Stan follow his routine and assign to guard the west of the camp.
As he pass from the graves of the neptunians he watch Kalevi kneeling on the graves and leaving small flowers for each of them, Stan watch forward and continue.
As the sun sets high Jorogumo announce their march to the mountain, they gather and move fore, the people now one third of what came to the planet walk silent, Stan follows Aphrodite or talk with the soldiers, out of nowhere black clouds start appearing everywhere, the soldiers and the people look at the sky, Jorogumo shouts "we must continue forward, we have almost reach it" the soldiers and the people move faster.
Stan walks beside Jorogumo and asks "you know what is happening aren't you?" "The fungi must started expanding , It's a possibility if it's true and the creatures cannot stop them they will find us and kill us" Stan see the sky, the mountain bigger than he previously thought, giving him a sense of dread and powerless, out from the trees animals run, animals with no fur, skeletal with brown skin, the teeth sticking out of their mouth, their eyes looking at three hundred sixty degrees, running faster than the eyes could follow.
Other small animals with huge white heads for their small bodies and big teeth, ripping out the trees to hide, with their nails making pathways underground to escape, minuscule insects fly away, birds and many of them infected.
Small green Birds with tumors on their head go inside the forest and with their camouflage they strike the animals, grabbing their heads without killing them and they vomit on the animals, thousand worms start coming out, the animals scream, the worms go through their ears, nose, eyes, mouth or every other possible way and they move to the brain, cutting the nerves and replacing them with their body and their blood, the bird then release the animal and the birds drop down, walking with their legs until the closest area with predators, waiting still and silent until one animal eats them.
The people continue to run, Stan goes beside Aphrodite and she look forward, the other soldiers run to the edge of the crowd, abruptly The human creatures start appearing in the trees, ignoring them and running to the fungus, Stan look up again, the mountain some hundred meters away as they approach closer the cries of animals disappear, the only sound is the heavy steps and the breath of the people, some staying behind with their soldiers helping them.
Animals start again appearing from the woods, charging at the people or the animals behind getting infected and running, some soldiers in the back lines waste many bullets for one animal to die, they continue killing them but they get swiftly overrun, Aphrodite look back but Stan covers her view, he look at him for a minute and then look forward.
As the animals get closer and closer, more adrenaline starts pumping into their body, many saying their final words and some getting eaten by the animals.
As they move they see the deep dark entry of the cave, everyone runs straight to the cave, some following behind with the animals right behind them, the soldiers move the people deeper and jorogumo throws a grenade at the door, sealing it, and from the other side the screams and the curses of the people are heard for a glimpse, then complete silence.
Jorogumo and the soldiers follow the others in the glooming cave with no source of light
Stan stays close to Aphrodite, trying to keep his eyes on her in the almost complete darkness , she walks swiftly, blending in the crowd in the gaunt passage, Stan try to stay behind her but lost her, the people pass beside him saying "aren't you a soldier?, Go do your job useless man" Stan grit his teeth and grab the weapon from the front and lift it and he slowly control his breath and takes the gun from the grip.
He runs to the back of the crowd finding Egine and the others with flashlight on their weapons, Hierme struck the light on Stans's face and says "Stan be ready to shoot the monsters, now our only option is to kill whatever moves" Egine shows Stan how to open his flashlight and they hold their guns parallel to their shoulders, out of the darkness light struck them, Jorogumo and the soldiers show their faces and Egine says "Jorogumo, what should we do? We have no way of knowing when they will show up" Jorogumo pass through them and says "your job is to hold the creatures from here, let me take care of everything else and we will come out alive" "Egine and the others nod their head as they look at the dark, Jorogumo say to them "remember why we do all of this and have faith in me as I have in you my comrades" They whisper "yes our commander" Jorogumo goes forward and the rest say in their position, making steps backwards.
Stan look for a glimpse behind him, Kalevi staring at the dark, Aphrodite at the center of the crowd, soldiers trying to keep the people close like they are animals, he look straight again and from afar he hears "why is there a ladder?" Jorogumo replies "nobody knows, we will go see where it leads, wait here until we return" Jorogumo and some soldiers climb the ladder.
