47 Chapter 47 Cave Fish (2/2)

Panting hard, they paused in the next section of tunnel.

”This place is a freaking nightmare!” growled Olivia.

Dustin glanced at her, and chuckled.He couldn't help it.After everything he had been through, this was almost on par with what he expected anymore.

”You think that's funny?” she demanded, jabbing a finger back at the bloody-appearing garden.

”I just thought how sexy your growl was.”He grinned at her.

She looked at him for a moment, dumbstruck, then shook her head.”After all this, and we still don't have anything to eat!Not to mention we have to go back past all of that to get back to the ship!”

He glanced down the tunnel, and saw a heat signature again.With Olivia following close on his heels, they stepped into another open cave.The further into it they went, the warmer it got.He knew that soon, he wouldn't be able to see a heat signature of anything, and was a little worried at what might be baiting them.Over to the side, he saw another pool, and at first, wanted to avoid it, in case another damn monster popped out, but then he saw there were merely small cave fish swimming around.

When Olivia saw them, she gasped and dived over to the pool.For the next several minutes, they caught fish after fish, swallowing them whole.They were both so hungry by this point, that they didn't mind at all that they wiggled on the way down.

A small squeak behind them, had the two spinning around, on guard.Dustin even went so far, as to jump out of the water, so that if anything was wanting to grab him from the deep end, he might notice and avoid it.

A small child, about two and a half to three feet tall, was cowering in a small depression.A large cave spider was trying to fish her out.

Olivia charged at the spider, kicking it half way across the cave, before Dustin could stop her.It landed on a sharp stalagmite, sliding down it, wiggling furiously as its internal juices made the spike even more slippery.

The small girl emerged slowly, staring at them with wide, terrified eyes.Her skin was covered in blue-white crystalline hairs, that almost looked like soft fur.Her eyes were glowing a bright purple, and Dustin realized that was what he had been seeing.All this time he thought it was a heat signature, and it was her eyes.

”Please don't kill me,” she whispered.

”We won't,” assured Olivia in a soft voice.Dustin couldn't help but think she would make a great mom.

”Are you alone?” asked Dustin, glancing around to see of there was any trace of any other crystal people.

”No,” she said, shaking her head.”Everyone else is dead.The top-siders killed them.”

They looked at each other.The same thought was running through their heads.The Josagn!