Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series Omnibus Edition (Books 1 - 4)

by Peebles, Chrissy

  “If you don’t mind, I can do this myself.” I sighed and tied the bandana in a gypsy-like fashion.

  Orthon hesitated, like he wanted to protest, but then his shoulders dropped, and he just turned. “Follow me.” A few steps later, he glanced over his shoulder, eyes glinting. “Please tuck in every strand. It is quite important for your safety.”

  I did as he said, but only because I wasn’t keen on arguing. We followed Orthon through the maze of rocks that led us away from the city and the fleet of UFO’s hovering over it. Once we were clear from them, I heaved a sigh of relief. “So, where did these UFOs come from anyway?” I asked. “Are they military? Uh, from like Russia, Germany, or the United States?” My hopes that those ships were nothing but sophisticated military aircraft went down the drain as Orthon shook his head. Deep down, I suspected what they really might be. “Are they—”

  “Aliens?” finished Mike.

  “You are not from around here, are you?” Othon said, not saying another word.

  Mike let out a long sigh. “Is that your way of keeping us in the dark?”

  Orthon didn’t elaborate so Mike moved to the next question. “So where’s Jack?”

  “I am sure your friend is alive…for now.” His voice sounded matter-of-fact, like it was part of his daily duties to deliver such grim news.

  I took a sharp breath. Jack was alive but captured by the enemy. Enemies—as in someone who’s the exact opposite: unfriendly, bent on war and destruction, not keen on visits from the new kids on the block. On the bright side, though, at least Jack was still alive and could possibly still be rescued. I placed a trembling hand over my heart as I asked, “How can we get him back?”

  Orthon leaned closer, his voice urgent. “General Ashtar will come up with a plan, but we need to make it to the city first. It is not safe here.”

  I gawked at him, wide-eyed, as I tried to make sense of who—or what—he could be. His voice was too soft, too melodious for a man his size. After the happenings of the past day, it seemed surreal to hear anything human and angelic at the same time. I wondered if he was actually even an earthling. I slapped my forehead. Duh, where else would he come from? But I couldn’t deny the possibility that we had somehow slipped into another dimension.

  With all the evidence, I wasn’t sure how else to explain the weird happenings in this strange place. Raising my head, I glanced up at the strange, wiry guy. He might be willing and able to help us get home. For that, I could even pretend he wasn’t strange. I decided I wouldn’t stare at him like he was some kind of freak, unless it was just from the corner of my eye once in a while, and then only to make sure he wasn’t wearing a halo and a pair of wings or that he didn’t have hideous, scaly, green skin underneath those galactic-looking pajamas of his.

  Orthon moved forward at lightning speed, forcing us to practically run in order to keep up.

  I realized I should have asked him more questions about where we were going and what was ahead of us, but for now, I just wanted to get moving. The thought of that UFO finding us made goosepumps prickle across my skin. I reached for Mike’s hand, his familiar touch giving me the steadiness I needed. Wherever we were going and whatever we’d be facing, at least we were together, making the insecurity easier to bear.

  Orthon’s black boots clanked against the hard limestone as he led us under a large rock overhang. We squeezed through a vertical crack in the rock layers.

  As soon as we stopped, Mike started bombarding Orthon with questions. “Where are we? What year is this? Did we go back in time?” He scratched the back of his head. “What’s with the UFOs? Are we in another dimension?” He gaped at Orthon. “Or even better, did we end up on some island with crazy scientists who clone dinosaurs?”

  I shot him a warning look, enticing him to keep his mouth shut—at least for the time being.

  “What?” He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm. “You’re just as anxious to know as I am.”

  “You shall receive your answers once we reach the city,” said Orthon.

  “How?” asked Mike. “Those crazy ships are hovering above it.” He pushed his damp hair out of his eyes, then shook his head. “You know, they chased us like crazy, and now they have Jack!”

  Orthon looked straight at him in a calm, confident manner. “Do not worry. Our general can help you. In the meantime, please just trust me. I know my way around.”

