Memory Soup
By Emily M. Hanson
Part 8
* * * * *
Hamlet, Horatio, Kilroy, Kaladox, Infinity and Silverclaw reached the 10th level two days later. Exhausted from fighting the creatures on the levels above and nursing several wounds, they stopped to rest in an empty room. It was unusually clean. The stone floor gleamed as the green light from their glow sticks reflected on its surface.
"This will give us a good chance to rest for a bit," Hamlet said as he sat down.
"Hey, the floor is really cold," Infinity remarked. "And it's clean. I mean, how long has it been since we've actually seen anything clean down here?"
"We haven't, not since the room where we found the rod," Kilroy replied. "Do you think something else could be hidden here?"
"It's possible, but there aren't any bumps or holes or notches that would indicate it," Kaladox answered.
Suddenly a low rumble could be heard as the walls began to move closer together, with no indication of stopping. The room's entrance was now blocked by a stone slab.
"Uh oh," Kilroy said. He glanced up, hoping to find some clue on the ceiling as to their predicament. There was nothing except a glowing yellow light, which hadn't been on before. "Look up there," he exclaimed.
"That light must indicate a power source," Horatio remarked. "Perhaps extinguishing it would ease our situation."
Kaladox fumbled in his backpack for the rod as the walls moved closer together.
"Hurry," Infinity shouted.
The native Mitzelgranian flipped the rod's switch, throwing them all into pitch darkness. An eerie silence followed. The rumble could no longer be heard.
"Whew," she said.
Hamlet felt around where the door was. "I hate to say this, but we're still trapped here. The door is blocked."
"Doors can be broken. Allow me," Silverclaw said. With a loud growl, she launched herself at the stone slab, which refused to give in. After several tries, she sat back down. "It's too thick."
Without warning, another rumbling sound pierced the air.
"The floor is moving!" Kilroy exclaimed.
"This is not a good sign," Infinity replied, then screamed as the formerly solid ground beneath her slid away.
They didn't fall for long, just far enough to sustain some mild bruises. They were in a large cavern with crystals growing on the walls, and an underground river that flowed into an adjacent tunnel. Phosphorescent mushrooms lit the area with an eerie glow.
"Does anyone know where we are?" Horatio asked.
No one did.
"We might as well follow the river," Kaladox said.
Since no one could argue, they headed for the tunnel.
* * * * *
After several hours of walking through the long winding passageway, they came out several feet ahead of the room with the trap. The river ended in a small mirror-like pool in a cavern with only two exits -- the way they came, and a tunnel to the southeast. Suddenly a loud screeching pierced the air as vampire bats descended from their perch, sensing prey.
"Get it off me," Infinity shrieked as one of the bats bit her on the ear.
She smacked the creature with her arm, but it held on. Kilroy rushed to her side and tried to pull the bat away, to no avail.
"Be careful," she shouted, "or that thing will rip off my ear!"
One well-placed shot from a blaster would take out the creature. "Stand as still as possible," he said.
"Stand still? Are you crazy?"
"I'm going to shoot it."
Having no choice, Infinity forced herself to stand still while the vampire bat drained her blood. Kilroy aimed his blaster and a dazzling ray of red energy struck the creature, killing it instantly. He forced its mouth open and threw the dead bat onto the ground. A steady stream of blood was flowing from Infinity's ear.
"Thank you," she said while trying to stop the blood flow with her shirt sleeve.
He ripped a piece of fabric from his own shirt and gave it to her. "Use this instead."
It worked much better. As chaos raged around them, Infinity couldn't help but notice that Kilroy seemed more handsome than ever. Part of her wondered if it was because he had just saved her life, or if she'd been attracted to him from the beginning. The moment was dispelled by a furry fist clawing a bat that had swooped over him. Silverclaw growled at the injured bat, which was now flapping on the ground. Its bones crunched beneath her foot as she stepped on it.
"That's one step for werewolves, one step for vampire-bat-kind," Kilroy joked, trying to make the situation seem less stressful.
"It is dead," Silverclaw replied with a snarl. "That is all I care about."
A few minutes later, all of the bats in the vicinity had been destroyed. Everyone continued on their way through the long, winding tunnel.
* * * * *
