Clickers III Read online

  Amid the thick smoke and the sizzling trees and brush, the black Clicker charged at them. Its tail was raised over its back, ready to jab its vicious stinger downward. Its speed belied its size.

  Time seemed to suddenly slow down for Clark as he yelled “Shoot it!” He brought his M16 up, hoping he could destroy it before it reached them. Beside him, Tony raised his weapon, his mouth open in a scream.

  And just as suddenly, Tony was flung out of the way and Onyx was in his place, weapon raised. Tony thudded to the ground beside Clark and his finger inadvertently squeezed the trigger, sending a volley of shots into the sky and the tree branches overhead, shredding branches and leaves and dropping arboreal animals to the ground. Clark dove for cover and barely managed to avoid the black Clicker’s deadly assault.

  Onyx never got off a shot. The black Clicker jabbed its tail forward and its massive stinger impaled him. The stinger jutted out of the agent’s back, toxic venom shooting out to hit the ground and foliage behind the agents as it lifted Onyx in the air, waving him back and forth. Onyx screamed. His abdomen started to smoke as the corrosive venom began to eat at his flesh. His skin sloughed away, dripping from his body.

  Clark raised his weapon and fired at the creature, tearing it apart with a staccato burst. His shots penetrated the creature’s face, flipping it over and giving him access to its softer underbelly which quickly became shredded meat as he unloaded the magazine. It flopped to the ground and Clark ejected his spent magazine and quickly slapped in a

  fresh one as he scrambled to his feet.

  Tony had bounced up and had his weapon ready amid the chaos. Onyx was screaming in pain, still impaled on the stinger. Smoke was rising from his abdomen and his flesh looked like it was turning into a thick soup. Parts of him were leaking onto the jungle floor. The tendons along Onyx’s face grew taut as he thrashed and screamed. Tony didn’t hesitate. He brought the stock of the M16 against his shoulder, aimed, and fired a single shot. Onyx’s scream was cut off amid a spray of blood and brain matter.

  “Couldn’t let him suffer,” Tony said.

  “Agreed,” Clark said. His heart was racing. Off in the distance, more Clickers and Dark Ones were honing in on them. They’d apparently changed their path and were heading straight toward them.

  “Onyx pushed me out of the way,” Tony said, mostly to himself. “That could’ve been me that got nabbed by that fucking thing.” He looked at the remaining Black Lodge agents. “Why?”

  “We were serious about keeping you safe,” Amethyst said. He cradled his M16, his features impassive in light of losing one of his own. “You are one of The Seven. It is our mission to ensure your safety above all else.”

  “But why? I don’t fucking get what’s so fucking special about me.”

  “All will be revealed in due time,” Diamond said.

  Tony whirled to Ruby. “How come you didn’t know that black Clicker would attack? I thought you were supposed to read minds and shit?”

  “I can’t read the Clicker’s minds, Tony.”

  “Why not?”

  “It is not within my ability to do so. They only possess a rudimentary intelligence.”

  “Well, a lot of fucking good you people are.”

  “Guys?” Clark eyed the periphery of their location with rising nerves. “If the doorway to this tunnel is nearby, we better get moving.”

  “Come.”

  Ruby took the lead and darted toward the stand of trees to their left. Clark and Tony were right behind her, followed by Diamond and Amethyst. Behind them came roars and thrashings and frenzied clicking noises as their pursuers honed in on them. A moment later they entered the stand of trees and Ruby seemed to dive headfirst toward the base of a tree and disappear. Clark rushed forward and almost fell into a yawning pit, which was obscured by vines and brambles.

  Ruby’s voice called out, receding rapidly as she delved into the tunnel. “This way.”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Clark and the others followed.

  “Down the fucking rabbit hole,” Tony snickered.

  Behind them, Amethyst said, “I didn’t take you for an Alice In Wonderland fan, Tony.”

  “I’m not. I used to date a stripper whose daughter liked the cartoon.”

  They plunged ahead into the darkness and the earth closed over their heads—not stifling the sounds from above.

