Kraken Rising: Alex Hunter 6 by Greig Beck

Author:Greig Beck [Beck, Greig]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Horror, Mythology & Folk Tales, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Thrillers & Suspense, Suspense, Ghosts, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy, Fairy Tales
ISBN: 9781760301293
Amazon: B011MQQYCI
Publisher: Momentum
Published: 2015-10-22T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 35

Alex stopped to unzip and then pull his suit down to the waist. Turning slowly, he saw Cate lagging behind and staring up at the column-like trunk of some sort of huge fungi. She smiled and nodded, and he understood exactly what was captivating her – the place they were in was beautiful, wondrous, and also terrifying. Everything he saw was larger than it should be, or its alien shapes defied being compared to anything that existed on the surface. If someone invented a time machine, and they stepped out in one of the most prehistoric of ages, this is what it would be like.

Alex remembered feeling exactly like Cate did now. He too had marveled at this world. But now, the only enjoyment he could draw from his time in this subterranean hell was that it had given him the opportunity to first meet Aimee. Everything else here was colored dark, as he knew that behind all the wonders lurked monsters, real monsters.

He watched Cate smiling and nodding at some other thing she had found. She could be a pain in the ass, but he couldn’t help liking her – strong willed, intelligent, resourceful, and with a sharp sense of humor – exactly the attributes that had first drawn him to Aimee. He looked up to the cave ceiling hundreds of feet above them, thinking of her. At least this time you’re safe at home, he thought.

Looking back to his companion, he noticed that Cate had pulled her wetsuit back up, even though he guessed her body streamed with perspiration like his own. She turned to him, and raised an eyebrow.

“That’s some wetsuit.”

He looked down at his pulled down suit – the tough looking material was more than a wetsuit, but also had armor plating woven into its Kevlar fibers. But for all its protective characteristics, it was designed more to retain heat in a cold climate, and wasn’t ideal for eighty degree heat and humidity.

She shook her head. “It’s a good look, Hercules, but I wouldn’t take it off if I was you.”

Alex shrugged. “I’m losing too much fluid through perspiration.”

“Me too, but look.” Cate pointed a gloved hand at the weird stump of a plant. Then to the stem of another – the growths held spikes, bristles, or reaching tendrils. “See the tips of these thorns? That glistening drop on each is probably venom, and given these things and humans have probably never met each other, I’ve got to assume that it’s something we’ve never had to deal with.”

Alex grunted, and looked at a stump that had four-inch thorns. “Big defenses against big eaters.”

“Big herbivores, means big predators,” Cate replied.

“You got that right.” Alex pulled the suit back up.

They walked in silence for many minutes, Cate stopping to investigate a frond here, or something crawling in the bracken there. She jogged to catch up to him.

“Can you slow down a tad? My legs aren’t as long as yours, you know.”

Alex glanced at her. “No, sorry, you must try and keep up.

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