The Portal (A Delphi Group Thriller Book 2) (29 page)

“That’s better treatment than I’ve seen in some hospitals,” Zane remarked.

Katiya tied off the stitch and snipped off the excess. “Let’s not get carried away. The arrow passed through the side of his deltoid muscle. Thankfully that means it missed his arteries.”

“They’ll need to bring something better than that to kill me,” Artur said with a laugh.

Zane gave him a quick smile then turned toward Katiya. “And the prognosis?”

“Again, I’m no doctor, but I’d say he’s going to be fine,” Katiya said. “I think infection is going to be the biggest concern. That and he won’t be able to lift his arm for a while. As soon as he gets something to eat, I’ll give him some oral antibiotics.”

Zane frowned. “We have antibiotics?”

Katiya turned red and looked at Jorge. “Not officially.”

Zane looked at the Brazilian, who shrugged, smiled, and walked away.

Artur flexed his good arm as though demonstrating his strength. “A few minutes more, and I’ll be good to go.”

Katiya placed a hand on Artur’s leg. “No, you need more rest than that.” She looked at Zane. “I know you’re eager to keep going, but he needs at least four or five hours of rest. He lost a good amount of blood today.”

Zane rubbed his beard. Despite the Brazilian’s bravado, Artur’s face had paled considerably. No doubt the blood loss had weakened him. If they needed to stay, at least the ravine provided a safe place to make camp. The only way in was down the narrow path, which could easily be guarded. So, unless the Chinese had artillery, they should be safe for now.

“You’re right,” Zane said to Katiya. “Let’s give him a few hours. I’ll check back later.”

Artur shook his head. “I’m fine… honestly.”

“You’re not doing as well as you think,” Zane said. He placed a hand on the Brazilian’s good shoulder. “While you’re resting, we’ll check out the tunnel. We’re going to need you healthy when we all go in.”

Artur nodded.

Zane gave him a pat and turned to Katiya. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will,” Katiya said. She then mouthed a silent “thank you” as he turned to leave.

Zane found Bennett in the middle of the clearing, checking his gear.

“You about ready?”

Bennett looked up. “Yes, sir. How much do you think we’ll need?”

“Not much. Our main objective is to learn more about the body of water Osak found. I want to know how big it is and how we can get across.”

Bennett nodded. “My guess is that it’s an underground stream. We did some light spelunking during our training, and I ran into them all the time. Most are shallow and should be easy to cross. The only things you have to worry about are those little blind fish nibbling your feet.”

“Unfortunately, this place is anything but normal,” Zane said. “No telling—”

He was cut off by a loud shout of alarm. The voice sounded strangely muffled. He and Bennett turned, sweeping their beams around. Others joined them. Soon cones of light waved in every direction.

“Over here!” Amanda shouted.

Zane swung his beam around, as did the others. His eyes widened. Tocchet was lying on the ground near the edge of the clearing, struggling with something that seemed to be dragging him across the ground.

Zane and Bennett rushed over to him. Bennett was the first to arrive. “What the…?”

Zane pulled up short, horrified at the sight. Tocchet’s face was purple, much like someone’s whose air had been cut off. Something was coiled around the soldier’s neck. At first he thought it was a snake, but now, to his horror, he saw that it was one of the vines. It moved like an animal, tightening and pulling at the same time.

Amanda, who had just arrived, let out a scream.

“Get back!” Zane shouted.

Bennett had already dropped to his knees and was tugging at the plant.

“Please… help me,” Tocchet gurgled.

Zane knelt down and wrapped his fingers around the living noose. He was shocked at how strong it was, almost like ribbed steel.

“It’s trying to pull him into the thicket,” Bennett said.

He was right. Slowly but surely the soldier was being tugged toward the wall of vegetation.

Suddenly Zane heard a startled grunt, and Bennett slid out of view. Figuring he must have lost his grip, Zane continued to work on getting Tocchet loose.

Amanda screamed again, directing her flashlight to Zane’s right.

Zane turned then froze. A massive vine, much larger than the first, was wrapped around Bennett’s leg. The soldier was trying to shift and grab it with his hands, but the vine prevented it by dragging him more quickly.

