by Jake Macklem
In her delirium, she had managed to let herself heal. She was not sure when she cut the cast wrap off, but it had done its job. Her right side was a little tight and she knew it would take weeks, if not months, of stretching for it to be properly limber. But it will do. Ace finished her routine and stared up at the sky. A bead of sweat dripped into her eye and she grimaced as she blinked the sting away. Too much sweat for one set. The bright green planet lit the red grass plain with a yellow glow that hovered over the ground. Taking deep breaths, she basked in the feeling of sweat evaporating off her body in the warm breeze. I feel good. I did need those two days.
Ace had tried to sleep the last night, but excitement and Cam’s snoring drove her from the hut, down to the edge of the wood and the cooler air of the river. Today was the start of their journey. They had nineteen days to make it to the pickup spot and get off this moon. Picking up her canteen, she took a drink of water then poured the rest of the contents over her head. She pulled her hair forward as the water washed over, making sure no debris had collected. She had already cut out the mats and shaved the sides of her head; she was not going to cut any more of her hair off if she did not have to.
Flipping her hair back, she wiped the water from her eyes. Her smile quickly faded. She yanked her boots on, wrapped her skirt on, pushed her arms through the sleeves of the top, and sprinted towards the hut, pulling her shirt on as she ran. The distance that took her fifteen minutes to hike weeks ago, she ran in three now. She pushed the door and slid inside.
Cam sat up, pistol in hand, aiming at the door. His eyes were puffy with sleep. “What in the blazes, woman!”
Ace quickly cut him off. “Hurry up!” She motioned him to follow. “You’ve got to see this.”
Together they sat at the edge of the woods, behind the cover of the trees. Cam held the binoculars to his face. She had never seen analog binoculars, but he did not seem interested in sharing. Still, just looking over the field she could see plenty.
The ground trembled under the footfalls of the trudging beasts. Thick red-brown fur draped off their bulk in curly tangles. They walked on three legs and had a tentacle-like appendage protruding from their chests—or what Ace thought was the chest. The grasping extremity scooped up clumps of the grass, tucking the bundles into mouths lower on their torsos. They stood somewhere between four and five meters tall, and there were hundreds of them. Even at this distance, she could hear the noises they made—air squirting out of a balloon in a deep bass tone.
Never seen anything like it. “So, what do you think? Cosmic, huh?”
Cam lowered his binoculars, scowling toward the creatures. “I’m not sure how these things fit in this tiny ecosystem? Is it more complex than I thought? Maybe a lot bigger. Herd is moving west. That’s the same direction we want to go.”
“Wasn’t there a group of humans that followed around an animal and hunted it or something like that?” Ace asked.
“Some of the original inhabitants of the American continents. They lived in harmony with the environment and traveled with an animal called buffalo,” Cam answered.
He knows so much useless shit. “So, are we going to travel with the herd?”
“That’s not a good idea.” Cam looked at Ace. “We don’t know what kind of predators come out when those things go marching. I don’t think it’s safe. We’ll travel out toward your ship and cut across there. Won’t take long, but should keep distance between us and those things.” He used his thumb and motioned to the three-legged beasts.
“I can’t believe how hairy they are. How do they survive the heat?”
Nodding, Cam said, “They probably don’t. I would say they come from a very cold region.” Where could anything be cold on a moon that’s heated to a hundred and twenty degrees every day?
“What are they doing here?” Ace asked.
“If I had to hazard a guess, annual migration maybe?” Cam looked up into the sky and cocked his head. “Huh.” He lifted the binoculars. “That’s an anvil.”
Ace looked up in the sky. “All I see are puffy clouds.”
Cam stood up and pointed. “See the one that goes up into the sky and then flattens out on top?
“Yeah.” Ace saw the cloud.
“What does it look like?” Cam asked.
“Oh, an anvil. So, what does that mean?” Ace wondered.
“Thunderstorm.”