From afar clamors of animals and nails hitting the stone and after a minute, stones falling, the people start climbing while Stan Hierme and the others shoot the animals running closer and closer, the soldiers shoot them and the people start climbing the ladder, the soldiers continue to kill them but the animals are closing the gap between them, when the people climb up Hierme, Sia and the others start climbing, as they reach above they see the soldiers standing with their guns, Hierme shouts "Come here Kahona"
Kahona grab the ladder and he fire, continues to climb but a monster pulled him and drops him down, Hierme and the others try to save him, but the animals pull him away, screaming and fighting as the animals vomit at him, when they see they have no results, they start breaking his armor along his bones, the worms pass through the armor and go to his head, he drop his helmet and with his hands stops and throws the worms away, the animals continue to vomit at his face, he close his mouth and place the rocks to his nose and his ears, the works go down at him and pass through, he scratch his flesh, sensing the worms moving towards his brain, the animals look up and try to rush at them with no result.
The soldiers continue to kill them and the animals leave, Jorogumo look at the soldiers, saying "we have to keep as many bullets as we can, you should not use them so recklessly" Egine shouts, pointing her finger down at the animals"you saw what they did at Kahona, we cannot let them like that" Jorogumo hugs her gently, placing her arms on her head " I know that it was a great friend to you, but there are others now who need our protection and how would we protect them if we don't have bullets and guns?" Egine turn her head down to where Kahona was and Hierme and the others lower their guns.
Jorogumo takes a grenade out of her pocket and gives her to Egine, with both their hands holding the grenade Joroguno help her open it and throw it down, rumbles falling, the mountain shaking, Jorogumo, Egine and everyone look at the rumbles, Jorogumo suddenly says "we have to be robots at our core, only then we can accomplish our goals, Egine walk to the way back to the people, saying with a happy and kind voice "let's go back to others, we have to protect them" everyone sense Sievers on their spine and then following her, Stan look one more time at the debris and follow Jorogumo.
As they reach the others they see half of them dead, soldiers and people, their bodies laying in an open space with a hole in the roof that shines light, Stan lift his weapon as the others do and his breath got heavier and heavier, looking at the female bodies to find Aphrodite, after he look at the room carefully He finds her nowhere, Jorogumo examines three bodies body, nails, bites, and piercing torso, she whispers "it seems the creatures do not try to use the worms anymore, follow me, I'm almost sure where the survivors hide, with light steps she leads them in a narrow passage, a tall and wide metal door, signs of recent rust showing on it.
Stan's veins pop out from his head and asks With an aggressive and demanding tone "why is a door here?" Sia makes a sign for Stan to calm down, Stan still furious takes a deep breath and continue with his anger boiling, they continue on a thin passage between the rocks, and one by one they pass through, the room gets completely dark and all of them make a circle, They all move with Stan moving slower and almost breaking their position, as they step at the center they start to hear heavy breathing from all directions, Jorogumo makes a sign to a soldier to inform the others they head right, as they get closer and closer to the breath they see wounded people hiding under the stones and metals.
Jorogumo gives her arm to the people and the only reply is their dead gaze, Jorogumo speak with a soft tone "come on give me your hand, let me save you" the man crawls back, placing his arms on his eyes and from the ground a sound of something dragging closer catch their ears, Joeogumo sees a silhouette lighting in the dark and instantly falls back.
A thin creature with thick and coarse flesh pass right before her eyes, the soldiers start shooting with their lights target the creature, the tail dragging to the ground while the eight legs hold the other half body, the coarse black and grey skin glowing in the dark, its eyes turning back and forth, its body twisting and curving, its mantles making a dreaded sound while its arms grab rocks from the floor and throwing them to the soldiers, two soldiers get knocked to the ground and injured as the remaining ones shoot it, scratching its body.
The creature runs to the people below, grabbing one old man and holding him close to it, the soldiers instantly stop and the creature looks up to a small opening, it leaves the old man and runs to the opening, Jorogumo and the soldiers help the man, the people and the injured soldiers, Stan sees Kalevi getting up from below the rocks, he takes his gaze elsewhere and found Aphrodite, her cheeks become red and tears coming out from her eyes.
Stan gives his hand and she gets up alone, as she leaves him she is whispering "I can't anymore, how can someone forget these?" Stan makes some steps forward and raise his hand, only to lower it before grabbing Aphrodite, Stan whispers "Mason, Alina, why did I brought you in this mess, it was all my fault" Stan eyes wide open and looks around him, but no eyes pass by him, he looks at Kalevi and goes back to Jorogumo, finding her with the other soldiers making a plan, Stan joins them and hears Egine carefully "we have to be fast, worse things will surely hunt us" jorogumo reply " after we find the source we will retreat to the dessert.
