Slither - Edward Lee [70]
"Yeah, it was stuck into a tree, almost like a nail."
"I found one too, last night. I'll show it to you later. It's in my tent somewhere."
.You said it might be an electric eye, right?"
"Yeah, and I still think that's what the things are."
Old electric eyes from an old missile installation, she thought. What could be duller? But the RTG? That and last night's surprise discovery: the tiny pink worms and ova that seemed to grow at an extraordinary rate. She'd love to get a look at one of the worms under a lab-grade microscope. The ones we found in the lobster were too small for these little field scopes.
At least it would give her something to do while Annabelle and Loren continued to search for more scarlet bristleworms.
She was just then reminded of something that had slipped her mind. "Damn, I forgot. You left the lights on in the last two head shacks."
He looked at her funny. "You mean the one you and Loren are using?"
"No, the buildings on the other end. I saw light leaking out from the roofs the other night." She chuckled to herself when she realized how little it mattered now. "On the other hand, I guess the army's not worried about wasting electricity. The power from the RTG is unlimited and free."
"That's true, but there still shouldn't be any lights on. In fact, no one could have turned them on. I only have the key for the head shack you're using. The other head shacks are locked up and I couldn't get in them if I wanted to. The rest of the keys are back at my post's property room. I better check it out anyway. I can't see the army sending anyone else out here, not without me knowing. I'm the only one who ever checks this island."
"The only one that you know of,' Nora posed.
"Well, yeah, but it wouldn't make sense. As far as the army's concerned, this is dead property."
Not quite, Nora elected not to say. Not with a nuclear battery buried in the ground.
In an instant, Trent's eyes lit up as he looked past Nora. "There she is," he announced. "You're up early."
"So are you," Annabelle replied. Wrapped only in a towel, she frowned at Nora. "What are you two doing sitting there?"
Discussing the mini nuclear reactor that's hidden in the woods, Nora thought. Why don't you go sit on it for a few days?
"Nora was just telling me about scarlet bristleworms," Trent lied. "They're remarkable creatures."
"Um-hmm. Remarkable." Annabelle strode for the field shower. "If you're that interested, you could snorkel with Loren and me later, when Igo out to do the rest of the shoot."
"I just might do that," Trent said.
Annabelle was clearly perturbed by Nora's presence with Trent. Nora loved it. What a drama queen. "I'll be on my way," she said and rose from the table. - - -- -- - - - - - - - -
Annabelle pulled back the shower curtain, brazenly hung up her towel so that both could see, then stepped in.
Another deliberate move. That self-absorbed bitch just can't stop showing everyone that her body's better than mine. By now, Nora couldn't care in the least.
"Oh, shit!" Annabelle bellowed. "Not again!" And then she leaped back out of the shower and flung the towel back on. "What is wrong with this freak-show gross-out island? I'm sick of it!"
What's she shrieking about now? Nora followed Trent over and looked in the shower.
"Looks like a piece of pink yarn," Trent said.
"Last night I had those disgusting worms in my lobster," Annabelle railed, "and now there's a snake in the shower."
That's no snake, Nora knew at once. The thing was a foot and a half long, glistening, and pink as bubblegum. I can't be this lucky, she thought. She dropped to one knee. The ground that served as the shower's basin was wet from the water that had accumulated; there was a half inch of muddy water topped by floating bits of leaves.
Nora leaned closer.
"Don't touch it!" Annabelle exclaimed. "It'll bite."
"It's just kind of floating there," Trent said. "Looks dead to me."
"It is dead," Nora affirmed. She looked up at Trent. "The insecticide you sprayed in here the