Dirty Girls

by Rodzil LaBraun

  I knew where the safe was located in their illegal gambling den. They had an outdated security system, but no guards in the early morning. So, I learned from a friend how to get in. I blew the safe and walked away with two hundred and twelve big ones. I should have left town, flew to Mexico or Saint Lucia where my family used to vacation. But I didn't. I stuck around and bragged about it. I knew that was dangerous, but something triggered in me anytime that I came into money. They talk about sore losers, but I was a bad winner.

  Thirty-seven hours later a bomb went off blowing up the entire shopping center. Over a hundred innocent people died. Another two hundred were hospitalized for injuries. I had nothing to do with it. But evidence of my handiwork was found in that basement. When the police discovered that, they ran with it.

  I should have spent the money on a good lawyer. But I was innocent, at least of that particular crime. I didn't think that it was right for me to lose my dough because some detective was looking for the easy target. Justice would surely prevail, I kept telling myself.

  First degree mass murder. That was gist of the conviction. My mom cried during the entire trial. My dad spit on me when I was being escorted from the court room in handcuffs. What I went through was more than just a mistake. My friends and family were ready to give up on me from the moment that I was arrested. My confidence was shattered, as was my will to go on living. I felt completely hopeless.

  So that was how I ended up on death row, and subsequently offered this crazy deal. Enter the portal, return safely if possible, then spend fifteen years in a more comfortable prison cell. Versus death, that was one hell of a good offer. It wasn't until I got farther into the details that I realized it was likely going to be a one-way trip through the blackness. By then, I was already excited. I had hope again. I didn't want to let go. It was my gambling brain taking over, playing despite the hideous odds. I agreed to the terms.

  My mind then went back to my precarious situation on planet Z. I scrambled to get away from the dead body, causing me to lose my footing again and drop a few more feet to more level ground. I looked up at the cliff above me in shock at its massive size. It had to be over a hundred feet tall. The portal that I stepped through was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it looked different on this side, blending in with the rocks.

  I heard an animal sound halfway between the roar of a bear and the hoot of an owl. "Woah!" it repeated several times from what I assumed was a safe distance. I could not spot the beast through the trees and bushes around me. It was less dense at ground level than it appeared as I was descending.

  Thin mustard yellow trees with tiny spotted green leaves populated the edge of the valley where I had landed. The one that I crashed through was hollow, snapping easily from my weight. Most of them stood between fifteen and thirty feet high, dancing slightly despite the absence of a breeze.

  Squatty olive-green bushes covered much of the ground beyond that, some with a spongy looking grassy moss around them. The one closest to me had several insects stuck to the leaves. One was fighting against the sticky substance with its four long legs. The lime green beetle-like shell was less than an inch long.

  Farther away were huge red trees that stood over a hundred feet high, with thick branches extending even wider than that. They shot out horizontally, never reaching toward the sky. I could see a big lizard moving slowly on one of the trees. It was too far to make out the details, or to even confirm that it wasn't just my imagination.

  The freakish sky was soft jade green, growing darker toward the horizon. Off to the left was a bright patch that was yellowy white. Though not blinding, it did a fair job of illuminating the alien world before me. The faint crescent of a blue moon hung low to the right, barely visible through the strange atmosphere.

  I faintly felt some moisture on my face. A subtle light drizzle. There were no rain drops, but the air shimmered. As I continued to look around, I could feel it cooling my skin. It was warm before that, at least eighty degrees. Maybe ninety.

  My pack had managed to stay intact on my back. I slid it off to check the contents. Four large bottles of water. Eight snack bars packed with nutrients. Two tubes of something that was supposed to taste like chocolate. I was not previously given a taste test but was eager to try it, once I got settled. Movement in the bushes then drew my attention. I studied the area carefully and totally forgot about the tube of food or the remainder of the shit in my bag.

  There was a knife dangling from my vest. I unclipped it and prepared to face my first encounter with planet Z's wildlife. But the thing causing the disturbance either stopped moving or wandered off. Eventually, I relaxed my guard.

  Also clipped to my vest was a fire-starter. It was sort of like a lighter, but the fuel was metal instead of liquid. Pressing a button caused a tiny scraping that ignited the air around it like a rod of flint. I decided against testing it on anything in fear that I would set my new surroundings on fire. That would totally suck. Journey to the far end of the galaxy just to arson my ass up.

  Inside the pack was an expandable walking stick and a machete. The latter was buried deep in the pack, presumably to prevent me using it on the innocent people on the other side of the portal. I also had a compass that was currently not functioning, and a few other items that may eventually have a use.

  The "woah" sound startled me again. The animal from earlier was getting closer. A few tiny yellow birds with blue beaks took flight from a nearby tree. The noise sounded once again from that area. I scrambled to me feet with the machete in one hand, the smaller knife in the other. Parts of my body were stiff and sore, but I didn't feel sharp pain like I would expect from a broken bone. That was good. I'd quickly end up like the fellow above me on the cliff wall if I was severely injured.

