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

  General Ashtar crossed a fisted arm over his chest. A voice rolled across Casey’s mind, and she flinched. “Find that weapon at all costs. We’ll ask the Great Creator for your safe return.” The Great Creator? Casey turned toward him. Does he mean God? Do we even have the same God?

  The general projected his answer using more mental telepathy. “There is only one God.”

  A grin grew across her lips.

  “Casey, the dude’s talking inside my head,” blurted Mike.

  “Mine too.” She shot General Ashtar a quick smile and saluted, arm over chest, as the door slowly closed. Then she leapt into a chair and buckled her seatbelt.

  Casey’s stomach clenched as she tugged at her seatbelt and peered at Thorn. Her brain felt woozy, almost like she had just gotten off some spinning teacup ride. Breathing in and out, she forced oxygen into her lungs to calm her racing pulse. With every fiber of her being, she wanted to bolt right off the ship, but something held her back. She’d given her word and wouldn’t bail out now.

  Thorn turned to face her. “Ready?”

  She tried to smile confidently, but her shaky voice gave her away. “As long as there’re barf bags onboard.” Closing her eyes, she let Jack’s image take hold of her thoughts—and for a minute she could even hear his laughter. She leaned her head back against the seat and gripped the armrests. “Hang on, Jack. We’re on our way.”

  “We’ll scour that alien mothership until we find him,” said Mike. “That’s a promise.”

  Something in his tone gave her hope. Maybe it was his determination to find his best friend.

  Thorn leaned over and turned a dial until a circuit flashed on the dashboard. “Bridge, we’re ready to launch.”

  “Acknowledged,” a voice responded from the comm.

  “I’m starting the countdown sequence.” Thorn inserted a crystal into the main computer and pressed a button.

  Another dial blinked on the console. An array of lights flashed across the control panel. The craft swayed and lifted slowly off the hangar deck.

  This is it. Casey breathed in and held in the air for a second as a shudder ran down her spine. Now or never, thank goodness. “We’re taking off,” she chanted as a sharp, clean smell like that lingering in the air after a thunderstorm wafted inside the cockpit. If Jack had been there, he would have been able to tell her what it was.

  “Jack would tell you the smell is ozone,” said Thorn. “It’s a colorless gas emitted from high-voltage electricity.”

  She had forgotten for a moment that she was stuck on a spaceship with some alien version of Criss Angel, that mind-reading guy on TV. She decided she’d have to engage in some serious thought censoring.

  Thorn smirked. “Are you shocked that I can read your thoughts?”

  “After everything I’ve seen, I guess I shouldn’t be.” She shrugged and peered out at the giant trapdoor sliding open in the floor of the hangar. “Will every alien be able to read my thoughts up there?”

  “No. It takes years of practice to read human thoughts. None of them have that kind of experience. Trust me. Most of the rebel Greys have never even met a person from Earth. So we’re safe, except for Commander Tio. But even he would have to concentrate, so in quick passing, you’ll be okay.”

  They plunged straight down into a tunnel deep in the ground.

  Thorn cast them a sideways glance. “Don’t worry. This is the back way out. Oh…one more thing. Hang on!”

  As they sped through the twists and turns of the tunnel, streaked with blue lights, a deafening roar ripped from the walls. The blue lights disappeared, and blackness surrounded her.

  Casey gripped the arms of her seat tighter to brace herself against the vibrations traveling from the ship up her legs and inside her body. She was thrown to the left and right just like a rollercoaster—a dark and thrilling ride, and she didn’t even have to pay admission. “About those barf bags…” she began, thinking maybe she shouldn’t have eaten so much of that delicious salad. When a wave of nausea flooded her stomach, she held her breath and tried not to throw up.

  The underground passage ended, and they shot up with a hiss, high into the bright sky bolting through the thick clouds, the country side flashing by just a few hundred feet below.

  Casey stared at the beautiful scenery as they leisurely glided over wildflowers in amazing shades of gold, red, and purple that carpeted the rolling hills.

  “I bet you never imagined seeing this sort of landscape down here,” said Thorn. “From what I understand of the surface world, this is much like your own home of…” Thorn paused, clearly not knowing where his copilots lived. “You’re from?”

