Colonization (The Seamus Chronicles Book 3) (9 page)

It was about ten hours after we moved down river that the calls for coffee began. Francisco had sobered up first and it was not a pretty sight. He couldn’t hold down water and had cold sweats and the shakes. Cassandra and I were concerned that it might be another reaction to the water but Francisco assured us it was a hangover, just the worst one he’d ever had.

Since Liam was the last one to ingest the narcotic water he was just getting high while the others were going through withdrawals. In his drunken state he confessed to me that it was not the first time he had been drunk and that he and his friends were sneaking beers in the ninth grade.

Cassandra was nice to everyone but she really focused her attention on her mother. I had the impression that she was mad at me but then realized that I didn’t really care. Once I stopped obsessing about it her attitude seemed to improve.

“So what’s the plan genius?” She asks me with a condescending tone.

On my way here the plan was clear. Retrieve Jane and Cassandra and go back to the fire circle. But now instead of five of us there are twelve and we won’t be bringing much food.

In addition to the extra food we didn’t know about the river. I’m not sure how the river changes things but something inside tells me that it does. I really wish Dad were here, he could make a call in just a few minutes. Do I bring our group here or this group there?

“We didn’t know about the river. I feel like that changes things but I don’t know how.” I answer, but it’s kind of an irrelevant thought.

“That’s a statement, not a plan.” Cassandra points out, not gently.

“Were you able to salvage the reactors?” I try and shift the subject.

“No. The warp unit sheared off with the wings, the sail unit must have dropped on impact.” She’s already thought about them, which is a good sign.

“The spare?” I ask.

“Under water, probably damaged from the crash.” She replies.

Suddenly the ground starts to shake and a loud rumbling can be heard. The trees are swaying vigorously and some leaves are even falling. My face goes pale and I lower myself to the ground for balance and stability.

Cassandra smiles at me as if this were some kind of joke. Her reaction is more calm but still cautious. She slowly drops to one knee and places both hands firmly on the ground.

After almost thirty seconds of shaking and rumbling everything is still and quiet. I give a deep sigh of relief and look around to make sure that everyone is okay.

“First earth quake?” Cassandra asks.

“We’ve had a few already, but not as strong or as long. And by the way, we’re not on Earth anymore.” I smirk, keeping our tradition of snark.

“Fine, was this your first ‘this planet’ quake?” She counters.

“My Dad named it Locus and that has sort of stuck with the rest of us.” I suddenly miss my dad tremendously.

“Latin for ‘opportunity.’ Works for me.” She replies and I am jealous that she knew what it meant.

From the jungle comes a rustling that is distinctly different from the quake a few moments earlier. Part of me wants to see what is making the commotion, the other part is scared to death that it’s the last thing I would ever see.

In addition to the leaves and trees moving there are other sounds. Clicks and whirs start to echo all around us. They sound almost mechanical but I can’t pick out a rhythm or pattern in the cacophony. Are they making noise in reaction to the quake or have they just noticed us?

“How far is your camp?” Cassandra looks frightened for the first time since we have joined up.

“Quite a ways, but we should head out soon.” I agree with her thinking completely.

“Have you heard these noises before?” She accuses me without saying so.

“Just before we got to the river we heard some rustling. Liam and I freaked out and ran so we didn’t get to investigate.” I tell the truth even though I want to lie.

“Lets give Liam another hour and then we’ll head out. I’m going to try and collect some supplies.” Cassandra gets to her feet and takes a step in the direction of the plane.

The rustling intensifies and Cassandra stops dead in her tracks. While she is still there is almost no sound at all.

Cautiously she takes another step and the jungle erupts in sound. Her movement stops but I cannot see her face. I stare intently at her back, looking for the rise and fall of her breath but see nothing. After what seems like an eternity I see her inhale and exhale slowly but other than that she is perfectly still.

“Seamus, do you have any ibuprofen or anything?” Liam hollers at me from the water’s edge.

The noise from the bushes along the river is deafening. My hands go to my ears and I tuck my chin into my chest. My body is tense and I’m waiting for a searing pain to indicate that an alien creature has attacked me.

Several minutes later my hands come down and the noise recedes off into the jungle.

