Endure: Book 5 in The Trapped In The Hollow Earth Novelette Series Read online

  Agartha’s Castaway

  Book 5

  In

  The Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series

  By

  Chrissy Peebles

  Copyright © 2012 by Chrissy Peebles

  Edited by: Autumn J. Conley, [email protected]

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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  Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Chrissy’s blog: http://chrissypeebles.blogspot.com/

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  For:

  Faith and Matthew. I love you.

  To:

  My Father God in heaven.

  To:

  Jayde Scott. Thank you for reading this entire manuscript from start to finish. You’re the best critting partner ever! Your advice, ideas, and suggestions were nothing short of amazing. I couldn’t have done it without you!

  To:

  My brilliant editor, Autumn J. Conley.

  Chapter 1

  The glass floor allowed a view of the chiseled rocks a few hundred feet beneath her. Grabbing hold of the rail, Casey wavered. Any minute now, they’d be taking a ride on the glass sidewalk into the city of Agartha. Staring ahead at the cavern walls, she couldn’t help but be suspicious of Orthon, but she and Mike had to take a chance with the weird guy they’d met only hours earlier. It was worth the risk though. They had no idea where they were, and they’d learned the hard way that wandering around in such a strange place could get them killed. Finally, I’ll be able to get my hands on a telephone, and tell my parents I didn’t die in that storm at sea, she thought, knowing they’d be so proud of her survival skills.

  She wondered, though, if they would believe the tale she had to tell—that she was shipwrecked on an island in a prehistoric wildlife preserve and was rescued by a towering man with blond hair whom they presumed to be some kind of alien. She wondered what they would think of her if she told them Jack had been abducted by a UFO. She let out a sigh. It all sounded so crazy.

  “How much longer until we take off?” Mike muttered in her ear.

  She pressed her mouth tight as bats shrieked in the distance. Of course she wanted out of the cave, but joining Mike’s complaint campaign wasn’t going to help them one bit.

  He stared down at the glass sidewalk and shook his head. “This alien technology is pretty cool…but are you sure it’s safe?”

  While plummeting to their death was a possibility, Jack’s torture was a certainty according to Orthon. She glanced up at the unnaturally tall figure swaying forward in fluent motions, as if he didn’t really weigh at least twice her weight.

  “Get ready and hold on tight,” said Orthon.

  Inhaling, Casey grasped the glass railing tighter and took a step forward.

  “I wonder if this moving sidewalk can go faster than the one at the airport,” said Mike behind her.

  Casey slapped her forehead. “I don’t care, as long it gets us to our destination in one piece. But, yeah, since it’s called a high-speed skywalk, that should tell you something.” She didn’t mean to snap at him, but his constant questions and complaining didn’t work, at least not at that moment. Nausea rose up from the pit of her stomach. What if those UFOs, hovering over the city, really belong to Orthon’s people? Can we trust this weird man we just met when he says those are enemy ships? Maybe Jack is better off up there than we are down here…

  Mike held up his hands in surrender. “Whoa! I can understand your frustration here. You’re dying for another one of my mind-blowing kisses, aren’t you? But there’s no need to be like that, babe. I’ll make sure there’s more of that to come in the future.”

  “How reassuring, sweetie pie.” She blinked her eyelashes at him in a playful manner. “I’ll just forget about the alien taking us to his lair and focus on all those kisses coming my way.”

  He laughed.

  She opened her mouth to speak, when the glass conveyor belt thingy started to roll slowly, gradually increasing in speed.

  A gust of wind hit her face as the ground rushed beneath her feet, moving at high speeds for miles underground. It reminded her of a New York subway—except it smelled better and seemed to be free of charge. Grasping the railing for dear life, she glanced around. The cavernous walls became a blur, except for a tiny dot of light approaching in the distance, growing larger by the second. As they neared the end of the tunnel, she gazed out and saw…Daylight? Is that good or bad? All Casey could think of at the moment was that people always see lights at the end of a tunnel during those near-death experiences she’d read and seen movies about. She knew she needed to get a grip because they weren’t dead—not yet anyway.

  Still gliding through the air, Casey blinked at the sudden brightness flooding her vision. They were heading outside on a moving conveyor belt like the kind at airports. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the natural light. She brushed her hair behind her ears, but the wind blew it around again and again. The breeze carried the scent of desert herbs, sand, and sweet, dusty earth. She glanced up at the dazzling blue sky and felt sunshine on her face. Holding out her arms, she marveled at the speed and cried, “We’re flying!”

  Her heart raced as she peered down at the rock-strewn, desert landscape below. It was as if they’d landed on Mars, the red planet itself. Crimson-colored sandstone gorges and thousands of jutting spires ranging from sugar-white to deep orange shimmered in the glaring brightness. Little whirlwinds of dust, sand, and gritty dirt danced below. Fantastic rock formations, swirled with bands of colors, seemed to stretch out into endless depths like the Grand Canyon. She let out a giggle as she remembered her dad riding down the narrow path to the bottom. He had bounced up and down, hanging on for dear life, as his mule teetered precariously near the edge. He had sworn time and time again that he was going to fall straight over, thousands of feet.

