“A lot of people went to other safe places. We haven’t heard back from most of them.” Frank turned his back to the map. “If you like, you can stay here for a few days.”
I didn’t want to stay. I didn’t want to spend any more time down here. I wanted to go. The rules burned on my skin like a new tattoo. The Raspers shared a hive mind and knew my name. I wanted to get far away from here as possible. The sooner the better.
The room came alive with flashing red lights.
“What’s happening?” I glanced up, then yanked the Glock out of its holster.
“Perimeter alarm,” Frank said.
“Hey, Uncle John, look at the monitors. There are guys outside the cabin.” Bethany pointed at the screens.
I had forgotten the monitors were there. “Who are they?”
John moved to the bank of screens and flipped a switch, turning off the alarm. “Looks like military from their uniforms. Might be here to rescue us.”
Or kill us. But I didn’t say that aloud. The words wouldn’t form. It felt like my windpipe had been crushed.
“Frank, Lucas, and I will go upstairs. You four stay down here until we call you up.” John hoisted his rifle.
I wanted to argue—almost did—but I couldn’t voice my suspicions.
The three guys went upstairs, weapons in hand. Adam and Megan held their guns at the ready. Bethany stood next to Megan. We all stared at the monitors.
Uniformed men carrying long-barreled guns surrounded the exterior of the cabin. I glanced at the screens that showed the interior. John led the way. He waved at the other two and they took up positions on the far side of the room, facing the door. A man in uniform stood just to the side so the camera wasn’t focused on his face. I moved closer to the screen, trying to get a better look.
Damn it. They were in full assault gear with camo paint covering their faces. Gloves. Goggles. Every inch of their bodies covered. There was no way to tell if they were legit.
“Val, what is it?” Adam moved to my side.
Somewhere mixed in the chaos of panic and fear and horror, I found my voice. “This isn’t right. These guys wouldn’t just show up.” I pointed at the screen. “Were you expecting the military?” I turned to Megan.
“Not that I know of. Do you think my family’s in danger?” A scared look crossed her delicate features.
“Maybe. Oh, I don’t know.” I turned back to the screens. My ears buzzed like a cluster of hornets were circling me. Something was definitely wrong.
The military man closest to the door busted it open. A short stocky one entered next and stopped. He looked down at something.
“There.” My finger bounced off the monitor with a thud. “His neck. There’s no camo paint on his neck.”
I searched the bank of monitors to get a better look. And found one. Camera 4. Its angle was perfect. I leaned closer.
“His neck is yellow.”
They all looked at me as if I was crazy.
“Rasper yellow!”
10
“Raspers!” My heart seemed to stop. “They’re friggin’ Raspers.”
“Where?” Adam ran toward me, his gun already drawn.
I jabbed my finger at the screen. “Right there. Look at his skin.”
“No.” Megan dropped to her knees, her body shaking with out-of-control sobs. Bethany scrambled across the floor and wrapped her arms around her cousin.
I fixed my gaze on the monitors. John fired his shotgun at the tall Rasper who’d broken the door. A crimson cloud of blood and flesh exploded from the Rasper’s head. He collapsed, his jaw ripping apart from what was left of his face.
No. No. No. I couldn’t watch, but I couldn’t turn away.
Lucas fired at the Bug that crawled from the Rasper’s mouth, but missed. More Raspers broke through the windows and crashed in the backdoor, opening fire.
Frank went down. Megan screamed.
“Ssh.” Adam told her. Bethany caressed her hair.
I stared in horror. My heart went from stopped to slamming against my chest as the Raspers mowed down the rest of their family. Oh, God. Part of me wanted to go upstairs and fight, while part of me wanted to run.
The Raspers searched the cabin. We had to get out. I turned to Megan. She’d brought her knees to her chest and tears streamed down her face. “Megan?”
Bethany just stared blankly at Adam. He touched Megan’s shoulder. “I know you’re hurting, but we need you.”
His voice got through to her in a way mine didn’t. She raised her head.
“Megan, is there another way out of here?”
There had to be. John was a planner. He would have an escape route.
