What Lurks Below

by Michael Soldat

  Riding in the foothills surrounded by the blackness of night proved slow. Dirt turned to rock, and the horses slowed pace to maintain their footing. Only a few red streaks on the horizon remained to remind them the sun left only a short while ago. Something appeared a short distance away, which gave Lara pause. Soon, she stopped the group in front of a jagged stick that lay fifteen to twenty wagon lengths from their constructed tunnel.

  On top of that shaft was the rotting head of the grog queen.

  “Guess they’re expecting us,” Nami said.

  “But are they expecting us tonight? I bet the gray isn’t stupid, though who can say if it’s on our level. Humans do set foot in the mountains on some sort of schedule. Maybe it’s a grim ward to get us to turn back.”

  “Fat load of good it’ll do. I’m all sorts of ready for this.”

  Several soldiers agreed with Nami. They rode the rest of the way to the tunnel. This time, Lara scoured the immediate area inside for other signs that the gray had prepared for their arrival. Rock still looked like rock, and this was no different. She asked two groups of two to scout around the entrance while the others tied up the horses. Reconnaissance showed nothing out of the ordinary.

  “Guess we’re going in, then. I’ll be in front with the first torch, followed by the rest of you, with Nami at the rear with the other light. Remember, don’t run ahead, don’t lag behind. If you hear or see anything that isn't us, say something.”

  Inside, Lara slowly led the group forward. During every trip to the mountain with Robert, trouble never lurked this close to the exit. After alerting the gray last time and seeing the rotting head out front, she felt caution should be more important this time. They marched two abreast until coming to a fork in the tunnel. Lara moved them left, asking Nami and the other rear guard to keep watch in case anything moved to block their exit.

  The left path wasn’t particularly long, at least in terms of places grog could be hiding. Robert discovered after a few trips that they had tunneled into a remote end of the caves. Before them lay only two larger caves to secure before they could head deeper into subterranean depths. A short distance further and to their right, the soldiers reached the first cave. Before they entered, Lara stopped them and gathered them close.

  “What’s wrong?” a man asked.

  “Don’t talk.” Lara said, raising her hand.

  No one spoke.

  “What do you hear?” she asked.

  Three soldiers said 'nothing' before Lara continued.

  “That’s what I’m worried about. Noise carries far in these tunnels, and you can always hear a stray grog scratching about in the distance. There’s nothing going on here. Why?”

  “Seems fishy to me,” Nami said. “Even though we know these bits, I say we head in real slow, like we've been moving.”

  Lara nodded and moved forward. She held her torch into the room, revealing a small body on the opposite side. The woman next to Lara looked up and around the room.

  “Looks fine to me. Are there always pointy bits coming from the ceiling, though?”

  Lara shrugged, and motioned for drawing weapons and staying quiet. The column of soldiers snuck across the room until they were within a wagon’s length of the body. It moved. Lara halted.

  Alone, she moved up to the prone body. All the others could see was a limb making a weak motion towards their leader. Lara drove her blade down into the body.

  “Grog,” she called over.

  It howled once more before breathing its last. Lara walked back several steps before a rock crashed down onto the creature’s corpse. She turned.

  "What was that?!" Nami yelled.

  Lara looked up as another stone fell to her left.

  “Cave-in! Run!”

  Panicked, the others did as they were told. It was a short jog to the entrance, but rocks fell quickly enough to make everyone think twice about their steps. Back in the tunnel, everyone caught their breath as more stones fell, partially blocking the entrance.

  “Wait,” Nami said, counting.

  After she finished, she held her torch just inside the cavern. Behind them, the soldier who hoped to have another child lay on the ground. Her arm twitched, most likely because that was the only movement she could manage. Her head and most of her upper body lay crushed beneath stone.

  “No!” Lara yelled.

  She tried to run to the body. It was custom that if someone fell on the job, the remaining soldiers would bring the body back for a respectable burial. Nami handed off her torch so she could hold Lara back.

  “It’s not worth it! Stop it! That was a trap!”

