by Eric S Kim
A large pack of mountain lions had emerged from the bushes and crept towards the humans as if they were ready to strike. Each of the mountain lions had over a hundred black rods with blue tips on their bodies, all of which swung lightly with every patterned motion.
Pelkitay Mushrooms.
Otis mentioned an important fact. “Sometimes, they eat animals that have already digested the mushrooms. And the dead pass it on to the living. Interesting, isn’t it?”
The Blackjack Troopers didn’t care. They had an entire pack of mountain lions engaging in a hunt for human flesh. Lionel had to make a decision, and Preston, stuck in his own anxiety, waited for the command. The infected mountain lions growled as they showed off their sharp teeth.
Lionel finally said something. “On my command, give them everything you’ve got.”
Preston tightened his grip on his FAMAS and waited for the incoming charge. Without warning, the mountain lions made a run for it. The Blackjacks opened fire. They used everything. Every LMG and assault rifle never stayed quiet. The Blackjacks stepped back as they showed no mercy to the mountain lions, some of which and already collapsed and stopped moving. A few of them pounced and roared at their victims, all of which jumped out of the way and never gave the predators a chance to touch their food. Another mountain lion pounced at Hector, but he made good use of his Mossberg shotgun as he pulled the trigger and took just one step to the side as the mountain lion narrowly missed him and crashed into a tree bark.
Lionel yelled something, but Preston couldn’t hear it. The gunfire had grown loud enough to mumble the captain’s words. Mountain lions chased after the Blackjacks, but the latter had enough time to fight back with their weapons. Jerome had to use his dual pistols, but they were enough to bring down a mountain lion before it even charged straight at him. In the midst of this loud ruckus, Preston had to jump away from a pouncing mountain lion. He almost dropped his FAMAS as the feline turned around and roared at him. Preston’s adrenaline experienced an overflow. He opened fire at the cat before it could even touch him. He emptied his entire magazine to make sure that his enemy was completely deceased.
Some of the Blackjacks began to throw their smoke grenades. Plumes of purple smoke ascended from the ground and clouded the fighting figures. Preston could finally hear his captain more clearly.
“Come on! Everyone follow me!”
Cliff, Jerome, and Otis had already joined the captain as they began to flee. The other Blackjacks, some of which had reappeared from the purple smoke, followed him. The remaining mountain lions didn’t quit. They let out an unusually ear-piercing roar as they chased after their prey.
1:52 AM
Some of the Blackjacks continued to open fire behind them. But Preston wasn’t one of them. He stayed with the group and ran as fast as he could away from the infected carnivores. He took quicker breaths as he pushed away the bushes and low-hanging branches from the trees that got in his way. His sore feet grew worse but he had to fight through the pain to avoid his death. The mountain lions didn’t give up the chase. More of them had appeared out of nowhere and, along with those that survived the onslaught almost caught up to the Blackjacks.
Preston, who ran alongside Kurt and Rebecca, made sure that his FAMAS had been newly reloaded. The descent down the hillside felt easier to accomplish. But the mountain lions still had enough stamina to never even worry about the downhill battle, especially since the mushrooms had forced them to become far more aggressive than usual.
Lionel cried out, “Halt!”
The entire group had stopped. Their flashlights revealed the pack of mountain lions surrounding the Blackjacks in an enormous circle. There must have been over four dozen of them waiting to keep their appetite satisfied. They circled around their prey in one direction.
Lionel didn’t give up. “Don’t try anything stupid now. We’ll get out of here.”
One of the mountain lions stopped and growled at the Blackjacks, most of which hurriedly reloaded their assault rifles and LMG’s.
Kurt raised his voice. “You stay the fuck back, you little freak!”
The mountain lion kept creeping towards the group.
Elliott finished reloading his FN P90. “What do we do now, captain?!”
Lionel shouted, “Stay where you are! Don’t move until I tell you!”
