The Lost Level (22 page)

They attacked as a group, rushing us all at once. The archers
remained behind, perhaps not wanting to risk shooting one of their companions.
The Anunnaki closest to me charged with his axe held high, ready to bury it in
my head. Before he could do so, I extended my arm and shot him point blank in
the face. The snake man flopped backward, dying as he’d attacked—silently. I
parried a sword thrust with my own and simultaneously fired another shot at a
third attacker, but my aim was off and I missed. I saw a head go flying into
the grass, trailing blood and tendons, and assumed that Kasheena had been
responsible for the decapitation. I heard her grunting and cursing behind me,
but was too engaged with the battle to turn and see for myself.

I dodged another sword thrust and returned one of my own,
slashing my attacker’s side, but in doing so, revealed my unguarded ribs to
another opponent. The Reptilian thrust at me with his knife, but at the last
moment, was jerked violently off his scaled feet by Bloop, who, despite his
injury, had managed to loop his tail around the creature’s legs and trip him. I
turned my attention back to my primary foe, while Bloop ripped the fallen
Anunnaki’s throat apart with his talons. The snake man jittered helplessly as
he bled out onto the ground. An arrow whizzed by me, close enough that I felt
the wind of its passage. Kasheena dropped the archer who had fired it. I hoped
it was the one who had shot Bloop.

We parried and struck and fought, but soon, our attackers had
pressed us together with Bloop beneath our feet. I raised the pistol and
squeezed the trigger and was aghast when my last remaining bullet misfired.
Now, I was out of ammunition. I dropped the useless weapon to the ground and
gripped my sword with both hands. The snake men paused, as if communicating to
one another, and then tensed, ready to charge. I had no doubt we’d be unable to
withstand their onslaught.

Just then, there was a terrible trumpeting noise, and the ground
trembled beneath our feet as something crashed toward us. The grass parted, and
the male octophant towered over us all, eyes blazing with fury. Its tusks were
as long as javelins and thick as telephone poles, and its writhing tentacle–trunks
looked strong enough to crush a steel safe like it was nothing more than an
aluminum can. We stood paralyzed with fear, as did our attackers, as the
enraged father lumbered toward us, bellowing a horrifying cry. He grasped one
Reptilian with a trunk and began to squeeze, while simultaneously knocking
aside another with a brush of his tusk. The stunned Anunnaki could only lay
there, clawing at the ground as the octophant trampled him under one foot,
pulping the snake man into red and green jelly and splattering the rest of us
with gore. The sounds this made were terrible. The other helpless victim, still
clutched in the beast’s trunk, wriggled helplessly. The octophant smashed him
against the ground, repeatedly, splintering the snake man’s bones. Then, the
monster tossed the limp form aside and glared at the rest of us.

I was hesitant to attack the beast if I could at all help it.
After all, the father was just protecting its mate and offspring.
Unfortunately, I could tell by its stance that the octophant would give no
quarter. It intended to slaughter every living thing in our cluster. I briefly
wondered if there was any hope of temporarily joining forces with the loathsome
Anunnaki and defending ourselves together, but before I could devise a way to communicate
this to them, the octophant charged again.

The serpent men scattered as the beast plowed toward us. I pushed
Kasheena out of the way and then hurriedly helped Bloop to his feet. The
octophant blundered between us, spearing an Anunnaki through the chest with his
tusk while snatching another one with a serpentine tentacle. The impaled
Reptilian slid down the tusk, staining it with gore. Its hapless companion
struggled as one of the trunks squeezed his midsection. His eyes bulged, and
his forked tongue protruded. Blood erupted from his mouth and nostrils.

While the octophant’s back was to us, I dragged a whimpering
Bloop into the grass and found Kasheena. With our injured companion supported
between us, we retreated through the vegetation, doing our best to not only
stay concealed, but get as far away as we could as quickly as possible. Bloop
made a valiant effort to remain quiet, but I could tell he was in agony. His
fur was matted with pungent sweat, and he’d bitten through his lip to keep from
crying out. Blood oozed around the shaft protruding from his thigh, and already
the limb was swelling. He was wobbly on his feet, but remained upright with our
help and seemed determined to press on, despite recently being crushed beneath
a giant crab–lobster–scorpion monster and then shot in the leg by an arrow.

