Dark Side of the Moon

by P. C. Rasmussen

  "Now what?" Bark asked. "We've got about six hours to kill here."

  Stan had folded his arms over his chest, looking more like he was hugging himself, and glanced around the immediate area with obvious concern. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel much like being out in the open here," he said.

  "Me either," Daniel agreed and again tried the palm reader next to the door, before glancing up at the dome above them. "And the room isn't going to open for at least another hour."

  Kyle sent a brief look in the direction of the tunnel to dome 3, and wondered if that dome was still open for business; not that he had any urge to go there. "Six hours is a lot of time," he muttered, more to himself than to the others.

  "For what? Standing around?" Stan asked, having obviously heard him. "Yeah, you can say that again. And after seeing those holes in the ground ... and the crumbled buildings ... even standing on solid rock isn't going to protect us."

  "Against what?" Bark asked, his tone a little agitated. "What the hell are we up against here?"

  "I don't know," Kyle confessed. "Could be anything, really. Could just be that the underground is unstable and is starting to cave in. There could be a lot of reasons for the sudden instabilities we've seen. I mean ... have any of you actually seen anything specific?"

  They looked at each other and one after another shook his head.

  "But I've dreamt about it," Daniel said in a small voice. "About ... something."

  "Don't start freaking us out, kid. Dreams are just dreams, no matter how real they may seem," Stan said and gave him a warning look.

  Dreams were just dreams? Stan obviously hadn't had any of those prophetic visions or whatever the hell they were, Kyle mused silently. He met Daniel's eyes and tried to convey silently that he should shut up about this right now. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Daniel gave an almost imperceptible nod and looked away.

  Both Stan and Bark noticed, but neither of them said anything about it. "So ... should we wait in the mess hall until it's time?" Bark suggested.

  "No!" The word snapped out before Kyle had a chance to think about it. Again he flashed back to that weird dream he'd had, that waking nightmare, and the thought of the mess hall sent shudders of fear through him. "No, I think it's better if we stay close."

  "I'm not going anywhere after what happened," Stan agreed and Daniel nodded vigorously.

  Bark looked from one to the other, frowning. "Okay," he said hesitantly. "Fine. We'll stay here then. But, in case anyone cares, I'm still hungry."

  "There's a food dispenser around that bend," Daniel said, nodding in the direction of the mess hall. "We could get something from there if it still works."

  "Why wouldn't it work?" Bark asked. He looked downright worried now, and Kyle almost felt like laughing. If Bark's greatest worry was whether or not he would eat for the next six hours, then he really didn't fear much of anything; either that or he was in complete denial. That was also an option, and a more likely one.

  "Let's go together. I think it's best if we stick together right now," Kyle said. Stan and Daniel were okay with that, but Bark eyed him suspiciously.

  "What do you know?" he asked. "What are you not telling me?" He glanced at the others. "Us," he amended.

  Kyle eyed him, trying to keep any emotions out of his eyes, then pursed his lips and glanced in the direction of that passage. "What do you mean?" he asked.

  Bark snorted. "What do I mean? This whole 'we-gotta-stick-together' deal? Do you know what's out there? What's making those holes?"

  Daniel looked a little concerned and drove both hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. Stan looked both curious and not. He obviously had an idea of what was going on, but wasn't sure. Not that Kyle was sure of anything right now. "No," he admitted. "I don't know. I haven't seen anything and I don't know anything. But ... whatever those scientists were researching up here before this was turned into a prison ... I think it's still here, whatever the hell it is."

  "You've said as much," Bark agreed. "That doesn't explain why the hell you're so wound up about this. You know something."

  That claim made Kyle wonder if Bark was right, if what Kyle himself thought were dreams were actual visions and he just didn't want to acknowledge them. "Look ... honestly ... I don't know anything. I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. But since I can remember I have always trusted my gut instinct, and my gut is wound up tighter than a spring right now. I'm anxious about getting out here. So much so, that my palms are sweating and I see ghosts around every fucking corner. So, if that's knowing something, then that's all I've got. I don't know what's making those holes. I don't know what's happening. All I know is that I want out. And I want out now!"

