The New World: A Step Backward

by Skrzynski, Andy

  Soon they were jogging down a steep hill, passing beneath a lush canopy of ash, poplar, and birch trees as they neared a trickling brook. Thoruk savored the soothing aura, enhanced by the chirping of birds swooping from one tree to another.

  A few minutes later, a plump cotton-tail scampered across their trail, weaving and dodging as if being chased by a wolf seeking a snack. Spooked by the bunny's frantic retreat, a huge stag snorted and bolted into the thicket.

  Sliding across the leaf-strewn gravel, Thoruk and his running buddies skidded to a halt. His broad, rock-hard chest expanded as he sucked a quick breath. Whew, so much for a peaceful jaunt.

  Stormulka's eyes widened as he turned to his friends. "That was a gigantic buck. I'll be back to check out this area when I need venison."

  Mercivil snickered. "You'll have to get the beast before I do."

  After continuing their jog for a while longer, they neared the opening overlooking the Lake of Dreams. Thoruk pointed to a weeping willow on the shore. "Let's go sit over there."

  Mercivil kept running in the direction of the tree. "Okay, but not for too long. I still want to run some more before it gets too hot."

  As they approached, Thoruk looked at her. "It just occurred to me. I can't remember where you got Fluf — you've been together for so long."

  "My grandfather — bless his soul — brought her back from an Arctic expedition as a gift. He found her wandering the frozen land alone. You know the lake on my place — how cold it is all the time. The near-icy water is filled by an aquifer supplied by the runoff near the Arctic Ocean. Grandpa thought she'd be fine around such a habitat. He was right. Fluf loves Arctic Bear Lake and spends most of her free time cooling off in its water."

  When they reached the willow's shade, they slumped to the ground, but Stormulka scrambled to his feet. "Blazes, I can't believe it. I just sat on something warm and wet. I hope that wasn't some animal's pee!"

  Like his friends, forever joking to relieve the daily stresses of their primitive lifestyle, Thoruk smirked. "Might be. A doe and her fawn ran off into those trees when we came over the hill."

  "Well, Stormy dear, people are going to wonder if you have a problem with that yellow spot on your shorts."

  "What spot?" He rotated in a circle trying to see what she meant but couldn't find a thing.

  She rolled her eyes. "You are a fool, dancing around after nothing at all like a cat chasing its tail. We should get moving so you can dry your panties. Let's go to the other side of the lake. We haven't been there in a while."

  Thoruk rose. "I was just getting comfortable. Come on, Storm. You need to air out your britches. We don't want you developing a rash."

  "Ha, ha, Your Majesty. I'm going to stay ahead of you guys. Just follow the yellow spot and hold your nose." He whacked Thoruk in the shoulder as he dashed by. "Keep up, Oh Great One."

  Thoruk helped Mercivil to her feet so they could catch up with their soggy-bottomed friend. She gestured to where Ukkiville kept a community boat for the villagers' use. "Let's head to the dock."

  Halfway around, she surveyed the park area as it became visible in the distance. "I love water hyacinth — their purple blooms are gorgeous this time of year. There's a huge cluster floating over there."

  "They may be pretty, but that stuff can overtake a lake. I've seen it consume a small lake by the base of that peak." Stormulka motioned to the distant mountain range behind the north side of the lake. "You can't even get a kayak through the vegetation any more. It's a fisherman's nightmare if it gets out of hand."

  "You're such a killjoy." She waved him away.

  Thoruk extended his strides. "Pick up the pace, we're almost there."

  After reaching their destination, he looked at his buddies, panting heavily. "That must have been a four-mile jog. I need some air."

  Mercivil ambled out onto the dock and began waving her arms about her head. "Whoa, the flies are horrible over here." She took a closer look at the big patch of hyacinth about 40 feet from the dock. "Shivers!" She placed both hands over her mouth, then pointed. "Hurry! Look!" A body, drenched in blood, floated near the cluster of flowers.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Lurking in the Lake of Dreams

  Monday ~ August 5, 2075 ~ 9:42 am

  Thoruk sprinted to Mercivil's side to untie the worn, chalky-white boat, tethered to the dock. He looked back at his friends. "Come on, let's see if we can help — he may be drowning!"

  Mercivil glanced at her pet. "Fluf — stay!"

