Chapter 146

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Six

Out of habit, Connor tried to bring up the stopwatch on his computer. It would have served no purpose other than to tell him how much time passed before he died fighting the alien horror coming for him or before the winch dropped back down.

He settled for counting in his head and hoped the winch came back down first.

Once more, the alien’s angry roars bounced around inside the huge chamber.

Its smell came to him as well—the putrid, rank defilement of the black pool.

The creature was close, maybe nearing the place where he’d left the sled.

Connor drew his swords and rolled his shoulders and neck. He paced.

Injured, without armor, without the help of the K’luuta and Toshiko’s amulet, he didn’t stand a chance. The creature’s teeth, the hooked tentacles…

He would be torn apart in seconds.

Somewhere overhead, the winch motor stopped its grinding whine.

Elise and Selen were out. Their odds of survival climbed.