“Did anyone see anything?” I call out, hoping that we have a visual on these creatures.

Pained looks are all I receive in response. Even absolute terror cannot jolt them from their hangovers.

“At least we know that loud noises scare them off.” Liam smiles weakly.

“Your hour is up. We are leaving now.” Cassandra says in reply.

Francisco doesn’t remember our camp at all. But even hung over he is the intelligent, resourceful person I would have expected. It doesn’t take him long to find the trail we followed here and he slowly leads the banged up group up the switchback and off into the underbrush.

Cassandra and I go back to the plane to gather supplies. They were so careless with the food it kills me. There are partially opened packages of crackers laying on the ground and vacuum-sealed bundles of jerky unopened under random pieces of cardboard.

I wade through the stream and climb into the remnants of the plane. Inside is a total wreck. It appears as though the restraints for the pile of supplies failed during their landing. The load not only shifted, but scattered. It’s no wonder that they could not find bottles of water or the tools needed to open some of the provisions. But it’s all here, we just need time to collect it.

Now is not the time, however. I’m searching for a bag or a pack of some kind. Cassandra is outside filling mine with whatever food remnants lay discarded. She was disgusted with the idea that someone would have to eat a half chewed protein bar, but when the alternative was clear she got onboard quickly.

Once I have climbed over the clutter I scramble up the stairs to the cockpit. Pilots are planners and there is a good chance that one of them had a go bag stashed in the cockpit with them.

Being inside provides a feeling of safety and security that is refreshing. For a moment I wonder why they were all outside waiting when they could have remained in the shelter of the plane. The bead of sweat that runs down my cheek and drips off my chin gives me the answer.

Even in the cooling water the plane is exposed to the harsh rays of the sun. It’s aluminum skin absorbing the heat and creating an oven inside. My guess is that it’s over one hundred degrees in the cockpit. I can’t believe that we didn’t bring some thermometers to get accurate temperature readings.

Slung over the back of the pilots seat is a brown camouflaged rucksack. It looks full and when I go to lift it I find that it is far heavier than I anticipated. I flip open the top and look inside. There are four bottles of water, several protein bars and a blanket tucked down one side. Peaking from the folds of the blanket I can see the black steel of a gun.

The adults had a drawn out debate about bringing weapons. A simple majority did not feel that weapons made sense in space. Those in favor of weapons acknowledged concern about weapons in space but felt there may be a need for them on the new planet.

In the end the weight argument won out and weapons were not packed as part of our supplies. I’m guessing that there was no stance on individual decisions to bring a weapon, or at least if there was it did not go heeded.

I don’t know that meeting an alien race with lethal force would set the best foundation for civility. But I do know that being eaten by an alien on first encounter would not be a good way to start out on a new planet either.

The decision to keep the gun in the rucksack is made with my self-preservation instinct winning out. I heft the pack onto my shoulders and set off down the stairs.

As I wade through the water towards shore I can see Cassandra using her toe to move some debris aside. I’m not the hardiest outdoorsman but she is going to have to toughen up.

“Seamus this is so gross. I can’t touch half of this stuff. They were just, you know, going anywhere they wanted.” Her nose is wrinkled and I can see her gagging while she scans the ground around her feet.

“Here” I hand her bottled water once I am close enough. “Lets just get moving and catch up with the others. Being separated is a worse idea than leaving behind some spoiled food.”

While she drinks I survey the ground and find out how right she was. We are standing in a veritable cesspool. My gag reflex kicks in and I vomit profusely, adding to the disgusting smattering of waste around us.

“Oh Seamus!” Cassandra calls out and turns away from me.

I heave again and she starts walking away from me. Seeing my pool of liquid and bile I realize that I have not eaten anything solid in almost a full Earth day. Loosing the few nutrients that I had in my stomach will make it tough to have the energy I need to walk back to camp.

Another wretch rolls up in my stomach but I am able to keep it back. Even though I am feeling sluggish I step lively out of the mess and I catch up with Cassandra. She reaches out a hand that’s holding a sleeve of crackers and I take one gladly.

“Thanks.” I mumble through the dried crumbs in my mouth.

