Page 27 of Explorer’s Revenge

TWENTY-SIX

MAEVE

A noise wakes me up. I must have fallen asleep. I didn’t mean to, but luckily, I must not have been asleep long. I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out at any given moment, which is good.

I try to hear what woke me when there’s a different type of noise. It’s like something sliding across rock, something heavy. Everything in me goes cold, and I don’t know why, but I grab my light and lift it. My mind screams at me, telling me not to even as I sweep it around the area.

The noise gets louder and louder. It’s hard to pinpoint, so I focus hard, until I realize it’s coming from my right. I turn my head slowly, knowing I don’t want to see whatever it is, and shine the light there.

It’s a shape that’s moving oddly and heading my way.

For a moment, my brain seems to come to a halt as I notice black and green scales covering the entire form.

I trace them with my gaze, trying to make sense of what it is, surprised when I find a large tail at the end of the body.

With terror gripping my heart, I shine the light back across the shape, my brain not working properly.

My light catches two large eyes shining brightly in the dark, and I quickly slam my light off and carefully set it down. My hand scrambles through the sand as I search for what I need while I try to slow my heartbeat.

When I find what I was looking for, I grip the sharp bone.

Terror and instincts urge me to remain as still as possible as the noise only grows closer. My eyelids flutter halfway shut, as if that will stop whatever is coming.

I grip the bone, ready in case that thing lunges at me. I don’t think it will do much, but I’m not going down without a fight.

Just because I taste nice doesn’t mean I’m going to become monster chow, because that thing is fucking ginormous.

My brain seems to pop then, allowing me to remember the pain of teeth in my thigh. I didn’t fall or slip—I was pulled into this place by that thing. I have no idea how or why, but that . . . that crocodile thing tried to kill me.

It probably thought it did. It’s bigger than any crocodile I have ever seen, the snout and body shape distinctive. It suddenly releases a hissing noise that makes my hair stand on end as it keeps crawling closer.

I strain my eyes as it approaches, coming close enough to touch. I smell stale water and rotten meat, making me want to gag. Its tail flicks in the sand, hitting my bad leg, and I bite back my scream. refusing to move or react. If I do, it will turn that monstrous jaw and snap me in two.

Something drops from its jaw and lands in the sand with a thud, and I realize it’s a body—a person.

One of the guys? I don’t look as it lifts its head, making that noise again—a bellow? It’s horrific and beautiful at the same time, but it flashes huge, sharp teeth that have been inside my leg, and I don’t want to feel that again.

I hear another sound, this one farther away than the creature before me.

Voices! It dawns on me at the same time that thing notices.

It spins faster than I thought possible, knocking me over with its tail.

The impact causes agony to splinter through me, but I don’t make a sound as I watch it slide into the water and return to wherever it came from.

There are no bubbles or movement. I lie still, knowing it could be waiting.

When it doesn’t spring up, I slowly slide across the sand.

I dare not turn the light on, so my hands search in the dark until I hit a body.

Ignoring the pain racing through me, I skim my hands up a chest to a face, feeling it as my vision adjusts again.

Aiyaret.

It’s Aiyaret.

Blood drips down his forehead, so I lift him slowly and feel his head.

His hair is a bloody, matted mess, but he releases a groan that lets me know he’s alive.

Loathing the fact that I have to touch him since I know he hates it, I glide my hands down and check for injuries.

He has a few cuts on his legs where he was obviously carried, but nothing major except for his head.

He is very lucky.

I know the moment he wakes up—his heart starts to pound under my hand and he jerks. Covering his mouth, I lean closer so he can see me.

“Quiet,” I hiss as he struggles against me.

“Maeve,” he murmurs, and I press my hand tighter against his mouth, cutting off his words.

“Shh.” I glance at the water, but nothing moves, so I relax a little, and he nods with a wince.

He reaches for his head and seems to remember, then he sits up, his eyes wide and panicked.

Aiyaret tries to stand, so I hold him down with as much strength as I can muster, but he’s still panicking.

His breathing picks up, and it’s too loud.

It echoes around the chamber, and my terror increases at the idea of the creature hearing and coming back to finish off what it started.