  Lara struggled for a moment as others helped restrain her. After she stopped struggling, she walked back into the tunnel and punched the wall.

  "We can't afford to lose you too," Nami said after unhanding Lara.

  “Wasn’t your fault, ma’am,” the musician said. “Could have hit any of us.”

  She glared before sighing and dropping her gaze.

  “One more person to mourn when this is all over. Remember her name. She’s got a kid I have to talk to. Now we’ve got another reason to bring this bastard down.”

  Lara took a deep breath and turned around. The others couldn’t see, but her brow was wet with sweat just as her eyes wet with tears. Still, she led them onward; Lara wouldn’t relent. They took the other path at the intersection towards the last chamber. Before heading into new territory, they had to confirm it was empty. Nobody wasted time leaving this hole in the rock, even with far fewer rock points on the ceiling.

  With the area behind them secure, the soldiers marched back to the original fork in the path. After a moment of steeling herself, Lara led the group deeper into the mountain. She heard nothing besides the group's boots marching forth, and still no incessant scratching of grog claws on the rock. Nami complained as they trudged upwards toward the grog queen's cavern. Everyone else stayed quiet. Once they reached the split in this path, Lara held everyone back.

  “Do you think it will remember we went up to the ledge?” she asked.

  Nami shrugged.

  Lara led them down the opposite path. In the worst case scenario, they’d be facing a gray waiting for them on equal footing. Best case, they’d avoid any traps laid out for them. Still, the group moved slowly in case the gray was smart enough to rig up both paths. The chamber came into view with no issue, and the soldiers stopped within.

  “Hey, look at that!” a man said.

  The soldiers rushed over to a bloodied mass of flesh and bone. Those in front dashed away from the smell that accompanied rot. Lara and Nami covered their noses and moved in to inspect. There, they found an corpse that was unmistakably grog. It did not have a head.

  “Mama’s not getting a clean burial, I guess,” Nami said.

  She poked the body with her sword before Lara ordered them forward. Finding the path the gray retreated down was easy, as the moment it did so burned in Nami and Lara's brains that day. The path sank deeper into the earth, much as the tunnel to the grog queen’s chamber went upwards. After several minutes, three soldiers could fit side by side. Shortly after, the tunnel widened into a much larger cavern with several stone structures farther in. Once inside, everyone stayed close to the entrance as the torches were passed backwards. On the opposite side of the room, Nami could see figures moving from one structure to another.

  “Too small for the gray. Must be grog.”

  Lara nodded, then split the group into two. As far as anyone could tell, the stone structures sat in two neat columns. She led one group around the left side of the cavern while Nami led the other on the right. Each stayed in a straight line, aside from their torchbearer at the rear, who stayed several steps away from the wall. Ideally, the grog would focus on the fire, and not notice the slinking humans ready and waiting to dismember them. Despite functioning better in low light, even a small flame could be enough to trick the beasts, if one was lucky.

  Finally, while crouching behind one of the str
uctures, they heard claws scratching rock. Lara wondered why this didn’t carry throughout the tunnels like normal, but opted to take care of the threat at hand before thinking harder on the subject. Keeping her eyes ahead, she led the soldiers up to the last structure before the wall opposite their entrance. There, Lara turned the corner to see Nami in a similar position on the other side of the cave. Lara ordered half her soldiers to circle the rock hut nearest them. After receiving signals, Nami mirrored the command on her side. Each woman motioned to the other to find out how many grog they found; both held up one finger. Lara counted down from three, and charged, sword in the air.

  She turned the corner first before her comrade on the other end. Lara found herself face to face with a grog and brought her sword down with every bit of her might. The creature must not have heard them coming, because the blade bisected its skull with a loud crack, dropping the creature immediately. After the other soldiers joined her and cut the grog to pieces, Lara looked over her shoulder. Nami and her gang lured their grog out of the stone hut, surrounded it, and cut it down with deadly efficiency. With the fight over and done with, Lara checked around as best she could for reinforcements. None came, but she heard heavy breathing deeper in the hut. Nami joined her with a torch and followed her in.

