Prey

"We need light," said Julia. Indeed, in the short few minutes they'd been inside, the ambient light from the opening had gone dark. Their eyes had adjusted, but it was coming on near total dark.

A light blossomed into the inkiness. Another soon followed. The survival lanterns used a slow-burning oil composite that would last for hours. They had six of them in total. Julia figured if they spaced them out right, they had enough to last for at least a day and a half.

Wilkins and Darren came back. Wilkins thumbed over his right shoulder. "Back and down there is a depressed area that should fit the bill.. There's even some small opening that can act as a drain."

Mick brought his rifle up. "It's time we moved further in." He looked at them. "I'll take point."

Wilkins walked over toward him. "I'll go with you." He glanced at Julia. "Okay boss?"

She nodded. "I'm going, too."

Mick started to pretest but Julia shot him a look. "Girl Scouts, remember?"

He grinned. Julia turned to Nung. "Keep an eye on things back here. Two of you watch in the direction we're traveling. The other two watch the door. I don't want anything coming in there and taking us from behind."

She moved off behind Wilkins and Mick. She noticed Mick had his rifle in his shoulder with the barrel aimed down at a forty-five degree angle. A sudden beam appeared from the end of his M16. She could see that he'd jury-rigged a flashlight to the underside of his barrel.

Smart, she thought. He's definitely been in hairy situations like this before.

Once clear of the rest of the team, Mick turned and signaled Wilkins and Julia to come in close. He spoke in whispers, close to their ears.

"We should try to move as quietly as we can. We don't know what's up ahead and I'd rather not let it know we're coming."

Julia pointed at the end of his rifle. "What about the light?"

Mick frowned. "Not much we can do about that. We have to be able to see. Unless one of you has some night vision goggles you've been holding out on me, I don't see much of a choice."

"Looks like we go with the light then," said Wilkins.

Mick nodded. "From now on, we'll try to use hand signals only. When I give one, Wilkins will pass it down the line to you Julia so we all know what the deal is." He went through some of them and then smiled. "All right, let's move."

He stood up again and started back down the tunnel. Wilkins stayed about four feet behind him and Julia followed.

As they walked, she couldn't help but marvel at the jagged interior of the tunnel. Bits of rock jutted out at every angle. The floor of the tunnel underfoot felt like they were walking on an uneven rough surface that could slice them up if they fell.

Bits of moisture dripped down from unseen sources overhead. Julia supposed it was condensation gradually seeping through the rocks. Droplets fell and splashed in the darkness.

They were able to move remarkably quietly and the only echo came from behind them where the rest of the team was still waiting.

Mick's flashlight beam cut through the darkness ahead, moving smoothly over the tunnel, back and forth, to and fro.

I'm glad he's on point, thought Julia.

They'd traveled maybe one hundred meters when Julia thought she saw Mick do something with his arm. Wilkins' arm went into the air soon after.

The fist.

Julia stopped before she bumped into Wilkins.

Up ahead, Mick stayed absolutely still.

Seconds ticked by and Julia felt like her heart was about to crash through her chest. It sounded so loud in her ears! Surely everyone else could hear it. She struggled to get a breath and inhale and exhale smoothly through her nose.

Relax, she thought. Mick's up there. Anything that comes down the tunnel has to get through him first. And then Wilkins. And then me.

She grinned, but the thought didn't make her feel much better.

More seconds ticked by. It felt like minutes. What was going on? What was Mick waiting for? For her part, Julia couldn't see or hear anything that might have indicated danger ahead.

But then again, she didn't have Mick's acute senses.

She looked at Wilkins. The family man. Was he thinking about his family now? Was he thinking about how much more he'd rather be with them than here in this dank cave searching for safety while some unseen creature waited to hunt them all down?

The weight of her responsibility for the safety of her team suddenly crashed down on her. Their lives rested on her shoulders. Sure, Mick, was the solider who could protect them all, but Julia's primary mission was to achieve her exploration objectives and bring her men home alive.

Funny how the appearance of danger suddenly made that responsibility all the more real and all the more overpowering. She took another breath and resolved herself to making sure the rest of them came home safe. She'd mourn Vikorsky later.

Finally, Mick's arm moved again and they resumed walking. What had he seen? Julia frowned. Part of her wanted to be up front, leading the way. She wanted to see and hear what Mick did.