. . . eat you!
The sense of dread in Camm increased. Something was definitely wrong.
Camm was willing to go on in the face of whatever it was she was feeling, but felt more and more she could not ask Martha to go with her, especially if that put Martha’s life at risk.
“You know, Martha, this is my thing. Cal is my best friend. Well, he is more than just a friend, but he is that to me, not to you. This is my town, where I grew up. I’m the one that brought us all here, thinking I could save the world.
“You were on your way to California for a clerkship. I brought you to Trona, and you were almost killed. I should have been totally honest with you up front about what is going on in Trona. Even if you thought I was crazy, I should have told you everything.
“I’ll be honest now, I have a really bad feeling. Ever since we came into this cave, something has been eating at me. I don’t know what or why, or what it means, but I know that something here is not right. I can’t ask you to risk your life again. That’s all. If something happens to you, Martha, I just couldn’t deal with that.”
The thought of something happening to Martha caused tears to pop into Camm’s eyes. Seeing Camm’s emotion, Martha’s eyes teared up too. She grabbed Camm and pulled her into a hug. “I know. I know you’re just thinking of me. But I should have some say in this as well.”
Stepping back, Martha looked into Camm’s eyes. “You’re not forcing me to do anything. I am glad I came to Trona, in spite of the car accident and a few misunderstandings. I’m glad you thought enough of me to invite me along. I could go back now to the mansion if I wanted, but I would never abandon my sister. Besides, I’m really curious about what’s going to happen next. Just being with you makes me brave.” She tilted her head to stare hard at Camm. “Maybe you’re starting to rub off on me. I like it.”
Shaking her head, Camm knew she could not agree to let Martha come along.
. . . kill you!
A dark sensation slithered into Camm’s head and worked its way down her spine.
“Martha, listen to me! I’m glad you would never abandon me, but something is wrong here. Really wrong.”
. . . Waiting! . . . Here! . . . Waiting here for you!
“I feel something dark and evil—something I can’t explain. Let’s go back to the entrance and rethink this.”
Camm took Martha’s arm and turned her around to walk back to the entrance.
“Are you sure, Camm? We’ve come this far, let’s just keep going. I promise not to scream at the next dead body we see.”
Martha said this as a joke, but all humor had left Camm. Holding onto Martha’s arm, she kept them marching back toward the cave’s entrance.
“You know,” Camm said, trying to justify her actions, “we don’t even have a gun with us. We should have brought at least a shotgun. I don’t know what I was thinking. Cal usually takes care of the guns, but I know better than to bring you out here totally unarmed. And maybe you’re right. We should let Granny know what we are doing.”
They continued walking, but the darkness in Camm intensified, suffocating her, adding to the claustrophobic feeling of the cave.
. . . Here! . . . For you! . . . Eat you!
Slowing their pace, they shuffled along single file. Abruptly, both flashlights went out, plunging them into absolute blackness. Camm froze. Even though it was cool in the cave, perspiration broke out on her forehead.
“Camm? Are you okay?” Martha’s concern for Camm was apparent. She banged on her flashlight trying to get it to relight. “What’s wrong? Do you want to leave, or what?”
“Shhh.” It was pitch black, so Camm held her finger to Martha’s lips to shush her.
She listened carefully, but couldn’t hear anything with her ears. Leaning against a tunnel wall, she took a deep breath and listened carefully with her mind.
Hungry. Here. Waiting. Hungry. Hungry for you.
Camm explosively expelled her breath. “Holy crap, Martha!”
“What is it Camm? What’s wrong?”
“It’s the rat. It was somehow holding back from me—hiding from me, like when Granny and I searched for it. But just now, when I concentrated, I was able to reach out to it. It’s here somewhere, waiting for us. I feel it. I felt it all along. I just didn’t know what I was feeling.”
Martha staggered and grabbed Camm’s arm, sliding in close to her. “It’s here? It’s here in the cave?” Desperation and panic filled Martha’s voice.
