“I’m not sure about this.”
“He needs me.” He gulped. “And I need him.”
My brother sure missed his pets in the Bunker. But after the snakes and meerkats, we had to be careful. “What if it bites or pecks, or scratches you?” While tiny, the claws looked sharp enough to take down small prey and rip it to shreds.
“He won’t.”
I studied the creature. It had made no threatening moves so far. I could let Joe keep it. We needed a few loyal pets to protect us from everything else on Eris.
Did it eat snakes?
“You’ll have to take care of it and clean up if it…does anything anywhere except in this giant litter box.” I waved at the desert. What was I getting myself in for now?
“He won’t make a mess. He won’t be a bother at all.” Joe stroked the tiny head.
I rubbed Joe’s shoulder. “I guess we can take him on for a trial period and see how it goes. But if he bites you or does anything to bother anyone else, we leave him behind. Understood?”
Joe hugged me with his free arm. “Thank you.” He strode toward the fire pit, before turning. “I’m calling him Drac.”
Behind me, Malik sat up and rubbed his face. Stumbling to his feet, he staggered. His skin blanched paler than I’d ever seen it.
Rushing over, I steadied him. “Hey, not so fast.”
“We need to go.” He grabbed my upper arms and focused his eyes on mine. “We have to leave right away.”
I squeezed his hands. “We can’t leave now. You’ve been sick.” You could have died, I wanted to shout but didn’t. And you aren’t over it yet. Let’s not tempt fate. “It’s almost dark. We can wait until morning.”
He heaved a sigh.
“Lay back down. Rest,” I said.
He groaned, but let me help him onto the blanket. It was getting chilly, so I covered him with another and kissed him.
“I think he’s right,” Tiff said. “We don’t have much time.” She stared toward the mountains.
“I realize we need food, water, and to get to safety, but a few more hours’ rest for Malik won’t make that much difference, will it?”
“I hope not.”
I glanced at my wrist com. Seven-thirty. “If we leave now, we’ll step on snakes, run into the wolf pack, or worse. Besides, Malik can’t walk yet. He ran for days on a hurt ankle.”
“I can.” He climbed to his feet, steadier than he’d been the last time he stood up. “We’ll do better walking at night. But we need to eat first.”
I looked away from him. Maybe he’d forgotten. “Riley and the others…they took our food. Sometime last night. All we have is water from the extractors.”
He stared toward Joe, his brow narrowed. Then his face cleared. “I have an idea. Hey, Joe. Come here for a minute.”
Joe brought his bird and explained to Malik where he’d found it.
Malik whispered something to Joe I couldn’t hear.
Joe shuddered. “I don’t want to.” Not even a whine. “But I will.” Shoulders curling forward, he dragged his feet to the rock ring and trudged over it, heading into the desert.
My belly seized. “Wait a minute. What’s going on here? Joe. Come on back.”
He stopped some distance away, his back to us. His body trembled.
“Hey, Lesha, where’s your crossbow?” Malik asked.
“What are you two planning? Why does Joe need to go into the desert?” I yanked away from Tiff and scrambled over the rock ring, tripping and falling to my knees on the other side. I stretched my hand toward my brother as I rose to my feet. “Joe. Come back. It’s not safe to go off alone.”
The sun was setting beyond him. Rays stabbed through wispy clouds, spilling streaks of amber and gold across the sky.
Joe set Drac on the ground and straightened. His hands twitched against his thighs as he backed away.
Malik passed me with the loaded crossbow. A short distance away, he stopped and lowered himself to one knee. He set a row of bolts on the ground. With a long sigh, he lifted the weapon.
Joe came over to stand beside me, tears streaming down his face. His hands clenched into fists. Then released. Fists. Release. Faster. Tightening until they paled.
Oh, no. Was Malik going to shoot Joe’s bird? If so, I had to take Joe where he couldn’t see it happen.
Drac cawed. He flapped his wings and lifted off the ground a few centimeters before dropping back to the sand. Another caw.
Beyond him, three pink meerkats climbed out of their holes. They settled on the ground, looking toward the bird. Their curiosity would be their downfall.