  I realized we really had no other choice. The suns continued to burn relentlessly, and drops of sweat trickled down my neck, seeping through my already soaked shirt. Black rocks jutted from the white sand, rising several feet into the air. The material, polished and smooth to the touch, reminded me of the beautiful, jagged lava rock I’d seen in Hawaii. Following Orthon with no immediate danger over our heads, it seemed as though we were on a tour; and I might have believed it, had it not been for my burning muscles and the aching blisters on my feet, but those were souvenirs of any good excursion.

  “Hey, Orthon,” said Mike, breaking into my thoughts. “I’m sorry but I gotta ask. Why are there two suns?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been dying to know that myself.”

  “All of your questions shall be answered in time. Let us take a short break.” Orthon pulled out a silver canteen and offered it to me. “You will find this refreshing.”

  Guess his lips are zipped shut about those suns. I eyed the bottle. My throat felt like dried, starched paper, and my skin literally screamed for a little droplet of moisture, but I wasn’t sure yet if I could trust Orthon. Then again, if he wanted to kill us, he would have done so already. I fidgeted and murmured my thanks as I looked over at Mike, wondering if he’d take a sip too.

  Mike shrugged as if reading my thoughts. “If you don’t drink it soon, I will. I’m dying of thirst here.”

  Orthon still held out his bottle, so I grabbed it and smelled. It was odorless, so I took a tentative sip. It was only water—the most refreshing of all beverages I’d ever tasted. After taking a drink, I passed the flask to Mike.

  He took a fast sip, then wiped his mouth and poured some over his head, drenching his shirt.

  A sigh escaped my lips. “The man asked if you wanted a drink, not a shower.”

  “Sorry, but I’m so flippin’ hot.”

  Orthon smirked and placed the tin canteen in his belt strap. “How did you manage to end up inside a prehistoric wildlife preserve?”

  Mike’s jaw dropped.

  A deep chill ran through me as I tried to make sense of his words. “A wildlife preserve?” I remembered my experience in Africa: prowling lions and tigers, elephants wallowing in a waterhole, and giraffe pulling leaves from high trees. Biting my lip, I pondered. I certainly couldn’t remember meeting dinosaurs.

  Having the prehistoric museum live on display didn’t make sense. I didn’t understand how all those animals could end up there, and how they were even alive. I sat on a slab of rock, burying my face in my hands. “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe we ended up in an animal sanctuary loaded with extinct creatures.” I paused and then glanced at Orthon. “You mean people visit this place willingly? Like for amusement?”

  “Yes. Shamballa’s Sacred Land of Wonders is famous for its great diversity of vegetation and wildlife, from simple plants and reptiles to giant meat-eaters.”

  Mike blew out a breath. “So, uh, do we owe you the price of our admission or something?”

  Adjusting my bandana, I exchanged a shocked look with Mike. “Can you believe all of this?”

  He sat down on one of the big, smooth rocks across from me and gazed up, eyes wide. “This is some crazy stuff.”

  I fidgeted with the hem on my shorts. “Totally! What kind of equipment could prepare you for a T-rex, anyway?”

  “High-tech weapons, an invincible shield, and a cloaking device, for starters,” said Orthon.

  “A cloaking device?” repeated Mike. “No way! You mean you can make us invisible?”

  Cloaking technology? My stomach fluttered in response
. “You’re kidding, right?” One look into his serious eyes told me it wasn’t a joke. Either that, or he really believed in the nonsense, which made him a total whacko. Both theories flat-out sucked.

  “If you can cloak us, why’d you redecorate Casey’s head?” Mike asked. “Why not just turn on that cloaking device and take us to the city?”

  “Not possible. The enemy is jamming most of our equipment, weapons, ships, and all communications. A cloaking device will not work at this time. The signals are too scrambled. I know a secret way into the city. But enough of this.” Orthon regarded us curiously. “I have questions as well. First, how did you get here?”

  I stood, staring boldly right back. “We were night fishing in Fiji. A storm sank our sailboat, and a whirlpool spewed us out into your zoo. We swam toward the beach to find help.”

  “Fiji?” Orthon took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A breeze stirred, swirling his hair about his face. He looked from Mike to me, then rubbed his chin. “You washed up in Agartha.”

