"What's the plan captain?" said Fooz as he loaded his gun.
"There's nothing much we can do with just the six of us. We'll have to find our way back to base. It should be about a three days walk. If we find the path we can follow it home."
They stood together at the jungle's edge. King stepped in first, followed by Trisha, James, Fooz, Mclarty, and Ardie. undergrowth continually snagged on the stretcher making the journey even slower. Everyone was on full alert as vines the size of Fooz's arm twisted around trees and moved along the forest floor. James was amazed he hadn't tripped over one of them the night before. They did their best to follow the tire tracks which would eventually lead them toward the "road". A red eyed lemur swung across the trees. It was two and a half hours before they finnaly found the first bird James had shot from the vehicle. Roots had wrapped themselves around it and were slowly pulling it into the ground.
"At least this place has the decency to bury their dead." Said Fooz. They walked on. Thirty minutes later they found the bulldozed path. Ardie was about to step onto it when king grabbed his collar, pulled him back and pointed.
"I hate those things", Said Fooz as he watched his "Dino-birds" pick at the dead bodies which were being pulled down by roots.
"I guess we wait.", said King. They stood and watched as their comrades were slowly lost to the earth or devoured. One of the birds was busy diving in Lowe's intestines when a root shot out of the ground and wrapped around its beak. Its squawks alerted the others who ran off around the bend. King and his squad walked toward the bird as it slowly sank into the ground. Its eyes darted back and forth as it pawed the ground. It tried to free itself but to no avail. Ardie pulled out his pistol and aimed at the birds head. Trisha pushed down his weapon. They stood in silence as they watched it be buried alive. By this time the sun was high in the sky. They continued the trek. James begin to feel hunger slapping the sides of his stomach.
"Did we forget to bring rations?"
"No but we don't have enough for three days. You can eat tomorrow." King motioned toward a hill. They marched up it and found themselves at the edge a field. Ardie could see the tire marks from the convoy cut across it. King pointed toward a solitary mound in the middle of the field.
"Lets camp there. I know we still have some daylight but I think it would be safer than sleeping in the Jungle."
"I agree" said James as he gave an angry glance at Trisha. Fooz lay Mclarty against the grassy mound, leaned back ward and swung his shoulders left to right.
"You sure can get heavy.", he said. James lay down next to Mclarty and closed his eyes. His exahuastion caught up with him, making it easy to fall asleep.
It was night. Ardie was walking ahead of the squad, Fooz was in the rear. they traveled over vines and bushes, streams and fallen trees. suddenly something sharp pierced James' side. Trisha stood beside him, arm outstretched dagger in hand. James looked down there was blood on his shirt.
James awoke. Something was biting his stomach! He jumped up and brushed an emerald beetle out of his shirt.
"What the..?, Said Trish, gaping at Mclarty who was shaking uncontrollably.
"He's going into shock!" said Ardie. He knelt down and placed both hands on Mclarty's chest. "What?!" He tore of Mclarty's shirt revealing his chest. His skin was literally crawling. Something had found its way between his skin and bones. He began to shake even more. blood bubbled up from his mouth which splattered on the inside walls of his mask. An emerald head stuck out from under his tongue. Ardie jumped up in disgust. Suddenly Mclartys frame was covered in beetles. the top of the mound burst with hundreds, swarming in every direction.
"Run!", Ordered King. James quickly moved backwards, but turned and ran when the creatures took flight. He followed his companions toward the edge of the jungle. He could barley hear Ardie's panicked squeals over the hum of wings closing in on him. He broke into the forest. Three beetles were inching their way into his shoulder when Ardie, Trisha, Fooz and King vanished from sight. He stumbled over a root and sumersaulted onto his backside as he slid down a steep, muddy slope. When James fell into the river below it took his breath away. Up and down, In and out. Through his struggle to stay afloat he saw King in the distance as they were swept down, deeper into the jungle. Trisha was the first to wash up on the muddy river bank. Too exauhsted to help the others, she crawled away from the water and leaned against a tree. King , Fooz and Ardie followed. James washed up much later, slowly let himself sink into the mud and fa ll asleep. By the time the crew had woken up, the sun was allready on its way down.
"Lets just stay here.", said Fooz. James who was still too tired and hungry to say anything lifted his right arm and let it drop to the ground sending mud flying.
"Come on!", whined Ardie as mud splattered his face.
"Allright we'll stay here." said king " But lets get up and move around. According to the satalite images, I think this river swings back around to where we started."
"You mean by that cliff?", said Fooz.
"Yes, if we build a raft perhaps we can ride the current back and start over." James felt good about the desicion to float the river. It seemed the safest alternitave to ventureing through the jungle. By sundown the y had fashioned a craft made of four logs. They pushed it out into the river and Fooz held it in place while everyone piled on. The passengers sat back to back, feet dangling in the water. Fooz climbed onto the rear and faced back wards. He pushed off using a fallen branch. They drifted through the forest at a suprising speed. the night noises became a blur over the rushing water and the wind that flew past their ears. James leaned back on his arms to strech his back. his shoulder touched trish's. She gave him a shove almost knocking him off the raft. after several hours of coasting along through the canapoy of neverending jungle and no sight of an opening or a cliff, King became nervous. Yet, everyone else was in high spirits.
"This sure beats walking."
"Too bad this dosent flow the other way."
"Yah, if it diid we be home by midnight or whatever time it is here."