Only three more suns and the USS will be here" they gather the people and walk back to the door, Jorogumo place her hand on the screen on the door and the door slowly open with small rocks falling, they continue onward, metal parts, plants stained and cutted outside their gkass tubes, weapons forks and knifes everywhere on the floor, Stan look at the weapons, opening the magazine and finding it half empty, his eyes focused on the gun, without leaving it, egine hit his back and he gets up, they continue with Stan close to Aphrodite, Jorogumo forward with eramis, the twenty unarmed people looking forward, they reach another door, bulkier and more secure than the previous, Jorogumo says "Eremis take the others from here" and before realising Eremis took everyone in a open room, the smell of rotten food everywhere, tables turned and more guns and knifes, Eremis mumurs "but no bodies" she make a pass and close all the doors, looking everywhere for an opening "be on a lookout" the soldiers surround the room, they drag the tables carefully to create a round shield and still have room to move, Stan look at a small gap between two rooms, he makes a sign to Aphrodite to go and she look at the gap but she doesnt move, from the metal walls, footsteps are heard, the loud groan of a creature and the mantles of the creature they previously encounter, a soldier place his ear on the walls, hearing the footsteps louder and clearer, he abruptly runs from the wall and the soldiers move back, a giant creatures breaks the wall while the creature from previously gets thrown down, the creature move with its four arms, two forward and two bending behind,a large body structure along its fat and the excess water helping it keep its organs safe, its small eyes looking around like they see inside the thoughts of the people, it mouth being small enough only to digest mold and leafs while its body can open holes to wrap the water around it, the creatures groans again and the others gets up and starts twisting its body and the light inside it starting flickering witha slow tempo, resembling something of a dance, the soldiers target their guns without shooting, the other creature raise its body to two legs and opening its holes while the other comes close and starts putting its mouth close, placing with its hand and splitting saliva on its hands, and cleaning the holes, the creature backs down and groans and the other moving its mantles, they both look the people and leave, the creature riding on the back of the other, the soldiers take the people back and shut the door.
Eremis leads them to another room lighted with red color, thin flowers that hang from the ceiling to the floor and curve, as Eremis goes to take one the flower turns yellow, the others follow too and close their core with the petals, lighting from the thin gaps a pattern of colors, remains close her eyes and with struggle she rips one of them, the flower stand still and continue to shine, lighting only red, Eremis rips more of them and give them to everyone "one of the few things that can be considered harmful and beautiful at this planet, hold them forever" Aphrodite asks "how do you know they are not venomous or dangerous?" "I have encounter them once more in a small cave, I took some with me and the colors never faded" everyone grabs one and place them in their suit, Eremis picks the last one and torn its core, swallowing it "they have a unique effect, making you feel younger" everyone look with disgust but eremis stays the same and they leave the room, they hear from the walls footsteps, dragging and groans, Eremis informs them "be ready for everything" she looks around to see if there is any door left, she sees one and guides them inside, they see more weapons left and right, a corpse on a chair behind a broken glass, the soldiers look with their weapons on the doors, Stan look at the body, he olace his hands on the corpse's pockets "Nikolai karpov, security officer and supply manager" he look at the corpse again, wounds from knives and forks.
The sounds come again, small and fast footsteps on the metal then suddenly half the roof collapse, small animals with their mouth vertical on the place their eyes should be run with their four legs to the soldiers, tubes coming from their mouths and try to place them on the soldiers skin, they fail and the soldiers shoot them, the creatures scream and they hear more footsteps, Eremis open the door and Stan, Aphrodite, Kalevi, Hierme,Sia and Egine enter , Egine giving her hand to her boyfriend and as he holds it the roof falls and kills them, Egine still holding his hand, she screams on top of her lungs as the creatures leave and go back to their nests, Eremis close the door and everyone feel their chest ready to tear open or burst, Hierme and Sia grab Egine and Hierme says "its okay if you want to take your time" Egine with force push her boyfriends hand and throws it, breathing heavy and saying w"im fine" she look at Eremis as she look her and with her eyebrows pulled together she says "lets continue" Stan gets himself back together he see black marks of fire everywhere, a pungent smell catch his nose, one that he couldn't explain but the soldiers look with carefully, some trying to cover their mouths and nose before realising they wear the suit, Eremis look ordinary and says "lets wait for Jorogumo" haniden Tries to grab her hand but she refuse it, saying "and what will happen when she comes?, How can we escape?" "We will find a plan, until then be patient" Egine turn and place her foot on the wall, and the other goes beside except Eremis walking around, finding more guns, she opens the magazine and throws them to the others "more bullets for your weapons" Eremis throws more at them and the soldiers grab them, Stan grabs his own and murmurs "it will be a waste of time to ask what happened is that right?" Eremis respond "I cannot have any right to speak for that, only Jorogumo can tell you if she wish" the soldiers move deeper, hearing a voice from the halls, Eremis makes a sign for Sia and Hierme to move and the others to stay on their post, as they move Stan search the other rooms, marks of fire and melted weapons everywhere, he sees a rust door ready to be ripped out, he pulls it slowly and leave it down without making a noise.
