Page 28 of The Last Aquarius
Ishtar’s questioning tone had him treading while turning in the fluid. “I’m alive, but I can’t see shit.”
“Activate the lights on your helmet.” As she spoke, he spotted a glow several yards from him.
Rather than ask how, he lifted his wrist, the buttons on it glowing faintly. He jabbed the yellow one—not the red, which she’d warned would peel him out of his safety gear. To his relief, his helmet illuminated. The light showed them in an underground lazy river, deep enough he couldn’t touch bottom, but he could see a ledge running alongside the channel it had cut through the rock. Even better…
“Hell yeah, we found water.”
“I told you we had some,” her sour reply.
“I’m gonna take a sample,” he stated, trying to wriggle his knapsack off to grab a vial. It proved slightly more complicated than expected. Might be better if he swam to shore before he lost his entire kit.
“I can get you water in the citadel from some of our wells. We dug several early on in our apocalypse.”
As he opened his mouth to reply, something brushed by his leg. “Um, Queenie, didn’t you say everything on the planet died?”
“Everything on the surface, yes, but underground, it’s possible some things survived or adapted to their new reality.”
“Not reassuring,” he muttered as, once again, something slithered past his abdomen.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I don’t think we’re alone. Head to shore.” Taking his own advice, he began stroking for the ledge he could see running alongside the lazy river and got almost within grabbing distance when something yanked him under.
Thanks to the helmet, he didn’t have to panic. For one, it remained sealed and providing air, meaning he wouldn’t drown. Two, he could see, the lights and the visor giving him perfect vision, a fact he kind of hated a second later when he glanced down to see the serpentine tail wrapped around his calf.
Great. He’d found an underground Martian river snake. Like Indian Jones, he hated them, although, in his case, his came from trauma. Ever been crushed by a giant python? Not recommended, zero stars, the snapping of his ribs meant a full day of very painful healing in the Stardust Room.
“Reece! Reece! Where are you?” Her panicked voice came through loud and clear.
“Kind of busy,” he muttered, wishing he’d brought a weapon. No sword, no gun. Why would he have bothered? He’d onlyexpected to be fighting cold, dust, and strong winds. He did have a tiny knife on his belt. Would it be enough?
“Is that your light underwater?”
“Yup.” He bent down and tried to pry the snake loose.
“What are you diving for? I thought you were heading to shore.”
“Now, I’m trying to not get eaten,” he grunted.
“By what?” she squeaked.
“Something out of a horror film,” he stated as a second serpent slithered past. He began slamming his unfettered leg against the snake wrapped around his calf, thumping it until it loosened. He immediately began stroking for the surface, could even see the glimmer of Ishtar peering down seeking him, which meant he also saw the big serpentine body passing overhead.
And so did she.
“Oh dear. What is that?”
“Giant snake. Get away from the edge.” Because he didn’t know how far they might lunge.
Movement from the corner of his eye showed one of the monsters coming at him, and he treaded water best he could and readied himself. When it neared, mouth opening wide over milky eyes, he punched.
The startled snake shifted away from him, and he kept pulling upward until his head broke the surface.
“Behind you,” Ishtar yelled.
He spun, hands and feet moving to keep him afloat, and saw the spine of something tunneling.
Plop.