"Hey look," said Ardie,"Is that what I think it is?" Ardie was pointing up at the only mountain on Gamma. Half way up was a multitude of glowing lights.
"What in the world?", said King astonished.
"How.." The raft colided with a shallow bed of jagged rocks. The team skided across it debris flying in every direction. James staggered onto his legs his shirt was torn down the back and a hole was in his trousers. Ardie chased after his glasses, and Fooz groaned as lumbered to the shore. Once again Trisha and King were unharmed.
"You've had one tough week, Have'nt ya?" said Ardie as he put his glasses back on and looked at James' bedraggled appearence.
"Tell me about it", he said.
" What do you suppose that is?" said Fooz as he pointed toward the lights on the mountain.
"Trouble." said King, " There's more to this place than plants and bugs."
"I hate bugs."
"Me too, Fooz, Me too"
King decided it was best to stay clear of whatever was up on the mountain.
"The sooner we get back to base to warn them the better." , he said. They eventually found the cliff where the behemth had fallen. They made their way through the Jungle and back onto the main path where their nightmare had begun.
"We'll have to find a way around that feild", Said Ardie. "No way I'm goin back there."
" I suppose we could go back to the river and follow it around, Would'nt be surprised if it was the one we crossed over yesterday. Or was it the day before yesterday?", said Fooz as they walked on.
"Who cares," said James " I'm starving, can we eat now?"
"No", said king. "Were back to square one and it will take us another three days if not more to get back."
"But it's only been two days." said Fooz with a confused grimace.
"who cares." said King.
"It's starting to get cold.", said Trisha trying not to think about food.
"Tell me about it." said James who could feel the wind through his torn shirt.
"It's not that bad." said Fooz.
"You just have extra insulation.", Said Trisha.
"Whats that suposed to mean?...I'm not fat!"
"I never said you were."
Suddenly something grabbed hold of James' shirt pulling him off the ground. Before he knew what was happening he was rocketing over the trees. A batlike creature was carrying him away. his shirt began to stretch. "No please no!" he thought to himself. He felt the remaining threads burst as he rolled out of his harness and fell. The flying monster swung down and clamped its talons aroung James' left arm. He held tightly to his gun with his right. Another flyer appeared on his left. In its clutches was a less than happy Trish. After twenty minuites of flying and hanging from one arm bare chested, James started to shiver. Trisha, who was hanging comfortably by her vest, crossed her arms and gave a menacing glare as if this whole thing was his fault. The beasts flew in the direction of the mountain. When they reached the mountains base James could make out the sillouette of a building adjacent to the lights.
"What now?!", shouted James.
"When we get closer to the ground we shoot em up!" It was as if the creatures knew what they were saying. They both began to flap rapidly and pulled their talons to their beaks. These two intended to eat their midnight snacks in the air. James fired a burst at its face. He and the beast tumbled to the earth , James' world was spinning. The giant bat colided with the mountain, it released James and broke his fall. But, Trisha was having trouble. Her bat was sucking on her rifle as if it were a lolipop, swinging its head back and forth. the gun went off in its mouth. The stock of the gun hit her square in the face. Trish's world went black.
She awoke with her back propped against a large rock, sitting next to a toasty fire. She let the warmth sink into her muscles. Her head was throbbing. The fire cast a glow on James' face as he nelt down to add a gnarly root to the flames.
"What happened?", said Trish.
"Once the gun went off, the bat dropped you. You didn't fall but you took a nasty roll down that slope." James pointed to one of the many rocky and dusty drops that lined the mountain's surface. Trisha could feel her right shoulder stiffening. She put her hand to her face, it was swollen and sore. "The gun shot didn't kill it though so it went back for you. It put up quite a fight." James stood up. The firelight revealed three long gashes streched across his chest.
"Why w..."
"Don't like leaving people to die when I can do something about it, I guess." James leaned against a tree and spat on the ground. "Your heavy when your out of it, dropped you a couple times." Trisha looking toward the base. "You know it took me thirty minuets to get you up here." She remained silent. "Hello!? A simple thank you would suffice." She stood up and stretched out her shoulder still not responding. "Guess you would of left me to die, huh?....probably." James sat down on the ground.
"We should go up there." She said at last.
"I'm not falling for that stunt again."
"No, I'm serious. We haven't eaten in two days, I'm exasthed and don't feel like going all the way back on foot!"
"So we just go in there, grab some food and hijack a pod to fly us back to base? That's brilliant!"
"Yes it is, get some rest. You'll need the energy."
"I think that gun did a little something to your head. I mean your face looks like a balloon!...And now you want to get us both killed."
"James.."
"No, I see" James stood up, "Your gona send me in their guns blazing so they can use me as a guinea pig... Oh wait, we don't have any guns. I'm Outta ammo and a pistol ain't gonna do much against an army of..."
"James!" Something was wraping around James arms and neck. He was being pulled up the tree! More vines came down from its branches and wrapped around his stomach squezeeing the out his air. Trisha pulled out two knives, one strapped to each boot and lunged toward the tree. With her tremendous strength she managed to stab her way up into the trees canapoy. James vision became blurry. He was no longer on the ground. the vines around his arms pulled upward. Suddenly his torso was released and his arm restraints were loosening. "Trees don't have freaking brains!" he thought to himself as the cord around his throat tightend. His arms were let loose and he dangled only for a moment by his neck before falling to the ground in pain. Trisha landed next to him.
"Now were even.", said Trisha as it began to rain.
