“It didn’t have the same scruples with Fields and Irons.”
“Maybe it didn’t dare to come closer because there were two of us. If we always stick together as a group, maybe we stand a chance.
“Hm,” Joanne was skeptical. “And what do we do now? Shall we wake the others?”
Jeff thought feverishly. Maybe we should change location in case that… thing… returns with reinforcement. On the other hand, in this enormous and endlessly long corridor, they could be spotted from miles away. If the aliens wanted to find them, they would, no matter which room they hid in.
Jeff looked at his watch and shook his head. He had to take the risk. “No,” he replied firmly. “We need to rest if we want to make progress tomorrow. We’ll go back in and block the door.”
“And if that ghost simply floats through the closed door?”
Jeff wouldn’t have been surprised to find the creature was capable of it, but he didn’t want to discuss it.
“Your shift is almost over. Get some sleep. I’ll take over.”
“I doubt I’ll be able to sleep.”
“Then try, at least,” Jeff said, blocking the door again with the equipment sled.
Joanne slipped into her sleeping bag and Jeff sat down on the table near the window. He tried to relax, but his heart was pounding louder than ten orbital canons. He was sure Joanne must be as wired as he was, but she didn’t make a sound. He couldn’t stop thinking about the light alien, what it was, what its intentions were… but ultimately all he could do was speculate. Every few minutes he pressed his face up against the window and squinted down the corridor, but the luminous apparition didn’t reappear.
19.
“Over there!” Owl yelled so loudly it made Jeff jump. He saw immediately what the radio operator was talking about. Well, they’d been expecting it for a while now.
For three long days they had continued their monotonous journey along the corridor. On the first day, they had talked with each other about their mission, the ship, and above all about the light alien, but by the second day they had lapsed into almost complete silence. Since setting off from their second camp that morning, they had hardly exchanged a word, even during breaks. The mood in the group became gloomier the further their journey took them into the interior. Since the sinister encounter the night before last, they hadn’t seen another light alien. But Jeff couldn’t shake the feeling that they were all doomed.
Now the first part of their journey to the center of the ship had come to an end. In front of them the long corridor ended in a huge wall.
“Finally!” Finni groaned in relief. “I couldn’t manage another yard of that damned corridor.”
Joanne was the first of the group to reach the end of the corridor. The smooth wall was made of the same black material as all the other walls on the ship. She turned around. Her face expressed relief and Jeff guessed she was feeling the same way as he was.
“I thought the corridor ended in one of those huge cavitys we saw on the hologram,” Castle said, letting his pack slide to the ground. He pulled his water bottle out of the side pocket of his pack and took a big gulp. Beads of sweat trickled from his temples and down to his chin before dripping to the ground. No wonder, the temperature had risen again and now hovered at just under ninety degrees Fahrenheit.
“There are only two narrower corridors leading off from this one,” Green said.
Joanne pulled out her handheld and jabbed at the screen. “This corridor didn’t end directly at the cavity, but it must be close. Four to five hundred feet at most.”
“Which way do we go?” Green asked, shining his flashlight down the corridor to the right.
Joanne turned the handheld slightly and looked irritated. “I’m not quite sure. I can’t tell from the scale. I think the one on the left, but I could be wrong. The direction is roughly correct, in any case.”
“What now, boss?” Mac asked.
Jeff pursed his lips. McGuinness had been doing this for the last three days. With every comment and every question he addressed to Jeff, he added a sarcastic “boss,” which he stretched out like chewing gum.
Jeff ignored him. He looked at his watch, but his heavy legs and waves of fatigue told him it was time to start looking for a place to set up camp. Still, it would be good if they could find the entrance to the cavity first, to get an idea what they would be up against the next day. They might also come across an empty room in the process, which they could use for shelter.
“We’ll start searching for the cavity,” he decided.
Joanne nodded. “Together, or shall we split up?”
“I think we should split up,” Castle said in a tired voice. “It’ll be quicker that way.”
Jeff looked down each of the dark corridors leading from the intersection. He wiped his hand over his dry mouth. On the one hand, they would be stronger together if they faced a threat. On the other, the cavity couldn’t be far away, and if they split up into groups and searched for half an hour, they were very likely to find it.
“We’ll split up,” he decided. “Green, Finni, and I will take the left-hand corridor. Joanne, Castle, and Mac, you take the right-hand corridor. Owl and Shorty will keep watch here, and stay in contact with us.
Shorty sighed with relief, leant against the wall and slid down to the floor. The long march had been tough on him. Jeff had noticed him repeatedly clutching at his lower back and wincing with pain. Because of his height, Shorty was prone to backaches. Green had survived the march surprisingly well, considering how ill he’d been a few days before.
Owl took his handheld out of his pocket, placed it against the wall so that the rod antenna touched the metal, and sat down with his shipmate.
Joanne switched on her flashlight and set off down the right-hand corridor with Castle and Mac. Castle didn’t look happy. He would have preferred to stay with Owl and Shorty, but he appeared to have some energy left, and Jeff saw no reason to leave him behind. He turned to Joanne’s group. “Listen up. Explore the corridor, but don’t go too far. We’ll meet back here in one hour, max.”
Joanne nodded. “The cavity can’t be more than about five hundred feet from here.”
“Yeah, we got that,” Castle said testily.
“And see if you can find a room where we could camp for the night.”
“Yes, Sir,” Joanne replied, and immediately set off down the corridor. As a lieutenant, she had the same rank as Castle, but there was no question that she would lead the group, even without Jeff placing her in charge. Castle shrugged and followed Joanne with a sigh. Mac snorted loudly, spat on the ground, then grudgingly followed the others.
Jeff looked at Green and Finni. “Come on, we should get going too.” He led the way and shone his flashlight down the left-hand corridor. It was considerably narrower than the main, giant corridor they had left behind. It was only just wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The ceiling was no more than eight feet high. Jeff was surprised there wasn’t a larger corridor leading off from the main one. It would be impossible to carry any bulky items down here. Was that intentional? Or had modifications been made after the aliens had left the ship?
Jeff wiped the sweat from his brow. So many questions which they would probably never be able to answer. He set off with as much determination as he could muster. Green and Finni followed him at a distance of a few feet. So far there were no further turnoffs.
“I wonder what we’re going to find,” Finni said quietly.