Bethany nodded and pointed at the first door.
While Adam helped Megan up and supported her arm, I watched a Rasper open the door to the pantry.
“We have to move. Now.” My nerves sprang to attention, hyper-alert and ready for action. I grabbed Bethany’s arm and pulled her to the door.
We entered a bedroom complete with bunk beds. Bethany pulled away from me and sat on the lower bunk. I spun around, closed the door, and tried to shove the dresser in front of it. The dresser refused to budge.
“Just a second.” Adam deposited a wide-eyed, gunless Megan on the lower bunk next to her cousin. He then helped me push the dresser.
“Where’s the way out?” I looked around the room. Nothing.
“Megan?” Adam dashed back to her and shook her shoulder. “Where’s the exit?”
Bethany pointed to the floor.
I rolled up the rug covering the dirt floor and revealed a wooden hatch. One swift yank on the handle and the trap door opened. Another staircase descended below me. “Come on. We gotta go.” I grabbed two flashlights from my bag and tossed one to Adam. I held the light in my right hand. My left cradled the Glock.
Adam tucked his gun in the back of his jeans and pulled Megan to her feet.
A pounding thudded from upstairs. They had to be breaking the pantry shelves. “Adam, we need to leave. Now.”
“I know.” He dragged Megan to the hatch and helped her down the stairs. Bethany followed without a word.
I jumped down and repositioned the rug as best as I could before latching the overhead door. If they got in the room, it would be obvious someone had moved the rug, but I had no other choice. I clicked on the flashlight and followed the others down the stairs.
The stone steps were slick with moisture. My instincts said to hold on to my gun, but I holstered the Glock. I kept one hand wrapped tightly around the flashlight and the other touching the rough rock walls. Panic tightened its freezing grip on my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. I was going deeper. Below the basement. Down. Down. Down. I didn’t count the steps, but figured there were more than thirty. I kept swallowing. The panic kept wedging my throat shut.
I reached the bottom and sucked in a gulp of the cool earthy air.
“Where to next, Megan?” I pulled a spare gun from my bag. I needed to be armed, but didn’t want to risk losing the Glock.
“Huh?” Megan still seemed spaced out.
I couldn’t blame her. She’d just watched her family die. At least I never saw mine shot to death. I shined my flashlight around. A stone tunnel about six feet wide by eight feet high stretched out before us. The scent of mildew and rotten vegetation had me picturing all sorts of creepy insects lurking in the dark. “Where does this tunnel go?”
Megan inhaled and wrinkled her nose. “Other side of the mountain.”
“We’re wasting time. Let’s go.” Adam tugged Megan by her sleeve. Bethany followed him down the tunnel like a lost puppy.
The temperature dropped lower and lower. Chills ran up my spine and made me shiver. My freezing wasn’t all due to the temperature. I was underground. Under the basement level. Under life itself. Not even snakes went this deep. I was in hell. A cold hell.
My gut told me to run, and run fast. To get the hell out. But with the wet ground, it wasn’t possible. We rounded a cu
rve and the walls closed in. I hunched forward and kept moving. The vise clamped back down on my lungs, and jagged stones tugged at my hair.
“Shit, the tunnel’s getting smaller.” Adam’s voice echoed around the rocks.
“Does it open up again?” My voice was far too high-pitched.
“Hang on,” Megan said.
My brain screamed panic, but I kept my breaths shallow to make it look like I was calm. I wasn’t. I wanted—needed—to get the hell out of this rock tomb. I inhaled, held my breath, then exhaled.
“It’s getting bigger.” Adam called from the front of our line.
Thank God.
The tunnel transformed into an enormous cavern with rock walls higher than a church steeple. Stalactites hung from the ceiling in long, pointed shapes. Dripping water sounded from all directions.
“Is this cavern man-made?” Adam’s voice echoed.
Bethany shook her head. “The cave was always here. John just added to it.”
Ten feet in front of us, the ground dropped away, leaving a gaping hole of blackness. I shined my light on a lone rope bridge spanning the void. It had to be over fifty feet long.