“I’m sorry, meerkats. There’s no other way.” Strain filled Joe’s voice. His tone was so sad, it cracked my chest wide open.
I couldn’t stand it. Pulling Joe around, I hugged him against my chest, keeping his face turned away from Drac.
Malik fired and reloaded. His hands blurred as he shot faster than I’d ever seen him shoot. The meerkats scrambled to escape, but Malik’s skill with the bow proved true. He was a sharpshooter.
Five crossbow bolts dropped meerkats with clean hits to the head.
Malik strode to them. He pulled the crossbow bolts from the bodies, wiped the blood off the tips, and returned them to the pouch. Pulling a knife, he made quick work of gutting and skinning the pink creatures.
Joe ran over and lifted Drac. He walked back to our camp, his legs dragging, and his expression sadder than I’d ever seen it before.
I rushed forward and met him partway.
Tears trickled down his face. “I’m sorry, meerkats. So sorry.” His brown eyes slid over mine, the pain in them ripping through my soul. “There was no other way.”
Drac’s shriek was a long, mournful cry. The creature rested its head against my brother’s chest as if to comfort him.
“I knew the meerkats would be curious about Drac, that they’d come out to see him.” He shuddered. “I bet they thought we were going to play. But it was just a big, fat, stupid lie.” A sob caught in his throat. “How could they know we’re hungry?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Just after sunset, we walked toward the mountains, our bellies full for the first time in days. Our thirst wasn’t satisfied but we’d sweat less walking at night. We had no choice but to risk the snakes.
Strangely enough, Malik no longer limped. Maybe he’d only sprained his ankle, and it had gotten better.
We didn’t come across Riley and his thieving crew, which was hardly surprising. They’d been gone too long.
As if our footsteps scared them away, not a single snake emerged from the sand to bite us as we passed. We saw no other Eris creatures, for that matter. With dawn’s light, the mountains had drawn closer. We’d be there in days.
The sun glinted on something ahead, catching my eye.
Tiff and Trey, who’d taken the lead, waited for me to catch up. I’d walked in the middle, with Joe, Mandy, and Felicia, encouraging them to keep going. Malik kept to the back, providing protection. He and I alternated looping back to make sure we weren’t followed.
“I’m sorry,” Tiff said when I stopped beside her. “Maybe Trey and I can…”
“No.” I couldn’t hold back my high-pitch keen as I fell to my knees. My heart shattered as I gathered up Dad’s shirts, Mom’s dress, and the stylus and digital journal I hadn’t used since I was on Earth.
I couldn’t drag my eyes to what I really sought.
Malik squeezed my shoulder.
Tears made it hard to see. Once I’d put everything into my pouch, I had no choice.
Our family vid.
A fissure arced across the screen. Bits of crushed solar panel lay just beyond it.
How could someone do this to me?
Mom. My heart sighed. She’d died all over again.
I lifted the shattered frame and pressed it to my chest. If only her image could sink into me and stay vivid in my mind forever.
Joe sniffed beside me. Sobbing, I wrapped my arms around h
is waist and pressed my face against his belly.
The steady beat of his heart brought me out of myself.
Leaning back, I studied my brother’s face.
His broad nose was like Mom’s. She told me once my grandpa had it, too. He died just before I was born, so I never met him.
Mom had a dimple in her chin, and she’d passed that on to me.
Joe’s dark hair was all Dad. The oddball of the family, I’d inherited brown locks.
Joe’s tremulous smile was Dad’s. His slender build, Mom’s.
I guessed I still had some of my mom with me, after all.
On our tenth day on Eris, we reached the edge of the desert. Since it was still early morning and the end was in sight, we kept walking, hoping to find the colony.
The sand gave way to a hard-packed plain interspersed with dense plant life. Instead of spiky thorn bushes and scrub grass, this part of Eris grew deep, green vegetation. Vegetation meant moisture. I’d give my orange treds for a river or even a glass of water.