The mountain lion roared and made a dash for the blond Blackjack standing in front of it. Preston was ready to use his FAMAS, but the mountain lion didn’t go very far. Instead, it had been snatched by tentacles which lifted it up off the ground and high in the air. The tentacles had become a dead giveaway. Preston watched as the Kreto Vetril never let go of the feline.
All of a sudden, more of the mountain lions fell victim to the carnivorous trees from above. Tentacles grabbed hold of them and brought them close for digestion. In fact, this entire area was infested with these carnivorous trees. The Blackjack Troopers crouched down to avoid any accidental misfortunes when the Kreto Vetrils caused a major distraction. Nearly half of the mountain lions had been apprehended by the trees, while the other half never forgot their prey. They ran forward, giving the Blackjacks another reason to use their firearms.
Victoria threw her smoke grenade in front of the incoming charge, and so did Nick and Rebecca. The purple smoke spurted right out of the projectiles and filled the air with its brightened hue. The mountain lions would lose sight of their targets, but only for a little while. Preston and Bryce threw down their own smoke grenades. In just a short time, everyone had been engulfed by the purple smoke. Preston had joined Elliott as they started to crawl away from the area. They pushed their way through the purple smoke.
Despite the coughing and the distant roars, the two Blackjacks didn’t stop their attempts to flee from both plants and mammals. Luckily, the smoke didn’t burn Preston’s eyes. He and Elliott managed to move away from the smoke and stay low to the ground as possible. They looked up to make sure that they weren’t nowhere near these Kreto Vetrils. They followed a path that featured nothing but regular pine trees from above. From behind them, gunfire had erupted. There would be no way to rejoin the fight.
Jerome had emerged from behind a patch of bushes. He had brought along his EMR as he joined both Preston and Elliott. Since they had nowhere else to go, they decided on one route. One that would lead them away from two other mountain lions that strayed from the pack and now pursued them without hesitation. Preston, Jerome, and Elliott stayed together as they ran as fast as they could. Without, Preston turned around and fired his FAMAS at one of the mountain lions. It crashed into a tree bark and stayed there with blood on its fur. The other mountain lion was almost upon them.
The three Blackjacks pushed through a thick row of bushes. But when they got to the other side, they discovered another new creature that lived in Green Brigalvic. The three of them ducked as the mountain lion made its pounce more legitimate. But it didn’t touch any of the three young men. Instead, it landed on a large and glowing pink blob that consumed it in a rapid fashion. The mountain lion struggled to escape. It sank deeper into the pink blob which grew greater in size. The mountain lion vanished in its body. The blob crawled towards the three Blackjacks and left a trail of red slime behind its clear and radiant body.
Jerome was the first to back away. “Don’t stop, guys! We’re out of here!”
Preston and Elliott followed him as they fled from the pink blob that consumed the feline. Preston had never seen it before, but he had no intention of learning more about its existence. He followed his two companions as they were able to lose their next predator within seconds.
Jerome yelled, “Come on! We got to get back to the squad!”
Elliott had to catch his breath before saying, “But where are they? I can’t see them anymore!”
“We’ll get back to them! Just watch!”
The path they took had been clear of mountain lions, carnivorous trees, and glowing pink blobs. They only had a rocky incline to worry about.
&nbs
p; THIRTEEN
2:05 AM
With everything dying down to silence once more, the three young Blackjacks didn’t have to run anymore. They had to take a break as they stood on an unfamiliar hillside. Preston took a long sip of his bottled water. The cool temperature was a refreshing infiltration in his body.
“I really should go hiking more often.”
His attempt to tell a simple joke didn’t have an effect. Jerome used his earpiece to call anyone who could hear him. He tried twice before he managed to reach out to someone.
“Dad, it’s me. Where are you?”
Preston couldn’t hear the entire conversation, but he didn’t move and awaited orders from his captain.
Jerome turned off his earpiece and said to his teammates, “They’re not far from us. Follow me.”
