The Lost Level Read Online Free PDF Page A

dying.
Its movements had slowed to spasmodic twitches. Taking a deep breath, I ran
down the trail, making sure I avoided stepping into the grass on either side.
Somehow, the grass knew I was there. The blades moved, slashing at my ankles,
but they weren’t long enough to reach me. I shuddered at the thought of what
they could do to me should I make one misstep.
    Clearing the patch, I plunged back into the jungle again,
following the footpath. For a while, I viewed all of the vegetation around me
with fear and suspicion. Every tree, every leaf, every vine, branch, twig, and
flower became a cause for alarm. I recognized some of the plants. Others were
utterly alien to me. I passed through a wet, marshy area covered in yellow
mushrooms that quivered and swayed at my approach—so I went around them. In
another area, I heard leaves whisper overhead. When I glanced up at the tree
branches directly above me, I noticed the limbs moving despite the lack of a
breeze. I hurried past, expecting a claw–like branch to descend and snag my arm
at any moment. The leaves grew silent as I moved on.
    Eventually, the ground began to rise again, and the foliage grew
less thick. Jungle vegetation gave way to sparsely forested hillsides and
boulders. The game trail ended at a narrow, shallow gorge. I stood at the edge,
peering down. The bottom of the gorge was strewn with rocks, and the bones of
an animal skeleton lay scattered and broken among them. The bones belonged to
something I couldn’t identify. The body was like that of a large cat, perhaps a
panther or a tiger, but the skull was similar to a wooly mammoth’s, and it had
three eye sockets instead of two. One glance at the skeleton’s tusks and claws
convinced me that I didn’t want to meet a living specimen out here while I was
unprotected and defenseless, so I continued on my way, going around the gorge
and hiking up into the hills. My staff thudded dully against the rocks.
    As I walked, I wondered what new terror awaited me next. In a
world where even something as seemingly innocuous as a blade of grass could
kill you, what hope did I have?

3

CAVE AND CACHE

    I DON’T KNOW
HOW LONG I walked, but eventually, I found the Jeep.
    I was scaling up a treacherous outcropping of rock and having
second thoughts about it. When I’d started the climb, I hadn’t thought the
going would be so difficult. My original intent had been to reach a high
vantage point and survey the land around me. I was especially interested in any
signs of intelligent life—smoke from a campfire, or perhaps huts or a village
or maybe even a city. Instead, all I saw were more trees. The forest and jungle
(because they seemed to grow amongst each other at points) ran all the way to
each horizon. When I finally spotted a thin, curling line of white smoke, I
wasn’t sure what it was at first. I thought perhaps it was a cloud or fog. It
was drifting up from the trees. When I realized that it was indeed smoke, I
decided to climb higher in the hopes of seeing the source.
    My progress became even more grueling. Unlike the jungle below,
there was no footpath cutting through the boulders and ridges, and the rocks
grew steeper and sharper the higher I went. Reluctantly, I had to give up my
walking stick, since I needed both hands to climb. I cast it aside with some
regret. That simple stick had given me courage and focus and a sense of
protection. I watched the staff clatter off a boulder far below, snapping in
half as it plunged from sight. Then, I returned to my arduous climb. I looked
carefully before each handhold or footstep, mindful of snakes. Given what I’d
seen from the mosquitoes and grass of this world, I could only imagine what the
serpents might be like. The very idea terrified me.
    Although it looked barren, this region was just as alive as the
jungle had been. Birds circled overhead, their shadows painting the rocks.
Spiders, ants, centipedes, and other insects skittered in the crevices. Some of
them