  “That looks like another queen to me,” Nami said.

  “You’re right, but it’s in no shape to do much of anything. I’m fine with that.”

  Before them, the queen sat against the back wall of the hut, wheezing. Its gut was thin, save for a small bulge in the center of its abdomen. Though it appeared neither mother nor child was well, the baby managed to wriggle underneath the skin.

  “Maybe it’s only been with child a short while.”

  “Doesn't matter. I won’t have that child come to term. We have no idea how long it takes for a grog to mature, and I’m here for a different kind of research.”

  Lara drew her weapon and walked over to the queen. It feebly lifted a claw to swipe at her, but fell short. In an instant, Lara separated the head from the shoulders. Her second attack stabbed right through the bulge in the abdomen. Someone in back remarked that they believed they’d heard a small squeak, but Lara paid it no mind.

  “Wait!” a woman said.

  Both Nami and Lara turned, but the woman held a finger to her lips. They paused and listened. Something hissed faintly. As they continued to strain themselves to hear, it got louder.

  “Our pal’s coming,” Nami said, smiling.

  Lara ordered everyone to stand ready. They positioned around a tunnel that led further into the deep dark. Splitting into two groups allowed the soldiers to keep the torches as far away from the door as possible. While grog were better in the dark, no one knew how the gray would react.

  Seconds passed. Lara’s forehead dripped with sweat from the fight. She resisted wiping it dry for fear that she would miss the gray appearing. She even stopped blinking until her eyes cried out for relief. Nami’s eye twitched. After all, a grog could do a lot in a single moment, so it seemed prudent to afford the new creature the same caution. The hissing intensified.

  A figure darted into the room. Lara and Nami swung their swords at it, but missed as it stepped back. The gray hurried past the soldiers after dodging their blows, turned, and raised its hands. One man from Nami’s side of the tunnel exit charged at the creature, but it pointed at him. He fell instantly, clutching his sword arm’s shoulder. Lara cried out and darted forward, bringing her blade down on the grey. Her blade struck true, right above its hip. It was at this point she noticed that this gray was much taller than any of the soldiers. Normally, a slash like that would hit someone square in the chest. Enraged, the gray fell to one knee. Nami charged.

  “No! We need it alive!” Lara yelled.

  Nami did not hear. Her blade split the creature’s skull in two.

  “Nami!”

  “I… I don’t know, I just…”

  More hissing.

  “Back! Back in formation!”

  The soldiers moved back into their places. This time, Nami forfeited her position in front to a shieldbearer. Several soldiers motioned towards the fallen man. He was now moaning and clutching his shoulder.

  “No time,” Lara whispered.

  Down the tunnel, the hissing grew louder and seemed to rush towards them. A few seconds later, a second gray charged into the room. It fell to its own knees and grabbed the skull of its brethren, which now oozed with thick black liquid. Once it realized there was light in the room, it hissed louder than before and pointed first at the prone man. He stopped moaning.

  “No!” Lara screamed.

  Before this gray could turn its hands on the rest of the group, Lara dropped her sword and tackled it. She tumbled along the jagged floor with the creature, coming to a stop a few steps away from it as they separated. Lara didn’t give the gray a moment to spare before she rose to her feet and dove onto the beast.

  “You! You’re the one who killed Robert!”

  Initially, Lara wasn’t sure of this accusation. She rained blow after blow into its face, though she could see its features between punches. She realized that the creature that cursed Robert to a slow doom did lie before her. It attempted shield itself, but Lara slapped its thin arms away before pummeling the creature further. The same arms fell down to the ground, only moving as they vibrated from the force of Lara’s blows. Nami noticed that the gray wasn’t moving and motioned to another soldier. Together, they restrained Lara from ruining their second chance at bringing a live gray back.

  “No! It killed him! I won’t let it live!”

  “Lara, stop! What if we don't get another chance? Don't do what I just did and waste this!”

