Fresh Blood

by Jessica Hicks

  Felix opened his eyes and threw open the lever. He slammed his shoulder into the hatch.

  It flew open.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Felix was already sprinting to the Lisnoir's prone body by the time the hatch clanged against the rocky shore. He knelt, grabbed the alien under the arms and heaved. Felix was unable to be gentle as he hoisted the body over his shoulder.

  He tensed under the weight but adjusted his companion until he had a decent resemblance to a fireman's carry. Standing was a slow grind, but eventually Felix made it upright.

  He looked out the hatch; suddenly the presumed safety of the jungle looked a whole lot further away. He steeled himself and took a step. It was difficult to move with his burden. Picking his way through the strewn debris and wall, now floor, mountings slowed Felix further. At least the open hatch allowed the smoke to escape.

  Every bit helped, as while he carried the Lisnoir, he wasn’t able to stay crouched. He hacked on what remained of the smoke. He made his way through with as much haste as he could manage. Every time he had to do anything more taxing than a shuffle step, a grunt of effort escaped.

  He plodded slowly across the beach, laden by the weight of his companion. The creatures continued to howl as they approached. They were still distant, but he was sure that would not last.

  Now that he was out, eality sunk in. As much of a death trap as the pod was, being in the open did not feel much better. This was, he thought again, a terrible idea.

  He made it halfway across the beach before his knees buckled and gave out. He collapsed to the ground, his companion half on top of him. The Lisnoir groaned when they hit the ground. A good thing, certainly. At least he was nearing consciousness, but it was nothing that improved the immediate situation.

  The alien pinned Felix to the beach. With some exertion, he managed to push himself up, rolling the Lisnoir off him. He flopped back to the ground, exhausted, but free.

  He looked up ahead at the jungle waiting before him. He still had way too far left to go, and, somehow, he had to find a hiding place, distract those lizards, and ideally do all of that without getting eaten in the process.

  Carrying the Lisnoir wasn't an option; even if Felix could somehow get the Lisnoir to cover in time, which was, frankly, questionable at best, he would be in no shape for anything else. Felix would have to drag him. He felt a tinge of guilt as he eyed the rocky coast. The stones weren't particularly sharp, but it wasn't going to feel good, either.

  Felix mentally kicked himself; in his sample boxes he had Waywatch's new line of collapsible gurney. Great for on-site first aid. He should have grabbed that instead of the useless atmospheric sensor. He also could have looked for some sort of stretcher while he was still in the, relative, safety of the pod. Even a large blanket would help, but Felix didn't know if there was one, let alone where one might be now. He wasn't comfortable leaving his fellow survivor alone in the open for a maybe.

  The howls of the lizards drifted in on the wind. They were getting louder swiftly, and he was wasting time he didn't have. Again. He was not cut out for this "action" stuff, but nothing for it.

  Felix knelt and propped the alien's upper body against his leg. He reached under the arms and hugged tight. He grasped his opposing wrists for better grip and stood. For once the height disparity worked in Felix's favor. The Lisnoir's tall torso made it easier for Felix to keep somewhat upright while dragging.

  He looked over his shoulder and slowly walked backwards. It was necessary to see where he was going, more or less, but it had the added benefit of giving him a reason to not stare down the beach. The approaching creatures were now firmly visible dots headed in his direction.

  The going wasn't smooth; he stumbled more than once over unseen rocks and his companion was still not light, even with most of his weight on the ground. It was, however, doable. That was key.

  It was none too soon that the shade from the trees hit his face. He knew there was a significant chance that more large, angry creatures lived in the jungle. The possibility of running into something else didn’t compare to the certainty of what trailed them.

  As they crossed deeper into the underbrush, the howling of their pursuers lessened. Between the calls and cries of the jungle fauna and natural insulation of the trees and shrubs, it quickly became difficult to tell how far away the lizards were.