Camm signaled with her hand for Martha to be quiet, but realized Martha couldn’t see the gesture. Lightly touching Martha’s lips, Camm shushed her again.
Shutting her eyes to concentrate, Camm again listened with her mind. She felt the rat’s hate, and its ravenous craving for human flesh, her flesh. It was hungry to eat her.
She sensed the rat waiting at the cave opening, hiding in the deep shade of huge boulders. It was anxious for her to come out of the cave so it could attack her. Why didn’t it come into the cave? It loved the dark, but refused to come inside. Was it too big to squeeze through the entrance?
She felt the rat’s passions and feelings. Analyzing what she felt, Camm dug deeper into the rat’s emotions. Having that connection with the rat, feeling its hate and the darkness of its soul was horrible. But Camm dug deeper and felt something else. Just a tinge, but it was there. Raw fear!
The rat was afraid of the cave. Not the darkness. It feared something associated with the cave. The rat would wait by the entrance for them to come out, but would not enter the cave.
Now Camm understood why J. R had stayed in the cave all those years. In the cave, he was safe. The rat was afraid to come in—J. R was afraid to go out.
She squeezed Martha’s hand. “The rat is hiding at the cave’s opening, I hear its thoughts, feel its feelings. It was hiding up here in the hills among the big rocks, waiting for the night, so it could begin hunting, but then it saw us coming. Now, the rat is waiting for us by the entrance.
“If we go out there, it will kill us and eat us. It won’t come into this cave, because it is afraid of something in this cave. I don’t know what, but I feel its fear.”
Martha was silent for a few moments before speaking. She couldn’t hide the shakiness in her voice. “Camm, I’m so scared. What do we do?”
“The rat is blocking our retreat. We could try to wait it out, but it knows we’re here. We have to make it believe we are out of reach. The best way to do that is to move on, deeper into the cave, so it can’t feel me anymore. There is no going back—only death waits for us in that direction. Let’s hope J. R knew what he was talking about, and there really is another way out of this cave.”
“We can’t see!” Martha’s voice squeaked. “My flashlight doesn’t work.”
“I know. Once we are far enough away from the rat, our lights will come back on. Trust me. I’ve seen it happen. We don’t have to get all that far away.”
Camm turned, facing away from the entrance, and reached out to touch the cave wall by her side. “Can you feel the wall on your side?”
“Yes.” Martha’s voice was tentative and shaky.
“Keep one hand on the wall and take my hand with the other. We will walk together by feel, until the lights come back on. We can do this together! Okay?”
She heard Martha take a deep breath. “I said I could do this with you, and I can.” There was more assurance in Martha’s voice now. “Let’s do this!”
They commenced walking, hand in hand, away from the rat through the total blackness of the cave—the blind leading the blind.
XVI
Cal did not move a muscle. Even his breathing was as shallow as possible.
Mr. S stood still beside Cal, though Cal wished he wouldn’t breathe so loudly and would stop shifting his feet. Cal leaned into Mr. S, trying to hold him steady.
Cal knew t
hat rattlesnakes struck at sudden sounds and movements. He and his friends had often teased rattlesnakes with a stick. A quick jab at the snake triggered a strike back at the stick, coating the stick with venom, which looked like egg white that quickly dried and flaked away.
The gigantic Mojave Green snake swayed in front of them, turning its huge head first this way and then that. Its lightning-fast tongue constantly flicked in and out tasting the air. A large bulge in the snake’s body ballooned out below the snake’s head.
Long minutes passed. Only the swaying snake moved.
The ground rumbled, then shook as the earthquake delivered a less powerful aftershock. Agitated, the snake pulled itself into a tighter coil. Cal clenched his jaw. Would it strike?
Suddenly, the snake collapsed to the ground, and with the clicking of smooth, streambed rocks, the massive reptile slithered down the dry wash, heading out towards the open desert.