  Hopping in first, Thoruk seized the oars. "Be careful getting in." The small vessel wobbled as water from its bottom soaked his moccasins. "Here we go." He rowed toward the victim who was floating face down.

  Stormulka blocked the sun with his palm for a better view. "What on earth happened? Whoever it is has long hair — can't tell if it's a man or woman yet."

  As they approached, Thoruk stopped rowing to observe. What could have done this? Not a bear or cat — they wouldn't strip the skin like that. There would be missing chunks of flesh. He placed his hand over Mercivil's eyes. "I'm not sure you want to see this."

  Pushing his arm away, she opened her eyes. "I've got to." After peeking, she sucked in a terrified breath. "Shivers! This is a demon's work!"

  Stormulka's mouth gaped wide. "From what's left, it appears to be a woman. There's no way she's alive. Something has been chewing on the corpse. There's bloody water everywhere!"

  Thoruk maneuvered nearer the lifeless body. "I've never seen anything like this. It looks like a thousand razor-sharp bite marks." Almost all the skin had been eaten off, and the wounds still appeared fresh, less than a couple of hours old at most. "What could have done this?"

  He scanned the shoreline and pointed to a particular area. "See the big skid mark by that hyacinth cluster on the shore? That's probably where she fell. Let's check it out." He tossed a rope to Stormulka and gestured toward the victim. "Here, tie this around her arm."

  Thoruk paddled closer. Is there something in this lake we haven't seen before? Rumors of a five-foot-long sturgeon were discounted several years ago. Is one actually lurking in these waters after all? It would be huge by now!

  Pictures of prehistoric-looking sturgeons from a tattered encyclopedia in the village's library flashed across his mind. A faint motion caught the corner of his eye. "Did you see that swirl — by the hyacinth?"

  "Yea, I saw it too." Stormulka brushed his shimmery, black hair from his face and squinted. "There, it's moving again."

  The nearer they got to the buoyant mass of purple flowers, the greater the underwater commotion. Thoruk extended the paddle to the edge of the pads floating on the surface. "What is that? Be careful! Don't stick your hands over the edge of the boat until we know what this is!"

  As soon as the oar touched one of the plants, three jaws erupted from the lake, attacking the wooden paddle. The sudden pounce startled Thoruk, causing him to fall backward. Vicious jaws with hundreds of tiny, sharp teeth gnashed at the oar. Each plum-sized chomper extruded from a pod at the top of a stem in the larger hyacinth cluster.

  Getting antsy, Fluf crawled along the shoreline toward the commotion. One of her paws got too close, and a merciless chomper sprung from the lake and nipped her foot. She yelped, clutched the assailant with her huge, ivory teeth, crushed it and tossed the crumpled mass aside. She roared as blood stained her paw.

  Mercivil pivoted. "Fluf, get back! Stay!"

  The injured bear limped away to lie in the grass.

  A strong breeze blew the rickety craft closer. As it neared the edge of the vegetation, another botanical jaw leapt from a pod and clenched the edge of the boat, fiercely chewing and grooving the oak with each bite.

  Thoruk tried to tear it off, but another brutal muncher bit his finger. Unsheathing his knife, he sliced off the stem, pried the mandible from his finger, and chucked it in the lake. A small chunk of his flesh went with it. Blood streamed down his pinkie. He yanked his shirt off and wrapped it around his hand, exposing his
lightly-tanned and muscular back.

  The wind swung the vessel into the floating monster as hundreds of ferocious mouths emerged to gnaw at the bottom of the craft. Gripping the other paddle, Mercivil whacked and smashed the savage, snapping creatures as fast as possible with all the power she possessed.

  The harder she swung the makeshift weapon, the more she bit her lip, until blood dripped down her chin. The wicked, purple-flowered beast thrashed about feverishly, churning and splashing the lake around them. Terror shrouded Mercivil's face as she screamed. "Get us out of here! Now!"

  Thoruk glanced at her feet. Dozens of miniature, white teeth ripped at a splintered hole in the bottom of the boat. Where it had slowly leaked earlier, now the water gushed. "Storm, plug that hole with your shirt. Mercy, give me that oar." He took both paddles and rowed with all his might to get away from the bloodthirsty carnivores.