  Felix quickly noticed yet another problem. While the beach had been rocky, and, he was sure, did not feel pleasant in the slightest for his companion on the ground, it was free of major obstructions and snags. The same could not be said of the jungle.

  Red-brown roots burst out of the sandy soil and back in again. One snagged Felix’s heel as he walked. He dropped the Lisnoir and stumbled back. He reached up and caught himself on one of the dark vines that draped between the trees.

  He pulled on the vine and considered it. Perhaps he could use the foliage somehow to ease his burden. He quickly dismissed it; the vine had held the majority of his weight without give. He doubted he’d get it down without some sort of a knife. He also questioned his ability to do anything useful with it, even if he could get it loose.

  With a deep breath, Felix trudged over to his fallen companion and hoisted him into a carry once more. Perhaps when things calmed down and he had a bit of time to think, he could figure out some use for the vines.

  Not even an hour on the planet- maybe, how long had he been out?- and he already missed his gadgets. If he had a Vorpolade 3000, those vines would be down right quick. Snicker snack!

  It seemed the easy part, and that was using the phrase extremely generously, was at an end. Felix could certainly drag his companion further, even with the small hurdles. It would be even slower than before, however, and he didn’t know how much time he had. It wasn’t as easy to hear within the confines of the foliage.

  He looked around as he trudged. Tall trees with dark, rough bark and laden with large, white fruit predominated the landscape. Their broad red and green leaves created an almost complete canopy, with only a few rays of light hitting the ground. The foliage was so thick he already couldn’t see the shore.

  He could still hear the lizards, but he wasn’t sure they were still on their trail. They didn’t sound like they were getting any closer, though admittedly they also grew no fainter than they had since he entered the jungle either.

  He could always just leave the alien. That would be easier, and most likely safer- in the short run, at least. After seeing those creatures Felix wasn't too optimistic about the chances both of them had together, let alone him on his lonesome.

  It was a practical and rational consideration that led his choice. It had nothing to do with the thought of leaving the only living person he knew of on this planet to be eaten by wild animals twisting his stomach into knots. Not a bit.

  And distracted again. He was going to get himself killed.

  Felix slipped on a slick of mud and sprawled to the ground once more. He groaned and panted. He was getting nowhere fast and he needed a moment to think and catch his breath.

  Nearby was a tree that would be obscured to anything passing through the area. Felix dragged his companion to the spot and sat next to him. He leaned back and looked up into the canopy.

  Two things occurred to Felix as he thought. The first- with line of sight this poor, nothing was going to visibly track them, which meant any more than the most perfunctory of camouflage efforts would be a waste. And a step further, that indicated his pursuers were almost certainly tracking them by smell.

  Secondly- finding his way back to this particular clearing after what, he assumed, would be a long, harrowing chase would be a near Herculean feat. There was no way that Felix would be able to find his companion again if he left, so whatever the plan was, they’d have to manage it together.

  The start of an idea came to Felix. He pulled off one of the mag clips from his boot. He had never bothered to take them off after evacuating, and it might well save them now. He slid the back of the case
off and tried to figure out how he was going to manage without his tools.

  Beside him, the Lisnoir stirred. The alien grabbed his head and let out a low hiss in Lisnori. He looked around but seemed to be refraining from moving his head much.

  Felix looked over briefly before returning to his work. "Good timing. You are none too light there, buddy boy. So you know, we’ve got some company coming. They aren’t too friendly. I’m hoping if I can just get this right,” he trailed off as he fiddled with the mag clip. Sparks flew.

  At the sound of his voice, his companion looked over. The alien watched intently as Felix worked.

  “Well, that didn’t work. Maybe if I use this wire to short that bit over there.” Felix knew the Lisnoir couldn't understand him, but it felt good to talk anyhow. Talking helped him think.

  After another failed attempt, the alien held out his hand. Felix shrugged and handed it over; he wasn’t making much progress anyway. He pulled the other off his boot and tried again.