Mr. S gave Cal a weak smile. “Well, it didn’t eat us after all. Did you see that big lump in its gullet? Lucky for us, that reptile won’t be hungry again for days.”
Cal glared down the wash at the quickly disappearing form of the snake. “You bet I saw it! That freakin’ snake just ate someone from our world and came back to this world to digest him.”
“Let’s hope it wasn’t a person from our world. It could have been a coyote, or even a burro. Or, perhaps, it was not transitioning back from our world at all. It might have gone to a different parallel dimension and eaten someone or something there. Let’s not assume the worst.”
Cal shot Mr. S a look of disbelief. “Come on! That’s supposed to make me feel better? You’re screwing with me, right?”
Mr. S laughed. “It does sound like it, doesn’t it? But no, I’m not screwing with you. This snake is feeding from many different dimensions. Our rat seems well acquainted with the snake, from who knows how long ago, and fears and hates it. The rat could have first battled the snake when that monster reptile transitioned into the rat’s own world.”
Mr. S chuckled. “Of course, this is all pure speculation, but the science is sound.”
Cal grew serious. “Thinking that monster ate someone in a different dimension doesn’t make me feel better. I’ll feel better when that snake is dead.”
Glancing at Mr. S, Cal continued, “I have a scientific speculation of my own.”
Mr. S raised his eyebrows in expectation.
Cal paced as he talked. “We know Dylan Justenough was in the Indian Joe’s area when he disappeared and that Dylan’s boot and rifle were found surrounded by the same type of giant snake tracks that it left behind when it ate Dave. So, it’s safe to say the snake was hunting at Indian Joe’s when it ate Dylan.
“Now, we find the snake here again just after feeding in some other dimension. Something about this particular place lets the snake transition from its world to another. I bet it comes here specifically to hunt, knowing it can transition to another world to find prey.”
Mr. S scanned the area, nodding. “Cal, you should be a scientist. That is a very astute observation. While we can’t prove it yet, we can say it is more than simply speculation.
“By accident, the snake could have discovered places where transitions occur. The next time it gets hungry, it returns to those places looking for food. The transition gives it an unparalleled opportunity to sneak up on its prey.”
Cal scowled. “That snake has also transitioned through the mansions looking for prey.”
Mr. S nodded. “According to Dr. Samuel’s records, the mansions were set up with the twin clocks so that all transitions could happen only between them. He apparently knew nothing about random transitions, which began recently only after the clocks were damaged.
“Historically, the snake could transition to our world only through the mansions, though nothing would stop it from going to other worlds. With the clocks controlling transitions and the rat guarding the portal, Dr. Samuel assumed he had all his bets covered. But, you know what they say, the best laid schemes of mice and men . . .”
Cal studied the canyon around him. “What is it about Indian Joe’s that makes random transitions happen here?”
“I have a suspicion.” Mr. S withdrew a small electronic device from his backpack.
“What is that?”
“A Geiger counter.”
Cal furrowed his brow. “What are you looking for?”
“Plutonium.”
XVII
Camm and Martha shuffled along for several minutes in complete blackness when their flashlights spontaneously ignited. The sudden burst of light startled both girls.
“Yeah!” Martha clutched her flashlight tightly with both hands.
“Wow!” Camm shook her head. “Walking in pitch black is harder than I thought. Thank heavens I’m not blind. I couldn’t have gone much further feeling my way along like that.”
“Does this mean that awful rat thing is gone?” Martha asked hopefully.
Camm considered her question. “I no longer feel it. I think we’ve left it behind.”
“You say you feel it. How?” Martha’s forehead crinkled.
“I can kind of feel its thoughts. Not in words, or anything like that, but in emotions and feelings. It doesn’t think in actual English words that it wants to eat me, but I can feel that it actually does want to eat me. It’s really weird. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
“Why would you want to feel its thoughts? That has to be a horrible feeling.”
“It is horrible. I mean, really, really horrible. I hate it, but I can’t stop it. The first time it happened, I didn’t try to read its mind. It reached out to me. I didn’t know what was going on.
