Pilgrim (19 page)

“How much stuff do you have in that bag?”
Aart asked, “I’m beginning to see why you want it back so
desperately, it must have almost everything you own.”

She rolled her eyes at him and then returned
her attention to the pile of torches.

“Keep ya knickers on,” Gus said, sauntering
up to them. He pulled a pistol from the back of his belt and pulled
the trigger.

Nova covered her head and ducked to the side
but there was no sudden bang or explosion of shrapnel. She opened
her eyes and saw a tiny flame dancing at the end of Gus’s pistol.
It glowed orange, and gave off a surprising amount of heat for its
size.

“Alright, we have to be ready to go. As soon
as we’ve each got a torch we run for that door. Everyone take a few
magnesium strips. Only use them if you’re really in trouble,” Nova
said, holding out the metal. She was left with four strips which
she tucked into her belt.

“My bag isn’t far from here. We need to get
there so that I can get hold of my gun. I would bet the queen isn’t
far from there, but she’ll be protected,” Nova said, standing with
a crude torch in hand.

“And whatever you do, don’t let a slug crawl
into your ear,” Aart added.

They nodded at each other and put their
torches towards the centre. Gus’s small flame flickered a few times
and then flared as the cloth at the end of each of their torches
caught fire.

“Go, go, go!” Aart said, gesturing to
Nova.

She ran at full pelt to the door. There was
no need to punch in a code because it was torn clean off its
runners. Dozens of reaching hands filled the darkness beyond the
doorway. Aart was right behind her and as one they thrust out their
torches. The sudden brightness and heat in the confined space made
their attackers scream.

The half-human creatures withdrew their
hands and shielded their faces from the sudden onslaught.

Nova and Aart pushed forward. They swung
their torches left and right and the flames hissed with the
movement.

The creatures retreated before them, turning
and running out of the ship and into the cavern beyond. Their cries
echoed around the large space and were joined by a hundred other
voices.

Nova’s face remained set as she stepped out
of the ship and into the chaos beyond.

In the flickering torchlight, she could see
bodies milling in chaotic rings. The creatures pushed and shoved to
get out of the circle of light, swarming over each other. Cries of
pain echoed out of the masses.

“Get a move on Nova, our torches won’t last
forever,” Aart said.

Orion and Gus came up behind them and the
four torches created a circle of light ten metres wide which
illuminated the dirt all around.

“This way,” she said, running to her
left.

The creatures parted before them like a
great sea, their figures only just visible at the edge of the
torchlight.

“They’re getting bolder,” Orion said, waving
his gun. The creatures were closing in on them from the back. They
had their eyes closed and were gaining quickly.

“Shoot the suckers,” Gus said, firing his
colossal gun. It boomed in the enclosed cavern and the sound
reverberated around the walls.

A creature exploded in a spray of blood and
guts which painted the walls and floor red. The other creatures
drew back from the light.

“Our guns would never last long enough to
kill all of them. Let’s hope they don’t get any more ideas,” said
Nova.

The outer wall of the colony ship was on her
left and the massive carved wall of the cavern in front.

“There!” she called when she saw the dark
tunnel at the edge of their torchlight.

They sprinted into the blackness and were
relieved to see their way clear of the creatures, at least for the
moment. Behind them was another matter entirely. The creatures had
closed in and blocked their retreat; hundreds of them swarmed into
the tunnel just out of view of the torchlight.

They got to the fork in the tunnel; one path
had a flower carved above the entrance and the other had a moon.
Nova dashed down the tunnel with the moon. Just a few steps down
and she was confronted with a pile of equipment.

“Here!” she said as they burst into a small
chamber. Personal belongings were stacked in the centre in some
kind of ceremonial pile. Nova’s bag sat at the very top, the
crowning piece in a very sick display.

She reached over the stack and grabbed hold
of her bag, swinging it over her shoulder as she did so. The weight
was a comfort. It was still soaking wet; so much for her flares and
fire-starters. She reached back into the pile and pulled out her
holster belt. Her gun was still inside. She clipped the belt around
her waist and pulled out her gun, checking the chamber before
slamming it back into the holster.

