by Ison, S. A.
He poured the hot water over the instant oatmeal and stirred it. He handed it to Dustu, who took the bowl and sniffed. He cocked his head and shrugged, cautiously taking a bite. He made a face, and Beckett tried not to laugh. He was sure the man didn’t care for the texture, but it was sweet and he was sure he did like that. But, Dustu ate it all. He handed the bowl back to Beckett, who then made himself a bowl. The warmth of the bowl penetrated his hands and warmed him.
After eating he looked around. The others were sitting up and eating. Wyatt was checking on Lucas’s hand and arm and he could hear the soft murmuring.
“Looks good Lucas, no unusual swelling and no seepage.”
“Thanks Doc.” Lucas smiled.
“Where’s Milo?” He asked.
“Not sure, he might have gone out to make a toilet run.” Zoe said, repacking her pack.
Beckett grunted. He’d hold his until it was time to go. He could feel the chill of the morning air coming in from the cave opening.
“How are you holding up Astrid?” Beckett asked the woman, who looked exhausted.
“I’m okay, I just want to go home. Somehow, I think this is my last venture out into the wilderness.” She smiled and Noland patted her back.
“I’m just glad our friend here is leading us out.” Noland said. There were grunts of agreement around.
Evie was twitching and Beckett recognized the I have to use the bathroom twitch.
“Would you ladies like me to take you out for your morning bathroom break?” he offered. All the women stood as did Christy. He laughed and shook his head. Guess I’ll go too, he thought. He reached over for his shoulder holster and put it on, then set his Glock in it. Christ, he wished he had a jacket. He stood and Dustu stood as well. They walked out of the cave, it was light outside, but heavily muted. The waterfall wasn’t as loud and they walked away. Beckett figured that the rain had moved the waterfall along, engorging the river that fed the waterfall.
They found a likely spot and the women disappeared behind some stubby bushes. A few minutes later, they all came back out. Dustu walked to Beckett and nodded his head toward another direction. Beckett nodded and waited until the women were in the cave and he turned to join Dustu.
Dustu stopped at a downed log. At first Beckett wasn’t sure what Dustu wanted, then he saw a roll of swollen toilet paper, laying on the ground. Milo. He walked closer and saw blood.
“Shit, something’s happened to Milo.” He muttered.
“Miloo?” Dustu asked.
Beckett nodded and walked, following the blood, Dustu beside him. He saw that the leaves had been disturbed, kicked around then a long furrow, like drag marks. He saw blood along the furrow. Then he found Milo’s pants. A chill settled over his body and the hairs lifted all along his frame. Something bad had happened to Milo. Dread filled him and he swallowed.
He pulled his weapon, now on the alert. He saw that Dustu had nocked an arrow. They followed the dragging leaves and then found a shoe.
“Shit.” Beckett hissed. He kept walking trepidation filling him with each step forward. Then Dustu stopped and put out a hand to stop Beckett, then he pointed up. The hair stood on his whole body and his stomach wanted to expel the food he’d just eaten.
In a tree, about thirty feet up, shoved in the crotch of the tree was Milo, or what was left of Milo. One of his legs hung down, shoeless, but his sock still on. There was flesh below the knee, but the whole thighbone was stripped bare of flesh, muscle and tendons. Shreds of muscle hung in tattered bloody remnants from what was once his rump. The other leg was jutted straight up in the air, shoe still on and resting along the upper trunk.
The flesh from the thigh was also missing on that leg and blood coated the tree. Below, on the ground was a gut pile, that had fallen from Milo’s body. There was a rope of intestine dangling from the upper branch. Milo’s face was facing them, eyes wide opened, a startled expression on his face. Mouth opened in a silent scream.
Beckett felt himself being pulled away, and Beckett could not take his eyes off the man. Or what was left of him. He was numb and horrified. He turned and stumbled and felt Dustu’s hands on his shoulders as he was moved along.
“Ostu vtla, no good.” Dustu’s deep voice penetrated his numb mind.
