Free 2041 Sanctuary (Genesis) by Robert Storey Page B

but whatever you’re following … it’s not us.’
    Silence ensued before she replied, ‘What?’
    ‘My torches haven’t been working for a long time and Jason’s are down. That light isn’t us.’
    ‘Then what is it?’
    ‘Don’t worry about that, just walk the other way. Describe where you are.’
    ‘It’s that thing, isn’t it?’ Trish said, her voice wavering. ‘I’m following that … that thing.’
    ‘Trish, calm down.’ Sarah gestured for Jason to keep moving. ‘Where are you?’
    ‘I’m … I don’t know. It all looks the same. Tunnels. There’s a river next to me.’
    ‘Good!’ Sarah said. ‘That’s good. Did you just see a statue of an Anakim warrior?’
    ‘I think so; there was a statue that had fallen down. I had to climb over it.’
    ‘Yes,’ Sarah said, increasing her pace to a jog, ‘you’re close. We’re behind you. Follow the stream back to the statue.’
    ‘Okay, keep talking to me.’
    ‘Where are you now?’
    ‘The stream’s on my right,’ Trish said before letting out a shout.
    ‘Are you okay? Trish? Trish?!’
    ‘I’m fine, I fell over. My light keeps going out.’
    ‘Okay, don’t worry; we’ll fix it, just keep going.’
    ‘I heard something behind me!’
    ‘Keep going sweetheart, keep going!’
    Sarah ran faster and Jason sped up too. ‘What’s happening?!’ he said.
    ‘It’s following me,’ Trish told her, ‘oh, God, I can see the light!’
    ‘Trish, run! Just run!!’
    A surge of adrenaline flooded her body and Sarah flew down the stone clad tunnel with Jason on her heels. Moments later they turned a corner and saw a flickering white light appear round a bend fifty feet away.
    ‘I see you!’ Trish said.
    Sarah ran forward and her torchlight revealed an out of breath Trish, leaning against a wall with her arm in a makeshift sling. But before Sarah could say anything, something moved in the dark behind her friend. Sarah shone her light in its direction and a white shape skittered away into another tunnel.
    Trish screamed and Jason cried out in alarm.
    ‘What the fuck was that!’ he said.
    They ran forward and grabbed Trish.
    ‘I don’t know,’ Sarah said, ‘let’s move!’
    They ran back the way they’d come and Sarah glanced back to see the glow of light growing brighter in the dark. ‘Faster!’ she said.
    They ran down the tunnel, but Trish’s injured arm slowed them down.
    Another light appeared ahead and Sarah skidded to a halt.
    ‘Jesus Christ.’ Jason looked behind as the other glow approached. ‘There are two of them!’
    Sarah froze, incapacitated by terror.
    Trish grabbed her arm and pulled her sideways. ‘In here!’
    They entered a narrow passageway and ran through it in single file with Sarah leading. A myriad of turns and bends led them into a labyrinth full of leering statues and hidden drops. Sarah jumped over a deep fissure and ran on. A terrifying screech echoed through the maze. Sarah looked back to see Trish and Jason dropping behind and she stopped to encourage them on.
    Moving off once more they rounded another bend and Sarah screamed.
    ‘What is it?’ Trish said, terrified.
    ‘I saw something!’
    Another fearsome noise made Jason glance back. ‘Keep going!’
    Sarah ran forward, forced to follow whatever she’d glimpsed. Jumping over another fissure, she hurtled round a bend and fell tumbling into a deep pit. She hit the ground with a thump and her visor and torches blinked out
    ‘Sarah!’
    Dazed and hurting all over, Sarah looked up with blurred eyes. Twenty feet above, Trish’s visor glowed in the dark and the single light on top of her helmet flickered in and out of existence.
    Sarah groaned and sat up. ‘I’m okay, but my helmet’s stopped working.’
    ‘Use the stone,’ Jason said.
    Sarah struggled with her coveralls and withdrew the glowing crystal and shone it around to see she’d landed on soft clay.
    ‘Can you climb back up?’ he asked her.
    Sarah stood up. ‘No, it’s too high and