BENEATH - A Novel (36 page)

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Replacing her rising panic with concentration, Connelly ran for the opposite end of the cavern as quickly as she could. She'd seen the approaching swarm and wanted nothing to do with them. She'd had entirely enough of alien creatures trying to make a snack of her crew. No more distractions, no more wonderment, they were getting the hell out of these caves.

The Europhids on either side of the path that lead to the nearest tunnel slowly closed in, narrowing the space through which they could run—or franticly bobble in their case. A barrage of stingers launched from either side of the Europhid patches, swiping across the PMS suit's impervious skin.

Connelly realized that all Europhids were equipped with such weapons. The sample they'd put in the incubator had simply grown. No mutation had occurred. It also meant that what had happened to Peterson could happen to any of them if the Europhids found a chink in their armor.

As the pathway continued to constrict, the number of swiping stingers increased to the point where from her feet to her elbows Connelly felt a constant sharp rubbing. If her body hadn't developed on Earth, where muscles grow stronger to compensate for the increased gravity, the net of Europhid limbs might have held her tight. But she and Robert plowed through the mass of scratching arms, now only feet from the nearest exit.

As they grew closer to the exit, Connelly felt a pain in her chest. It felt like what most people imagine a heart attack feels like, but she'd felt the pain before. Her anxiety was mounting to the breaking point. The onset was so subtle that it went unnoticed, especially during stressful situations when her mind was distracted by other events. She might be able to deal with the situation like any normal person, but when other people reached their emotional cap, her psychological pressure point continued to rise, even after the stressful situation had subsided.

The ache in her chest was the first warning sign. If things didn't calm down soon it might be days before she felt the anxiety subside. A surge of anger pushed the pain away.

I've gone years without having an anxiety attack
, Connelly thought.
I won't have one now
!

"How are we doing, guys?" It was Willard. She hadn't looked back since she and Robert started running. She was glad to hear he was still there.

"Okay," she said. "We're about to enter the cave system."

"I know," Willard said.

A shape landed next to Connelly, catching her off guard and squeezing a shriek from her lungs. Her eyes opened wide with fright and she twisted her head toward the figure.

"Whoa, boss," Willard said as he took Connelly's arm. "It's just me."

A surge of pain like someone driving a railroad spike into her heart tore through her chest. The attack was growing worse.

"Guys," Robert said. "We might have a problem."

Connelly looked ahead. The Europhids had closed in from either side, sealing off a ten foot swath, cutting them off from the exit. A heart palpitation echoed in her chest. They were trapped.

"Don't stop, Robert." Connelly felt a measure of reassurance from Willard's voice. He was calm and in control. "These things are like Jell-O and the stingers can't pierce your suit."

Robert listened. He was still moving; vaulting towards the wall of Europhids.

"Ever notice how they kind of look like bowling pins?" Willard asked. Connelly didn't look, but she could see the smile on Willard's face. "Be the ball, Robert. Be the ball."

Connelly almost laughed through her anxiety as she watched Robert launch himself forward, plowing through the wall of Europhids. The small red bodies ripped away, exploded or simply mashed onto the cave floor. Willard dragged Connelly by the arm. She was trying to move fast, but her anxiety was telling her body to lie down.

Do nothing.

Give up.

Without Robert and Willard, she'd have been dead already.

After clearing the destroyed wall of Europhids, they entered the cave system. Connelly gave a quick glance back and immediately wished she hadn't. No more than fifty feet away was a tidal wave of ravenous alien creatures. Some were launching themselves through the air. Others were scurrying along the cave floor, across direct routes opened up by the Europhids.

The next stage of the anxiety attack hit her with a suddenness that took her breath away. Her chest tightened and her throat and nose swelled. She was still able to breath enough air, she'd learned that long ago, but it certainly did not feel that way. The effect mimicked an asthma attack. The physical changes were minimal, but the mind believed they were real. Connelly began taking deep breaths in an effort to ease the discomfort.

The cave system glowed under the light of their headlamps, but Connelly quickly wished they couldn't see anything. Scurrying shadows skimmed across the floor, moving to meet them, no matter which of the cave systems they decided to flee through.

Willard's voice continued to be calm. "These things can't get through the suits. If you're attacked, just keep moving. I'll keep them off."

Willard moved to a nearby tunnel that was free of the approaching shadows. Robert entered the tunnel without a word and kept moving. Connelly knew he must be petrified, but was acting brave. She reached the tunnel and paused at the top. "Ethan, this goes
down
. We need to go up!"

 
"Boss, this is the right way. You need to trust me."

"Ethan…"

"I haven't been wrong yet."

One of the creatures slammed into the side of Willard's face mask and clamped on. Willard hit the floor. "Go, Connelly! Go now!"

Connelly watched as Willard struggled to remove the creature from his head. The beast shot its stingers at Willard's facemask and was actually managing to scratch it. Connelly screamed as she lunged forward, wrapped her hands around the creature and yanked it off Willard's head. She held the creature out away from her and in a single violent motion, slammed the creature down on her bent knee. Its chest split open and oozed black blood. Connelly dropped the creature to the ground. Willard hopped to his feet. "Thanks, boss."

Connelly leaned forward on her hands, breathing hard. Willard's hand on her arm pulled her up and shifted her mindset back into survival mode. He pulled her into the tunnel, moving quickly downward, toward whatever new hell hid beneath Europa's surface.

