by Casey Knight
“Lauren, don’t move. There is something moving under the sand in front of us.”
I looked where he was pointing, just before a giant worm broke the surface, showering us in sand. It looked like an eyeless worm. Sounds harmless I know, but I had never seen a night crawler with teeth like these.
“Run!”
Corbin and I ran back the way we came. When I thought we’d put enough distance between us and the worm, I chanced a look over my shoulder. Shit! It was gaining on us. All I could think was it glided through the sand like a shark through water, leaving a sandy wake furrowing out behind it. Corbin grabbed my hand and nearly yanked me off my feet.
“Come on, there are rocks up ahead. You scramble up there and prepare to blast it. I’ll distract it.”
“Corbin, no. It’s too dangerous.”
“Get going and don’t worry about me. I’ll turn into Bat Boy right before it chomps.”
I ran for the rocks and activated my bracelet on the run. When I got up on the rocks, I saw Corbin running at the giant earthworm. Right before he was about to collide with it, he changed into a bat and moved up out of reach. The wormed thrashed its head in frustration, snapping its jaws, spewing and spitting sand. Then it spotted me. It bellowed its outrage rancorously, snapping its jaws, while callously eyeing me. I raised my arms and sent a steady stream of fire directly into its mouth. It didn’t even flinch. It dove under the sand and continued in my direction. Sadly, just when I was certain I was a goner, the sand around me exploded. The blast sent fragments of earthworm body parts and gore raining down, drenching me in carnage and slime. Finally, I had to blink to clear my eyes. Icky!
“Nice, who did your outfit?”
“This isn’t funny, damn it, Corbin. It’s disgusting, and I see you managed to stay above the fray.”
“Lauren, you know I don’t do grunge.”
“Come on Hot Stuff, let’s get to that opening before anything else decides to throw up on me.”
We made it to the area around the entrance without encountering any other inhabitants of this universe. I sniffed the air and sent out my senses, detecting a strong scent of magic - dark and demonically abhorrent magic. It was pure evil, and if I didn’t already need a shower, I would after tasting this magic.
“There is strong black magic or ancient evil around here. Nevertheless, I think I can follow the signature, but stay on high alert.”
I made sure my bracelet and staff were set to full power. Then I placed a shield over us both, which saved our lives. We moved between boulders and into a small wash, when a blast of energy smashed into the shield. We both flung ourselves face down in the sand. Fortunately, it saved us from the sand and debris that flew in every direction. I couldn’t tell who was firing at us, and I motioned for Corbin to inch up and to his left. I followed right behind him. Another blast of energy hit us, slamming hard into our shield. I didn’t know how much longer the shield would hold. Damn it, we were pinned down, and I couldn’t see who was firing at us. Corbin nudged me, and I turned to see what he wanted. That’s when I saw he was in bat form. Great, just what I needed, my partner going bat shit crazy.
He flew at the shield and then at me. What the hell? Then I got it and dropped the shield long enough for him to fly out, before I threw the shield back up. I tried to inch forward, and another blast thwacked into my shield, sending sand ricocheting off my defensive dome. I moved back and tried the other direction. I had only advanced a little when Corbin flew back towards me, and I followed him farther away from the shooter. At least we weren’t being fired at. We circled around until we must have been opposite of where the original shots came from. Corbin changed back.
“Whoever is shooting at us is just ahead. I’m going to buzz him and you take him out.”
“Did you see who it was or how many?”
“No, only the muzzle flashes. I’ll attack on the count of three. Don’t miss or I’ll be toast.”
“Wait, I’ll put a shield on you.”
I sent a shield around him and he was off. I counted to three then sprayed the area with fire. It looked like the Fourth of July. When I stopped shooting, Corbin was flying back to me. He changed and landed beside me in the sand.
“Did I hit it?”
“Lauren, there is nothing there.”
“What do you mean there is nothing there? Something or one was firing at us. Corbin, you keep your shield in place until we sort this out.”
“I know those bullets were real, but I can’t see anything. Come on, let’s check it out. I’ll circle around and make sure we aren’t being ambushed.”
I moved slowly forward, being careful not to alert our attacker or attackers. Stopping, I sent my senses out in front of me, and the scent of strong magic assailed my nostrils, causing me to shudder. Whoever had been here had used strong magic. I found the area where I had fired from, and the place was blown to bits. That’s when I saw it...footprints, moving footprints. What the heck was I seeing, or not seeing? I knew the footprints were moving. This was no illusion. I had only one way to find out who they belonged to. I raised my arm and sent a volley of fire in a circular pattern around the footprints. I dove as my blast ricocheted off what could only have been a shield. I nearly succeeded in incinerating myself. I rolled, and the sand sprayed up in a geyser where I’d just been standing. Before I could do anything else, the cavalry arrived. Traygen and several other men on hovercrafts landed near me. I sent out my senses and could not detect the presence of anyone. I stood up and dusted the sand off my clothes.
“Lauren, are you all right?”
