Horror Sci-Fi Box Set: Three Novels

by Bryan Dunn

  “My God…” Slade said, staggered by what he’d just heard.

  “This time, it’s a cavern in Texas,” Nick said, starting out the windshield.

  “Both of you listen,” the colonel said. “We don’t have much intel on this thing, but it should be treated as an extremely hostile alien life form. It stalks. Kills. Survives.” Then, after a beat, he added, “Oh, and from what little evidence we were able to piece together, we know that the creature was big. Taller than any man. It seems to have an almost supernatural ability to grow.”

  “Was anyone able to photograph it?” Nick asked, knowing it was a long shot.

  “Unfortunately, no. The only thing we got from the test site before it was nuked was a recording of the sporadic chatter of the workers in distress. I’ll have audio transcripts of those communications sent to you when I hang up.”

  The SUV fell silent. Nick and Slade exchanged looks. Then the colonel said, “Slade, Major Atwood from Fort Worth is on his way and in the air now. He should be there before noon. In the meantime, you and Walker secure the area around the cavern. Keep the public away. For now, you are to keep local agencies—police, fire, and guard units—out of this. That could change at any time, however. I’m assembling a team. We’ll be wheels-up in two hours.”

  “Excuse me, Colonel,” Nick said, interrupting Kemp. “Right before you called, I received word that a group of high school students were on a field trip to Salt Springs Cavern. I haven’t been able to confirm this, but my source is good.”

  The colonel said, “Can you contact them? Turn them around?”

  “No. But we’re on our way there now. I’ll try and get a mobile number for the teacher and give her a call en route.”

  “Okay, stay by the phone. I’ll be in touch. If anything changes, call me.”

  * * * *

  At the same moment, a hundred feet below the surface, a group of students filed into the cavern’s entry chamber and arranged themselves in an ellipse around Kylie and Ranger Horn, their guide. Normally, it would’ve been as black as a moonless night in the chamber, but Ranger Horn had activated a network of lights tucked in the cave’s walls, making the chamber feel more like a candlelit cathedral than the opening of a cavern. The built-in lights were used to help orient tour groups before they descended into the darkness of the lower chambers.

  Straggling behind the group, best friends Molly and Caitlin took their time as they made their way down the sloping path toward the chamber.

  “I can’t believe we’re down here actually looking for bats,” Caitlin said, touching the cave wall where the path narrowed, then quickly jerking her hand back, repulsed by the slimy feel.

  “Not just bats,” Molly said, “everything that lives in this habitat.”

  “Oh, big deal.” Caitlin wiped her hand on her t-shirt, trying to get the cave scum off her fingers. “So I left out spiders…another moronic thing to be looking for.”

  “Spiders are cool,” Molly said with a laugh. “They’re—” She stopped in mid-sentence when something caught her eye. Something bright and shiny.

  A tooth.

  On the ground just to her right lying next to some loose rocks was a slightly hooked, sharp-looking tooth. A fang just like the one Willie Clayton had found—only this one was bigger. Much bigger.

  “Look,” Molly said, grabbing Caitlin’s arm and pointing at the fang. “A weird-looking tooth.”

  “Gross,” Caitlin said, pulling back, not wanting to get any closer.

  Ignoring Caitlin, Molly stepped off the path, clambered over some scattered rocks, and reached out for the tooth.

  “Molly! Caitlin! Come on,” Kylie said, calling to the girls, her hands cupped around her mouth. “Come on, stay with the group.”

  Molly’s hand hovered above the tooth. As she reached down again to pick it up, Caitlin’s hand clamped onto her shoulder and hauled her upright.

  “Molly, come on. We’re going to get in trouble.”

  Molly glanced at the tooth one last time, and then both girls ran down the path toward the group just as Ranger Horn began his presentation.

  “Welcome to Salt Springs Cavern,” said Ranger Horn, a short, middle-aged man with a gleaming bald head. He was neat and fastidious, dressed in a pressed khaki uniform. Tobias Horn was a retired banker who worked gratis for the Parks Department, conducting tours of the cavern.

