The Art of Destruction 05 by The Art of Destruction (html)

Author:The Art of Destruction (html)
Language: eng
Format: epub

Rosewonderedifshewouldeverseedaylightagain,orifshe’dhave crimson vision for evermore. She was exhausted, jumpy through lack of sleep. The passage was snaking on and on endlessly, uncomfortably cramped and narrow. She, Basel and Solomon trooped along in silence, the Doctor leading the way.‘Hello,’ he said, stopping abruptly. A hole about the size of a chubby Labrador had been made in the side of the wall. ‘What d’you think made that, then?’

‘Fat mutant mouse?’ Rose suggested.

‘Very helpful mouse.’ The Doctor checked his gadget. ‘Because this hole is exactly where we need one to be.’

‘Coincidence,’ said Rose uneasily,

The Doctor got down on all fours and shuffled through the gap. Basel helped Solomon, who was still in a total daze since his ordeal with the bats.

‘Oh yes.’ The Doctor looked all round. ‘Remember this, Solomon? Seems like only yesterday. It was only yesterday.’

Solomon glanced around, eyes haunted, but said nothing.

‘Growth chamber,’ the Doctor remarked. ‘The one where Adiel saw Kanjuchi change.’

97

‘God, are these things mushrooms?’ Rose wondered, staring in alarm at a large patch of spindly fungus.

‘Don’t eat them,’ the Doctor warned her. ‘You’d break your teeth on the gold plate for a start. . . ’

‘What gold plate?’ said Basel.

The Doctor whirled round. Rose helpfully pointed her torch at the

’shrooms. ‘Hang on,’ he said. ‘When I came here with Fynn, these were golem-mushrooms. Now they’re back to normal again.’ He snapped one off at the stalk. ‘The DNA of the original has reverted.’

Solomon seemed to stir a little at this. ‘How come fungus can do that but people can’t?’

‘Dunno. Simpler life form maybe? Or maybe the magma realised that mushrooms aren’t exactly the scariest soldiers in the world and wrote them off as a bad idea.’ The Doctor shrugged. ‘Speaking of bad ideas, I want to check out the back of this cave.’

He set off cautiously – just as the growth chamber lit up like a Catherine wheel.

‘Doctor!’ Rose yelled, her insides twisting.

A guardian had surged through the mutant mousehole, huge and undulating, glowing as if white-hot. Basel backed away alongside Rose – but Solomon just stood there.

The blob rolled forwards towards him.

‘Everyone keep back!’ the Doctor yelled, ignoring his own advice as he ran to drag Solomon clear.

Too late.

With a sudden spurt of speed, the blob elongated and squelched itself around Solomon’s hand. Solomon shrieked with pain as in a matter of seconds he was sucked into its swelling, pulsing mass. Then just as quickly the blob retreated back through its hole.

‘What do we do?’ Basel shouted, wild-eyed and anguished.

‘We get after them,’ said the Doctor, already running for the hole. But as he neared it, a gleaming creature the size of a cat scuttled out on warped, knotted legs. Rose was almost sick. Once, this thing had been a scorpion. Now it was a nightmare monster, waving its crusty gold claws in warning, flexing its hideous golden sting high over its 98

head. Another one was jostling to get out just behind it, scratching its sting against the rock.

The Doctor looked back at Rose and the others.

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