Soon they put a hundred yards between themselves and their pursuers. The leading Scarg arrived at the shoreline and hesitated. It stepped into the water but was instantly harangued by a taller and heavier beast, covered in pure white but for a black streak on one temple. This one must be the pack leader. Its throat bulged when it uttered a series of grunts, clicks, and whistles, and Hickory realized it was speaking their language. “He’s issuing instructions to the others. See how they submit to him?” The Scarg mob took one step forward, following the receding tide, and she motioned her team to do likewise. “Every time they take a step forward, we take a step back.”
The strategy worked while the tide receded slowly. At least it seemed to.
“Jeezuz! What’s that!” Gareth whacked his leg. “Something bit me.”
A small creature leaped from the water and attached itself to Jess’s tunic. It was dark orange in color with bloated nodules running along its back, and unblinking eyes in a small triangular head filled with needle-like teeth. Jess grabbed the amphibian before it could bite and twisted its neck, then tossed it toward the leading Scargs.
They jumped up and down, screaming in protest. Their leader reached forward and scooped up the limp biter and shook it in the air, then ripped it apart. The others went into a frenzy and took two steps forward. They were now no more than twenty yards away.
Hickory drew the Magnum and fired two shots into the air. The blast echoed like the continuous cracking of a whip. The startled animals swiveled in all directions seeking the source of the explosions. They crowded together and took a few steps back.
Jess glanced at her hands, which were covered in orange slime. She sniffed at it and screwed up her nose in disgust. “Put on your gloves,” she said, scraping the gunk onto her jacket. “I think the skins on those creatures are toxic.”
“Those long-necked gorillas will be back soon,” said Hickory. The gun has given us no more than a couple of extra minutes. Pair up. You’re with me, Sikona. Jess, keep a watch on Gareth. If you see any more of those biter-things in the water, kill them and throw them further out to sea. If there are more of these ahead, I’m betting they won’t shrink from eating their own. At least we’ll see them coming.”
Sikona grabbed a biter climbing up Hickory’s back and tossed it in the air. The sea erupted as a fish leaped out of the water and flicked out a prehensile tongue to seize the amphibian.
Apprehensively, they looked around for more of the creatures or anything else that might be waiting but saw nothing. The simians were fifteen yards from them, and their roars were deafening. “Okay, this seems a good depth. Keep this distance between the Scargs and us,” said Hickory, taking a step back as the animals advanced.
The faster the tide receded, the more they struggled to keep pace and were eventually forced to turn their backs to the advancing Scargs. Oh, God. I know where this will end up. She fumbled for the revolver then pushed it back into her belt. Not yet.
Sikona called out. “The tide is moving quicker. We need to start jogging.”
After ten minutes, with the water flowing faster still, it became difficult to keep their footing on the rocky seabed.
“How much further?” asked Gareth, panting.
“We’re about halfway,” said Sikona.
Gareth slipped into a deep depression and lost his balance. His arms flailed as he fell sideways.
“Up, junior, up!” Hickory grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. They’d lost a couple of yards to the Scargs, and they splashed through the water to make up ground.
Water streamed from Gareth’s face as he staggered forward. “I don’t think I can keep this up much longer,” he said, his breath coming in rapid gasps.
“What’s wrong with you, boyo?” shouted Jess. “You’re supposed to be fitter than any of us. Are you going to let the girls beat you?”
“Ha! That’ll be the day.” Gareth grinned weakly.
“Turn around, Gareth,” said Hickory.
Gareth spun around, and the cause of his weakness became clear. Four biter-creatures clung high on his back, their teeth clamped into his flesh.
Jess and Sikona prized the animals off, tossed them away, then dragged Gareth along between them.
“Their saliva—it must have a paralyzing component.” Hickory was horrified. What could they do? The Scargs were barely ten yards from them, and the sea was running quicker still. She grasped the gun firmly in her hand. Bloody Sikona. Why didn’t he warn us?
