by Steven Webb
A loud Squawking noise came from just ahead. It sounded like the noise they had heard when Trent freaked out, and screamed that the trippers were back, only this time there were multiple creatures ahead. A large boulder jutted from the ground. Over head a set of hideous creatures circled in the air. They were fit the description of the tripper’s to a tee. Addison’s footsteps led directly towards the boulder. He removed his knife from his belt ready, for a fight should the trippers decide to attack. One dove at him mouth open wide, claws ready to dig in. He swung his blade, lacerating the underbelly. The mass crumpled to the ground, crying out in agony.
The others alerted to their companions suffering, dove towards Rocco. He knew that the claws were what needed to be avoided. He readied himself. The first one swooped down. His blade missed, but his first made contact, sending the tripper colliding into a ribbon tree. The next one the knife cut into its head and stuck. Rocco hurried to pull the body free with his other hand. Anticipating their next move, Rocco kicked his foot into the air and the tripper hit head first into his boot. The last one seeing the damage flew off. Before the ones he had dazed were able to get back up, Rocco sunk his knife into their heads.
The threat neutralized, he wiped his blade clean and went around the boulder where a ghastly site awaited. A blood soaked body spread out on the ground. Addison lay smiling, but why seemed unclear. Her torso had been ripped open. Entrails spilled out of her stomach and onto the ground. Spurts of blood still pushed up and flowed out. She mumbled incoherently.
“Avernus.” She struggled to say through blood pooling in her mouth. Her eyes stared directly at the sky. She was oblivious to Rocco’s presence and to the fatal wound she suffered. Her hand gripped a dessicated claw from one of the trippers. Without professional help she would bleed out. Not wanting to prolong her death, Rocco mustered up his courage. He closed his eyes and spoke to Addison. “Thank you for everything. You were an amazing captain, and friend.” Tears streamed down his face. He knew what he had to do. “Goodbye Addison.” He sunk the knife into her heart, and twisted. Not a scream or flinch came from Addison. The life left her eyes. Her smile however stuck. He closed her eyes and kissed her forehead. There was no way to get the mangled corpse back, given the state it was in.
It was urgent that Rocco get back to the others. There were only four of them left. He refused to lose any other crew mates. This was the first time he had ever left someone behind. It took all his will power not to turn back, and drag her broken body along with him. The doomed footprints led Rocco back to the cave. Once again it was up to him to reveal to the others that they had lost another one of their companions.
“I don’t see Addison. No luck?” Joseph asked.
Rocco hesitated to respond leaving a long silence. Finally he mustered up enough courage. “Nope. I can’t seem to find her anywhere. Her trail went cold. The only thing we can do is hope she comes back soon.” The lies burned his lips. He hoped the false info would appease their curiosity.
“So you’re saying she just ran off and what, decided it was better out there than here?” It seemed Sophie wasn’t going to be as easy to convince. “Just seems a bit odd. First Nova had an accident that only you and Joseph were around for, and her body disappeared. Now Addison just happens to be gone, and we are supposed to take your word for it?”
“Fine, I’ll tell you the truth, but you’re not going to like it.” He considered just saying something ridiculous but then thought better of it. “You know what no. Come with me. I’ll show you.” He dreaded going back to that scene, but tensions were high and this was the only way to hopefully restore some peace. “Well what are you waiting for?” he was already heading down the trail.
“I think I’ll stay here. My ankle’s acting up.” Joseph leaned against the cave entrance.
“You’re choice. I’m going. Whoever wants to follow can.” He looked back as he marched forward. Sophie and Trent were right behind him. “You guys need to prepare yourselves. It’s not an easy sight to see.” He pictured their faces twisting in shock even at his statement. He glimpsed behind him hoping for that satisfaction, yet when he did Sophie and Trent seemed more nonchalant than he expected. This just aggravated Rocco. His friend had just died and now he was being forced to show off her body like some piece at a museum.
