Belly Of The Beast

Krycek knows the thought is stupid, but the maw before him seems to swallow him whole, down into--

<what? he is no jonah>

--the gullet of some dark leviathan.

Vertigo surrounds him as he descends the escalator. He thinks of how one wrong step could mean death. A tumble into raw air, and then sharp metal rending skin.

A silly thing, but he is being eaten alive.

Mulder waits at the bottom, his white rabbit at the end of the hole. The Metrorail screams by and wind flaps his coat and he thinks about how easy it would be to lose his balance and tumble into--

<those eyes>

--empty space. But he keeps his footing and reaches the bottom intact and alive along with all the other businessmen and tourists.

A hand grabs him and pulls him into the shadows.

"I've been waiting," the voice says.

Down in the belly of the beast.