The Lost Level (14 page)

When the fire began to dim, I added some more wood to it. Then, I
tended to my gear. Using some broad, green leaves, I wiped down my police riot
armor and helmet and sat them aside to air out. Then I cleaned my dagger,
sword, and handgun. Using the reflective side of one of the compact discs I’d
scavenged from the Jeep, I studied my reflection. It was strange, seeing myself
with a beard and longer hair. Even stranger were the new contours in my face.
Gone was the puffiness and sagginess of civilized living. I’d already known I’d
lost weight after having to cinch up my pants with a belt made from vines, but
it became even more apparent when I saw my reflection. My face looked leaner. I
liked it.

It occurred to me that, judging by the length of my hair, the
beard growth, and the changes in my face, I’d been here longer than I’d
thought. Although it felt like only a few days had passed since my arrival, the
length of my hair seemed to indicate that it had been a month or more. The same
could be said of my beard. Its scruffiness indicated that I’d been growing it
for weeks, rather than days. Another indicator was the loss of fat and the
addition of muscle throughout my body. I’d always been in fairly decent
physical shape, but since arriving in the Lost Level, it had taken on more
visible prominence.

I don’t know how long I sat there, lost in my thoughts. I
certainly wasn’t paying attention to anything around me. It wasn’t until the
mournful call of an owl startled me from my musings that I remembered I was
supposed to be on watch. I glanced at the fire and was surprised to see that it
had burned down once more to just a few glowing embers. My gear was just beyond
the fire, and Kasheena and Bloop lay past that. Had it been dark, they would
have just been two dark lumps in the shadows.

The owl hooted again. I scanned the trees, looking for it. I didn’t
have to search for long. A large, winged form soared down from the treetops and
perched on a low–hanging limb nearby. I studied the bird, and it did the same
to me. As far as I could determine, it was a normal owl just like the ones we
had back home. It turned its head slightly, staring at me with gold–rimmed
eyes. I stared back at it, mesmerized. A sense of calm came over me. I relaxed.
The owl’s eyes seemed to grow bigger. I watched it, mesmerized. It didn’t move.
Just stared. And I did the same.

I was dimly aware of Kasheena stirring. She rose without a sound
and crawled to my side, also staring at the owl. She didn’t speak. She, too,
seemed mesmerized.

The bird hooted a third time, and I tried to turn toward
Kasheena, only to find that I couldn’t move. The calm sensation vanished.
Alarmed, I struggled against an unseen force that held me in place. I couldn’t
kick my legs out or move my arms, nor could I speak. Only my heart and lungs
continued to work. The rest of me was paralyzed. I couldn’t even swallow. The
worst part was still having my wits, but being unable to do anything. It was
frustrating to have my weapons within reach but unable to use them.

My alarm turned to sheer terror as the owl fluttered down from
the tree limb and onto the ground in front of us. As I watched, the owl
transformed, changing from a bird of prey into the pop culture representation
of a grey alien. The entity’s mass seemed to flow like liquid or twist like
taffy as the transformation took place. The metamorphosis lasted only seconds.
The alien was short, possessed a bulbous head and two large eyes, a small slit
of a mouth, an almost non–existent nose, elongated arms, and disturbingly long
fingers. The creature was dressed in a black one–piece uniform that ran from
its feet up to its neck, leaving only its hands uncovered. The uniform had no
discernible writing or markings on it—nothing to identify an affiliation or
origin.

The alien regarded us with no visible emotion. A device appeared
in its hand—a small, metallic rod with a blue–lighted tip, about the size of a
stage magician’s wand. The Grey pointed the device at us, and I felt a tingle
go through my body, as if my limbs were numb and asleep. I tried to scream but
to no avail. My body ignored my commands. I could barely breathe, let alone cry
out. I tried tensing my muscles, desperate to break free, but nothing happened.
Never had I felt so aware—or so utterly helpless.

A glowing sliver of light appeared behind the alien, some
distance off into the forest and bright enough to stand out from the perpetual
sunlight. I tried gritting my teeth, intent on breaking free, but nothing
happened. The light quickly expanded into the shape of a doorway. Shadowy forms
of other alien beings hovered in the doorway, watching the confrontation.

