Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series Omnibus Edition (Books 1 - 4)

by Peebles, Chrissy

  Mike puffed. “How hard can rock climbing be? I’ve seen it on TV hundreds of times.”

  “Yeah, and I watch MTV almost daily, but that doesn’t make me a rock star.” I averted my gaze as a beam of sunlight caught my eye. I pointed. “Look!”

  His jaw dropped. “Dude.”

  Daylight glared through a ragged opening, and I wondered if our luck might really be changing. “There’s a hole! If we can get there, maybe we can shimmy through it.” There was a glimmer of hope after all.

  “Like I said, the aliens are waiting for us to run away so they can zap us. But…” Mike lifted a finger in another of his theatrical performances. “…if we stay under the T-rexes, they won’t be able to lock a beam on us without snatching up some uninvited guests.” He grinned, waiting for my reaction. When I just stared at him, open-mouthed, he continued, “We have to outthink and outsmart these aliens. Shouldn’t be too hard. Reminds me of Pac-man. Too bad I always sucked at it.”

  I blinked. “Pac-man? Seriously?” Slowly massaging my temples, I sucked in a big breath. “At least in Pac-man, you can restart the level. I doubt we’ll get a do-over here.” The ground continued to shake with the loud boom of enormous feet. It sounded like the herd had doubled in size. “We’re doomed. We’ll never make it.”

  “Yes, we will. The aliens will never expect a crazy stunt like that, which makes this plan even more brilliant.”

  Obviously, the aliens (or military pilots or whatever they were) didn’t know Mike. I wondered how he came up with such hair-brained ideas. “If we’re not smashed into pancakes first.”

  “They’re paralyzed,” said Mike.

  “Not their feet.”

  “C’mon!” He motioned to me, his eyes pleading in that most irresistible way. “It’s the only way, Casey.”

  I nodded.

  Mike shook his fist at the UFO like a five-year-old at playtime when another grabs his favorite toy. “You wanna play? Game on.”

  I could only hope they weren’t into competition, because Mike sure challenged them. He could always be trusted to find new ways of putting his foot in his mouth. I cast him a nervous glance. We’d have to be quick because once the UFO stopped making that loud humming sound, we’d find themselves in the middle of a pack of dinosaurs with no escape route or exit sign. I crossed my arms over my chest and declared nervously, “You’re going first. We’re soooo going to get stomped on.”

  “Not if we’re fast enough,” said Mike, pulling my hand and guiding me past the unconsciousness raptors and underneath the pack of T-rexes. “And we will be fast enough. Trust me.”

  I moved forward as fast as I could on my sore foot. Realistically, a turtle could give me a run for my money. With my heart pounding hard, I looked around me. It was a bit like hiking through Yosemite National Park, except the huge tree trunks were really gigantic T-rex legs. Mike ran his hand across one as a pair of them zoomed by, almost giving me a heart attack. At any moment, one of those feet could mistake him for a pesky fly and come pounding down, crushing them into a heap.

  I tightened my grip on Mike’s hand as we zigzagged through dozens of legs as thick as redwoods. Giant clawed and bird-like feet thundered down around us in a frenzy. The scales on the dinosaurs’ bellies were long and rectangular, like creamy white roof shingles—and probably just as painful should they come raining down on one’s head. I ducked as long, razor-sharp claws came within inches of my face. Glancing up, I was less than twenty feet away from the ten-story-tall wall. Thank God!

  We screeched to a halt, and Mike shoved me forward. “There’s the hole. Go for it!”

  A gigantic prehistoric foot crashed on the ground a few feet away from me. Sand and dirt rained down, along with thick clouds of dust. I could see the jagged opening, my escape, it was so close. Could I go around? Rubbing my burning eyes, I quickly surveyed the situation. No. The darn foot was in the way.

  I yelled, “Big Foot’s blocking our path!”

  “Just climb over it,” said Mike.

  I looked at the humongous foot. “I guess so. But...but it’s moving!”

  “So pretend you’re surfing.”

  “Sorry, but I’m not exactly a big wave-rider like you,” I shot back.

  “Then it’s time to learn!” Mike hopped on the T-rex’s foot and jerked me up behind him onto the scaly, bouncing foot. I held on tightly as he shifted his weight. “It’s all about balance, rhythm, and timing,” he instructed.

