NorthWest (John Hazard - Book II)

by Glaze, JH

  The creatures had already spent several days collecting animals from the surrounding forest to feed their offspring during the initial stage of development. He hoped to store enough food to prevent them from engaging in the horrible cannibalism that he had witnessed at home in his world. The ensuing chaos was still vividly etched in his memory.

  Now, as a sexually mature adult, he would embark on his first and last reproductive experience. It was the natural order of life for adult couples of his kind to offer themselves to their hatchlings as nourishment, a nutrient-rich feast to give them the best possible start in life. When the hatchlings emerged from their eggs, they would have no other option but to begin eating immediately or die of starvation. Eat or die, eat or be eaten, it was the way of their world.

  Despite the fact that their advanced intelligence passed genetically from generation to generation, they were still creatures bound to primordial instincts when it came to such procreative practices. The alien creatures never questioned the cycle of life as they knew it. They willingly accepted that their own existence would end in order to give life to the offspring they spawned.

  Each generation possessed nearly all the knowledge of the parents that came before. Intelligence and reasoning were programmed directly into their genetic material. Any new knowledge or understanding would be added to the code which would be passed on throughout the generations, a fortunate trait considering the short lifespan of these creatures. Though this intelligence was passed through DNA, it wasn’t an instantaneous awareness. The newborns had only the knowledge at birth to know that they must eat or die. The more they ate, the greater the level of their intelligence. In the same way a bud on a rose turns into a flower, at maximum growth the creatures would bloom into their full intellectual awareness.

  There was no time for compassion for others. To them every other living creature was a potential meal, including others of their kind if need be. In their world no greater predator existed and, in the end, as food sources dwindled this would put the survival of their species at risk.

  Now as the male continued to work diligently to create a fresh start for his offspring in this strange land, a deep-seated sense of dread came over him slowing his movements as he forced himself to complete the task. With everything he had already provided for them, he could not be sure how many of the young would hatch in this environment and time was running out. He must carry on building up their food supply before the hatch began.

  As he labored on, the female was feeding on the fresh kill of the morning pausing to rest now and then to aid her digestion. Scattered about the edge of the clearing were the bones of many animals that she had consumed over the past month. Some of the gruesome remains were human, the bones of those who had happened upon her mate as he was hunting. He did not make any distinction between humans and other animals except for the strange loose and multicolored ‘skins’ that covered their meat, and the great deal of noise they made while being prepared or eaten.

  The male creature had come to savor human meat, however, and to such a degree that several of the victims he had captured had served as a feast for him alone. The female knew no different as long as he saved some prize to present to her when he returned from his hunt. He was always careful to clean himself thoroughly after such a feast. He was well aware that an angry female could just as easily eat him while she was ‘in waiting’ to expel her matured clutch of eggs.

  After many days, various animals, including several deer, wolves, and rabbits, were stored in the clearing. They were strategically arranged several yards from the spot where the eggs would hang to draw out the hatchlings as soon as they would fall to the ground. Though the young aliens would be left to fend for themselves, they came into life fully equipped for survival. Their bodies fully formed and functional at birth, nevertheless it would be necessary for them to eat massive amounts of fresh meat to achieve their adult size. The more they ate, the faster they would grow. If a plentiful supply of food were available, a newborn might reach full adult size in a matter of forty-eight hours.

  As the female closed her eyes again, she wondered what her offspring would discover here in this new world, and if they would ever return to their home. At the moment, she decided, it did not matter. This world seemed quite amenable, and she was not overly concerned about their future. If they found this world unsuitable, the ship contained the tools and materials for repair. Once they reached full size and intellectual maturity, they could leave here if they chose, and with an adequate food supply, this could be accomplished within two or three cycles of this planets star.

  She looked up as her mate ambled toward her. Everything had been prepared, and he had come to assist her as she made her way to the nesting site. He carefully attached the appendages that extended from her abdomen, stretching them slightly to reach the center of the web, and then prepared the area where he would need to position himself in order to assist as she attempted to expel the fully developed eggs from her body. Judging by her size at this stage, he was expecting a difficult time. It seemed as though she could be carrying hundreds of eggs.

  Twenty-Six

  Sherri, Emily and John came strolling in through the giant hangar portal about fifteen minutes after Eddie and Karla arrived. Sherri waved as she caught the eye of Marcus who was handing the last backpack from the pile up to Mark.

  “Hey Sweet Cocoa, glad you could make it.” His smile was wide as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her off the floor in a huge bear hug. “Are you ready for the adventure?” he asked as he gently set her on her feet.

  “I certainly am,” she chirped. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to walk into the wilderness without the comforts of civilization for two weeks.” She picked up her backpack again and handed it to him.

  John and Emily were right behind her waiting to load their gear. John held a smaller case in his left hand as he handed his pack to Marcus. “You want that in the storage compartment, or is that a carry on, Sherlock?” asked Marcus as he passed the pack to Mark who was struggling to arrange the near full cargo compartment.

  “I think I’ll hang onto this one. I want to show the team the new tools I got for this trip,” said John as he turned toward the rest of the group. “Come on, Emily. Let me help you get to know everybody right away so you’ll feel more at home during the flight.”

