Against all odds (Reg Slivko - Thomas Mann Fic)

There's a lot out there

"No, no, Mills!" Cole tried to grab him, but Mills was out of his reach. Cole pointed up his rifle, but he couldn't shoot without hurting Mills. "I can't get a shot!"

Mills took a knife from his belt and start cutting the strings that pulled him up to the spider mouth.

Around them, the legs of the spider threatened to crush them with each movement of the insect.

"Cut the legs! Cut it off at the legs!" said Cole aware of it and pulled out his machete.

Meg freed herself of Randa's arms, took a machete that was been drop, and cut off two legs of the spider that were near her. The severed legs gave off a viscous, smelly liquid that stirred Meg's stomach. The spider staggered and Mills managed to get loose off its strings. Immediately, the soldiers pointed their guns upwards and began shooting again.

"I got you!" Cole dragged Mills while the spider crumbled making creepy noises.

It was the most horrible think Megan ever saw. It had some huge purple eyes that seemed tumors. And when Packard approached and shoot at it, Its eyes exploded and she threw up.

It seemed that not even war prepare you for something like that. Mills has sat on a stone with an eye injected with blood, pretty much in shock. He was sweating like a pig and was covered with the entrails of the insect.

"Well done Slivko's girl," Cole told her taking off his helmet.

Megan shook her head and took the water bottle that Cole offered her. «This place is hell,» she thought, still holding the machete tight, feeling  empowered.

Meanwhile, Slivko and his group, advanced through the humid and warm jungle. Luckily, they had not suffered any mishap; they had not met up with the gorilla or crossed paths with any other unpleasant creature. That had worried Slivko; what other vermin lived there? It was pure mathematics: if a gorilla was that size, how big would be an ant, a worm, a cockroach, or a spider? Rule of Three Simple. The possibilities were terrifying. «Or maybe the gorilla is the only thing out of place,» he thought. The idea relieved him, but the memory of the accident left him with a bitter taste. He went over and over again the chain of events that had led him to that island. If he had done anything differently, he thought, Meg would not be there. He was convinced that if he had answered her letters, she wouldn't have got involved with LANDSAT; and now, she would be in the comfort of her home, safe, and waiting for him. But no, he had to act like a jerk, and now she was lost in that creepy island.

The jungle had darkened places by the dense vegetation mix with clearings. At times, it became so obscure that the temperature seemed to drop. But then, the trees grew so separate allowing the sun to shone on them and make them sweat. It was as if the day and the night passed at great speed.

They had just come out of one of those dark places when they came across a wall of stone bricks. The construction was decorated with geometric yellow paintings and the plants had grown on it. It look as if have just survived an earthquake. The group moved forward examining the place. Slivko had his rifle ready; he had seen enough horror movies to know that an old construction in the middle of nowhere wasn't a good sign.

Everything was calm. There was no wind rocking the leaves of the trees, no flies buzzing in their ears. The sun shone through the trees and you could see dust particles dancing in the air. Suddenly, something moved around them. They joined their backs forming a circle, and pointed their guns towards the walls.

Slivko looked to one side and another, he sense that something was moving but couldn't identify what it was. He fixed his eyes on a point and saw them: They were people. It seemed like if they had been detached from the walls. Their skins were grey and had the same yellow geometric painting. It was an amazing camouflage.

"Everybody stay calm," Conrad said.

But that was a hard task. The natives advanced pointing them with large and sharp spears. They came from several points and had surrounded them.

"Stop, stop, stop" Slivko tried to get them away.

"Nobody shoot! Nobody shoot!" Conrad said.

Slivko had his rifle pointed right to the forehead of one of the natives, a woman native. He could shoot her in a second and the bullet will penetrate her skull before she even noticed. Slivko's muscles went tight and his hands trembled.

"No. No. No. No need for that" a man said coming out of the jungle. "Everybody, keep your wigs on now!"

The man looked more normal. He had a thick white beard and a tanned skin tone. Was dressing in a vintage military uniform and speaking English.

"What?" Slivko shook his head and tried to understand what the hell was that man doing there. It was so unreal.

"I didn't believe it when they said you were coming," the man said. "I was up all night just thinking about how me and Gumpei dreamed off this moment. And now here it is. Twenty-eight years, eleven months and eight failed attempts to get back to the world... and instead, the world comes to me?" He seemed move.

"Did you crash here?" Weaver asked attacking ends.

"Sorry miss. Lieutenant Hank Marlow of the 45th" the man made a military salute. "I told you, it's fine!" said then turning to the grey and yellow people and they put down their spears. "There we go."

Slivko also put down his rifle. His muscles soften but he was still shaking and sweating.

"There's something out there man," he said stress out by the situation.

"Oh, there's a lot out there" Marlow answered and Slivko's fears become real. "Now, come on. We gotta get home. You don't wanna be out here at night."