We startled gray rodent-like creatures. They squeaked and raced away, disrupted by our passage. Climbing trees with broad leaves that glistened in the sunlight, they settled on the branches, their bushy tails swishing back and forth in agitation. As we walked underneath, our heads leaned back to look at them, and they scolded us. If they were close enough and we had time, I’d stop to hunt. But we were so close; we needed to keep going.
Dad. I’d see him soon. The thought kept me going.
A flock of blue birds lifted from the ground, flashing yellow wings as they flew ahead of us in a rippling wave, squawking like we’d ruined a perfectly good day.
We came to a cliff face that rose high above us. Definitely a challenge.
“Do we climb it?” Felicia squinted south. “Or find another way around?”
“Let’s rest and wait for Malik,” I said. He’d dropped back to scope out our back trail. Moving under one of the trees, I sat and tilted my head back. Tiff and Trey flopped nearby. Mandy lay next to me and fell asleep in seconds.
Too tired to do more than doze, I settled on my back and savored the cool grass underneath me. Ah, shade. Why had I thought I missed seeing the sun on Earth?
A breeze rustled the long, greenish-blue leaves above me. Was the tree an Eris palm? A banana tree? No fruit hung from the branches but maybe this was the wrong season.
Joe stood across the clearing, holding Drac in his arms. I had to hand it to my brother; he’d taken good care of his pet. It hadn’t bothered anyone. Drac did his thing far enough away we didn’t smell or step in it, and he devoured enough bugs to cover a camel. That helped keep the flies off my face.
Drac had grown at least a quarter of his original size. He’d taken to riding on Joe’s shoulder like I’d seen parrots in ancient Earth pirate vids. While I doubted the creature would ever get large enough to take down big prey, he might do well with my fictitious rabbits or the bushy-tailed things we’d just passed.
He refused to eat the snakes, but we couldn’t have everything.
Joe hobbled over and slumped on the grass beside me.
I sat up, frowning. “Hey, you’re limping. You okay?”
“I cut my leg on something.”
“When?”
“I don’t remember.” He scratched a bug bite on his neck. “A few nights ago?”
“Let’s see.” I didn’t have my first aid kit. Riley and crew had taken it when they dumped the rest of my stuff. But I could look at Joe’s leg. We couldn’t let cuts fester in the heat. I pulled up Joe’s pant leg and gasped. A long, angry gash spanned his calf. Redness bloomed around the wound, and the area had swollen to nearly twice its original size. Anxiety swirled through me. “Why didn’t you tell me? It looks sore.”
I ran my finger along the welt, and it came away wet with dark, milky fluid. Thick, like pus. This was horrible. The implant should have eliminated the infection by now. What was wrong with these damn things?
Joe scowled and yanked his leg out from my hands. “Don’t touch it. It hurts.”
“I’m sorry.” I wiped my finger on my thigh and pressed the back of my hand on Joe’s forehead. Was he hot or was it only the unbearable heat flushing his cheeks? We were all pretty sticky. We’d become spoiled walking during the cool nights. If walking all night instead of during the day could be considered spoiled. I squeezed his shoulder. “Let me look again. I won’t touch. Promise.”
He stretched out his leg. From the color, and the swelling around it, the wound had to be infected. Was it abscessed? No streaks ran from the area, which was good. Maybe it was a localized infection.
I nibbled on my lower lip. We wouldn’t reach the colony soon enough for my taste. Dad would be waiting, and he’d help. There would be a clinic, doctors, and antibiotics. “Take it easy from now on. We don’t have to walk fast.” We’d set our pace to Joe’s.
Malik appeared in the distance, coming for us at a dead run. As he drew close, the strain in his face stood out in harsh lines, making my heart speed up. What was wrong? I leaped to my feet, pressing my fingernails into my palms. Racing up to us, he stopped and bent forward, his hands braced on his knees. His chest heaved. “We’ve gotta go.” He panted between each word. “Everyone. Up. Run!”
“Joe’s hurt,” I said. “He can’t run. His leg—”
“No choice. They’re on us.”
“Oh, shit,” Tiff said, staring in the direction Malik had run from.
My flesh shrank. Dread kicked me into high gear. I helped Joe off the ground, supporting him on his injured side. “What did you see?” I asked Malik.