Her head nods but she does not speak. I take a quick step to get next to her. but as I look around to see her face she turns away. A sniffle and the back of her hand across her cheek give her away. She’s crying.

“Seamus I’m not cut out for this. I have a thousand allergies and I ate the same foods at all three meals for like four years. I’m grossed out by squished bugs and bird poop on the windshield. I can’t clean up after other humans.” Her tears are flowing and her cheeks are flushed.

My first thought is that the tears are bad, she needs to stay hydrated. But then I think about her emotions and remember that I need to connect at the human level.

“It’s okay, none of us are really cut out for this. We just have to do our best.” I completely understand her point and agree with her but I don’t say so.

“But the reason that I’m crying is that I thought I would do better than you. And I was wrong even about that! Why do you always get to win?!” She’s not just sad, she’s angry.

It kind of pisses me off that we are fighting for our lives and she’s mad that I am doing better keeping it together than she is, for now. If she wants to keep score I would say there are several years of advanced study at NASA Ames I could put in her column. But I’m not one to keep score, so I hold my tongue.

“I may not be the best source of advice, but I’ll tell you what works for me. Don’t worry about anyone but yourself. I’ve been jealous of people and I think that’s normal. But I don’t usually compete with people so the only person that ‘beats’ me is me.” That may not be entirely true but it sounds sage.

“You’re right, you are not someone to get advice from.” She flashes me a smile that I choose to see as grateful and then we pick up the pace so we can catch the others.

We’ve been trudging through the jungle for hours. There are occasional spurts of banter and the activity seems to be helping people sober up. Spirits are not high or low, we’re all just moving on to the next thing.

I’m concerned with the reception we are about to receive. Food was a major issue with just the survivors from our plane. Now there are more mouths to feed but no new food sources to do it with.

The sun is setting and in a couple of hours we will be able to walk out along the water line without melting. We may need to make this move before the ideal time, though. I had no idea how dehydrated everyone would be from intoxication. All of the water bottles that were in the rucksack were drained an hour ago.

It’s easy to tell who has experience with hangovers and who doesn’t. Those who understand the issue walk quietly and only snap for quiet. The non-drinkers moan and complain about headaches and the worst feeling of their lives.

I’m glad alcohol was never part of my life. These people were taken by surprise; it was not a choice to get drunk. Back home I know there were people who got to this state on purpose and I wonder if that’s why our planet was destroyed so easily.

“Seamus, my mother really needs some water. Didn’t you say there was a lake or something? I think we should go there now and fill the water bottles.” Cassandra still doesn’t understand the situation we are in.

I say nothing and keep walking. I’ve already explained to her how powerful the suns radiation is and when it will be safe to go to the lake, her mother’s thirst does not change those facts.

“How can you be so inhumane? Are you seriously holding a grudge while we’re trying to survive?” Cassandra is trying to goad me into her desired action.

Up ahead one of the McMurdo people slumps down to a knee. It is controlled, barely, but not graceful. They physically cannot go on. I notice that it is one of the people who did not complain and took the fewest sips of water. Gwen is her name, I think.

“Hold up guys.” I call out to the line in front of us.

Muttered phrases of gratitude are spoken and the group collapses to the jungle floor. Hands go to aching heads that hang low. At least one person turns behind a leaf and dry heaves.

“How much further?” Gwen asks me.

“Hold on.” I’m walking the line of people and counting heads. We can’t afford to lose anyone.

When I confirm that all eleven are present I return to Gwen and give her a once over. She is thin and fit with leathery skin of the type that has spent many hours outdoors. My guess is that she is in her mid-fifties, older than my mom for sure.

“Tough to say how much farther. My guess is three to five hours. But it’s mostly flat and easy travel.” I answer her earlier question.

“It could be an escalator and some of us wouldn’t have the strength to stand on it. We need to stop here for a few hours. Where’s the nearest water?” Gwen’s control is impressive because her discomfort is clear.

“Water is probably a ninety minute round trip.” I say, looking off in the direction of the lake.

“That far?” Her eyes are defeated, though she doesn’t say anything negative.

I should go to the lake and fill the water bottles. I’ve dealt with the blisters from exposure before; I can deal with it again. But the four water bottles wouldn’t really make a dent in the thirst of twelve people; Cassandra and I can go without.

