Owen woke up with a start, he glanced at the other bank of the river then back at the huts which were just waking up. He stood up his hands clenched staring back across the river.
Owen adjusted the shoulder strap where it dug into his shoulder. His eyes searched his surroundings wildly as he plodded through the tall grass. By midday he was tired and stumbling through the heat of the day. his canteen was nearly dry when his scuffed shoes sunk a little deeper than usual. He paused and looked around. He listened intently almost forgetting to breathe. Faintly he heard the rush of water. He worked his way toward the distant sound of water. Blindly he stumbled into a shallow part of a steam. He cupped his hands and splashed the cool sparkling water on his face and took a deep drink the n filled his canteen. After he rehydrated himself, he moved to make his way back to shore. He tried to lift his feet, but he had sunk down in the mud till it was halfway to his knees. Consumed in trying to pull himself from the mud, he did not see the thin ripples in t water coming toward him.

         Owen felt a thin coolness brush against his hand. He pulled it up out of the water and around his hand and wrist was wrapped a thin grey and orange snake lie parasite. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his hand where the creature suddenly lathed on. He felt similar pains on his legs. The creature on his arm squeezed and loosened starting with its tail to head. Owen tried to shake the creature off, but it stuck as if part of him. He grabbed it with his other hand and tried to rip it off with no avail. Then he panicked as he struggled to loosen the feet from the muck as more worms latched onto him.

         “Hey you! Grab my hand!” yelled a strange voice.

Owen looked behind him and there holding out his hand was a guy holding his and out to Owen, while maintaining his balance on firmer land. Owen reached out with his free hand. Slowly his feet made a sucking and gurgling noise as he was bulled out of the muck.

“thanks” Owen said as he stumbled onto solid ground.

“don’t think me yet, your covered n worms.” The other said.

This was true aside from the one on his hand, worms covered his legs up to his knee. The bit through his pants to reach his skin. Owen reached for one to try to pull it off again, but the other stopped him

“don’t try to pull it out. You have to burn it.” He stamped down the grass and started as small fire. From the fire he pulled out a chick with red coals not eh tip. Then he pressed the stick into the one wrapped around Owen’s hand. The stick smoked upon contact with the slimy worm’s skin, bur presently a citric burning hair smell filled the air. The worm let go of Owen’s arm and dropped to the ground motionless.

“More like leeches they are parasites. They live on blood of anything. They cannot suck. Not enough mouth parts, so they kinda you could put it, milk the blood into their mouths, see? You are lucky I came along. A few more worms, you’d be a goner.” The other shook his head
“the water is infested with ‘em. So many they eat themselves. One I caught on that was this long.” He stretched out his arms.

“Sounds draining.” Owen smirked.

The guy tipped his head back and laughed his laugh was deep and rusty. “You got a name?” he said once he regained controll of his guffaws.

“Owen.” He stuck out his hand then looked at the worm in it and shrugged.

“Nice to meet you o, not necessarily under the circumstances seeing I had to save your skin, Zane’s the name, but no need to be formal, so just call me z.”