Sophie kept completely still, hardly making eye contact with the girl through even a sidelong glance. “We’re in a safe place. A place with food and people who will protect us.”

The girl surveyed the room again and rested her chin on her knees. She took in a small breath and looked down at the rock floor of the cave.

“Where are the monsters?” she asked, her eyes glued to the ground.

“They’re all gone for now.”

The girl shot her a quick glance from behind a curtain of hair, and for the first time Sophie saw her dark brown eyes. They were bright and full of life, far from the blank stare she had expected. The girl’s change in demeanor was remarkable.

“What’s your name?” Sophie asked.

“Jamie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jamie. My name is Sophie, and I am a scientist. Those men you saw earlier are soldiers, and are going to protect you.”

“They can’t protect me.”

Sophie paused, not wanting to backtrack on the progress she had made with the girl. “Of course they can, Jamie. They already killed the monsters.”

The girl brought her legs back up to her chest and buried her face back inside them. In a muffled voice she finally replied, “Those were the small monsters.”

A single bead of sweat crawled down Emanuel’s forehead. The salt stung his dry skin, but he didn’t dare move. After the power went out the temperature had skyrocketed. The air was hot and sticky. It didn’t help that he was crammed into a closet the size of a gym locker. To make things even worse, it stunk of the chemicals that were used to treat Biome 1.

They had, without a doubt, saved his life. He didn’t know why, but the spiderlike creatures had first approached his hiding spot, then suddenly turned away. He wasn’t sure if the chemicals masked his presence, or if they were inimical to the creatures, but for whatever reason, they had lost interest in the storage locker. He watched through a tiny keyhole, still scanning the space for their presence.

But it was empty. The spiders had continued on. Where, he didn’t know, but he guessed Biome 2, where the pond would provide them a plentiful distraction. Emanuel wasn’t going to test his theory, though. He was going to sit tight until the power came back on and Alexia gave him the all clear. Or until Overton showed up with the cavalry.

His thoughts shifted to Sophie. He could only hope she was safe.

I shouldn’t have let her go.

He turned his attention back to the keyhole, scanning the dark chamber outside. It had been over an hour since he’d heard the creatures’ screams and the scratching of their claws. The itch on his forehead was getting more intense.