“Got to keep moving,” she said, dashing out
of the cavern. It was a shame to leave such a treasure trove
behind, but there was no time for scrounging now. She made a note
to come back after the queen was dead.

She sprinted down the tunnel, the path
etched into her memory. Left, right, right, left. She weaved
through the catacombs and deeper into the slugs’ lair. The pounding
feet of her fellow bounty hunters were comforting in the lonely
tunnels.

“Shouldn’t we be worried about running out
of air?” Orion said.

“Nah, those things breathe air, if they made
these tunnels there must be air in them,” she said.

“Do you really think those creatures made
these tunnels? I mean, look at the carvings. They don’t seem like
the artistic type,” Gus puffed from the rear of their line.

“Cal thinks these are a sub-species, more
primitive. The ones that nearly took out the Confederacy were
advanced, not like this. Maybe they used to be more cultured?” Nova
said without slowing.

“Bloody Confederacy,” Aart grumbled from
behind.

“So what now?” Orion asked. “I don’t know
about you guys, but my torch is starting to fail.”

“Mine too,” said Gus.

“Yeah and ours,” said Aart.

“Take the torches back the way we’ve come
for a second,” Nova said, thrusting her own torch into Aart’s
hand.

“Are you crazy? If they come the other way,
they’ll eat you up before you can say ‘Aart, I was wrong’. Then
where will you be?” said Aart.

“Just do it,” she said, shoving him
back.

He backed away to the tunnel they’d come
from and the others followed suit. The creatures which had poured
down after them could be heard yelling as they tried to back away
from the newly advancing light.

Nova didn’t pay it any mind. A twinkle down
the other tunnel had caught her eye. She walked away from her
companions and the screaming creatures to the farther tunnel. She
stepped into the darkness and peered with narrowed eyes. Without
the interfering glow of their torches, it was clear what lay
ahead.

“This way!” she bellowed.

The others ran after her and together they
sprinted down the new tunnel.

“Where are you leading us?” Aart said.

“Just keep an eye on your torch,” she said,
watching it sputter out of the corner of her eye.

She led them on down the tunnel; it bent
back and forth before spilling out into a new, bigger cavern,
dotted with the glowing mushrooms. They sprouted from the ceiling,
walls, and floor.

She lifted her hands to shield her eyes from
the sudden light.

“Just in time,” Gus said as his torch
guttered out of existence. The other torches were right behind.

“I don’t think these mushrooms will be
bright enough to stop them for long,” Nova said. “Collect what you
can and then we’ll have to keep moving.”

The four of them got to work, loading the
blue mushrooms into their bags. They were spongy under Nova’s
hands. Unlike most mushrooms, these smelled fresh, like bubble-gum
of all things. The glow lit her face as she picked each one and
placed it into her bag.

“Here they come,” Aart said as the sounds of
pursuit got closer.

“Still think killing the queen is a good
idea?” Orion asked.

“Yes,” Nova replied. “Besides, I think I
know how to find her.”

She didn’t have time to explain any further
because at that moment the creatures poured out of the tunnel and
into the glowing chamber. Some of them lifted up their hands to
protect their faces, but the low blue glow didn’t affect them
nearly as much as the harsh light of the torches.

Nova dashed behind a nearby fallen rock. She
pulled her gun from its holster and levelled it at the mindless
enemy.

“Look out!” Aart yelled as a creature thrust
its body forward and hurled its stomach contents at them.

Aart dived out of the way just in time. The
bile flew into the far wall, splattered across it and down to the
floor. Nova’s eyes opened wide with horror when she saw that the
expelled puddle was teaming with slugs.

“It’s infected!” she called out to her
fellow hunters. “They’re trying to infect you!”

There was no time for waiting. She cocked
her gun and fired it at the nearest creature. It was just about to
hurl its stomach contents at Gus when her blast caught it full in
the chest. The creature ruptured into a thousand pieces and the
puddle of remains it left behind writhed with slugs.

