[Galaxy Of Fear] - 04(19)

“Hold tight,” Deevee’s voice warned from the darkness. “The Whaladon is sure to swallow again soon.”

“I can’t stand it!” Tash shouted. There was panic in her voice, the same terror Zak felt swelling in his own chest. “Why didn’t it just swallow us and finish this?”

“Tash!” Zak yelled. “Don’t give up! We’ve got to find a way out of here!”

“Why?” she said in despair. “What’s the use? Things will only get worse.”

Zak was worried. It wasn’t like Tash to give up. Despite the thick heat, the darkness, and the droning sound of the Whaladon’s body and lungs, Zak tried to calm his own fear and think clearly.

“Don’t think that way, Tash,” he began. “You can’t.”

“What difference does it make?” she said weakly.

“It makes a difference to me!” he argued. “C’mon, Tash! You’re all I have left. And I’m all you have left. We’ve always helped one another. You can’t quit now!”

“Watch out!” Deevee called.

Once again, the massive tongue rolled back. Zak hugged the hard, slippery tooth to keep from being pulled down the monster’s throat. Beside him he heard Tash sob. Then she cried out. Then she was gone.

“Tash!” Zak yelled. “Are you there?”

No answer.

“Tash!”

Under the roar of the Whaladon’s noisy innards, Zak heard a faint moan. Tash had lost her grip on the Whaladon tooth and was lying somewhere on the monster’s huge tongue. When the Whaladon swallowed again, she would be lost forever.

Zak did not want to give up his secure hold. But he did not want to lose his sister either. Releasing his grip, Zak let himself slide blindly back along the giant, wriggling tongue. He thrashed his arms about until one hand brushed along Tash’s jacket, and he grabbed hold. Tash let out a short cry as they both slid another meter, then stopped.

“Come on!” he ordered. He got to his knees and, still holding Tash’s jacket, pulled her back toward what he thought was the front of the Whaladon’s mouth. Finally his free hand touched something hard, and he clung to the Whaladon’s tooth.

“Now,” he gasped, “we’ve got to get out of here.”

“I believe I can help.”

As Zak and Tash turned toward Deevee’s voice, the droid was suddenly illuminated by the glow of a small laser torch. Its orange light reflected off the water drops dripping down Deevee’s wet metallic body.

“Where did you get that?” Zak asked.

“I equipped myself with a laser torch recently to effect personal repairs,” the droid replied. “It seems to have been a fortunate addition.”

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Tash snapped.

Deevee explained, “It would not have done any good. The Whaladon had submerged. We would have escaped its mouth only to drown in deep water. But my sensors tell me the creature has surfaced again. Brace yourselves.”

In the light of the torch, Zak and Tash watched Deevee aim the cutting tool toward the roof of the Whaladon’s cavernous mouth and press the trigger. A thin beam of superheated energy shot through the murky air and punctured the top of the creature’s mouth.

A deep, roaring sound of distress rolled through the cavern. The tongue slapped upward, nearly tearing Tash and Zak from their perch, then slammed downward onto the base of the giant mouth. Warm, slimy saliva splashed over their bodies.

The Whaladon bellowed.

Deevee fired again, and the creature shook once more. This time, it let out a low-pitched moan and opened its wounded mouth. Sunlight and saltwater sprayed into the cavern in a rush of wind. Over the white foam, Zak saw the clear blue waters of the holographic ocean.

“Jump to the side!” Deevee yelled.

Zak and Tash pulled themselves atop the massive tooth and jumped into the water to one side of the Whaladon. Deevee jumped to the other side just as the mighty jaws closed again.

The roar of rushing water filled Zak’s ears, and the cold sea covered him. Holding his breath, he tumbled underwater for a few panicked seconds in the Whaladon’s wake, not knowing which way was up or down. He tried to calm himself, and relaxed, knowing that gravity would tell him where to go. His lungs started to burn from lack of oxygen. After a moment, he felt himself bob upward, and he kicked in that direction.

Zak’s head broke the surface and he gasped, filling his lungs with air. He wiped saltwater from his eyes. He floated on the ocean’s surface, bobbing wildly in the wake of the sea monster. In moments, the fast-moving Whaladon was little more than a gray lump on the horizon.

“Tash! Deevee!” he called out. No one replied, but Zak saw a patch of blondish hair fly up over the swelling water and he swam for it. He reached his sister, who gasped and coughed out saltwater. Her eyes were half-open but dazed.