“I’m not sure we could all make it. The underbrush is thick and it was exhausting to get through when I was fresh.” The truth is I was never fresh trying to get through the underbrush, but I want to make it clear to her how hard the trek would be.

“I’ll go.” Liam is standing beside me, offering to push himself even further past the breaking point.

“No. We don’t have enough water bottles for it to matter, and in your state you wouldn’t make it there, let alone back.” I’m not letting my brother risk his life when it feels like the others are freeloading.

“That rucksack on your back is waterproof. You can fill it with water.” One of the guys I don’t know speaks slowly. “And trust me, it holds plenty.”

All eyes fall on me. A physical task is required to save lives and it is up to me to complete it. I’m scared, what if I’m not strong enough to carry a rucksack full of water back through the thick underbrush? My brain is what gets us out of problems, not my back and my muscles.

Do they hate me because I don’t take action immediately? Are they wondering if I’m considering if they’re worth it? It’s not a question of worth; I’m not cut out for physical chores.

Those thoughts echo in my head. When Cassandra said them I lectured her. We are all cut out for survival, if we weren’t we’d already be dead. Not only can I do this, I must do this.

While I go over non-existent options in my mind I survey the trees around us. There needs to be a distinct physical feature I can use to find my way back here. Going for water and getting lost would not help.

“Okay. I’ll go but I could use some help figuring out how to mark this spot so I can get back.” I’m buying time but I don’t know what for. For the first time ever I realize that buying time for myself is a habit. Interesting.

We stand in silence for a bit. Instead of looking at the area for a distinguishing object people look hopelessly at one another.

Liam begins to take off his shirt and I want to yell at him. How can being bare chested help him think? He’s probably showing off for Cassandra and just picked a terrible time for it.

“How many miles of string do you think are in a shirt?” He asks while he inspects the hem.

In silence the rest of the line looks down to the hems of their shirts. It’s a good idea, but even if there are miles of string, I don’t know how we will unravel it.

“Here!” A woman I don’t know calls out. She is unraveling her shirt and her hands are moving quickly.

The others continue to search their own clothes for strings. The quiet focus seems to help take their minds off of being dehydrated. I empty the rucksack of everything other than the water bottles. The gun is tucked into my waistband and it gives me a sudden charge of confidence.

Jane grabs the blanket and starts looking for a string to pull. I put my hand on her hands to stop her. There should be enough with a few shirts and I think we are going to need the blanket when the temperature drops tonight. She stares up at me blankly and then shrugs her shoulders and stops.

“Ready?” I say, turning to Cassandra.

“I’m not going with you.” She answers defiantly.

“I need you to carry the bottles. There is no way I can lug the rucksack on my back and get the bottles back too.” Even if I could I don’t want to travel alone.

“Don’t be a jerk Seamus. You don’t need me.” She remains stubborn.

“I’m not. It’s a lot to carry and it doesn’t make sense to go off alone. We need to stick together and you are the only other one capable of making the journey.” I’ve netted out the logic and she doesn’t have much to argue about.

“Dear.” Jane says her one word that seems to hold so much sway over Cassandra.

“Fine. I’ll take the string so you don’t screw it up.” She snarls at me.

Cassandra and I make reasonable time to the edge of the jungle. Liam and I could have gone faster, Cassandra is overly detailed with the string. Not only does she test it every few feet to make sure it’s not broken, she weaves it in and out of branches to keep it as straight and efficient as possible.

Standing on the moist soil of the lakebed I look back into the jungle. I imagine a rag tag string of cloth running through the trees. In my mind it looks like an old kite tail with bits of fabric tied in bows along a string. In reality, I’m not sure we even needed more than a single shirt to cover the distance.

Cassandra ties the string to the stem of a leaf and proceeds to zigzag some extra length around other leaves. It’s clear that she does not want to lose sight of our marker. I forget that she has not done this yet but I hold my tongue about the footprints we leave guiding us back.

The sun has almost set but it is still scalding hot. The water has receded some but we don’t have to go far from the jungle to get to it.

We cover the distance in silence.