  The contorted specter of a plant with flesh-gashing teeth confused him with a quirky mix of wonderment and horror. His heart pounded as if ready to explode.

  As they cleared the tumultuous waves, Thoruk noticed the corpse drifting behind them and spotted a handful of jaws still clamped onto the shredded flesh hanging from the victim.

  Stormulka stood, panting. "I can't believe what just happened — that was insane! The blazing plant tried to kill us! That was more vicious than anything we've seen before!" He pulled the vessel toward the dock and tied the line to the post.

  Still trying to wrap his mind around the weird events that unfolded, Thoruk stepped out of the mangled craft. "We've got to get the body to the doctor to check it out. Let's pull the boat on shore first. It'll sink by evening otherwise."

  After Thoruk secured the vessel on land, he grabbed two hideous jaws still hanging from the neck of the woman. "Let me get a couple of these chompers for Intellulka to study."

  Using his knife, he checked to make sure they were inactive. He spread their mouths to detach the unearthly mutant clones, known in the New World as muclones. After loosening their grip, he wrapped them in his handkerchief and stuck the specimens in his pocket.

  He turned toward Mercivil. "Is Fluf alright? Can she carry the corpse?"

  "She's fine. She just acts like a big baby once in a while." Mercivil gently grabbed his hand. "How's your finger? Will you be able to help Storm get the dead woman on Fluf's back?"

  "Yea, I'll be okay. It's just bleeding a little."

  "Here, try some of this." She squeezed a little dab of gel from a small pouch in her belt. "I always carry some with me just for such an occasion. It's a salve my aunt makes from plants. Trust me, this will do the trick. Now go on and help Stormy boy."

  After draping the mutilated victim across the bear, Thoruk placed his hands on his knees. "That was exhausting — give me a second." He took a couple of deep breaths, then grabbed a towel from a cedar storage bin by the dock and carefully placed it over the body, covering the face so villagers couldn't see what had happened. He knelt next to Fluf and put his hand on the corpse. "May God rest her soul."

  His friends joined, bowing their heads. "Amen."

  Still breathing heavily, Stormulka slouched over as sweat dripped from his bulging, bare-skinned chest.

  Thoruk strode onto the dock and surveyed the lake. Thousands of floating bubbles surrounded the area of the skirmish with the tenacious snappers. What will Intellulka think about these creatures? The crotchety, scientific-minded scholar was always intrigued with such freakish curiosities.

  Thoruk returned to his friends. "Let's get going. When we get to Doc's cabin, I'm going to run next door and get our old tutor to investigate the samples. Please explain to the doctor what happened. Come join me afterward. We'll stick to the main road and keep our eyes open." No telling what else might be out there.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  What Happened to Tyler Luca?

  Monday ~ August 5, 2075 ~ 1:10 pm

  Walking across the creaking drawbridge planks with Fluf trailing behind him, Thoruk and his buddies headed toward Doc's with the deadly hyacinth's victim. The typical midday buzz filled the air when Thoruk entered Ukkiville's walls.

  To the right, he heard talkative farmers charming families into taking a glimpse at their fresh-picked fruits and vegetables. With the succulent, red strawberries and plump blueberries displayed front and center at every stand in the open arena, he could see that those fruits were the most bountiful harvest of the week.

  Across the way to the left of the entrance, he observed shrewd trading post operators bargaining with townspeople, eager to negotiate the best deal possible. Thoruk and his friends kept their heads low and didn't speak, hoping nobody would notice as they continued along the road near the large creek that meandered through the village.

  While moving past the town's feed store on the left, little was happening there, given the heart of the planting season was over and the greater harvest activity wasn't due for another month or so.

  Hearing a loud humming whine from the same side further ahead, Thoruk concluded the mills, housed in tan and dark brown stone walls, were churning at full capacity.

  Beyond that he noted a collection of small, whirling windmills and black solar panels Intellulka had set up to complement the creek's water to generate power to run Ukkiville's mills and granary. The limited electricity also ran a large water pump used to fill a huge, elevated tank, supplying a small portion of water for the villagers.

  Thoruk felt awkward trying to blend into the background, given he typically mingled with the crowd to soak in the latest scoop on events and activities.

  Out of the corner of his eye he caught a whizzing blur. Two spry, teenage boys ran up to him. The skinny, short-cropped lad spoke first. "Thoruk! What do you have there?"