Behind us, the sounds of the octophant’s violent rampage
continued. I kept glancing over my shoulder, certain that it would pursue us at
any moment, but it seemed to be occupied with the remaining Anunnaki. I
wondered where this particular group had come from and how they’d discovered
us. Were they related to the other patrols we’d encountered, or had our paths
crossed simply by chance? It occurred to me that if the creatures communicated
telepathically, which all evidence seemed to indicate, then it was possible
that one of the previous groups we’d killed might have sent out a call for
reinforcements to any other Anunnaki within the area. How far did their
telepathy reach? More importantly, where was their base camp or main
civilization? They had plagued us at nearly every step throughout our journey,
despite our long trek and the different regions we’d travelled through. I
wondered just how large their numbers were and once again found myself
pondering the possible reasons they had for so diligently attempting to capture
us. They’d shown no hesitation to kill us, when directly threatened with the
same, but it was clear that they’d prefer to take us alive. But for what
purpose?

I was still mulling over these questions when I became aware that
Bloop had gone limp. Panicked, I called a halt and laid him down in the grass
between us. After checking his pulse, I was relieved to discover that he was
not dead, but merely unconscious. His breathing had grown shallow and hitched,
and his lips were pulled back from his teeth, revealing gums that had gone from
black to grey.

“We’ve got to get this shaft out of him,” I whispered. “Is there
any chance the Anunnaki could have poisoned the arrow?”

“It is doubtful,” Kasheena said, stroking Bloop’s fur. “They
prefer their captives alive.”

“That’s what I was thinking, too. He’s probably just gone into
shock. But no matter how badly they might want us alive, if we don’t help him
soon, Bloop’s going to die.”

“I do not believe the octophant will follow us.”

I nodded, noticing how quiet the grasslands had become again. “It’s
probably gone back to its mate. But even so, I’d still like to put some more
distance between us.”

“We cannot drag Bloop between us in this state.”

“No,” I agreed. “We can’t. I’ll carry him. You’ll have to take
point.”

Kasheena frowned in confusion. “Take…point?”

“Take the lead,” I explained. “I’m going to have my arms full
with Bloop, so you’ll have to lead the way, watch for dangers, and protect us
if something attacks.”

“So, you wish me to do what I have been doing all along?”

It took me a moment to see that Kasheena was joking.

“Well played,” I laughed. “Yes, exactly what you’ve been doing
all along.”

She leaned over Bloop and gave me a quick kiss. Her lips were
soft and warm, and even in that fleeting moment, she took my breath away. Then
she stood up, readied her sword, and beckoned at me to follow—all business.

“Wait just one minute,” I said.

I cut a large strip of cloth from the bottom leg of my jeans and
used it to make a tourniquet above Bloop’s injury. He groaned, but remained
unconscious. As gently as possible, I scooped him up and draped him over my
shoulders, holding fast to his arms and legs so that he wouldn’t slip off. I
stooped over, struggling to remain upright and balance his weight. Walking
while carrying him took a great amount of effort and concentration, but I
managed.

Kasheena led us down a hill into a narrow, dry creek bed. The
grass grew even higher along its banks, concealing us completely. We followed
the gulch, and walking became easier. I still struggled with Bloop’s weight,
however. I felt like I was carrying bags of cement. My shoulders ached, and my
arms and leg muscles began to burn. The grasslands remained quiet, and there
were no further signs of pursuit from either the octophant or the Anunnaki.
Gnats and mosquitos buzzed incessantly around my face and ears. Unable to swat
them away, I could only grit my teeth in annoyance and keep plodding along.

“Perhaps we should remove the arrow here?” Kasheena suggested.

“No,” I said. “We’re still too close to the octophant’s lair, and
I don’t relish the idea of that daddy stumbling across us while we’re in the
middle of working on Bloop. Plus, these aren’t the most sanitary of conditions.
Isn’t there a structure or some form of shelter nearby?”

