Down Under

[12]

The four of us sit with our backs against the wall of the cave, watching as the worm's body continues to inch through the tunnel. Something wet drips from my hairline, across my temple and then down my chin. I'm not sure if it's sweat or blood.

I'm not sure if it matters.

"That thing's got to be a mile long or something," America says. He lets out a cough that shakes his entire body.

"No, it's just moving at about the speed of a glacier." Star shifts where she is sitting and groans. "I think more of my body is bruised than isn't right now. I feel like I've been hit by a train."

Despite the grim situation, I can't help but be reminded of sitting in the car and waiting for a train to pass when I was a kid. Lucy always told me that you needed to pick your feet up when you went over the train tracks. It was one of her superstitions—that and holding your breath while you pass a graveyard. I was never sure why she insisted on it, but even as I grew up, I continued to do both. I'm not a superstitious person, but I'm prone to habits, and it didn't feel right not to.

This creature really does remind me of a train. It's so long, and I can't see the end of it in either direction. We're stuck sitting here waiting for it to pass with no idea of how long it will be.

"I think I'd rather face a train over that thing," I finally say.

Star laughs, but her voice is pained. "We weren't joking, were we, Shawn?" she says. "These tunnels really are worm holes. They've all been carved out by those monsters, haven't they?"

"It seems like it," Elias says, rising to his feet.

"Where are you going?" America asks. He pushes himself to his feet as well and heads after him.

Elias walks down the tunnel, toward the wriggling body of the worm. "I'm interested," he says.

"No, you're crazy," Star mutters under her breath, only loud enough for me to hear.

I let out a laugh, followed by a hiccup that shakes my entire body.

"Elias, just leave it." America places his hand on Elias' shoulder. "Just let it pass. We don't need to provoke that thing again."

"I don't think we provoked it," Elias says. "I don't think it even knew we were here."

"It attacked us with its tentacles!" America throws his hand in the direction of the creature. "Of course it knew we were here!"

"Or, we just unfortunately got caught in its path as it stretched." Elias takes another step forward, shaking his arm gently until America lets go. He approaches the monster, pausing when he is a few yards from it.

Star and I exchange glances as Elias examines the creature. America turns to the two of us, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

Finally, Elias turns back to the rest of us. "Did any of you notice something different about it?"

We're all silent for a second.

"Different?" Star finally says. "The thing is fucking huge. How about that? That different enough for you?"

"True," Elias says. "But think about its mouth. Did you notice anything about its teeth?"

I pinch my eyes shut for a second, thinking back to when its face first emerged from the wormhole. I was so terrified, I was hardly paying attention to what I was seeing. I remember its teeth and its throat—like a deep massive black hole. Nothing else.

Nothing else.

"The worms," I gasp. "The ones that were in Devin after he was bitten. There were no worms in its teeth. The ones that attacked us had little maggots crawling across every inch of their mouths."