She took another
bite from the tasteless ration stick and chased it with a swig of water. She
frowned at the stick. These may sustain
life but they sure as hell wouldn’t qualify for fine cuisine.
Her ears were
assaulted by an earsplitting roar. Something struck the side of the life pod
and sent it tumbling over and over. Gina was tossed around in the interior like
a rag doll in a dryer. When the craft stopped rolling it was upside down. Again
a tooth rattling roar came from outside and something struck the side of the
pod sending it rolling once more. This time she managed to grab hold of a chair
and controlled her tumble.
The ship ceased
its wild rotations with the hatch on top. Gina opened it and stormed out like
an angry hornet defending its disturbed nest. The creature she faced was the
most horrible sight she had seen in her entire young life. She estimated its
head was thirty feet above the ground. Its open jaws revealed row upon row of
sharp teeth. Two eyes, each half the size of her body, glared at her. The beast
had green tough looking hide. It had a long tail, two powerful looking legs and
smaller arms midway up its torso with deadly appearing talons.
Brushing a lock of
disheveled hair from her eyes, Gina glared at the animal. Anger and frustration
took control. She splayed her feet wide. “You will not destroy my ship you damned
ugly brute! Ever since the Men-gar I’ve been spoiling for a fight. Something to
take my aggressions out on. You’re fuckin it!” she screamed.
Fire snapped and
popped between her fingers. She pointed the digits at the beast. Flaming balls
streaked across the distance to explode in the creature’s face. It roared in
surprise and pain. Its head darted forward and its jaws opened wide. Its putrid
breath made her gag and sent her hair swirling. More fire burst from her
fingers. This time flaming balls burst deep in the beast's open maw. The roar
cut short when the creature’s jaws snapped shut to extinguish the burning
flames in it mouth.
“Take that
asshole. I may be little but I have a vicious deadly bite.”
The beast took two
steps back. She launched more fiery balls. It screamed in anguish vanishing for
a moment in a hail of intensely burning softball sized globes. The acrid smell
of burning flesh filled the air. With its entire body engulfed in flames the
creature voiced a final shriek of agony. It toppled to the side creating a huge
splash of muddy water that drenched her. The creature lay still.
Gina remained
stiffly erect for some time waiting for the it to rise. She pulled her drenched
hair back from her face. With one hand she wiped the mud from her eyes. The
sudden silence was eerie. “I think its
dead Gina,” Grant said.
“I guess that answers the question of life
existing on this planet.”
The pod shifted
under her. She gazed down and saw a huge gash in the side the creature had made.
The craft was in deeper water and it poured into the gaping hole. She leaped
back inside and in dismay saw water already sloshed across the floor. Grabbing
the four packs she climbed out, slid down the side of the rapidly sinking ship
and swam to shore.
She sat in the
sand breathing hard from exertion and the energy expended from forming her
flaming balls. The pod settled deeper and finally sunk beneath the surface. “So
much for my home.” Turning to the side, she glared at the dead animal. “Grant
we need to find shelter.” She glanced up at the sinking sun. “Soon,” she added.
“I don’t fancy sleeping here on the beach and having my slumber interrupted by
one of those.” She pointed at the dead beast.
“If you wake up before it eats you,”
Grant teased.
Gina was in no
mood for her AI’s humor. “I’m assuming you’ll remain alert and warn me before
something like that occurs. I’ll remind you that if I perish so do you.”
“I’m aware of that and will remain vigilant
while you sleep.”
“Thank you,” she
said sarcastically.
She gathered the
packs, two to an arm. “Something above the ground in the trees for tonight I
think.”
“I agree. I will help you search.”
She settled into
the branches of the selected tree. Her nightshirt was a shambles after tumbling
and rolling inside the pod. “While I’m sleeping I want you to access your
archives and look for the methods of tanning and curing hide. I’m going to need
clothes soon and that beast out there has a lot of hide I can use.”
“I will do so. You need sleep Gina. It has
been a big day.”
“Goodnight Grant.
Talk to you in the morning. Remember to wake me if danger threatens.”
“I will.”
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