The Host(62)

It was really only one river and one small stream. The stream was closest; a shallow braided ribbon of silver in the light from above, coursing between low stone banks that it seemed constantly in danger of overrunning. A feminine, high-pitched murmur purred from its gentle ripples.

The male, bass gurgle came from the river, as did the thick clouds of vapor that rose from the gaping holes in the ground by the far wall. The river was black, submerged under the floor of the cavern, exposed by wide, round erosions along the length of the room. The holes looked dark and dangerous, the river barely visible as it rushed powerfully toward an invisible and unfathomable destination. The water seemed to simmer, such was the heat and steam it produced. The sound of it, too, was like that of boiling water.

From the ceiling hung a few long, narrow stalactites, dripping toward the stalagmites beneath each one. Three of them had met, forming thin black pillars between the two bodies of flowing water.

“Got to be careful in here,” Jeb said. “Quite a current in the hot spring. If you fall in, you’re gone. Happened once before.” He bowed his head at the memory, his face sober.

The swift black eddies of the subterranean river were suddenly horrible to me. I imagined being caught in their scalding current and shuddered.

Jeb put his hand lightly on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Just watch your step and you’ll be fine. Now,” he said, pointing to the far end of the cavern, where the shallow stream ran into a dark cave, “the first cave back there is the bathing room. We’ve dug the floor out to make a nice, deep tub. There’s a schedule for taking baths, but privacy’s not usually an issue—it’s black as pitch. The room’s nice and warm so close to the steam, but the water won’t burn you like the hot spring here. There’s another cave just past that one, through a crevice. We’ve widened the entrance up to a comfortable size. That room is the farthest we can follow the stream—it drops underground there. So we’ve got that room fixed up as the latrine. Convenient and sanitary.” His voice had assumed a complacent tone, as if he felt credit was due to him for nature’s creations. Well, he had discovered and improved the place—I supposed some pride was justified.

“We don’t like to waste batteries, and most of us know the floor here by heart, but since it’s your first time, you can find your way with this.”

Jeb pulled a flashlight from his pocket and held it out. The sight of it reminded me of the moment he’d found me dying in the desert, when he’d checked my eyes and known what I was. I didn’t know why the memory made me sad.

“Don’t get any crazy ideas about maybe the river taking you out of here or something. Once that water goes underground, it doesn’t come back up,” he cautioned me.

Since he seemed to be waiting for some acknowledgment of his warning, I nodded once. I took the flashlight from his hand slowly, being careful not to make any quick movements that might startle him.

He smiled in encouragement.

I followed his directions quickly—the sound of the rushing water was not making my discomfort any easier to bear. It felt very strange to be out of his sight. What if someone had hidden in these caves, guessing I would have to come here eventually? Would Jeb hear the struggle over the cacophony of the rivers?

I shone the flashlight all around the bathing room, looking for any sign of an ambush. The odd flickering shadows it made were not comforting, but I found no substance to my fears. Jeb’s tub was more the size of a small swimming pool and black as ink. Under the surface, a person would be invisible as long as they could hold their breath.… I hurried through the slender crack at the back of the room to escape my imaginings. Away from Jeb, I was nearly overwhelmed with panic—I couldn’t breathe normally; I could barely hear over the sound of my pulse racing behind my ears. I was more running than walking when I made my way back to the room with the rivers.

To find Jeb standing there, still in the same pose, still alone, was like a balm to my splintered nerves. My breathing and my heartbeat slowed. Why this crazy human should be such a comfort to me, I couldn’t understand. I supposed it was like Melanie had said, desperate times.

“Not too shabby, eh?” he asked, a grin of pride on his face.

I nodded once again and returned the flashlight.

“These caves are a great gift,” he said as we started back toward the dark passageway. “We wouldn’t be able to survive in a group like this without them. Magnolia and Sharon were getting along real well—shockingly well—up there in Chicago, but they were pushing their luck hiding two. It’s mighty nice to have a community again. Makes me feel downright human.”