Our captor turned to face the door and began walking toward it.
Inexplicably, Kasheena and I began to follow him. I fought with my body,
desperate for control, but my legs continued to betray me. I caught a glimpse
of Kasheena’s face as she crossed into view. The terror and dread in her eyes
mirrored my own. I struggled desperately to regain the use of my limbs, but I
couldn’t even grit my teeth, much less fight back. Hopeless and helpless, we
were drawn toward the strange, looming doorway. The light grew brighter, so
dazzlingly luminescent that it hurt my eyes. Its glare was strong enough to
make me forget all about the ever–present sun for a moment.

I became aware of a low, monotonous hum. The noise was coming
from the glow and seemed to vibrate through the entire forest, thrumming
beneath our feet. Strangely, my ears popped, as if from a sudden pressure
change, and my eyes began to water.

A second alien stepped out of the light and joined the other one.
The two watched us, their expressions impassive, as we were drawn closer toward
the strange glow. I tried one more time to break the inertia that held me
captive, but it was useless. I was filled with despair. Had I been able to
scream, I would have. Instead, I could only watch, feeling my terror grow with
each step. The light became so bright that I could almost feel it on my skin.
My vision grew blotchy, but still I was unable to turn away, or even blink.

Then, I heard a snarl behind us, and my heart jumped in elation.
I recognized that growl. Had I been able to cheer, I would have done so loudly.

Seconds later, Bloop bounded forward, reacting savagely to the
two aliens. Apparently, the strange force they’d used to spellbind Kasheena and
myself had been ineffective on our bestial friend. Our captors seemed visibly
startled, enough that the one holding the strange rod dropped the device. The
blue light on the tip of the rod winked out. The creature bent, fumbling for
it, and then Bloop was upon him—a furious, whirling, blue–furred cyclone of
teeth and claws. He landed on the alien’s back and wound his tail around his
opponent’s long, skinny neck. Then, with one quick, savage motion, his head
darted forward, and he buried his snout in the Grey’s throat, while slashing at
its uniform and back with his talons. The alien uttered a pitiful, warbling
cry—a shriek that was cut off seconds later as Bloop’s jaws clenched shut in
its neck. The alien gurgled. When Bloop opened his mouth again, there was a
gaping, ragged hole where the victim’s throat had been. Even as the creature
toppled to the ground, Bloop leapt from its back and launched himself after the
second alien, who turned and fled toward the light. I realized that Bloop wasn’t
carrying his swords. In his haste to save us, he’d apparently forgotten them.

With the death of our attacker and the apparent damaging of the
mysterious rod from which it had controlled us, I found my paralysis was
broken. I glanced at Kasheena and verified that she could move again, as well.
She seemed disoriented, as if awaking from a troubling dream. I sympathized
with her. I felt sluggish and tingly, as if I’d just awoken from a nap to find
my hands and arms still asleep. I flexed my fingers and toes, trying to get the
blood flow back to them, and called out to Bloop. My voice was barely a
whisper. I paused, summoning my energy and trying to clear my head, and then
shouted again, louder this time. Our companion ignored me, caught up in his
single–minded pursuit.

The second alien ran toward the light, with Bloop hot on his
trail. But as the duo approached the glow, the light quickly diminished and
then blinked out altogether, reminding me of a television being switched off.
The humming sound ceased as suddenly as it had begun. With a frightened yell,
the Grey changed course, heading deeper into the forest. Bloop did the same,
seemingly determined to mete out a punishment similar to the one he’d given its
companion. Although the alien’s language was gibberish to my ears, I could tell
that it was frightened.

“Come on,” I said to Kasheena, my voice hoarse and breathless. “We’d
better go after Bloop. He’s not armed.”

“I would say that he is.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Judging by the way he
just killed that Grey, I suppose he doesn’t even need those swords he’s been
carrying. But still…we don’t know the full capabilities of his foe. It sounds
panicked, and that makes it even more dangerous than before.”

I quickly retrieved our weapons. Then, we jogged after our
companion and his prey. Both of us stumbled a bit as we set off. My limbs were
still numb from the effects of the temporary paralysis but loosened up again as
I ran. Bloop, suffering from no such malady, bounded ahead of us, crashing
through the undergrowth like a bullet. I couldn’t see the alien, but I did hear
it, squealing with terror at being abandoned and pursued.