  Mike scratched his head. “Never heard of that. Anything to do with ten-foot Vikings or Amazon warriors?”

  “Geography never was your strong point,” I said, “or history either, considering the Amazons were a tribe of tall, warlike women.”

  A smirk curled up on Mike’s lips. “But you get the point. The dude’s tall.”

  Orthon let his face soften, and pride shone in his eyes. He motioned around him. “Welcome to Agartha.”

  I smiled. “Thank you. So, I’m a castaway in Agartha, huh? I’ve been dying to know what country we ended up in.”

  “So where’s Agartha anyway?” Mike’s green eyes grew intense as he waited for Orthon’s response.

  I wondered the exact same thing. Orthon didn’t answer and I took a deep breath as I contemplated my situation. “Okay, Orthon. So you don’t want to elaborate. That’s fine. Just please notify the Coast Guard…or whoever comes out here that we’re alive, and waiting to be picked up…in Agartha.”

  “Yeah, a survivor of the zoo that shouldn’t exist,” added Mike.

  “Have no fear,” said Orthon. “My people will notify the proper authorities.” He gazed at both of them. “Just as Mike said, you are survivors. Not only did you outwit the animals, but you escaped certain death when you passed through the great wall. But lucky for you, our shields to the park were shut down by the enemy, or you would have been electrocuted.”

  “Electrocuted?” I asked, gaping at him.

  “Yes, you could not have asked for a more treacherous, unsafe situation. But we need the high-powered shields to keep in creatures of the flying variety.”

  Mike kicked at a rock with his bare foot. “You might want to post a few warning signs: ‘Beware of Flesh-Eating Monsters’. We were clueless to the dangers, man. Even better, you should hand out flyers at the beach, warning of the possibility of alien abduction. It might help put things into perspective—you know, to help people make up their minds about how they want to die.”

  “If Jack were here, he’d freak.” I would’ve never walked onto that beach in such a carefree fashion had I known it was a prehistoric wildlife animal preserve. I would never have let my guard down and kissed Mike in a field where dinosaurs probably lurked in every nook and cranny. We were easy prey for any experienced hunter. I massaged my temples. Any predator could have plucked us right up.

  Orthon broke into my thoughts. “Speaking of this Jack of yours, does he have dark hair like you, Casey?”

  “He—”

  Mike cut me off. “He doesn’t have the pure blond look going, like you and me.”

  I groaned inwardly. Not the hair color thing again. Sure, Jack’s hair wasn’t sun kissed like Orthon’s or Mike’s, but it was shiny, soft, and had that cute tousled bed-head look, setting off his hard features and giving him an air of hotness that didn’t fail to register with every girl in their school. If only he knew how gorgeous he was. “Mine’s black, and Jack’s is brown. What does any of that matter?”

  “The enemy will kidnap anybody, but there is a specific reason why they were so bent on chasing you and Jack. It was a case of mistaken identity. Most of us are born with blond hair, but there are a few with darker locks, though it is very, very rare. We keep the dark-haired Agarthians well hidden, for they harbor a special kind of DNA that the leader of the rebellion seems to require for his experiments.”

  I regarded his blond hair for a minute and realized I might be the odd one out since almost every person in that city had golden locks. For once, I found my jet-black hair special, but then again, being the only dark-haired one around might be a threat to their national DNA—not that I was going to be dating any of them anytime soon.

  “So they think I’m one of you? A rare Agarthian with dark hair?” I slowly shook my head. “And that I have the “special” DNA they need?”

  “Yes,” said Orthon.

  A knot formed in my throat as I wondered what the rebels needed the DNA for anyway. “What’ll happen to Jack when they find out he’s not from your city? Will they even be able to tell?” I shot Orthon a pleading look.

  “Do not worry. We will rescue him before they have a chance to find out.”

  Mike threw his hands up. “I don’t get it. If Casey and Jack are so special, then why did they try to kill us?”

  “They probably had not noticed their hair color yet,” said Orthon.