“They weren’t like this last time,” Aart
said as he fired shots into the swarm of creatures.

“They must be a special sort of soldier,”
Nova replied over the din of gunshots.

“Some welcoming party,” Gus added as he
fired from his hip. The blast from his gun took out three creatures
at once and created a hole in their attack line.

“You know we can’t keep this up forever,”
Aart called.

“I know, we just have to hold them long
enough for me to come up with a plan,” Nova said.

“Well by all means, take your time,” Orion
said through clenched teeth as he fired blast after blast at the
oncoming horde.

“Everyone else is welcome to come up with
plans too, you know!”

She squeezed her trigger again. This time,
the blue bolt took a creature in the head and its brains exploded
to splatter its companions.

“Aart, look out!” she yelled, but she was
too late.

A creature convulsed and then threw up over
Aart’s face and body.

“You sick ba—” Aart began and then hurled
his own bile onto the floor of the cave.

“Aart, get them off,” Nova yelled, leaving
the cover of her rock to sprint to Aart’s side.

Gus and Orion stepped in front of them and
fired at the advancing creatures. Their shots reverberated around
and the sudden bright lights of the energy blasts made the
creatures cringe.

She shoved her gun into its holster and
desperately swiped the slugs off of Aart’s body. She wacked them
with deft strokes, clearing them off of his clothes and head. There
were hundreds of them. They clung to his clothes with unnatural
suckers and every one of them was working its way towards his
head.

“This is the most disgusting thing that’s
ever happened,” Aart said as he too ran his hands over his body,
flicking off the black slugs.

“I don’t know, that girl you dated last year
was pretty bad,” Nova said. She tried to keep her voice light, but
the sight of the slugs crawling over her friend’s body and face was
nauseating. On top of that was the stench of the bile clinging to
his clothes. Even through her cloth mask she could smell it. It was
a sour acrid scent that crawled into her nostrils and made her want
to throw up as well.

“Hilarious,” Aart replied but his voice was
distracted. He jumped from foot to foot, trying to shake the
creatures from his legs and arms.

“They’re still coming,” she said as she
stared at the floor. As quickly as they were flicking the slugs
off, they crawled across the floor, back towards Aart.

“Get away,” Aart said as he also saw them
swarming towards him.

“No way,” Nova said, desperately brushing
the black creatures off of Aart’s skin.

“I said get away!” Aart yelled, shoving her
in the chest. The force of his blow sent her stumbling backwards,
her arms swinging to keep balanced.

“They’ll just try and get you too, I’ve got
them,” Aart said, glaring at her, daring her to come towards
him.

She stuck out her chin but didn’t come any
closer. Instead, she went to work stomping the black creatures that
were sliding across the dirt floor towards Aart. They left tiny
trails of slime in their wake and they didn’t stop advancing until
her boot slammed down on them. Under the force of her feet, the
creatures burst into small puddles of blood.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched
the rest of the fight.

Gus roared as he held the trigger of his gun
down and fired shot after shot into the advancing mass. The energy
blasts tore through the creatures which collapsed to the floor.
Their flesh tore from their bones and flew across the cavern to
decorate the glowing mushrooms. Sweat trickled down Gus’s
dirt-stained face. The corner of his mouth twisted up as he sneered
at his opponents.

On the other side of Aart, Orion was
similarly laying waste to the oncoming enemy. His gun was smaller
than Gus’s but he fired just as many shots. They streamed into the
enemy lines and left burning holes through their heads and chests.
Orion leapt out of the way of their regurgitation attacks and
hopped up onto a larger boulder. From that position, he fired down
into the crowd, picking off one after another like shooting apples
in an orchard.

“They’re giving up,” Aart said, looking up
at Nova with wild hope.

She looked back at him and sighed with
relief when she saw the slugs falling from Aart’s skin and clothes.
They dropped to the cave floor and splatted on impact. Some of them
survived and crawled towards Nova’s shoes, the rest didn’t get
up.