  The skywalk climbed even higher. Mike placed a hand on her shoulder, soothing the fear coursing through her. In a brazen moment, she gazed back at him. Yes, he was childish and spewed a never-ending fountain of lame jokes, and he was beyond obnoxious at times, but he was always there for her when she needed him. What more could a girl want?

  “We are speeding midair on nothing but two inches of glass,” Orthon felt the need to inform them.

  Two inches was as thin as Mike’s surfboard, and she wasn’t so thrilled to know that was all that separated them from those sharp rocks on the canyon fl
oor, like giant teeth waiting to chew them up. She sucked in a deep breath and decided to get off at the next stop.

  “What’s holding it up?” asked Mike.

  Yeah, good question.

  “We use magnetic technology,” said Orthon through the whipping wind.

  “Magnets?” she asked.

  “Don’t worry,” said Orthon. “There’s also an invisible force field around us for our safety.”

  She spun, scanning the air for a glow or reflection—anything—because “invisible” anything didn’t exactly make her feel safe. “How do you know this thing’s working if it’s invisible?”

  Orthon turned and shot them a mischievous glance, his eyes glinting as they whizzed along. From the look on his face, it didn’t seem like he was going to give Casey the answer she wanted to hear. “We do not know if it works, but we hope.”

  Casey gulped.

  “Just kidding!” he called back. “Of course it works. We do safety checks on a regular basis.”

  Orthon was joking? Maybe he wasn’t uptight as she had previously thought. Breathing out, Casey relaxed a little. She’d no clue what sort of technology it was, because it was as alien as everything else they’d seen in that place. Jack would probably have understood it a lot better than she would, but she couldn’t understand why they’d make it transparent when they had to know that was going to terrify everyone. Black would’ve been much more soothing. “You’re sure we won’t fall out?” she asked.

  Orthon nodded, his gaze already focused ahead.

  Mike’s hand settled on her shoulder, making her jump, and her hands grasped the rails even tighter. “Don’t worry,” Mike whispered in her ear. “I’ve got you.”

  Two strong arms wrapped around her waist, and for a moment, she felt safe and secure in Mike’s embrace. She let go of the rails and threw her hands up. The cool wind felt good against her face, whipping against her skin like on her favorite rollercoaster. “I feel like a bird—like a soaring eagle!” she shouted.

  “Whoa! Easy there. Don’t take off without me.”

  She laughed; Mike had the best sense of humor. Her smile faded, though, as a rumble of thunder rolled across the sky. Startled, she blinked, fearing that a storm was blowing in. When Mike’s jaw dropped and his carefree expression changed, she whirled around to follow his gaze.

  “Uh, Casey . . . are you seeing what I’m seeing?” He pointed out over the colorful canyon, his eyes widening. “We got a flying reptile missile barreling straight toward us!”

  She stiffened. The “missile” moved its pelican-shaped head from side to side, swinging its wings forward and backward in a vertical motion, like a giant vulture. Frowning, she gulped. There was no way it was any kind of normal vulture with that big, horn-like protrusion jutting from its head. Its piercing red eyes glowed while the creature glided on the air between flaps. She suddenly wondered if those sporty cars called Thunderbird got their name from that weird, menacing-looking creature. “Oh my gosh! It’s the freaking pterodactyl thingy that flew over us earlier. It’s making a jailbreak!”

  “Hey, Orthon,” yelled Mike, “are you aware the critters are breakin’ out of your zoo?”

  “Yes. The enemy shut down everything, including the electric shield to the prehistoric animal sanctuary. How do you think you and Casey were able to crawl out through the hole in the wall without being electrocuted?”

  A shiver slid down Casey’s spine. “So if we got through, that means other things are getting out—like anything that can fly over the wall or crawl through the hole? Although, we did jam a rock pretty good into that hole.”

  Orthon nodded. “With the shields down, it was bound to happen.” Squinting, he peered into the distance. “Wave your hands! We need the creature to see us.”

  Mike shook his head. “What? So it can chomp us up in one single gulp? Are you freakin’ crazy?”

  “It’s not after prey,” said Orthon. “It is only in flight, and if it sees us in time, it will fly above us to avoid a collision.”

  Assuming Orthon knew more about the place and the wildlife there, Casey joined Mike and Orthon in waving her hands and shouting. It brought back memories of fending off the saber-tooth tiger. The living, breathing airplane flew closer, and Casey suddenly missed her shiny silver phone since it might have reflected enough light to get the flying lizard’s attention, but Jack had put it in his back pocket during the T-rex fiasco. Darn my luck! she thought, nowhere near the first or last time for the day.

  Her mouth dropped. The steady rhythm of flapping wings echoed in her ears as it approached, letting out a shrill Eeeeeeeeeeeee! sound. She flailed wildly, but it refused to veer off course. “It’s going to run right into us!”

