Hostile Emergence (Across Horizons Book 3) by Stan C. Smith

Author:Stan C. Smith [Smith, Stan C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-11-29T16:00:00+00:00

Despite the ache in her shoulder, Skyra was feeling good as they made their way down the long ramp toward the ground floor. She was carrying a dead bat over her other shoulder, holding it by the base of one wing while the other wing dragged on the floor. The bat was not as heavy as it looked—Jazzlyn had explained that bats needed to have light bones so they could fly—but it would have plenty of meat. They had killed all five of the adult bats, leaving the young to hunt another day. Actually, Skyra was sure another five or so adults would stay behind with the babies tomorrow. They probably always left a few behind to care for their young. If so, Skyra and the others could come and hunt the adults each time they needed to replenish their supply of meat. Today was a good day.

The others didn’t seem as thrilled about hunting the adult bats, but Skyra was sure this was safer than hunting beyond the city among the deadly wasps, prairie dogs, and whatever other creatures they had not yet discovered.

Derek was carrying one of the other bats, and he paused to rest. “I seriously cannot believe these people walked all the way up and down these buildings like this every day. I’m thinking that center column we’ve seen in each building has to be an elevator shaft. Has to be. Because… damn!”

Virgil said, “Not possible. The buildings have no other means of support other than these spiral ramps. The center column has to be for support, not an elevator shaft. I think we can safely assume these people liked to walk everywhere they went, and they liked to sit around and talk to each other. Physically fit and intellectually stimulated—an impressive combination.”

Derek hoisted his bat back onto his shoulder and resumed walking. “More like perpetually exhausted and bored.”

Skyra picked up her pace, anxious to get to the ground floor then out to the street to recover the two bats that had fallen. She hoped they were dead. They had appeared dead as they were falling, but she wouldn’t know for sure until they got out there. So, they continued down the ramp, past level after level, spiral after spiral.

Di-woto was staying even closer to Skyra now than she normally did. The girl still smiled whenever Skyra caught her eye, but her face was pale. She was obviously still thinking of her encounter with the bats. Skyra understood this. She had almost been killed numerous times while hunting. When she was younger, each of these narrow escapes had made her heart pound and her belly unsettled for the rest of the day, sometimes even into the day after. Over time she had learned to ignore it, and Di-woto would learn too.

Lincoln caught up to Skyra and Di-woto. He was carrying the third bat over his shoulder, while Jazzlyn and Virgil were carrying his and Derek’s weapons. His free hand was swinging at his side, and he reached out and took Skyra’s free hand in his.

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