Page 54 of Tattle Tail
The mornclaw hissed and jumped on him again. Its mandibles sank into his arm.
“Go! Run!” he shouted, kicking at the mornclaw trying to climb his legs. The one on his arm would not let go, no matter how violently he shook his arm.
He stumbled toward the cold remains of the campfire. Falling to his knees, he raised his arm and smashed it against the stones ringing the fire.
The mornclaw squealed and released its bite.
Joseph had no chance to celebrate his success as claws slashed across his arms and chest. He sprang to his feet and took a few more stumbling steps toward the ship.
The door was open.
Peaceable shouldn’t have left it open. She needed to be safe. He needed her to be safe. Someone would come. Marigold would realize something went wrong when they failed to arrive on Talmar, and she’d send every ship in the CayneTech fleet to search for them. Peaceable would be safe. That was all that mattered to him.
A claw caught the back of his leg. Pain flared, turning his vision black. If the mornclaws got his ankle, he’d be hobbled. As it was, he would not make it to the ship. There were too many.
Chapter 16
Peaceable
Peaceable raced to the ship. She needed a weapon. A gun? Where would Joseph keep something like that if he even had one on board? Panting, vaguely aware of the agony of her injured feet, she scanned the common area. She could spend hours searching and find nothing. Joseph needed help now.
Be creative. Be destructive. She needed something heavy enough to crack a shell.
There.
She grabbed the object and dashed outside.
Joseph grappled with a mornclaw clinging to one arm and another climbing his leg.
With both hands, she brought the geode down onto the mornclaw. The shell cracked loudly. She bashed at it again until the claws relaxed.
Joseph flung it away from him, then cradled his arm against his chest. Blood smeared across his bare chest and dripped down his arm onto the ground. She froze at the sight, unsure how to proceed. So much blood.
“Inside,” he ordered, gesturing with his good arm. “The blood will draw them here.”
She couldn’t move, still gripping the geode. Her heart pounded in her chest, her body not ready to believe that the danger had passed.
“Peaceable, we need to go inside now.” He touched her lightly on the shoulder. “I need your help.”
His tone was gentle, and it pierced the fog in her mind. She nodded. Yes, she could help.
“I only have basic training in first aid,” she said.
“We’ll figure it out.”
Chittering sounded in the undergrowth.
“Inside. Now.” His good hand grabbed her elbow, and they raced up the ramp into the ship.
Their sudden burst of speed must have excited the prowling mornclaws. They surged, scrambling up the ramp, grabbing at her feet. Joseph kicked at them, knocking a few off the ramp.
Inside, he slammed his hand against the sensor and the airlock door closed.
“I told you there was a reason this planet is abandoned,” she panted.
He clutched his arm. “Those things—”
“Mornclaws.” She had only seen one of the creatures once, in her parents’ backyard. It moved wrong, all its legs shuffling and lurching. One moment it had been aimlessly wandering through the grass, then it threw itself against the reinforced window. The barrier held, but Peaceable would never forget the sound of claws clattering and banging against the house.