Zane hesitated for a moment but knew he had to stay with Tocchet. The soldier was slowly choking to death. He turned toward the others. “Someone help Bennett!”

Jorge and Brett were already rushing to Bennett’s aid, allowing Zane to refocus on Tocchet. He straddled Tocchet’s chest and jammed his fingers into the crease between the vine and the soldier’s throat. If he could find the tip, he might be able to unravel the whole thing. He grunted, shoving his fingers as far into the coils as he could. Unfortunately, the further he got, the more difficult it was for Tocchet to breathe. He guessed the soldier had less than a minute to live.

Seconds later, Zane felt the tip of the vine. But as he closed his fingers around it, the plant pulled away as though it was equipped with its own central nervous system.

“I can’t… I can’t breathe,” Tocchet hissed through clenched teeth.

“Hang in there,” Zane said, probing again with his hands.

He glanced up again. The vine was pulling them steadily toward the edge of the clearing. They were only inches away, and now more vines were slithering toward them. The whole grove had now awakened as darkness fell over the ravine.

Just as Zane was about to give up and try something else, a shadow appeared on his left. A figure stood over the vine and lifted an ax with both arms. Seconds later, the blade cut through the air, slicing cleanly through the vine. A plume of dark sap sprayed like a fountain, and the stub whipped back into the wall.

Tocchet coughed and spit, gasping for air. With no time to lose, Zane gathered him up and carried him back toward the center of the clearing. It was only then that he noticed Katiya striding beside him.

As he set the soldier down on the grass, Zane heard continued commotion not far away.

Bennett.

Leaving Katiya to tend to Tocchet, he turned and ran toward the lights at the edge of the clearing. He soon saw Brett and Bennett struggling with a massive vine. It was the largest one Zane had ever seen, probably three or four times the girth of an anaconda.

He rushed forward, but before he could reach them, the sound of a gunshot cracked in the air. Then another. He turned and saw Jorge standing about ten yards away, a rifle pressed against his shoulder. As he continued firing, bullets ripped into the plant, sending plumes of dark sap in every direction.

Seconds later, a shriek rang out from somewhere far off, deep in the tangle of plants, and the vine snapped back into the darkness.

With the immediate threat now suppressed, Zane and Jorge rushed to help Brett and Bennett to their feet. The four then retreated to the mountain face along with the others.

As they arrived, Katiya grabbed Zane’s arm and pulled him to the side. “We need to get out of here… now.”

“It’s gone.”

She shook her head and swept the beam of her flashlight across the clearing. Zane flinched. Hundreds of vines were now snaking out of the plant wall, inching toward them from all directions. Some of the vines had been beaten back, but others had taken their place.

Zane stared in stunned silence. The tendrils were moving more slowly now, probably cautious after the blows their brethren had taken, but in a matter of minutes they would likely move in from every direction. And when that happened, no amount of bullets would stop them.

Zane turned to the group. “Everybody, gather your things quickly. We’re entering the tunnel.

Max scowled at Zane. “How do we know you aren’t leading us toward something even more dangerous than what’s out here? We need to kill this—”

“Good, we have a volunteer who’s going to stay behind and fight. The rest of you prepare to leave.”

Max muttered something under his breath but reached for his pack. The others wasted no time gathering their belongings and moving toward the rock face.

Zane slung his own pack over a shoulder then turned toward Tocchet. The soldier was sitting up now, breathing deeply. “I know you’re weak, but we’re going to have to get you over to the tunnel.”

Tocchet coughed then spoke in a soft voice. “I’m ready.”

Zane lifted him to his feet and looped an arm around his back, holding him up. The two then walked over to where the others were queuing up in front of the opening. Maxwell Cameron was already on his knees, crawling through as quickly as he could. Zane shook his head at the pathetic sight.

After making sure Tocchet could stand on his own, Zane looked at Brett. “Is everyone here?”

“Yes,” Brett said with a nod.

“Good, let’s—”

“Look!” Amanda shouted.

Zane turned. Amanda had directed her beam back toward the clearing. The vines had closed the distance even more quickly than expected. Some of the shoots were only about fifteen or twenty yards away and closing fast.

“Holy crap,” Zane said.

