Not exactly an Injun, are you boy?
When he reached the tree closest to the cave, he paused to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans. Then he peered around the trunk and saw what appeared to be the caveman version of his favorite bartender.
Bill Malley stood beside the cave, wielding a machete and grinning like a lunatic. He wore tattered jeans and no shirt, his barrel of a chest streaked with dirt. Dried clumps of mud dangled from the curls of his chest hair.
Jay froze, and for a moment, he and Malley locked gazes. Then Malley made a throat-slitting gesture with the machete, and charged.
Jay stumbled backward into the brambles, gritting his teeth as the thorns ripped into his calves. Malley closed the gap quickly, the machete slicing through the air in a blur of blue steel.
From somewhere behind him, Crystal cried out in warning.
Jay fell against a tree and ducked as the machete sliced into the trunk above his head, sending chips of bark raining into the air. He lost his balance and fell into the dirt, the stun gun tumbling from his hand.
Malley yanked the blade free and stepped over him. Jay shifted his weight and rolled to the left as the machete clanged against a rock and produced a shower of sparks. He snatched the stun gun from the dirt just as Malley hoisted the blade over his head.
Jay thrust his arm upward and planted the stun gun against Malley’s groin. A blue spark jumped between the leads with an electric crackle, and Malley collapsed in a heap.
Jay staggered to his feet and was joined by the others a few moments later.
“Does anyone else smell burnt wiener?” Tim asked, letting out a nervous laugh.
Jay glanced into the woods beyond the path. He thought he could hear the distant sound of grunting. “Come on,” he said. “We don’t have much time.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Margaret lay on the cold, hard stone and breathed in shallow and rhythmic gasps. Crippling jabs of pain ripped through her womb, and she focused her attention on the stalactites suspended above her. Water rippled in the pool beside her, and the pale blue phosphorescence that radiated from its edges cast a host of shadows crawling over the cavern walls.
It’s soaking in the pool. Feeding off the power, channeling the strength into its body.
It was the magic of this place that made it possible, the convergence of worlds, the overlapping of gateways. The pool had kept Trell alive throughout the centuries. Nurturing it, healing it … somehow transforming the blood of the dying into a form of energy that it could absorb through its skin.
The rippling water built into a churning roil as the Dark One emerged from the pool. An ice-cold spray of water splashed onto Margaret’s face, sending a chill through her body. She turned her head away and allowed herself to descend into that secret place where the beast couldn’t hear her thoughts.
Greed.
It would be Trell’s downfall. Maybe not today, maybe not for a thousand years, but one day it would exact its price. She was certain of it, for she knew of the dual nature of the pool, of the magic that the Dark One had added to it.
Does it know I’ve picked its brain? Does it know about the secrets I’ve stolen?
Pain flared in her uterus, a simultaneous stabbing and sinking that wrenched her out of her secret place. Her eyes fluttered open, and her surroundings drew slowly into focus. Trell loomed over her, its eyes gleaming in the shadows. Its rank breath plumed into her face as its lips spread apart in a maddening grin, revealing row upon row of jagged fangs.
Its voice boomed in her mind, so loud that it rattled her teeth.
Soon you shall bear witness to the ancient ritual … life from death and death from life.
The amulet dangled from Trell’s neck, so dark and shiny it was camouflaged against the surrounding scales. It swung before her eyes, the polished obelisk reflecting the phosphorescent glow of the pool. She tried reaching for it, but she couldn’t seem to lift her arms.
Beautiful, isn’t it? Trell said. A souvenir of the old world, the spoil of my greatest battle. I would tell you the story one day, but I believe you already know it, don’t you? Its lips twisted into a freakish grin. But no matter. It will all be over soon. So lie back, Margaret, and relax. This child will be born whether you want it or not.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
They stood waist-deep in the tangle of underbrush, huddled shoulder to shoulder before the cave. They could hear Trell’s assassins grunting in the distance, becoming more agitated by the second. Tim cast a nervous glance into the woods. His eyes swept across the trees as he unzipped his backpack and passed out the flashlights.
