John Sneeden - The Hades Conspiracy

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 there 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.

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.