“Bloop,” I called, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Come back!”

Ignoring my cries, our furry companion leaped onto a low–hanging
tree limb and swung through the treetops, propelling himself along with both
his arms and tail. Kasheena and I doubled our efforts to keep up with him, and
our campsite faded from view. There was no way to get off a shot at our
attacker and still keep pace.

We saw brief flashes of grey and black as the alien fled, darting
among the thick vegetation. Overhead, branches shook and leaves cascaded down
as Bloop raced along, moving even faster now that he was airborne. I soon found
myself winded and gasping for breath. I noticed that Kasheena was panting, as
well. I was just about to call a halt and suggest we give up when a horrifying
shriek echoed through the forest, followed by a shout of surprise from Bloop.

Kasheena and I paused, glanced at each other, and then pressed
on. The alien’s screams increased, growing more frenzied and louder. Ahead, I
saw Bloop drop down out of a tree. He recoiled fearfully from something I
couldn’t see. We raced toward him, weapons at the ready, but Bloop turned
toward us and held out his hands, palms up, urging caution. Slowly, we
approached, and what we saw made us both gasp aloud.

The Grey stood ankle–deep in a small puddle of water that was
spread out along the forest floor. At least, it
looked
like a puddle of
water. But it was doing things that water wasn’t supposed to do, like flowing
upward. As we watched, tendrils of fluid climbed up the alien’s legs, entwining
around the creature’s body. More liquid followed, and then the entire puddle
began to slide up, until the Grey was covered from the waist down. The alien
thrashed and screamed but was unable to break away.

We backed up, watching in revulsion as our former attacker’s body
began to dissolve. The pain and terror reflected in those obsidian, full moon
eyes was terrible to behold, and I felt my loathing for the Grey turn to pity
as it slowly liquefied. The alien gave one last, anguished cry and then fell
silent. Trembling, it continued to stare at us. Kasheena turned away from it,
and I noticed that she was crying. Bloop grunted and then stared at the ground.
I watched, unable to tear myself away from its gaze until the swirling water
flowed over its head, extinguishing those orbs forever. Then, the elongated
form splashed back to the ground, forming a puddle once more—albeit bigger than
it had been before. The pool rippled and quivered and then went still.

I hadn’t realized until that moment that I’d been holding my
breath. A shudder ran through me as I exhaled, and that feeling of dread
returned. I wondered how long could I realistically survive in a dimension
where even the water could eat you. But then I glanced at my companions. I didn’t
know Bloop’s origin, but Kasheena had been here all her life and was still
alive despite that fact. At that thought, my fears eased somewhat.

Bloop motioned us backward, and we did as directed, creeping away
in silence until the puddle was out of sight. Then, we turned around and
retraced our steps back to the camp. As we walked, I touched Bloop’s shoulder.
His muscles were still taut and tense, but when he looked at me, he smiled.

“Thanks, buddy. You saved our lives tonight…today. Whatever it is
here.”

I stuck out my hand to shake. He glanced down at it, and then
back up at me. His brow furrowed in confusion.

“I guess your people don’t shake hands,” I said. “And I don’t
know if you can understand me, but thanks. That’s all I wanted to say. Just
thanks.”

He stared at me for a moment, and then his smile grew broader.

“Bloop,” he said and pounded his chest with one fist.

I laughed, nodding. “Bloop, indeed, my friend. Bloop, indeed.”

“What was that thing?” Kasheena asked. “It looked like water, but
it…was not.”

“I don’t know,” I answered, surprised. “I was just about to ask
you the same thing. You’ve never seen something like that before?”

She shook her head. “Never. And I’ve never heard anyone in my
village speak of such a thing, either.”

“I noticed something during our journey. Every time we’ve stopped
for water, Bloop has sniffed the source first. It didn’t matter if it was a
stream or a pool or even a puddle. He always smelled it first. I thought maybe
he was checking to see if they were stagnant, even though that didn’t make much
sense at the time. But now I have to wonder if he was checking to see if the
water sources were one of those creatures back there. Maybe he’s had experience
with them before?”