SODIUM Trilogy Part One

by Stephen Arseneault

  As luck was once again with us, we had not been seen. The demon was looking forward as it walked along the creek. We were thankful we had not been seen. After another five minutes of silent waiting, the beast was gone from our view. We turned and hurried across the creek and began our climb up the ridge on the other side.

  As we approached the summit we stopped, knelt down, and began to crawl. There was plenty of cover to hide behind on our ridge, but only Bull and I went far enough to see the demon encampment from the top. From what we were able to see through the binocs, they had been busy.

  There were animal parts strewn about, having been dissected and studied. And we were able to identify the poacher they had captured as being the one named Scott; he was bound to a tree. We knew him to still be alive, as we could see the occasionally movement of his head.

  As we continued to scan the alien camp, disappointment set in as we realized that Kyle was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had just fallen into Rancheria Creek and had then been swept downstream. Perhaps his body had been jammed under a log or a rock by heavy currents. But until such time as we had evidence of his demise, we would not be giving up.

  We observed the camp and wondered why the demons had butchered the animals and not the human. We pondered that question for most of the day as we sat gathering intel for a potential future raid. Our binocs continued to serve us well.

  From what we could tell, the demons were busy cutting up specimens of the animal remains as well as gathering rocks and plants. We guessed they were studying whatever they came across and were no doubt cataloging it for return to whatever distant place they had come from.

  Every so often one of them would take a load of items and disappear behind the far side of the ridge. We knew then we would have to get a look at whatever was there. I volunteered to take a journey to see the other side.

  I would go down to Woods Creek and then follow it down to Crane Creek and finally to Jawbone Creek, around to the back side of the demons' ridge. It was a two-mile hike through sometimes steep terrain with many elevation changes. Only one of us needed to go, and I preferred that someone be me. It would leave my sister protected by Bull and Allie.

  We had not had a meal since the bear feast at noontime the day before. With our morning hike, I had worked up a significant hunger, but our dry goods had been fully exhausted. Bull offered up one of his poles so I could attempt to fish along the creeks as I went.

  I soon departed. I contemplated my encounter with the demon from the night before as I walked. I thought if I was one of them, and if I knew what I had done to one of their kin, I would be ready for a bit of retribution. A human for a demon, so to speak. And I would not have mercy on me either. Those were the things I thought of as I walked. They were not productive, but they kept my mind busy and off the fact that I was becoming increasingly fatigued from the constant hiking and lack of food.

  When I reached Crane Creek, I assembled the fly rod and began to fish as I walked along the creek's edge. It slowed my progress, but the chance of landing food outweighed any immediate need to get to the other side of the ridge. I still had a six hundred to eight hundred foot climb up the back side of the ridge waiting for me, and I would need all the energy I could get.

  I was only five minutes into my casting when a big trout hit the fly. I had it out of the water and onto a rock in short order. As the trout flopped about, I picked up my bat and bashed it in the head to keep it from escaping. I was so proud of myself for having reeled in the big fish so quickly that it took a moment for me to realize I had nothing to cut it with. Bull and Allie had the hunting knives with them. My utensils consisted of a weak spoon, a tin cup, and a small pan.

  I sat looking at the fish for several minutes, trying to determine what to do. I found myself feeling almost completely useless as a woodsman. I then reached down, picked up the trout, and attempted to take a bite out of its side. To my astonishment, with a bit of sideways tearing with my teeth, I actually came away with a good-sized piece of flesh.

  At the same moment, I almost gagged because of the thought of eating the raw animal I had just killed. But after removing the skin I had torn off with the flesh, and pulling out most of the guts with my fingers, I found it was not such a bad meal after all. The fresh trout had a good texture and a somewhat neutral taste.

  It took five minutes for me to eat most of the flesh from my catch. I did not dare go near the head, and I had gotten a bit nauseous when I came in contact with the guts. But the protein was just what I needed. After the short meal along with several minutes of rest, I found my energy beginning to return. I pondered that perhaps I would make a better woodsman than I had thought.

  Chapter 13

  * * *

  As I continued my walk along the creek's edge, stepping from large stone to large stone, I glanced downstream. I hesitated for only a moment to admire the beauty the area had to offer. The pure blue sky, the fresh breeze, and the bright green foliage—it was all a sight to behold.

  I then returned my focus to the mission at hand. As I began to hop to the next rock, I took note of a movement in front of me. It was a demon, and it was heading my way. I quickly looked to my sides and was dismayed there was no natural cover available for me to hide behind or duck under. I dropped to my belly and frantically continued my search as the beast moved in my direction.

  As a last attempt at hiding from the alien machine, I slid off the back of the rock into the frigid mountain stream. The cold bit hard into my calves and then thighs as I sank into a deep pool. I was up to my head in the icy mountain water, tucked between two boulders, exposed only from above and from back whence I had come.

  A minute of frigid terror passed before the demon was standing on the rock just over my head. It paused for a moment as it looked further up the creek, scouting for any intruders. I was only feet away from the cold, metallic underbelly of my nemesis. The sharp implements on its appendages told of my undoing should it only look down from its stance above me. I shivered quietly in the stream as the demon continued its scan.

