Hunter's Moon by Paul Finch

Author:Paul Finch [Finch, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Fiction, Media Tie-In, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure
ISBN: 9781849902366
Google: bPK8g5ULv10C
Amazon: 1445878143
Publisher: BBC BOOKS
Published: 2011-04-28T07:00:00+00:00

The creature was composed entirely of viscous, translucent

ooze.

Its body reared up in front of them - if it could really

be called a body - so that it filled the entire subterranean

passage. It was little more in truth than a shapeless,

malleable blob, but it had a revolting, fish-like stench

and it gave off a shimmering, green light, which revealed

innards cluttered with half-dissolved human bones. It

rolled towards them along the passage like a slow-motion

wave, liquid-light patterns playing across the roof and

walls as it drew closer.

Dora had shrieked as soon as she'd seen it. She was

still shrieking now, instead of turning to run. Harry didn't

react much more sensibly, wrapping his arms around her

in a futile attempt at protection.

'This way,' Rory cried, yanking them both backwards

They stumbled away. The hellish thing pursued, but

it moved ponderously. Rory glanced back once, seeing

its immense, jellified bulk filling the passage for several

dozen metres.

On venturing down to the lower levels via an escalated

staircase, they'd entered a warren of tunnels and culverts,

all half-buried in rubble. Progress was agonisingly slow.

Initially they hadn't worried too much about that, because

they had no idea where they were supposed to be going

anyway, but now with a predator on their trail, it was

easy to panic.

'We have to get out of here,' Dora wept, as they turned

corner after corner, but always found more stretches of

derelict conduit ahead.

'I'll fix this,' Harry tried to reassure her, at which she

thumped his chest angrily.

'How are you going to fix it, Harry? I bet you don't

even know how you got us into this, do you? And where's

Sophie? What kind of danger is our daughter in at this

moment? Are you going to fix it for her?'

'This way!' Rory shouted. He'd scouted a few metres

ahead, and now came running back. 'There's an old shaft

leading up.'

The entrance to the shaft was littered with broken

bricks, though steel cables were dangling down it, and

on one side there was a set of rungs embedded into the

concrete. Arm over aching arm, they ascended, their wet,

ragged clothes clinging like second skins. The next level

was a tiled passage with steel doors down either side.

Some of these stood open on tiny cement cells.

'Looks like a prison,' Harry said.

'I think you're right,' Rory replied. 'I heard something

about the Torodon using convict labour.'

Harry mopped sweat from his grimy brow. 'Could be

useful. Where there's a prison, there are weapons.'

Dora gazed at him with weary disbelief. 'What are you

talking about?'

'Prisoners are always stockpiling weapons. It's a gang

culture thing.'

Rory was thoughtful. 'The Doctor mentioned there

was rioting here.'

'Who's the Doctor?' Harry asked.

'Just a friend.'

'For heaven's sake!' Dora interjected. 'If there are any

weapons, they'll be sticks and stones. What good is that

going to do?'

'It's better than nothing,' Rory said. 'There might even

be a protected area where we can hold out. Come on!'

'How fascinating,' the Doctor said, gazing at the blob of

vitreous material unfolding along the passage towards

them. 'That's an oggle. From Gigantia's sea of dust.'

'How fascinating,' Krelbin agreed, lifting his Eradicator

to his shoulder.

'I thought these imported life forms were just

obstacles,' the Doctor said. 'I wasn't aware we got points

for shooting them.

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