  “Huntington Beach, California,” said Casey. “I’ll give you any answer you want, as long as you don’t do that mind-reading thing, ’cause it kind of freaks me out.”

  Mike grinned. “It’s the surfing capital of the world, home to the U.S. Open Surfing Championships and the NSSA.”

  Thorn cocked his head in confusion, so Casey explained, “The NSSA is the National Scholastic Surfing Association, a group for young surfers who haven’t turned pro yet.”

  “Wait…there’s more. It’s also—”

  She held up a hand to stop Mike. “I bet I can say it quicker.” She looked at him and smirked. “Yeah, I know the spiel since I’ve only listened to it a million times. And I mean that in the nicest way, babe.”

  He smirked back.

  “Thorn, in case you haven’t noticed yet, our Mike’s a celebrity,” said Casey. “He’s THE Mike Pierce.”

  Mike cut in with a big grin. “Yep. That’s me. International surfing star.”

  “Really?” asked Thorn, impressed.

  She nodded. “Yes. He’s won every single award and competition in the world of amateur surfing. He’s been on TV and in lots of magazines too. And last but not least, he models and represents famous brands of surfing gear and clothing.”

  Mike’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, having sponsors is awesome, because there’s nothing like getting paid to surf.”

  “Very prestigious,” said Thorn.

  A smile grew across his lips. “It’s quite an achievement, especially for someone as young as me. Someday I’m going to be a famous movie star and pro surfer.”

  Mike could have and would have gone on for hours if no one reined him in. As much as she hated to change his favorite subject—himself—she couldn’t listen to another one of his surfing stories, at least not when she was dying to know more about alien life. “So, Thorn, where’re you from?”

  “I live thirty-nine light years away, in the star system of Zeta Reticuli. Mike, I need you to push down all the blue crystals with triangles on them.”

  As he pushed them down one by one, they glowed. “How many miles is that away from here?”

  “It is about 220 trillion,” answered Thorn, fussing with the red knobs.

  Mike let out a whistle. “Dude, that’s far! I guess you don’t take the bus, huh? How long does it take you to get here?”

  “If I don’t take a wormhole, I can get to Earth in a little over eighty-nine days.”

  Wormhole? Casey’s jaw dropped. Like a portal in a science fiction show?

  Thorn’s fingers danced across the console. “Full speed ahead!” He made a ninety-degree turn and raced over the land at fantastic speeds, zigzagging through the clouds.

  Casey watched a blur of scenery flash through the glass window. The floor beneath her started to quiver, along with the walls, ceiling, and the chair she was buckled into. She grabbed her armrest and said, “Thorn! What’s going on?”

  Mike shot her a confused look, wondering why Thorn wasn’t replying.

  She glared at him as the walls vibrated harder, the motion pushing her around in her seat. “This thing is equipped with parachutes, right?”

  There was still no answer; Thorn’s eyes were glued to the gauges.

  An ear-piercing siren blared as the room became engulfed with blinking red lights. With each jarring thud, chills shot
up her spine. Things didn’t look so hot, but she needed to keep her wits and her cool. She refused to let fear consume her. Glancing out the window, she could see the big shadow from the ship dancing across the surface of a pristine lake they sped over.

  “We’re losing altitude!” said Thorn. “Casey, pull down the orange crystal on your side. Mike, pull up the green one!”

  Going down? As in crashing? She swallowed back the rising panic and swore to herself that she’d stay strong. She had to, and she had to trust Thorn to get them through it. “I’m on it!” The words came out barely louder than a whisper.

  Casey’s head jerked backward and then snapped forward as the ship plunged forward, cutting through the white clouds like a knife. Looking out the window, she noticed a plume of dark smoke swirling outside the craft. She wanted to keep up hope and be brave. Still, she had to wonder if the ship would burn up before it even hit the ground. Get me out of this ‘frying saucer’ already! Boy, won’t the aliens have a laughing fit at our expense. Fine pilots we make. Her nausea bubbled up inside again, like she was in a simulator ride at the video arcade, only multiplied by a million.