  "I second that," Stan said. "Look, Bark, I can see where this is going. You're just as anxious to get out of here as we are. Don't take it out on Kyle. He's giving us an out."

  Bark eyed them both, a frown furrowing his brow. "For thirty-five years ... or something like that ... this place has been a prison and it's been good at it. It's a hell hole, no question about that. But it's been nothing more than a prison. I don't know when dome 6 failed, but it must have been right around the beginning. Dome 5 failed a few years ago. Considering that maintenance of the domes is kept at a minimum, and that Earth generally doesn't give a shit about us up here, I don't think that's weird," he said. "What I find weird is that after you got up here, Kyle, things started to deteriorate quickly. And the moment you figured out how to get us out of here ... it all went to Hell in a hand basket in the blink of an eye."

  Kyle frowned back at him. "Are you blaming me for this?" he asked and made a sweeping gesture toward LPC in general.

  "No, I'm not blaming you for it, but up until your arrival here, I don't think I've ever met any prisoner who had any hope of getting out of here. Ever. We were all convinced that we had been sent up here to die. All of us. And here you are, with your big connections and your faith that we'll be rescued. It can't be a coincidence," Bark countered, spreading his arms in an all-encompassing gesture.

  "The guy's got a point," Stan intoned. "Seems like all of this started going south after you arrived. Maybe the monster in dome 6 doesn't like hope?" he added with a hesitant and somewhat uncertain smile.

  Daniel eyed him, once more nervous like hell. "You really think there's a ... monster in dome 6?" he asked.

  "No, of course not," Kyle said, but could not even convince himself. Of course there was a monster in dome 6. It was evident. And Stan probably had a point too. The thing, whatever the hell it was, didn't like hope.

  "You don't believe that," Daniel said, and pulled back a step, bumping into the wall behind him. "I wanna get out of here," he added in an almost thoughtful tone.

  Kyle sighed lightly, then stepped closer to Daniel and slipped an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, dude. We're getting rescued. We'll be fine." Even to himself it was curious that he managed to believe in this. Maybe his optimistic view on life hadn't been rubbed out entirely after all. He smiled and felt every inch of it. "We just gotta keep on our toes until we get those suits and can get onboard the shuttle that will be waiting for us."

  "Six hours," Daniel said, his voice tight. "That's a hell of a long time for something to go wrong in."

  "Would you shut up?" Bark demanded. "Look, man, I don't wanna sound heartless, but you're not helping matters. Kyle's right. We're only six hours away from that rescue. Hell, by now it's less than six hours. I say we get something to eat and wait it out right here. When the door opens, we'll stay inside the room until it's ready to shut down again. And then we have ... what? An hour? One and a half tops? ... before it opens again?"

  Daniel nodded. "Something like that," he agreed.

  "When you think of it that way, six hours is not that long," Bark pressed on.

  "He's right," Kyle agreed with an easy smile. Bark's words did wonders for his own disposition, and he was eager to share that with Daniel right n
ow, to keep the kid from losing hope. "Just take it easy. We'll be fine."

  Even though it had little effect, it did have some, and Kyle hoped that Daniel wouldn't lose it somewhere along the way. He could see a depression in the making here. Either way, he vowed that he would find the kid a good shrink once they were Earth-side again. There were issues here that he needed to open up about, and Kyle had faith that modern medicine could help him out.

  ***

  Step Five – Time's running out

  It was in part the rumble that first drew Kyle's attention to the fact that Bark wasn't kidding. The guy stood leaning against the wall next to the door, one hand pressed lightly against his stomach, his expression tense. And his stomach rumbled loud enough for Kyle to hear it even though he stood on the other side of the passage, back against his own wall.

  "Jeez, when's the last time you ate?" Stan asked and looked up at Bark. He was sitting on the floor next to the hacker, and was obviously in much closer range to the guy's rumbling gut.

