Clickers III (28 page)

Jennifer’s knee-length shorts were stained with dirt and grass and the other woman had a bruise on her left temple.

“They’re spooks,” Tony said, dismissively. “The baby-faced one is named Amethyst, the one with the great tits is Ruby, and the big grumpy looking fucker is called Marion… excuse me, Diamond.”

Jennifer and the others frowned in confusion. She opened her mouth to respond, then shook her head and fell silent again. After a moment, she introduced her two companions.

“Okay,” Ruby said. “Come. We’re almost there.”

She barely acknowledged Jennifer and the other two scientists. Instead, she brushed past them and headed deeper into the vast cavern. Amethyst and Diamond nodded at the others to follow her. Clark and Tony held their ground. The scientists glanced at each other.

“Hey,” Tony called out. “Wait a fucking minute. Where are you going?”

Ruby stopped and turned around. “Congratulations! You’ve completed the first part of your mission. You rescued the girl. But we still haven’t finished. We must stop Dagon from rising.”

The scientists reacted visibly to this last statement. Jennifer clutched Tony’s arm. “They know about Dagon?”

“Yeah,” Tony said. He had his left arm around her. “You know about it too?”

“It’s a long story,” Wade said. He stuck his hand out to Tony. “Thanks for coming to get us.”

The roars of the Dark Ones seemed more eager now, as if they’d sensed the two parties of humans had met up with each other. It was still difficult to tell where they were.

Susan answered the question foremost on Clark’s mind. “We’re being chased by two or three Dark Ones. But I think they got stuck pretty far back.”

“Yeah, us too,” Clark said. He nodded toward Amethyst and Diamond, who were waiting impatiently. “Don’t you want to make sure these folks are okay first, before we go charging off again?”

“They are uninjured,” Amethyst said. “That is enough for now.”

“Give me a fucking break,” Tony said. “They’re tired. We’re tired. My fucking head feels like it’s gonna split open. Let’s stop for a minute.”

“There’s no time, Tony.” Amethyst’s tone was conciliatory. “You know that. We have to finish this.”

Clark’s eyes met Tony’s. The two stared at each other for a moment, and then Tony shrugged.

“Okay,” Clark said, addressing Amethyst, “where to next?”

“This way,” Ruby said. She turned and began heading down the cavern again.

“We just came from there,” Susan said. “Those things were chasing us!”

“Listen, maybe I should get Jennifer and her friends out of here,” Tony suggested.

“Tony, you know why you’re here,” Ruby said. “We’ve tapped you for this mission because you are our only hope.”

“I understand that,” Tony said. “And we’ve found Jennifer and her friends. Don’t you think we should get them out of here?”

“Not before you fulfill your destiny.”

“My destiny is to keep my ass from getting killed. And if I can pull Jennifer and her friends out of here, so much the better.”

“Your destiny is to fulfill your purpose!” Ruby’s voice had taken on that gruff tone again. She fixed him with her steely gaze. “You’re our only hope, Tony. You are one of the—”

“Save it, sweetheart.”

“The more we delay,” Diamond insisted, “the stronger Dagon gets. Surely you feel it. Even now your head aches. The pain behind your eyeballs is only growing worse.”

“What do we…?” Clark faltered. Even as Diamond spoke, the throbbing in his head grew worse, and he felt a tightening in his chest. It was obvious that Tony and the scientists were distressed, as well.

Squinting, Susan rubbed her forehead. “It feels like someone is trying to crawl inside my head. Something invisible, elemental.”

“What you feel is Dagon,” Ruby explained. Her features were strained, as if they were bearing the weight of great pressure. Clark noticed it in the faces of Diamond and Amethyst too. He started to speak, but when he tried, his breath came in ragged gasps. That persistent humming spiked into his consciousness, like fingernails being drawn against a chalkboard.

Ruby looked at Clark. “And my guess is that all of you are made of very strong stuff. You can feel it, but you with
stand it.”

“To tell you the truth,” Tony said, “the only thing I feel like fucking up now is Dagon. Okay? You win. Let’s get this fucking shit over with.”

Without another word, Ruby darted down the cavern, leading the way. Tony darted after her, followed by Clark and Jennifer, who clutched Tony’s arm. Wade and Susan fell into step behind them. Amethyst and Diamond once again brought up the rear.

“I don’t know about this,” Jennifer whispered to Tony and Clark. “What the hell is going on?”

“It’s a long story,” Tony replied. “I was just chilling in my condo and Clark here was outside trimming the shrubbery, and then all hell broke loose. All things considered, I’d rather be in Vegas.”

Jennifer grinned at him. “You haven’t changed.”

“Neither have you.”

Gritting his teeth, Clark focused on Ruby.

I hope you know what you’re doing
, he thought as she took them down a left hand path that led deeper beneath the mountain.
Because we’re responsible for these people’s lives. I don’t want their blood on my hands.

“Don’t worry,” Ruby said. “I do. And if there is blood, Mr. Arroyo, it won’t be on your hands. It will be on someone else’s.”

For the first time since shortly before Josel’s betrayal, when she was certain the Naranuan holy man would lead them to safe ground, Jennifer felt her hopes rise again. They were going to get out of this. How, she still didn’t have the slightest idea. But finding Tony here—knowing that he’d come for her—buoyed her spirits.