CHAPTER 8
Monsters everywhere
The Scargs had closed to within a few yards of them when they stopped. Their leader sniffed the air and jerked his head left and right. Hickory’s empathic sense picked up danger was nearby, but she couldn’t pin down the source until she spotted movement on the water. “Look. Over there.” She pointed to a ripple snaking through the sea toward them. “Something is coming, and it’s scaring the life out of these creatures.”
“That’s good, then, eh?” said Gareth, raising his eyebrows hopefully.
Jess’s voice was harsh. “That’s not good, boyo. I don’t fancy meeting whatever has these mothers on the hop.”
“She’s right. Keep moving,” said Hickory.
One Scarg then another lost its footing. Arms flailing, they fell backward and were dragged skimming across the surface, as though by an invisible speedboat. When they reached deeper water, they sank beneath the surface.
The pack panicked and turned to run back to the beach.
Hickory felt the hair rise on the nape of her neck. A long thin tentacle snaked from beneath the surface and whipped toward the Scargs like a fly fisherman’s cast. It wrapped itself around the neck of the closest beast and dragged it across the top of the water. Two more tentacles followed.
“What in God’s name is that thing?” said Jess.
A monstrous shape rose from the surface, water cascading from its bloated bulk. Multi-jointed limbs with serrated claws at their tips sprouted at odd angles from the creature’s body, some bearing its weight as it heaved itself over the waves. Dead Scargs dangled from five of the upper appendages, their bodies almost severed, with blood gushing from where the pincers clutched them.
Hickory stood, paralyzed by the nightmarish sight. She struggled to fit the creature into her human frame of reference. It bore elements of octopus, crab, and spider, but was bigger than the legendary Kraken. And a lot uglier. Its mouth was a gaping hole surrounded by waving barbels and filled with three rows of serrated teeth. At either side of its head, mucus-covered gills inhaled and expelled water. As far as Hickory could tell, the creature was sightless.
Blood drenched the sea monster as it ripped a Scarg in half and pushed it into its maw, then whipped the tentacle shoreward again. One appendage brushed against Hickory and hesitated. Suckers explored the exposed skin of her neck and arms. Hickory tried to control her trembling, worried the creature might respond aggressively to her fear. She felt a tingle from a minuscule electric current as the beast probed her inquisitively. She reached out to contact its mind but sensed only hunger. The tentacle detached from her body but remained hovering in front of her face. She closed her eyes.
“Captain, you must retreat.” Sikona grasped her shoulder and pushed Hickory behind him. He flapped his arms, trying to confuse the creature. The tentacle wavered for a few seconds, seemingly undecided, then withdrew.
The remaining Scargs took refuge behind a large boulder at the water’s edge, but the creature’s limbs seemed to possess lives of their own and pursued them relentlessly. They slithered through gaps and over rocks and one by one, the Scargs were snapped up and carried away to a grisly fate.
Hickory dragged her gaze from the carnage. “Sikona?”
The Bikashi beat his chest with a clenched fist. “I swear, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this.” He led her back to the others.
The four stood back to back as the water level dropped below their waists. “Why hasn’t it come after us,” whispered J
ess.
“Be thankful, mother. That’s not the sort of pet I’d recommend you take back to the girls.” Gareth was almost back to himself after his brush with the biters.
“Actually, this is exactly the type of thing they’d love to dissect in the lab, but I’ll go with your recommendation on this occasion.”
Hickory skipped aside as the last Scarg was hauled past her.
“Why didn’t it attack you?” Jess asked Hickory.
Hickory wasn’t certain. “I’m just grateful it didn’t.”
Gareth called upon his biochemistry. “For a creature to grow to this size, it would need to gorge on protein, but in this environment, there would be a limited range of proteins available.”
Sikona nodded. “It’s possible the Scarg have supplied its food needs over a long period.”
“Yes, human proteins most likely comprise different groups of amino acids from the Scarg, so we wouldn’t be attractive to it. It would be the same for Bikashi, but less so I imagine, which makes your attempts to distract it a courageous thing to do, Sikona. Also, the beast is blind. At a guess, I’d say it’s mute, too.”
“How does it hunt, if it can’t see its prey?” said Jess.
