Bandits (25 page)

Daniel sized it up for weaknesses, anything that would bring it down. His eyes trailed down to its stomach and found a soft spot there. The spot beat rhythmically like a heart and of course he could always go for the eyes. Daniel held in a smile, raised his gun, and shot at the one that charged him. Its long pointed tongue whipped out to attack.

He hit his mark, and the thing fell instantly. The remai
n
ing one whipped its tongue in retaliation, but Daniel sid
e
stepped it.

“Pssss. You tink I will letz you pazz?  You will be di
n
ner,” it hissed.

“I don’t expect you to let me, but I will pass,” Daniel said as he shot at it. The beast moved quickly, and the bullet whizzed by it.

“Only one otter like you haz come. He, too, would’ve been tasty. We do not ‘ave soft flesh here. My babies will d
e
vour you,” it hissed as it slowed its pace to stalk Daniel.

Daniel faced it and moved a safe distance away from its tongue, which he suspected would poison him. They moved side to side for a few minutes, and Daniel hoped it would stick out its tongue again. Whenever he slowed, its tongue snaked out like it was hungry and couldn’t help itself for seeking out a possible meal. It eyed him closely, and as he raised his gun, it ran around him in circles. He slowed his dance with it again. The beast slowed also, and they faced off once more, circling each other guardedly.
I guess I’m going to have to play weak with it. I’ve gotta kill it before more come. The bastard looks like its waiting.

“How long ago was another like me seen here?” he asked hoping to distract the thing since it liked to talk.

“Elocs ago, but it vas bigga zen you. Meat tougher. You will be soft and juicy for my babies,” it hissed. Then it whipped out its tongue at him.

Daniel moved quickly and sliced his knife down the middle of the long pointed tongue. A throaty scream of pain came from the beast as the tongue fell to the moist ground. Blood of green poured from it, and Daniel sidestepped the spurt of blood. With no hesitation, he shot the creature in the eye during its cry. With a gurgle of pain, it fell to the ground.

Without a backwards glance, Daniel took off in a run in hopes he wasn’t too late to save Jade.

BANDITS

Jade awoke with a shudder, though she wouldn’t call what she did sleeping. The sensation of being split into a tho
u
sand pieces and floating without a body was frightening. Trut
h
fully, she didn’t want to open her eyes. She was afraid of what she’d find. Faking bravery without a bit of fear wasn’t easy, but her dad always told them, “You can be scared and brave, swa
l
low your fear and do what needs to be done.” Feeling ligh
t
headed, she
shuddered
, opened her eyes, and hopped up. A gasp escaped her lips when the bright sun
from the
strange planet temporarily blinded her. She blinked and then squinted.

Breathing hard, she pulled out the knife at her belt. She wished she had her darts, but a knife would have to do. Loo
k
ing around, she took in the tall trees
, b
lackened trunks and big brown leaves with red vines
which
stood all around her. She inhaled as she turned around slowly.

“Water?  It’s close,” she whispered.

A burning sensation swept down her arm. It felt like a sliding burn, like something moved on the map tattooed into her skin. She peered down at her forearm and let out the breath she’d been holding. A blue map that glowed like a neon light throbbed on her arm. The small red dot that held Daniel’s floating image in it moved. It slowly made a path toward a blue dot that reflected her face as it hovered still over her location. Her fear subsided slightly with the relief that Daniel wasn’t too far away, but if the tingling up her back was telling, she wasn’t alone.

Holding her knife up, ready to strike, she walked toward Daniel’s location. She couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that she was being watched, and every hair on her body stood on edge while she jerked her head around in search of danger. The twitte
r
ing sounds of the wooded area around her quieted as though even the native wildlife around feared something that was near. She gulped and turned around slowly while she walked backwards with her knife drawn. She slowly placed her hand on her gun. Taking in the blackened trunks and the squishy, marshy grass below her, she looked up as a large sleek bird flew above. It squawked loudly, and the leaves ruffled. She walked on.

Jade shrugged her shoulders to shake the feeling that som
e
thing tracked her, and quickly her neck turned. A slight
crunch
in the ground behind her alerted her that something was off. She turned around and then narrowed her eyes to get a better look at the blackened tree trunk. It was as if a rock was thrown into a puddle of black water. Ever so slightly, something rippled within the depths of the tree trunk.