  Horn stepped up on a pedestal-shaped rock so he could see the entire group. “The temperature in the cavern is a constant sixty-eight degrees. There are twenty miles of explored tunnels and three main caving tours. We will be descending to four of the most accessible chambers today—they are all part of the cavern’s beginner tour. The first chamber we will be entering is called the Ballroom. It gets its name from the huge chandelier-shaped crystal formation hanging from the chamber’s ceiling.”

  After he finished his introduction, Ranger Horn talked about the entrance chamber, how it was formed, and how it got its name, the Gray Ghost. “When we leave the Gray Ghost, we will be leaving the electric lights behind and entering the darkness. You and your caving partner have been given a flashlight to share. Everyone with a flashlight, please turn it on now.”

  A moment later, twelve flashlights—including the one Kylie was holding—were turned on and waving in the air.

  “Good,” Ranger Horn said, nodding with approval. “As we discussed earlier, please stay on the marked paths and use the handrails where necessary. It’s easy to get disoriented in the dark. That’s why everyone needs to stay with their partner, and, most importantly, stay with the group. If you do get lost, the beginner tour is marked by a series of yellow arrows. Follow the arrows pointing upwards and they will lead you to the entrance.”

  “Are there any questions?”

  One of the students asked, “Have you ever been lost down here?”

  Chapter 26

  Nick turned the Land Cruiser off the main road and entered the Clayton Salt Mine, crunching along the pea gravel drive to a metal building where he saw Ray, Lucas, and Emmett stacking gear next to a dusty Suburban with block letters on the door that read, “Clayton Salt Mine.”

  Nick and Slade dropped out of the SUV and watched as the men unloaded helmets, lamps, harnesses, extra lights, and coils of brightly-colored climbing rope.

  “Oxygen?” Sam said as he walked up and saw Emmett placing a mask next to a bottle of oxygen.

  Emmett straightened, looked at Nick and Slade, and said, “Never go deep underground without oxygen.”

  “Or two-way radios,” Lucas said, dropping a couple of handheld radios into a backpack.

  “We’ve got to hurry,” Nick lifted a coil of climbing rope and placed it in the rear of the Suburban. “I just found out that a group of Salt Spring High School students have gone into the cavern.”

  Lucas said, “A tour. Ray said they’ve gone on a tour.”

  “Right. Some sort of field trip.”

  “Lord,” Lucas said. “Talk about bad timing.”

  Nick glanced from Lucas to Emmett and said, “Listen, neither of you have to go in that cavern. This is NASA business. NASA’s problem.”

  Emmett reached into the Suburban, brought out a shotgun, and said, “If the thing that took my boy is down there, I want a piece of it.”

  “Whoa, whoa,” Slade said, holding up his hands. “Who said anything about shooting the creature?”

  “Listen, Emmett,” Nick said, staring at the camouflage model 12-gauge Remington pump. “I know how you must feel, but this isn’t a hunting trip. We’re going down there to get those kids. Quick in, quick out. That’s it. If we’re lucky, we got bad information and they’re not even in the cavern.” Then Nick added, “In a few hours, a special government task force will be here to secure the area and hopefully capture the creature.”

  The group fell silent as they thought about what Nick had just said. Lucas shook his head and then let go with a deep laugh that rattled the building next to them.

  “The government?�
� Lucas said, forcing himself to stop laughing. “That’s a good one. I’ve never seen a messed up situation that didn’t get more messed up after the government stepped in.”

  Emmett looked at Lucas, giving him an approving nod. “You’re goddamn right about that.”

  Slade’s back was up, offended by Lucas’s putdown of the government. He was about to say so, but stopped and turned to Nick, instead, saying, “I’m going to take your car and meet Major Atwood when he arrives. I can bring him up to speed and liaise between here and Houston.” Slade held up his cell phone. “Stay in touch. Call me if something changes.”