Hickory’s brow furrowed. “It uses electricity in some way. I felt a mild shock when its tentacles touched me.”
“Electroreception is a fairly common way for amphibians to track their prey,” said Gareth. “Sharks are the best-known example. Great Whites can respond to charges of one-millionth of a volt in water.”
“So, this guy interprets the electrical signature of the Scarg as food?” said Jess.
“But not us.” Hickory heaved a sigh of relief.
“I don’t like to contradict you, Captain, but I think it may have changed its mind.” Jess pointed to where the monster surged through the waves toward them.
Hickory stared at the advancing monster. She raised the revolver and aimed it where she hoped a vital spot might be. Her mind was a maelstrom of emotions, and her hands trembled. “Anybody have any ideas where this guy’s brain might be, if it has a brain?” she shouted. Nobody voiced an opinion. Here goes nothing. She sent the three remaining bullets into the creature’s capitulum. It came to a halt, hesitated, then slipped beneath the ocean leaving barely a ripple.
“You got him!” said Gareth.
“Is it dead?” asked Jess.
“I doubt it,” said Hickory. “This handgun might stop an elephant, but it would hardly scratch a monster that size. More likely we surprised him.”
“That doesn’t mean it won’t become curious again. I suggest we get out of here, Cap.”
“We have to run,” said Sikona. “We’re falling behind. The way to the island is clear, but the tide will soon turn and we’ll be cut off.”
Hickory dropped the empty gun into the sea and began to sprint.
#
The crossing narrowed rapidly as the sea flooded back. The four pushed through knee-deep water and staggered onto the beach.
“Keep going,” said Hickory. “We need to get above the high tide mark to be safe.” They climbed the escarpment until they reached tufted grass and scrub that signaled the end of the sea’s domain.
“Jeez,” said Gareth, coughing up seawater. “That was unbelievable.”
They were soaked to the skin, and the wind blew bitterly cold, whisking sand into their faces.
“Those rocks up ahead will give us some shelter,” said Hickory, her teeth chattering. “Let's get out of this wind before we freeze.”
They forced their legs to carry them the short distance to the clump of boulders and flung themselves to the ground on the sheltered side. They changed into dry clothes, and Jess distributed food bars and thermal blankets. They huddled together, shivering, and devouring their rations like starving people.
When Hickory felt the warmth start to permeate her bones, she checked Gareth’s back. A few shards of amphibian teeth remained, and she removed them with the medical pliers and bandaged him up.
Hickory felt exhausted, and she wanted nothing more than sleep, but she gritted her teeth and climbed to the top of the hill to check the lay of the land. There was little to see except sand. The dunes continued for what looked like miles. She cupped her hands over her eyes and gazed into the distance. A chain of mountains stretched from one end of the island to the other, their snow-capped peaks disappearing into the clouds.
When she returned, she explained to the others what lay in front of them.
Sikona grunted. “We must cross the range to get to the southern side of the island, and we’ll need to be careful. Bikashi hunters operate throughout this area.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Scarg pelts are valuable, I understand.” He paused, shaking his head. “I’m not sure where we go once we reach the poisoned sea.”
“How long will it take us to get over the mountain?” asked Gareth.
“It’s hard to say. Four or five long treks if all were Bikashi, perhaps more for Earth people.”
Hickory wasn’t in the mood for Gareth’s protests. “We’re all tired, and it’s been a long day. There will only be two hours of darkness tonight, so wring out your wet clothes and spread them over the scrub. We’ll bury anything we don’t need before we move on tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep.”
Gareth, Jess, and Sikona nodded off almost immediately, but it took Hickory a while. The sea monster haunted her, and the panic she’d experienced resurfaced time and again. She’d almost blown it. Lucky Sikona kept a cool head. She’d learned something new about the Bikashi, and it disturbed her entrenched beliefs. Sikona had deliberately placed himself in danger to save her. Surely this isn’t typical of the species? She wished she’d spent more time researching her enemy. But there was also the matter of his dissemblance concerning the Scarg. Twice he’d indicated he knew more than he wanted to share with them. Perhaps she’d imagined it.