When we reach the water I see a smile creep across Cassandra’s face. She drops to her knees and scoops a handful of water to her mouth. Then she splashes some on her face and pours a few handfuls over the back of her neck.

“Oh my god. This is unbelievable.” She says looking up at the sky.

I don’t stop in the dry; I walk several paces into the water and drop the rucksack. Falling forward I face plant with a splash and it feels so good. I was so focused on getting here and making sure that Cassandra contributed I forgot that we were both running on empty, and needed this water as much as the group we left in the jungle.

Cassandra continues to quench her thirst and I have taken several large mouthfuls of water. The water bottles are dumped out of the rucksack and float aimlessly on the water. With no breeze and no current they don’t try to get away. The cap is unscrewed from one and I fill it with water.

Once the cap is back on I turn to Cassandra and call to her, “Heads up!”

I toss the full water bottle gently towards her and it lands with a splash about two feet in front of her.

“Jesus Seamus, be careful. We need all the bottles we have.” She likes to lecture.

The other three bottles are filled easily and Cassandra lines them up at the waters edge.

I open the top of the rucksack and scoop water with it. The water is shallow here and the mouth of the bag drags along the bottom. As a result I only get the bag two thirds full. Pouring the water out I change my stance before trying again, the results are worse this time.

“Stop messing around and lets get going.” Cassandra isn’t thinking about the problem.

“The water isn’t deep enough here. I have to go further out to fill it.” It’s hard not to bicker with her when she starts like this.

“Fine, then go. I don’t want to waste time standing around here.” She’s annoyed even though I am doing the most work.

I start walking out further into the lake but it is receding quickly. I don’t want to stop and try to fill the sack too soon; it would be a frustrating waste of time. Using one of dad’s tricks I decide to take one hundred steps before I stop and try.

The bag is opened at step ninety and is plunged under water exactly at one hundred. Lifting with my hands around the top opening the bag comes out of the water completely full, and weighing a ton.

I heft the straps onto my shoulders and turn to head back to Cassandra. She’s standing tall with her hands on her hips and head tilted ever so slightly to her right. I’m sure she’s annoyed with me and thinks I was messing around, but who cares. It’s surprising how far back she is but all I have to do is put my head down and set off.

Behind her and high in the sky is another first for this planet. A cloud. I point to it but she refuses to turn and look, probably thinking that I’m playing some kind of a joke.

At first walking in the water with the full pack is difficult. Soon the water is shallow enough that I can step easily and my pace improves. I can’t help but watch the cloud because it is moving rapidly and appears to be coming directly at me. It would have been interesting to see how much of the suns rays it could block but the sun has officially set.

When I finally get back to Cassandra she does not look happy.

“That took long enough.” Is her only greeting.

She bends over and scoops the four water bottles into her arms and turns back towards the jungle. After a few steps her head comes up and she sees the cloud for the first time.

“Oh good, now we’re going to get rained on too.” She shakes her head in disgust but doesn’t break stride.

“Stop complaining about everything.” Is all I feel like saying to her.

A low rumble comes at us from the jungle. At first I’m worried that it’s another quake. Some people theorized that Earth’s ice age was due to the massive eruption of a couple of volcanoes. If we got here just in time for Locu’s ice age I will not be happy.

“Sweet. Not just rain, thunder and probably lightening too.” Cassandra is emphasizing her negativity.

The first few drops fall in front of us and it brings a smile to my face. Rain isn’t the worst thing in the world. In fact it’s good to know that there is enough atmosphere for there to even be weather.

There is not a lot of distance before we get to the jungle and I consider slowing my pace to enjoy walking in the rain. There were a few times when I was small that we went out side and ran around in the rain. They are great memories and reliving them even a little boosts my spirits.

A drop lands on my arm and I smile. It surprises me though because it hurts. The next drop hits me and the pain is immediate and intense. The drops burn my skin and I can see a small wound in the flesh.

“Ow!” Cassandra screams.

There are sheets of water falling between where we are and the jungle. The rain is moving fast and there is no way we can escape it. More drops hit my skin and the pain is searing.

“Acid rain!” I state emphatically. “Run!” Cassandra was not waiting for my command but I gave it anyway.