Lair of the Sentinels by Geoff Palmer

Author:Geoff Palmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: young adult, sci-fi, adventure, thriller, science fiction, New Zealand, action, aliens, Tim Townsend
Amazon: B01FRXHCOG
Publisher: Podsnap Publishing Ltd
Published: 2018-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

31 : Signs of Life

Tim and Alkemy kept low, shielding their eyes. The light from the passage was so intense it was like a physical presence. Tim felt it as he moved. Like battling a strong wind. Then it dimmed and the pressure eased and they found themselves in a circular tunnel similar to the one that had led to Albert’s final resting place. It was darker here and cool. Looking back, he realised they’d pushed through some sort of force field.

This passage was twice the diameter of the other shaft — they could easily stand upright — but it was damp. Two centimetres of water lay in its base. It also had its own internal illumination. The glassy walls gave off a faint pinkish glow, filling it with a soft, uniform light that made their torches unnecessary.

They edged forward, sloshing through the water.

After a short straight stretch they came to an intersection where the tunnel split into four separate passages, two curving away to the right, two curving to the left.

‘Which way?’ Tim said.

‘Here,’ Alkemy said.

Immediately to their right was a gap in the tunnel wall, a broken section where the curving passage had clipped the corner of a natural fissure in the rock. The opening was small and dark. Tim moved towards it without hesitation.

Easing through the irregular opening, they found themselves in a deep chamber plastered in soft green fungus. Stalactites of it hung from the ceiling, stalagmites of it rose from the ground. At first Tim thought they were rock formations covered in the stuff, but when he brushed against one it yielded, soft and springy, swaying back and forth in the humid air.

‘At least is warm in here,’ Alkemy whispered.

Tim realised how cold he was. The mineshaft had been cool. Their clothes were damp from where they’d pressed against the wall, and now their feet were soaked too.

They crawled in — there wasn’t room to stand upright — then sat and waited. A minute passed. Two. Three. Then shadows flickered in the outer passage. Tim pressed a finger to his lips and they edged further back into the chamber. They saw a rippling bow wave pass the entrance. Faint chittering sounds grew steadily. The Sentinels were returning.

They took cover behind a mound of fungus as a slimy, elongated shape slid past the opening in the wall.

Tim was surprised at how big they were. It hadn’t registered in his dreams or even in silhouette. Height and width were arbitrary measurements for such amorphous creatures, but in terms of bulk they must have been the size of small cars. The one passing filled the passage completely, moving with surprising speed.

They waited.

The second one began gliding past. Then it paused. Something happened to the side pressed against the opening of the fungus chamber, and Tim realised it was oozing itself into their space. He touched Alkemy’s arm. She’d seen it too and they inched back further, keeping low as a bulbous head extruded through the creature’s side, swelling up before them in monstrous outline.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.