  Ray stepped forward. “Excuse me, sir, but I could go. I could go meet Atwoody. That way you could be here—you know, in case they find the creature.”

  “Atwood. It’s Major Atwood. And thanks, but no thanks. I don’t think you’re the first person the major is going to want to meet when he arrives.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Use your imagination.”

  * * * *

  Ten minutes later, Emmett’s Suburban rolled into the parking lot of Salt Springs Cavern State Preserve and pulled up next to a bright yellow school bus.

  Shit, Nick thought as he stared out at the bus. Kylie and her students are here.

  Emmett killed the engine. The Suburban’s doors were thrown open, and everyone piled out and began putting on gear, loading packs and checking lights. Nick shrugged on a daypack, and as he went to snug up the shoulder straps, he noticed Emmett place a surplus ammo box with a bright red warning label next to the other gear.

  Nick looked at the label, then turned to Emmett and said, “Is this what I think it is?”

  Emmett gave him a direct look and said, “If you guessed dynamite, you’d be right.” Before Nick could react, Lucas stepped up and plunked another box with a bright warning label next to the dynamite. “And those are fuses, a crank box, oh—and something special I got from an Army buddy: C-4 demolition charges.”

  “I thought I just explained,” Nick said, staring down at the arsenal, “we’re just going to get those kids out of there. That’s it.”

  “I don’t think he got the memo,” Ray said, looking at the explosives.

  Emmett held up his hands and said, “Just a precaution, son.”

  Nick decided to let it go and grabbed a helmet. Besides, Nick thought, adjusting the chin strap, maybe Emmett had a point. What if they did run into the creature?

  Five minutes later, everyone was loaded down with gear and ready to go. Nick took the lead as they headed for the cavern entrance. It looked just like it had the day before, only now, the gate blocking the path had been unlocked, pulled back, and left open.

  Lucas tapped Ray on the shoulder and said, “What did you say this thing looked like?”

  “I didn’t,” Ray said, glancing at Lucas. “But think a lizard – only with arms up top instead of legs.”

  “Nice,” Lucas murmured, thinking about that. Then he asked, “But this lizard—it’s small, right?”

  “It was,” Ray said as they passed through the gate. “At least, that’s Nick’s theory. He thinks it has some freakish ability to—”

  “You’ll know it when you see it,” Nick said, giving Ray a look. “Stay together. And stay alert.”

  A few minutes later, they gathered in the entrance chamber, which looked completely different to Nick and Ray, as it was now illuminated by lights.

  “Lights?” Ray said, looking up in awe as he turned in a slow circle. “There are lights down here?” He turned to Nick. “Why didn’t someone say so? Overhead lighting would’ve been nice when I was being attacked by bloodsucking bats.”

  “Only plumbed-in lights are in this chamber,” Emmett said, glancing around the cave. “They went in twenty years ago when this place had a fulltime ranger and a lot more visitors. When we leave here, we’ll need our own lights.”

  Nick moved down to the labyrinth of passages that led into the tunnel and positioned himself next to a yellow arrow that pointed the way to the beginner tour. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Kylie!” After a quick beat, he yelled again, “Hello? Kylie? Hello?”

  Nick’s voice echoed through the chamber. Everyone fell silent, waiting, listening for a response.

  Nothing—only the dripping sound of water seeping from fractures in the cave walls.

  Lucas stepped up to Nick, pointed to one of the yellow arrows, and said, “That’s were they went. Has to be. It’s basically a self-guided tour. Willie took me down there when I first started at the mine. Easy descent. Good paths. Handrails. All you really need is a flashlight.”

  Nick bent down, picked up a piece of paper, and held it up to the light. It was a copy of the handout Kylie had given to her students. It outlined following the route marked with yellow arrows.

  Nick handed it to Lucas and called out to Ray and Emmett, “Come on! We know where they went.”

