by John Sneeden
“What did they do next?” Carmen asked.
“They figured I had another copy of the document—a scan, a photograph, something. They told me they were watching Emily and would kill her if I didn’t produce a copy. And while I knew the map held great importance, it certainly wasn’t worth my daughter’s life.”
Zane gave a nod of understanding. “Then the same thing happened at Menaggio. They arrived at the villa, only to discover we were already there.”
“Yes,” Pauling said. “It couldn’t have played out any better. They actually believed I was telling the truth, and that saved my life.”
“Divine providence,” Amanda said softly.
“What happened after that?” Carmen asked.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure. Their focus seemed to shift to finding out who you were. From that point forward, they didn’t talk to me very much. They kept me isolated until this morning when I was thrown into a vehicle and taken here.” Pauling looked at Zane. “And how did you get here?”
“Unfortunately, we walked right in their front door,” Zane said.
“How so?”
Zane gave a very brief overview of what had transpired after Menaggio—the Vatican theft, the meeting with Lawson, the trip to Mount Hermon, and being trapped in the pit.
After he finished, Carmen looked at Pauling. “Do you know Roger and Camilla Lawson?”
“Everyone in my line of work knows those two, and many of those same people don’t trust them.”
“I wish we hadn’t,” Carmen said.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Pauling said. “Despite their reputation, I don’t think anyone would’ve suspected they were capable of kidnapping or murder.”
“Why do you think you’re still alive?” Carmen asked. “I’m surprised they didn’t kill you after they struck out in Menaggio.”
Pauling considered his answer. “They were aware of my expertise and probably figured I could help them once they got their hands on the map. There was also some nonsense about a sacrifice.”
“Lawson was working with a group called the Order of Baal,” Carmen said. “I’m sure it somehow related to one of their rites.”
“That’s probably why they took Connor and James,” Zane noted.
Carmen looked at Pauling. “Wouldn’t you like to stand?”
He smiled. “I’d love to.”
Zane helped him up. Pauling stretched his arms and legs. Carmen guessed it was probably the best stretch he’d had in his life. Emily beamed as she watched her father move around.
“Zane.” Amanda seemed to be looking at something down the cave.
Carmen turned. Two beams of light moved toward them, bouncing around like light sabers. Connor and James. That’s awfully quick. They’d only been gone for a few minutes. They seemed to be running. She frowned. Either something was wrong, or they’d found a way out.
As they drew close enough to see their expressions, she knew it was the former. When they arrived, the two operatives stopped and put their hands on their knees, gulping for air.
Pratt eventually looked up at Zane. “Something’s coming up from below.”
Zane’s eyes darted down the cave. “What?”
Reid straightened, his face etched with concern. “We don’t know, but it’s extremely large.”
Zane looked again. “If you don’t know what it is, how—”
He was cut off by a faint-yet-distinct tremor.
“That’s how,” Pratt said.
They all felt it now.
Pauling’s brow furrowed. “Perhaps it’s a shifting of tectonic plates or some other geologic phenomenon.”
“No,” Pratt said. “Something is walking, moving. We could hear it better down there.”
Carmen already knew what he meant. The vibrations pulsated like a pile driver. No doubt about it, something was walking.
Keiko crouched and placed her hand on the cave floor. “Whatever it is, there are two of them.”
“Lovely,” Zane said.
“But there is good news,” Reid said. “We think we found a way out. James noticed a crevice in the wall, and when we put our lights in there, we discovered another cave.”
“How far does it go?” Zane asked.
“We’re not sure,” Pratt replied. “About the same time we started to squeeze up in there, the vibrations started. Once we figured out something was coming, we focused on getting back here.”
Zane nodded. “You did the right thing.”
Carmen looked at her feet. The tremors seemed more intense. Whatever was out there was getting closer.
“I think we need to go,” Amanda said. “It’s our only chance to get out.”
Pratt looked at Zane. “If we’re going to go, we need to do it now. The fissure is at least three or four hundred yards away. It’s going to be a race to see who gets there first.”
“Just realize that we don’t know anything about this other cave,” Reid pointed out. “We don’t know how far up it goes or what challenges we’ll face.”
Carmen knew they had to take the risk. She had a feeling of dread about what might be coming up. In fact, it seemed as though opening the gate had somehow triggered the movement, like a spider sensing something at the periphery of its web. She shuddered at the thought.
Zane turned to the others. “We need to try to make it. That cave may be our only way out. Make sure you have everything you brought in… lights, weapons.” He looked at Richard and Emily Pauling. “Can both of you run?”
They nodded vigorously. Carmen couldn’t tell if that was because they were sure they could or whether they knew it’s what he wanted to hear. Either way, they had to try.
“If you can’t, let me know.” Zane nodded at Keiko. “We have someone who can help you.”
Once everyone had retrieved their things, the group set off at a jog. Keiko took the lead with her lighted hand held aloft. They kept a steady, manageable pace. Thankfully, the cave sloped sharply downward.
The tremors grew more intense by the minute. Carmen guessed the creatures—whatever they were—were less than half a mile out now.
A few minutes later, Pratt came alongside Zane and Carmen. “We need to pick up the pace, sprint the last hundred yards.”
