The king cobra looked from Albert to Hayes, then back again, clearly puzzled as to why the two of them had fallen into such a strange, synchronized silence.
Albert snapped back to himself quickly. His expression shifted to one of sudden realization, as though he'd finally remembered someone—and something—that had been forgotten for far too long.
"Right," he said. "Yannie and Ford are probably still outside."
Only when the topic turned to spores did Albert finally remember those two unfortunate souls.
The king cobra's explanation also cleared up part of Albert's confusion—
namely, why inhaling the same spores had produced such completely different reactions in him and Hayes compared to the other two.
Put simply: if someone fell into this underground world already anxious and alarmed, the fungi would amplify the fear buried deepest in their heart, driving them to make reckless, dangerous decisions under extreme emotional instability.