  Reddish brown fur suddenly flashed between the bushes. I estimated the animal to be less than three feet tall with my brief glimpse. I started slowly circling the nearest bush to get a better look at the thing. It was something like a bear, only its face was more cone shaped. The thing hadn't noticed me yet or didn't consider me a threat. It was eating away at the tall green grass, or possibly the insects hidden within. I watched as one large bug jumped away from the animal to land on the next bush.

  The alien bear then turned toward me and adjusted its stance when registering my proximity. "Woah!" it uttered again from its snout. Beady black eyes stared at me coldly. I held the large knife out in front of me as I spoke.

  "Woah yourself, buddy," I said to it.

  The thing lowered its shoulders and dug into the grass with stubby fingers on its black paws. A couple snorts came from it as it studied me with those tiny dark eyes. There were no ears visible, or exposed teeth. It was such a curious looking animal I couldn't help but be fascinated by it. My first experience with a creature on planet Z. I only wished that Doctor Zhang was here to see it, too. And keep me company.

  Then the Woah bear charged at me.

  CHAPTER THREE:

  I swung the shiny machete at its head while the alien bear dove viciously for my feet. I jerked my unprotected legs backward at the same time causing it to miss by mere inches. The blade of my weapon sliced open a big gash across its brown furry head. The same noise came from it, though at an alarmingly higher pitch.

  The Woah bear immediately backtracked then, scurrying to get clear of my blade. Black fleshy innards were visible in the cut that I had just made, but no gushing red blood. After a couple seconds of trying to stare me down, or maybe to reassess the threat, the beast urgently turned to the left and ran off.

  I had been in a few prison altercations, so I was not completely new to the adrenaline rush of a good fight. This animal was not near as intimidating as an inmate with a shiv, but the foreign nature of this world more than made up for it. Not sure what that creature could do to me stoked the flames of fear. Every animal on Earth had been well documented. Television shows displayed vivid scenes, so you knew what to expect. This nasty fucker was nowhere in my briefing, of course. Nothing about
this strange world was.

  I looked down at the dirty blade of my machete. There was a thick black substance where it had penetrated the animal's hide. Was that the blood?

  I spotted an old scar on the back of my forearm as I held out the weapon. A knife wound from a misunderstanding on the streets of Charlotte years ago. I then rotated my limb to reveal my most recent tattoo of a royal straight flush. I had hoped that it would bring me luck at the poker table. I even kissed it at crucial times. It never helped.

  At least that tat had a purpose. My first ink was a hula girl on my left bicep. I simply picked it out of a book of artwork in the parlor, encouraged by my friend claiming that I would be able to make it dance when I flexed my muscle. Instead, I only managed to make the girl look fatter as my arm beefed up.

  I stashed everything but the machete back in my pack and swung it over one arm. Wiping my blade clean of the dark blood, I took a closer look at my surroundings. The bushes were the only sufficient cover that I could find nearby. The grassy dirt beside them was spongy from a network of tiny roots. That would make a comfortable bed, if I could feel safe enough to sleep. The sticky substance of the leaves of the shrubs snared many of insects. It was a buffet for bug eating animals. I decided I wouldn't want to be near that just to have the soft ground.

  The jumbo red trees in the distance looked like my best bet. If I could manage to climb the thick trunk to a low branch, I could rest more securely off the ground. Hopefully there weren't any snakes. I looked again to see if I could see the giant tree lizard, but it was no longer there. Maybe it never was.

  The valley continued its descent down a slight grade to a narrow waterway, the surface mellow green like the sky. There was nothing else in view except the hundreds of unusual trees. I picked out the closest bid red and began my journey toward it.

  The giant growth looked like a natural castle among the smaller yellow trees. Less than three hundred feet away, its shade darkened the ground below it. The spongy grass was thick there, but there were no bushes. I walked slowly, extra careful not to step on anything that might eat or trap my foot.

  Something leaped from a nearby bush to snag an insect in mid-flight. It was a blur of green fur, about the shape and size of a squirrel, but jumped like a grasshopper. Leaping once again, it disappeared into another shrub on the other side. I noticed two more of them on my way to the large tree. The bugs that they were eating were jumpers, too. Not flying insects. So far, the only things I saw in flight were the tiny yellow birds. Just as I thought that, two larger blue ones crossed the sky above me, paying me no attention.

  I approached the shade of the large tree hesitantly, closely examining the ground beneath it. Just before walking under the lowest branch, a massive shadow crossed the ground. A huge bird must have just flown above me. I swiveled in panic thinking that I was under attack, but there was nothing there. Maybe it was from a large limb blowing in the wind, despite the constant lack of breeze. Something had caused the yellow trees to sway earlier, so there had to be some wind higher up.

  Deep ruts swirled their way up the trunk of the tree providing me plenty of crevices to use for climbing. The first wide branch that I encountered was fifteen feet off the ground, shooting straight out from the base of the tree. Instead of being round like the tree branches from Earth, this one was over a foot thick, but nearly four feet wide. Slightly bowl shaped, moisture sat in the middle of the limb. The drizzle had stopped on my way there, my skin already feeling dry again. Two scrawny white birds flew away from the natural drinking pond formed on the branch as I arrived.