  A howl went up, no longer in the far-off distance but approaching and quickly. The Lisnoir cocked his head at the sound and then looked to Felix who worked in a frenzy. He turned to his own device with a new haste.

  Shortly, the alien’s mag clip was arcing. He hissed in satisfaction as he grabbed the blood-soaked bandage off his head. After using the dressing to secure his contraption to a stick found nearby, the Lisnoir nodded at Felix.

  Felix looked at the device and hoped it would work. They’d already hung around far too long. He stood and helped his companion to his feet. He put the Lisnoir’s arm around his shoulders and held him upright. The alien had to hunch awkwardly due to the height difference, but it was still better than no assistance.

  The lizards were faster than them, even with his companion limping along instead of being dragged. Felix led them away from the approaching sound. He knew it was only a matter of time, but he wanted to delay the confrontation as long as possible. Their jury rigged weapon might work. Or it might not.

  All he knew is that he didn’t have it in him to sit still and wait for the inevitable. No sooner had he thought that, then the inevitable found them.

  A wet snuffle behind them froze Felix in his place. They turned to face the lizard as it plodded towards them. He had overestimated how tall the things stood earlier. The top of it's head would probably only hit mid-thigh on him, but it was big enough for that.

  The lizard flicked out its tongue in their direction as it approached. It’s wide, burly chest gave it a rolling amble. They watched it, holding as still as their exhaustion allowed. Felix hoped the Lisnoir was merely biding his time and not frozen in fear.

  The alien slowly moved the contraption until he had a clear path to the creature. It was agonizingly slow in an effort not to antagonize the beast into attacking.

  It tromped closer, its long, mottled tail trashing the vegetation behind it.

  His companion knocked the modified mag clip on the ground to activate it. The lizard jerked at the sudden movement and raised a claw high. Before it could swipe, he lunged forward, jamming the arcing mag clip into the scaled hide of the lizard’s neck. The lizard yowled and shot back. The smell of ozone and burnt flesh filled the air.

  An arm wrapped around the Lisnoir’s torso for support, Felix led them away, leaving the creature twitching behind them. Even as they left, it was attempting to stagger after them. Shocking it helped immensely, but it wouldn’t be enough.

  Felix had another idea. As they walked, he worked the bag off one of his shoulders. It was awkward and slow while moving and without jostling his companion overly much. That didn’t even touch how dangerous it was to only have half his mind on the path ahead. Eventually, he pulled the bag to his front and rested it on his chest. Hopefully it would be worth the risk.

  He pulled one of the ration packs out, opened it and took out the brown bar inside. The bar was heavier than it looked like it should be. As emergency rations, it was calorically and nutritionally dense. His time in the pod had shown that it was also packed with an unidentifiable, yet foul, flavor.

  Felix broke off a small chunk. He rubbed it against a tree at roughly nose high for the lizards. He then tossed another lump into the brush to his side.

  He hoped that after the lizard’s last experience with them, an alternate meal might be more tempting than continuing after them. Later, he may regret tossing away food, but for now, he just wanted to get to later.

  He tore off more pieces and tossed them as well, walking them further from their path. He took out another bar and repeated the process to the opposite side. The worry that he was wasting food gnawed at him, but not as strongly as his desire to not become food himself.

  The two wandered forward. Felix wasn’t sure how long they had been traveling. More than once he heard wet snuffles at the edge of his hearing. Occasionally he could swear he saw something moving in the foliage around him.

  He wasn’t sure if it were real, or his imagination. Regardless, he would then break out another ration, toss it, and make a hard turn in the opposite direction.

  He was exhausted and sore. He’d fallen more than once, and the loamy dirt coated his outfit, where it wasn’t torn. The tumbles weren’t doing his companion any favors either; the Lisnoir hung on by sheer willpower.

  After what seemed like both mere minutes and half of forever, Felix heard the sound of water running. Though faint at first, the tinkle of water against rocks was a welcome distraction. It was something filling the air besides all-too-near snuffles and pregnant pauses. He wasn't sure if heading towards the water, or away from it would be more dangerous, but he figured if they lived, knowing where a source of water was, would not be a bad thing.