Preston and Elliott joined him as they tried to search for the rest of the group in the forest.
The reunion started a short time later. The three Blackjacks had discovered an abandoned RV in the middle of the forest. It was tipped over to its side. Its windows had been shattered and its decaying paintjob had been clearly shown when the Blackjacks stepped closer to it. Lionel and six other Blackjacks had reached the same spot. The rest of the squad made it in time as well. Everyone had to catch their breath. The fourteen Troopers had escaped the mountain lions and the Kreto Vetril with only minor injuries. Only one man was missing from the group.
The absence made Preston grow more nervous. “Where’s Otis?”
Most of the other Blackjacks looked around them for at least a clue to his presence.
Nick had to bring the important news. “He ran away. I tried to call him, but he didn’t listen to me. He fled like a real pussy.”
Victoria held Lanzira’s Diamond in her hands. “I saw it happen as well. I couldn’t chase after him. He had disappeared soon after. The man is long gone.”
The younger Blackjacks had already grown rather frustrated with the news.
Elliott blurted, “I thought Oswald was with him! What happened?”
Oswald raised his hands. “I didn’t bite him. I swear!”
Sabrina pointed at him. “You always scare these guys away. Next time, I’ll be their bodyguard.”
Bryce had a mocking tone. “We’re supposed to protect them, not ask them to marry you.”
Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Shut up!”
Lionel had to stop them before it could grow more tense. “No one should be joking around and arguing with each other. The only thing that matters is that Otis can’t help us anymore. We’re on our own.”
Kurt banged his fist on the overturned RV. “Fuck! Now what? Is the entire forest gonna swallow us up? Are we gonna turn into a bunch of flies?”
Lionel could have lost his temper as well, but he didn’t. “Calm yourself, Kurt. There are plenty of other ways to tell where we’re going.”
Bryce reloaded his Milkor Grenade Launcher. “Maybe we can camp here for tonight.”
Kurt didn’t believe him. “And get all messed up by more of those fucking pumas? You’re not being smart right now.”
“Unlike you, at least I’m trying to help us out here.”
Kurt growled at Bryce. “Try me. Just fuckin’ try me!”
Woodrow had to pull Kurt away from the young Blackjack. Both Nick and Jerome stood in front of Bryce to fend off a potential fistfight.
Lionel had calm his entire squad down yet again. “That’s enough out of everyone! Just stay close and relax. I will find other ways to get us closer to Artyom.”
Victoria replied, “I assume the park rangers will be well-informed of our situation.”
Lionel doubted it. “Surveillance drones are only active in the daytime. Nobody outside of the forest will know what’s happening, especially after midnight.”
He remembered something that Quintana had given him. “If our situation has become desperate, then I’ll have to use this.”
He pulled the little red button from out of his pocket and showed it to the other Blackjacks. “This is only for an emergency, and right now, I can’t press it just yet.”
Jerome shone his flashlight at it. “What do you suppose is gonna happen when you do? A bunch of attack helicopters will show up or something?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait until our lives are in danger. And right now, they’re not.”
Rebecca asked, “Yeah, but how are we gonna find Artyom now? Without Otis, we’re pretty much lost at this point.”
Lionel put the red button away. “If there’s no chance of finding the right path, then we will have to notify Mr. Quintana that we need some support. Remember that this mission is top secret, and nobody else besides Quintana and Hamilton know about it.”
Nick acted as a sentry as he used his radar and pointed his flashlight at the dark. “I’m still thinking about that paycheck, man.”
Hector took a peek inside the RV through the windshield. “This makes me a little suspicious.”
Elliott joined him. “What is it?”
Hector’s solemn glare didn’t disappear. His vigilant attitude had returned. “There’s something inside it.”
Everyone turned toward the RV.
Lionel asked, “How can you tell?”
Hector brought his ear closer to the shattered window. “I hear something.”
“What is it?”
Hector’s lowered the volume of his husky voice. “It sounds like a pair of wings.”