He was right. The entire cave shook. Carmen half-expected something to appear in Keiko’s light at any moment.
Zane turned back to the others as he continued to jog. “We need to go faster. Can everyone keep up?”
Most nodded. Emily’s face already showed signs of giving out. She shook her head.
“Keiko.” Zane pointed to Emily. The humanoid understood. Keeping her lighted hand aloft, she dropped back and scooped Emily up with the other. Emily wrapped her legs around Keiko’s waist like a child.
“Alright, let’s go,” Zane said.
The group broke into a run. The intense heat and distance began to take their toll. Richard Pauling and Amanda seemed on the verge of collapsing. Unfortunately, there was no way to carry anyone else. Everyone had to make it on his or her own.
“I think we’re almost there,” Pratt said a half minute later.
Carmen was thankful. Her lungs burned. She was a long distance runner, but heat and dehydration were overriding her training.
“There!” Amanda pointed to the right.
Everyone came to a halt, gasping for air. Flashlights clicked on, and cones of light swept a narrow crevice in the wall. It was going to be a tight squeeze, but they should all be able to get through.
The tremors were so intense Carmen pictured feet thumping against the floor.
Keiko approached and thrust her light into the gap. Carmen looked over her shoulder. A cave sloped upward into the darkness. It was steep, but steep was good. Steep would get them to the surface quicker.
A guttural growl carried up from below. Everyone pivoted toward the sound, rifles raised. Carmen had never heard anything like it before. It sounded like some exotic predator—a beast from another world—and yet the
re was a human quality as well.
“Good heavens.” Richard Pauling’s face was pale. “What on earth is that?”
It was hard to tell how far away it was, but Carmen guessed a hundred yards.
Zane gestured toward the opening. “Everybody, get in! Ladies first.”
Keiko took the lead and stepped inside with her light. Emily and Amanda were right behind. After the others entered, Zane waved Carmen forward.
“No, you go,” she said. “You need to be with Emily and her dad. I’ll watch the rear.”
Zane hesitated for a moment then ducked through the opening. Apparently, he wasn’t in the mood to argue. Carmen stepped in behind him. She felt safer in the tighter space. Before going up, she paused. A sense of curiosity gripped her. She had to know what was coming up through the cave. She had to see what sort of creature could make such a noise.
Just thirty seconds.
Carmen turned off her flashlight and turned back toward the cave. She eased out just enough to look down the slope. She frowned. Strangely, the tremors had stopped. It seemed eerily quiet. Had the creatures sensed their prey was gone and given up the hunt? She stepped all the way out into the cave. As her eyes adjusted, she saw nothing, save for a slight bulge in the wall about ten yards away.
They were gone—disappeared, just like that. In a way, she was disappointed. She’d been dying to see what could possibly survive this far below the earth. Now it would be left to her imagination.
A putrid stench wrapped around her like a cloud. It seemed intense—like something close by—and yet there was still no movement in the cave. Perhaps a draft had carried it up from below.
Carmen remained still for a moment, listening for the slightest sound. Nothing. She shrugged. Time to catch the others. As she turned to reenter the crevice, something caught her eye. The rocky bulge in the wall seemed to shift. Carmen’s chest tightened. Did it really shift, or were her eyes playing tricks on her? Suddenly, the bulge moved with speed. The creature had been hiding there all along, waiting to ambush her. She dove back into the crevice, but it was too late.
Fingers closed around her ankle.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CARMEN TRIED TO scramble up the path but soon realized it was a losing battle. Whatever held her was stronger than she was. Now she knew what a rat felt like in an eagle’s talons. She reached out for something, anything, to hold onto. She found a few bulges along the floor, but the limestone was too slick. Little by little, she was pulled backward.
Out of options, she turned and looked back. Massive fingers the size of PVC pipe clutched her leg. What on earth had digits that large? The crevice was narrower than the cave, preventing the creature from entering. That was why it was so desperate to pull her out.
Her hand closed on a nearby rock. Finally. She lifted it and smashed it against the exposed knuckles. The creature roared and loosened its grip, allowing Carmen to wiggle free for a moment. As she tried to scramble to her feet, a fist came down on her leg, crushing her knee against the hard floor. She cried out in pain, but fortunately, the blow had been a glancing one. Had it been straight on, it would’ve turned her knee to jelly.
The pale hand groped around the space, looking for a leg, a foot, anything. Carmen pushed off the ground. Her knee throbbed, but she blocked it out. Even if her ligaments were snapped in two, she’d have to keep moving. Better to bear the horrific pain than die a horrible death.
Now on her feet, she took a brief moment to balance. Unfortunately, the lone second she waited was one second too long. The enormous fingers found her leg and pulled her off her feet. She slammed into the cave floor, knocking the breath out of her.
Sensing it had an advantage, the creature pulled with greater violence. It was like a bird yanking a worm from turf. Once her feet came out of the crevice, it would all be over. The creature would then be able to seize her with both hands.
As she slid along the floor, Carmen felt a familiar pinch against her hip.
The pistol. I have a pistol.
Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Despite the pain, she felt like screaming for joy. She was only a few feet from the opening. At most, she had a few seconds. Twisting, she yanked the gun out of her pocket. She knew she had four rounds left. Hopefully, she only needed one.
Maneuvering into position, she fired at the giant hand. With a loud roar, the creature released her. Carmen rose up on one leg. Her right knee couldn’t take much weight, forcing her to hop as fast as she could up the steep path.
Something moved behind her. She glanced back. A bloodied hand shot toward her. She fired a second time. For a second time, the creature roared, and the hand pulled back.
Now out of reach, Carmen stopped and cupped her hands. “Zane!”
There was no response. Surely, they were close enough to hear.
“Zane, can you hear me?”
The echo of her question died without an answer. At least for the time being, they were gone. As she started hopping again, she felt the rock underneath her shake. She pulled out her flashlight and aimed it back toward the crevice. At the edge of the light, she saw two hands holding a large rock that comprised one side of the opening. If somehow the creature could pull that down…
Carmen turned and continued up the path. She clenched her teeth, fighting off the burning pain that seared through her knee. It was almost unbearable, but she had to keep moving. If she didn’t, she would never get out of here alive.
As she pressed on, Carmen took in her surroundings. Strangely, she wasn’t traveling through one cave but a maze of crisscrossing caves. She’d only gone about twenty yards and had already seen three caves branching off to the right and the left. In one sense, that was good news. Even if the creature got through, she might still be able to lose it.
Carmen heard a thud behind her that was so powerful it shook the rock beneath her feet. Something had fallen over, and Carmen didn’t have to think hard to know what it was.
Turning, she pushed herself to go faster. She couldn’t worry about the creature right now. Instead, she needed to focus on covering as much ground as possible. She still had her gun, and she still had her wits. She would survive.
A few minutes later, a fork appeared in the tunnel. She stopped and directed her beam down each side. Both looked the same. Which should she take, the right or left?
Don’t worry about it. Just pick one and go.
She was right-handed, so she chose the right. That seemed like reason enough. She grimaced. Even her good leg was beginning to tire. All the hopping sapped her strength. Her mind was willing, but at some point, her body wouldn’t respond.
After hobbling another fifty yards, Carmen stopped and looked around. The cave suddenly looked different. She stood in a large, cavernous space. As best she could tell, it was about a hundred yards long.
She looked up, her gaze drawn to a bright glow overhead. A countless multitude of bioluminescent organisms covered the ceiling, giving off a rainbow of brilliant blue hues—azure, sapphire, cerulean, indigo. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anything so breathtaking beautiful. It was a cathedral of color.
Her energy sapped completely, Carmen hobbled to the center of the cavern and collapsed. As she hit the ground, her flashlight rolled across the floor and disappeared from view. She rose up on an elbow, trying to figure out what happened. She could now see what she hadn’t noticed before—half of the cavern was a chasm. She hadn’t heard the flashlight hit bottom, so she wondered if it was as deep as the one in the temple.
Carmen let out a long sigh and lay back down. She needed time to catch her breath. Thankfully, her knee wasn’t throbbing as badly as before, which she hoped was a good sign. Maybe it was just sprained. Once she’d had time to rest, she’d hobble to the far end and call out again. Surely, Zane and the others were looking for her.
A faint noise reached her ears from somewhere outside the cavern. She rose up one elbow, her senses on alert. Were the others already here?
She
cupped her hands around her mouth. “Zane?”
There was no response, but she thought she heard another noise, this time a bit closer.
“Zane, is that you?”
If the others were out there, she needed to make contact. Her voice would help them negotiate the maze of caves. With a groan, she sat up. Hearing a sound behind her, she looked toward the place where she’d come in.
As she waited, the shadows shifted.
Something had entered the cavern.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
ZANE SAW EMILY stop, bend over, and place her hands on her knees. The sharp ascent, coupled with the irregularities in the floor, made the climb through the caves challenging, even for someone as fit as he was. When he reached Emily, her father was already at her side, an arm looped around her waist.
Zane rested her hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I think so.” She stood up straight. “Just needed to catch my breath for a moment.”
“You sure?” Richard asked.
She nodded. “Yep, I just need to walk slowly for a few minutes.”
Zane wanted to maintain a fast pace, but with everyone experiencing dehydration and exhaustion, he couldn’t push her. If she couldn’t run, she couldn’t run. They’d have to make do.
As Emily and her dad continued up the path, Zane looked back and frowned. Carmen hadn’t caught up yet. At one point, he’d heard her coming up behind. She should be here by now.
He cast aside any thought she might be too fatigued to keep up. She was an avid runner. In fact, she’d completed several marathons over the years. No, she wouldn’t lag due to any physical limitation. The only thing that might stop her was a twisted ankle. But if that were the case, why hadn’t she called him?
He lifted his hands to his mouth. “Carmen!”
No response.
He tried again. “Carmen, are you there?”
Silence.
Maybe she’d passed him when he stopped to help Emily. It didn’t seem possible. Then again, nothing else did either. He should at least make sure she hadn’t slipped. If she hadn’t, he’d need to organize a search. This place was a maze, and the longer they waited, the lower the odds of finding her.