“I am fine. Someone shot at us. We couldn’t see anyone at first, then saw a set of disembodied footprints moving away. So I fired, spraying the area with my bracelet. I dove behind a boulder before whoever it was fired back. Let’s check the area, but I am afraid the hovercrafts obliterated any remaining tracks.”
We scoured the area but we couldn’t find anything the hovercrafts hadn’t erased when they landed. Corbin and I hitched a ride back with Traygen and the guards. On the return trip, I filled Traygen and Tokem in on our close encounter with the giant worm and our unknown assailant.
“What do you think was going on with the invisible attacker?” Traygen asked.
“Whoever it was, used strong dark magic, and I believe they were using a cloaking spell to conceal their presence. I was fortunate enough to see the footprints, or we might not be here. But I think we now know what set off the door alarms.”
“Is the cloaking spell a technically advanced one, and do you think we’ve got one intruder or multiple ones?”
“It isn’t a complicated spell, and if Corbin hadn’t gotten around behind him he might have gone undetected. What worries me more is, whoever it is possesses very strong magic. Magic that is caustic tasting means it’s banned by the council.”
“Did I just hear someone say council?”
“Jason we were just discussing tonight’s intruder.”
We filled him in on everything from the time the alarm went off until we were attacked by our invisible intruder.
“I really don’t like this. I am going to convene the council and see if they want to cancel the games. In the meantime, keep digging. We need to know who is behind this and what they are up to, and most importantly, what they hope to gain.”
We were all up early. Tokem and Traygen began studying video coverage from all four universes. Hoping to get any evidence or clue about who or what we were facing, Corbin and I waited to hear from Jason.
“Lauren, I think we should go back to the second universe and see if we can pick up the trail at a point farther away from the spot where we got fired on. What do you think?”
“I think it is better than sitting here waiting for Jason to show up. Let’s suit up and check it out.”
We put on our suits and I transported us back to the second universe. Corbin led us toward the area where we were ambushed. I kept my senses on high alert for any uninvited guests and any traces of m
agic. It didn’t take long to find the place where we were fired on.
“I think we should stay together and walk about five feet apart. There are too many dangers in this place to go off on our own.”
“Or do you want me to change into a bat and scout from above? Then I can lead you to anything I find.”
“Works for me. Just keep a look out for larger flying threats.”
Corbin flapped away, and I began my examination of the area. I put up my shield and started my search. I walked in a large ever-expanding circle around the area, and when I didn’t find anything, stepped back another three feet and repeated the process. I still hadn’t found anything except signs of where the hovercraft scoured the brush and bent the smaller plants. I was entering an oasis that was mucky. The mud sucked at my boots and my feet squished, splashing and oozing muddy water as they landed.
I was about to give up when I spotted something. I trudged through the deeper muck until I found a partial print of a booted foot. My guess was a men’s size ten or ten and a half. I stepped closer and knelt down for a better look when I sank into the muck up to my mid-thigh. Yuck, they didn’t pay me enough to get mired in this muddy mess. The only mud baths I liked were at Glen Ivy. I started to pull my leg out when I sank in to my waist. What the hell? I tried to do the breaststroke toward the edge of the muck and sank further. My head was just above the muddy surface. I sucked in air and strengthened my shields just before I sank out of sight.
Chapter Four
“I can’t find her. She is nowhere near where I left her. I tried to follow her tracks but, I lost her trail in a boggy area near the oasis.”
“Come on, we will look for her. Take us to where you lost her trail,” Traygen commanded.
We suited up and headed back into the second universe. Corbin led everyone to the place where he’d lost Lauren’s trail. We searched the area and came up with nothing. Retracing our path from where we’d transported in, we still couldn’t find her. She had vanished.
“Let’s do a fly over to see if one of the creatures in this place took her.”
“You and Tokem go. I’ll stay here in case she comes back.”
“Corbin, radio us if you see anything.”
“Traygen, I will, and I’m sorry, man.”
“Corbin, this is Lauren we are talking about, and she can take care of herself. You keep your guard up and your eyes open.”
“Traygen, I’ll fly ahead just above the sand, and if I see anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Tokem, be careful in there.”
Corbin flew off over the dunes, and Tokem moved down so he was barely skimming the sand. Traygen retraced his steps and followed in the direction Lauren took. This time, when he got to the last place where they found her footprints, he worked his way farther and farther out. That’s when he found a set of footprints heading off into the dunes. They were too big to be Lauren’s. He tracked them farther into the dunes until he lost them in a rocky area about a quarter of a mile in. He started back toward the clearing when de decided to radio the team, opening the channel so Tokem and Corbin could both hear him.
“Everyone, let’s meet back at the portal where we entered. I didn’t find Lauren, but found a pair of boot prints that ended at the edge of a scree field. They may or may not mean a thing. They could have been left over from the design team. We need to contact Jason and get help.”
We assembled in the conference room and while we waited for Jason, Traygen went to speak with the design team. He wanted to know how the universes were constructed. Jason arrived while Traygen was gone, and we filled him in.
“Corbin, did you see anything after you left Lauren?”
“I was up in the air looking for any trace of the invisible intruder. I didn’t see Lauren again once I shifted and flew off.”