  I had no doubt about that, but what if balance, rhythm, and timing weren’t my thing? It was like trying not to fall on a trampoline with twenty kids bouncing and jumping all around. Heck, I couldn’t even keep my balance when there weren’t any kids around. I waved my arms in slow circles, teetering for balance. Long, curved nails lifted off the ground as the dinosaur shifted its foot way over to the left. Perfect! Now we can get to the hole. A few quick strides brought me over to the other side of the wicked foot. Maybe I was a natural surfer chick after all. Mike would dig that.

  Mike hopped off, beckoning, “C’mon! Don’t wipe out now, ’cause you won’t be under a wave, but a giant foot.”

  Just as I prepared to jump, a loud squawk echoed in my ears—the familiar menacing sound of a velociraptor. My heart lurched. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched in horror as the raptor swiftly jumped on top of the giant foot with me; it stared with those cold, evil, hungry eyes and inched closer with its three-fingered razor-sharp claws. The hole was so close, if only I could make it there.

  “Casey, you gotta jump…” said Mike, “…NOW!”

  Without hesitation, I jumped and landed on my sore ankle, sending a wave of pain surging through me.

  Mike bounded over and jerked me to my feet. Yanking my hand, he pulled me toward the ragged gap in the wall. Daring a quick peek over my shoulder, I gasped as the creature jumped from the bouncing foot with gaping jaws. “Go!” shouted Mike.

  With my heart pounding, I squeezed and squirmed inside. My bare knees suffered from painful scrapes as I moved as far along as I could. I hurried and crawled out the other side. Peering into the hole, I yelled in a frantic voice, “Mike?”

  No answer.

  Where is he? Why isn’t he behind me? A cold shudder flooded through me. Oh, gosh, no! Please, God…let him be okay.

  Mike let out a long shriek as the raptor screeched, and then there was nothing from either of them. Not a scream. Not even a snarl. Nothing.

  Did the raptor attack Mike? Those evil yellow eyes and killer claws flashed in my mind. I couldn’t bear the thought, and tears flooded my eyes. I screamed Mike’s name frantically over and over, but there was still no answer. I was sure he would need my help, and I’d go back and fight with everything I had…or die trying.

  “Casey!” shouted Mike, squirming into the hole as fast as a mouse scurrying away from a hungry cat.

  His sweet voice sounded like heaven. In my mind, I swore I could hear a choir sing as radiant beams of light poured down around him, like some kind of aura. I’d never been so happy to see anyone before. “Hurry, Mike!” I shouted.

  He tumbled through the opening as powerful jaws snapped at his feet. Crashing to the ground in a heap, he grabbed a stick and scrambled up. Like Captain Jack Sparrow in a sword fight, Mike jabbed at the killing machine.

  “Keep it from coming outta that hole,” I yelled. “I’ve got an idea!” Glancing around, I spotted a brown rock the size of an oversized beach ball. I heaved a sigh and picked up the heavy rock. Mike shouted, thrusting his stick at the creature’s eyes. The raptor jerked back with a shrieking scream like a wounded hyena. Heart pounding, I stuffed the rock into the hole. The thought of those evil raptors following our scent and trailing us made my skin crawl. I grunted and pushed even harder. Mike’s strong muscles bulged beneath his t-shirt as he pressed his hands against the rock to help too. The rock didn’t block the gap entirely, but we’d jammed it in there pretty good.

  I wiped my sweaty palms on my shorts and motioned to Mike with a shaky arm. “Hur
ry! We’ve gotta hide.” Mike followed me as I hid underneath a giant rock overhang in the rock-strewn landscape. I scurried behind a cluster of huge red and white sandstone formations. “No way can the UFOs see us here.” At least I hoped.

  “Yeah, this is a primo hiding spot. Love the roof, man.” The blood drained from his face, which was etched with the distinct look of fear. “That was waaay too close.”

  “I’m so glad you’re okay.” I wrapped him in my arms, hugging him. “You scared me to death. What happened back there?”

  He held me at arms’ length and smiled. “I fought the mighty beast with my bare hands…and won victoriously.” He winked. “Just needed a little help at the end.”