Ruby led them down tunnel after tunnel, never hesitating in her stride. As they descended, Jennifer felt her elations rise further as the echoing roar of the pursuing Dark Ones were left farther behind. They were obviously traveling passageways that Jennifer, Wade, and Susan had not encountered before. She wondered how Ruby and her companions knew where to go. Was Naranu a secret government compound?

Behind her, Susan babbled. “We’re heading straight back there. Why are we doing this? There’s more of those things down there.”

“Quiet,” Diamond ordered. His tone of voice was commanding and Susan shut up.

Jennifer whispered to Tony. “Are they taking us to R’lyeh?”

“Yeah,” Tony answered. “I guess I don’t need to bring you up to speed, after all.”

“We found out what’s happening through a local. The village holy man.”

“Oh yeah? Where is he now?”

“Dead, I think. He was going to sacrifice us to Dagon.”

Jennifer saw Tony twitch, his jaw set in a grimace of anger. “You kill him?”

“No, the Dark Ones did. If he’s really dead.”

“How come you’re not sure?”

“There was a lot going on. It was all very confusing. We escaped, but some of our friends got left behind.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“So,” Jennifer whispered, “is there anyone else with you guys?

Rick, maybe? Does Livingston know you’re here?”

Tony shook his head. “No. It’s just me and Clark and these guys. There was one more with us but we lost him topside. As for Livingston, I’m not sure, but I’ve got the feeling that ol’ Augustus isn’t even aware of this situation.”

“But I thought you said these guys were spooks.”

“They are, but not the government kind.”

“They operate outside the confines of world government,” Clark said. “Have you ever—”

“Quiet,” Amethyst cautioned. “Sound carries down here and they’re all around us now. We must proceed with utmost caution.”

With the light from Ruby’s flashlight illuminating the way, they were able to cover ground much quicker. This time they did not have to slide their way down narrow cave passageways. It seemed to Jennifer as if Ruby knew intuitively which corridor to go down, and she didn’t hesitate when they came to forks in the cavern system. They darted down so many passageways that Jennifer became lost. God help them should they be ambushed by Dark Ones; it sounded like they were getting closer, but the sounds of their roars were still somewhat muffled. Ruby paused and the group huddled together, crouching in the darkness.

“We’re almost there,” Ruby whispered so softly that they had to strain to hear her. “Very shortly we will be reaching a very large cavern. There will be a number of bas-reliefs and statues surrounding a large stone altar. Hovering over the altar will be a large rectangle.”

“We saw that,” Wade said. “It was floating in the middle of the chamber, and it looked like there was an ocean inside it.”

“You saw the entrance to the Labyrinth?” Ruby eyes widened at the revelation. “Consider yourself lucky to still be alive.”

Wade shivered. “What was it?”

“That is Dagon’s doorway into our world.”

“I want to get out of here,” Susan moaned. “Look, you’ve rescued us, and we’re very grateful, but I don’t want any part of this. If you have another mission to complete, leave us out of it. I’m a researcher, not a soldier. Take us topside and then you can come back and do whatever it is you have to do.”

“Madam,” Diamond said, shuffling next to her, “please don’t—”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Susan’s voice grew shriller and louder. “Leave me alone.”

The others tensed, glancing around warily, waiting to see if the echoes would attract attention. Jennifer saw Amethyst nod at Diamond. The big man reached forward and gently touched Susan’s shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was faint but strong.

“Calm.”

Susan immediately relaxed. Her posture slackened and an expression of complete serenity crossed her face. She looked up at Diamond and smiled.

“Thank you.”

He nodded.

“What the hell did you just do to her?” Wade asked. His tone was alarmed.

“It’s okay.” Susan placed her palm against his chest. “It’s sweet of you to worry about me, Wade, but I’m fine. Everything is going to be okay. And guess what? My head doesn’t hurt anymore. That terrible headache is gone.”

“Wish I could say the same thing,” Clark grumbled.

“Me too,” Tony agreed, turning to Amethyst. “Any chance you guys could do that to the rest of us?”

“I’m afraid not. All Diamond did was calm her down so that she wouldn’t be a liability. Her headache is gone only because Dagon’s nearing presence has driven her insane. Once madness sets in, the pain dissipates.”

“Okay,” Tony said. “Never mind. So this is the end game. What happens next?”

“Fifty yards ahead of us,” Amethyst whispered, “is the portal. The Dark Ones are encircling it, involved in rituals and prayer. As we already know, many of their soldiers have been fanning across these tunnels looking for us. As we speak, I’m sensing several of them nearby. Time will be of the essence here.”

“You’ve been saying that from the beginning.”

“So I have,” Amethyst agreed. “But it has never been more crucial than it is now, so pay attention. Diamond and Ruby will enter the chamber and eradicate the threat. Under no circumstances should you, Clark, or the rest of you follow them. This is especially important in regards to you, Tony. We can’t afford to lose you now.”

“You brought us along as hired guns,” Clark said, “and now you want us to sit it out in the last quarter of the game with thirty seconds left on the clock?”

“Absolutely. Both of you have a role to play, and you can’t play it if you’re dead. Let Diamond and Ruby handle the Dark Ones. I’ll remain here with you. We will engage the enemy only if they break past Diamond and Ruby’s defenses and approach us.”