Page 82 of Beyond The Maples
I shrug, a smirk on my face, as I go back to wistfully staring out the window. I don't really care if Tane is grumpy. He already hates me. Making Berkley laugh is worth it.
As we crest another rolling hill, what must be the charging station pops up among the far-off dunes. Its black tin roof stands out amidst the bronzed earth.
The other buggy is further ahead. They'll reach it in a few short minutes at this rate. I wonder if their speed has anything to do with Tane needing to rid himself of Leo, and I can't help the smile that stretches between my chapped lips.
As we dip down another windswept hill, a horrifying noise rips through the silence. A fractured shriek slices through the air, stealing the breath from my lungs. Every hair on my arms stands straight, goosebumps littering my skin as I glance at Farra, who has her hands clutched over her ears.
It sounds like it’s from another world; tearing through the landscape with an unnatural echo. My own hands fly to my ears, needing to muffle the sound before my eardrums erupt, the buggy stuttering as Vera fights the urge to do the same.
"What in the underworld is that!?" I manage through my panting, the noise subsiding for a moment. Vera takes the reprieve to slam her foot down on the pedal; pushing us up the remaining hill, because now we hear another sound, one that sounds a lot more like a human scream.
"Sicari..." Vera breathes out, as her eyes meet mine in the mirror, wide with fear.
"It can't be... they've been gone for years. Haven't they?" The dread lining Berkley's words puts me further on edge. Berkley doesn't scare easily, so the way his knuckles turn white while he grips the bar in front of him, has me swallowing bile.
Another haunting wail splits the air, as I try to use whatever brain cells remain to remember whatthingcould make this noise.
It hits me right as we jump the final hill and see Tane's buggy sitting there, empty.
Tane is pulling himself up off the ground, his blades already dripping with a thick, sticky substance. In front of him is the corpse of a Sicari, an ancient arachnid with legs longer than Tane is tall. Several of its limbs are cut off and strewn about, barely visible; the translucent body blends perfectly with the coppery sand and dirt.
Tane shouts something at Leo and Tarius, who are standing frozen behind the cart. Leo screams, pointing over Tane's shoulder frantically.
To my absolute horror, I catch movement on the top of the dune behind Tane, who's still several yards from us. The ground moves and shakes, as great creatures seem to dust themselves off, emerging from their hiding places.
Their hideous forms appear half-spider, half-scorpion, their bodies elongated and darker than the almost-invisible legs. Their front legs are separate from the eight that frantically start to move themselves, long and lifted as they run, the backs of their bodies dragging in the sand. The only thing that makes them possible to see from a distance is the four black, red-tinged fangs that open to a dark, gaping mouth as they scream.
"Shit!" Vera yells, blaring her horn, hoping to divert the monstrosities descending the hill towards our crewmates.
My breath seizes in my lungs as one veers towards us, gliding along the dunes, its bulbous dark voids of its eyes locking in on us. My own eyes bulge.
"The gun!" Vera screams, and I reach behind me into the container strapped to the back, the plastic flap of the dome smacking me in the face as I struggle with the lid.
"Hurry!" Berkley hollers, his frantic voice causing the blood to pound in my ears.
Vera slams on the brakes right as I grasp the rifle from the back. She jumps out and I unzip my door, throwing her the weapon just in time. The Sicari is right in front of her now, and as she unloads the gun into its face, the blackened fangs blooming open in a curved nightmare. I grab my measly baton, scrambling and cursing everyone for only arming us with these fuckingsticks.
Our beast goes down, a clear, gelatinous liquid splatters the soft earth as it curls in on itself. Dust and dirt shiver off the fine hairs lining its legs, and a terrifying, strangled noise comes out of it as it stills. I remember the others and move towards them, but my feet fail me when I catch sight of the fight unfolding across the dunes.
Tane is alone.
Both blades in his hands, he cuts through the Sicari like they're a mere annoyance. Every swipe and stab is an artful movement, lethal with grace. The two creatures apparently work better in numbers, as they use their remaining legs together to corral Tane.
He ducks under the taller one, back arched as he slices its underbelly, drenching himself. He cuts off the other creature's remaining two legs off as he rolls to the other side, almost getting trapped in its gaping fangs as it screams. Dust and gore spray through the air. It's beautiful butchery.
With a grunt, he shoves his other blade into its side; the last Sicari making one last desperate shriek, before toppling over.
Vera barks for me to get back in the buggy, and we drive silently for the two minutes it takes to reach the rest of our group.
Chest still heaving, Tane wipes ichor from his eyes.
I look at him with a new appreciation. Until now we have only heard of the Lieutenant's lethality ––his savagery a myth among cadets. I was foolish, thinking his reputation was exaggerated. He just took on not one, butthreeSicari, without even a scratch on him. Without modern weaponry. The creatures that are said to have snuck out from the underworld; the pets of Gods, accidentally unleashed on our world. Used as lore to keep children from wandering too far into the desert. And he made it look easy.
"Show off," Vera taunts. There's a smile on her face, but an edge to her voice as she checks him over. Saying something under her breath to him and he gives her a grunt for a response. I am staring, and wonder briefly if I'm intruding on a private moment as shecleans him up, so I turn.
I look over at my friends, who are all standing, gawking at Tane. For once, none of us seem to know what to say. The shock of the attack has stunned our usually chatty group.
"Solana finally put that loud mouth of his to good use. His high-pitched screaming almost beat out the Sicari's call. You probably woke up the rest of its pack with your antics," Tane says, breaking the tension.
