From the Stars

Chapter 11: Into the Mouth of the Beast

We got about two feet into the cave before we came across a problem. But the problem didn't come from within.

A scream from behind made me turn around. And my blood went cold.

A Martian stood outside the cave, its skin mutilated and gashed from the bomb we'd detonated on it and in its claws was Stan. He desperately tried to wrest himself away, but the Martian only held on tighter so that a trickle of blood slithered down Stan's arm.

At its feet, Lenny and Penny bit and tore at the Martian's flesh but, if it felt it, the Martian didn't let on.

"Stan!" Belle screamed from her position just outside the cave, before she flung herself at the Martian.

"Belle, no!" I ran after her, but I collided with a solid wall. I fell backwards, my hands rising to my nose which had taken the hit and was now bleeding all over my white shirt. Sai ran over and helped me up, and we both ran over to the mouth of the cave. I held my hand out tentatively and it brushed with a wall of hardened air. Beyond the wall, Belle had clambered onto the Martian's back and was frantically hitting it as the Martian held onto Stan. She looked like an angry, blonde gremlin.

I banged on the wall before looking towards Sai and Anita. Their hands were pressed against the wall and their faces were white.

There was nothing we could do to help. We were trapped while Belle and Stan had to fight the Martian. She had no weapons. No bombs. No help...

Unless.

I hurled off my backpack, ignoring my bleeding nose, and unzipped it so that its contents spilled on the floor of the cave. I grabbed my daggers and ran back over to the wall.

"Belle!" I screamed, praying that this would work, before flinging the sheathed daggers in her direction.

The daggers flew through the air, through the wall, to land on the floor ten feet away from Belle. She whipped her head round to look at them, the momentary distraction allowing the Martian to fling her off its back and onto the floor.

She landed with a thud, the sound making me wince. But she got up and ran for the daggers.

Behind her, the Martian began to drag Stan around the high stone wall and out of sight.

"Belle, go!" Anita screamed from my side.

Belle gritted her teeth and darted around the wall after the Martian.

The next few minutes were agonising. From inside the cave Anita, Sai and I waited with a tension like nothing else we'd ever experienced. My nose was still dripping blood, but the trickle seemed to be slowing down. The only sounds were grunts and hisses, from how far away, I couldn't tell.

Eventually, a mighty scream sounded through the cavern, and the world went silent. The scream had been so animal in nature that it was impossible to determine whether it had been Martian or human.

I flung my hand out and grabbed Sai's as I waited. I didn't care that I hardly knew him - not as I gripped his hand like a vice. He squeezed my hand back, despite the fact that it was covered in blood, and my nerves eased a little. But not much.

From behind the stone wall, a grunting filled the air and my heart flew into my chest as a figure rounded the corner.

"Belle!" Anita cried as the figure came closer and Belle became visible through the darkness that had descended over the hills. Beside her was Stan. He was limping and his arm was flung over Belle's shoulder but, apart from the gashes in his arm, he looked okay.

I rested my free hand against the wall as the two of them came closer. The fight was over, but Sai's hand was like an anchor keeping me attached to reality and I wasn't quite ready to let go yet. Sai seemed to realise this because he made no move to free his hand.