The moment arrived. The body was just around the boulder. “Go ahead take a look. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Trent stumbled back. “Holy hell. What happened to her?”
“The trippers got to her.”
“Tripper huh.” Sophie stared at the body. She took a knee and got up close. “Seems like something anyone could do with a knife.”
Rocco pointed off to the side. “There’s four that I killed lying over there under that tree. Those bastards ripped her open.”
Sophie picked one up by the wind. “Man you did a number on them.”
They finally believed him. “Okay I’m heading back. You can stay here if you want. I couldn’t care less.” As he spoke a heavy wind blew through the ribbon branches and tentacles. He looked up into the sky and saw a strange white cloud in the distance, that seemed to cling to the ground. “We need to get back now!” He screamed at the others.
“Why what’s going on now?” Sophie seemed to still be uneasy about him.
“You remember the Mars moss spores that killed Taylor and Zea? Well there’s a cloud of them blowing in on the wind.”
It didn’t take long for Sophie and Trent to see what he was talking about Once it blocked the light from the early morning sun. the three instinctively fled away from the scene.
“You guys are back quick.” Joseph said as they entered the cave. “Why are you all out of breath?”
Gasping for air, Trent tried to explain. “The mars moss spores are coming. They were right behind us. We need to get into the other chamber.”
“Grab all our stuff and head out.” Rocco knew every piece they took meant a better chance of survival. Anything the moss touched might not make it. He then lit four large branches on fire and handed one to each of his companions. We’re going to need these. He piled the extra branches into his bag alongside the canteen and remaining survival equipment. “I’ll grab the shovel. Sophie you take Joseph’s torch and he can carry the Distress beacon.”
“Are you kidding me?” She picked up the dish. “If he drops this because his ankle gives out we’ll be in trouble. If he drops a torch it’ll just keep burning.”
Joseph grabbed two torches from Rocco’s hands. “I agree with her. I can hold both in one hand and use the other to stabilize myself.”
One look outside revealed how quickly the moss was advancing. The sky was a dark haze, the sun light barely making it through. “We’ve got to go now.” The wind was whistling through the cave. “Hurry.” he made his way down the tunnel towards the waterfall. He didn’t so much as look back to see if the others were following his lead. His only concern right now was himself. The others appeared one by one, with Sophie pulling up the rear. They listened to the sound of the wind in the chamber above. They sat down there with nothing to do but wait till the wind died down.
No one had any idea how long they had waited but Rocc decided it was worth heading up to see if the spores had settled. It did not take much to see that the white powder now coated most of the inside of the main chamber. There was no going out that way any longer. Any attempt to enter the room would stir up the spores. He turned around and explained the situation to the others. “We need to find another way out of this place. Our current exit’s no longer viable.”
“Well if it were me I’d follow the river. It has to come out somewhere.” Sophie’s logic was on point.
“Let’s do it.” Trent picked up his torch.
Rocco could see the hesitation in his eyes. He was still being affected by the events form the day before. “Joseph do you feel like you can make it through the river? If you don’t think you can make it you don’t have to go.”
“
No… I’ll go along.” He picked up his torches.
“Okay Let’s do it. Same set up as last time. Sophie you take the Dish, and follow behind me this time.”
“I’ll follow Trent.”
“If that’s what you want.” Rocco stepped down into the water with his flashlight between his teeth. He waded through the water, venturing deeper into the cave. His beam was incapable of showing how far back the water flowed into the tunnel. He pushed through by the light of his torch, unable to see where is feet were stepping. It was all instinct below the water. The river bent up ahead. He turned the corner and the ceiling sparkled with silver flecks. He pushed on down the tunnel. The water grew colder and the ground slick with growth. His footing was anything but stable. The river turned again leading further down the rabbit hole.