Jay noticed a tremor in the boy’s hands, but said nothing. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the faces of those in this unlikely group, the charges of a boy dead to this world for three centuries, a boy murdered by the very beast they had come here to slay. “All right,” he said. “Last chance.”
“You’ve already heard my answer,” Tim said. He clicked on the flashlight and ducked inside the cave.
Sarah peered up at Jay. “Will you hold my hand?”
“Of course,” he said, taking her hand. “Well?” he asked, glancing at Crystal. “What about you?”
She held his gaze for a moment. “I’m gonna stand by my man,” she said, and surprised him with a kiss before slipping into the cave.
For a fleeting moment, Jay forgot all about Trell, all about the danger they were about to face. But then he glanced at the dark gash between the boulders and wondered how many people Trell had dragged through that opening over the centuries, how many children had it slaughtered within those walls?
Anger welled up inside him, for the time being drowning out the fear. He kissed Sarah on the forehead. “Come on,” he whispered.
Darkness smothered them as they entered the cave, the change so sudden that Jay felt as if someone had thrown a hood over his head. Even with the flashlights, it still took a minute before his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could finally discern the faces of Tim, Crystal, and Sarah standing before him.
It was cool in here, almost cold. A breeze gusted from some subterranean level, the damp air wafting the earthy scent of minerals. Jay shone the flashlight overhead, illuminating the craggy black rock of the ceiling. The passageway appeared to be no more than eight feet high by ten feet wide. He wondered if it narrowed at any point, forcing them to crawl. He saw by the look on Crystal’s face that she was thinking the same thing—she was claustrophobic. He reached for her hand. “It’ll get wider,” he said, although he didn’t have the slightest idea if that was true.
Tim ran his hand over the wall and studied the damp residue on his palm before wiping it on his shirt. “Destroy the gateway,” he whispered. “Maybe it has something to do with the runes.”
But Jay only shrugged. He didn’t have a clue what it meant.
They crept along the passageway, Jay and Tim in front, Crystal and Sarah trailing a step behind. They walked for a long time, the floor of the cave sloping ever downward, descending deeper into the heart of the earth. Jay trained his flashlight on the blackness ahead, the beam lancing through the dark like a laser. The others had their lights switched to the lantern setting, which threw off a warm glow in a ten foot radius.
Sarah nudged Jay and whispered, “What if there are more of ... of them in here?”
Jay bit his lip. What could he say? That they were like sitting ducks with the lights on? That Trell’s assassins would see them a mile away?
We should have asked Dexler for night vision goggles. How did we not think of that?
“I think Samuel led them all away,” Tim said. “But if not, we’ll get them before they get us.”
“Right,” Jay said. He hoped the lie made Sarah feel better, because it only made him feel worse. He drew a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. Somewhere in this darkness, somewhere deep in this labyrinth of stone, was Trell.
Christ, Jay thought. Are we playing right into its hands? Is this what Trell wanted all along?
In the back of his mind, the voice of his dad cackled.
What would it take to defeat Trell? Was Tim right? Would bullets be useless? And even if they somehow managed to wound it, wouldn’t it just heal itself in the pool?
There were too many questions and not enough answers. How could he have been so stupid? Here they were, wandering through the depths of some nameless cave—a recovering alcoholic, two kids, and a woman all of one hundred and fifteen pounds—carrying guns and grenades on their way to battle a creature from another world, a creature that shouldn’t even exist, but somehow did. Their plan was to march right up to this creature, this beast with no known weaknesses, confront it on its own turf ... and they no longer had the element of surprise.
You really screwed yourself this time, boy. I told you not to come down here, told you not to get involved. But you didn’t listen to your dear old dad, did you?
