Call Me Ishmael

Chapter 20

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When the most attractive woman I have ever seen tells me to lead the way, that’s exactly what I do, even if I have no idea where I'm going.  I led the way.  Led the way?  I felt I could lead a  the parade!  I could lead anything, anywhere!  I was puffed up and ready to lead!  I pulled out my gun, and it felt good, it felt right, and I could feel Finnie’s wondrous eyes on me, waiting for me to do whatever it was she was waiting for me to do.  The trouble was, I had no idea what to do. 

Still, there was only one way out, and that cut the options down significantly.  So after collecting the dust bunnies of my mind, I decided to lead us out of the cell and into the hall.  My gun was in my hand, and I even thought to check the safety.  It was set, and I was as ready as I could be.  My heart thumped wildly, and there was a certain pulsing in my system that felt bad, but I was out of alternatives.  The implosion in less than twenty hours, Finnie had said.  And we were Swarm-food if we stayed.

I emerged from the cell, Finnie on my right; nearer, I noticed, my gun.  Niles and Splice followed me, with Bety bringing up the rear.  As he left the room, he tore a chunk of the bench from the wall. 

“Better than nothing,” he said, and lifted the wooden shard over his shoulder to scratch somewhere. 

I studied the long corridor.  There was no one in sight, but there was no reason to believe that our luck would hold.  Before I took a dozen steps, it was clear that my pessimism would be well rewarded, as it was typical.  A siren wailed, and I could hear the running scurry of many feet, off to my left.  “There must be another corridor over there,” I said, and Finnie nodded.

“The whole place is like an anthill.  They have tunnels on top of tunnels, under tunnels, and even tunnels inside tunnels.  And they all run around all the time making these horrid clicking noises with their toenails.  I’ve never been anyplace this icky, ever.”

My heart reached out for her.  How long had she been in this icky place, listening to the vile, disgusting Swarm and their clawed feet?  “You’re safe now, Finnie,” I assured her.

Splice’s fingers stuttered.  It was obvious she missed her keyboard.  “You’ve got a weird notion of safety, Ishmael.  I hope we don’t get into anything you’d consider danger.”

Bety snorted.  “He has a heart like a bear, like a wild boar!  No fear at all.  By my wife's ruined pots, pans, and sauces, it does my tortured skin good to follow such a man!  Lead on, Ishmael!”

I knew it was time to get moving again, before I lost my nerve and wound up like one of those tiny toy cars I remembered from my childhood.  They dashed down the their plastic track, but couldn't make it to the top of the loop; they seesawed to the bottom, until finally they stoped and sat still.  A body at rest tends to stay at rest, and it seemed that Newton’s laws applied to my courage as well.  I determined that whatever happened, I would keep moving.  I moved one foot, then the other, and focused on that until I got my feet moving again.  No sooner had I turned my attention from my feet to consider our options, when I stopped again.  It was as though my feet were welded to the floor.  I pulled the right foot forward, dragged the left again, and with great effort I moved forward.  I didn’t want to let Finnie know that I was so afraid I could barely move, so I reached down and used my hands to literally pull my leg up, wrench my foot from the floor, and throw it forward.  It was not a graceful move.

“We’re sticking to the floor!” Finnie cried. 

It seems odd to say it now, but I felt relief.  I really did.  I thought I had been paralyzed with fear, and all the time it was simply some sort of ray or glue or magic that was freezing me in one spot.  I looked back, and realized that my superhuman efforts had actually put me about ten feet in front of where Finnie was stuck; the others were further back still.