Readyworld

fiction by michael werneburg

"We have to return to the surface now," said the officer, cutting Hu off mid-sentence.

"What's up?" Hu asked, standing.

"The perimeter has been compromised," he said.

"By what?" I asked, alarmed.

"Let's just return to the surface, shall we? Besides, I don't think it's going to be safe here, any more."

"Why is that?" Hu said, sounding concerned.

"I'm reading some variance in the walls of the upper chamber. The walls up there seem to be thinning. There may be chambers beyond those walls that are about to be joined with this one."

"Aha, introducing the food source," said Hu. "Yes, time to leave."

I turned back to the ramp-way, and noticed that the kids were already being herded out. "What did you say about the perimeter, Mead?"

"The perimeter has been over-run with life-forms. Something small and fast and moving in large packs."

"So what's the problem?"

"They seem to be eating everything they encounter. There have been fatalities."

"Fatalities? Where?"

"Down at the beach, and in the small valley beyond the hills. Tourists."

"Hey, people are dying up there?" asked a voice from the gloom of the spiral ramp, above. It was an effeminate voice; he or she sounded excited by the idea. The other mud-spattered kid, I guessed.