Up ahead, a dark object floated in the water. His heart beat grew faster. He had experienced so much death, yet the site of a dead body was something he never grew use too. His light hit Nova’s floating corpse. The skin was logged with water. it s color was all but gone. It seemed to be caught on an outcropping, continuously bumping up against the wall over and over again. A large wound sat at the base of her skull. He made his way towards it. The legs tapped against his beneath the water. He tried not to flinch for fear of falling in the water. He could hear the others behind him gasping as they saw the same sight he had.
He continued on past the nightmare. The river continued to lead them deeper and deeper. He was beginning to give into the cold. He could feel his extremities numbing. The beam from his light continued to point into unending dark, but something was different. He no longer saw a ceiling in the distance. Hope returned when he reached a large chamber. The light from his torch was no longer the only light. A large hole opened up in the ceiling, exposing the sky above, with water trickling into a pool on one end. A series of large steps, each with their own pools of water, carried the water gradually down to the river.
He pulled himself from the water into the first pool. The water was much warmer than the river below. Strange creatures moved through it. Green plants floated along the surface, with bubbles in their stems. Blue moss coated the ledges. He reached down to lift up Trent. Next, Sophie handed him the dish and pulled herself up to the first landing. Joseph was the last. He passed his torches up to Trent, and Rocco pulled him up. They could taste the freedom. Each level brought them closer to the top.
Rocco pushed himself into the outside world. He stood on the forefront of a large shallow hot spring. Steam floated off the water’s surface. It sat alongside several other shallow springs, all connected by white ridges. Strange plants grew out of the dirt with long pink branches that ended in funnels bent over the ponds collecting the steam. Flat mushroom like plants floated in the middle of the water. A short ways from the ponds were tan pillar like objects, all deformed and rough. intermingled between them were flat purple disks with white bubbles that pulsated on the surface. This whole scene seamlessly merged with the ribbon forest in the distance.
Rocco leaned down and pulled the others up into the enchanting scene. It felt like they had ventured into a fairy tale. The warm water was a huge relief on his numb extremities. He decided that it wouldn’t hurt to warm up for a while. He sat back, taking in everything around him. Sophie fell asleep in the pool. The others were leaning back with their eyes closed soaking in the warmth.
A herd of creatures that appeared to have hard double spiral brown shells, and six hooved legs wandered over to the farthest pool. A small projection emerged from the front of the creature and then a black organ pushed out from the mouth. They began sucking the water into their mouths and with another trunk like appendage spat out the white substance around the pools edge. After performing this task for a while they seemed to dance about the pillars and discs. Rocco was seeing the real beauty of this place for the first time.
“Any idea where we’re at?” Trent was pouring warm water over his head as he spoke.
“No Clue. In all my trips over the mountain I never saw anything like this.” It all seemed so foreign to Rocco. “I don’t even know what direction the cave’s in any more.”
“I don’t know where we are either, but damn if this doesn’t feel amazing.” The swollen ankle of Joseph’s emerged from the water. “Look at this, the bruising is nearly gone, and you wouldn’t even know it was swollen a few minutes ago. I think I could get use to this.”
Sophie roused from her sleep. “As great as this is, we need to find ourselves somewhere to sleep soon. After we sit here a little longer of course.” she slouched down in the water.
“These plants are amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this.” Trent touched one of the funnels.
“What about those funny looking creatures.” Joseph said.
There was hope in the air, Rocco could feel it, but his own worries couldn’t be held back. “I don’t think we’re getting back home.”
“Are you kidding? I built this dish just so they could find us here.”
“Say we’re on Earth, logically they would have found us by now, but judging by the the weird shit around here I would say where on an Alien planet. Now, even if were are in our own solar system, which I don’t see how we could be, they would still have to build a ship, and train a crew before they could get to us. That could take ten years easy.”
Sophie stepped out of the pool and pulled her wet clothes off. “Thanks for killing the mood. I think I’m ready to head out now. I’m going to go see what’s around here. Maybe I’ll start working on some kind of lean to.”