  “More at home? Oh, sure, John,” she said ironically, recalling what her home had been like just before she left. “I think I’d rather feel more at your home. Last time I saw mine, the door was being kicked in.”

  “Oh yeah. Sorry.” He felt sympathy for what she had been through.

  Macy was standing nearby and pressed Emily for more information. “I’m sorry, did you say your door was being kicked in? Is there anything I should know about?”

  John was quick to reply, “No, Macy. Everything’s cool. It’s a long story. How about we save it for later? It will make good drama when we tell it around the campfire in the dark.”

  Macy still looked concerned. “Are you sure?”

  Emily chimed in, “Yes, it’s not that important. We’ll tell you the whole story after we get where we’re going.” She forced a smile in hopes of reassuring her employer.

  In the lull that followed, Macy took the opportunity to get everyone’s attention. “Hey, guys! Let’s grab some chairs and sit down. I have a couple of things to say before we leave.” Everyone grabbed one of the chairs that lined a wall of the hangar and pulled them over to form a circle. Marcus carried his over to sit next to Sherri.

  “Okay. About five weeks ago, when I first decided to put this field trip together, I considered the possibility that we might be walking into some danger. Therefore, I instructed each of you to bring protection as you felt necessary to preserve your own safety. We are going into a national forest where there are wolves, bears, and other dangerous animals roaming freely, and we must be alert to that fact every minute of the day and night.”

  Macy began ha
nding out booklet printouts as she continued, “I also instructed you to research and review basic wilderness survival techniques. In the event that you were not as thorough as you could have been, I have printed some information for each of you. Even if you plan on spending all of your time in the presence of the group, there is still the chance that we could become separated or one of you may be lost.”

  Marcus interrupted, “Anything come to mess with Ho-tep gonna be chompin’ on the barrel of my .45.” He nodded and gestured as he looked around at the group. “That’s what I’m sayin’.”

  Macy continued, “That’s good, Marcus, but we need all individuals carrying weapons to be strategically located when we set up camp. Raise your hand if you have packed a weapon, please.”

  Five hands were raised, among them John, Marcus, Eddie, Macy, and Sherri. “My sweet girl is packing iron? Yeah, baby!” Marcus exclaimed when Sherri’s hand went up.

  Macy continued, “I’m hoping that everyone had the sense to pack these in with their other gear and not give Mark a reason to be concerned about his safety as our pilot.”

  Everyone nodded except John, who raised his hand then spoke out. “Hey, I kept my knife out of the pack cuz it has a nice sheath that fits right on the belt. That’s cool isn’t it?” He patted the large buck knife on his hip.

  “Sure, John. Just keep it sheathed in case we hit some turbulence up there. I wouldn’t want you to put your eye out.” She smiled at him and he returned a blank stare.

  Macy spent a few minutes going over some basic information about what should be expected when they set up camp. When she was finished, she looked around to see that everyone was on the same page. “Now unless someone has to go to the bathroom, I guess we can get this party started. Anybody need to use the can?” Three of the girls raised their hands and Raj sheepishly joined them. “Okay then, take care of business and we’re out of here.” The four of them scurried off toward the bathrooms.

  After they walked away, Macy turned and asked John, “Is that what I think it is?” She was pointing at the case sitting at his feet.

  John nodded, “Yes, ma’am! If you were thinking that it’s my new Paranormal Investigation Super-Secret Toolkit, you would be a winner!” He grinned, proud that he was the only one with the forethought to bring some actual paranormal investigation tools.

  “After we get in the air, and everybody is finished reading that document, I’ll pass these awesome some tools around and let everybody see how they work. I think everybody will agree, this is some really cool shit.”

  “That’s what I like about you, John. You always think of everything.” Macy smiled at him, and he replied, “Not a big deal, Mace. Used to be a Boy Scout, and you know the Boy Scout motto?”

  “Uh, be prepared?” she answered.

  John showed his approval with a hearty “Hoo rah!”

  “Hoo rah? Isn’t that marine talk, Boy Scout?” Macy shook her head and walked over to talk to Mark.

  A few minutes later, the others returned from the bathrooms and Emily walked up to John. “Um… I was wondering… I know I’m supposed to be the camera girl on this trip, but I haven’t really seen any sign of equipment. Seems kind of strange, don’t you think?”

  “You know, I didn’t either. I think we should ask about it.” He started walking toward Macy, “Hey Macy, got a sec before we get going?”

  “Sure.” She looked up from the map she was studying, “What is it?”

  “Emily here had a good question. Uh… what about the video equipment?”

  Macy turned to Sherri who was standing next to the plane. She yelled over at her, “Sherri, you reserved the video equipment, right?”

  Sherri interrupted her conversation with Marcus long enough to tick off the list with her fingers. “Two top of the line Sony cams, extra lenses, extra batteries, solar panel charging device, two light panels, reflectors and night vision. We also have two tablet screens for daily footage reviews. The guide is bringing everything when he meets us at the airport. Don’t worry, it’s all been arranged and verified.” Sounding confident, she went back to her conversation without missing a beat.

