“Are there other hidden passageways?” Jerome asked.
“That is a distinct possibility, but we will not need any of them. Our way will be open and direct. Until it is not open and direct, then we will need that device of yours.”
As they turned a corner in the narrow tunnel, noises came to them. Bigelow stopped and Jerome stepped up behind him. Looking ahead, they could see nothing but the arched ceiling of the tunnel and the floor with its varying degrees of gentle slopping course. Here it had bottomed out and was beginning to slope upward gently.
“What is that sound?” Jerome asked.
“Animals,” Bigelow replied. Under his breath he muttered, “I hope it is animals.”
“Are they supposed to sound like that? Unnatural? It is awful.”
“Rube, you are right in that regard. That sound is awful. That is the sound of animals in pain,” Bigelow replied. He took a long drink from his bottle before he continued. “Keep alert. Something is very wrong.”
The sounds intensified, echoing off the tunnel walls. Jerome could not identify what kind of animals made the sounds. He thought of the animals he had encountered: goats, horses, rats, or birds, but this noise was different. They sounded like nothing he had heard on the Conestoga, nor anything he had learned about from the old recordings. He recalled the biologist John teaching them about animals from records made before the Great Event. Those visual and audio recordings had been nothing like this. These animals' sounds elicited sorrow, anguish and grief. Then he remembered the nyala which had been trapped in the strange gravity altered place. “Perhaps the animal is trapped like that prey beast which the big cat was after?”
Bigelow shook his head. “Not one animal, singular. Plural, animals. There are more than one making that noise. Something is suffering, that is a certainty.”
There were some shrill wails, cries, and gurgling sounds. Jerome could not tell how many different voices, or animals, or whatever were making the noise, but after Bigelow pointed out it was from multiple sources, he tried to differentiate them. He failed. The noise grated at his hearing, and made him feel like gnawing at his own teeth and tongue.
“That deer thing suffered too. If it is a change in local gravity, we could be caught in it too,” Jerome reminded Bigelow. “A gravity sink hole might have captured some other victims.”
“Not that idea again. Really? So do you have some fancy piece of technology which will detect it?” Bigelow asked with a sneer. “Or should we just give up now?” He turned and looked at Jerome. “I could toss something ahead of us. Do you have some gear I could use?”
Jerome looked around, but the tunnel was free of debris or rocks. The passage’s floor varied in its pitch. They were now on a slightly upward slope, but ahead looked like a crest, followed by a downward slope. The tunnel’s floor was not level and consistent. Jerome wondered if that was from some altered gravity, or the way the tunnel had been crudely constructed. The shrieks and cries of the animals made concentrating difficult.
“Well? What shall we throw this time?” Bigelow taunted. His eyes shifted back and forth. “You are so worried about some nonsense gravity thing, so what do we do?”
Jerome considered all the tools with him, but was uncertain what he could spare. Then he remembered the old revolver. Pulling it from his backpack, he located the spent brass cartridges.
“We can use these,” Jerome said. “These antique explosive-powered bullets are too dangerous to just throw, but these empty ones should work nicely.”
“You are a thinker, rube. Yes you are.” Bigelow nodded his approval. “But I seriously doubt we will ever see anything like what happened with that nyala again. Whatever that was. That was a once in a lifetime occurrence. Sure it was strange, but the stranger the rarer. I have never seen it before, never heard of it at all, before we saw it, so it must be extremely rare.” There was a slight quaver in Bigelow’s voice, but perhaps it was just because he was trying to be heard over the wailing of the suffering animals.
“How common is meeting someone from Earth?” Jerome asked as he placed his hand on Bigelow’s shoulder. “You have met two of us, and one from the needle ship. Was that rare or common?”
Bigelow shook his head and rolled his eyes. “The rube scores some points again. I must give him credit for that. So we press onward.” He shoved Jerome’s hand off his shoulder and walked ahead.
The noises suddenly increased to a high and vile screaming, then inexplicitly stopped. They just cut off. The last echoes of the noises died down and left the tunnel in an ominous muteness. The abrupt lack of cries, was more frightening than the whimpers, yowls, and anguished noises of before.
Bigelow looked around. He then whispered, “I have no real interest in pursuing this, so you are free to go on alone.”
“You said you would lead me there. I trusted you, was I right or wrong? I took you for your word,” Jerome muttered, but with little conviction. “I must get into Terraforming and find Cammarry.” He too was feeling the weirdness of the situation. He took one of the spent shells, and rolled it around between his fingers. He then tossed it down the hall. It flew in a gentle and consistent arc, landing with a tinkling sound as it rolled in a small circle. The tinkling of the shell casing seemed overly loud in the now ominously quiet tunnel. “No gravity manipulation changes there anyway. But no more tormented animal sounds either. What are your thoughts?”
Bigelow took a drink from his bottle, but said nothing.
Jerome glared at him, and then walked down the hall and picked up the shell casing. Looking ahead, he could just make out where the tunnel bottomed out another time and then slopped upward enough to block the long range forward view.
