Vanished (3 page)

With a quick shake of her head, she put the gun away and hobbled to shaky legs.
She pressed a hand to the back of her head and squeezed her eyes closed. Her mouth popped open, and she stretched her jaw down, trying to relieve the pressure in her brain. When her antics failed, she gave her head another sharp shake and gathered her pack.

In a
smooth motion she slung the pack over her shoulder and grabbed the hilt of her knife to reassure herself it was still in place.

Relieved, she pressed forward. The path to the men still clear in her mind, she started on her way.
Deciding she should pull her pistol just in case, she couldn’t help her annoyance at her slick hand. Wiping the dampness on her thigh, she gasped at the crimson smear. Her eyes swept to her knife and realization set in. The blade had dug through the sheath and into her flesh, likely when she landed. She hadn’t noticed through the pain already shrieking for her attention.

Focused on the damage, she took the blade from its spot in her belt and ran a hand along the injury
on the top of her thigh. Blood stained her dusty, damaged suit, and she pulled at the material to see how bad it was.

The rustle almost escaped her notice. A soft sound tugged her gaze, and she held the knife at the ready.
A small dog popped from the bushes, emitting a pitiful cry and a sad whine. The red-brown creature with short fur seemed to have three heads. She knelt, reaching out a hand.

“
Aww, come here, boy.” The small creature stumbled toward her and something nagged her mind. A three headed dog… she’d heard this story somewhere. Earth lore spoke of a three-headed dog that guarded the gates of….

A gasp caught in her throat and she jumped to her feet as the memory came back. She turned and sprinted away, ignoring the pain in her chest. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she watched the creature grow, and grow, and grow.

He towered over her, paws the size of her kitchen in her single quarters, smashed the ground as he raced after her. Between his feet, a glowing portal gaped, revealing a sight she didn’t want to see. Turning forward, she tried to shut the image of her death from her mind as she flew through the grasses, praying there would be no more lions.

There’s no way I can outrun it!
Firm control took over her mind, her panic melting away. Death was sure if she let her fear rule her thoughts and actions. She scanned the random bursts of grass and trees. Changing course, she dodged the creature that gained on her with every step.

P
utrid dog breath fouled the air, the scent of death and rank milk souring her gasps. The ground underfoot jolted under the giant dog’s paws. Thinking quickly, she changed course and darted alongside him. Before he could stop and turn, she sprinted away. 

With her last burst of energy, she hoped her plan would work
. She dashed between trees, the dog snapping at her back. She dove forward. Her scream smashed the ground as she rolled, her ribs and wrist throbbing. The roll deposited her on her feet. She rose with a slow, smooth motion, turning to see if her plan had worked. Trees creaked and groaned as the three headed dog, trapped between them, snapped at her and struggled.

She
turned and ran off, her lungs burning. Making her way along the path she remembered from the datapad, she hurried forward, wondering if the trial was almost over.

Her body ached, protesting the
injustice she’d put it through. Still, she pressed on. Failure wasn’t an option. She’d come this far, she wouldn’t duck out now. Trotting along the path, she didn’t dare stop to get out the water to sate her thirst.

The sun dipped toward the horizon and she considered. If she stopped, she had to risk the demon dog getting free and sniffing her out in the middle of the night.
It seemed smarter to go along with what she assumed she was supposed to. Find Dax and Kred, and figure out the rest of her trial.

The wind hurried across the grasses, bending them and bringing her the
sweet scent of apples. Needing a break, she scaled the nearest tree and hung the pack off a branch. She opened it and took out the water. Pulling the cap free, she swallowed several greedy gulps. The cap slipped from her hands to the ground, and she sighed. Careful on her way down, she dropped to the dirt to grab it.