  CLICK-CLICK…CLICK CLICK…CLICK-CLICK…

  Jennifer was surprised that the tunnel’s downward descent continued unchecked. Surely they must be below sea level by now. Just the very thought of all that water pressing against the rock made her woozy. Ignoring it, she kept running. Wade and Susan were right behind her, with the Dark Ones chasing after them several yards behind. As they darted down the winding passageways, Jennifer kept the lead, letting instinct lead her onward through the gloom. Their pursuers roared—heavy footsteps pounded, echoing throughout the corridor. They were so close that Jennifer could hear the echoes of their talons clicking against the stone floor.

  She paid the sounds no heed and continued running, not even stopping to hesitate when they came to a fork in the tunnel system. She took the right hand passage, hoping it would take them toward the surface. Instead it took them deeper beneath the mountain. What little light there was seemed to come from the rocks themselves.

  “I can’t keep this up,” Wade choked.

  Susan gasped for breath. “Shut the hell up and move your fat ass.”

  Then, without warning, the tunnel slope grew steeper and narrower. Jennifer, Wade, and Susan were forced to hunch over and slow down lest they fall forward and roll down the passage. Judging from the sound, the sharp descent and the narrowing walls were a hindrance to their pursuers; Jennifer heard bellows of rage as the larger Dark Ones became stuck. She knew that wouldn’t last long; they’d manage to break through soon enough. She’d seen them rend steel at Peachbottom. Stone would only be a temporary nuisance.

  And break on through they did, with angry roars and hisses and the crashing of rocks. The Dark Ones forced their way through the narrow crevices and wormed their way down the tunnels. It sounded like their pace had been slowed. She hoped the delay would be enough to allow them to escape.

  Why are the tunnels so narrow in this section? Jennifer thought as she slid down the slippery floor, the soles of her hiking boots providing some traction as she and the others went down the tunnel like a slide. If the Dark Ones created this, wouldn’t they have made them to fit their size?

  “This isn’t a tunnel,” Wade said, as if reading her mind. “It’s a cave. The tunnels must have joined up with it.”

  She’d been too focused on fleeing to notice it, but Jennifer realized that he was right. The walls were smooth and slick like the inside of a natural cave, not rough and rocky like the man-made tunnels they’d been running through. Likewise, there was no dust or dirt caking the walls and floor. It was also growing colder as they kept descending. The illumination had grown subtly brighter, but she was still unable to find the source. There were no signs of phosphorescent lichen or hidden torches.

  When they reached the bottom, Jennifer had to recover her senses to find out where they were. The light source had dimmed again, reducing visibility to a few feet around them. Wade and Susan slid to a stop behind her. She felt their welcoming presence as the Dark Ones roared in frustration far behind.

  “Where the hell are we?” Wade asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jennifer answered. She looked up. Despite the mysterious light source, the shadows above them and in the corners of the chamber were deep and ominous. She raised her right arm over her head and groped for a ceiling. Finding none, she cautiously stood up. Wade and Susan tentatively rose to their feet, as well.

  “Do either of you have a lighter?” Wade asked.

  “No,” Jennifer answered. “Ed was the only one of us who had one.”

  “Damn,” Wade muttered. “I hope he and Keoni are okay.”

  “I’m sure they are,” Susan said
, but her voice lacked conviction.

  “We’ve got light,” Jennifer pointed out. “I’m just not sure what the source of it is. And right now, it’s not doing us much good. Do either of you have any ideas?”

  Wade and Susan shook their heads in unison.

  “I’ve lost all my bearings,” Jennifer moaned. “This is hopeless.”

  “If we stay close together and keep moving forward, maybe we can find another way out of here,” Susan suggested.

  Jennifer was about to agree with her when the frenzied thrashings of the Dark Ones grew louder. From the sound of it, they were still having a difficult time making their way down the cavern.

  “We’re no doubt in a limestone cavern,” Wade said. “The Dark Ones are strong enough that they might be able to break chunks of

  limestone out of that tunnel and make their way down here.”