Jay ignored the voice and instead listened to the sounds that permeated the inky darkness—the muted plop of slow dripping water, the hollow grinding of pebbles beneath their feet. He drew a shaky breath and focused on banishing the fear from his mind, on willing his legs to move forward, conscious of the fact that he was the leader of this group, the commander of this unlikely bunch, knowing that if he faltered, if he showed any sign of fear or weakness, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Trell.
Sarah tugged at his shirtsleeve. “This way.”
Jay nodded, knowing that she was reliving the dream that Samuel had given her, knowing that their fate might well depend on what this little girl remembered. And so he led them through a passageway on the left, its ceiling lined with stalactites. He clenched his jaw as they crept through the tunnel and tried to shake the feeling that they were walking right into a trap.
But it was too late to turn back now, too late to even consider it.
He tightened his grip on his dad’s .45 and swallowed, trying to force some moisture back into his throat. He was beginning to sense a presence in this place, beginning to feel the evil that dwelled here. It prickled the hairs at the nape of his neck and made his heart thump hard in his chest.
“We’re getting close,” Sarah said.
Jay nodded. He had guessed as much by the smell. He had noticed it only moments before—a damp, musty odor mingled with something rotten. Like a dirty cage at the zoo.
They continued along the passageway. A series of tunnels appeared on their left, yawning like hungry, black mouths. Something caught Jay’s eye in one of the tunnels, and he drew to a halt.
“What is it?” Tim asked.
“I thought I saw a gleam of red … almost like eyes watching in the dark.”
“I don’t see anything,” Crystal whispered. “But let’s keep moving just in case.”
What if it follows us? Jay thought. What if it blocks our only way out?
Before he could finish the thought, a woman’s scream rang out from somewhere ahead of them, echoing throughout the passageway. Even in the dim glow of the flashlights, Jay saw a spark of recognition flash across Sarah’s face.
“Mom!” she cried.
And before Jay could do anything to stop her, she dashed ahead into the darkness. “Sarah, stop!”
But she didn’t listen, and a few moments later they heard the crack of plastic, the tinkling of glass ... and then Sarah was gone, vanished into the darkness as her flashlight winked out.
“Sarah!” Jay yelled.
But the girl didn’t answer—she only screamed.
Jay charged through the tunnel, running too fast to react to anything that the flashlight might reveal in his path. Soon, the tunnel began to brighten—not from the light of day, but from a pale blue phosphorescence that emanated from somewhere up ahead.
He stumbled into an enormous cavern and almost tripped over Sarah’s broken flashlight. Tim and Crystal appeared beside him a moment later, but he barely noticed their presence as he glanced up at a vaulted ceiling lined with dripping stalactites.
The cavern stretched back at least a hundred feet to the far wall where a still, black pool shimmered like onyx, its edges radiating a bright band of phosphorescence.
A woman lay beside the pool, sprawled on the floor with her legs spread apart. She wore a tattered white nightgown, stained with what could either be dirt or blood. Sarah kneeled beside her, her profile half-obscured by the swell of the woman’s stomach.
Jay set the flashlight down and held his dad’s .45 in both hands, his eyes never leaving Sarah’s mother. She was a servant of Trell now. She was its eyes and its ears, its teeth and its claws. And even in her current condition, she would be dangerous.
Tim exhaled sharply. “Sarah never said anything about her mom being pregnant.”
Jay raised the gun and stared down the sight. “I have a feeling this is something recent. Something very recent.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Mom!
The word drifted through the swirl of fog that clouded her brain, the sound so weak and distant she thought for sure she had imagined it. But when the cry repeated itself a moment later, she knew it had to be real. Someone had entered the cave, someone Trell hadn’t invited.
Sarah?
Margaret struggled into a sitting position and propped herself up on elbows trembling with fatigue. She glanced about the cavern and saw that it was empty. Trell was nowhere in sight. But she knew it wouldn’t have strayed too far—not with the birth of its child so imminent.