“There may be, but the only place I know of for certain is the
Temple of the Slug, and it would be foolish to venture inside those walls.”

“But why? If it’s a walled–compound with a roof, then it would
offer us protection and give Bloop a chance to rest. What’s so forbidden about
this place? Why do your people fear it so?”

“I have told you before that I do not know, Aaron. Ever since I
was a child, I have been warned of venturing into the temple. We will have to
find another place. Come. Let us continue. We will find something else. I am
sure of it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I did not know this creek bed was here. There is no telling what
else might be hidden beneath the grass.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Kasheena didn’t reply. She stalked forward, staying alert. After
a moment’s hesitation, I followed her.

Bloop moaned, still unconscious.

“Hang in there, buddy,” I whispered. “We’ll find a place to take
care of you soon.”

And then we did, and even considering the strangeness of all I
had experienced, the Lost Level surprised me again.

FATIGUE BEGAN TO GNAW AT
me as we followed the gulch.
I struggled with Bloop’s weight. Desperate as I was to get him to safety and
take care of his leg, I still needed to stop and rest. I was just about to tell
Kasheena this when we came across the flying saucer.

That in itself wasn’t so surprising, especially given our
previous encounter with the Greys. No, the strangeness came from the markings
on the side of the craft—multiple renditions of a symbol that clearly indicated
the UFO had originated on Earth. Perhaps not my Earth, but an Earth all the
same.

The craft was relatively small, roughly the size of a sedan, but
disc–shaped. It was manufactured out of some sort of heavy, silver metal that I
couldn’t immediately identify. Sunlight should have glinted off the surface,
but instead, the object seemed to swallow all light. Its shape reminded me of
Saturn—a sphere surrounded by a disc. One edge of this outer disc was embedded
deep into the terrain, and dirt and rocks lay piled up around it. Judging by
the vegetation growing around it, I guessed that it had crashed here long ago.
There was no obvious damage to the ship—no cracks or ruptures or signs of fire.
There were also no windows or hatches. The outer hull was entirely smooth, with
no visible means of entry into the craft’s interior. There were no visible
marking, either.

Except for the swastikas.

“What is it?” Kasheena whispered.

“A flying saucer.”

Kneeling, I laid Bloop in the grass. He stirred, but did not
awaken.

“A flying—”

“It’s like the airplanes we found. People used it to travel
through the air.”

“Your people?”

“No,” I said, eyeing the swastikas. “Definitely not my people.”

“Is it safe?”

I shrugged. “It looks like it’s been here awhile. See how the
grass and vines are growing over it? I’d guess whoever flew it here is long
gone. And that’s good.”

“They were bad people?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “They were very bad people. Worse than the
Anunnaki.”

We set to work on caring for Bloop. I built a small fire while
Kasheena searched for water. It took me a long time and a lot of frustrated
curses to manage doing so. I wished for a lighter, or some of the fire stones
we’d had earlier, but had to resort to striking my dagger and sword together to
produce sparks. The entire time I did it, I worried that the noise of steel on
steel might attract predators, but none came. By the time Kasheena returned, I
had the fire going hot. I’d used dry grass and fallen tree limbs for tinder,
and was dismayed by how much smoke the grass produced, but there was nothing we
could do. Kasheena eyed the billowing smoke apprehensively, and I could tell
she was troubled by it, as well.

“It’s not great,” I admitted, “but I’m just glad I could get it
going at all. I wish we had some fire rocks.”

“They are rare in this area,” she replied.

“Yeah, I remember you saying that before.”

“I found a small spring of good water nearby. But I do not think
this fire is a good idea. If there are other Anunnaki about, they will see
this.”

“I know,” I admitted, “but we need hot water in order to do this.
Also, I’m convinced that they have the ability to track us through other means.
Sight, hearing, and smell, of course, but given their telepathic abilities, I
have to wonder if they’ve been able to find us via extrasensory abilities.
Perhaps they’ve been tracking us via our thoughts.”

Frowning, Kasheena placed the water over the fire. She’d found
some type of brown gourd out amongst the grass and had used that to carry the
water in.