My breath caught in my throat. Green algae or mold covered the rope every few feet. Megan and Bethany expected us to walk across that rickety thing, over a hole who knew how deep? They were nuts.
“Is this the only way?” Adam turned to Megan.
She stood with her back against the stones. I shined the flashlight on her, careful to keep it out of her eyes. A look of terror spread across her face. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open in an ‘o’ shape.
“Megan? Are you okay?” I stepped toward her. Had she freaked out and gone into shock?
As if moving in slow motion, she nodded. She glanced at me, then sought out Adam. He moved to her side and she grabbed his hand.
My gut burned when he tucked her head against his chest. It wasn’t fear causing the sensation. Could it be jealousy? No way. It wasn’t as if he was my boyfriend or anything.
Bethany whispered, “It should hold.”
“Ready?”
Adam released Megan and she faced me. My flashlight flickered in her brown eyes. It didn’t seem like she was behind the glazed gaze. “Megan?”
She didn’t answer, just stared like a zombie fresh from the grave. We needed her functioning, or she was a liability. At least Bethany seemed to know what was going on. I felt like a total ass thinking that way. I glanced over Megan’s head and caught Adam’s questioning what-should-we-do look. I raised my eyebrows at him in an I-don’t-know fashion.
“Megan? Can you hear me?” When she didn’t respond, he took off his backpack, pulled out a bottle of water, and dumped it over her head.
She shrieked and spun around. “What was that for?”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re upset, but we need you here with us.”
Adam amazed me. I had thought about slapping Megan to get her to pay attention, but I never would have acted on my idea.
Megan turned to me. “They died. They’re gone.”
“I’m sorry about your family, but if you don’t want to end up like them, we need to move.” I hoped I didn’t sound too harsh, but there was no way I was dying here in this death trap.
“We need to cross the bridge. It should be safe. Uncle John built it to withstand the climate down here.” Megan walked to the edge of the bridge and stepped onto it. “Come on, Bethany.”
“Hang on. Let me go first. I have a flashlight.” Adam moved in front of Megan and led our parade onto the bridge. The width allowed them to hold onto both sides as they walked.
I brought up the rear of the expedition, one hand on the rope for balance and the other holding both my small LED flashlight and gun. The slick spots on the rope made me cringe, but there was no way I was letting go. About ten feet onto the bridge, a shrill siren ripped through my eardrums and echoed around the cavern.
“It’s the alarm. They’ve entered the tunnel,” Megan yelled.
“Son of a…” Adam picked up speed.
The contents of my stomach shifted. The Raspers had followed us. I cursed my poor covering of the hatch. I’d made it too easy for the damned uber-tracking Raspers.
The alarm lasted a few seconds, then shut off. A new sound replaced it. The distinctive tear of something ripping.
“What’s that?” Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. It felt like all the blood drained from my head and pooled in my feet. The bridge swayed to the left and then the right. I gripped the rope tighter. Sharp pain rocketed up my arm as the material bit into my hand.
“Nooo…” Adam’s flashlight tumbled into the dark abyss.
I couldn’t stop looking as it dropped. And dropped. And dropped. Never hitting bottom.
The bridge listed to the right. “Hand me your light.” Adam let go of the bridge and held out his right hand.
I didn’t want to throw it to him. Didn’t want to miss. Didn’t want the light to chase the other one down the bottomless pit. “Bethany, here take it. Pass it up to Adam.”
Bethany nodded, braced herself, and released one hand. I stretched and extended the light to her. We were too far apart. One of us had to move. I released the rope and took two steps forward. It was enough. She snatched the flashlight and handed it to Adam.
Another ripping sound. Shit. The bridge shuddered and I lost my balance. I reached out for the rope, but missed. The bridge’s wooden slats rushed up to meet my face. I hit them hard then slid toward the edge. No. I had to get a hold of the rope. I had no choice. I opened my left hand. The gun tumbled out, hit the plank of the bridge, and slipped off. The bridge swung to the left. I lunged for the edge, caught the rope, and clutched it in a palm-burning grip. My breath came in rapid pants. I did it. I’d lost my gun, but I was still hanging on. Alive.