“Christ all mighty, why did he go so far from the cave?” Beckett asked, mostly himself, since Dustu wouldn’t understand. The idiot, he’d gone maybe three hundred feet away. Hadn’t he warned them all about the big cat? Was it the same cat? He shivered and thought about what must have taken place. Milo, sitting on the log, unaware. Jesus.
He wanted to vomit, but he kept swallowing. He’d seen his share of dead people, but he’d never seen a man eaten. Jesus. They made it back to the cave and walked in, everyone was talking and then stopped when they saw his face.
“What’s the matter Beckett?” Wyatt asked.
“Milo’s dead. A mountain lion got him.” He croaked out, and he felt the warm tears sliding down his face. He wiped absently at them.
“Oh my god, that poor man.” Zoe breathed, both hands covering her mouth.
“He must have gone out sometime last night, to use the bathroom. He went way too far out and it got him.” Beckett said, shaking his head.
“That poor bastard.” Carter said sorrowfully.
“Yeah, it’s bad.” Beckett said.
Zoe brought him a cup of coffee and he took it gratefully. He drank heavily from it and that seemed to help burn away the mind-numbing shock of it all. He handed the cup to Dustu, who also drank deeply.
“I guess we’d best pack up and get going.” He said and shuddered out a heavy sigh.
“We aren’t going to go bury him?” Astrid asked, her face pale and grief stricken.
“His body is thirty feet up in a tree. That cat is still around, I think. We can’t get him.” Beckett said, not unkindly. He didn’t want to tell her that there wasn’t much left of the man. Not with Christy listening. Her face held fear, but not much understanding. He didn’t want to elaborate.
“Alright, let’s go through his pack and break it down, food wise.” Wyatt suggested. JP nodded and got up and began to empty Milo’s bag. It felt as though they were stealing from the man, but Beckett knew that was absurd. They could not waste anything. Wyatt transferred the remaining foodstuffs over. Also, the hygiene and medical stuff. He left the clothing and hardware. No one needed that.
How many more of us will die before we get the hell out of this place? Why had Milo gone so far away from the cave? Beckett had no answers. He’d see that in his mind’s eye for the rest of his life. He just hoped that Milo had died fast and didn’t suffer. He didn’t like the man, but he’d never, not in a million years, wish that on him. He was heart sore. Christ, they needed to get away from this place and back to their own time.
Nine
The group moved out at a swift pace, Beckett figured Dustu wanted to get them out of the area of the mountain lion. He couldn’t blame him. If it were a female, she’d have a cub and would find hunting humans were easy and paid off big. The going was easier though slower, since Dustu was moving his longbow ahead of him around large dense bushes. From time to time he’d make a noise in the back of his throat.
Beckett wondered at that until he realized that the man was making noise to warn bears. Bears could be vicious if surprised, especially momma bears. He wasn’t sure, but maybe Dustu found bear tracks, or scatt or had picked up the scent of the animal. He and his father had hunted bear, when he’d been a teen. They were elusive animals when they wanted to be. He didn’t care for baiting them, he thought that practice a little unfair. He liked the skill that it took to actually track one as opposed to luring it in with doughnuts.
They were traveling by the river now and though it was fast moving, they’d not come near any rapids. The river widened out and the sky was a brilliant azure with thin clouds. The sun had quickly burned through the haze over the mountains. The greens were vibrant now after the rain.
The whole group was quiet, everyone in their own heads, from the loss of Milo. Beckett brought up the rear, Dustu, Astrid and Noland in front. He saw that Astrid and Noland were holding hands. It had shaken them all, but Astrid was near to tears and terrified when they left. He kept Christy back with Zoe, since Zoe was calm, though still upset. He didn’t want the child frightened more than necessary. They wove around the river, sometimes climbing over large rocks. He helped Zoe and Evie with Christy when they climbed up and over the boulders. Carter also lent a hand moving the child and women around larger hurdles.
Then Dustu stopped everyone, his hand up and his other hand to his mouth. They were to keep silent. He ushered them closer and they stood behind a large bramble of holly. It was prickly but dense. He pointed above, off to the east, along the rim of a high wall of rock and timber.
