To make sure the group stays closer together, Korin and Baran take the lead as we get moving again. Radek finds his way closer to Sayda, while I move farther to the back of the group. When we reach the top of the incline, the trees thin enough for us to finally see the end of the poison oak at the bottom of the hill. Going downhill, we move quickly and eventually find ourselves in a small open field with the sun warming us. Reaching the edge of the poisonous barrier means we can finally get back on track.
“It’s about time,” Baran says with relief. “There’s a flat path over here.”
After a couple hours of marching through either steep inclines or declines, we all welcome the even and easily manageable path ahead. We follow Baran on the most direct course back to our original heading. Not long after we reenter the woods, a new sound is added to the regular chorus of the forest.
“Stop,” I whisper to the others. “Did you hear that?”
“Yeah, it sounded close by,” Hadwin replies, carefully looking around.
What we heard was definitely not a footstep. Even so, the sound triggers a primal fear within me. I listen again, trying to figure out what could have made the odd snap. Suddenly the sound returns, emanating from the ground beneath us. The noise lasts only a second before disappearing, this time with an added crackle to it. None of us move, unsure of what to make of the disturbance. From the corner of my eyes, I see Sayda staring intently at the ground.
“What is it?” I ask her.
Another crackle comes. Sayda instantly jumps back.
Chapter 9
Before any of us sees what frightened Sayda, the sound returns. This time a constant rattle emanates from all around us.
“Look,” Sayda shouts, pointing to the ground.
Hidden amongst the grassy vegetation lies a surprisingly big, tightly coiled snake, poised to strike. The snake’s colors blend well with the browned foliage, making it difficult to see. A black, forked tongue whips out, picking up our scent. The snake’s diamond shaped markings and ribbed end of its tail trigger my memory. Suddenly, the field of poison oak seems so much more appealing.
“That’s a rattlesnake. From what I’ve read, they’re extremely poisonous,” I tell the others.
I take a step back from the deadly reptile, but almost immediately, another rattle sounds behind me. The incessant crackles spread. We are surrounded by dozens of snakes, leaving us no safe direction to run.
“I’m afraid to move,” Radek whispers. Even though he has every reason to be scared, hearing him admit it is weird.
One of the snakes lunges toward Korin. He darts a few steps to the side, barely avoiding the strike before freezing in place again.
“That one almost got me,” he says in an unusually calm voice. “Please tell me you have a way out of this.”
“I’m open to suggestions,” I answer, much to his dismay.
Somehow we managed to walk right into a nest of snakes. The sheer number of them cuts off any visible escape route. The ground below writhes as the snakes move. Unfortunately, they are all coming right at us.
We bunch together in the center of this field of snakes, watching them draw near. Our weapons are all geared for the larger predators, but that does not stop me from shooting my rifle at the oncoming rattlesnakes. My shots do nothing to stop them. Their camouflage makes the snakes difficult to track, and even when the blast finds its target, there are many more to replace the dead ones.
As they get closer, I notice an irregularity on their heads, much different than the pictures I saw before. The anomaly triggers a recent memory, giving me an idea. This has to work, because they are almost close enough to strike.
I grab one of the small canisters out of my pack, making sure to get a Cleanser and not a Persuader. The snakes are too close for the Persuaders. The explosion would kill us too. Without wasting any more time, I press the activator switch and drop the metal cylinder in front of the oncoming snakes. Instead of an explosion, a thick cloud of golden mist erupts from the Cleanser.
Everyone else except for Radek slowly inches away from the mist. He already realizes what I am trying to do. Radek grabs Sayda’s arm, bringing her along as he follows me into the mist. Almost instantly, the snakes inside the sparkling cloud begin flailing around.
“Look, it’s working!” I shout excitedly to the others.
My excitement is quickly tempered when some of the snakes begin striking randomly at the mist. With how many of them there are, they may still bite us on accident. Even worse, the rest of the snakes are now on the edge of the mist, close enough to bite us. When one of them propels itself through the air toward us, we all run deeper into the mist. The golden cloud is already dissipating, so we need to move fast.
To my side, one of the snakes coils up to launch an attack. I instinctively jump up to avoid its fangs. My jump is not high enough. The snake bites down, attaching itself to the side of my boot. My entire body burns. Ignoring the pain, I sprint forward and up the small hill in front of us. When he notices the snake attached to my boot, Hadwin frantically kicks at it. As soon as the snake releases its bite, he shoots it with his pistol for good measure.
“You weren’t planning to keep that as a pet, were you?” he asks, looking ready to pass out.
I lean over to catch my breath. The burning though my body subsides, giving me hope the pain was from the Cleanser and not the snake’s venom. “Thanks. Is everyone okay?”
No one else was bit. So after making sure no snakes followed us up here, I sit down check if the fangs penetrated my boot. Luckily, they did not. The burning really was just because of the sterilizing chemicals in the Cleanser. In my relief, I lay back on the bare ground, watching the leaves above me sway in the wind.
“How did you know the Cleanser would work?” Baran asks.
