Page 10

She shut her eyes as the thing slithering along her thigh went across her stomach. It was going to cut her open.

The blood rushed in her ears, her heart hammering. Then the thing sliding across her stomach fell away.

She took a shaky breath.

Please…please…

It was silent. She opened her eyes and didn’t see the shadow.

Maybe it was gone. Maybe it had only been an awful hallucination.

Then she heard it behind her.

“Dani?” came Garret’s voice. Only it wasn’t him.

She screamed. Snatching the stunner gun off her belt, she whirled around, letting it off blindly into the dark.

It hit the thing square in the chest. It didn’t move, didn’t even grunt in pain. The electricity danced along its body, and she got a good look at it.

Seven feet, if not more…spines, twisted horns…large red eyes.

It cocked its head and stared at her curiously as if it hadn’t just been zapped by several volts of electricity. Its mouth thinned and blue-black fangs curled out.

She screamed again, backing into the tank, making it shake and tip over.

Glass shattered everywhere.

“Dani? Dani, what’s happened? Where are you?” came a voice inside her helmet.

She heard the shouts of others. Her crew. She let off another round of electricity as the monster moved again, reaching for her. This time, she hit one of the hoses on the ground. It ripped open, and steam came barreling out, hitting the thing in the face, blocking it from her sight.

She stumbled and fell. Even as she hit the ground, she tried to crawl back, to get as far away as she could.

The shouts grew closer, then more breaking of glass. Hands came around her and pulled her up just as light brightened the room.

One of the soldiers let off fire from their gun into the room. There was nothing there.

The steam slowed and evaporated, but the thing she saw was gone.

“Hey? Dani, look at me. You okay?”

She turned and looked at Garret, or rather the face of his helmet.

She blinked then righted herself, pulling away. “I’m—I’m...”

“What happened?”

She opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words. She saw her team by the door looking over at her, concerned. She searched around the room again, in every corner, along the walls.

What the fuck.

“Jesus, you’re shaking. Hey, let’s get you out of here, okay?”

She let him lead her to the door and she let the others crowd around her.

“You all right, Dani?”

“What happened?”