Free 2041 Sanctuary (Genesis) by Robert Storey

retrieving it, ‘she’s close.’
    ‘Jason,’ – Sarah held him back – ‘it’s not Trish. I saw something, pale skin, or – I don’t know. It’s not Trish.’
    ‘It must be. I saw her.’
    ‘You’re tired; you saw what you wanted to see.’
    ‘No, it was her … I’m sure it was.’
    Illuminated by the blue glow, Sarah saw him shake his head in confusion.
    ‘Trish!’ His shouts echoed through the system of tunnels. ‘Trish, it’s us, come back!’
    A faint buzzing noise like a distant swarm of flies made Sarah look down. A small light on the side of her Deep Reach visor blinked on and off and she pulled the helmet on to listen. ‘I’m picking up a signal.’
    ‘What?’ Jason said, still scouring the area with his visor.
    ‘My visor’s still down, but I’m picking up a radio signal.’ She tried focusing on the transmission, but it was an intermittent garble of white noise.
    He passed her the crystal and wandered off. ‘We need to keep searching.’
    ‘Jason, stop – wait.’ She hurried to keep up before a distant sound stopped them in their tracks.
    ‘Did you hear that?’ he said, ears pricked.
    The noise came again. It sounded like a woman’s scream.
    Jason ran off again. ‘It’s Trish!’
    Sarah cursed and followed, the glowing crystal held high.
    They passed into a dense structure of interconnected passageways, the ins and outs disorientating, like a maze.
    Jason ran on and Sarah tripped and fell. She called out for him to stop, but it was too late, he’d disappeared into the dark.
    ‘Jason!’ Sarah slowed to a stop. ‘Jason!!’
    She shone the stone before her, its light barely illuminating the narrow tunnel ahead. A noise behind made her spin round. Nothing was there, just a darker black of the opening she’d just walked through.
    Another sound made her whirl left.
    ‘Jason?’ she said, her voice shaking. She held the crystal higher and moved into another passage.
    The scurry of movement made her flesh prickle in fear. Following the sound she stopped at a junction and listened.
    A noise behind, made her freeze in place.
    Her eyes swivelled left to try and locate the source. She could hear it close in on her, the sound of its movement stealth-like slow. The closer it came, the more terror she felt. And the more terror she felt, the less she could move.
    It was right behind her; she could hear it – she closed her eyes – oh my God, I can hear it … I can hear it breathing . Something touched her back and she span round. A white face full of teeth and eyes shrieked loud.
    Sarah screamed and the apparition vanished.
    Sick with fright, she stumbled back. The shock left her wheezing for breath, her chest tight with pain.
    A hand grasped her shoulder and she screamed again.
    ‘Sarah, it’s me,’ Jason moved into the light. ‘It’s okay, it’s me.’
    Sarah hugged him close; she’d never been so pleased to see anyone in her life.
     

Chapter Ten
     
    ‘I thought you were right behind me,’ Jason said, I heard you shout and looked round and you’d gone. I rushed back and couldn’t find you.’
    Sarah regained her breath and looked behind her. ‘I saw it, it was right here.’
    ‘What was?’
    ‘I don’t know, but it’s not Trish.’
    ‘The light?’ he said, trying and failing to keep the tremor from his voice.
    ‘No … maybe … I don’t know.’ Sarah remembered the horror when she’d confronted it. She shut her eyes to try to dispel the memory.
    She failed.
    A buzz of noise came through her helmet’s speakers. The same signal as before. ‘I think I can hear a voice,’ she said, listening.
    ‘What does it say?’
    Sarah held up a hand. It was difficult to tell. It sounded like … it sounded like—
    Sarah looked at Jason in disbelief. ‘I think it might be Trish.’
    ‘What?!’
    She moved her head and the signal faded. She moved it back and it grew louder. She stepped to her right, and then did so again. ‘This way,’ she said.
    ‘What’s she