by Travis Sande
The middle ship appeared to be investigating the largest plume of smoke that Derrick could see. It must have been a piece of the ISO or the alien ship. A tower of black smoke pushed its way deep into the sky nearly a kilometer away. The furthest ship was too far away to discern a possible target. Maybe it was just the distant edge of the wreckage, like the closest ship descending above the cave.
The ships were substantially larger than the small probe-like machine that had just visited. The main difference that Derrick immediately noticed wasn’t the size, it was the sound. These larger ships were silent. It went against every perception Derrick had of the situation. The tiny probe was loud as it swept the area. The only answer he could muster was that the sound could have been some sort of seismic sensor sweep of the area.
He wanted to radio down to the others to warn them of the incoming vessels but knew Lorn was right. He had to remain silent to avoid any possible intercept of their communications.
Kneeling, Derrick got himself in a position where he could see more of the sky out of the opening. Putting his hands on the sill of the naturally formed window, he leaned forward to look into the sky. The three ships were quickly approaching ground level. The ship at the farthest end of the debris field seemed to stop before the others and begin hovering several hundred meters above ground. The ship nearest the cave continued to descend and Derrick believed it might even touch down. His heart began to race as he pushed off the opening, shrouding himself inside the cave.
The ship was less than a few meters off the ground when it came to a stop. Hovering just beyond the Lake, Derrick could see it clearly. The ship began emitting a dull light that seemed to lower three figures down to the ground. They were tall and slender. The distance was too great to make out any specific detail, but he could tell they were significantly taller than an average human. The bushes that had surpassed Derrick's shoulders appeared to barely break their waistline.
The three creatures moved slow and methodically around the debris scattered near the lake. One was holding a device of some kind while the other two physically inspected pieces they found. It was clear they were searching for something, survivors perhaps? Derrick thought.
Derrick held his breath as they approached the lake itself. The ship was only about six meters below the surface and if they investigated the intact portion they might become curious where the bodies were. His main concern was with the creature holding a device. The ship might remain hidden from a visual inspection, but a scanning device was sure to locate it.
His worst nightmares were realized as the creature holding the device began making his way toward the lake. Dread embraced Derrick as he watched helplessly. Every step the creature took was pounding in his head. The discovery of the ISO was inevitable. The tall figure moved into position on the shore of the lake and swept the device back and forth. After pausing for a moment, Derrick could see one of the other figures move into the lake and disappear under the surface.
Derrick had to warn the others, it was only a matter of time before their escape was discovered. He couldn't abandon his perch as it was giving him a clear view of the situation beyond the cave. He struggled with the idea of breaking the radio silence to send a warning down below. Deciding that audio wasn't the best option under these circumstances he opted to at least send a message via text.
Removing the glove of his flight-suit, Derrick began accessing his CCD, he frantically entered a brief description of the scenario. It read:
Three ships have landed to inspect the debris field
each ship appears to have a crew compliment of at
least three. The lake is currently being inspected.
I expect our escape to become known any minute.
I will remain above to watch over the area and report
any additional findings. Good luck down there.
- Derrick
The commander did not respond to the message and Derrick hoped that they had received it. Lorn may have resisted adding any additional messages in such a tense time. In any event, Derrick knew he had to remain in a position to gather information.
Derrick moved back to the window and peeked through once again. He could see three figures and it was obvious that the third had returned from under the lake. They appeared to be discussing something and looking around the area. ‘They know’, Derrick thought. ‘They have to know.’ Derrick saw movement in the distance. The other two ships had begun moving this direction. They must have been coordinating their presence to form a search party.
He had to make a decision, and fast. Should he stay above and keep an eye on the situation or go down below to meet up with the rest of the crew. Before he could make up his mind he saw the three figures split up. Heading out in three directions, they must have been starting the search. There was one moving directly toward the cave. Derrick ducked back inside the opening. He was sure he wasn't seen, but he refused to keep taking that chance.
In a few moments, the creature would reach the cave. If it found the cave entrance before Derrick could enter the other cave system, he would be cut off. He decided it was now or never and rushed back down the tunnel out of the chamber. Each step down felt like a leap as he rushed. Nearly losing his footing on the slick walls with each hop, he stopped for a second to look below him. It was about two meters from the bottom. He took one more step down with his right foot but felt it slip off the rocky wall. He fell suddenly, smashing his shoulder and the side of his helmet into the wall. With nothing to catch himself he fell the final two meters and landed on his back.
"Hrmph" He let out a moan as he came to a rest at the bottom.
Derrick rolled over onto his knees to catch his breath. He could see a crack in his helmet with several small pieces missing. Panicking, he looked around on the floor of the cave searching for the missing pieces of glass. Leaving any trace of their presence in the cave could be fatal. He located two tiny pieces that were glistening in the light from the entrance. Grabbing them proved difficult with the suit and took him longer than he had hoped. Sweat began to run down his face and added to the frustration. He finally managed to get the two pieces into his hand just as he noticed the light from the entrance wavering. Something was approaching. He darted down into the tunnel on the right as fast as he could without making any sound. Once inside, he pushed forward in hopes of reaching the crew as soon as possible.
As he rounded a corner he noticed a green light coming from the front. It must have been one of the emergency lights the crew cracked to illuminate the cave. Derrick approached the source, it was a glow stick just as he assumed. It was abandoned in the middle of an open chamber with no trace of the crew. ‘They must have got my message and left this for me.’ Derrick thought to himself as he pushed on.
