Prey

He shook his head. Couldn't be. He looked again.

And now he could make out the green.

Blues. Reds.

Color.

From what?

"Flowers."

Alex backed away from the hole. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Those are flowers in there. We're looking down on them."

"Don't be ridiculous. There can't be flowers in there. We're inside a mountain for god's sakes."

"Take another look."

Alex peered back through. As much as his logical mind couldn't accept it, he could clearly make out the edges of leaves and petals some distance below him. But how? How in the frozen landscape was this possible?"

He eased back and looked at Jim. "We'd better radio base."

Jim smiled. "Yeah."

They started back. Jim leading the way again. "Did you ever hear stories about Shangri-La?"

"Myths," said Alex. "Supposed to be a place over near Bhutan. At the base of the Himalayas there was supposed to be some tropical paradise. No one's ever found it."

"A team from National Geographic found something a few years back. I don't know what ever happened to the report, though since it got hushed up awful quick."

"You think we've found our own tropical paradise?"

"You can't argue with the flowers."

"Not until I confirm what they are."

"Can you imagine how incredible a find this is? Flora in Antarctica. Incredible! We'll be famous — you and I."

Alex wasn't sure how famous he wanted to be.

"We'll need more lights."

Jim's flashlight beam disappeared.

"Shit."

"What's the matter?"

"Batteries must be dead."

"Didn't you bring the hand pump one?"

"That thing sucks."

"Well, it never goes out."

"Hang on a second. Don't move it's rough footing. You'll break a leg if you aren't careful."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the opening."

"I can follow."

"Too risky. I've made the trip twice already."

"I'm connected by the rope. I can stumble along."

"Forget it. Just hang here a second and I'll be right back."

"Jim, it's goddamn dark in here."

"Jesus Alex, just chill out a second, okay. I'll be right back."

Alex leaned back into the cave wall and sighed. "Go already."

"Five minutes. No more."

Alex could hear the scraping of Jim's feet as he moved off down the cave away from him. From the sound of it, Jim wasn't as sure-footed as he claimed to be. Twice he heard him stumble and swear loudly.

Alex almost smiled.

The darkness around him seemed absolute. He looked back the way they'd come trying to see the light from the small opening with the flowers but he couldn't see a thing. He looked toward the opening of the fissure — where Jim had just gone.

He couldn't see anything ahead of him, either.

He could hear his breathing. Surprised at how fast and labored he sounded, he tried to calm himself down. He couldn't remember ever being really afraid of the dark. But then again, he'd never really been in absolute darkness before. Most times, he could see shapes and shadows from ambient light.

He couldn't see anything right now.

But he could hear things.

An odd scrape sounded somewhere ahead of him. Alex frowned.

"Jim?"

The sound stopped.

Alex felt his eyes squinting. As if that would help.

"Don't dick around with me, Jim. This is not the time or the place for this shit."

The sudden scream sounded much further away than the scrape. Alex recognized Jim's wail.

"What th-?"

He started running toward the scream. But then it died as quickly as it had begun.

And once again, the silence loomed heavy over him.

Had Jim fallen? Alex felt his lungs heaving as he tripped and fell down the corridor. He bumped his head off the rock wall twice, smelling a sudden draw of coppery blood. It streamed down his face from the cut by the temple.

He might need stitches.

His shoes felt heavy. Alex could feel his balance going and he lurched forward, crashing into the floor of the cave.

"Goddamit!"

His gloved hands scraped the floor and he tried to push himself off the ground.

That's when he felt the sudden crushing weight drop on him.

A rock?

Breathing.

He heard breathing.

His own?

Alex's lungs heaved. The weight felt like it was squeezing him to death. He tried to turn over, tried to dislodge the weight.

A draft tickled his ear.

Warm.

Humid.

And the stench of fetid…Alex gagged.

He scrambled to get onto his back and finally felt enough room to do so.

In the darkness, ensconced in the humid draw of breath, he saw the two glowing orbs above him, maybe ten feet away.

And then saw them rushing in at him.

Felt the crashing weight.

Heard his own choked screech.

And then the blackness swallowed him whole.

1

"Charlie 1–5 calling Howard Base. Come in, over."

Julia Devereaux looked at the C-130 pilot for the third time in as many minutes. "Still nothing?"

"No response. No, ma'am."

Julia felt her back slump, a dull ache from hunching over the seat. She couldn't wait to get out of this damned plane. "Any chance their beacon's out?"

"Could be. We can't tell from up here, of course."

"Weather?"