  "Too long ago," Bark growled. "And I get grumpy when I'm starving."

  Daniel was standing next to Kyle, their shoulders almost touching, and from the continued way he was fidgeting Kyle knew that no amount of words would raise his spirits right now. He would just have to ride it out. Although touching other men wasn't really his thing, he felt this situation warranted a little more of this than he would usually offer. Keeping it as casual as he could, he grabbed Daniel's shoulder while keeping his attention on Bark.

  "Look, the kid said the machine's just around the corner," Bark said and if he hadn't sounded upset before, he did so now. "We've got what ... five more hours? Let's just go grab some grub, and by the time we get back here, the door's open and we can hide from whatever the hell is infesting this place."

  Kyle glanced briefly at Daniel, who looked about ready to bust a seam with tension, and figured it would give them something to do. "Fine. Let's go get something to eat. I know I could eat something. And we should get some water too," he agreed.

  Stan got back to his feet and dusted off his pants. "About time that someone made a decision here," he said and pursed his lips disapprovingly.

  "Yeah, great," Kyle countered. He knew that the others were as anxious as he felt, and that it might make for some very tense hours until they could finally get out of here, but he still felt like the others should pull themselves together just a little bit. "Let's get a move on," he added, and took the lead.

  The path to the machine wasn't long, and one look at the dispenser the second it came into view told Kyle that it was still in working condition. What he hadn't expected, though, was the hole in the ground no more than ten paces away from the machine on the other side.

  Kyle stopped and spread out his arms, stopping the others. "Hang on a sec," he suggested, eying the hole. There was something about the placement of it that made him cautious.

  Stan leaned forward a little without moving his feet. "You think there's something down there?" he asked quietly.

  The fact was that this reminded Kyle of something filled him with a sense of déjà vu. He just couldn't place it right now, but yes, he definitely thought there might be something down there, waiting. Like a trap-hole spider or ... He blinked, suddenly remembering a half-watched documentary that had been streaming in the background at some party or other. "Crocks are stealthy," he muttered under his breath.

  "Crocks?" Bark asked, obviously a little confused by the comparison.

  "Something I saw once. Crocks hide under water when the prey comes to the watering hole. This is ... similar," he said. "I'm not comfortable with this. I don't think we should go over there."

  Bark edged around Kyle's outspread arms and took a cautious step forward. "I think we're gonna have to risk it," he said and took another step forward.

  Kyle waited for his gut instinct to go into overdrive, but all he felt was vaguely uncomfortable about the situation. There was no immediate sense that Bark edging closer to the machine was a really bad idea. "Be careful," he admonished none the less.

  "I was born careful," Bark countered tensely.

  Daniel grabbed an almost painful hold of Kyle's arm and he was standing so close, Kyle could feel his erratic breathing against the back of his arm. "Don't let him go," he said tensely.

  "Calm down, Dan. He'll be fine," Kyle said and wrapped a hand over Daniel's. "Ease up on that, would you? I still need that arm."

  Daniel loosened his grip almost at once, but he didn't let go. "What if he gets eaten?" he asked a little louder.

  This brought Bark to an immediate stop. "Would you shut up about that?" he demanded while his attention was solely on the hole. "It's just some weird crab-crawling skinny dudes who made those holes, nothing else."

  "Who are you trying to convince?" Stan asked, his tone both tense and amused. "Us or you?"

  "Shut up, dammit!" Bark countered a little heatedly, and sent a brief look back at them, his teeth gritted. "I swear to the fates, the next one who thinks it's funny to take a stab at this is gonna take point."

  Bark edged closer and finally reached the machine. His attention shifted back and forth between the hole and the potential food, while he remained on their side of the machine, his back pressed against the wall. The tenseness of his features along with his almost shallow breathing told Kyle that the guy was scared, no matter what he might say. But basic needs would not be denied, and it was obvious that he was willing to risk whatever might jump out of that hole in order to get some food.