He continues at the dark halls, seeing burned beds right and left, he continue continue to the dark meeting a dead end with only one miniscule hole on the wall, he place his eye and throught it he sees Jorogumo and eremis to their knees, seeing a video beside their ear, Stan place her ear close to the hole and listening to a slow,weak voice of an old man"my final moments have come, who would have thought an old man like me would die in a planet like this, surrrounded by a wall of bodies of friends and foes" the voice makes a brief pause, coughing and swallowing his saliva "oh Jorogumo, its all your fault, a piece of shit like you creating foes everywhere and spreading lies and death" he makes another pause, a sound of grabbing something echoes to Stan, he hear Eremis saying "we were so close" the voice continues "Jorogumo i hope you see this, all that you worked for everything you've done awould burn, thats my repay for killing everyone and poison them with lie, of course it will be a huge toll for humanity, but we will adapt with time, as we always did" he makes another brief pause "i always believed you had me for a stupid man on the verge of his grave, that he couldn't think of the low oxygen" he laughs maniacally"but do you remmeber when you ask me where the fuel and gasoline is?" He laughs even louder "i hope you die from the remaining men or the monsters, motherfucker" he place fire on the ground, the fire starts spreading and he slowly place the phone in the wall, showing the celling, the sound of a gun loeading is and a heavy breathing, and then the sound of the gunshot , Jorogumo close the video and curls a bit, Eremis placing her hands on her head
"All of this for only to find it burned" Jorogumo gets up "no, there is another one in the desert"
"We can't go there, we were lucky with our knowledge and our experience in these places but there we have no chance to find it"
"And what else can we do? Leave the children, women and men on their cold fate?"
"We can leave and try the next time, more prepared and more knowledgeable"
Sadness shows in her words "and what
If there is not another time, they could find me useless and replace me with one of their own"
"Jorogumo we are friends for a lifetime, we fought together in the civil war and I want the best for our planet, but can we find the source with only twenty soldiers?"
"We will try or die in the process as we always did" Jorogumo and Eremis get up leaving the room, Stan goes too and as he went back Kalevi gaze at his sweat and his eyes, Egine laughs asks "for a minute I thought you got lost, where have you been?" "I just had to urine"
"oh alright then but stay close, I don't want to lose more people"
in his mind Stan thought she only said it to keep an eye on him, Jorogumo and Eremis came back and Jorogumo says "it seems the source is evaporated with everything else here"
the soldiers hit the walls or just sit down curling, Hierme and Sia let their weapons down and Aphrldites hand start shaking, Stan stayed still with the same face, Jorogumo gaze at him and asks "Stan you can leave this faceless mask and show your emotions as everyone"
"I do Jorogumo, staring around me and thinking then deaths of my friends, dying for nothing and for trusting someone who never cared for them or anyone, except their own"
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Jorogumo's spine shivers but she keeps a straight face "maybe you got confused or your feelings taking over, however I assure you this person cared for every single life" Stan says "lies" but Jorogumo ignore him, he continue to stare at her aggressively but she ignores him.
Eremis talk to the soldiers trying to convince them to keep going and Kalevi checking his suit, Eremis comes back to Jorogumo, whispering in her ear, she comes forward saying every name of the soldiers and then she says "we are the only one left, our chances are not great"
Jorogumo takes them to another closed room with a hatch on it, she opens it and they descend, they follow a small thread of light as they hear the water pouring in the stones, walking on the wing of the ship and finding an opening, they see the sun above them and the white dessert from afar, the fires continuing Eremis murmurs "just 10 kilometers" they see down some rocks and slowly one by one descend, all of them hold their guns tight and with small and slow steps starts walking in the trees, as they move and the sun still above them they start feeling lethargic, their vision getting blurry and starting having headaches.
Sia with a docile voice says "Jorogumo, can we rest for now?" Jorogumo look at her soldiers and says "stay strong for a little longer, if we manage to escape from the jungle we can rest more safely" the soldiers grit their teeth and continue.
as they left the jungle they pass a rim using a bridge from ropes, they settle there, watching evaporated water coming out from the sand, they throw their backpacks down and feel the hotness of the sand passing the suits, they all try to fall asleep but the swelling makes it unbearable and close fires from the jungle makes it even harder to not think of a sudden attack, Jorogumo rest for a while and then take the gun, saying "rest well for today, I will watch over you"
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