  I smirked. “So Jurassic Park had it all wrong? Raptors were wimps. C’mon, now. One almost gutted me. And if it weren’t for your lightning-fast reflexes, another one woulda made a snack out of your feet! So, how did you really get away?”

  “Okay, you got me. I threw handfuls of dirt directly into its eyes. It hated that. Gave me just enough time to get in the hole.” He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and hugged me tighter.

  “That was a great idea, Mike. You sure do think quick on your feet.”

  “So do you. Blocking the hole with a rock was absolutely brilliant.”

  “Thanks.” As I breathed in his scent and felt safe in his arms, I realized I never wanted him to let me go. His heart hammered in his chest, beating hard against my skin. He was always so alive, so vibrant. Losing track of Jack was bad enough; I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Mike.

  Gazing through a tiny, horizontal gap in the rock, I stared at the beautiful glass city and gleaming disks hovering over it. My stomach sank. How the heck are we going to sneak into the city and get Jack?

  Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I squinted through the tiny gap once again. The towering medley of abstract shapes seemed unworldly, changing colors with every passing ray of sunlight. A cobblestone trail wound its way around the fantastic black, white, brown, and red formations. I wondered if we were inside some kind of giant rock garden.

  I thought of all the horrible alien invasion movies I’d seen and videogames I’d played. I sure hoped we hadn’t walked in on doomsday. No, I refused to believe that.

  Mike peered through the gap. “I’ve never been this freaked out before. This is absolutely crazy!”

  “We have to get Jack back. I know he’s somewhere in that city. We’ll bust him out of that dungeon cell one way or another.”

  Mike bit his lip. “Hey, Casey. I’m not so sure I agree with your theory.”

  I blinked. “What? But you saw these exact same ships take him.”

  “That doesn’t mean this is their city,” said Mike. “What if Jack’s right? The people living here could be under attack by the UFOs. Just like us! Maybe the people in Glasstropolis will understand and help us.”

  “Under attack? It’s a possibility. But how do you know these people haven’t positioned their own aircraft over the city like this in self-defense…to protect their precious glass city from an upcoming attack?”

  Mike shook his head. “I dunno.”

  I clapped his shoulder. “I guess we’ll find out for sure once we sneak into the city and go undercover.”

  He nodded. “What’s the plan?”

  “You do realize we’ve just barely escaped death by T-rex and raptor, right? What makes you think I’ve had enough time to come up with a plan in the meantime?”

  Mike’s eyes widened as he collapsed to his knees. His brave act crumbled right before me. Maybe everything was hitting him at once. We were lost, shipwrecked, and Jack had been abducted. We had fought our way through two different species of meat-eating dinosaurs, with UFOs hovering above. I wondered how long a person could hold up before cracking. Even somebody as wild and crazy as Mike had to hit a breaking point eventually.

  Every muscle in my body trembled as I let out a shaky breath. “I’ve no idea how to deal with this. School’s supposed to prepare us for life, but someone obviously forgot to include surviving alien and/or dinosaur attacks in our textbooks.”

  Mike stood and put a comforting arm around me, kissing my head. “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way.”

  “We always do.” I touched the shaking hand he had rested on my shoulder. Getting past the dinosaurs and the wall had unfortunately been the easy part, but now came the hard part: sneaking past hundreds of ships blanketing the sky. We needed to find a way to free Jack—and fast—because his life might depend on it. Resting my head in the nook of Mike’s neck, a warm sense of comfort spread through me. I needed one little moment to regain my composure, and then I’d think of a way for us to sneak in.

  Mike stroked a finger over my cheek, holding me tightly against him. He didn’t even bother cracking one of his lame jokes to soothe his fear…or mine. Nor did he offer any more encouragement. He just held me. Either he was just as scared as I was, or he was mentally preparing for battle.

  I remembered some of my mom’s best advice: “Trials and tribulation make us what we are. You’ll stand strong and victorious, or you’ll run and cower.”

  “Shamborro.”

  The voice made me jump. “Sham-what?” What kind of foreign language was that? I turned, my heartbeat stopping for a second. I lifted my gaze to the jagged rocks and swallowed past the lump in my throat. Standing at least six feet tall, a man peered down at us. I let out a startled yelp, feeling the weight of his stare. “Oh my gosh! It’s a person!”

