. “Cool it, Hayes. Try to keep it together for once in your life.”
Hayes looked about to explode in a wide-eyed tirade, but was cut off when his feet left the ground. Only Ariki’s grip on his collar stopped him from being yanked upward with irresistible force. Ariki quickly dropped his machine gun and secured a grip with his other arm. Even then his muscles strained from the effort of trying to pull Hayes back down.
With Hayes yelling and flailing his limbs, it took a few seconds for Elena to see the almost transparent threads latched onto his back and shoulders. The strands stretched into the gloomy canopy, where they were swallowed by darkness. But Elena felt it. The nearly overwhelming sensation quivered across her skin like diseased, dead fingers.
Something terrible is up there.
Gunfire erupted from behind her. She automatically flinched and ducked before realizing the shots were aimed upward, at their unseen enemy. Leaves and branches showered down from the deadly barrage.
Damon stepped from a tangle of thick, green brush, firing his HK417 in methodical bursts. His eyes gleamed, a tiny smile scrawled across his face. He looked as though there was no other place he wanted to be.
Elena raised her own rifle and joined in. Looking into the gloom, it was clear that a massive shadow was moving across the branches, some misshapen form that looked too large for the limbs to support.
Don’t think about it. Just shoot.
She opened her mouth in a wild yell as she squeezed her rounds off, her shots mingling with Damon’s in a concert of blazing gunfire. Nathan joined in as well, firing twin handguns in the same general vicinity. Ariki was finally able to pull Hayes back to the ground, where they both fell into a deep, muddy pool.
A squirming, multi-limbed creature tumbled from the gloomy darkness, snapping thick branches in its wake. It struck the ground with enough force to spray the entire group with cascades of dirty water. She shrank back from the twitching abomination, desperately trying to hold back the urge to vomit.
The spider was a writing tangle of irregular limbs and pale meat. The abdomen was grotesquely oversized and nearly opaque; milky liquid swirled with formations that looked almost like screaming human faces pressed against the membrane. The rest of the body was covered with long, wiry hairs. The thorax was fused with a head that appeared to be all eyeballs and quivering feelers. Something like a human shriek emitted from a maw lined with protruding fangs.
Elena couldn’t tear her eyes away. She couldn’t escape. All she could do was keep shooting, unloading her entire magazine into the thrashing monstrosity. The others followed suit until the roar of muzzle fire drowned out the angry rain. Bristly, elongated legs were shredded, the abdomen exploded in a spray of milky white. Green guts mingled with red blood when the ammo was finally spent. The creature’s body was pulp, steaming and raw.
She looked at the others. Nathan had already turned away, propped against a nearby tree trunk as though his legs were useless. Hayes’ face was twisted in a mask of revulsion, seemingly unable to stop staring at the thing that had nearly captured him. Ariki focused on reloading his firearm, but the occasional glances he gave the creature were enough. He was as shocked as any of them.
Damon returned Elena’s gaze with a tight grin. “That’s how you carry rear duty, Private.”
She hesitated before giving him a curt nod. “Thanks.”
He seemed about to respond, but froze instead, scanning the treetops. “Time to go.”
She looked up. The branches thrashed as dark shapes skittered across them.
A great many dark, skittering shapes.
“Go!” Damon clenched his teeth and fired upward.
Command became action. Elena and the rest of them ran.
The jungle was a green blur, shrouded by rain and shadows. Ariki led the way, pausing only to fire a few volleys at their pursuers. At times he unloaded at the foliage, clearing a path for the rest to follow. Hayes ran alongside, cursing and screaming in alternating intervals. Nathan sprinted just ahead of Elena, and Damon breathed down her neck from behind.
“Faster, dammit! They’re right on our six!”
Someone yelled directly ahead. Elena plowed through a tangle of vines and heavy leaves before arms seized her. She thrashed with wild strength, nearly smothered by paralyzing panic. She and her attacker staggered as she fought to free herself…
“Calm down, Elena! It’s me.”
She exhaled violently when she recognized Nathan’s voice. She sagged in his arms, trembling from the sudden drop of adrenaline.
“Nate… what the hell—?”
Her heart nearly exploded from her chest when she saw why he stopped her so suddenly.
They had come to the edge of a sheer cliff. The opposite edge was more than forty yards away, overlain with vines that draped over the edge until they were lost in a cloud of mist. The river below was a frothy, furious serpent, but the drop was too steep to attempt a dive. It would be suicide to jump from that distance.