He pushed off the boulder and scrambled next to them. "Grab your packs. We're heading out."
Linda raised a white face from Khalid's shoulder. "But the others?"
"Now!" he said hoarsely, shoving her pack toward her.
Khalid tossed his pack over a shoulder and helped Linda pull hers on. "He's right. We can't help them."
Michaelson, with his rifle in hand, herded his two wards forward. As they passed around the first boulder, a panoramic view of the bowl-shaped cavern opened up before them. Here at the lip, Michaelson had a view of the sloping valley they had crossed just an hour ago.
"Shit!" he said, stopping.
Khalid stood at his elbow. "What is it?"
"Over there. Just past the next ridge of rock."
Khalid looked where he pointed, then said something foul in his native tongue. Linda crushed her face into his shoulder.
Michaelson studied the view. Four reptilian heads swayed above the boulder-strewn floor, long necks stretched upward, looking in their direction. Like malignant prairie dogs. As he watched, one of the heads lowered out of sight.
There was no telling how many of them were out there, but one thing was sure: An attempt to cross would be suicide. Their retreat was cut off. Jaw tight, he wound his hand tighter into the rifle's strap.
A sudden motion caught the corner of his eye.
He swung his light to the left. Ten yards away stood a stocky stalagmite, like thousands they had passed to get here. Nothing moved there now. He clenched his jaws, tightening his grip on his rifle. Was there something behind it? Suddenly the stalagmite sprouted a snaking tail and a snouted head, perfectly camouflaged against the oily rock. Even lit up, it was hard to say where the rock began and beast ended.
The black eyes swung in his direction. Its mouth opened, revealing row after row of teeth.
Ashley cringed as the snout turned in her direction. It hissed, its breath reeking of carnage. Reaching blindly for any weapon, her hand fell upon the flashlight attached to her belt. Maybe she could club it away. Grabbing the thick handle, she swung the flashlight forward.
Ben stopped his struggle to dislodge his rifle. "Turn it on!" he yelled. "High beam!"
Reacting spontaneously to his command, she clicked the lever all the way up. A spear of light lanced out of their hiding place, stabbing the beast squarely in the eye.
Roaring, the creature snapped its head away.
As it retreated beyond the ridge of the boulder, an explosion of rifle fire erupted. Villanueva, she thought. He's still out there. She pushed onto her knees. A second round of rifle fire, this time from behind them. Ashley turned a questioning eye on Ben.
"Go!" he yelled.
She sprang to her feet, jumping a few steps away, clearing room for Ben, just as another blast of rifle fire exploded from ahead.
A scream of hissing rage echoed through the cavern, followed by a loud crash into the boulders.
"Watch out!" Ben shoved her from behind.
Falling forward, she rolled onto her side and saw the cascade of boulders tumble between her and Ben, filling the space where she just stood. "Ben!"
From behind the wall of rock: "I'm okay!… But I don't see a way to get to you!"
"Then try for Michaelson!"
"Bloody hell, I'm not leaving you!"
"Go!"
Not waiting any longer, fearing for Villanueva, she cautiously crept to the front of the boulders and peeked beyond its edge.
Her eyes widened in terror.
Villanueva's shot went sour, missing the head and glancing harmlessly off the beast's neck, but it was enough to draw its attention.
It struck at him, like a riled snake.
The mouth snapped at where the SEAL had been standing, but he had already hopped several yards back. It opened its mouth and bellowed, its eyes reflected red. He backed up another faltering step. The beast's head lowered closer to the ground, its body bunched close behind, taut with quivering muscles.
It was going to lunge.
Aiming from the waist, Villanueva pulled the rifle's trigger as the beast burst toward him. The shot hit home, striking the beast in the shoulder, a spout of blood flying.
Unfazed, it barreled forward.
He dodged to the right.
This time he was too slow.
As he tried to turn away, his arm was yanked back, toppling him onto the hard rock. Suddenly his whole body was jerked into the air and dangled by an arm from the jaws of the beast. Searing pain threatened to swallow him into darkness.
Clenching his teeth, he struggled for his rifle, the leather strap still wrapped around his forearm. But it dangled just out of reach. He pulled it up to his chest, trying to grip it one-handed.
Just as his fingers slipped in place, the beast shook him like dog with a rag doll. His shoulder popped from its socket.
A bone snapped.
A tidal wave of blackness washed over him, drowning him.
The rifle slipped from his limp fingers.
Michaelson shoved Linda behind him. "Get back." He dodged behind yet another boulder, his rifle raised to cover their retreat. It was stalking them, backing them toward the wall. From the sound of gunfire, they were being forced in the direction of the group battling the other monster.