  I lifted my chin a notch. “He’s right. First, they shot at us like we were some kind of fugitives, and then they suddenly stopped and just started following us, hovering over the trees.” Talk about being a moody bunch. They’d be a feast for any therapist, switching between kill mode and kidnap mode.

  Orthon nodded. “I have no doubt they were waiting for Commander Tio’s further instructions.”

  Who knows what they’re up to in those ships of theirs? What are they putting poor Jack through? I wrung my hands as I pondered. Orthon said they needed us for experiments. I thought maybe Mike would be keen on the attention, but I wasn’t going to play laboratory rat anytime soon; I’d never been the extroverted, look-at-me type, especially if it involved a scalpel and tissue samples.

  “This is crazy,” said Mike, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “Who’s this Tio guy anyway? And what’s he got to do with us?”

  I bit my lip hard. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t think we should get involved in all of this anyway. I just want to go home.”

  “To Fiji?” asked Orthon.

  I spun to face him. “We were on vacation in Fiji when this shipwreck fiasco happened, but we’re from California.”

  “Huntington Beach, California,” added Mike. “Also known as Surf City, USA.”

  “Surf City?” Orthon blinked.

  I met his direct gaze, wondering how he could possibly be so clueless about one of the most famous cities in the United States. “He means, it’s our nation’s surfing capital. And I’d give anything to set foot there this very second.”

  “I wish I could help,” said Orthon. “But I cannot because it is forbidden to visit the surface world. I will take you to my city and my people will give you safe haven, and help you get Jack back.”

  I gasped. “Surface world?” I had no idea this was going to be such an eye-opening vacation: first a lesson in prehistoric biology, and now a vocabulary lesson to top it off. “What does that mean?” Surface? As in, on top of something else? I scanned the area, almost expecting fires smoldering behind the broad stones and little devils to jump out any minute. “Hell?”

  Mike tried to hide his smirk. “Now Casey, that was uncalled for. I don’t think your parents would be proud to hear that kind of language.” He nodded. “But you’re probably right with everyone, including the freaky neighbors and vicious pets, coming after us. As well as the big man here, who won’t answer my questions and tell us how far we really are from California.”

  I grabbed his shoulder, shaking it. “No, listen. Are we in Hell? It’s soooo hot, and he does look a bit like an oversized
angel.”

  “But shouldn’t we be, like, dead? Are we dead? I don’t remember getting killed. Do you?” Mike ran a hand through his hair. “Hey, do you remember that movie we watched together last weekend?”

  “Riverworld?”

  “Yeah, where everyone washes up on this mysterious beach, like us, and every single person who has ever lived on Earth is brought to this planet after their death.”

  It was a heavy concept to think about. “Well, where is everyone else then?”

  Orthon rolled his eyes and grinned. “Enough, you two. This is Earth. You are not in another dimension, you have not traveled back in time, and you are most certainly still alive and not in Hell…or Riverworld.”

  I closed my eyes as relief washed over me. I punched Mike in the arm. “Oh my gosh. You had me all worried for nothing. Thanks to you, I was nearly convinced we slipped through some kind of portal. I don’t know why I ever gave one of your theories a single serious thought.”

  A smug look came over Mike’s face. “Earth doesn’t have two suns.”

  “Maybe it’s some kind of natural phenomena like Aurora Borealis. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

  Mike cocked a brow. “How do you explain the dinos then? They’re extinct, remember?”

  “Maybe it’s some type of secret government experiment,” I said, even though I still didn’t know what Orthon meant by surface world. It didn’t matter, as long as I was still on Earth. That was the important thing. This wasn’t something Mike and I could do alone; my mom and dad would know what to do. I could still feel my heart racing. “I…I think I need to make a phone call. Do you have a cell?”

  Orthon straightened. “What?”

  I squinted up at him. “You know, a cellular phone? Or even a telephone?”

  He arched an eyebrow. “A system for transporting speech over long distances through a network of wires and cables?”

  What’s wrong with him? If he’s from Earth, wouldn’t he know these things? Maybe he’s just stingy. “Look, we’ll pay for the long-distance charges.”

  Orthon’s eyes danced furtively. “Trust me, you could not afford the long-distance charges. This place is not even on your global map.”