  “Wow!” Emily seemed impressed that they would have such an extensive list of quality equipment. “That sounds like a lot of stuff to carry!”

  “Oh, well. I didn’t think the camera operator would be solely responsible for carrying all of the gear. We’re going to divide it up among the group and the only thing you’ll have to carry is the camera, Emily. Just in case we stumble on something big, I want you to be able to record it.”

  She looked at the rest of the team boarding the plane, “Besides, it’s a very small unit from what I hear. Uses very high capacity memory sticks rather than tape, so you can shoot as much footage as you feel you need to tell the story.”

  John watched as the group began filing into the cabin of the plane. “Looks like they’re ready, Mace. I guess it’s time.” He smiled and held out his hand to shake hers. “Good luck, commander.”

  She took his hand with a firm grip, “Thanks, John. And believe me when I tell you, if we encounter what I think we might, we’ll need a lot more than luck. We’ll need… ah, never mind.” With that, she walked toward the plane.

  Emily looked at John with an uneasy expression. “What do you think she meant by that?”

  Shrugging his shoulders, he responded, “She’s just being overly dramatic. If we had the camera right now, we probably should have recorded that. It would make a good start to your documentary.”

  Twenty-Seven

  Fifteen minutes later, the plane was taxiing onto the runway. Mark turned from the cockpit as he maneuvered into position for liftoff and yelled to his passengers, “Everybody, buckle up! We’re expecting some turbulence on this trip. Weather decided not to cooperate today.” He turned back and shoved the accelerator forward.

  As the plane sped down the runway, two men in dark suits wearing sunglasses entered the terminal office.

  “Hello, how can I help you?” the clerk asked cheerily.

  As if she wasn’t already a bit suspicious of these guys wearing stereotypical special agent costumes, one of the men flashed a badge so fast that she really didn’t get a good look at it. “We’re looking for a woman named Emily Sparks? We have reason to believe she is here and scheduled for a flight to some location in the Northwest.”

  “I’m afraid you just missed her. See that silver plane out there with the wheels lifting off the ground? She’s on that flight.” She looked at the men who seemed very frustrated at this point. “Is this some kind of medical emergency or something? Do we need to call the plane back?”

  “No!” The men said in unison, and turned and left the building exactly the way they had entered.

  When their black SUV had disappeared from the parking lot, the young clerk went to the back room and dialed Mark’s mobile phone. She waited as it rang one, two, three times. “Hello, this is Mark.”

  “Hey, Mark, this is Cheryl. I’m sorry to bother you but…”

  “Whoa, Cheryl? Cheryl… from Oakland? This isn’t about...? I swear I…” Mark was wracking his brain to remember a Cheryl.

  “No, Mark. It’s Cheryl at the terminal desk! I’m really sorry to call you, but you know that woman on your flight, Emily?” She picked up a pen from the counter and twirled it in her free hand.

  “Sparks? Yeah. What about her?” He flipped a switch on the control panel.

  “Well, two guys dressed like Men in Black came into the office looking for her just as you were wheels up down the runway. They flashed some kind of badge like they were for real, but somehow I don’t think so.”

  “What the fuck did they want her for?” Mark sounded frustrated as he banked the plane to the left.

  “Well, they didn’t say exactly, but I thought you should know. Alright?” She hated talking to him when he was in a bad mood. He always started cursing when he was upset.

  “Well, thanks, Cheryl. Maybe I can find out what the hell is going on.
I’ll call you back if there’s anything you need to know.” With that he pressed the key on his phone to end the call. “Damn!” he said as he tossed the phone onto the seat beside him.

  About an hour and a half into the flight, John was snoring, his head resting on the window of the plane. As Emily turned the last page of the survival document, Macy reached across the aisle and shook John’s shoulder. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. You said you’d share your toys when everyone was finished reading, and that would be now.”

  “Nuh…” John wiped a bit of saliva from the corner of his mouth and looked around, “Are we there yet?” he asked smiling.

  “No, John,” Emily said from across the small aisle. I think we have about fifteen more minutes before we fly over the spot where we will be searching for God knows what.” She looked out the window for a second and continued, “You said you were going to show us your toolkit and Macy was letting you know it was time.”

  “Oh yeah.” He unbuckled his seatbelt, and reached down to the floor where he had placed the black case. Pulling it up onto his lap, he unfastened the latch and lifted the lid. The case was lined with a gray foam liner that was customized to fit perfectly around the four instruments it contained. It looked like something out of a spy movie.

  Each instrument had a shiny chrome finish and was made with handgrips so it could be easily managed. John moved his seatbelt to the side so he could stand, and getting up from his seat, he turned to face the group while placing the case on his seat.

  The ride was a little rough in a plane this small, so he steadied himself against the seat. He pulled the first device from the case and held it up so everyone could see it. “I’m going to tell you about each item and how it is used, and then I’ll pass them around so everyone can see them.”

  “There’s an On switch on each of these devices that is right about where the trigger of a gun would be. If it turns itself off while you are holding it, just press this button to turn it back on.” He demonstrated by pressing the button with his index finger. The device emitted an audible tone as it was activated, which could barely be heard above the sound of the plane engines, and a small red LED lit up.