#
On the second day of their journey into the hills, they came upon Scarg spoor. The soil bore the signs of a common meeting ground for the gorilla-like carnivores. From the footprints, she guessed two sizable packs had recently passed each other heading in opposite directions. Must be a well-used track between the sea and the mountains. No signs of fighting. Either the two communities knew each other, or the species are benign toward others of their kind.
She used Jess’s spyglass to survey the surrounding area. “Get down,” she ordered, signaling the others to lie flat on the ground. Below them, a mile or so distant, a band of the creatures headed in the seaward direction. She figured the Scargs were too far away to spot them, but the creatures had already shown keen eyesight, and she didn’t want to take the risk. She regretted having used all her bullets on the nightmarish monster on the isthmus. I should have saved one or two. A couple of shots might have been enough to scare it off. It wasn’t like her to panic, but at least they were still alive. So far.
“They’ve gone. Let’s move.” She wrapped her cloak about her and pulled the hood over her head.
The terrain was devoid of vegetation except for patches of stubby yellow grass interspersed with low growing plants that clung to life in rocky depressions.
As the day rolled on, the wind dropped, the sun sparkled in a clear blue sky, and the temperature rose to just above freezing. They walked parallel to the tracks, but far enough away to avoid discovery should they stumble upon a traveling band. The ice and snow, so prevalent before, had all but disappeared but when evening returned, the freezing cold returned with it. They lit the camp stove and heated some water for coffee, then huddled together under their blankets to drink it.
Hickory estimated they had enough water to last a day, perhaps two if they used it sparingly. She decided against rationing because their spirits were low enough, and they needed to keep their strength up. She figured the Scarg would be faced with similar needs. If she followed their tracks, they should come across a water source sooner or later.
The next morning, her gamble paid off. A few miles north
west she spotted a copse of trees.
“An oasis,” said Jess. “Thank God.”
They approached cautiously. Behind the trees, green grassy banks surrounded a good-sized pool with fresh water bubbling up from an underground spring. Two creatures similar in size and appearance to chipmunks scuttled away from the water’s edge and fled into the surrounding trees. There were Scarg footprints around the side of the pool, but no signs of immediate danger, so they drank and filled their water bottles.
God, I could do with a wash. I must stink. Hickory sniffed her underarm. Yep. Can’t miss that. “Gareth turn your back like a gentleman. The ladies are going to take a bath.” She stripped to her underwear and waded gingerly into the shallows. The water was crystal clear but icy cold. She washed her clothes and threw them to Jess, who hung them from a branch, then joined her. “You boys can come in if you promise to keep your distance,” Hickory called, as Jess unerringly hit Gareth on the head with her wet things.
Sikona, incurious, turned his back on the Earthlings. Gareth hung Jess’s clothes over a bush, then removed his shirt and dashed into the pool. “Woohoo!” He dived and surfaced a yard from Hickory and Jess. They squealed as he splashed cold water on them. They glanced at each other then leaped at him, pushing his head under the surface. Gareth spluttered and laughed as they let him up for air. “Not fair. Two on one’s not fair.”
Hickory took a few long strokes to the center of the pool, pulled herself up on a slab of rock, and squeezed the water from her hair. It was about fifty degrees, but the air was still, and the sun felt warm on her skin. Gareth was trying unsuccessfully to catch Jess. This was the most fun they’d had since the start of the mission. She’d let it go on for a little while yet.
She watched Sikona wander off into the trees. He was a conundrum. She wondered what his life in Auriga had been like before he lost his family. It was hard to think of a Bikashi with a family. Did they fall in love, did they have a ceremony of marriage? She was willing to bet they’d have divorce, given the patriarchal society he’d described to her before. Women were treated as lesser creatures in most civilizations she’d met, even those like Earth who were supposedly emancipated. Where’s he gone? She let her empathic sense skirt the tree line until she found him. He was sitting on a rock with his hands clasped and appeared to be talking to himself. Is he praying? Do the Bikashi worship some deity? She couldn’t imagine it. Perhaps she would ask him if the opportunity arose.
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