She stared at the pile of trees. She had lain on death’s door here for almost four months. Now she was leaving and, according to Shaw, the whole thing was going to be washed away. Like it never happened. She tightened her grip on her spear. I’ll know it happened.
“What do you say, Red. Ready to get goin’?”
“Shank… I mean… Yeah. I’m ready. Let’s get the hell outta here.” Ace gave a cocky smile. Cam just shook his head and walked away. “What? Seriously? Hell is a swear word? I didn’t know that.” She saw him shake his head again. “It doesn’t count,” she said to his retreating back. “Cowboy!”
They traveled for a few hours before the clouds rolled in overhead, and with them, the winds. The clouds hung so low it looked like you could reach out and touch them. The humidity in the air was clinging and refused to let the pouring beads of perspiration cool her down. Ace followed Cam’s path through the tall grass. She had watched the horizon in the beginning, until her eye hurt from constantly focusing on the different distances. She watched the ground now.
Kaboom! Ace jumped and felt her heart pounding. The thunder was very loud and vibrated the ground. The flashing light rippled through the clouds and reminded Ace of the green giant’s thermal layer. What did Smith call that planet? Bet Shaw knows.
“It’s right on top of us. I didn’t think it would be this bad.” Cam had to raise his voice to be heard.
“Storms here are always bad,” Ace shouted.
He bit his lip then asked, “Why didn’t you say something?”
Ace shrugged. “I thought you knew…”
Cam started to say something when lightning struck the ground twenty meters away. With a flash and a roar, the ground nearby exploded, sending rocks and debris raining over the immediate area. As the echo of the crack faded in Cam’s ears, it was replaced by the crackling hum of electrical current. Electricity conducted through the high-iron surface! His eye wide, he shouted, “Let’s not dawdle.” They picked up their pace and headed toward the closest mountains. Ace slowed herself and kept speed with Cam. For being old he can still do it. A few loud thunderclaps, thirty mile-an-hour winds, and fifteen minutes later, the duo reached the base of the mountain.
The wind was less here, with the mountains shielding them as they looked for shelter. When the rain started, Ace felt a cool relief. The refreshing water washed away the heat, sweat, and dirt of the day. The dry ground repelled the water and pools and streams quickly started to form. The ground softened and became mud, sticking to the bottoms of her boots. Ace quickly realized she was still not in peak condition. She was out of breath, her legs burned, and her side felt like it was on fire. She was struggling to keep up with Cam now. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.
“There. I think that’s a cave,” Cam shouted, pointing further up the rocky slope.
“Oh? I was just starting to have fun,” Ace yelled back. Cam pulled his side pistol and spun it around and offered it to her, handle first. She reached out and took it, stabbing her spear in the ground. She checked the safety, mag, and chamber, racked a round, and picked up the spear. “I’ll take point.”
“That’s one option.” Cam nodded. “Or I could take point and you can cover my back. I do have the rifle.”
“Your call, Cowboy.” Is he being macho? Or protective?
They quickly closed the distance and entered the mouth of the cave. “Stay close, Red.” Cam turned the flashlight at the end of his rifle on. He scanned the ground with the light—dry, as were the walls. Ace did not see any tracks or marks in the dirt. He pointed the beam down the cave and went deeper in
side. She quickly followed a few steps behind. The smell was dank. About twelve meters in, the cave started to open up. The ceiling sloped up twelve meters high and they found themselves in a chamber, the walls twenty meters apart in the widest spots, the temperature cooler than outside.
“What is this place?” She asked. “It doesn’t look natural. Like it was made or something.” Oh shit. “Does something live here?”
“That would be my guess.” Cam’s light settled on skeletal remains. Tusked, eyeless skulls were tossed together amidst a strewn collection of bones and scraps of hide and skin. “Looks like Susaderms.”
“What?”
“The pig-sized elephant things. You know.” Cam kept his light running along the edges of the walls looking for any sort of movement.
Ace nodded her approval. “Good name.” He’s good at this stuff. She kept her eyes moving, searching the dark recesses for danger. Always prepared and has everything he needs. Even if he does pack like a hussy on vacation. Oh—“That reminds me, where did you get a ladle?”