  Jennifer and Susan murmured agreement and they made their way slowly through the shadowy cavern like moles, one hand out in front of them, the other grasping a shoulder or an elbow as they made their way forward as a group. The passageway grew dark again. Jennifer was sure they would encounter a cave wall, but they didn’t. The thrashing and bellowing of the Dark Ones continued behind them, their sounds muffled from the vast distance they’d put between them and the creatures. Despite the coolness of the cavern, Jennifer felt hot and sweaty. She was running on pure adrenalin now and still couldn’t process the fact that Dr. Steinhardt and Keoni Mumea were probably dead now.

  “Are we heading up?” Susan asked. “It feels like it.”

  “I don’t know,” Jennifer answered. “Are we?”

  “She’s right,” Wade whispered. “It does feel like we’re ascending again.”

  They were silent as they continued their slow shuffle forward. After a moment, Jennifer began to sense that Susan and Wade were right. They were moving up a slight incline now. Was this section of the cave heading toward the surface?

  “Maybe we can make it out of here.” Wade sounded surprised.

  Susan and Jennifer said nothing as they kept going. Jennifer cast the sound of the angry Dark Ones out of her mind. She could still hear their muffled roars, but she could also sense they were leaving them behind. To make matters worse, her head was beginning to throb. With everything else that was going on, she didn’t need a migraine headache added to it.

  “Let’s just keep going,” Jennifer said.

  There was a guttural roar, this one loud. They froze in mid-stride. Jennifer held her breath, trying to pinpoint the location. The beast roared again, followed by more of the same. Jennifer’s heart pounded in her chest and she felt Susan’s fingers grip her hand hard. It was difficult to tell where the sound was coming from due to the echo effect. It seemed to come from all around them.

  “We can’t just sit here,” Wade said after a moment. “Let’s keep moving forward.”

  He urged them on and Jennifer began to move again, more cautiously, into truly unknown territory.

  ***

  Tony would not have been able to see his hand in front of his face if Ruby and Diamond hadn’t produced flash-lights. He’d practically fallen on his ass chasing Clark down the hidden chasm at the base of the tree. The downward descent beneath the earth had been steep— practically a forty-five degree angle—but he’d managed.

  Once at the bottom, Ruby had taken the lead again, flashlight illuminating the way as they ran down a narrow cavern lined with small stalactites. It was cool down here, and behind them the Dark Ones were trying to shove their large bulks down the narrow entrance way. They weren’t having much luck judging by the tone of their guttural voices. It sounded like mass destruction up there.

  “I sure hope you know where we’re going, lady.” Tony’s head was starting to throb and he felt that weird pressure in his chest and abdomen again start to tighten up.

  Ruby didn’t answer him. She just kept running, darting down corridors seemingly at will. The deeper they wormed their way into the cave, the dimmer the angry roars of the Dark Ones behind them became.

  “Hold up,” Clark said. “Can we regroup?”

  Clark halted. Tony stopped beside him. Diamond and Amethyst drew up behind them. Ruby stopped and turned around.

  “What’s wrong? Why are we stopping?”

  “Well,” Clark said, sounding frustrated, “I’m still not sure what we’re supposed to do when we get to where we’re going.”

  “Yeah,” Tony agreed. “Not for nothing, but I’d kind of like to know, too. We just supposed to shoot up the place, or do you have a plan?”

  “Our original mission has not changed,” Amethyst answered. “We must stop the Dark Ones from summoning Dagon.”

  “And rescue Jennifer Wasco,” Tony said. “But how are we supposed to stop it? What do we do? Drive a stake through Dagon’s heart?”

  “What is Dagon, anyway?” Clark asked. “I mean, you told us a little back on the plane, but I’d like to know more. Wouldn’t you, Tony?”

  “Damn straight I would.”

  Amethyst groaned. “We don’t have time for this. Even an operative within our organization with a security clearance of Adept would still have to study for years before they’d know everything there is to know about Dagon. You can’t possibly hope to understand it all. There’s no time to explain.”

  Tony fingered the trigger of his M16. “Give us the Cliff Notes version then.”