  The creature’s eyes bulged as it met Casey’s terrified stare. Its long, robust beak opened, and she could see its pink tongue and rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth that looked like they could take off an entire limb with just a nibble. The pterodactyl abruptly turned to the right, but it was too late. A sudden jolt shook her entire body as she clung to the railing. The monstrous flying lizard bounced off the force field and tumbled downward in a spiral motion.

  Vibrations shot up Casey’s legs as the glass floor buckled, whirred, and shook beneath her feet. She staggered backward, almost losing her balance when Mike’s terrified scream rang out next to her. Glancing over to her side, she gasped. Mike was gone! Terrified that he’d fallen out, she spun around and gripped the railing, her heart thundering in her ears. She frantically yelled his name, but even though he didn’t answer, she was relieved to catch a glimpse of his bulging eyes. She’d never seen him so scared. He clung onto the bottom of the rail for dear life, his usually strong body flapping helplessly in the wind. She spun to face Orthon. “Do something!”

  He knelt down and pushed a few buttons on the control panel by his feet. The high-speed skywalk slowly came to a halt, and they hovered in the air, like some kind of amusement park ride frozen in motion. Tiny flashes of light, followed by a flurry of sparks, made her jump. Finally, she could see the shield. She realized it would keep Mike safe from falling to his death, but at the same time, the crackling energy could electrocute him.

  “Help!” Mike’s voice carried from below, sounding more helpless than Casey had ever heard him. “I don’t . . . I don’t want to die.”

  “Mike!” yelled Casey. Her heart threatened to explode out of her chest. She peered over the edge, but Orthon yanked her back.

  “Don’t,” said Orthon.

  “I’ve got to help him!” she shouted.

  Orthon leaned over and grabbed Mike’s arm. He pulled up inch by inch until Mike’s blond head popped up.

  “Casey, if I’m dying, I want you to find someone else,” wailed Mike. “Don’t wait until we meet in the afterlife. Just make sure the new guy’s not hotter than me. Otherwise, you might end up with a poltergeist.”

  Sweat beaded her forehead as she knelt next to Orthon, trying to help. Mike let out a few more groans while Orthon grabbed Mike’s one arm and Casey clasped the other so they could heave him over the edge. Gasping for air, Mike lay on the floor, with his biggest fan cradling his head in her lap.

  He looked up, relief washing over his features. “Thank you…both of you.”

  “I’d never let anything happen to you,” she said. “Are you okay?”

  “I just saw my life flashing before my eyes, and then I realized I’m not ready to settle down yet. There’s so much more for a guy to do, like travel the world and turn pro in surfing.”

  He had almost died, in some strange, alien place, and all he could think about was fortune and glory. She set her jaw, glaring at him. It wasn’t like she’d demanded a diamond ring from him already; all she wanted was more info about where they stood and whether they’d continue dating once they got home. She jumped up, knocking into his arm by accident.

  “Ouch,” he muttered.

  “Stand up. There’s still Jack to save.”

  He stood, but he didn’t look too
eager to move. “Honestly, after what I just went through, I think you should be reassuring me to make sure I don’t leave here scarred and with the shock of my life. So, where’s all my hugs and kisses?”

  Boy, he was a drama queen, complete with emotions all over the place. One minute, it seemed as if he blamed her for possibly making him settle down, and the next, he was begging for hugs and kisses. “Move it, Mike. I bet Jack isn’t so lucky to have someone like Orthon around to save him.”

  “You got a point there.” Standing, he leaned forward and placed a peck on her cheek.

  “Ready?” asked Orthon.

  Mike nodded and glanced over the rail. “Wow! It’s like being stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel, only three times as high.”

  The high-speed skywalk resumed, and Mike held his hands tightly around her waist from behind. Thoughts pounded her brain. Is Jack being treated okay? Is he even alive? Will we be able to rescue him? Tears welled up in her eyes as she pondered all the what-ifs, and she felt the pain deep down inside of her. She’d never give up on Jack—not ever—just as she knew Jack nor Mike would ever give up on her.

  Straight ahead, a dark mountain loomed in the distance, and Casey’s stomach fluttered at the sight of it. She hoped they wouldn’t crash into it, though the glass sidewalk wasn’t swerving to the left or right. She took a deep breath and peered around Orthon’s large frame. When the sunlight glittered off a gold archway that was carved into the granite rock, like half of a giant, fancy McDonald’s sign, she blew out a sigh of relief. It had to be an entrance into the city.

  Holding in her breath, Casey felt her pulse speed up. It was the moment of truth, the moment they’d been waiting for. She hoped it would lead to a way to find Jack, but the way things were going, it could very well be some kind of disaster or trap.

  A yell of excitement burst from Mike’s mouth as they descended into the mouth of the cave. Daylight disappeared, and everything grew dim. The sidewalk seemed to slow down as they traveled through a winding tunnel of rock and finally emerged into a large white room with no windows.