“Thank you,” Avery told him. Avery’s erection had faded, if nothing else.
He and Sheridan shared a look, then glanced away from each other. Avery turned back to Layanna, not knowing what to say, then reeled back in terror.
Surrounding her, coming out from the doorway, were a dozen maggot men.
They weren’t all men, he saw. Some were women. Two were Nisaar. One was something like a giant earthworm with arms. All of them were infested with maggots. The little things crawled under their flesh, thrust out of their lips and weaved in and out of their eyeballs.
“Lay—Layanna!” Avery said, pointing even as he stumbled back. “Look—!”
Hildra caught him, preventing him from tumbling off the building.
“We know,” she said. “They’re with us.”
“With you?”
“Well,” she amended, “more like we’re with them. But yeah. We’re together.”
“I don’t—don’t—”
“I know. It’s freaky. But believe me, it ain’t nothin’ compared to what I just saw. You two. Fuck.” Hildra made a face as if she wanted to vomit, then moved to Sheridan’s belt and snapped it around her own waist, removing Sheridan’s ability to call her backup or use her gun. She tossed the remainder of Sheridan’s clothes to the admiral, and Sheridan dressed, not seeming particularly embarrassed, though she was quiet. Her throat was turning purple.
“I still don’t understand,” Avery said, throwing on his own clothes. “The infested creatures ...”
“We’ll explain as we go,” Layanna said, and her voice was cold. “The Colony is impatient for the interview to begin.”
THE END
OF VOLUME SEVEN
OF
THE ATOMIC SEA
THE ATOMIC SEA
PART EIGHT
IN THE WORLD BELOW
by Jack Conner
Copyright 2015
All rights reserved
Cover
image used with permission
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