  Bark punched a button four times and the machine spilled four bottles of water into the tray below. He fished one out and tossed it toward them. Stan managed to grab it, but failed to catch the second one and had to bend down to pick it up. The third and fourth went over their heads and hit the ground behind them. Then Bark inspected the front of the machine for a second and punched another button four times, then repeated the procedure.

  "That's enough," Kyle said. "We'll make do on that."

  "Speak for yourself," Bark countered while inspecting the display again.

  "Bark! I'm not kidding here!" Kyle pressed. His senses were tingling. Something was on the approach, and the sooner they got the hell out of here, the better he would feel. "Get a fucking move on!"

  Obviously there was something in his voice that convinced the other man. He dug out whatever he had decided to get first and then started to back up. Whatever it was, Stan saw it first and his reaction was obviously instinctive. He jerked forward, grabbing onto Bark and yanking him out of the way. This action was so fast and so powerful, it sent Bark sprawling past Kyle and Daniel. Daniel's response to whatever the hell was happening was to yank Kyle backward hard enough to send them both to the floor. Kyle heard a sound he couldn't identify, but the sense of something rushing past his ear and hitting the wall right when they fell was undeniable.

  "Get up!" Daniel's voice was a hiss, his grip on Kyle's arm almost strong enough to break bone, and they both staggered back to their feet, grabbed Bark in the process, and all three of them stumbled backward a few steps until they hit the wall again.

  They stood there, all three of them unsure of what the hell had just happened, but equally convinced that whatever was making those holes were not crab-crawling skinny dudes as Bark had suspected. Whatever it was, it was fast enough and strong enough to yank a grown man through a hole in the ground before those with him could even register what was going on.

  "Stan?" Bark dropped the sandwiches and took a step forward, but Kyle stopped him.

  "No," he said hoarsely. Every inch of him wanted to follow in Bark's footsteps, but his survival instinct was screaming bloody murder in the back of his head, and Daniel's hand was still cramped around his upper arm, holding him back. "He's gone. There's nothing we can do about it."

  Bark blinked. "What the fuck just happened? Where'd he go? What ... was that?" He almost sounded like he thought he was dreaming, that this was nothing but a damned dream, and
Kyle wished desperately that he could confirm it. But the fact remained, Stan was gone and there was nothing they could do to change it. Any move they made toward that hole would land them in the same position.

  "It grabbed him," Daniel said, his tone bordering on the confused. "It just ... grabbed him."

  Kyle glanced at him, but figured he would have to deal with whatever Daniel had seen when they were safe. Right now, they had to get the hell away from that hole. "I have no answers, Bark. Let's just get the fuck away from here," he countered and forcibly had to push Bark backwards. When he was convinced that the other man wasn't going to waltz over to that hole to see what was what, he released his arm and bent to pick up the dropped sandwiches and discarded bottles of water.

  "Son of a bitch," Bark bit out and again took a step toward the hole.

  Kyle shouldered him back. "Don't, man!" he snapped. "You can't help him. There's nothing we can do!"

  Obviously frustrated, Bark scrubbed a hand over his face, his gaze never shifting away from the hole. "This isn't happening, man," he growled. "What the fuck is wrong with this place?"

  "I wish I knew." Kyle stepped in his way, crowding him back. "Let's get back to the storage room. We've still got to survive the next four or five hours."

  "Fuck this! I've had enough of this fucking dump! The second we're Earth-side, I'm gone. There is no way in hell that I'll let them send me back up here," Bark snarled, turned and marched back the way they had come.

  Kyle watched him go for a second, before sending a brief look back at that hole. Bark's anger at the situation was understandable. Stan was gone because he had been selfless and had tried to save Bark's life. He had, but in the process he had sacrificed his own life ... providing that thing actually killed the people it took.

  Then he glanced at Daniel, who had finally released his crushing hold on Kyle's arm. The kid was staring at the hole too, seemingly in shock. "Come on, Danny. Let's move," he said.

  Daniel nodded once and started backing up.