Cam stop and turn to look at Ace. “What?”
“The ladle. Where’d you get it?”
“We are in a cave, walking over the remains of the last living things that walked here, and you’re asking about a ladle?”
Why’s he getting so touchy? “It was just a question.”
“I carved it.” Cam swung around and ventured deeper into the chamber.
That’s impressive. “Aren’t you full of surprises.”
“What?”
Ace turned to answer and her legs went weak, her stomach dissolved to an empty space and her throat tightened. She tried to talk, but a whisper came out, “Shaw.”
Its body was two meters around, with a bulbous middle. Using its seven legs, each over three meters long, it quietly crawled down the wall of the chamber. The legs were spaced evenly around the central sphere, tipped with gleaming points, and segmented in enough places that they seemed able to fully curl beneath the beast. The multiple eyes focused on Cam. Stalking its prey, it did not seem aware of her. I hate spiders! A little louder, she said, “Shaw.”
The creature was creeping closer to Cam. A pair of smaller extremities unfolded from the bulb, each the length of the cowboy’s arm and glistening with a suspicious sheen. It’s gonna eat him. Pointing the pistol at the beast, she shouted, “It’s above you, Shaw!” Ace opened fire as the beast screeched, bullets sparking off its thick exoskeleton.
Cam stepped back, lifting the rifle. The light bounced across the stalking monster as he secured the butt of the stock against his shoulder. “Damn. You ugly.” In response, the creature opened its mandibles and hissed. Cam flipped his rifle from single-shot to burst and squeezed the trigger. The loud pop of each shot rang out. Some bullets sparked and screamed off into the dark, deflected by the exoskeleton. Others pierced the chitin, erupting through the flesh beneath and spraying orange bioluminescent blood across the cave floor.
The monster dropped from the wall, driving one of its talon-pointed legs at Cam. He managed to step back in time, but was off balance as the second leg smashed into his combat armor, tossing him three meters before he slammed into the ground. Rolling with the force, he used the momentum and came up on his knees, rifle leveled, and again opened fire.
Dropping the empty gun, Ace charged forward as Cam riddled the beast with bullets. Running up the rock formation she repositioned the spear. “Hold fire!” she shouted as she jumped, lifting the spear overhead, gripping it in two hands.
Cam stopped firing and watched her fly through the air.
Driving the spear into the monster, she let her momentum and weight sink the shaft deep. Bright orange fluid and purple chunks of meat erupted from the wound. The creature wailed a high-pitched hiss and thrashed in rage and agony. Ace hung on as she continued through the air, pulling the spear with her, the point tearing through the insides of the creature. It stayed plunged inside the monster as she let go and fell.
Sinking to the ground, the beast released its last, gurgled hiss as it died, its long legs folding in on itself. Orange liquid pooled and flowed in the grooves of the floor, it looked unreal on the muted stone colors. The curled legs twitched with the occasional violent spasm.
“You alive, Red?” Cam scanned the ceiling for any other sign of movement.
“Yep. I’m good.” Ace pushed herself up and walked to the fallen monster. “What are you gonna name this one?”
Cam lowered his rifle, slowly letting the barrel drift to the floor, his eyes shifting to the dead beast. “I don’t know,” he said as she grabbed her spear shaft. “You killed it. You should name it.”
Ace smiled. “Yeah?” Wiggling the shaft, she said, “Okay, they’re called Shondas.”
“That someone you know?” He asked watching her pull the spear free with a jerk and a wet sucking sound.
She spun the spear around and firmly planted the end of the shaft on the ground. The bright orange blood of the creature oozed down the shaft, dripping in globs over her hand. Some splatters covered her face and arms, streaks ran through her hair. Ace grinned. “She’s kind of my evil stepmom.”