Beckett saw them, four warriors, even from that distance, he could see their faces were painted. He knew there was only one reason for them to paint their faces, they were on the hunt for blood. Who they were looking for, he didn’t know? They were magnificent. Their long hair streamed out behind them. They were all nearly naked with their bodies painted as well as their faces. The men held long sticks, that had broad sharp flat ends. The silhouettes looked like long rifles. But he was sure the men weren’t carrying long guns. He thought perhaps some kind of deadly club, like Dustu carried.
Astrid choked and Beckett looked back. There were tears in her eyes and she was clearly terrified. He looked at Noland who whispered to her and she nodded, holding both her hands tightly to her mouth. They watched as the one man pointed with a long stick, it seemed like they all held long sticks and Beckett wondered if some were spears? The man was pointing in the opposite direction.
Please go away from us, please don’t get in our way, he thought hard. He didn’t want to have to kill these men. It wasn’t their fault he and his group were in their territory. But kill them he would, if it came to saving themselves. Dustu stood like a living statue, nothing moved on him, but his eyes burned, watching their every move.
The men moved and faced away, another pointing in a different direction. Beckett bit his lip, he was pointing toward their route. Shit, he thought. The other man shook his head no and Beckett let out a silent breath. The first man pointed once again and then they all nodded. They then stood for a moment, looking out over the valley. Beckett was sure it was breathtakingly beautiful from up there. Especially after the rain.
The men all turned away and began to head down from where they’d come, Beckett thought. He figured the men had wanted a high vantage. He noticed that Dustu’s shoulders had relaxed. He too felt the tension bleed from his own body. Astrid was still weeping, but doing so quietly. She was shaking and Beckett looked at the child. Zoe’s arms were around her but Zoe was calm, so the child was calm as well.
Evie seemed nervous, but not overwrought, Evie was normally hyperactive. Carter, Noland, PJ and Lucas seemed excited about seeing the men. Wyatt seemed interested, but calm, his normal state of being. He breathed through his nose and looked at Dustu.
Dustu nodded his head and kept a hand to his mouth. Meaning they all keep quiet. They walked, quietly, single file, Beckett once again, bringing up the rear. For three hours, they walked in silence and he could see Astrid looking around frantically. He wished she’d calm down, she was going to wear herself out. He couldn’t blame her. Since going back into time, it had been one hell of a time. They were all keyed up.
Rhena’s horrible death, then Lucas getting injured, but he thought perhaps Milo’s death was the most horrific. Gruesome and unnerving. He’d felt his invisible tail tingle with that primordial warning and tingling. The hair had stood on his body and though he was a modern man, those warning bells had told him that he was not so modern. He was still tethered to that antediluvian design.
It was truly humbling, and knocked him down a notch or two. He’d not thought himself an arrogant man, but this experience had shown him where he landed in the scheme of things. Life was fleeting, so fucking fleeting. Once he got out of this place, he was going to live his dream and do what he wanted to do to be happy.
He knew about death in an abstract way. He’d seen bodies. But being here, it had awakened something within him. He was terrified, but he was also galvanized. Life was precious damned short and he meant to live it to the best of his ability. By Christ he would.
It was late afternoon when they came to a wide and roiling river. Dustu looked at Beckett, he indicated that they must cross the river. Beckett looked up and down the banks, looking for an easier passage, but there wasn’t one. This was the one place, though fast and roiling, it didn’t have the heavy boulders and crashing waves.
He turned and looked at the group. They needed to get across, but the child and women might have a lot of trouble with the strength of the water’s flow.
“We need to cross this river here. It seems that this is the best place. I think we should use the paracord and make a line across, attach each of us, women between the men.” Beckett proposed.
“Jesus, how deep is that thing?” Carter asked, walking up and down the shore. He too looked up and down the banks.
“I guess it doesn’t matter. I’m going to keep Christy with me. I suggest we tie our packs to the end of the rope and pull it after us. I don’t think we can cross with them on our backs.”