Somehow Sarah had found her, she and the others that Trell hunted. Somehow they had made it to this awful place. But they couldn’t possibly know what they were up against, couldn’t possibly know how to kill it. She’d have to find a way to tell them, find a way to bypass Trell’s control of her. But how was she going to do that? How could she possibly break free of it ... even for an instant?
A contraction wracked her body, and she clenched her fists in agony. This intensity of this labor was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Birthing Sarah felt like menstrual cramps in comparison.
That’s because it’s tearing me up inside. Feeding on my flesh.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Sarah step into the cavern, the eerie blue light falling upon her. She tried calling out to Sarah, but a stabbing pain ripped through her womb, and she bit her tongue and pounded her fist into the ground.
Sarah dropped the flashlight and screamed.
When the contraction passed, Margaret sat up and held out her hand.
Sarah took a tentative step forward. “Mom? Is that you?”
“Yes, honey, it’s me. For now. You understand how it makes me do things I don’t want?”
“It made you hurt Daddy.”
“Yes,” Margaret said, and felt sickened by the memory.
Sarah’s eyes swept the cavern. “Where is it?”
“I don’t know. The pool, I think. The others are with you?”
Sarah nodded and drew closer. She seemed to consider if this was wise, but sat down beside her anyway. She glanced at her mom’s nightgown. “What’s wrong with your stomach?”
Margaret bit her lip to keep it from trembling. “It put a baby inside me.” She lowered her eyes, not wanting to see Sarah’s reaction. Sarah knew where babies came from—they’d had the talk just last month.
“I’m sorry,” Sarah said.
It was such a grown up thing to say, such a brave thing, it nearly broke her heart. She took Sarah’s hand. “You have to be strong now. You have to—”
“Sarah?” a man’s voice called. “Come over here.”
They turned toward the passageway where a man stood framed in lantern light, his gun aimed at Margaret.
“She’s dangerous, Sarah. Remember who controls her. Remember—”
The words died on his lips as the surface of the pool came alive with a churning roil.
Margaret grabbed Sarah by the shoulders and locked eyes with her. “You’ve got to go to them, Sarah. And whatever happens, remember that I love you. Remember that I would nev
er hurt you and that—” she whispered, pointing to her neck, “Get Trell’s amulet, free the Life Force—”
A scream erupted from inside the pool. Water shot into the air like a geyser and rained down in a torrent. Sarah sprang to her feet and scrambled away, racing into the man’s arms. He folded her into an embrace and then stepped protectively in front of her.
Margaret drew a deep breath and thanked God for this man. She didn’t know who he was or how he came to know Sarah, but it gave her hope to know that there was still some goodness left in the world.
Trell would punish her now, but she didn’t care. She had tricked it, had beaten it at its own game. Dizziness washed over her, and she felt suddenly disconnected from her body as Trell seized control. It commanded her to lie down and spread her arms out in the form of a cross. She wanted to tell the others what needed to be done, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. It was up to Sarah now.
It lifted her head into the air and smashed her face against the stone, breaking her nose with a sickening crunch. And as blood trickled into her mouth and drained into her throat, she could hear it cursing her in the Ancient tongue.
But in her mind, she screamed in triumph.
How do you like that, Trell? You should’ve seized control when Sarah walked into the cavern. But you wanted me to suffer, didn’t you? Wanted to hear me explain how you raped me. But you lost, Trell. You underestimated me ... and now your secret is out.
***
An icy rivulet of water trickled down Jay’s cheek as Trell rose from the depths of the pool. Until now, Jay had only caught shadowy glimpses of the beast on the side of the road, and the sheer size of it shocked him.
It stood nearly six feet tall, its massive head crammed full of jagged fangs skewed at oblique angles. It crouched on all fours beside the pool, its forepaws twice as long as the rear so that it was standing semi-erect. Grayish green scales covered its body, and the arch of its back bristled with spikes.
Colony of the Lost Page 25