  “We’re going to die!” Mike mumbled as he tried to pull the green lever up.

  “Keep it together, Pierce.” In a bold moment, Casey let go of the armrest and waved to get his attention, lest she give in to that nagging voice inside her head that kept telling her they might die long before they reached the mothership. She had to see Mike, if even for a second, but Thorn sat in the middle of them, fussing with buttons. If she was going to die, she wanted to see Mike’s eyes one last time—those beautiful green eyes. He clenched his jaw and gripped the rattling seat. She peered out the cockpit window as they bumped through the air and gulped at the mountain range of towering ice peaks looming ahead.

  “Oh man! Oh man! Oh man!” yelled Mike.

  They were going down, smashing into smithereens. She thought about her visit to Roswell, and a picture flashed across her mind. Millions of pieces from a wreckage, an alleged UFO, were scattered along the field at a ranch. She wondered if their ship would look the same way in the end.

  Thorn pulled back on the lever as the ship dropped in altitude. A sudden loud banging, like hundreds of baseball bats hitting the plane, echoed beneath her feet. She looked out the window, though she shouldn’t have. The ship skidded on its belly and skipped across the treetops. She squeezed her eyes closed and then opened them. The vibrations shook the floor like an earthquake. She braceed for impact. Even if she somehow survived the crash, she wasn’t sure she would survive the flames or toxic fumes. She shook away the thought of blackened, tangled, twisting metal burning in the charred trees

  “Someone help us!” Mike wailed.

  Straight ahead, the mountains were getting closer—and bigger. She sucked in a giant gulp of air. Her head jerked forward as Thorn clipped a row of towering trees on a twenty-foot ridge.

  Casey’s screams turned into desperate gasps of air. She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched the armrests. “God, please don’t let me die!”

  Chapter 7

  The ship steadied as Thorn steered it 200 feet above the trees. That was definitely a plus, but they still weren’t out of the woods yet, so to speak. They had to maneuver around the nearby mountain range, or else they were going to crash right into it.

  Casey held her breath as the warning lights continued to blink. “Just pull the lever,” she yelled over the ear-splitting noise.

  Reaching forward, Mike grasped the green crystal. The muscles on his arm flexed, and sweat gathered on his brows as he yanked. “It won’t budge.”

  She knew the ship would crash any moment, making every nerve fiber in her body scream. Adrenalin surged. “Try harder!”

  Grimacing, he let out a groan. “Not working.”

  “Try pushing the yellow button and then pull up,” said Thorn.

  Casey shot him a disbelieving look. She wondered how he could possibly be so calm when they were about to explode into thousands of pieces—or worse, the ship might explode, and they’d be floating in midair, waiting for the parachute to pop open when there wasn’t one. The alarm grew in intensity, and the lights blinked faster.

  “Pull up! Pull up!” yelled Thorn.

  Finally, he had a natural panicked-sounding reaction, so Casey could let her own panic out as heavy vibrations shook the walls and snow-covered mountains inched closer. “We’re going to crash!” For a moment, Casey thought the mountain peaks would tear right through the floor.

  She spun in her seat, ready to pull the thing herself if Mike didn’t do it soon. What’s the point in having that much muscle mass if the guy can’t put it to use when it matters?

  Mike strained against his taut shoulder harness, frantically tossing and turning in his seat. “I’m telling you the thing is jammed!”

  She stretched out her arm, her fingers barely touching the crystal as she tried to grab hold of it. When she did, she yanked it. “It’s stuck.”

  Thorn gave it a shot, to no avail. “Hang in there. I’m going to override the system.”

  He pressed his palm against a red crystal, holding it in place. The veins on his forehead bulged as he groaned, straining to keep the crystal pressed. “We’ve less than a minute before impact.”

  Casey gripped the console and let out a long shriek as her heart started pumping harder. “Do something, Mike!”

  “What do you expect me to do?” he yelled.

  She wouldn’t die. All she needed was a better grip on the crystal. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. Before she could change her mind, she unbuckled her seatbelt and rushed over to him. Wrapping her hands around his, she shouted, “Pull NOW!”