  Shivers, I wish they hadn't seen us. Now I've got to tell them something. Surely they'll see the blood dripping down Fluf's back. He slowly lifted his head, tucking his injured hand behind him, and shrugged. "Nothing really. We found something we want Doc to look at."

  The stout, shaggy-haired boy pointed in the direction of the covered corpse. "Whose hand is that?"

  Thoruk turned to glance back and saw the woman's arm dangling along the bear's side. I've got to keep them quiet.

  Determined not to get the village unnecessarily excited about the dead body before he knew the cause and confirmed the guilty party behind the killing, he peered at the mystery seekers. "I need a big favor from both of you. I need you to keep quiet about this and not tell a soul. If you can do that, I'll take both of you fishing at Protuk's place the next time I go."

  He knew every young boy in the village dreamed of getting a shot at fishing at the Master of Arms' lake. Everybody knew the biggest lunkers came from Protuk's fishing hole.

  The youngsters' eyes widened to the size of walnuts. They both whispered in unison with their fingers over their mouths. "Yes sir. We'll keep quiet. We promise!"

  "Now go and don't say a word to anyone." Thoruk waved them off. They are sure to tell somebody, but at least this will slow them down a bit.

  He pivoted and increased the pace to their destination, passing the school and church located on their right, just before the doctor's cabin.

  When they arrived, Mercivil and Stormulka led Fluf to Doc's while Thoruk ran to the neighboring home and bounded up the steps to Intellulka's place. He pounded on the solid oak door. "Let me in, Old Man."

  "Who's there?"

  Thoruk knocked again. "Me — you know — the young man who always calls you 'Old Man.' "

  The handle turned and an egg-shaped head with long, thinning, cotton-white hair peeked around the door. It was Intellulka, the lone inhabitant of Ukkiville old enough to have lived in the Old World before the transformation.

  Intellulka scrunched his wrinkled face and squinted at Thoruk. "Oh, you again. Don't you tire of being a pest? You're like an angry bee that won't leave me alone. Where's your shirt? Do you ever visit anybody fully clothed? Shoo. Leave me alone."

  "No. I can't. You've got to see th
is." Thoruk's blood-soaked shirt was still wrapped around his wounded hand.

  Noticing the injury, the professor guided Thoruk inside and clutched his arm above the make-shift bandage. "What happened?"

  "That's not what I'm here for. Look at these." He lifted the other hand draped with a few of the botanical chompers. "This is what you need to see." His mud-caked palm extended toward the professor.

  Intellulka's shaky, weather-worn fingers snatched the tangled mess. "There's more light over here." He pulled Thoruk toward the kitchen. "What is this?"

  "Hyacinth." Thoruk scanned the kitchen. Dishes, caked with weeks-old food and hints of green mold, were piled everywhere. Never wanting to miss an opportunity to rib his dear friend, he let loose. "Stunning, your place hasn't changed a bit since the last time I was here. What happened to your maid?"

  "What maid? I never had any maid. I've always picked up after myself. I don't do it very often as you can see." Seemingly flustered, the wily tutor raised the plant a bit closer. "I've never seen a hyacinth like this."

  "Of course you haven't. This is not normal." Thoruk shook his head as he quickly rattled off his thoughts. "We found a dead woman floating in the Lake of Dreams. The mutilated body was covered with gruesome teeth marks. We didn't know what to think."

  He chattered so fast, his mentor couldn't catch up. "Whoa, slow down a bit. My hearing ain't what it used to be. What did you find?"

  "These." He pointed to the stringy stems in the man's crusted palm. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. When we got near a cluster of hyacinth — see these jaws — they started snapping at the oar, boat — and one got my finger. Look at those teeth. They're razor sharp. They were even biting into the wood."

  "That is interesting." Intellulka pinched his lower lip between his thumb and finger. One of the little chompers began vibrating. "This is remarkable."

  Without warning, it clamped onto the pencil Intellulka held and started gnawing, then stopped. "Whoa! That was close! Help me get this crunching critter off. Be careful! Those are the mandibles of a piranha. They're not from around here. They thrive in the warmer waters of the Old Amazon River. Look, see these pyramid-shaped teeth. They're designed to rip through flesh with ease."