“Val, you okay?” Adam shined the light at me.
“Peachy.” The bridge jerked to the side again. I pulled myself up. “We need to get off this damn thing.”
While the bridge continued to sway, we worked our way across. When my feet touched solid rock, I wanted to get on my knees and kiss the ground. I added rope bridges to my list of things to never do again.
“That was messed up.” Adam held out my flashlight.
“No, keep it, I have another one.” I retrieved another flashlight and my last backup gun from my bag.
“Vvvaaalll.”
The sound of my name resonated off the cavern walls. I turned. Three Raspers, a female and two males, stood at the start of the rope bridge.
Every one of my muscles turned to stone. How did these ones know my name too?
Bethany backed up until she was flat against the rock wall.
“Come on.” Adam grabbed my arm and forced me back.
Megan rolled up her pant leg and whipped out a wicked looking knife from a holder on her calf. She hacked away at the rope bridge. “Guys, help me.”
I unsheathed my knife from my right leg and took the other side of the bridge.
The Raspers ran at us. The one in the front brought his gun up to fire.
“Duck.” Adam hollered. He fired at the Rasper. Missed.
I dove to the ground and went for my gun.
“Val, no. Don’t stop cutting. I’ll get them.” Adam rolled onto the ground. Another bullet shot toward us. “Bethany, get down.”
Adam fired into the female Rasper’s chest. The bridge rocked. She catapulted off the side.
I kept cutting.
“Almost there.” Megan whispered.
I gave one more hack and the rope’s connection next to me snapped. The bridge weaved like a snake. The remaining two Raspers increased their speed. They were going to make it to our side. I pulled the Glock. Fired. Missed.
Adam sent another blast off. One of the Raspers stumbled and disappeared off the bridge.
“Got it.” Megan cut through the final strand of rope. The last Rasper jumped. The bridge dropped away and the Rasper reached out, catching the edge of the rock
cliff with his fingertips. What saliva I had left dried up, leaving my throat raw and sandpapery.
Megan raced over and stomped on his fingers. “That’s for my family, you bastard.”
The Rasper couldn’t hold on. He fell without a sound into the dark unknown.
Adam and I stood. Bethany raced to Megan’s side. The four of us stared down into the nothingness. All of our breathing came out in gasps. My heart slammed against my chest.
Seconds later, I heard a thud. The last Rasper hit the bottom. Adam flinched, but Megan and Bethany didn’t react.
“Are there more damn bridges in here?” I asked Megan.
“I’m sorry. I thought it was secure. It’s the only one. Come on, we’re not far.” Megan passed Adam and grabbed the flashlight out of his hand. She went down another rock tunnel with Bethany on her heels.
Adam tapped my shoulder. I shrugged.
We jogged, more than ran, down the slippery tunnel. More rocks jutted out, poking us as we passed. After about fifteen minutes, Megan stopped.
The tunnel opened up into a larger flat space about the size of a living room. Three towering stone walls mocked me, blocking any possibility of escape. Wet white-and-gray stalagmites reached up from the ground toward the smaller stalactites growing from the ceiling way above my head.
“Crap. It’s a dead end.”
“Hang on.” Megan bent over to catch her breath. Bethany gasped and clutched her chest.
Thanks to the Rasper’s sting, neither Adam nor I breathed any harder than normal. I didn’t want to think about the costs. Was I going to turn into a monster? Would it kill me? The questions spun a tangled mess in my brain and thumped at my temples. I needed to stop. Thinking like that would only get me killed.
“Okay, over here.” Megan walked to the far wall and climbed up the rocks.
I squinted to see what she’d stepped on. Tiny stone shelves, no wider than a child’s shoe, littered the wall.
Bethany climbed up next.
“Are you kidding me?” Adam tucked his gun back in his pants and put his hands on the rock ledge.
It didn’t seem like a very fast escape.
Megan stopped climbing and glanced down. “It’s designed so only those who know how to get out can. Took Uncle John forever to get them all attached.”
The Colony Page 10