CHAPTER 27 -- STALKING

Connelly stumbled down the steep incline, following Robert, and fighting to keep herself upright and moving. Through the com system she could hear the panting breaths of Robert and the occasional verbal spur from Willard. It was their presence that kept what little logic remained in her mind locked down. They had always been her secure anchor. And she had never needed them so much in her life as now, when her anxiety was threatening to take over and remove her will to fight.

They'd been bumbling through the tunnels for nearly a minute and the small creatures had yet to overtake them. While agile and mobile in the open cave, they had trouble negotiating the rapid turns of the cave system. But they were there, waiting for one of them to stumble, to slow. Then they would pounce.

She glanced over her shoulder, watching for the tiny predators. Her headlamp cut through the darkness. Willard was feet behind her and off to the side, giving her a perfect view of the tunnel behind them. She could see a mass of creatures surging towards them like water forced through a tube.

"Keep going," Willard shouted. "We're almost there."

"Almost. Where?" Robert asked between wheezy breaths. It was the exact question Connelly wanted answered. Had Willard explored more of the cave system than they knew? Maybe that's why he was really late in rescuing them at the sphere? Maybe he'd already been here? Connelly's mind cleared slightly as new thoughts slipped past her growing anxiety.

Choi had mentioned that the Europhids had taken control of Peterson. Maybe the same thing happened to Willard? If he were under Europhid control, this could all be a ploy to get them deeper into the cave system. She felt a pain like a baseball being forced through her chest and into her throat. Her broiling anxiety devoured her remaining logic.

Connelly felt her body fall away from her. Consumed by the pain in her body, she found it impossible to focus on her footing or even care if she was eaten alive. She bounced into one wall, skipped across the ceiling and careened into the opposite side of the cave.

She could hear Robert and Willard shouting in her ear, but other than her name, it sounded like a mix of forgotten languages. Something struck her side and two long…things…like elephant trunks wrapped around her waist. She felt the ground slip away and suddenly, she was flying. Her view of the world blurred further.

Pain and confusion warped Connelly's mind so much that the following five minutes could never be recalled. When her thoughts began to clear, she slowly became aware of her new surroundings. She was leaning against a solid wall. The numbness on her backside told her she was sitting on a cold stone floor. Seeing was still a challenge. Tears had begun to solidify around her eyes becoming goopy clumps on her eyelashes. She blinked them away, wishing her hands could reach inside the space suit and wipe her eyes. As Connelly's vision unclouded her first impression was that the red world of the inner cavern had turned sunflower yellow.

The stillness in the new setting also caught her attention. They were no longer moving. She could hear breathing in her com, but it wasn't labored. They'd been stopped for a few minutes at least. She became embarrassed by her anxiety. She couldn't recall how they had got here or what she had said or done on the way.

At first, Connelly thought her vision was still screwed up, because everything around her appeared to be yellow. She looked to the left and saw Robert sitting next to her, staring at her with wary eyes. Her vision wasn't wrong, everything really was yellow. Even Robert.

"It's a fungus," Robert explained. "Well, as close to a fungus as an alien species might get. I really have no idea what it is, but that's my closest guess. It glows yellow…but you already knew that."

Connelly could sense his nervousness, but it wasn't for his safety, it was for her sanity. She knew the look. She'd seen it before. "I'm all right," she said.

"You're back?"

Connelly nodded. "How bad was I? I didn't hurt Willard, did I?"

"Hurt Willard?"

"He carried me here, didn't he?"

Robert shook his head and stretched back. He winced slightly as he moved. Connelly realized the truth. "
You
carried me?"

Robert gave a smile and a nod. "Nothing a few days with an ice pack and a hot pad won't fix. Can't let Willard do all the work, you know…besides…"

She took his hand. "I know." Connelly furrowed her eyebrows. She felt Robert's hand tighten on hers.

"What?" he asked.

"Willard…where is he?"

"Went for a little recon trip while I caught my breath. Don't worry, those little guys don't like these yellow caves much."

Connelly remembered her fears about Willard being controlled by the Europhids. It seemed strange that Willard would leave them. She quickly wrote off her paranoid thoughts. She didn't want to descend into a full blown anxiety attack again.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Deep in the cave system. Very deep."

"And the creatures?"

Robert motioned with his head toward one end of the tunnel. "Around the corner. They stopped at the yellow growth like old men at a stop sign. They're not moving."

Connelly looked to where Robert had motioned. She couldn't imagine that just around the bend was a wall of monstrous creatures just waiting for her to show herself. And then what? Would they slice through her mask and peel off the space suit? Would they crush her to death under their collective mass? Connelly felt her chest tighten as her line of anxious thinking continued.

Thankfully, Robert could still read her thoughts. "We're safe here," he said. "Willard will be back any minute, and he'll have a way back to the surface."

"I'm back now," Willard said as he entered the tunnel. "But I'm afraid we're not quite safe, and I have no idea how to get back to the surface."

Connelly's throat began to seal off.

"But," Willard said with emphasis, "The tunnels ahead are large and move at an upward angle. If we can find one that goes up and around that giant den, we might be able to backtrack to the sphere. Our air is limited, so we're going to have to move fast. No more rests." Willard looked into Connelly's eyes. "No more panic attacks."

Connelly turned her eyes to the floor.

"Sorry, boss," Willard said, "I don't mean to be harsh. But if Robert hadn't turned into the incredible hulk back there, we wouldn't have made it."

For a moment, Connelly wished she could see Robert in action, but decided it was better to have no memory of the event. "No more panic attacks. Got it…. Let's get the fuck out of here."

This brought a smile to Willard's face. He patted Connelly's shoulder and chuckled. "You're almost as crazy as I am, boss."