“When Radek and I were in The Caves recently, some weird moles attacked us. They had unusual sensory pits lining their faces. One of the researchers figured out this stuff burns the tissue there, interfering with their sensory perception and disorienting them,” I explain. “The snakes are supposed to have some pits, but those ones had a massive row that looked unnatural, exactly like the ones on the moles. I figured it was worth a try.”
Baran is intrigued by the explanation while the others do not seem to care at all. All that matters to them is we got away unharmed. Even so, I am still bothered by running into yet another animal with this sensory adaptation. Then again, the snakes used to be known as pit vipers, so this could simply be a weird coincidence. After all, it has been at least one hundred years since the pictures from my computer were taken.
As we rest, a deep roar shakes the ground below us. The ferocious sound came from the path we were just on. Radek immediately jumps to his feet, recognizing the sound. He knows even better than the rest of us what that beast is capable of and has no intention of letting the creature finish what it started before. Following Radek, we all continue on, moving at an unsustainably fast pace.
“Why are we running so fast?” Baran asks.
“Because that roar came from a gigantic bear. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not get eaten,” I say, looking back at him with curiosity. For some reason, he has been much more talkative and inquisitive on this trip than our last.
After getting a good distance away, Radek eventually slows down. Still, we do not dare to stop. We are now deep into the cover of the forest canopy. The terrain has evened off, denying us any visual clues to our progress. Because of the multiple changes in our direction, the maps we carry are now useless. The one thing we have left to guide us is my compass. Having learned from when we became lost in the forest, despite our rush, Sayda has been careful the entire trip to mark our path with either broken branches or by stacking rocks on the ground. Knowing we can retrace our steps was much more comforting to me before we ran into the snakes or heard the bear in that direction.
As the day fades, I begrudgingly accept that we will not reach Munitus before nightfall. Not wanting to
risk travel in the dark, we halt our trek to search for a suitable area for a camp. This time, we choose an area surrounded by a thick cluster of trees. The ground is barren, so we should be able to safely light a fire. Korin and Baran set up a tarp to make a tent while the rest of us scout the perimeter and set up our defenses.
We only have a limited amount of Persuaders and bullets, so the researchers have provided us another tool to keep us safe. We have a handful of motion detectors to set up around our perimeter. When activated, they trigger an audio and visual response intended to scare animals away.
While setting up, we all listen intently to the forest for any signs of danger. Even though I am relived not to hear any predators nearby, the absence of another sound disappoints me. We only carried a limited supply of water with us because of its weight. Our supply is already running low. We were counting on finding another stream to replenish our stores. So far, none have appeared.
Once we have finished setting up camp and our perimeter defenses, we force ourselves to eat a large serving of the artificial gruel. Afterward, we gather some wood to make a fire. Sayda takes out a small package and pours a fine powder onto a piece of wood. Next she uses the same piece of metal we used before to make a spark. This time, as soon as the spark hits the powder, it erupts into a flame.
“That would’ve been nice to have last time,” I say, remembering our difficulties.
“You’re telling me,” Korin laughs.
“I’m gonna take a quick look around. I’ll be right back,” I tell the others while picking up my rifle.
“What are you doing?” Sayda demands. “This isn’t the time for a stroll.”
“We’re running low on water. I’m gonna look for a stream. I won’t go too far,” I explain.
“Then I’m coming with you,” she informs me.
Fighting her would be pointless. Even Radek and Hadwin know better than to try. Radek grabs one of the Persuaders for Sayda to take with her. I put on my illuminator and head to the side of the camp, traveling downhill. The further from camp we go, the louder the forest becomes. Even though the volume of the noise makes hearing a predator challenging, it feels soothing to me. With the relatively thick clusters of trees combined with our weapons, this is the safest I have ever felt out here. After a few minutes of walking, something else strikes me. Since we left camp, Sayda has not said a single word. She watches the forest as she walks, obviously internally preoccupied.
“Something on your mind, Sayda?” I ask gingerly, not wanting to pry too hard.
Sayda quickens the pace of her strides before answering. “It’s nothing.”
“Sure doesn’t look like nothing,” I say and turn away, not wanting to see the inevitable angry stare.
Sayda mumbles something to herself as she continues to weave her way through the bushes in front of us. After a few more minutes of traveling in silence, the darkness and cold air work to strip me of the sense of security.
“Looks like there’s nothing this way. Ready to head back?” I ask.
Sayda stops and lets out a sigh. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Knowing Sayda for as long as I have, her sigh was not out of frustration for our failure to find a water source. I also know she is too stubborn to admit her feelings.
“Okay, you may not want to talk to me about it, but you really should talk to someone,” I tell her.
After an uncomfortable silence, she finally replies in a near whisper. “It’s not you, Kagen. I just don’t know what to do.”
“About what?” I ask. I already know the answer, but Sayda needs to do things at her own pace.
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” she scolds me.
“Well, you need to figure out what to do soon. Both of them are wondering if they have any chance at all,” I tell her. “Whether it’s Radek, Hadwin, or even neither of them, they need you to make a decision. With all of the uncertainty we already have to deal with, it’s extra hard on them to not get any hints from you. They’ve both mentioned that you’re avoiding the subject.”