The cave was dark down here; natural light had abandoned this tunnel long ago. It had a claustrophobic feel the previous path had lacked. Derrick was forced to use the glow stick he had grabbed just to see what was ahead of him. The glow had the unintended side effect of lighting the walls of the dark cave. Small insect-like creatures were all over them. Slime oozed around as the green glow danced off of it. Before long he noticed another green glow illuminating the passage ahead. It must have been another dropped stick or maybe the crew.
Derrick rounded the next corner and was confronted with another empty room holding a glow stick. He grabbed it and continued moving quickly, attempting to catch everyone. He could already see the next section lit up as he raised his head to continue. He was half way to it when he felt a tug at his leg that made him stumble. He turned quickly and saw an arm reaching from a small crevice in the wall. It frantically gestured to him to come closer. The arm was adorned with an official ISO suit, so Derrick deemed it trustworthy.
Moving closer, he saw a small opening that led to a side route in the tunnel. There was a rocky overhang that had made the opening almost invisible from an upright position in the tunnel. He got down on the ground and slipped inside. It was a five-foot drop int
o the opening and Derrick was helped in by several sets of hands. Once inside, he discovered that one of the sets belonged to Kim, the glow stick lit her face. The rest of the crew was all huddled low against the wall.
The opening was just above Derrick's head as he settled in and tried to get a look around the chamber. Hank was tucked in between Lorn and Ben, still motionless as discomfort was written on his face. Before he could finish his inspection, someone grabbed the glow stick from his hand and hid the light.
Complete darkness engulfed them. The moment was unsettling and silent. Everyone was afraid to open a comm channel of any kind or make a noise. Sounds from within the cave resonated and carried very far. ‘There's no way these things go this deep into the cave, if they even find it.’ Derrick thought to himself, attempting to fight off the feeling of dread in his veins.
The attempts proved futile as the sound of a thud emanated from the tunnel above him. He pressed tightly into the wall to get away from the sightline of the opening. His heart was racing out of control and he opened his eyes as wide as he could. No matter how hard he struggled there wasn't enough light to break the darkness for even a moment. Another thud tolled from above, a little closer but still distant. Something had entered the cave.
Suddenly, Derrick was able to see a glint from one of the walls in their tiny chamber. Light outlined the huddled group beside him. It was then that he realized a light was being used in the tunnel above. It must have ricocheted its way through the cave system before dying completely.
For a moment there was no sound and the light danced around the chamber. It would increase in intensity then suddenly disappear altogether. The creature must have been at the fork, searching for them. Then, a more indistinguishable number of sounds occurred. Several more were entering the cave. Derrick had trouble trying to estimate a number. His worst fears and cynicism counted at least five. Stunted optimism hoped he was wrong.
The footsteps continued and split up. Some were becoming fainter as others became more prominent. Derrick could see more and more detail appearing in the room and he realized that one of these things had started down the path he just took. The light preceded its presence by what felt like minutes. The steps grew louder and louder as each thud echoed in his chest. The rhythmic pace suddenly quickened.
The light shook its way around the room as the steps approached the opening. Derrick held his breath as he felt the vibrations of the nearing creature. He looked up as the light briefly crested the opening above his head. Derrick felt dust and rocks rain down onto him. The muffled sound of rocks impacting his helmet resonated through him.
Before he could close his eyes some of the dust and debris had navigated the hole in his helmet and found a home in his right eye. He closed it immediately as he felt the sting of its presence. Frustration and anger built inside him as he was unable to do anything about it. He just held his eye closed tightly and hoped tears would rid him of the discomfort. The only solace of the situation was that it briefly took his mind off the creature that had just passed their opening.
The break didn't last long as a sound was heard; a spoken language of some kind from deep and intimidating voices. Derrick opened his left eye while keeping his other shut tight and once again looked up over his head to the opening in the wall behind him. The voices grew louder as footsteps raced through the tunnel. Two or three more had joined the first.
‘What are they doing?’ Derrick asked himself internally. ‘Something has them spooked.’
Just then Derrick remembered the light he saw at the end of the tunnel before Kim had tripped him up. The crew must have left a glow sticks to take them off their trail. ‘Nice work, guys.’ Derrick thought to himself, proud of his friend's ingenuity.
Light once again retreated, shrouding the huddled crew of the ISO. The darkness had become a welcome blanket that fought off the hostility of approaching searchlights. Several minutes passed as they sat quietly, unmoving. Derrick realized there was going to be little to no way of knowing when it was safe to exit or if it ever would be.
A voice re-entered the cave from the far end, it must have been one that just ran through and was on its way back. The voice was so deep that it travelled farther than the footsteps. It seemed to rattle Derrick as it approached, the light ripping their blanket away once more.
The creature moved with purpose but at a slower pace than before. It wasn't long until the footsteps could be heard just above Derrick's head. Holding his breath, Derrick waited for them to leave the adjacent tunnel. The footsteps moved beyond the opening and the darkness crept back into their hiding place slowly. Then, the creature stopped moving and the light returned to their room, it must have turned around.
Slower, more methodical footsteps announced the creatures approach. Panic ignited Derrick's arms with a burning sensation as his heart assaulted his throat. ‘It must have seen the opening, what can we do?’ Derrick thought. His eyes darted around the room, searching for something, anything that could help them. All he could see were the same insect-like creatures from the walls outside. There was no escape from their hiding place. It was a tiny chamber, no more than ten feet long and five feet wide.
The creature moved to the opening, Derrick could feel its feet just above his head as it stopped. ‘The overhang, it can't see it. It’s just double checking the tunnel, that's it.’ Derrick's mind was racing out of control as claustrophobia and helplessness overcame him. The creature was less than a meter away just above him. He slowly tilted his head back, not making a sound. His right eye still glued shut with dust and tears. Before he could see anything, the light went out.