  Nami and the other woman positioned themselves between Lara and the gray. Two other soldiers moved in to tie the creature up. Once they bound its hands and feet, another soldier put a sack over its head. By now, Lara calmed down, but was by no means satisfied with the end of the fight. Two other soldiers grabbed the fallen man between them.

  “Thing better not wake up. I’ll put it back to sleep right good,” she said before gathering her sword.

  “We just have to get it to the keep. Don’t worry.”

  “Oh, it’s that thing that needs to worry, not me. Two of you, gather our fallen friend. Two others grab that thing. Let’s get out of this hole.”

  They walked back towards the original grog queen’s chamber. Several of the other soldiers asked if anyone else heard hissing. Lara and Nami realized that their little kidnapping might have poked the proverbial hornet’s nest, as the normal sound of grog milling about echoed through the tunnels once more.

  “Run! Go, go, go!” Lara said. “Drop food, pots, whatever you have!”

  Each soldier did as they were told while sprinting through the tunnels. Though they picked up speed, the hissing seemed to keep up. Back at the intersection connected to the outdoors, the pair holding the gray dropped it.

  “It’s awake! Help!” one yelled.

  Both of them drew weapons. Lara jogged through the others, who hugged the walls of the tunnel to let her through. When she reached the creature, she dropped her sword and delivered a right hook straight to the gray's gut. It wheezed and stopped moving again.

  “There. Told you not to wake up.”

  Everyone moved onward after Lara collected her blade. Lara urged the others forward as the noise behind them intensified. She mentally dared more grays to test her, but did not slow her pace. If they were going to catch anyone, Lara would be the one to go down bashing skulls in. But, the group surfaced without any problems.

  “Can’t say I’ve been happier to see the sky in a while,” Nami said.

  “I’d be happier if I made a few more grays into corpses. Get the horses, please.”

  The soldiers looked around. They left the horses within view, but now the mounts were nowhere to be seen.

  “What happened to the horses?!” Lara yelled.

  Behind them, the noises came clos
er.

  “Find them!”

  Most of the soldiers fanned out to find their steeds. Lara and Nami stood guard at the face of the tunnel, weapons drawn. Behind them, the other soldiers held the two bodies. A moment later, three soldiers came back with a knot of rope tied to a group of panicked horses. The others helped calm their rides enough to mount. Lara thought she saw movement in the tunnel.

  “Hurry!”

  Nami retreated to help the others untangle the horses. She discovered that, while the horses were all tied to each other, they were not tethered to anything stable. Lara swore, but kept her gaze towards the hole in the earth. If anything poked its ugly head out, she would cut it off.

  “Lara! Get on!”

  She turned to find her horse ready and waiting, with the others mostly mounted up. Once Lara got on her steed, several grays erupted from the tunnel, hissing like men gone mad. One pointed at Nami.

  “Duck!”

  She was too late. Something struck Nami in the shoulder. She recoiled, but did not fall off her horse. Lara turned her own ride back towards the tunnel and charged, blade drawn. The grays pointed at her, but she did not slow down. Lara stopped halfway to the grays after they dropped their hands, turned, and fled below ground. She waited until she couldn’t see any hint of them, then went back to Nami.

  “Nami! Are you alright? Please, please tell me you’re OK!”

  “Calm down, Lara. I… I’m alright. It feels a little sore, but I’m alright. Some creepy man from underground isn’t going to put me in a grave. Let’s go.”

  Riding home under a clear sky, the moonlight glistened off Lara’s tears as she fumed. She did not say anything until they were out of the foothills.

  “I thought you were a goner, Nami. I can’t believe I let that thing get to you.”

  “There were five of them. You did your best. Plus, I told you, I’m fine,” Nami said, smiling. “I’ve still got too much fight in me to die.”

  5

  Everyone rode hard until the city wall came into view. Lara stayed close to the pair with the gray in case it woke again. They slowed, then stopped half a dozen wagon lengths away from Thogt’s giant metal gate. It dangled halfway between open and shut.