“He’s right, those packs will weigh us down.” Wyatt agreed.
“Okay, strip down as far as you’re comfortable. Put your clothes in plastic and seal it. Once we get to the other side, you’ll have something dry to put on”
The group began to strip. Beckett handed Zoe, Rhena’s shirt for Christy to wear. Zoe helped the child strip and put Rhena’s shirt over her. The group spent some time securing their outer items. He checked his own supplies, making sure the food was well sealed within the plastic zip bags. He rolled his pants and shirt and put them in one of the loose bags. He double bagged it along with clean socks and underwear. Once he got over, he’d put clean underwear on.
A half hour later, they were ready and everyone pulled out their paracord. They made hand loops and attached the packs securely to the end. Once finished, they lined up. Dustu was in the lead, he too held on to the rope. Dustu had stripped down and was now naked. Wyatt had put Dustu’s things in plastic and in his pack. Wyatt was behind Dustu, then JP and Lucas. Astrid behind them and her husband behind her. His hands were on her shoulders, guiding her.
Evie and Zoe were next and then Carter. Beckett was at the end with Christy on his back. He’d tied a rope around her and attached it to himself. She clung to him like a monkey, her arms around his neck, tightly clutched. He stepped into the water and he sucked in his breath. It was cold as hell. He walked as quickly as he could. He could feel the line tighten around his waist.
He felt the water cut around him like blades, and he gritted his teeth. He could feel the heat of Christy on his back and was grateful for it. The water chewed up to his waist and then his chest. Ahead, he saw the smaller women swimming and being pulled along by the men in front. The child’s arms clutched tightly as the water hit her. He felt her shaking and he wasn’t sure if it was fear or cold.
He could now feel the tug of the packs as they entered the water and were washed down stream quickly. He felt the pull and fought against it. He let out a breath when Dustu climbed out to the other side. The others slowly making their way out. The men turned and took hold of the rope and began to pull the rest in. The rope began to saw at his waist, burning from the jerk of the packs. He tried to move faster before he was cut in half.
He felt the chill of the water weakening his legs and they felt like rubber. But the water was lowering and he was getting closer to the other shore. He tried to move faster but slipped and nearly landed face down in the water. Christy’s hold tightened and he began to see dark spots in front of his eyes. If he didn’t get to shore quickly, the girl would strangle him.
Dustu came out to the water to help him,
he was sure his face was blue. Carter and JP also came out and grabbed the line behind him and relieved the sawing, cutting of the rope around his waist. He was sure he was bleeding, the sting of it, felt like his skin had been rubbed away. Zoe lifted the girl from his shoulders and he took a deep breath and grinned at Christy. She smiled back at him, though her lips had a tinge of blue.
“Get her dressed quickly, her lips are turning blue.” Beckett said and Zoe nodded, her own lips tinged blue as well and teeth chattering. Christy’s back was to the naked man, Zoe and Evie shielding her. The group began to pull their clothing out and redressed. Quite a few put on extra clothing. Beckett looked over to Dustu and Beckett handed him a dry shirt. He could see the minute tremors that ran through his body. Dustu nodded and struggled into the garment.
Beckett smiled and helped the man with the shirt, guiding his arms into the sleeves. The group was now dressed. Dustu looked up at the sky and then back at Beckett. He held up his fingers to indicate just a little longer to walk before the night’s camp. He nodded, and he hoped the walking would generate body heat and warm them all up.
They set off and he could hear the chattering of teeth but it soon began to dissipate. The red around his waist was raw and irritated, but it wasn’t bleeding. He knew he’d feel it for a while to come. When they made camp, he’d put ointment on it. His shirt rubbed on it, but he was more concerned about the chill in his body. He felt weak from the journey across the river. It had sapped out the strength from him.
The sky was beginning its lavender change and Dustu began his search for a camp site. Beckett breathed a sigh of relief when he found a spot by the river. It was a hive of activity as everyone gathered wood and began to build a large fire. Beckett couldn’t help but smile, they were all cold and he was sure they wanted to bake themselves.
