Elemental Read Online Free PDF Page A

dominated the gene pool because all the
others died from starvation and lack of sun.
    “When the Mamood came to settle this planet,
we set up atmospheric generators all over the surface and cleared
away the ash. It was too late for the Shakai. They had lived under
too many years of darkness and no longer carried any genes that
would allow their offspring to live in the light. So now they only
come out at night, preying on their weak because there are no other
food sources—except for anyone foolish enough to be out in the
dark.”
    I gulped. “Like us.”
    “Like us.”
    “Are they strong?” I didn’t know why I asked
the question. I couldn’t actually think I could fight them off. And
yet, I did think that.
    “They are many.”
    Meir’s arms shook violently around
me—terror—and yet I remained surprisingly calm. My fear from just
moments before seeped away and left nothing but a blank numbness.
Though my mind tried to reason through the lethargy, it didn’t get
very far. Instead, happier conclusions of escape and long life
seemed the only logical answer. I couldn’t have been allowed to
escape prison only to become food for some oversized hive of
insects. Surely our situation was not as dire as my savior implied.
Life just wasn’t that unfair.
    And then I heard them.
    At first, the sound was soft and almost
pleasant, like the rustling of dry leaves. If I hadn’t known what
it was, I might’ve found it comforting. But after a few moments,
the rustling grew into shrieking, ripping, and tearing. The ground
shook around me as thousands, possibly millions, of feet clattered
along its surface, drawing closer to us.
    I wanted to scream, and almost did, but
pressed my lips shut instead. The shrieking ripped through the air
all around us now—ear-piercing wails followed by grotesque
gurglings of death. They were eating each other.
    I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed myself
tighter against Meir’s chest. He responded by clasping his fingers
around my arms as if afraid we were going to be ripped apart. I had
to admit, it seemed like a possibility.
    Then I heard a new sound that sent my heart
pounding against my chest—the sound of claws on rock.
    Meir dug his fingers into my skin and
shuffled us to brace himself on the rock wall behind us.
    There were just a few click-clicks of feet
at first as the ones in front tested the structure, drawing closer.
Something hard brushed my cheek and slid down my neck. It twitched
across my skin, feeling, probing. Meir tensed against me, and I
shuddered. The hard thing paused and then a screech tore through
the air right by my ear. The click-clicks turned into an avalanche
as the Shakai swarmed our hideout.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Four :
    Escape
     
     
    They crawled on top of us, beneath us, even
burrowed between us. Meir’s fingers dug into my arms, latching us
together. And then he was gone. Dozens of the Shakai crawled all
over me, pulling my hair and ripping my skin with sharp-edged
pincers.
    I didn’t register the pain at first. Though
their claws dug and ripped through my skin, sending warm blood to
run down my arms and legs, my mind moved too slowly. Someone’s
screams echoed in my ears and I was surprised to realize they were
mine. Then the pain rolled through me, and I screamed louder until
the Shakai digging at my face choked off my shrieks. Hooked pincers
slid in my mouth and tore at my tongue as they fought to get down
my throat.
    As I swiped my hands at the bugs, ripping
one off only to find five more take its place, my body started to
warm and tingle. At first, I thought maybe I was passing out, but
the tingling turned into a sharp burning. Pain scorched through my
veins, charring me from the inside out. I couldn’t even feel the
Shakai ripping me apart anymore.
    I clenched my teeth against it, willing my
body to ignore the