CHAPTER:9

Heading back,

Meanwhile, 10 minutes later. 

Lay: “Hindsight what did you see back there.” 

Nowell: “You mean during the mist and when I used naked eye?” 

Lay shook his head.

Nowell: “Well…”

Lay: “What did it look like?” 

Nowell: “It was pretty big, rough and grotesque looking with large teeth and surrounded by tons of its spores.” 

Lay: “Disgusting.” 

Nowell: “It had tons of fat on it meaning it couldn’t move property on its own, it’s probably been stuck in that one spot for centuries.” 

Lay: “Sounds like someone should kill it.” 

Nowell: “If it’s even possible.” 

Lay: “What about the fruit?” 

Nowell: “I--“ 

Ryan: “Hey what are you two talking about over there?” 

Nowell: “It’s nothing.” 

Ryan: “Nothing you say? And where are we going, anyway? Do you both even know the way back?” 

Lay: “Zip it old man.” 

Ryan: “Hey!” 

Nowell: “Just follow and trust us, ok?” 

Ryan: (Trust you? For all I know you both might be planning my demise.) 

The four kept going until Maxdell noticed something surprising. 

Nowell: “Hold on!” 

Ryan: “What is it now?” (Wait! I recognize this area!) “This marking on the tree! you’re heading for--!” 

Nowell: “That’s right your scout or fallen scout Joel Arrow, he should be right around here.” 

Ryan: “That’s right! How genius! He’ll have a radio on him!” “Shouldn’t be further.” 

Ryan: (Good to know these kids pay attention!) 

Nowell: “I see him.” 

Ryan: “Good let’s hurry!” 

2 minutes later. 

Ryan: “Thank you Arrow even in death you helped a lot.” 

Lay: “Enough messing around, call the gambler.” 

Ryan: “Right.” 

Maxdell sent the signal. 

Morris: “Yes, come in?” 

Ryan: “Morris I need an extraction here asap!” 

Morris: “Copy did you find it?” 

Ryan: “There was a big interference. I need you here now!” 

Morris: “Alright, alright I’ll be there soon!” 

Ryan: “Good I’ll fire a flare to show my position.” 

Maxdell hung up. 

Ryan: “All right, we need to find a place that’ll be safe for him to land.” 

Nowell: “No safer would be out of this jungle away from those spores.” 

Ryan: “Then let’s get moving before those spores appear again.” 

Lay: “Hang on let’s take his weapons.” 

Lay took Arrow’s combat knife while Nowell took his 1912 pistol. 

Nowell: “[Sigh] it’s not my trusty revolver but it’ll have to do.” (Hopefully I get Susan back.)

Lay: “This blade isn’t sharp enough.” 

Nowell: “Lay we’ve got no choice, we’ll get our weapons back when we get back on the ship.” 

Lay: “Whatever.” 

Ryan: (That’s strange neither of them took the submachine weapon? Let me see.) 

Maxdell saw the weapon was fine and loaded. 

Ryan: (You can’t be serious! Why wouldn’t they take it? Maybe I could shoot them both while they aren’t looking and while their guards are down.) 

Maxdell looked at the two walking on ahead. 

Ryan: (No I’m no murderer and they both agreed to help me when they didn’t have to, even if I’m paying them, but the point is me and Charles need them so I’ll take all the help I can get.) 

Maxdell carried Charles and went on with the two. Meanwhile, somewhere further away but not too far away from the cave. 

Alex: “You guys, are we still alive?” 

Soldier 2: “Those sons of bitches, they killed a trainload of our guys!” 

Soldier 42: “That idiot Ricardo and his friends and a couple of others.” 

Soldier 19: “We were lucky enough to have gotten away!” 

Soldier 42: “Dammit, this is all Maxdell’s fault when I see that bastard and his brother and going to slaughter them both!” 

Soldier 2: “You said it, in all my years of working with you gentlemen never before have I been screwed over this badly.” 

Smith: “Gentlemen, as you can see, we’ve been cut down severely. In moments like this we’re at our weakest, but we’re also at our most deadly.”

Soldier 42: “Most deadly?”

Smith: “I say let’s get even with that Angel and his kin.”

Soldier 53: “Smith, what are you talking about?” 

Smith: “Exactly as it sounds, let’s head back to the ship and have our men call in an airstrike on the island.” 

Soldier 19: “An air strike?!” 

Soldier 2: “Yes, we’ve got the manpower to do so!” 

Soldier 53: “That’s if we can get back to the ship from here.” 

Soldier 42: “Not only that, I saw Maxdell and his brother escape with those two Crusaded Defenders. If my gut feeling is correct, those guys must be heading back as well!” 

Soldier 53: “Then we have to hurry or we’ll get left behind! The others don’t know about Maxdell and his bullshit!” 

Smith: “Auto [2], Earl [42], Mayson [53],Ream [19] let’s go.”

Alex: “Hey what about me?!”

Smith: “You can tag along just don’t get in the way.”

Alex: (The hell does Smith and these guys not see me as an honorary part of the team?)

The men went on.

Alex: “Hey wait up--!”

Alex then saw soldier 4 sitting on a rock.

Alex: “Garter you alright?”

Garter: “No kid, we lost a bunch of our boys including West [33].

Alex: “It really sucks.”

Garter: “I wonder if I’ll be joining them.”

Alex: “No way man you got a family waiting for yeah back home!”

Garter: “So did Willis.” 

Alex: “...” 

Garter: “I think after this, if I survive, I’m leaving the band.

The men started running. 

Alex: “I understand Garter, but we should go.”

Garter: “Yeah.”

Meanwhile, with the remaining men running.

Auto: “Hey there’s something that’s been on my mind.” 

Earl: “What?” 

Auto: “How come those things aren’t Chasing us all the way through, shouldn’t they be dedicated to our slaughter?” “I think their only objective is to protect their queen or king or whatever.” 

Mayson: “It’s definitely a queen.” 

Auto: “Shut up and keep running.” 

Meanwhile back on the ship. 

Meanwhile,Luna: “[Sigh] I wonder if they’re all dead? Probably... I bet I wasn’t the last thing on father’s mind before he bit the dust. I was just his annoying no good daughter after all, [sigh].” (What’s going to happen to me now? Will I even be able to go back home? For all I know I might be the only one still here all alone on the ship, no I have to do something now! But what?) “Maybe there’s something I can use in here.” 

Luna looked around the cabin and happened to notice a chest next her dresser. 

Luna: “A chest? Is it open?” 

Luna opened it. 

Luna: “It is! Maybe there’s something in it I can, huh?” 

Luna had noticed a letter with her name on it. 

Luna: “A Letter? And it’s for me?"