“Kalani.” Malik grimaced. “Dead. Come on.” He waved his hand toward Mandy and Felicia. “Run.”
I inhaled sharply but there was no time for questions, no time to mourn the poor, lost girl. I lifted Joe and jogged beside Malik, the others right behind us. “What happened?”
Malik shook his head. “They got her.”
They. My breath choked in my throat. Fight or flight tightened my muscles to pinch. I panted as I raced beside him.
“We’ve got to get away.” Malik’s eyes fell on Joe. “Buddy. Want a ride? Mandy can take Drac.” Joe handed the creature to the girl. Malik took Joe from me, swinging him up onto his back where Joe could rest his face on Malik’s shoulder.
“Come on.” Malik ran ahead of us toward the base of the cliffs, Joe jiggling on his back. “Follow me.”
We flew behind him. When we reached the base, we stalled and looked up. Jagged rocks rose above us. How would we ever get to the top?
“Can we go around?” I asked.
“Half of you go south, and half go north. Look for a way.” Malik hurried in one direction with Felicia and Tiff. “Call out if you find anything.”
I went the other way with Trey and Mandy.
We rounded a bend with a huge boulder, and Trey plunged into a clump of dense brush beside it. “Here,” he called from inside. “An animal track. It goes up.”
“Malik,” I yelled. “This way.”
“Where?” Malik asked when they joined us. He crooked his neck toward the desert and his blazing eyes met mine. The anguish in his expression scared me to death.
Were the hunters right behind us? No time to look. I shoved aside the branches and snaked through the deep grass toward the base of the cliff. My feet squished on moss, sending a musty, dank smell into the air. “Trey. Where are you?”
“Here,” he called from ahead of me. “Follow my voice.”
Tiff bumped into me from behind and pushed. “Go. They’re almost on us.”
Heart drumming, I ran toward Trey, shoving branches out of my way.
We climbed up a packed dirt trail, weaving around bushes and squeezing through fissures between large boulders.
“Go faster,” Malik hissed behind me.
Halfway up, I heard it, the smack of feet on the trail below.
“Yes,” someone called out shrilly. “Run.” High-pitched cackles followed.
M
y belly leaped in my throat, and I gaped over my shoulder.
They’d found us.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I reached the top with Trey and struggled to catch my breath. My lungs ached. Each inhalation wheezed from my throat, while my heart slammed in my chest. I braced my hands on my thighs and tried to find the strength to go on.
Mandy whimpered beside me.
Voices echoed from below. Had they found the path? They could be on our trail already. Maybe they knew a quicker way up and would flank us. We had to keep going. We couldn’t let them get us, not when we had to be close to the colony.
On either side of me, rocky hills stretched for as far as I could see, creating a barrier between the desert and the lush valley that extended for kilometers. It was beautiful. Green like I’d imagined I’d find when I left Earth. Grass gave way to groves of trees that thickened until they morphed into a verdant forest reaching all the way to distant mountain tops. The peaks were so far from where I stood, I could barely make them out. A buff-colored dome rose above the trees at the end of the valley.
The colony.
“Dad,” I whispered. Tears sprang up in my eyes and I shuddered, my fist pressed against my trembling lips. I’d never been so relieved to see anything in my life.
In their ship, the colonists had packed large nylatec sheets and poly support posts to build a huge central structure. From here, I couldn’t see the ship, but it had to be close.
Shaking took hold of my legs. Safety was near. We’d made it this far.
“Come on,” Malik raced past me, Joe bouncing on his back. “Don’t stop. They’re right behind me.”
Tiff’s feet thudded on the ground as she darted around Malik, her chest heaving. “Run!”
Horror replaced my relief. I was stupid to think we were safe. We wouldn’t be until we reached the dome.
Malik took the front, the others the middle, and I covered the back of the group, darting looks over my shoulder, my crossbow primed. We slid down the rocky hillside, snagging our clothing on bushes. At the bottom, we wove around a cluster of tall trees. Rocks scattered as we scurried along the animal tracks to the valley below.
Phoenix Arise: YA Sci-fi Thriller (From the Ashes Book 1) Page 23