  In my fright, I managed to lose the grip of my bat. It bobbed to the surface in front of my face and was then pressed against the rock beside me. It was in plain view of the alien machine should it only take the effort to look down. The bat continued to float along the edge of the rock, pushed gently by the current in the deep pool. As it rounded the edge, it was swept into a fast current, which pushed it further down the stream.

  The beast then hopped to the next stone and continued its patrol. The frigid water and the fear of becoming known began to take their toll as I shivered uncontrollably, my head shaking enough to make ripples in the otherwise calm pool that held me. I dared not move so long as the demon was still in sight.

  As it moved further up the creek, I began to feel a sense of relief. I had not been discovered, I had not been taken captive, and I was not to be cut limb from limb. I had somehow stumbled into the only means of cover available to me, and I had managed to stay unseen. It seemed luck had been on my side.

  The demon reached the rock on which I had caught and eaten the fish. That was when I noticed the large dent in it's top. It was the same demon I had smashed with my bat as it ran past me in the woods two nights before.

  It stopped, looking diligently at the remains I had carelessly left in full view. It picked up the fish head and held it out before its eyes, guts dangling below it. After close study, as there were no signs of cuts by tools, only tearing by teeth, I could only reason it had come to the conclusion it was a natural kill. The beast then dropped the carcass in the water and continued on its way up the creek.

  I had been lucky: lucky I had no knife to carve the fish, lucky my bat had not given me away, lucky I had remained undiscovered. When the demon was again out of sight, I moved over to the creek’s edge and emerged from the cold stream that had hidden me. I retrieved my bat from a shallow current before returning to the rocks above. My journey would continue. Five minutes were spent in the heat of
the sun in an attempt to bring my body temperature back to normal.

  It took another hour of hiking down Jawbone Creek before I turned to head up the ridge. The path up offered woods for cover. I would have to move slowly to have the best chance of not being seen. As I climbed, I began to wonder if they had any type of automated sentry set up, or if there were any trip wires about. I had to watch each and every step. I then wondered if they had perhaps mined the area to protect themselves.

  Each of the scenarios that ran through my mind were plausible. I reasoned if I had been in charge of the camp, I would have done whatever I could to protect my perimeter. But perhaps these machines were not equipped for warfare. They certainly had not shown us anything other than the throwing of a rock or the use of a knife. It would stand to reason to have only the minimum of armaments if your mission was only reconnaissance.

  I had made it about a third of the way up the back side of the demon ridge when I came to a large gully. It would allow me to hike with better cover. The gully at the lower end was twenty feet across with eight-foot-high sides. It seemed erosion had done me a favor, as it looked like a steady incline without all the rocks to step over.

  Since I was down in the gully, I would not have to worry about moving from tree to tree to keep myself hidden. It was a welcome relief after the previous twenty minutes of dodging and ducking. It was nice to step forward in a normal manner.

  As I neared the top and what looked like a good exit point, I stepped onto a branch and immediately had a wire pop up that had tension on it. I had been using my bat as a walking stick of sorts, and it had lodged itself at one end of the branch and was preventing a trap from being sprung.

  If I moved the bat or if I moved my foot, the branch would be free to trigger whatever surprise it held. I stood still for several minutes, looking for a way out of my predicament. The sides of the ravine were too steep to climb.

  I cursed myself for being so lax and for eagerly walking right into the ravine; it was an obvious place for a trap. With my eyes I followed the wire uphill to a tree that was bent over, and from there over to what looked at first like general brush and a pile of branches.

  Upon further study I could see there was a large pile of well rounded boulders stacked behind the brush. With the steep terrain, anyone who was unlucky enough to set off the trap would very likely be running for their life when the rocks came rolling down at them. I was positioned perfectly in their path.

  If I moved my foot and sprang the trap, I would not be able to get out of the way, even by turning and running downhill. I was in need of a better plan. An idea began rolling around in the back of my head, but I immediately dismissed it as being a bit too simplistic and downright crazy.

  After five long minutes of having no options present themselves, I came to the conclusion the crazy plan was the only one I had. So, I gently but firmly gripped the wire and then picked up my other foot and set it down on the branch on the opposite side.

  I lifted my bat and the trap sprang fully. To my amazement, the plan seemed to be working. I was vaulted up into the air, riding on the branch connected to the wire. I went up and to the right of the coming avalanche of heavy boulders.

  For a brief moment in my mind I began to celebrate as I was lifted out of danger by the demons’ trap itself. That celebration came to an abrupt end when the wire slacked and I realized I was fifteen feet in the air. And I was fast heading toward the tree the wire was attached to.

  I began to helplessly flail my arms and legs in an attempt to get control, but there was none to be had. I slammed hard into the tree, knocking the breath out of me. I then fell backward down onto the hard ground and landed awkwardly on my already broken hand.