  Mike’s hand tightened under hers, his heavy breathing brushing her cheek as he tugged. The crystal released with a loud, screeching sound. The ship made a sharp swerve to the right as it flew between the two glittering towers of ice.

  Casey held tightly on to Mike, while Thorn pushed a lever and the ship straightened out. “Are we safe?” Her voice came low and coarse, fighting to find a way out of her throat.

  Thorn nodded.

  “Phew! I think I’m getting the hang of this.” Mike took a deep breath and pointed to her seat. “You might want to sit back down—you know, just in case there’s more turbulence.”

  Shaking, she nodded and slumped down. Wherever Mike went, drama followed, even if it wasn’t his fault this time. From dangerous dinosaurs, to meeting aliens, to almost being smashed into a mountain, the thrills never stopped in this place.

  “Yes, it’s best to sit back down,” agreed Thorn.

  Casey met Thorn’s gaze and grinned. “Is there any way we can do this without him?”

  “Hey, I heard that,” said Mike in a playful tone. “What about showing a bit of gratitude after I saved your butt?”

  “You so didn’t!” She shook her head, fighting the urge to slap the back of his head. Instead, she patted his shaking hand. Cosmo always said you should let the guy have his moment in the limelight. She smiled sweetly and rolled her eyes. “Of course, babe. You were awesome.”

  “Thanks,” he said with a chuckle.

  What made us think we could actually fly an alien ship? “We’re so screwed.”

  “It wasn’t Mike’s fault the controls jammed,” said Thorn. “It took both of you to release the lever. You can do this.”

  Casey fell back in her chair and let out a long sigh. She hoped Thorn was right, because if they couldn’t even fly the ship, the rest of the crazy plan was hopeless.

  Thorn pulled down a group of glowing white crystals. “Time to head for the surface. We can’t go through the North or South Pole exits because they’re heavily guarded by rebel Greys, but I know another way. Two days ago, the general found a hole in the crust, most likely from an earthquake. It’ll be sealed up in rock eventually, but it’s open for now.”

  For a moment, Casey just looked at him, aghast that he could be so calm and composed, as though nothing major h
appened.

  The ship began to rise like an elevator through the jagged underground opening. The constant blur of brown gave way to hazy clouds as they sped past. She stared in awe out the cockpit window at the passing crust of Earth. If only my science teacher could see me now.

  Mike’s voice pierced through her thoughts. “Man, I think the hole’s growing narrower. This ship’s never going to fit.”

  “Easy fix.” A jolt rattled through the craft as Thorn’s fingers danced across the control panel, turning the UFO at a vertical angle.

  Casey grabbed her seat, her knuckles white, as a strange buzzing sound like a thousand bees filling the air. Gritting her teeth, she hung on for dear life as a scream froze in her throat. She could have sworn the jarring vibrations shook every bone in her entire body. Minutes felt like hours, but finally they burst into the bright blue summer sky.

  “Look!” said Mike, pointing. “Normal animals…and a normal sun.”

  Gazing out, she peered down at moose grazing in an open patch of woods. A light dusting of snow covered the ground, glittering in the sun. Sun? As in one sun! She looked up and smiled at the blazing yellow ball. It was the most beautiful sight ever. She let out a big sigh of relief.

  Thorn motioned toward the cockpit window. “Welcome to Alaska.”

  Earth’s surface. If she could have gotten out, she’d have kissed the icy ground, thrown snow up in the air like a wild woman, and danced like she never did before. And then it dawned on her: She was inches away from an escape. Her heart pounded, and she closed her eyes for a brief moment, giving in to the screaming voice in her head that urged her to beg Thorn to drop her off right there in the snow—on the surface of Earth. Heck, she’d flag down a trapper in a dogsled being pulled by Siberian huskies if she had to. They might only travel at the rate of fifteen MPH, but that didn’t matter. At least she’d get home eventually. Her parents were out there, safe and waiting for her. If she made a run for it, she’d be holding them in her arms while someone else sorted out the mess with the rebel Greys. No. She shook her head, angry with herself for even thinking that an escape might solve her problems. Jack was still out there. She might relish returning to her parents, but she could never live with herself knowing that she’d betrayed her best friend.