Page 80 of Alien Prince's Claim

He peered up and down and reached into it with his arm.

His hand slapped what had to be the floor below.

It wasn’t far.

He leaned back and turned to Cayah. “It’s a tunnel. Do you know where it leads?”

“I took it earlier, after discovering it. You can reach all areas of the Facility from down there. It’s a complex pattern of interlocking tunnels. The water is supposed to come into this room in case of flooding but it can be dispersed along the underground system to help with drainage.”

“So you’re saying we should go into a tunnel that might be flooded at any moment?” Yaltah said incredulously. “How do we know they’re not flooded already?”

“Some of them are,” Cayah said. “But most aren’t. At least, not yet. Not if we hurry.”

Yaltah shared a look with me that managed to be disgusted and distraught at the same time.

He peered back at the door we had entered through, then at the wall already disintegrating beneath the Goblar’s heavy electronic device.

I read his thoughts as easily as if they were a book.

He was weighing up the options, deciding which was the least risky.

To take our chances with the Goblar creatures in this room, to make a stand and fight each one that came through the breach, to turn back and head down the tunnels we had come through earlier, or to take this tunnel.

None were a good option but which was the least dangerous?

“Do you know the route to the dock?” Yaltah asked.

The other guy nodded. “Yes. The schematics on the wall earlier, the one that was torn off by the machine, was a map of the tunnels. I wound through them earlier. It took me several hours but I managed to find the way to the engineers’ rec room that connects directly to the dock. It’s not a straight route unfortunately as several of the tunnels are already flooded but I think we can get through.”

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Another hole issued through the wall and before the drillbit could retract, tiny fists beat at the wall between the two holes in an effort to snap the concrete that joined them.

The creatures chasing us were not big so the hole they made did not need to be huge for them to squeeze through.

If we were going to make a move, we needed to do it now.

Yaltah pointed at Nisa. “How are we going to take her with us?”

“Like this.”

Cayah snapped the legs off the sofa and each of the sides until all that remained was the main bed.

It was flat and could be dragged.

Impossible for me, but possible for someone strong enough.

Yaltah shook his head, disliking the idea very much.

But what other option was there?

We simply could not stand against the flood of Goblars that would descend into the room.

And the route we had taken to get here was likely already swollen with huge numbers of the disgusting little freaks.

“Fine,” Yaltah snapped. “You go down first and lead the way. Then Emily will follow after you, then me. I’ll drag your mate behind me.”

Cayah’s eyes narrowed. “What guarantee do I have you won’t just cut her loose halfway down the tunnel?”

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