Deadly Designs (Design Series) by Dale Mayer Read Free Book Online

had to be a cupboard of some kind. Organized cracks filled the wall like the outline of a puzzle. It's like she looked at the backside of a storage unit.
    That couldn't be right. On the other side she'd run her hand along the entire wall and there'd been no cracks or breaks at all. So between that wall and here, there had to be storage. And her stylus was in there. And if it was in there, someone had put it there. Now if only she knew who and how. Damn it.
    With a heavy sigh, she reached up a hand and massaged her neck. Everything was starting to ache. And her stomach was growling from lack of food. Another growing problem. Food. And water. Damn, she shouldn't have thought of that, now her mouth was dry and all she could think of was cold, clear water. She closed her eyes and tried to focus. Stylus? Please, are you there? I need to find you.
    Again, she heard nothing.
    But...but what? A faint buzz, so faint she could almost persuade herself she'd imagined it. There it was again. With an ear cocked to one side, she walked toward the noise. It was coming from the corner of the wall. Reaching out, she touched the spot gently. Then harder. Snick. The cupboard in front of her opened up. She backed away. It didn't snap open or open by much, but it was as if some interior connection had released and there was now a big enough crack to pull the door toward her. She opened it, expecting to see shelves. Instead, a space, too big for the area she'd thought had been available for the cupboard stood in front of her. Big enough she could walk inside. And that thought made her stomach cringe. Because not only could she not find her stylus lying on the dirt floor of this cupboard, she also couldn't see a back to the cupboard. There wasn't one.
    Because this wasn't a cupboard, but a doorway.
    ***
    Eric coughed, gasped, then coughed again. The smell.
    His eyes streamed and his chest burned. How could the Louers live with this stench? He coughed and coughed, almost retching as his system struggled to adapt. Bending over, he gave himself another long moment to adjust. The crossing had been easy enough, but the arrival had been tough.
    Standing slowly, he searched the area around him. The darkness held a dense, cloying odor. He squinted. It appeared to be the same room he'd been in last time. It also appeared to be empty.
    Relaxing slightly, he rolled his head and scrunched his shoulders slightly to ease up the tension in his back. He did a quick walk of the perimeter of the large room. No lights, no door, nothing. How did that work?
    The Louers' technology had diversified from those of his own people centuries ago, so even though he might know some of their methods to make daily living work, chances are he wouldn't understand all of it. His father and Paxton assumed that the Louers had become even more primitive after they'd been banished to this hell, but he wasn't so sure. The two men held the same opinion of Storey and her people, and look at what she'd managed to do. If the Louers had developed half as well as the humans, they could have some pretty amazing technology.
    The Louers he'd seen on his dimension had been brutish in looks, but they had been incredibly strong. They'd also crossed the veil and devised a strategy to try and take over his world. That they hadn't succeeded was due mostly to Storey and they couldn't have known to account for her in their plans. Who could have?
    He grinned.
    Good for Storey. Just being herself had been enough to make his people stand up and take notice. Teach them for acting superior and thinking all other people were inferior. He planned on not making the same mistake.
    So...how to get out of here and find Storey?
    With a hand held against the wall, he quickly searched for openings in the weird sandstone walls. Just because he couldn't see any light source didn't mean there wasn't one. Taking a chance on attracting attention, he called aloud for light. Instantly the room flooded with bright light. So