Red Sands by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

CHAPTER 1
    J EFF waited in the stillness with his back to the tunnel wall. The coldness of the concrete bled through his T-shirt, but he didn’t dare move.
    â€œWhere are you?” his younger brother, David, asked.
    â€œShhhh,” Jeff replied.
    He could hear David’s hands fumbling against the wall as the boy desperately searched the darkness for him. Jeff reached out with his right hand and their fingers connected. He pulled his brother close.
    Dad had been gone for three days now. Maybe longer. Jeff wasn’t sure. He’d lost track of time down here in the damp tunnels. At first they’d waited at the bottom of the staircase. They’d waited there for hours, listening to the shrieks of the spiderlike monsters long after their dad’s gunfire had silenced. Had he died up there? Jeff didn’t know. Maybe he had run. Maybe he was still alive, searching for them like they were for him. Surviving. He liked to hope.
    They’d found a storeroom shortly after, but the monsters had found them, the scratch, scrape of their claws echoing in the hallways. Jeff and David had barely escaped, and their hideout was destroyed.
    Now, a day later, they were hiding in a tunnel somewhere under the base. He had no idea where exactly. All he knew was that the batteries in his flashlight were almost dead, and the food in his backpack would eventually run out. They couldn’t stay here forever.
    Jeff tightened his grip around David’s back. “It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry.” He was crying, sniffling, and wiping his nose on Jeff ’s arm.
    â€œDon’t cry. They’ll hear you.”
    David’s whimpering quieted.
    A noise echoed in the distance. Jeff reached for the handle of his assault rifle and listened. Somewhere a leaky pipe dripped steadily. The noise was soothing. It was recognizable. Man-made.
    They sat there for an hour. Then two. And then Jeff wasn’t sure how long they sat. He held his brother, listening.
    When his eyelids started to feel heavy, he decided it was time to move. He stirred David, who had fallen asleep in his arms. He woke with a yawn.
    â€œWe have to go now,” Jeff whispered. “We need to find a place to hide. They’ll find us here eventually.”
    â€œNo,” David protested, gripping his brother’s arm, his nails digging into his skin.
    â€œDavid, you have to be strong, we have to find a place to hide.”
    The boy whimpered. “But I can’t see anything.”
    â€œI’ll use the flashlight.”
    â€œNo,” David argued. “They’ll see the light.”
    â€œTake your gun, David,” Jeff whispered, his voice stern. He knew his brother would feel safer with the weapon.
    The sound of metal scraping across the floor made Jeff flinch, but it was only David grabbing his hunting rifle.
    â€œGot it,” he said.
    Jeff stood and helped his brother up. A tingling sensation raced up his right leg. It was completely numb, asleep from sitting in the same position for so long. He winced and waited for the pain to pass.
    â€œLet’s move,” Jeff finally said.
    Grabbing David’s hand, he pulled the boy into the darkness. They walked slowly, cautiously. Heel to toe. Every few steps he would pause, let go of David’s hand, turn on the flashlight, and sweep the beam over the hallway for a couple heartbeats before clicking it off.
    Every time he waited to see one of the monsters. But every time the flashlight would reveal nothing but damp concrete.
    They continued on in this fashion for hours. The hallways twisted and turned until Jeff felt like he’d entered some sort of maze.
    Were they going in circles? How far did the tunnels go?
    He had no idea where he was leading his brother. He didn’t even really have a plan. All he wanted to do was avoid the monsters and find another storeroom to hide in.
    Jeff tried to remember what the NTC soldier who had driven them to the