  The numbness I had experienced a few days before quickly returned as I rolled downhill for thirty feet before coming to a stop in a clump of brush. I looked down at my hand, and this time I could see the broken bone trying to poke through the skin.

  The rocks continued to rumble on their way down the hill, and I was certain the demons would be upon me in no time. I could not move after having had my breath knocked out, so I just lay on my side, looking at my broken hand while awaiting my inevitable capture.

  After fifteen minutes with no sign of the demons, I once again had my composure back. I was gazing at my hand as it swelled. I had broken an arm when I was twelve and had watched as the doctor tricked me into sitting still while he set it. Allie had done the same when my hand had broken earlier. This time there were no tricks, and I would have to set it myself.

  I placed my hand palm down on a rounded stone and then quickly pulled at my finger joint. The pain was intense, but to my amazement the bone went right into place. I took a few items from my pack and made a makeshift splint, replacing the broken one that Allie had made. I took care to fully secure it before attempting to move on.

  As I glanced further up the ridge, I decided the demons had not been alerted by the springing of their trap. My mind once again settled in on Kyle. For the first time, I came to the realization that if they did have him, perhaps they were not intent on killing him. They were instead going to take him off world for further study, the same fate that appeared to plague the poacher named Scott.

  I took another ten minutes to get my confidence back and then once again began my upward climb. My pace had been cautious before being caught in the trap and had slowed to a crawl after. With almost every step, I stopped and looked to check for the next wire. I was back to my previous method of moving from tree to tree to lower my chance of being discovered.

  When I felt certain the area between trees was clear, I would move as quickly as I could to the next one. After forty-five minutes of dodging from tree to tree, I came upon an opening where the next tree line was a hundred feet away. The expanse was covered in foot-high grass and the occasional shrub, but offered no good place to hide.

  I was getting very near the summit and would have to use extra caution to move about. The minimal cover was an unwelcome sight. I stood behind the last available tree, scanning the opening and the next woods in front of me.

  I contemplated an all-out run, but it was uphill and I knew I would be out in the open for much longer than I wanted. So, I settled in on crawling the distance on my belly. Hiding behind the foot-high clumps of grass and small shrubs would have to do.

  I removed my pack and did my best to stuff it behind a tree. I was close to the top, and the pack was now a hindrance. There was nothing inside I would need for my recon mission. I found myself wishing I had stashed it at the bottom of the hill by the creek before proceeding up.

  I got down on my belly and began my journey up across the open expanse. I was halfway across when I spotted a demon walking just inside the tree line. I froze where I was with little to shield my position. But the demon seemed preoccupied and walked past, staying in the tree line and looking forward as it went.

  I was astonished as it moved away from me. I could see it had a giant hole in the back of its body. It was the demon I had shot with Bull's .45! My excitement soon faded when I once again realized that even with that kind of damage, the machine was still moving around as if nothing had happened.

  I lay in the grass for another minute, thinking about how difficult it would be for me to get another good swing at one with my bat. I then cursed myself for not having summoned Minhafa an hour before at the creek at the bottom of the hill.

  My position was too exposed, so as soon as the demon was at a sufficient distance, I stood and hustled up to get to the tree line. I began dreading the thought of getting caught in another trap. I had no time to look for it as I ran, sighing with relief as I reached the trees without incident.

  Once back in the wood, I took notice of another gully that had been largely filled in since it had long ago been created. It was well lined with heavy shrubs and a few trees, and it looked like an ideal spot to remain completely hidden if the need arose.

  The gully went 150 feet through the woods and up into the next o
pening. That marked as close to the summit as I would be able to get. I made my way into the shrubs, careful to not leave any visible signs of a trail as I went.

  When I reached the other end, I had a good vantage point for watching almost anything that happened on my side of the ridge. It was then I got my first look at the alien spacecraft that had carried the demons to our planet.

  The ship was dome shaped on the bottom and was also supported by three legs, just like the demons. The legs each had three joints, and each joint was loaded with tools. It was a much larger replica of the scouts it carried.

  The ship was thirty feet in diameter and sported the same flat top as its spawn. As I watched, I noticed a rotating band just under the top. Every fifteen seconds or so a pair of the same creepy, red eyes the demons had would rotate past.

  I was looking for any doors or hatches or anything that looked like it could be used to load their bounty aboard. There were no discernible lines on the exterior of the craft; except for three dome-shaped cutouts on its underbelly, it was featureless.

  From their positioning and spacing, I guessed there were five such cutouts, with two around the back of the craft where I could not see. On one side of the ship, there were stacks of what looked like animal parts, along with the other specimens we had seen being carried around the back side of the ridge earlier in the day.

  Were they preparing to leave? Would they be taking Scott with them? And what about Kyle? I scanned the area. There was again no sign of Kyle. My heart sank as I thought about my friend not being there for the rescue and of how that news would affect the others.

  An hour after my observation had begun, a demon brought Scott around and secured him to a tree beside the ship. It was evident he had been drugged as his head bobbed from side to side. It looked as if he had just downed his twentieth beer. There would be no chance of escape with the state he was in.