“I will lead us on, but you claimed to know the way. If I have to, I will just randomly select some place to cut my way out of here, but I could use your help.” Jerome took the spent cartridge and again tossed it ahead of him. It flew in a consistent and normal arc, landed, and rolled about.
They walked along until reaching the spot where the spent shell casing was located. Then the lights in the tunnel unexpectedly snapped off.
Jerome quickly pulled out his fusion pack, and was just about to switch on the light, when Bigelow’s hand closed over his. Bigelow whispered, “Wait and watch. Darkness might be an old friend come to help us.”
For some awkward moments the two men stood in silent darkness. Then far ahead of them, they heard footsteps. Bigelow very quietly said, “Do you have that key finder?”
“I can get it easily,” Jerome replied, and moved his hand from the fusion pack to the key finder. He was not as familiar with its operation, as he was with the tools he had brought from Dome 17, so his fingers played over it a bit. “I do not remember, does it have a light?”
“Not for a light, rube,” Bigelow spoke slowly and softly, “We are close to a door, we need to open up.”
“Door? I did not see a door,” Jerome replied.
The footsteps were louder, and some muffled words were heard. There were several voices, but the words were indistinct.
“Just use the device, rube.”
Jerome pulled out the small rectangular device. He felt for a depression on its side. He pressed it, and a small blue illumination covered his hand. He lifted it to the wall, and sidled along. A slight humming noise came from the key finder, and then the blue light shifted and flashed a spectrum of colors.
Several loud clicks came from the wall, and a break appeared where a door opened. Light shown out from that space.
“Inside!” Bigelow insisted and shoved Jerome into the small opening.
Just as they stepped inside, a glimmer of light came from the direction of the footsteps and voices. It was bobbing along as whoever was holding it was walking.
Jerome and Bigelow were in a different hallway, with a single overhead light. Bigelow snapped the wall’s switch, and the light was extinguished. He tried to shut the door, but it was jammed.
A laugh came from somewhere in the tunne
l. “Did you see that dog? The spotted one! He was so funny when you burned off his front legs!”
“Yeah! That was something to see. The back legs kicking and kicking, while he slobbered all over the floor.” The second voice laughed manically. “Too bad that one died so soon, but it was great!”
“Blinding the other one was pretty funny! Poking out one eye at a time was like so tremendous! Nothing like seeing her bump into the doors trying to escape! Like any of those pets would ever get away from us! We rule now! No one leaves Beta without the proper farewell ceremony.”
“Can you believe how long that fluffy one lived without fur? That was hilarious!” a woman laughed. “I will make a hat out of that.”
“So what next? I hear the apartment building still has some children. Even with the water restored, some of those fools are staying around here. I say we do what we did to those pets with….”
Jerome pushed Bigelow out of the way and burst into the tunnel. The people who were speaking were walking down the tunnel toward where he was located. He had the fusion pack in his hand and its light came on at full intensity. “This may take some time!” Jerome stated coldly.
The light blazed into the eyes of five people, three women and two men. They reminded Jerome of the youth who had attacked them earlier, but were older. Their simple clothing was blood splattered, and they had implements in their hands, and carried other things.
“Who is that?” One of them called out, putting up a hand to shield her eyes.
Jerome looked more carefully at the people, now fully illuminated in the bright fusion pack light. He especially examined the man closest to him. Several severed animal legs were hanging from the man’s belt. Blood had dripped down his legs from them.
“Not just idle chatter?” Jerome asked incredulously. “You were not just spewing bombastic nonsense? Delighting in cruelty?”
“Drop dead, fool! Turn off that light. I cannot see!” the front man yelled in fear as he put up a hand to block the brilliant light from the fusion pack.
“Get out of here, moron,” one of the women called. “We are having a lark!”
Jerome saw one of the people hold up something, then to his horror he recognized it as the skin from some animal. It was all twisted and knotted into a ball of sorts. Also, fresh bones were in the people’s hands. Jerome’s heart raced, and his pulse sounded in his temples. The people’s gruesome words echoed in his mind. Then in just a fraction of a moment, he took a deep breath, and felt a calming rage settle over him.
Unexpected words sprang from Jerome’s mouth, “I am punishment from God! Your great sins caused God to send a punishment like me upon you!” He rushed right at the man in the front.
Jerome dropped to one knee and slugged a fist forward in a motion he had often practiced in his routine calisthenics. The punch landed right into the front man’s solar plexus. The man let out an “Oomph!” and the lantern he was carrying flew from his hand, shattering on the wall. Its broken bulb and mechanism scattering about. He staggered a single step then collapsed. As he fell, Jerome stood up and caught the man’s chin with the fusion pack. Broken teeth and blood sprayed up in an arc.
“Take this!” one of the women yelled and poked the large bone she was carrying toward Jerome, but also tried to cover her eyes with her other hand. Jerome batted the bone away and spun around. He struck the woman in the side with his fusion pack. She banged into the wall and fell.