Cam studied her face. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
13: Cam
Cam sat against the wall. Ace lay nearby in the long tunnel running from the entrance to the chamber with the dead Shonda. She kept her eyes closed, but he was pretty sure she was awake. I wouldn’t be able to sleep after that stunt. They had been resting and waiting for close to eight hours. The rain had stopped as the white sky came. Probably evaporated the clouds. He figured they should get moving. We didn’t hit our distance. He pushed himself off the ground. “I’m gonna head to the entrance, have a look around.”
Ace rolled over. “Want me to come?”
“Nah. Stay and get some rest,” Cam answered, walking down the tunnel.
The heat intensified as he got closer to the mouth of the cave. The sky was changing from pale white to a vivid pink. Reaching the entrance, he looked down. Blades of red grass danced in the rapidly flowing water. The current, flowing south by southwest, was fast and powerful. Water‘s got to be at least a foot or two deep. That current is too strong to risk walking. Gonna have to make the backup plan work, now. Turning to look up the mountain, Cam saw plants growing hundred and sixty or seventy meters above the cave. His eyes traced the path he could take to get there. I should get Red. He looked back down the cave and thought about the Shonda. Turning away, he started up the mountain.
She acted like that spider was nothing. Like an everyday thing. Did she not realize the danger we were in? The path was steep in parts, but an easy climb. No. She knew. She saw the Shonda before I did. With the right pace, he estimated it would take a couple of minutes and not expend extra energy. The air felt cooler as he approached the vegetation. She’s asking about ladles in the middle of a life and death situation. Danger just isn‘t the same to her as it is to other People. He paused at the edge of the old-growth and looked back down his path. She is a STAR, folks say they‘re trained to view themselves as already dead. He continued up the slope, contemplating.
Cam saw the largest trees on the moon yet, between fifteen and twenty meters. Below the tall plants with large open pod-like petals grew, a few long pistils extending from the flower. Purple-colored shrub-like plants with blue-tipped leaves spread throughout the thick vegetation and short yellow grass.
This place doesn’t flood. I should collect some samples before I go back. But first...He strolled under the shade of the towering plants, scanning the ground, his rifle resting in the nook of his arm. There we go. He knelt next to a branch about three meters long and about thirty centimeters in diameter at the thick end. Looking up, he saw where the branch had broken from. It’s one of the hemp trees from the valley. Just ten times the size! Examining the stick, he noticed how much harder it was than the small trees below. Oh yeah, this will work.
Scanning the immediate area and seeing no threats, Cam set the rifle do
wn and pulled his knife. He went about carving a paddle, returning to his assessment of Ace. STARs are like the samurai from the old Streamers. Practicing the acceptance of their death and becoming fearless. With skill and ease, his knife sent wood chips spinning into the air. But for it to work, you have to believe you are dead. “Huh.”
As that sunk in, he heard a rustling off to his right. The brush sat still, unmoving. Slowly, he set the mostly finished paddle down and slid his knife into its sheath. He squatted and scanned the area, looking for the threat he knew was there. He was reaching for his rifle when the snap came from behind him. Before he could turn—his feet were yanked out from under him and he was being pulled on his belly, his hands outstretched for the rifle that was quickly getting further away. Damn.
Rolling onto his back, he looked down; vines wrapped his legs. The tall plant with the pod-like flower had bent toward the ground and was dragging Cam toward it. Carnivorous plants!
Sitting up, with one hand he grabbed the vine dragging him, and with the other, he pulled his knife. With a slash, the vine snapped and he slid to a stop. The plant pulled its vine back, purple ooze leaking from the gaping end. He struggled with the vine still tightly gripping his legs.
More rustling drew Cam’s attention and he remembered that there were many plants. Vines slithered across the ground towards him. “Red!” Cam yelled as he scrambled to his feet.
Vines rushed toward him, searching the ground. The pods are a snap trap! I didn’t touch the plants. How do they know I’m here? The vines tapped the ground left and right, then moved forward. He watched as the vines wrapped around a rock and pulled it up, then released it and started tapping the ground again. It knew the rock wasn’t living and let it go. Are these things intelligent?