Below him, the clicking and grinding of thousands of Macrotermes bellicosi had built into a turbinelike crescendo. Still laboring for each breath, Lou stumbled to his feet and grabbed the extension pole Edwin had used to save his life. By the time he returned to the spot where he might have had a chance to reach the man, it was way too late.

The bugs were busily eating.

And the scion of Chester Enterprises was already dead.

Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

It took eight minutes for the Macrotermes bellicosi to finish most of their meal.

Exhausted and battling pain in his sternum, thigh, and a dozen other areas, Lou sat on the catwalk and averted his eyes. From his days on the streets and in the ER of a tough city, he had seen more than his share of death in its various forms. The images never sat well with him and never would.

When he did manage a glance down, what might have been hundreds of thousands of insects were done. The sounds of the carnage, of human bones being pulverized by insect jaws, would never leave him. Aside from a few shreds, all that remained of the two men below were metal—belt buckles, Edwin’s brace, Stone’s badge and gun, and two sets of car keys.

Lou was thinking about retrieving the keys when another sound set his heartbeat racing.

An alarm buzzer began throbbing from somewhere beyond the laboratory. Somehow, Stone had managed to avoid the alarm, but whoever had just entered did not know how, or hadn’t bothered.

A light fixture encased in a metal cage and mounted just above the entrance to the catwalk began to flash.

Not good.

Lou ran through his various escape options, quickly ruling out going back the way he’d come in. There was a door at the end of the other arm of the catwalk, but if it was locked, he would essentially be trapped. The only other door in the termite lair would bring him into the radiation area. He’d have no time to don a protective suit, but the risk was unavoidable. There had to be an emergency exit someplace, and the radiation lab seemed a good bet.

First, though, he had to get through the door, and then get away from whoever had just entered the lab. Running was not an option. He needed wheels.

Using the extension pole, Lou considered going for Stone’s gun, but went fishing for Edwin’s car keys instead. If it seemed there was time after snagging the keys, he might take a crack at the pistol. The choice proved to be a good one. The heavy pole was cumbersome to use and was probably intended to grasp much larger objects. Prodding the bloodstained ground near to where Edwin’s body once had been, Lou struggled to grasp his keys. The drone of the alarm seemed to be getting more urgent.

Come on, Welcome.… Focus, dammit, Focus.