Free The Eye of Minds by James Dashner Page B

like that of any kind of animal in the natural world. There was something staticky and digital about it. Michael braced himself, wondering if that awful screech would come next, but it didn’t happen.
    “Why aren’t they attacking us?” Sarah whispered. “They have to know we came in here.”
    “I’m not complaining,” Bryson murmured.
    Ronika spoke so quietly that Michael had to lean in to hear her. “My guess is Kaine wanted to trap us. And now we’re cornered better than he even imagined. Maybe he’s coming himself, trying to break through my firewalls.”
    “How do we fight those things off?” Bryson asked. “Do you know anything about them?”
    The last word had barely come out of his mouth when the ear-piercing howl tore through the air again.
    As soon as it stopped, Ronika answered. “I have no idea,” she said, her voice empty of any sense of hope.
    The only thing left was for Michael to take charge. “Listen, Ronika, they’re obviously here for us. But we can’t sit here all day—we’re just waiting for Kaine to stroll right in, and he’ll find us eventually. You stay while we make a break for the door.”
    “No,” she said. “I’m not leaving you until we’re all safe.”
    Her protectiveness surprised him. “All right, but you know as well as we do, it can only get worse. Especially if Kaine shows up.”
    “And how do you expect to fight those things off when they pounce on us?” Bryson asked.
    “Don’t let them bite you,” Sarah answered.
    Ronika pointed to the screen. “We just have to make it up those stairs outside the door. Somehow Kaine’s blocked me from contacting my security detail. But once we’re to the top and into the main section of the club, my bouncers will swarm and be too much even for the KillSims.”
    “Okay. To the door, then,” Michael said. “And up the stairs. No problem.” But the truth was, terror raced through his body, making it hard for him to breathe.
    “We need to stick together,” Sarah added. “Stay in a pack.”
    Michael got onto his hands and knees, ready to crawl through the secret door. “Bryson, you’re closest, so you’ll have to go first.”
    “Figures,” he replied.
    Michael knew Bryson was kidding, but he was right. It shouldn’t be him at the front. Michael pushed his way past Sarah and then Bryson to get to the exit. “No—I got us into this mess,” he said. “I’ll go first.”
    “But now if
you
die I’ll feel bad,” Bryson whined.
    Michael liked that his friend was at least trying to keep his sense of humor. “You’ll just have to live with it.”
5
    As soon as everyone was lined up behind Michael, he slowly pushed the small wood panel open. Something like candle glow filled the dimly lit room, making everything ethereal and warm. It felt peaceful, but Michael knew the truth: violence hid in every shadow.
    He studied the wall directly ahead of them. He couldn’t make out any distinct shapes; aside from those yellow eyes, it was just shadow on top of shadow. Michael tried to focus to get a count of how many creatures there were, but an odd thing happened—the yellow eyes vanished when Michael looked directly at them. He turned his head and they came back into view in his peripheral vision. So far nothing had moved. Maybe they
were
waiting for Kaine to give further orders.
    Michael kept his gaze averted and carefully inched forward, moving out of the hidden compartment, then edging along the wall, heading for the door. The rug under the furniture gave way to tile, which hurt Michael’s knees as he crawled. The digital growl started up again, and he saw a flash of yellow in the gaping hole the creatures had torn in the wall—only about twenty feet away. Michael stopped.
    Bryson bumped into him. “Keep going!” he whispered, so loudly he might as well have said it in a normal voice.
    Michael stole a glance at his friend. “They might attack if we move too fast.”
    “They might kill us if we