Woodrow crouched down and aimed his flashlight at whatever lurked inside the RV. “I only see remnants of a family’s tradition. Dirt and dust filling the empty space without shame.”
Hector set his assault rifle and his shotgun aside. “I’m going in.”
The other Blackjacks waited while he went through the broken windshield. Both Nick and Victoria spent their time observing the darkness around them.
Hector didn’t make any loud noises from inside the RV. At first, Preston could hear footsteps and a faint creaking noise. Everyone had remained silent. The footsteps had become continuous. Nothing else had given any hint of a second person wandering in that enormous vehicle. Preston kept his FAMAs in his hands. He had been prepared for anything that resembled a sudden assault against his teammate. Nothing had changed from within. Hector’s footsteps were slow and consistent. His investigation of the abandoned RV didn’t result in a newfound discovery just yet.
And then, an unfamiliar sound erupted from inside. To Preston, it sounded like wings flapping. Perhaps an eagle or even a condor. It had grown aggressively when it preceded the heavy footsteps. Preston and the other Blackjacks stepped away from the vehicle. A voice other than Hector’s had been heard. The voice, despite being at a higher pitch, was much raspier than Hector’s.
“Don’t hurt me! I don’t mean any harm! I just want to go home!”
The flapping sounds didn’t stop. Hector exited the RV with what appeared to be a vulture with brown feathers and a white head. He had seized it by the legs, keeping it away from the space above the trees. He ignored the wings that almost hit his face. The vulture, caught in the midst of its own panic, continued to screech in fear.
“I don’t want to go back there! Please have mercy on me!”
Preston felt confused by this vulture’s mere presence. Vultures wouldn’t usually be found in this part of the state. And furthermore, having it speak a human language set off the realization that it could have been something more.
“He’s got to be a Nevinoth or something.”
The vulture cried out, “No, I’m not a dragon! I’m just a vulture! A sweet and innocent vulture!”
Lionel stepped forward. “Calm yourself. We’re not here to hurt you.”
The vulture stopped flapping his wings. “How can I trust you? I wouldn’t believe anyone who likes to use guns in a place like this.”
“You can trust a Blackjack Trooper. We’re smarter than you think.”
The vulture stopped panicking in Hector’s hands. “Blackjack Troopers? Ar
en’t you the guys that like to shoot people and blow things up?”
“Even we have rules of our own. And one of them is to keep a vulture alive if he behaves.”
“That’s quite comforting.”
“Just remember that important bit of information.”
The vulture studied the group with his keen observation. “But why are you even here? Shouldn’t you be out there fighting all those people who like to do bad things?”
“We’re here on a mission. Something that we have to do that benefits our society even more.”
“Well, then it’s none of my business. You can just forget about me being here. I’ll be on my way out.”
“Hector, let him go.”
Hector followed his captain’s command and let the vulture fly on his own. The bird made a steady landing on the hood of the RV.
“Why are you even here?”
Lionel turned it around. “I think a better question would be, why are you here? I don’t think a vulture would be brave enough to even enter Green Brigalvic in the first place.”
“I’m just doing a little scavenging. You know, typical birdy things.”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Sidsum. I’ve been here for quite a while, and I don’t think I’ll ever find any food. I should just go back to Yosemite do my hunting there.”
Lionel seemed unconvinced of what the vulture had just told him. “You’re not here for food. Anyone living in this country would have learned about the scientific experiments by now.”
Sidsum’s voice almost experienced a little crack. “I just found out a few days ago. I haven’t been following the news. I don’t watch it. I’m not the type that watches TV.”
“The wildlife would be fully aware of what’s been happening in this part of the state. You’re not here to find food, are you?”
Sidsum backed away on the hood of the RV. “I’m not as smart as the other birds.”
Lionel didn’t put away his usual stoic ways. “You found something else, haven’t you? That’s why you’re here. You’re here to steal something.”