“Run!”

Without another word, Rodger had dashed off down the tunnel, back toward the ship.

They ran after him.

“What is going on?” shouted Kaine as he caught up with their guide.

“Indigenous life forms do not like humans.”

“There is life here?” asked Val, her voice filled with surprise.

“Oh, yes. And believe me when I say you do not want to meet it.”

By now, the ground under their feet was trembling. The sound had increased—a low, deep thudding, though every once in a while, they could also make out a distant piercing shriek that made Kaine shudder.

“Where is it? Will we have time to reach the ship?”

“I hope so.”

Rodger’s voice was strained and out of breath.

Above the creature’s cries, they now could hear the wailing winds. A spot of blue in the distance told them they were approaching the entrance.

“Whatever you do,” hissed their guide, “do not linger. Once we’re out in the open, we’ll be more at risk, but we have to get to the ship.”

“Are you saying we’re safe in these caverns?” asked Val as they ran.

“I wouldn’t say safe, not exactly. That particular creature could not reach us here, but it could destroy the shuttle, and then we’d be stranded.”

“What? How could it do that?”

The opening grew larger, and they could see the storm raging outside.

“No time. Just keep going. Let nothing distract you.”

He’d barely finished talking that they came out of the tunnel and the winds hit them hard.

The ship lay ahead, but Kaine bitterly remembered it had taken five minutes to get to the cave. He swore.

Another piercing shriek resonated against the walls of the mountain behind them, now much louder than before.

How close was that thing? And where was it?

He tried to ask another question, but the storm muffled his words.

Rain and snow battered them as they raced toward the shuttle.

The ground shook, and thunder clapped.

Val tripped. Her body dipped, but he caught her arm and steadied her. She gave him a quick nod, and they continued to run.

But Rodger suddenly stopped and lifted both his hands.

He turned, a horrified expression on his face. He motioned toward the mountain and started running back toward the cave.

Kaine was confused. He stared at the shuttle and noticed it was moving.

How could that be?

He gaped as the head tipped down and sunk into the earth.

Val grabbed and pulled him, which snapped him out of it. He turned and ran toward the cave as fast as he could—faster for sure than he ever had in his lifetime.

It was a shorter distance than the ship, so they quickly reached the safety of the tunnel.

Though how safe was it really, he wondered?

They looked back toward the shuttle.

Except it was gone.

“What happened?” asked Kaine. “Where did it go?”

“Down,” muttered Rodger.

Val stared into the storm. She shook her head and glanced at the guide.

“What now?”

Rodger looked outside, then down the tunnel.

“Now we call for help and hope nothing else comes for us.”

“That thing can’t get us here, can it?”

“No. But there are other nasty critters on this planet.”

Kaine was annoyed.

“You don’t think you should have warned us about that before we left on this little expedition?”

The man grimaced. “It should have been safe enough. The wurms don’t normally come so close to the mountains.”

“Are you telling me there’s some sort of giant worm out there?”

“They don’t look so much like worms, to be honest, but the name was given before one was ever seen and it kinda stuck.”

“What do they look like?”

“You don’t want to know,” grumbled Rodger. “But I’ll tell you this much. They’re huge and live underground.”

Val glanced into the tunnel.

“Could one of those creatures have created the pit?”

Rodger shook his head as he tapped on his wristpad.

“They can’t dig through rock. That’s why they stay away from the mountains.”

The thudding sound still resonated through the cave, though Kaine thought it wasn’t as loud as before.

“Is it leaving?”

“I hope so.” The guide stared at the display of his wristpad. “A shuttle will be here to pick us up in half an hour. It has to be gone if we want to get out of here.”

“What if it’s still here and they can’t land?”

Rodger frowned. He looked toward the storm outside and the trembling earth.

“Then we’re screwed,” he muttered.