“Traygen, did you find out anything from the design team?”
“Jason, they tell me the universes are constructed like a movie set. So under all the dirt, sand, and ice is a concrete floor. Posin told me the contestant’s suits have a tracking device, so if they are caught in any of the traps designed for a specific universe, they can be extracted. There are hatches built into the floors of each of the creations. Then they can pull the contestant out before they are harmed or killed.”
“Can we access the area under the second universe?”
“Jason, we can, but we wouldn’t know where to look.”
“How many hatches are there in that universe? We will send a team to check out each one of them.”
“There are a dozen, but I think we can simplify our search by starting at the hatches closest to the entry.”
“Let’s go, what are we waiting for?” Tokem spat.
“Follow me; I can get us down to the level where the hatches are located.”
We trailed Traygen out of the room and down several flights of stairs. He came to a locked security door and entered a code. We were in a long, low, narrow tunnel. It hummed with motion- detecting florescent lights. The air was stale and hot, the ventilation was poor. We walked in silence for ten minutes before Traygen stopped to consult a diagram. Then he stepped over to a door and punched in another code. Lauren, hang in there. I am sorry I let you down.
We followed Traygen through the door into a small room with a floor to ceiling Plexiglas window. All we could see was dirt, tree roots, boulders, in short, a rocky conglomeration of rubble. I imagine it looked like viewing a terrarium from the side. There was a round glass door leading into the space in front of the window.
“I don’t see anything in there. Let’s move to the next,” Traygen said.
He headed down the hall and tried the next door. We repeated the search, but again found nothing. I was sweating bullets. Lauren had saved my life, and if anything happened to her, I would never forgive myself. Traygen squeezed my shoulder.
“Corbin, this is not your fault. Don’t blame yourself. Lauren can take care of herself.”
I nodded at Traygen and we moved on to the next room. That’s when I saw it. Tokem yelled, and Traygen tore open the hatch and pushed his way out into the water pooling around his thighs. He yanked the suit out of the muck and pulled it into the room. Tokem flew out into the area where we found her suit, but he couldn’t get very far.
“I don’t see any holes or rips, or blood, which is a good sign,” Traygen added.
“Look, over here by the hatch opening. There is a set of footprints and they’re too big to be Lauren’s.”
“Tokem, good catch,” Jason said.
“Those are the same size prints I found in the location where we were fired upon.”
“Corbin, are you sure?”
“Positive. Check the suit. I doubt it was Lauren’s. It’s too big. Stretch it out and see how long it is.”
“I’ll be damned. This would fit me, which makes it too big to have been Lauren’s,” Jason offered.
“Jason, I think you need to call in those teams and start at the opposite end. We’ll keep looking, but this may prove to be harder than we thought,” Traygen sighed.
“I’ll send them immediately, and convene the council to see how they want to proceed. Contact me straightaway if you find anything.”
We moved along, checking each room. The areas around each hatch were different, but still we found no evidence Lauren had been there. It took another hour before we met the group Jason had dispatched. No one found a thing. We returned to the conference room to decide how we would proceed. No one made eye contact and everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. We left guards to cover the tunnel and bring us any news. We retreated to the conference room while we awaited Jason’s return.
“I’ll review the footage from our surveillance cameras to see if we missed anything.”
“Tokem, why don’t you and Corbin check it out? I don’t think I would be of much use.”
“Come on Bat Boy, I’ll put you to work.”
They moved off to study film, and I slumped down in my chair.
“Tokem can you replay that part again? I thought I saw something.”
“Sure, but I didn’t see anyone. But here goes.”
“Freeze it there and enlarge it.”
“Aye, aye, captain. What the heck?”
“Follow it and let’s see where it leads us.”
We watched in stunned silence until the footsteps disappeared.
“What’s so interesting?”
“I’ll show you. Let me rewind the tape.”
We all watched again as a pair of muddy footprints departed from the fourth room. The footprints went further into the tunnel until the mud wore off before they vanished.
“I’ll be damned,” Traygen whistled softly.
“Tokem, fast forward to the part where we lost the footprints, then go forward.”
“Corbin, we aren’t going to see anything. The mud is gone.”
“Not necessarily, we may see where our visitor went.”
“How?”
“Just like that,” Corbin said, as a door opened and closed by itself.
“Do we have any more surveillance on the exits,” Traygen asked.
“Yes, hold on. It will take me a minute to find the right time.”
We waited until Tokem found the corresponding timeframe. Then we studied the film, looking for any clues of where our invisible intruder might have gone. It didn’t take long.
“I’ll be damned; our ghost just entered our conference room. We’ve been bugged the entire time,” Corbin mumbled.
“I’ll call Jason, and we will let him decide where we should move to.”
“Traygen, any news?”
“Perhaps, can you transport us all to a safer location?”
He raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Jason nodded and we followed him back to the council portal. He transported us all to the council building. No one spoke as we followed him through a labyrinth of halls and floors, until he arrived at a sealed door requiring a retina and thumb print for entry. He supplied both, and we entered.