James Axler – Gaia’s Demise

“Bushmaster,” Dean said proudly, holding up the bloody snake head for the others to see, the white fangs glistening in the afternoon light, the hollow tips moist and still dripping. “I thought of the poison, but only Jak’s blaster could carry a dose.”

“But my LeMat is more powerful,” Doc said.

“You fire miniballs, solid slugs,” Ryan explained. “The magnum was loaded with hollowpoints. Perfect for the job.”

“Just a drop of venom in each,” Dean boasted, “and a dab of mud to keep it there.”

Doc smiled. “Good call there, young Dean. And exemplary shooting, Jak.”

“Shit,” Jak said, dropping the spent shells from his blaster and rinsing the weapon in the dirty water. “Big target. How miss?”

“I’m just glad it’s chilled,” Krysty stated wearily. She looked around for a place to sit, and saw nothing.

Mildred straightened from examining the still form. “It’s snuffed,” she reported. “No doubt of that.”

Shuffling forward, the chief offered his spear to Jak. The teenager grunted in thanks, and Dean offered the bushmaster in return. It was accepted reverently, then the chief called out a series of long clicks. The surviving warriors waved their gory spears overhead and swarmed over the gator hacking it to pieces. Whether for food, or just to make sure it was really dead, none of the companions knew or cared.

“Now what?” Dean asked, rinsing his hands in the brine.

Ryan slung the longblaster over a shoulder and looked at the distant speck of green. “We start swimming.”

Chapter Ten

Reaching the shoals of the island, the companions climbed wearily over the exposed tangles of tree roots and finally reached dry land. Going inland, they found pine trees growing thick along the shoreline, the ground covered with needles. Drained, the friends dropped to the soft carpeting and fell asleep almost immediately. Ryan found himself to be the last one awake, and dragged over a rock to sit on as he took first guard duty. Hours later, Krysty awoke and relieved him at the post. Choosing a spot, Ryan lay down and finally allowed himself to succumb to exhaustion. This had been a long and hectic day.

RYAN AWOKE to the smell of coffee and roasting meat. Sitting upright, he pushed aside the blanket covering him and stared at the boxes and crates dotting the campsite.

A fire was crackling in a pit, and the carpet of needles had been cleared away from any possible flying embers. J.B. was stirring something in a pan that sizzled, and the coffeepot bubbled softly, emitting the most tantalizing aroma. On guard duty, Mildred was sitting with her back to a pine tree, blaster in hand. There was no sign of the others.

“We got our supplies back,” J.B. said in greeting, using a knife to flip over some meat in the pan. “The beetles retrieved most of the stuff from the bottom of the lake. They even found Doc’s swordstick and my hat.”

“Damn nice of them. How bad is it?” Ryan asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee. The smell alone invigorated the man. He understood how predark folks could get hooked on the brew.

Using a sock to protect his hand, J.B. took the iron pan off the fire and slid a steak onto a tin plate from an Army mess kit. “Good and bad,” he remarked, passing over the food. “The ammo is fine. The boxes are airtight, and the brass was only underwater a short while. No problem there. We got back four more grens and two Claymore mines. We found a freshwater spring inland a couple of hundred paces from here. Have to boil it first to be sure, but it reads clean.”

“And,” Ryan prompted, cutting into the meat. It was tough but edible. He guessed it was some of the gator from yesterday.

“Everything else is gone, including the last rocket launcher. We barely have enough food for another day. A lot of the MRE packs got opened when the raft was torn apart, and more floated away. I think the beetles stole some, but probably because they were pretty. Not for the food. They have enough meat to feed a whole ville for a month. The can of fuel is gone, as well as all of the medical supplies, bedrolls, rope and the tent canvas. That is our only pan. So if you want hot food with the steak, you have to wait till it’s washed.”