  They broke into a small clearing with a river running through. The bank was muddy, and from what Felix could see, the ground fell off sharply once under water. Felix imagined it would still not be too difficult to get water out but falling in was probably not the best idea. No way to tell how fast the current ran underneath.

  Felix settled the alien into the center of a cluster of ferns. It was closer to the trees surrounding the clearing than the river. He then double backed to where they had entered the clearing and rubbed yet another ration bar all over the path and the bag itself. He opened several bars and broke them. They certainly smelled more strongly once broken, and that could only help.

  Felix hefted the bag towards the bank. He was hoping the lizards might try and eat the food, and while distracted, he could push them into the water. After that, he didn’t know. He’d figure it out when he got there.

  He sat next to the alien and waited. After all the running, well, speed walking? Felix had a hard time staying awake. He probably would have passed out already if it wasn’t for a rather insistant bug. It took several passes at him before he managed to swat it down. He hoped it wasn’t a disease carrier.

  He looked over to the Lisnoir and wasn’t sure if he was still awake, bug or not. His companion was sitting upright, so he would take that as good enough for now.

  Sooner than he'd have wished, or perhaps not soon enough, the surprisingly menacing snuffles approached the clearing. He was going to hear those in his nightmares, he was sure. It grew slowly louder.

  Felix could see it enter the clearing as he peeked through the fern leaves. His breath hitched in his chest as it looked and sniffed in his direction. It was just as well Felix needed to stay put; he was sure his legs were frozen solid.

  The creature put its head back down and continued to sniff. It slowly plodded towards the bag by the bank. A bar had fallen out when Felix had thrown it, and the creature grabbed it with it's long tongue and pulled it into its mouth. It meandered over to the bag and stuck its head inside.

  Felix took a deep breath. Okay, he was going to run over and push the thing into the water. It was low to the ground, so he would have to be too. He could shoulder check it. He'd seen athletes do that before playing sports. It couldn’t be that hard right? Run fast and lead with his shoulder, that
’s all.

  Felix parted the fern and forced himself to creep out into the open. He circled around so that the creature was directly between himself and the water.

  Once he was in position, he took note of the terrain. He had already tripped several times today, but falling now might well be fatal. There was a root exposed a few steps ahead of him, and at the edge of the mud, a narrow mound.

  He braced himself into a sprinter's three-point stance. He wiggled into the pose, and eyed the lizard. He really didn't want to do this.

  Felix pushed off his front foot and surged forward. He kept his eyes locked on the monster in front of him.

  A wall of mud rose up paces in front of him. Some thing leapt out of the mound. Muck fell off it as it flew to the, still unaware, lizard.

  Felix wavered as the mud splattered his front, and fell into the open furrow where the mound, and the hidden beast, had been.

  It looked almost like a frog, if a frog was as long as he was tall, had a tail and an extraordinarily wide hinged jaw. The thing latched it's jaws around the lizard as it flew by. The lizard yelped in fear and pain.

  A bare moment later, both were in the water and gone.

  ***

  “And there we have it, the first look at our new arrivals.” The large, blue face filled the screen once more. “I'm Daviron, your ever present, and always exuberant host here on GBK. Joining me are Aerav, producer extraordinaire, and Islae, a xenobiologist from Rebus University.”

  The camera panned out to show two more of the bald, blue aliens. They smiled broadly. Aerav waved to the camera.

  "First off," said Daviron, "Aerav, what was with that camera that went down? I've been watching as long as I can remember, but I don't recall the last time I saw one get swatted down like that. Can you comment on what happened, and why it was so close to begin with?"

  Aerav looked a bit sheepish. "Well, it has been quite a while since we've had to manually control the cameras, what with the implant tracking and all. We had some of the newer techs trying their hand, and one got a bit careless. Thankfully we had the other nearby, so we didn't lose too much coverage."