Persphyni: I am Determined

18

I began moving once the first rays of sun broke through the horizon. My hope is that I can avoid the spider creatures and thus, never find out what happens if they bite me.

The sand was still cold from the night air as I gradually slid down the side of a mound and walked along the outskirts of the dunes to avoid the potential sleeping spiders. I did everything to stay quiet. I watched carefully at the ground around me. But I hadn't seen where the creatures had come from when they first started chasing me.

So when the first one popped it's brown body out of the sandwall I was about to climb, I screamed.

The sound was pure terror as I pushed my body backwards and yanked a dagger out just in time to skewer the creature. Blue ooze ran down the blade and towards the hilt as I admired the dead creature.

It was similar to what I think a spider looks like. Or what I saw in the books at least. Except, it had no eyes. It's body was covered in brown tight skin and it's eight legs twitched as it's body went into instantaneous rigor mortis. I watched as it finally stopped moving before I snapped out of my trance.

The spider couldn't see me. It didn't have eyes.

"Oh shit." I flung the creature's body off my blade, quickly wiping the blood off on pants before I resheathed my dagger. If what I think is true, then after my scream I'm going to need more than just my blades.

I started to move back, planning on climbing up a different wall and taking a wider route around the sudden sand mound of doom.

My left foot stepped back, followed by my right, then my left, then my right. My eyes locked on the wall as I kept as quiet as possible. But it didn't matter how loud I was now if they were already aware of my scent and then my scream.

I was a dead woman walking.

I took a fifth step back as the first wave of creatures popped out of the sand. They looked like brown daisies popping out of the sand. Only five times more frightening.

"Man up, you wuss." I scolded as I quickly tightened my backpack. "You're a killer damnit. This isn't scary." The next wave of creatures followed. Then another. Then another until an army of brown swarming spiders gathered around their fallen comrade. Their fallen comrade had the darkest skin and was by far the largest in size. Standing far out from the others. And when they all simultaneously turned to face me, or what looked like they were facing me, I knew I had just done a very unfortunate thing.

"Of course. Of course, I killed royalty. Shit." And then, I was a dead woman running.

I had no energy, nor any strategy to fight these creatures as I held onto my backpack and charged towards the top of a new dune. I trained to face humans, hunting animals was only slightly different, but these small things? There was no way I had enough throwing knives around my thigh.

If I didn't outrun these creatures, I was certainly not going to make the sixth sunrise.

I was across the flat stretch of the dune and up the large hill of sand when I did one of the dumbest things an individual could do when they are being chased.

I looked back.

But instead of being swarmed by the revenge-driven spiders, I saw something that nearly knocked me over.

There were red worms that were nearly black fighting with the swarm of brown spiders. The two creatures bit and snapped at the other as they fought on the flat sand. From above, they looked like ants. Two armies going to war, fighting for something against the others.

I became ensnared in the battle. My eyes flicking back forth between pairs of fighters. Blue and black blood spilled out into the earth as brown and dark red bodies fell down. The spiders worked as units. Herding together as they defended and attacked at one. The worms cornered and section spiders off on their own to leave them defenseless as they made noise in front and another struck from behind.

The ecology equilibrium had already become unbalanced since Praimfaya part two, but now I had led invasive species to one another.

It's a shame they couldn't work together. If they did, well, I don't think I would have been able to stroll away from the dune.

_______•*•*•*•_______

I made it. I made it.

My back leaned against the metal frame of the Rover as the trees towered over me. The shadow of the afternoon sun burned right overhead as it had during my travel the days before.

It was the fourth sunrise. That morning was the official deadline I had given myself to reach the Rover. Now, I needed to rest my feet then figure out how to replace these broken panels.

I took about twenty minutes to sit in the back of the Rover. The solar panels all spread out in order to examine their make up. I wasn't sure how I was going to do this. But I'd sure as hell give it my best.

_______•*•*•*•_______

I made it back to the Rover today. Fourth sunrise officially done. Now I get tomorrow to fix the Rover and then I have to be on the move.

I'm going to need a lot of help. So wish me luck.

And if I manage to get the Rover fixed, then this self-educated assassin deserves an award. Or a prize at the least.

I'll write an update tomorrow. Hopefully when I'm on the move.

In time, Bell.
Pers