  “The longer we delay,” Ruby said, “the thinner the barriers between our worlds grows. Dagon is crossing over. The Dark Ones believe he is rising out of a long slumber— millions of years worth of sleep. In reality, they are rending the very fabric of the universe. The

  stars are not only right, they are in perfect alignment. The spheres are thinner, the Shining Trapezoid is much stronger.”

  “The shining what?” Tony was confused.

  “Be quiet,” Diamond yelled. Spittle flew through his mouth. The big man stalked the cave floor in front of Tony and Clark, his tone scolding, furious, as he verbally dressed the ex-hitman down. “You ask for answers but when the secrets are revealed to you, you scoff at them or greet them with sarcasm.”

  “The fuck is your problem?”

  “You! My problem is you. I was against bringing you down here from the very beginning. When it was revealed that you were one of The Seven, I told those who sit on the Outer Circle that you would only pose a danger due to your arrogant nature, your willful ignorance and disdain for order.”

  “You calling me arrogant?”

  “I’d call you more than that, Genova, but I don’t want to waste my time.”

  “Enough,” Amethyst said. His voice sounded tired.

  “I’ll not be silent,” Diamond continued, and then turned back to Tony. “The order has been made. The Outer Circle, presumably delivering the edict of the Inner Circle, has made it clear that you are one of The Seven, and are therefore privy to all that comes with that title and rank, including my respect. I will accept their decision. With that in mind, you will continue on with your mission and you will do as we say. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah, I understand all right,” Tony said. “But did I stutter, or did a plane go overhead?”

  Diamond paused before answering. His expression was confused. “What?”

  “Did I stutter, or did a plane go overhead? It had to be one or the other, because you obviously didn’t hear my fucking question. You threw your little hissy fit and ranted about circles and all sorts of bullshit, but you still failed to tell me enough about this Dagon thing to help you.”

  Diamond’s lips formed a thin, pale line. His hands curled into fists around the stock of his rifle, and the tips of his ears turned red in the dim beam of the flashlight.

  Tony grinned. “Allow me to fucking clarify, as you are obviously hard of fucking hearing. Fucking Dagon. If I fucking shoot it, will it fucking die? Does it have fucking super powers? What’s it fucking look like? Is it bigger than a fucking breadbox?”

  Diamond lunge
d forward and Tony snapped his rifle up, aiming at the man’s chest. Before they could clash, however, Amethyst stepped between them and held up a hand. Then he turned and faced the larger man. Diamond glowered down at him.

  “I need not remind you of your station…or mine.” Amethyst’s tone was calm, almost soft-spoken. “I am a Magus-level operative of the Ninth Order. You are not. You will be silent, Marion.”

  Diamond’s upper lip quivered. For a moment, Tony thought the big man might wrap his hands around Amethyst’s throat and strangle him. But instead, the tension seemed to drain from his posture. He backed away and leaned against the wall, keeping his gaze affixed on the floor. Ruby found something interesting to look at in the ceiling.

  Amethyst turned to Tony and Clark. “Your questions are difficult to answer because of the very nature of the things we face—and because of time constraints. I’ll try to address some of them, however, and then I trust we’ll be on our way before our pursuers figure out where we’ve gone.”

  Tony and Clark leaned forward, listening, and after a slight pause, Amethyst continued.

  “Dagon is massive in size, although his exact measurements and characteristics remain unknown. They vary, depending upon which source you use. What we know for sure is this—picture the Empire State Building with arms, legs, wings, and a squid for a face. To glimpse him can drive a weak-willed person insane.”

  “So he’s like that bitch with snakes for hair. Medusa.”

  “In a way. But on a much grander scale. Dagon is credited as the source of the Great Flood legend that is found in humanity’s various religions and cultures. We know that when summoned to a plane of existence, he destroys the planet by flooding it. This is achieved by the use of global super storms that relentlessly sweep the planet until everything—everything—is submerged. There is some speculation that rather than just flooding the planet, Dagon is actually transforming solid matter into liquid—in effect, turning the planet into nothing but water.”