Hellworld (Deathstalker Prelude) by Simon R. Green Read Free Book Online Page B

approach.”
    “Can you read them?” asked Hunter quietly.
    “No. They’re too different, Captain. Too alien. The few impressions I’m getting don’t make any sense at all.”
    She broke off as more of the creatures suddenly thrust up through the cracks in the ground. Within moments there were dozens of the things all around, curling and coiling and scuttling back and forth. They moved in quick little darts and flurries, crawling over and under each other without pausing. The Squad formed a defensive circle, guns at the ready. Corbie gripped his disrupter tightly, and wished the Captain would give the order to open fire. The damned things moved too quickly for his liking. He had an uneasy suspicion they could move even quicker if they wanted to. Probably even as fast as a running man …
    “Orders, Captain?” asked Lindholm, his voice calm and controlled as always.
    “Stand your ground,” said Hunter. “They don’t seem too interested in us. I think we can afford to practise live and let live with anything that seems willing to leave us alone. There’s an opening to the left. Start moving towards it.”
    He stepped forward to lead the way, and every one of the creatures snapped round to point in his direction. Hunter froze where he was. The creatures held their position, their raised front ends swaying slightly.
    “They respond to movement, Captain,” said the Investigator. “And I don’t think they believe in live and let live.”
    “Wait a minute,” Corbie put in. “Look at the heads. Those are mouths, aren’t they? I would have sworn they didn’t have mouths a minute ago.”
    “They’ve got teeth as well,” said Lindholm. “And I’m sure they didn’t have those before. What the hell is going on here?”
    “Watch it!” said DeChance. “They’re moving!”
    The creatures surged forward with unnerving speed. Krystel took careful aim with her disrupter and blew a hole through the middle of the pack. The rest of the Squad followed her lead, and the air was full of the hiss of energy bolts. Half the creatures disappeared instantly, vaporized by the searing energy. More were torn apart by the shock waves, and ragged lengths of dirty yellow flew through the air, still coiling and twitching. The survivors slithered back into the cracks in the ground and were gone in seconds. Krystel holstered her gun and drew her sword, then moved cautiously forward. Hunter accompanied her, wrinkling his nose as the smell hit him. Both the dead and the injured creatures were already decaying, falling apart and melting into a stinking grey jelly. Krystel stirred some of the bodies with the tip of her sword, but there was no reaction.
    “If all the plants are this active, the forest should prove positively lively.” Krystel paused and looked at Hunter. “Captain, I strongly suggest we stay clear of the forest. We don’t have enough information to judge the risks accurately. There could be anything at all in there just waiting for us to come within reach.”
    Hunter scowled. Theoretically, she was right. But going around the forest instead of through it would add hours to their journey. It would also mean having to spend at least one night out in the open—all alone, unprotected, in the dark….
    “We’re going into the forest, Investigator. Our disrupters took care of those plant creatures easily enough. Listen up, people! We’re going to enter the forest in single file. Stay close, but no bunching up. Don’t touch anything and keep your eyes open. Guns at the ready at all times, but don’t fire unless you’ve got something specific to aim at. Now follow me.”
    He led the way into the trees, and the forest gloom closed in around him. The overhead canopy of branches let through some light, but even so, it was like walking straight from day into twilight. The others followed him in, giving the scorched remains on the ground a wide berth. Hunter stopped a few yards inside the boundary, and the Squad stood