Katiya came over and stood at his side. “I think the plant uses its tendrils to sense movement. Which means when we all ran over here, it was able to track us. It also seems to be coming with greater numbers this time, probably something it’s learned to do when it realizes it’s up against prey that’s able to fight back.”

“It’s almost like that thing has a brain.” Zane looked at her. “You said plant, singular. There are hundreds of those things.”

“I’ve been thinking about it ever since we had our little discussion earlier.” She gestured toward the vines. “There are hundreds of vines, but my guess is that if you could trace them all back you’d find there is only one plant.”

Amanda’s eyes widened. “That’s one organism?”

“Yes. I suspected it before, but after watching all the vines move in unison, I no longer have any doubt.”

“What the hell is it?” Zane asked.

“A carnivorous plant of the highest order.”

“Like a Venus flytrap?” Amanda asked.

Katiya nodded. “Yes, but only in the sense that they’re both carnivores.” She looked at Zane. “Remember I told you it had some resemblance to the strangler fig? I think we’re looking at one of its long-lost relatives, possibly something that dates back to the prehistoric era.”

“Why aren’t there others?” Zane asked. “If they were all over the planet, we’d know about it.”

“Who knows,” she replied with a shrug. “Survival of the fittest. As powerful as this plant seems, a microorganism in the soil outside the crater might be able to bring it to its knees. It’s hard to say.”

Zane’s brow furrowed. “Why did it wait to attack?”

“I’d guess it probably gathers energy during the day via photosynthesis then attacks unwitting prey at night.”

“I think we’d better get moving.” Amanda shone her beam out toward the vines once again. A few were now about ten yards away.

“She’s right,” Katiya said.

Zane turned back toward the rock face. Everyone except Bennett had entered the tunnel. After helping Amanda and Katiya through the opening, the two men turned and faced the clearing. Some of the vines were perilously close, making Zane wonder if a couple of them might make a quick attack if they turned.

“Let’s buy ourselves a little space,” Zane said.

He unslung his rifle and sprayed bullets in an arc. Some of the larger vines pulled back with a hiss, but other smaller ones seemed to be drawn by the movement.

“I think it’s time to let them know we mean business,” Bennett said. The soldier had already pulled a grenade from his sack. After pulling the safety clip, he launched it out into the clearing. Seconds later there was a white flash, followed by an ear-splitting explosion.

A shriek erupted in the distance, causing the hairs on the back of Zane’s neck to rise. The vines that had been hit either pulled back or went limp, while others became more aggressive, rising off the ground like cobras.

“Give me one,” Zane said.

Bennett reached into his pack and handed the operative a grenade.

“Get in the tunnel… I’ll be right behind you.”

Bennett hesitated. “Are you sure—”

“Get in!”

Bennett quickly retrieved his pack and rifle then took one last look at the vines before ducking through the opening.

After the soldier disappeared, Zane shouldered his pack and rifle. Dropping to his knees, he backed up to the opening. It was dark, but he could tell that about a dozen vines were now only a few feet away, hovering in front of him like snakes.

Zane lifted the grenade, but as he pulled the clip, he felt something like a cold rope slide around his neck. It tightened and yanked him up against the top of the opening.

A vine.

One of them must have slithered across the rock face and approached him from above.

As he reached up to pry the tentacle loose, the live grenade dropped out of his hand, rolling several feet away. Zane grimaced. He knew the explosive’s timer would trigger in five seconds, which meant if he didn’t get inside, he’d be blown into a hundred pieces.

Straining with everything he had, he thrust his body downward, and in one smooth motion, he grabbed the grenade and flung it as hard as he could.

Just as it detonated, Zane felt something grasp his ankles and pull.

THE GROUP MOVED down the tunnel quietly, their beams slicing through the Stygian darkness. Amanda couldn’t figure out whether the silence was due to lingering thoughts of the terror behind them or of what might be lurking ahead.

For her part, she was just thankful that Zane was alive. She had watched the whole event play out from a few feet away. Somehow Sergeant Bennett had realized what was going on and had managed to grab Zane’s legs and pull him to safety. Had it happened a second or two later, Zane might have been seriously injured by the blast, or worse.