leading off the tunnel.
He paused. A throbbing sound was coming to him from somewhere, mingled with a faint chirruping.
Ahead of him and to his right, he saw a wide gap in the tunnel where another bigger tunnel crossed it. He rounded it carefully and came into an immense corridor. He had only taken a couple of paces along this before he halted, stared about at a new sound, and swiftly ducked into a recess – another small tunnel.
The chirruping grew swiftly louder. As Ian flattened himself against the wall of the recess, two Zarbi appeared around a bend in the main corridor and scuttled on past him.
He waited, wiping his face in his sleeve. Then he stepped into the main corridor, peered up and down. It appeared empty. He stepped out and headed down it, away from the direction the Zarbi had taken.
He estimated that if he continued in the same general direction, it would take him away from the control room in the Zarbi Headquarters and perhaps, finally, to the outside of this huge, rambling complex of webs laced with tunnels.
But it was clearly too dangerous to keep to the main corridor. Better to slip off into a side tunnel and to see if he could zig-zag through this maze while keeping roughly parallel to it. After all – he reasoned – if this place was constructed like a web, then its tunnels would probably lead outward from the centre. If he had taken the correct direction...
He dodged down a side tunnel and went warily along it, seeking a further turning along it to correct his direction.
Distantly he could still hear the humming which betrayed the presence of Zarbi activity.
He saw that this corridor ended in a webbed gate.
Suddenly Ian heard a loud chirruping, so close that it pierced his ears. A Zarbi guard had reared up at the door, its back turned to him.
Ian pressed himself against the wall. He peered to see if the Zarbi was alone. It was. It had relaxed and was now crouched by the door.
What was it guarding? A gate, leading outward? What else could it be?
Ian sidled along the wall towards the unaware Zarbi. He was almost on the creature when it turned and saw him. It reared up, chirruping loudly, and Ian leaped desperately forward.
But the Zarbi was astonishingly quick. Its foreleg lashed and its cruel pincer closed on Ian’s throat. He choked and threshed, trying desperately to prise open the claw, the hideous humming around his ears now deafening him.
He kicked – and the pincer relaxed its hold. Again Ian kicked – and scrambled free. He poised, and aimed a rabbit punch at the joint between the evil head and shiny body –
the tiny, thin neck.
The Zarbi guard sagged. Ian hit again, at the same spot, and it dropped like a stone, still, its feelers stiff, the lights of its eyes dimmed. Gasping, feeling his throat, Ian moved on into the wider space before the webbed door. He examined it. There seemed no way of opening it.
He touched it.
Immediately a hooter shriek shattered the stillness all around him. Ian jumped and wheeled, alarmed. Then with the warning howl of the hooter echoing down the empty corridor he shook the door desperately in an attempt to force it. The sweat streamed down his face as he tore at the door.
There was nothing for it – he would have to get out of this corridor. He turned to run back from the door, but as he did so another webbed door swished down in front of him, walling him in completely as he ran into it. He smashed his fist against it in despair – and this set off another siren howl, higher pitched but just as loud.
Now the Zarbi guard trapped with him between these two doors was coming round. No matter how Ian pulled, the webbed door gave but would not open, nor break.
Now he heard an ominous humming-and-chirruping, approaching. He could hear it even above the warning hooters. At his feet the Zarbi guard was now weakly trying to rise.
Ian sprang past the Zarbi to wrest again at the outer door. As he did so a venom grub appeared in the corridor, and
He paused. A throbbing sound was coming to him from somewhere, mingled with a faint chirruping.
Ahead of him and to his right, he saw a wide gap in the tunnel where another bigger tunnel crossed it. He rounded it carefully and came into an immense corridor. He had only taken a couple of paces along this before he halted, stared about at a new sound, and swiftly ducked into a recess – another small tunnel.
The chirruping grew swiftly louder. As Ian flattened himself against the wall of the recess, two Zarbi appeared around a bend in the main corridor and scuttled on past him.
He waited, wiping his face in his sleeve. Then he stepped into the main corridor, peered up and down. It appeared empty. He stepped out and headed down it, away from the direction the Zarbi had taken.
He estimated that if he continued in the same general direction, it would take him away from the control room in the Zarbi Headquarters and perhaps, finally, to the outside of this huge, rambling complex of webs laced with tunnels.
But it was clearly too dangerous to keep to the main corridor. Better to slip off into a side tunnel and to see if he could zig-zag through this maze while keeping roughly parallel to it. After all – he reasoned – if this place was constructed like a web, then its tunnels would probably lead outward from the centre. If he had taken the correct direction...
He dodged down a side tunnel and went warily along it, seeking a further turning along it to correct his direction.
Distantly he could still hear the humming which betrayed the presence of Zarbi activity.
He saw that this corridor ended in a webbed gate.
Suddenly Ian heard a loud chirruping, so close that it pierced his ears. A Zarbi guard had reared up at the door, its back turned to him.
Ian pressed himself against the wall. He peered to see if the Zarbi was alone. It was. It had relaxed and was now crouched by the door.
What was it guarding? A gate, leading outward? What else could it be?
Ian sidled along the wall towards the unaware Zarbi. He was almost on the creature when it turned and saw him. It reared up, chirruping loudly, and Ian leaped desperately forward.
But the Zarbi was astonishingly quick. Its foreleg lashed and its cruel pincer closed on Ian’s throat. He choked and threshed, trying desperately to prise open the claw, the hideous humming around his ears now deafening him.
He kicked – and the pincer relaxed its hold. Again Ian kicked – and scrambled free. He poised, and aimed a rabbit punch at the joint between the evil head and shiny body –
the tiny, thin neck.
The Zarbi guard sagged. Ian hit again, at the same spot, and it dropped like a stone, still, its feelers stiff, the lights of its eyes dimmed. Gasping, feeling his throat, Ian moved on into the wider space before the webbed door. He examined it. There seemed no way of opening it.
He touched it.
Immediately a hooter shriek shattered the stillness all around him. Ian jumped and wheeled, alarmed. Then with the warning howl of the hooter echoing down the empty corridor he shook the door desperately in an attempt to force it. The sweat streamed down his face as he tore at the door.
There was nothing for it – he would have to get out of this corridor. He turned to run back from the door, but as he did so another webbed door swished down in front of him, walling him in completely as he ran into it. He smashed his fist against it in despair – and this set off another siren howl, higher pitched but just as loud.
Now the Zarbi guard trapped with him between these two doors was coming round. No matter how Ian pulled, the webbed door gave but would not open, nor break.
Now he heard an ominous humming-and-chirruping, approaching. He could hear it even above the warning hooters. At his feet the Zarbi guard was now weakly trying to rise.
Ian sprang past the Zarbi to wrest again at the outer door. As he did so a venom grub appeared in the corridor, and
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