AN: I am so sorry it has taken so long for me to write this chapter. I have no excuse, other than the fact that I am lazy and had a bit of writers block at first. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this; I still have no clue as to what is going to happen :P
Three members of the alpha team entered the grand doorway first, lead by Becker and followed by Cutter, Stephen, Connor and Abby. The remainder of the team followed them in. Jenny had accompanied Lester back to the ARC as she wouldn't have been able to do much to help at the palace.
They stopped for a few seconds to take in the beauty of the building they had just entered. The carpet was a deep crimson red but white walls kept the place bright. There were intricately carved patterns and images in the wall, and striking, curved stairs wound around the outside with dark wood and gold banisters alongside. Paintings of people and dogs covered parts of the wall.
"Whoa." Abby said, staring up at the ceiling with golden chandeliers. It took a little while for everybody to remember why they were there and actually sort themselves out.
"Right," Becker suddenly stated, looking at the group. "I think we should split up so that we can cover more ground over a shorter amount of time. Bryce, I want you to lead Connor and Stephen, taking West and Thompson with you. The rest of you are with me." Bryce, the Second in Command of the alpha team nodded, rounding up his assigned team. "If you find anything, contact us via the radios. Connor, use the Anomaly Detector to find the anomaly and then lock it."
"Yep, okay, could take a while because of the size if the place though," Connor told Becker.
"Just go as fast as you can," replied Becker. "Abby, Cutter, we're going search for any creatures and make sure any body left in the building can get to safety. Okay, let's go."
* * *
Twenty three minutes into the search, and they had found the first victim. Slumped beside a door to a side room was a mutilated body, as if the person had been trying to close the door on something, but was evidently too slow. A large pool of deep, sticky red blood surrounded the body, which was so badly disfigured it was impossible to tell by looking whether it was a man or a woman. Parts had obviously been chewed away and even some of the prominent bones had marks on them where teeth had made contact with them in their haste to get the meat off. Sharp teeth.
"Oh God…" breathed Abby, turning away as the sight of the body and the overwhelming stench of metal stung her throat. She coughed, trying to keep down the acidic bile that she could feel rising in her stomach.
"Cutter, do you know what could have done this?" Becker asked, seemingly barely affected by the sight in front of him.
"No," replied Cutter, kneeling next to the body, careful to avoid the blood. "The teeth marks on the bone indicate that it is probably fairly large, but it could be anything from four to ten metres in length. I think it's safe to say that however big it is, it isn't friendly. We'd better be more careful from now on." He turned to look at Abby who was now able to look at the body more closely, albeit holding her breath as she did so. "You okay?"
"Yeah, it's just…" Abby trailed off, unable to say what she was thinking.
"I know." Cutter spoke, knowing how Abby felt. Becker and the two SAS soldiers, Brown and Daniels, had their weapons held closely and tightly, prepared for any creature that could attack them at any moment. Abby's tranquiliser gun was tucked into the waistband of her jeans, and Cutter had a .44 automatic pistol in the bag on his back. He took it out so he could have it at the ready, also choosing his waistband as a holster. A tranquiliser rifle was over his shoulder on a strap and he took it in his hands. It made him feel safer, having a weapon of sorts, so he began to feel calmer. As the concern inside him dissipated to a more controllable level, Cutter stood up again.
Becker had the radio in his hand, speaking into it. "Bryce, there is at least one creature in the building, so be careful."
"Copy that," came a slightly static reply.
"Are you anywhere near the anomaly yet?" Becker questioned.
"Temple believes it is nearby, but he cannot tell which floor it is on so the ETA cannot be predicted."
"Okay, inform me as soon as you find it."
"Will do. Over and out."