Turning to climb back up absentmindedly, she realized the branch was warm to the touch and jerked her attention to the tree. The thing stared at her with overlarge eyes
bulging from its trunk. Swallowing a scream and the worry she’d gone mad, she backed away. A rock grabbed her foot and she sprawled backward into the dirt. The tree pulled at its roots, as if struggling to get free. Eel-like roots wiggled as it yanked. Dirt and pebbles flew from the force, the dark scent of soil filling the air.

Her pack
still dangled from its branches. She squeezed her eyes shut before scrambling to her feet. As the tree’s roots pulled free of the ground, raining rocks and dirt in their wake, the thing lurched forward, racing at her. Without a second’s hesitation, she sprinted off.

The ground shook as the tree chased her.
What the hell do I do? A tree is chasing me! What the fuck?

Fury and confusion melted together in her mind and she did what came naturally; she ran
.

An odd, cold dot splattered on her face. Then another on her chest. The heavens opened up and let loose a torrent
of rain.

Darkness descended on her, the clouds giving the impression of nightfall. A clap of thunder cracked overhead, rolling like the growl of a predator
. She wanted, more than anything, to cover her ears. Deafened, she plunged onward. The dirt underfoot darkened, becoming sticky mud and stole her balance.

“Damn it, you won’t stop me! I swear I’m going to make it through this!” As if in attempt to drown out her words, a flash of lightning and thunder split the skies, the bolt blinding her. The electricity crackled and popped, crashing into the ground mere feet from her. The acrid scent of fire choked her, burning in her throat and nose.

A cough blazed through her chest; her ribs screamed in agony. The air lit up as lightning crashed. The booming burst of thunder forced her to clap her hands over her ears as she raced along. Her wrist ached; tears
springing to her eyes. Blue sparks resonated around her, popping and cracking. Achingly large raindrops pelted her. Throwing a quick glance over her shoulder, she ducked at the tree swung at her.

With a squelching sound, her foot caught in the mud. She fell forward, crying out as her hands broke her fall, agony jolting from her
wounded wrist up her arm. A quick yank pulled her foot free. The cold mud threatened to swallow her as she rolled over. Yanking her knife from her belt, she rolled from the roots that slammed into the mud where she’d been seconds ago.

She jumped to her feet,
desperate for firm ground. Roots caught in the mud, the tree tried to face her. Red, furious eyes locked on her. With a vicious yell, she leaped at the conifer, sinking her blade into its eye. Clear fluid sprayed her, warm in the chill of the air.

Holding her blade, her weight dragged it down into the bark. The tree fell back, its roots pulling free of the mud with a sick suction
shlurp
. Unable to hold on any longer, she let go of the handle of her knife and dropped to the ground. Her feet hit, pain lancing up her legs and she fell. Scuttling backward, she watched the tree slam into the mud.

She rose to shaking legs, gazing up at the sky. “There is
nothing
you can do that will break me!” Thunder clapped and she
felt
the flash. The pop and crackle of the lightning blazed over her flesh. Tingling agony exploded through every cell of her body.

Her scream pierced the air and she fought the pain. The light retreated, leaving her to fall to her knees. Through the pain sizzling through her blood, a thought edged into her mind.

I’m not dead. I won’t quit until I’m dead.

She hesitated, then stumbled to her feet
. Despite random twitches of her muscles, she pressed on. She’d make it to where the men were supposed to be. Failure was not an option. The rain slammed her, attempting to pummel her into the ground. Mud suckered her feet, dragging her down, but she fought forward. Lightning lit up the air in random flashes touching the ground around her, but she hardly noticed through the torture.

Focus eliminated all else from her mind. If she failed this round, she would be disqualified and wouldn’t get to make the trip to Earth. When the rain stopped, the sudden silence pressed in on her mind in a maddening fashion. A brisk wind kicked up and she dully wondered what they’d come up with next. While they couldn’t outright kill her, they could absolutely manufacture s
omething that could kill her. In the condition she was in she wasn’t sure how much fight she had left.