Joseph joined her along with Trent. Not wanting to be the only one stuck behind Rocco followed along. He wrung out his wet clothes and put them back on. The feeling of damp clothes was awkward and they were difficult to get back on. He let Sophie lead them into the forest. The trees here were a lot farther apart and the tan pillars and Purple disks were still present. They had no real idea where to go, but they searched for anything they could use.
A black object bounced off Rocco’s foot. He thought nothing of it until he looked down and saw the ground littered in them. They were all different shapes and sizes. In a neat pile were bits of bark beast flesh and the tail of a spiker. They were in the middle of a feeding ground. He noticed large footprints and a ground out patch of dirt. Fear gripped him. From everything Trent had described of the beast that attacked him, this seemed like it could be it’s nest or at the very least it’s feeding grounds.
It became obvious Trent felt the same way, as he frantically searched around them. He seemed to be looking for any sign that the beast was close. “We need to get out of here.”
That was all the convincing they needed to leave. They spent several hours walking to get them a comfortable distance away from the nest. Clouds were on the horizon and the sun was setting. They needed to get a shelter together before darkness set in.
Rocco and Sophie got to work collecting parts from the ribbon trees to form a lean to big enough for four. They then took turns using the knife to cut the large cups off a tentacle plant for the room. By the time they got back, Trent and Joseph had the branches set up. They finished the shelter and all settled in.
TRENT
The rain fell all around the lean to. Its soft drops tapped on the tentacle cups. Small drops passed between the edges dripping onto Trent’s face. He tried to move in the small space afforded him by the others, but the drops always seemed to find him. Since the storm hit, there was no getting back to sleep. The only other place to go was up against the entrance by the dwindling fire. Its heat filled the space around him. He watched the rain fall next to him. All the creatures seemed to be silenced by the storm. A lightning bolt spread across the sky lighting up the world around him. For a brief moment he could see everything. The darkness returned followed by a loud clap of thunder that shook the very earth beneath him. It awoke his sleeping companions who had no idea what had transpired. Rocco rolled over and began snoring almost immediately.
Joseph, without even
opening his eyes just said, “Fuck this,” and continued to lay motionless.
“What…What’s going on?” A tired Sophie rubbed her barely open eyes.
“Nothing. Just some thunder.” Trent whispered.
Sophie crawled over to Trent and placed her head on his lap. “This rain’s beautiful.”
“It is isn’t it?”
Despite all the loss, this moment was peaceful. All the cares washed away in the rain. His legs fell asleep beneath Sophie’s head, but not wanting to wake her, he just continued to lose feeling.
“Reminds me of camping with my wife back home. This one summer we set up camp for a nice weekend. Somehow we both forgot to check the weather. It turned into a tent only trip. At one point you could feel the rain flowing under the tent. It sucked be stuck inside, but on that third day when it cleared up the sky was such a bright shade of blue, and the air smelled fresh and crisp.”
“Sounds perfect. I’m sorry you’ve missed so much.”
“Me too, but I have to imagine I’m going to see them again. I’ll have so much to make up for, especially with my little girl. She barely knew me.”
“I wish I had someone waiting for me to come home. My parents cared more about work and money than me. Don’t get me wrong I had everything I ever wanted, but it just wasn’t enough, you know. All of you guys though, you have family waiting for you. And what about the ones who won’t ever make it home to their families. They have no idea what happened to them.”
“That’s why we have to make it home. We have to tell them how heroic they were.”
“Promise me if something happens to me you’ll tell Diego’s family how much he meant to me.”
“If anything happens to you I will. And that’s a big if.”
The conversation drifted late into the night, with Sophie fell asleep only to wake a few minutes later as if nothing had happened. The two of them watched the grey storm clouds lighten up with the sun’s rays. The rain died down leaving a fresh layer of moisture coating everything. The sounds of nature returned to the silent forest. Sophie’s stomach rumbled from hunger. In all the confusion Trent realized they had neglected to grab any food rations. In fact it had been two days since they last ate.