  There was still plenty of room to sit without getting wet, so I made myself comfortable. Using my pack as a pillow I leisurely watched the nature show around me as I rested, trying to figure out my next move. I had plenty of food for two days. After that I would need to kill a land animal like the Woah bear, or try my luck at fishing in the stream farther down the hill. I had not seen any fruit bearing plants as yet, but there had to be something edible among the growth. Even the grass could suffice in a pinch, assuming that it was safe to eat. Of course, that was a mighty big assumption with this being an alien world.

  More of the beetles crawled on the tree branches and leaves as I rested. They were just like the green shelled insect that I saw stuck to the bush. More birds gathered farther up as well. Some were mostly red, others bright neon green. They made a clicking noise instead of the chirping that I expected.

  I decided to remain in the tree until there was a reason to go anywhere. So far, no snakes chased me out, or giant lizards. I sipped at my water and ate one of the meal bars. Still a little hungry, I finally tried the chocolate tube. Compared to prison food it was quite good. But certainly not good enough to be the next dessert craze.

  I dozed off for a while, surprising myself when I woke up. It was nearly dark outside. I had no idea what time of day it was when I arrived, but I was about to head into my first night on the new world. I pulled the tiny halogen torch from my bag and placed it on the branch. The little green puddle was almost gone, dissipated while I was asleep. I fought against the idea that something sizable drank it all instead as I slumbered nearby.

  A second identical torch had been provided. Flipping the leg base closed I could use it as a flashlight. I sat there shining it in different directions slowly trying to figure out what I was looking at. When a noise on the ground caught my attention, I leaned over the edge of the branch and illuminated the grass. Something red ran through too fast for me to catch up and disappeared around the other side of the tree trunk. When I heard the sound of a baby laughing, I began to question my sanity. Maybe the air here was toxic, and I would slowly lose my mind. Or some alien intelligence was fucking with my brain.

  Eventually I got sleepy again. I awoke to dim daylight and a dozen beetles creeping on my body and clothes. If I were on a normal branch, my frantic dismissal of the bugs would have sent me perilously to the ground below. The wide branch though offered incredible stability. Unless I spotted something more secure, I would consider making the tree my permanent home. I would just need something to keep the bugs off of me. There were several pieces of thin fabric in the pack that I had not yet unrolled. Maybe one of those would suffice as a mosquito net.

  I heard the baby crying again. It couldn't be just my imagination. The sound was coming from below. I scurried to the edge to see a red scaly goat staring up at me. It made the peculiar sound again, confirming that it was the source. Then another appeared below me. And another. But neither of those looked up. They were jumping around on clawed feet like rodeo chickens, if there were such a thing. Three more joined the group before they skipped their way out of my view.

  They were playful little things, probably less than two feet tall. I didn't plan on having any pets coming into this, but if I did, they were the best option so far. I imagined that they would also be easier to kill than the Woah bear. So, I should probably be looking at them as a possible meal instead. I would just as soon not end up eating the bugs.

  Another huge shadow crept across the open ground. The tree branches and large leaves made it impossible for me to see what was causing it. The dark evidence of the creature in flight suggested something huge. Maybe a ten-foot wingspan. I surely hoped that it wasn't a flying people eater.

  I sat up and unpacked my food and water again. Another meal bar down, that left six for later. I was still on my first bottle of water. The less energy that I exerted, the longer I'd be able to make it last. I checked my bracelet to see if it functioned as a watch or fitness tracker. Sadly no. It only sent data to the stars, serving no useful function for me. I debated on removing it but worried that I might regret it later.

  The clicking of birds and the sound of babies laughing were becoming a constant symphony. I knew the latter was the noise made by the happy red goats. Overall, it was much more comforting than silence.

  I decided that I should spend a little time this morning checking out my neighborhood. See what was good and bad ne
arby. Maybe walk down to the stream and look for fish. As I was slowly packing my bag, I opened the compass again. The needle still sat in one place as I rotated it. This planet must not have a magnetic field like the Earth. Either that or the thing was simply busted from my fall.

  I was taking another sip of water when I heard a new noise in the distance. My bag was already packed. The bottle would be the last thing that I stowed before climbing down the trunk of the tree. That way it would be handy as I traveled. All thought of what I might find in my walk-about left my mind when I heard the sound.

  It was the scream of a woman.

  CHAPTER FOUR:

  Flaming red hair and dirty white skin. Possibly a human arm. I barely caught a glimpse, so I couldn't be sure. I was mostly likely hallucinating. But what about the scream? It distinctly sounded like a woman.

  As I scurried in that direction, I remembered the red goats. They sounded eerily like babies giggling. Maybe what I heard this time was another animal unique to planet Z. I couldn't just write it off, though. I had to be sure.