The pressure of each breath screamed in her lungs, and her wrist radiated pain through her arm up to her shoulder.
The wind pushed her forward, and she let it cradle her. Mud still tried to steal her footing. Her toe snagged in the muck, pulling her forward. The icy water splashed around her. Face dripping with silt-gritty liquid, she considered not getting up.

A nasty voice in her head spoke up.
Yeah, quit. Prove that a woman can’t make it through the physical trials. One person can’t turn the tide of a body of people.

Anger surged through her
blood, and she got to her feet. Mud rained off her and coursed down the stained bodysuit. The once white material, bloody and torn, seemed symbolic somehow but between the agony and exhaustion, she couldn’t draw the connection.

Her
powder-white skin, now stained a musty red-brown, almost seemed like it belonged to someone else. Though she’d hated being tormented as an albino, right now the sense of self would have been a comfort.

The horizon beckoned her gaze, and she studied the moon slipping up into the star-clad sky. Her chin quivered while icy wind crashed over her in droves. Grasses flattened, offering her a clear view of her goal. Bright sparks flashed orange, flickering in the moonlit ebony darkness.

Suspicious of the small favor, she pushed forward, drawing her pistol. Resting her left wrist on her right forearm – careful to avoid the swollen, angry injury – she blinked rapidly and crept forward. Each step ached through her very core. Mud sucked at her feet; wind tugged her, then pushed against her frame.

She reached the edge of the little camp and hesitated. The men were silent, as if reminiscing the events of their day.

“I can’t believe we left Zoltan behind.” The speaker stared into his cup, his dark head bowed.  Papria tensed. The burly men were typical military stock, powerful boys with plenty of brawn and even more dangerous brains.

The other spoke. “I’ll never forget his face, man. We fucked up.” Both nodded, their hunched shoulders drooping in harmony.

The first took a deep pull of his drink, his eyes flicking to hers. In an instant, he was on his feet, gun drawn. His partner followed suit. Pushing forward into the camp, Papria spoke.

“I’m on your side, boys.”

The males, different as the sun and the moon, glared at her. Dark hair and eyes on one, light on the other, focused on her with more than a hint of suspicion. Unsure how to prove herself she lifted her gun to the side, aiming it at the sky. With a slow motion, she put it in the holster, keeping her eyes on theirs.

“You’re our backup?” The dark one eyed her.

“Yes. You are Dax and Kred.” She waited for them to respond to their names. The dark one’s gaze shot to her first, affirming he was Dax.

“They sent a woman?” Two
sets of expectant, incredulous eyes locked on her face, studying her. Refusing to falter under their scrutiny, she straightened up and squared her shoulders. Tilting her chin up, she watched them.

The dark one relented first, dropping his pistol to its holster in a smooth, practiced move while straightening up.
He settled his feet shoulder-width apart, flashing her a charming smile while Kred followed suit.

“Well, you look like hell, but we’re glad to see you.” Dax settled back to his spot alongside the fire.
Tugging her rifle off her chest, she placed it on a log alongside Dax.

The small camp boasted several safe spots to sit on fallen, decaying logs. Pops and crackles of the fire threw acrid smoke into the air,
and something nagged her. Something wasn’t right. Why weren’t they healing her?

They should have been tripping all over themselves to coddle her as men did. Why was the need to protect her absent from their reactions?
They should have been crippled by her pain. 

A bit of joy surged through her. The trials were acting as if she were an equal
. The men saw her as one of them, not as a weak woman to be guarded and treated as a pet. Through the blinding relief of being measured, pound by pound, as powerful as these creatures, something else tickled the edges of her thoughts. Why would they have a fire, a clear beacon of their whereabouts for all predators in the vicinity?

“Water?” Dax offered her a small cup. She took it, wondering why he wouldn’t meet her glance. With a steady hand, she tilted the cup at her lips, drawing a deep gulp of the sour drink. She spit the fluid into the fire and the mist blazed in a plume of yellow orange sparks.