“That’s the thing, I know what my heart wants, but I don’t want to hurt anyone. They both deserve better than that,” Sayda says.
The words sound as if they hurt her to even say them. She stops walking and leans against a nearby tree. As Sayda turns, the light from my illuminator reflects against the tears building in her eyes. She looks to me for an answer that will take away the pain of her decision. I have none. Her unexpected candor has caught me off guard, rendering me speechless for a moment. I want to ask what her decision is, but knowing how hard it is for her to be this open makes pushing too hard a bad idea. She would only resist and shut down her feelings again.
“That’s out of your control, Sayda,” I tell her. “You can’t tell your heart what it wants. No matter what, someone will get hurt. It’ll be even worse on them if you prolong it. I know that they’ll both always care for you even if it has to be as a friend.”
“I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier for me,” Sayda says.
“Like you reminded me, they don’t need your protection now,” I tell her.
She shoots me an angry glare for a second before her eyes turn back to the ground. I reflexively take a step to the side, just in case she gets too annoyed. “Can I ask what your decision is?”
“I guess I have to tell someone,” she says, resigning herself to answering my question. “I was torn for a while, but in the end, there’s only one man…”
Sayda’s words trail off. Her face contorts as a petrified glaze covers it. I stand motionless, unsure what has caused this reaction. Sayda lets out a screech as she jumps away from the tree she was leaning against. She swipes at her back, frantically trying to get something off. A black object about half the size of my fist falls to the ground.
I lean down to examine the object, only to jump back when it starts flailing around to turn over. The oversized insect has the body of a spider, with six spindly legs, but the front two are decidedly different. They are thickened with pincers at the tip, looking more like those of a scorpion. Even more worrisome is the bright red hourglass shaped marking standing out against its black exterior on the bulbous back end. I have read about a spider called a black widow, but as with most other things we encounter on these trips, this one is much different than expected. Regardless, the bite is supposedly a severe one. Thankfully, Sayda was able to knock the insect off.
“That really hurt,” Sayda says.
Her words send a churning nausea into my stomach. “Let’s get back to camp fast, in case any more are around.”
If she really was bit by that thing, I am not sure my medical supplies will be able to help. We rush through the dark forest, making our way back to the others. In my haste, I almost activate one of the motion sensors on the edge of our campsite. Seeing our rush, both Hadwin and Radek jump up with their weapons in hand.
I extend my hand out, motioning for them to put the weapons down. “Nothing’s following us.”
“Then what’s the hurry?” Hadwin asks with a skeptical stare.
“There were some nasty insects out there,” Sayda replies as she goes to sit next to the fire.
I follow to check on her. “Did it bite you?”
“I think so. It’s probably from all the hiking today, but my muscles are aching and I’m getting nauseous.”
I make her turn around. A deep red welt has formed on her right shoulder, just below the lining of her uniform. This is bad. I have to bite my lip to keep from saying it out loud. I point for Hadwin to bring my pack. He grabs the dark grey bag and takes out my medical kit. This one is larger than the kit Talia used to make me take into The Caves, allowing for a wider range of equipment and medications. I give Sayda a pill to help with the irritation from the bite, silently hoping that is all she will need.
Korin and Baran take positions on opposite ends of the camp to keep watch, while Radek and Hadwin both sit by the fire, watching over Sayda. The minutes pass without any increase in he
r swelling. So far, she has not developed any signs of an allergic reaction. My relief is not long lasting. Soon, beads of sweat form on Sayda’s exposed skin. She lies down, pretending to go to sleep, but every few seconds her body flinches from pain. This is exactly what I was worried about. Unfortunately, she will only get worse from here.
“Was the insect poisonous?” Radek asks.
“It had the markings of a poisonous spider, but I’m not really sure what it was,” I tell him. After being in The Caves with me, he understands exactly what I am implying.
Sayda curls up in a fetal position, crying out in pain. Her stomach has become rigid from muscle spasms coursing through her body. Radek and Hadwin hold her arm still so I can insert an intravenous line to give more medications. I know in theory what treatment should help, but have no way of knowing if the bizarre insect has the same type of venom as the spider it mimics. After the line is secured, I administer a strong dose of a sedative that also works well as a muscle relaxer. The medication will not directly counteract the venom, but should be able to help calm her symptoms. Unless it’s a new toxin, an annoying voice in the back of my mind reminds me.
Even after the medication, Sayda continues to writhe in pain. The others look to me, expecting me to fix her.
“I’ll give her another dose, but we have to be careful. Too much of this stuff can be just as bad as the toxin itself,” I tell the others, trying to make them understand the reason for my hesitation. If she gets too much of the medicine, she could stop breathing or have a dangerous drop in her blood pressure. Even with a good amount of supplies, only so much could be done while we are away from the infirmary if that happens.
The look in each of their eyes tells me they do not want to hear any excuses. All they see is the woman they care for in pain, and desperately want it to stop. I cannot blame them. Even so, my duty to do what is best for Sayda, not for them.
The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3) Page 10