17 Attacked (1/2)
After several torturous hours, we make it back to the small space by the bunker's entrance around sunset. My arms and shoulder are sore from the trip. Without checking I know there's a deep bruise growing. The pain is so deep and real, I once more find myself at a loss. My physiatrist told me pain in my delusions come from my mind deceiving my body into believing it's injured. Somehow, knowing doesn't make it seem less real. As I wince from the pain radiating from my shoulder, the line between reality and delusion blurred a little more. Feeling helpless, I do what's been keeping me going this long. I throw all the complicated thoughts to the back of my mind and deal with situations as they come.
I sigh as I take a seat on the ground and watch Monna as she skillfully butchers the boar-like creature. She's too focused on butchering to snipe at me, so I enjoy the moment of quiet. Daric sits to my right and Zain to my left, while Ivo makes a small fire.
”Won't setting a fire at night attract wild animals?” I question, vaguely aware of the higher level of danger at night.
In response, Ivo lifts a flower with a yellow center and thin blue straw-shaped pedals ending in a tear shape. The stem is as thin as the petals with multiple round jagged edge leaves. ”This is a teegle sprout. It'll keep the larger predators with a high sense of smell away.”
He throws the flower into the fire, and the flame turns a vibrant blue. The smell of smoke is replaced with the smell of rain. Monna quickly cuts up the meat and cooks it over the flame. As before, I decline to eat; still not feeling the pang of hunger. I watch, fascinated by the dancing blue glow that carries the scent of spring rain, after eating they stare at the fire as well; which is why no one noticed until it came too close that we're in danger.
”Screech!” a wail is heard seconds before a shadow flew by. Zain caught off guard, didn't dodge fast enough. The shadow grazes his arm and lands on the ground and gives us a glimpse of the creature. I pale in fright when I see it's a susik. A hideous creature, no bigger than a small dog. A large round head with yellow compound eyes that take up most of its face; making them great nocturnal hunters. They don't have a sense of smell so they wouldn't be chased away by the teegle sprout. The mouth is a long tube; leaking from its mouth is drool that acts as a paralytic. Tiny serrated teeth are used to latch on to the victim similar to a leech. Paired with the paralytic saliva, it allows them to subdue their victims as it drains the blood from their bodies. The tiny round body is half the size of the head and has a long coiled tail; it uncoils to help hold onto a tree or victim. Six stubby legs tipped with claws used to cling upside down from tree branches to ambush victims.
The susik didn't get a chance to latch on to Zain. If the paralytic got into his system, he would have dropped immediately.I doubt they have a cure on hand, so his entire system would have shut down; causing organ failure and death. I shiver as I drag Zain and Daric behind me. Monna still holding the knife used to butcher the animal earlier, surprises the shit out of me when she whips it blade over hilt into one of its large compound eyes. There is an explosion of green blood as it slumps over dead, the ground sizzles where the blood lands. The knife falls out with half the blade remaining; the rest ate away by the blood. We look on in silence.
Turns out, it also has acid blood, who knew?
”Okay, I think it's time to go to sleep now,” Ivo aptly points out.
”Should we do anything with that?” I ask nodding to the susik.
”Why? You plan on touching that?” He points at the still sizzling ground.
”You know, I'll go ahead and pass.”
”Don't worry about it. Help me hide the camp.”
”Hide it?”