Prodigy Returns (book 3)

Chapter Eighteen

Alex wasn't much into surprises, but went along with it for Kyodin's sake. Like a child being amused at something an adult would find trivial, Kyodin seemed to enjoy surprises. Perhaps more than anything, she was interested in learning as much as she could about this bygone alien civilization.

Encapsulated by a bright glow, Alex and Kyodin proceeded down a dark and isolated part of the bunker. The damp smell of mildew circulated in the brisk air and seemed to be getting stronger with each passing second. At the end of a long snaking corridor was a large metal door. It was ornately decorated and looked like it weighed several tonnes. Whatever, or whoever, had occupied the room behind this door seemed to have been more important than the rest. The door was only open a crack, but enough for Alex and Kyodin to slip through.

"Father said this door was sealed when they first discovered this place," Kyodin said as he entered the room ahead of Alex.

Standing just a few feet from the doorway, Kyodin dispersed several free-floating lights that hovered above them, illuminating every corner of the large room. With that, Alex saw what her brother was so eager to show her.

"Oh my gosh," she said.

Throughout different places in the room were the skeletal remains of a lost tribe of human-like beings. What wasn't immediately obvious to Alex became clearer as she walked closer to the remains. Crouching lower, she realized that the bones were several times larger than humans.

"They were giants," Alex commented, still awestruck.

"Whoever they were, they didn't seem to leave any record of their history. This is the only evidence we've ever found of them. The last of their kind."

Alex was indeed fascinated. She wanted to ask a million questions, but knew Kyodin wouldn't have the answers. Looking around for clues, Alex attempted to piece a story together that would make sense to this apparent mass murder. She wasn't an expert on crime scene forensics, but she had watched enough shows to know what kinds of things to look for.

"What are you doing?" Kyodin asked.

Alex made her way through the field of enlarged ribs, femurs, spines, and skulls, being careful not to disturb any of them. She investigated the walls, the ceiling, and the back of the door. The clothing of the oversized beings had long since disintegrated, indicating that a lot of time had passed and there were hardly any tools or treasures to be found. Now focusing her attention on the bones, Alex noticed something odd that she took for granted before.

"Does something about this arrangement seem odd to you?" she asked.

"I don't know," Kyodin said, looking around for something obvious to jump out at him.

"You said this room was the only one you found that was like this, right?"

"Yes."

"To clarify, this is the only room with a thick metal door with a bunch of families locked inside?"

"How do you know they were families?"

"Look at the way they are all huddled up together in small groups."

"Yeah, you're right," Kyodin said, taking notice of the arrangement for the first time.

"My guess is that all these families died at once, most likely poisoned or suffocated."

"What makes you say that?" Kyodin asked, looking for the same clues that Alex had apparently uncovered.

"Think about it," she said with enthusiasm. "All these people lived in this bunker, but they all died together in this one room. What does that tell you?"