“I’m so not going back that way,” she whispered to he
r
self. She started to run in Daniel’s direction. If she judged correctly, he was about a mile away. Jade hoped that whatever she’d left b
e
hind didn’t follow her. She heard something break a twig behind her, followed by the pounding sound of running - a lot of running.

“Oh, snap!” she stammered out in panic. Adrenaline from fear built in her chest. She picked up speed. She realized that whatever was running behind her was gaining, and fast
.
“Don’t look!  Don’t look.”

The thumping of running feet sounded a distance behind her. “Oh God! It’s more than one!” Frantically, she looked around for somewhere to hide, to dive, a vantage point to shoot them down. At the rate they were gaining, she knew they would catch up to her small lead in no time.

Her heart beat double time as she yanked her feet out of the muddy ground and pumped her arms faster. The swampy ground before her started to get slightly drier. She searched around in her chase and noticed a small protruding burrow. It was covered in moss and stood up a few feet, small enough for her to fit. She hoped there was nothing in there, because she was heading there, and fast. Unable to resist the temptation, she looked behind her.

Her eyes widened in revulsion at the sight. Quickly, she turned away and tried to focus on her hiding spot. The images of the ten or so hungry beasts that stalked behind her flashed in her mind. With a slide, her feet glided smoothly into the hidden burrow. Easily, she fit comfortably in place.

Her chest heaved as her heart raced. The images of the cre
a
tures that stood about a foot taller than her wouldn’t go away. Slick, shiny gray skin covered their bodies. Their massive mouths dripped saliva from long sharp white teeth and their black slits for eyes haunted her. Their long arms with claws as hands and fast muscled legs pursued her with predatory intent
.

At that moment, Jade was angry with herself. Why she gave into the temptation to look, she’d never know. The moss-like covering of her hiding place hid her snugly inside. She felt safe for the moment as her feet dangled within
.
There was a drop off in the tunnel that went beneath her feet.

She aimed and shot at the running beasts’ open mouths. Five or so of them fell, screeching in pain, and yellow blood spurted out. Her gun jammed. “Crap!”  The others came to a stop, crying out in what appeared to be fear of her gunshots.

The largest beast of the remaining squatted down. It’s his hungry gaze appeared to see past the moss-covered curtain, looking right at Jade. Staring at Jade through the moss, it slowly started tearing into the flesh of the fallen victim from her first shot. The dying beast cried out in anguish when the larger beast’s sharp pointed teeth bit, and tore off a piece of its flesh. The others began to feast on the fallen.

Jade held her gun, but couldn’t keep her hands from shaking. Moving slightly, she tried to un-jam it. She watched in dread seeing that with every bite the largest beast stared at her and then licked its tongue over its teeth. Its eyes said,
I’m p
a
tient… you’re next
.

“Aw hell!” Faulk said after spitting out the mossy grass lodged under his tongue. “I would materialize face down.” Sha
k
ing, he slapped his hand against his ear to stop it from ringing. The sound of rushing water was nearby. He figured heading that way would be best. Faulk stood as he struggled against dizziness.

“
Daniel, you
sure know how to have a good time. This makes the training from school look like a joke,” he said. His hand reached down for his weapons belt while he looked around. The ground was dry and firm beneath him. A sparse scattering of trees with wide red and green leaves stood ahead of him. He circled and observed the area where he stood and saw more trees cove
r
ing what looked like a dense, swampy forest behind him. With a shrug, he headed toward the sound of the rushing water, assu
m
ing it was a waterfall. The burning on his arm was bugging him, and he reached down and scratched it. A 3D map sprang up from his arm and came up to his eye level.

“Oh this is sweet! A map? What’s that?” he asked and poked a finger to the blinking white jewel he saw on the map ahead of a floating image of himself. “My treasure,” he whi
s
pered
.

His gut told him whatever that jewel was, he needed to get it to help Daniel save Merwin. He put his arm down, and the map collapsed. The thumping of the treasure felt like a strong pulse on his arm, but Daniel, Jade, and Nickel’s position felt hot and moved slowly like a hot knife cutting into his skin. It hurt - even burned - but after what he’d been through, he knew how to numb up
now
. No use crying about the pain, it wasn’t going away any time soon.

“Gotta move.” He continued to walk through the high grass, scanning the area. Slowly, he pulled out his gun and held it, with his other hand resting on his knife. He walked about a mile while checking his map periodically. After a while, a distinct sound bled through the rustling leaves of his surroun
d
ings.