  Ray and Emmett crossed the cavern, and as Emmett stepped up to Nick, he said, “In case you didn’t know, all these caves are connected. Follow any one of them far enough, and you’ll find your way into one of the others.” Emmett hooked his thumbs through the straps of his daypack and added, “Willie’s the one who told me that. He and some friends discovered the passages back when they were in high school. He said there was even a passage that led to the salt mine. They almost got stuck down there. He said he’d never been so scared in his life.”

  Great, Nick thought to himself. Hopefully the creature doesn’t know they’re connected.

  “Thanks for the uplifting anecdote,” Ray said, giving Emmett a flat look. “Makes it much more exciting, knowing we’re not safe anywhere down here.”

  A few minutes later, they were all following the yellow arrows as they descended toward the Ballroom chamber, grateful for the handrails and the well-marked path.

  A hundred feet ahead, the path made a sharp dogleg, and as they maneuvered around it, the light filtering in from the entrance chamber disappeared. All that kept them from being swallowed by the darkness were their flashlights and helmet lamps.

  Ray, who had positioned himself at the rear of the group, gripped a metal rail and, almost giddy with delight by how it felt in his hand, thought, Nothing says ‘safe’ like handrails.

  Walking single file, no one spoke as they moved along the gently sloping path, the beams from their helmet lamps illuminating the damp, glistening walls. They rounded a horseshoe bend and the path straightened. Directly ahead of them, they heard a loud skittering sound.

  Nick held his hand up, signaling for the group to stop. Nick and Lucas turned on their flashlights, pointing them this way and that, trying to see what had caused the noise.

  A frozen beat, then something flashed out of the dark. Ray’s helmet light raked an inky form. And then it was there, right in front of him. Two glowing eyes floated in the pitch-black, staring right at him. A horrible, silent-filled moment, and then it crashed toward him. It seemed to be all legs as it danced through the dark. It rose up over Ray’s head, clipped his shoulder, and skittered along the path toward the cavern’s entrance. Ray said, “Shit,” when he finally saw what it was. A deer.

  Lucas laughed as Ray clutched his chest and said, “Damn,” then slumped against the handrail.

  “They come down here for the water,” Emmett said. “That and the salt.”

  Ray pushed off the railing and straightened his helmet. “What the hell… It’s like I’m some freaking wildlife magnet.”

  Chapter 27

  A quarter of a mile below Nick and his group, Ranger Horn, Kylie, and her students were gathered in the Ballroom chamber, all of them staring up at the delicate crystal chandelier-shaped formation that had formed on the cave’s ceiling

  “We are now five hundred feet below the surface.” As he spoke, Ranger Horn kept the beam of his flashlight trained on the chandelier. “The next chamber we’ll be entering is called the Fortress of the Blue Giants. It is considered by many to be the most s
tunning room in the cavern complex.” The ranger leveled his flashlight, illuminating the students’ faces, making sure he had their attention. In a low voice, he said, “If everyone is very quiet, we might be able to hear the giants breathing.”

  He always loved this part of the tour. If the conditions were right, the air passing through the warren of passages below made a soft rushing sound, like a set of giant lungs exhaling.

  As everyone held their breath, hoping to hear the “giants breathing,” one student stuck his tongue between his lips, made a rude sound, and said, “Or fart.”

  The other students began to laugh, some hooting with delight.

  At the rear of the group, Kylie waved her flashlight through the air, trying to get the class’s attention. “All right. All right. That’s enough. I don’t know who the comedian is, but if I find out, it’s not going to be pretty.”

  Kylie pushed through the group, stepped up next to the ranger, and removed a digital camera from her pack. “Okay everybody, crowd together, I’m going to get a shot for the yearbook.”

  A collection of moans went up from the group, but after a minute or so, they were all bunched together and waiting for Kylie to get her shot.

  Kylie raised the camera, checked to make sure she had everyone in the frame, and said, “Smile.’”

  She held her finger down, the camera’s pre-flash fired, and then something went wrong. Instead of the strobe firing when the picture was taken, the camera’s extra bright pre-flash continued to fire, blinding the students.