“Breathe,” I command, holding his hand to my chest so he can copy my breaths, forgetting his aversion to touch, but if he keeps panicking, then we are both dead.

His wide eyes lock on me, and he nods, wincing as he slows his breathing. I let go of his hand, and his touch lingers for a moment before he snatches it back. I move a little farther away now that he’s more awake so he doesn’t get upset because I’m touching him.

“What happened?” I whisper.

“I came down looking for you. The others are going to follow, I think. I was in a cavern below the opening when something . . .” He frowns, his eyes far away. “Something hit me. That’s all I remember.”

“You have a wound on your head where you met the ground,” I murmur.

“Why are we whispering?” he asks.

“That thing that hit you? It’s down here with us,” I tell him. “I don’t know if it’s gone or waiting, but we can’t risk it. We are both injured, and we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“What was it?” he asks. “I only saw a shape. How can something even live down here?”

“I don’t know, but I’m guessing this is where all the villagers went.” It’s a thought I keep having, but I don’t know for sure. “As for what it was . . .” I glance at the water again. “It looked like a crocodile, but it was bigger than any I have ever seen. It was massive.”

“Fuck.” He rubs his head with a wince, and I tear off a strip of my shirt and dress his wound, trying to staunch the bleeding. “Thanks.”

“It’s about as good as we are going to get down here.

Hey, your bag! You still have it.” His eyes widen, and he swings it around from his back and digs inside.

When he hands over a water bottle, I take a sip, even though I want to guzzle it down.

We need to reserve it. He pulls out some bars, and we each take one.

Neither of us really want to eat, but we force the food down, knowing we need the energy and sugar.

“I don’t have a first-aid kit,” he says as he rifles around in his bag.

“It’s okay. We just need to get away from here,” I murmur softly as I wipe my mouth. I keep stealing glances at the water, knowing before long, that thing will return, and we shouldn’t be here when it does.

“The others will look for us. We need to stop them,” he hisses as if remembering again, and I worry how badly his head is injured, but there is nothing I can do for him right now.

“I know.” I glance at my leg, and he follows my gaze.

“Shit, Carter.” He reaches for me before stopping himself. “Are you okay?”

“Just peachy. I never liked that leg anyway,” I tease before turning serious at his worried look. “I’ll live, but I’ll need medical help as soon as possible.”

“Why are we alive?” he whispers as he glances around.

“From what I remember, crocodiles like to keep their prey for weeks, usually dead. It must have thought I was. I think this is its nest and feeding area. It was interrupted with you by voices. We are lucky, but it won’t last long.

We need to get out of here and to the others and back up for help.

” Sliding back, I glance around once more.

“It pulled you in here from there, so there has to be a way through. We’ll go that way. ”

“Your leg,” he reminds me.

“I’ll be fine. I’m Maeve Carter, remember?” I joke, but it falls flat. We are both too scared to appreciate humor right now. “Hey, it will be fine,” I promise as I reach for his hand before remembering. “They will be okay.”

I help him up, ignoring the agony it sends through my injured body, then take a look at the water.

I use the rock behind me to climb unsteadily to my feet, then I take one step forward, then another.

Each time I put my foot down, fire flares up my injured leg, but at least I can walk, so that’s something.

Aiyaret keeps a close eye on me, though, and I move closer, turning my flashlight on.

We need the light or we could fall and injure ourselves more.

“It came from that direction. That has to be a way out.”

Nodding, he lets me take the lead, his eyes on the water as we slowly make our way through the rocky room. I trip once, almost going down, and he catches me. As soon as I’m up, I move away, knowing his aversion to touch.

Across the room, hidden in the darkness, is a tunnel.

It’s big enough for us to walk through, and from the slide marks in the mud, it’s clear this is the entrance to its feeding ground.

It isn’t a good place to get caught, but it’s now or never, so I step inside.

My flashlight barely illuminates the twisting corridor before me.

Keeping one hand on the damp, rough rock, I lean into it as I shuffle forward.

The more I move, the more the pain grows, but my body is loosening up, making it easier even if it hurts more.

There isn’t much I can do about the pain, so I just ignore it as best as I can, peeking around a corner before shuffling around.

“What happened?” Aiy asks barely above a whisper. Neither of us want to draw that thing’s attention.