  His furrowed brows and mouth pulled into a tight line, giving the impression that he hadn’t understood a word I said.

  * * *

  My gaze swept over the towering stranger. I couldn’t pry my gaze away from his striking blue eyes and wavy blond hair that fell below his shoulders. His hands were folded behind his back, and his broad shoulders tensed in a powerful stance. The one-piece blue uniform clung to his muscular body, a black belt emphasizing his narrow waist. And his skin…it was so smooth and pale.

  “I greeted you in my native tongue, but if you prefer English…” The man touched his chest, then moved closer, his voice urgent. “I’m Orthon. We saw you on our security cameras.”

  I blinked hard. Security cameras? Is he a security guard from the city? Maybe we should run! No. I want answers, and he doesn’t seem very threatening…yet

  The man—Orthon—narrowed his gaze. “You should not be here at a time like this.”

  Mike stumbled forward, almost toppling over as he grabbed the man’s arm, holding on tightly. “Whoa! You’ve no idea how happy we are to see you.”

  Pulling him a step back, I nudged him in the ribs, whispering, “Please don’t scare him away. We need answers.”

  Orthon shot me a friendly smile, revealing a string of pearly whites.

  Heart pounding hard, I held out a hand. “I’m Casey. This is Mike.”

  “It is very nice to make your acquaintance.” Orthon nodded, as confusion crossed his features, as if he weren’t familiar with the gesture. He held my hand lightly, unsure what to do with it. His skin, cold as an ice cube, stood in sharp contrast to the burning hot day.

  Mike motioned toward Glasstropolis. “Are you from the glass city?”

  “I am. Now that I have answered your question, please answer mine. Why are you here?”

  Mike glanced up. “Found a hole in that wall of yours, and crawled through it as a raptor tried to bite off my feet.”

  “It didn’t get out,” I said. “We blocked off the hole with a big rock.”

  “You are very fortunate to be alive,” said Orthon.

  “Our friend Jack got beamed up by one of those…those…” I couldn’t believe I was going to say it. “…those UFOs.” Tears welled up, and Mike gave me a reassuring squeeze as I tried to keep composure. “Do you know where he is?”

  Orthon’s face grew stern. “I fear your companion has been taken prisoner by our enemy.”

  Enemy? Confusion flooded through me. I pointed at the fleet o
f UFOs. “So those ships aren’t yours?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “I didn’t think so,” said Mike.

  If this man was telling the truth, I’d been so off base. Mike and Jack had been right all along. I gripped Mike’s arm. “I was wrong.”

  “It’s okay,” he whispered in my ear.

  I felt awful about being so wrong. “But you guys were right. I should’ve never doubted you. I’m sorry, Mike.”

  He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. “There was no way for any of us to know for sure.”

  “Our people are peaceful and will do everything they can to help you get your friend back.” A smile graced the man’s angelic features. “You can trust us. We mean you no harm.”

  I couldn’t believe the people from the city were friendly. A wave of relief washed over me. Still, that didn’t mean I was going to make fast friends with this Orthon, whom I didn’t know from Adam.

  Reaching into his pocket, Orthon whipped out a blue silk bandana that matched his uniform and started wrapping it around my head.

  I pushed his hands back before he could finish. “What’re you doing? The pirate look’s been out since the seventeenth century, thank you very much.”

  Orthon stepped forward again, urgency in his features. “This will have to work. It is all I have.”

  Mike held up a hand. “Hey, watch it! You can’t just go around touching people’s heads. I got thrown out of a village in Fiji for that.”

  I was about ready to tell him how lucky he was to avoid a trial and be roasted over a fire, but Orthon spoke first. “This…” He pointed to the bandana. “This is necessary, for you are a target.”

  Mike’s gaze darted up to Orthon’s. “Someone sees me as a threat?”

  “Not you. Her.” His jaw tightened as he turned his focus to me. “The enemy will come after you because of your dark hair.”

  I furrowed my brows. “Why?”

  Orthon continued placing the blue cloth over my head. “Please trust me.” His voice was calm and friendly, but there was something bossy about his tone that betrayed him. He was used to getting his way.