“He is insane!” The other three turned and bumped into each other in the confines of the narrow tunnel. They dropped what they were carrying. An animal’s head, reddish fur still attached, tongue lolling to the side, rolled right into Jerome.
“You were really attacking animals! Torturing them!” Jerome’s voice boomed out. “No land beyond the Volga!”
“He is crazy!” the other woman yelled. “Out of my way!” She pushed out and barged past the two remaining men. “Run away!”
One man tripped and fell, as the other stepped onto him and tried to jump away and follow the fleeing woman. The items they were carrying scattered all across the tunnel. Tools, weapons, and more freshly killed animal parts became visible in the brilliant light. Some of the parts did not look to be only from animals.
In a furious rage, Jerome slammed the fusion pack against the man who was trying to get up. There was a sickening crunch and the man lay still. The fusion pack light turned off. The tunnel went black.
“No more cruelty!” Jerome yelled as he stumbled onward, after the other two. He blinked his eyes against the darkness.
Blam! Whizz!
A brilliant flash strobed across the tunnel. The report echoed back and forth. The bullet ricocheted off the side wall, missing Jerome by mere centimeters.
Blam!
The gun fired again, the muzzle blast illuminating one of the animal torturer’s hands. Again, narrowly missing Jerome, the bullet zinged off at a crazy angle after hitting the sidewall.
Jerome dove to the floor where he lay prone. Darkness fell into the tunnel. The odors of sweat, blood, and gunpowder irritated Jerome’s nose. He tried to think, to ponder, to remember. He questioned in his mind, ‘What kind of nightmare is this?’
Blam! Blam!
The muzzle flares from the firearm lit up the tunnel in bright flashes, but Jerome remained still on the floor.
“Dylan? Did you kill that fool? Has he left Beta?” a woman’s voice called out from the darkness. “I cannot see anything. If he is not dead, I want to peel his skin like I did that pet!”
“Right Phillis! I want to do my art on a person, those pets only whet my appetite.”
“Shut up! Aeron, you and Phillis, just shut up!” a man replied. “My eyes are still seeing spots from that light. Let me get a bead on him and I will shoot off one of his knees, then you two can have your fun!”
Someone stepped on Jerome, then stumbled onward. Jerome was unsure who stepped on him, but he rolled to the side of the tunnel and let the person pass.
“Where are you?” the woman who had stepped on Jerome said groggily. It was the woman he had hit with the fusion pack.
Blam! Blam!
The flashes lit up the tunnel just as the woman was struck by her collaborator’s bullets. Her body flew backward and toppled over Jerome who remained still and quiet on the floor. He covered his anger over with a force of will, and remained still and silent.
“Dylan! You shot poor Gwili!” the other woman chuckled.
“I thought it was that crazy man!” Dylan replied.
“What a mess you made of her. She is so going out of it. I must see it.”
“Say goodbye to Beta, Gwili!” Phillis teased. “I never did like you!”
“So just keep shooting,” Aeron said. “It is fun! Shoot more, no matter who you hit, but I need more light.”
“Do not kill him too fast. I would rather pull and twist some broken bones with my own hands. The gun gets them out of Beta too quick. Nobody should leave so fast. Enjoy the pain and make it last! Right ladies!”
Jerome quietly put the fusion pack away and pulled out the Willie Blaster from its holster. He peered into the darkness. “Surrender now! You cannot win.”
Blam! Blam!
Bullets struck around where Jerome lay, some of the wall chipping off.
“Go get him, Dylan! Be a man!” Aeron chided from somewhere in the darkness. “Or give me the gun and I will do it. You never were any good.”
“Shut up! This tunnel is too narrow for us both to shoot. Wait your turn. That fool is out there,” Dylan snapped back.
“No waiting for me,” Phillis said. She pushed past Dylan and stepped forward. There was a flare, and then a spout of flame came on. “I will just burn the bastard’s eyes, then we will see who yells at me like that!” The flame had a clear, and well-defined yellow cone with blue at its edges. “I want my fox head back.”
Jerome could see the woman outlined in the light from the welding implement she was holding. Her hair was fluffed up and her eyes were sq
uinting against the burning light. Her whole body looked yellowish in the light.
“Halt! Come no closer!” Jerome yelled from his prone position. He aimed the Willie Blaster at her.
“I see him now!” Phillis shrieked. “Lying on the ground like that pet we cut the legs off. You must have hit him with one of your shots.” She stepped forward and waved the welding flame back and forth.
“He does not sound too hurt. Burn him up Phillis!” Dylan encouraged. He then stuck his arm next to her and fired the gun he was holding.
Blam! Blam!
Piff.
Jerome fired the Willie Blaster. Its high speed projectile shattered the welding implement that Phillis was holding, as well as destroying her hand. The cone of flame brightened as the ruined tool fell to the floor and then sputtered out.
The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books Page 87