“Remember when you were in the mansion still getting better from the wreck, and I escaped? I don’t know how it did it, but as I searched for a way out, the rat somehow contacted me mind to mind. We’ve been connected mentally ever since, unless the rat is hiding from me. When Granny and I went looking for it, I couldn’t make a mental contact no matter how hard I tried.
“When we do connect, it’s a weird, terrible feeling. The rat is full of rage and hate. The feeling is disgusting, but the connection is useful. It warns me when the rat is near. Like just now.”
“I guess so.” Martha considered what Camm had said. “I’m sorry you have to feel all that ugliness. You know, all that anger and hate that comes from the rat.”
Camm gave Martha a quick hug around her shoulders.
“Thanks, but don’t feel sorry for me. Let’s just do what we can to stay safe. And, right now, the further we get from that rat, the safer we’ll be.”
Still concerned, Martha studied Camm’s face. “Okay. Let’s just go forward into this cave and see what happens.”
“Yep,” Camm agreed. “No side trips for us. We go straight forward without deviation, and we don’t look back, learning our lesson from Mrs. Lot.”
They walked on in silence. While no longer feeling the need to lock arms, they were quick to help each other through rough spots. The cave was narrow, and at times, they had to stoop to avoid hitting their heads. The path was flat, but from time to time slanted steeply to one side or the other. At one point, they had to get down on their hands and knees to crawl forward. Though they could not see more than a few yards ahead, the cave continued on, seemingly endless.
She did not watch the time, but Camm thought they must have walked for hours. They spoke little, but she was sure they each had the same dreaded thought. What if the cave led to nowhere? What if it just ended in black dirt and rock? They would have to hike all the way back, hoping their flashlight batteries lasted. Hoping above all, the green rat was not still waiting outside the entrance.
Staring down the tunnel, Camm worried her light was dimming.
“Martha.”
“What?”
“Why don’t you turn your light off?
We will just go by my light for now.”
“I like both lights. Together, they give us more light. Our flashlights don’t seem as bright as they were at first.”
“Exactly, the lights are getting dimmer. Let’s turn one light off to save batteries. If the light we’re using runs out of juice, we will still have one light left that works.”
“Ah,” Martha nodded her head, “I see.” With that, she extinguished her flashlight.
Down they traveled, down the gullet of the cave, mostly in silence. The tunnel was straight with no obvious corners to the right or left. Occasionally, tributary openings gaped to one side or the other, often with unpleasant smells wafting out of their depths.
In one large tributary entrance, Camm paused to shine her light down the branching pathway after Martha spoke up, saying she thought she heard a voice. “It is hard to be sure, but I hear a faint noise, like a soft voice or a quiet whisper that beckons us, saying, ‘Come to me. I can help you.’ Can’t you hear it, that soft voice calling us?”
Camm shook her head. “No, but this side tunnel smells of rotting flesh.”
Martha stared at the opening. “Someone is inviting us in. Who could it be? Can the rat talk?”
“Not in English or in an audible voice. I don’t sense the rat’s presence here, but this place feels all wrong. Whatever you’re hearing is not good. I don’t think we should listen to strange voices, inviting us into side tunnels that smell of death. We should follow J. R’s directions.”
With some reluctance, Martha finally agreed it was wisest to trust J. R
The main tunnel continued to slope downward at a gentle grade with no steep or sudden drops. Though they appeared to go straight, Camm considered the possibility they were actually traveling in a very large circle. The dim light allowed them to see only a short distance ahead. They couldn’t be certain they weren’t gradually turning one way or the other as they walked forward.
The air was stale and dusty. The walls now closed in on them to the point that again they had to go single file with Camm in front. Camm’s light grew dimmer until she seriously considered swapping it out for Martha’s light. Camm wished she had been smart enough to bring a backup flashlight and extra batteries.
Fatal Green Page 14