A sweet, lulling melody of some kind filled the air around him. He gulped and slowly turned, suspicious of the sound. What he saw surprised him. He’d been expecting some kind of monster, hideous and ready to kill, but he was shocked at the sight in front of him.

An alien female being stood there, just singing beaut
i
fully. Gradually, he took in her loveliness. She had lithe, long legs, curvy hips, full chest, and skin of silver, with black arms, and face of silvery gray. Long black lashes framed her black eyes with pupils of silver. Almost hypnotically, she sang as she walked slowly toward him. He was held in place, mesmerized by her beauty and song.

Dating several different species was common in his school, and he had a weakness for the exotic ones. The desire to capture something wild and have it captivated by him was an addiction. This beautiful alien made him want her with blinding need, almost a hunger.
What beautiful diversion.

An invisible pull tugged at him. Walking toward her, he couldn’t help himself. It was as if she called and sang only for him. Her tiny fingers beckoned to him as what sounded like words of love fell from her lips. Licking his lips at the euphoria of his lust, he felt as though he was floating on air to get to her. He couldn’t move fast enough, and he wanted to wrap himself up within her.

“Uhum, ugh,” Nickel coughed
.
He
stretched
, swallowed built-up saliva, and squeezed his eyelids shut. With a deep breath, he opened his eyes quickly and waited for them to adjust. His st
o
mach held back his nausea as he clinched it tightly with his hand. Nickel pushed himself up on his knees. He sat back on his heels while he looked around. He was in a tall cavern with walls that seem to rise for a mile or more around him. They were co
p
pery in color and texture. The sound of rushing water seemed to be co
m
ing from above. Pockets of light streamed in from the top of the cave and shined brightly onto various spots around him.

“I can do this.” He stood up and glanced around. His dad had taught him to be ready for any threat, so he reached down for his slingshot. He glanced down quickly and smiled as he reco
g
nized his fire gun in his holster. His father’s warnings to not take appearances for granted vibrated through his mind. “Always be on your guard against unforeseen danger,” his dad had warned them, and his dad would know, because he was the bravest man Nickel knew. Lately, before his dad died, his dad had taught him to use his talents for the good of the galaxy and their world. Before that change of belief, all his father did was train him to be a Zukar. The last few years of his training had taught him that life was meant for greater things. He ran through all these assurances as he prepared for the challenge ahead.

I will do this. I can help save Merwin and Daniel
. The pi
c
ture of his father, smiling at him, with his long gray blond hair pulled back in a sash, filled his mind. His hand fisted as he pushed his fears down deep within, and he wouldn’t allow fear to stop him from finding his treasure. He had to do it. It would help Daniel see what their dad had been trying to tell him. His brot
h
er’s life had a better purpose than stealing for the Zukar, and he wanted to help Daniel see that.

A throbbing, burning pain called his attention to his arm. “Whoa,” he said when he noticed the neon green map on his arm, running from his small slim wrist to his elbow. He blew it to make the burning stop, but it didn’t help much. Amazed, he watched dots of different colors with floating images held within move on his arm. One of the dots was the shape of a diamond. It glowed brighter than the others and was the same color as his map. Unlike the others, this one seemed to beep, like some kind of a beacon.

“That’s it! My treasure,” he said with a frown and reached out to touch it. The map shot up from his arm and gave him a 3D view of this world and where his treasure was located.

Absorbed with the map, Nickel didn’t notice popping sounds coming from the side of the cave. Bored with the map, he looked up. His eyes widened in fear, and his heart beat faster. A ball of saliva built at the base of his throat, and he tugged at his belt. He grabbed his gun. The gun his father bought for him didn’t use bullets, but the electrical shots from it would knock its victim out. If they were big enough, they would walk away - eventually. Rodents and small beasts never did. Nickel held it tight and steady, well  - almost steady, like his dad taught him. Backing away from the large bugs that were half his size, his body tensed as they filled the cave. They were slick, brown, and had bulging red eyes that protruded from their faces. Four legs carried them quickly as they scurried from the tunnel on the opposite side of the cave. About twenty or so of them came at him, and they looked hungry.

Raising his gun, he shot the first one. Its body shook and smoked from the electrical shot. Gray pus came out of one of its eyeballs, and it went lifeless as it fell to the floor of the cave. The remaining bugs scattered as if frightened. Nickel frowned at their reaction. He’d thought they were after him.