A clever move, he thought. It was trying to corral him back into the jaws of the other beast. "Khalid, get your butt up front here," he yelled. "I want your gun on this trail. I need to reload."
No answer.
"Khalid!"
He glanced over his shoulder.
No Khalid. No Linda. Where were they?
He turned forward to face the trail again. Two yards away, a head the size of a bull's snaked around a boulder. Small nostril flaps, spread like Chinese fans, tested the air as it hunted. It shied from his light, then stepped into view. It walked upright on two thickly muscled legs. Its mouth gaped open, almost like it was grinning. It lowered its head close to the rock floor, searching for scent. With its back bent, Michaelson noted the ridge of raised quills running down its back.
Fuckin' monster. He raised his rifle and zeroed his sights on its butt-ugly face. Smiling grimly, he pulled the trigger.
– snick-
The firing pin snapped on an empty chamber.
Ashley crawled forward. Please… still be alive.
Villanueva hung limp in the jaws of the beast. The creature jerked the SEAL's body back and forth a final time, then dropped him to the rocky floor.
Cringing, Ashley held her breath. Blood soaked his entire torso. Shit! He wasn't moving.
The beast cocked its head from side to side, studying its catch, like a bird with a worm. Focused on its prey, it was unaware of her.
Careful, she thought. Don't draw its attention. She crouched and placed each step cautiously. Her pistol was three yards away. She swallowed and took another step forward.
Almost there.
Clenching her teeth, she slipped to the gun.
The beast still toyed with Villanueva. Using a daggered claw, it flipped the SEAL's sprawled body over. She could hear it sniffing at his blood.
Ashley reached for her pistol. As her fingers wrapped around the gun, she froze.
Voices rose behind her.
"It's just over here." She recognized Khalid's thick accent.
"Are you sure?" Linda's strained voice.
The beast whipped its head around, right toward Ashley. She froze, afraid to move, praying the creature's vision was poor.
"We'll be safe in the wormhole. Too narrow for them to get to us." The voices were approaching her location. "We'll make a dash for it."
The beast's neck strained forward, head cocked. Still as stone, it listened to the voices and sounds of movement approaching. Perhaps…
She raised her gun, moving with agonizing slowness. No sudden motions to distract it.
Focusing down the barrel, she tried to target its obsidian eye, but a huge bridge of bone protected it. She didn't have a shot, unless it tilted its head just slightly.
From behind her, Linda cried, "It's Ashley!"
Shut up, she silently willed the woman. Linda obviously hadn't rounded the boulder far enough to see what else was out here.
Ashley heard Linda's boot heel scrape loose shale. "Khalid, Ashley must have had the same idea as-Oh! God!"
The beast twitched its head in Linda's direction, an eye rolling into view. Ignoring Linda's scream, Ashley pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession, the recoil dumping her backward.
Unsure if she had hit her mark, she struggled back up into a crouched position, expecting to see a maw of teeth snapping down on her.
She cringed as the beast's head, which had been thrown back by the impact of the bullets, swung once again in her direction, one eye now a cratered ruin.
It took a step toward her, hissing a piercing note. Ashley scrambled backward, tumbling into Linda.
"Get back!" Ashley screamed, fumbling to raise her gun again. Before she could take aim, it lunged at her. Ashley dodged to the side.
Linda, however, didn't.
It snagged the biologist's backpack as she twisted to flee. It dragged her past Ashley, a scream frozen on her features.
Ashley pointed her pistol, but Linda's flailing body blocked her shot.
Khalid ran forward. "Do something!"
She pressed the gun forward with both fists. No clean shot. Linda's eyes met hers, pleading and terrified. Still no shot.
A loud explosion rent the air. Everyone froze. Then, like a marionette with its strings cut, the beast crashed to the floor. Ashley, trembling now, continued to point the gun at the monster. It lay still.
Beyond the bulk of the beast, she saw Villanueva, bloody as hell, sitting up with his rifle propped in his good arm. Smoke trailed from its muzzle. He fell backward with a moan.
She rushed to where the SEAL lay sprawled. He struggled to push himself up, but Ashley held him down.
"Don't move," she said, wincing. It was difficult to look at him. A fragment of bone poked from his upper arm. Blood flowed thickly from ragged wounds.
"He saved my life," Linda whispered, coming up behind Ashley to kneel beside him, taking his scraped hand in hers.
He tried to grin. Twin trails of blood seeped out of his broken nose. "I feel like I got hit head-on by a locomotive." His eyes were glassy with pending shock. He coughed thickly.