Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Two days later Olivia had covered a lot of ground but had not encountered any sign of an alien society.

“This is about far enough for a first outing, I think. Tomorrow morning I’ll head back,” she decided, wiping the sweat from her brow and continuing onward.

She had been fortunate to have been wearing a light jacket when she was abducted, and the Raxxians had allowed her to keep it. To them it really didn’t matter what coverings their livestock wore. When it came time for the slaughter it would all be removed anyway, so they simply didn’t deal with it.

Now, traipsing through the woods where there were not only thorns and branches to contend with, but also potentially dangerous insects, not to mention the strange alien sun, the extra layer of covering was doing her much good. The fabric was already dirty from her stay aboard the Raxxian ship, but other than that, it was in good enough shape for her needs.

Equally important, it was a thin enough material that it would provide a layer of protection while not causing an undue amount of discomfort should the day’s heat become more intense. Luckily, while it had grown warm pretty much as soon as the sun crested the horizon and began its lazy crawl across the orange morning sky, the temperature had remained relatively stable with what Olivia now knew to be multiple branches of a larger body of water providing a soothing breeze as the winds passed across their surface.

The terrain was relatively easy close to their crash site, but as she walked farther in the direction the water was flowing (following her father’s words, yet again, that if you were lost in the wild, following the water was your best bet at finding civilization), she came across several stretches of large rocky outcroppings that required her to scramble over what were essentially fields of boulders.

“Lucky thing they took me when I was wearing trainers,” she mused, grateful for both the support as well as cushioning against the more treacherous parts of her trek.

Had she been snatched while wearing heels, things would have been a lot different. She’d have still headed out on her quest—there really wasn’t any other option in her eyes—but it would have been both miserable as well as very slow going. At least with proper foot coverings she could make some time.

A copse of tall trees towered high atop a nearby plateau. It was a little out of her way, diverting her course from her intended track, but the trees had what appeared to be relatively low branches. If she was right, a quick climb could do her far more good than a day of hopeful, but unguided, hiking ever could.

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” she decided, kicking into high gear as she began the ascent to the massive tree trunks. Olivia paused to break a fallen branch that had tumbled down the hill into a workable walking stick, then continued on her way, moving up, up, up, her lungs burning from the effort but nothing that she couldn’t handle.

“All those cardio kickboxing classes paid off at least,” she said with a chuckle when she finally hit the top, breathing the fresh air deep into her grateful airway. The trees were huge, she had realized before she even got truly close to them. But the lowest branches were, indeed, within arm’s reach. If she took a running jump, that is.

The trees themselves were different from the more tropical-looking variety closer to the water. These had a distinctly pine tree look to them, though rather than fine needles, they had a broader type of leaf. Striated green and violet, they were about as wide as her little finger and twice as long. The tips were pointed, but so long as she didn’t actively slam into one, she felt she could make the climb unharmed.

Olivia sized up the trees and selected the best candidate then took a swig from her water stores and shed her pack, hiding it in the bushes at the base of the tree. Unencumbered, she took several steps back, rolled her shoulders, and psyched herself up for the climb.

“Okay, big guy. Let’s hope you’ve got something to show me.”

Three steps and a leap were enough for her hands to find purchase around a low branch. From there it was just a matter of slow and methodical climbing. She moved carefully, making sure not to jab herself on the pokey leaves, gradually ascending to a point near enough the top where she had a relatively unobstructed view of the area.

“Whoa,” she gasped, not only at the sprawling, colorful alien landscape and the now-clear pattern of streams running through it, but also the multiple charred impact points where other sections of the destroyed Raxxian ship had clearly come down. Apparently, the planet’s gravity had pulled many of them in the same general direction, though she had to wonder where else they might have ultimately arrived on the surface.

From what she could tell, some seemed to have been hard landings using emergency descent rockets, like the one she’d arrived in, giving her hope that, perhaps, there were other survivors. Others did not look promising. Not at all.

Craters where the craft had slammed into the surface were visible, the fires from their impacts spreading further than any controlled rocket blast would. There would be no survivors from those unfortunate craft.

As for signs of civilization, she couldn’t see any no matter where she looked. Of course, she had to remind herself that there were civilized areas back home that looked just as remote. For all she knew, there could still be something nearby, just a little bit further and out of sight.

“Doesn’t matter right now,” she told herself. “That’s enough. I’ll get back to Harper and then prep to head the other direction.”

It was as good a plan as any, she mused as she descended from the treetop. On her way down she stopped, freezing in place at the sight of what looked like a herd of dog-sized animals. They seemed to have a few legs too many, at least by her standards, but judging by their slender necks and the way the larger males stood guard at the periphery of the group, they were likely herbivores.

Still, it was possible that herbivores on this planet were dangerous. Hell, bison and moose maimed people on the regular back home, though in bison’s case it was typically when a foolish tourist wandered way too close and paid the price. As for the giant, horned murder-horses, moose were notorious for having absolutely zero fucks to give, happily charging humans, cars, and even trains on occasion.

“Yeah, I’ll just give them a wide berth,” she decided as she dropped to the ground.

Olivia gathered up her gear, took a deep swig of water, then began trekking back down from her position. It might have felt safe being in an elevated position, but it had been pretty windy the prior night, and there was little in the way of cover so high up. Down below there were far more options in the way of shelter materials.

She’d only trekked for maybe an hour or so when gruff, guttural sounds made her freeze in place. She whipped her head around, scanning the area. There was a dense bush of what she’d found to be edible berries nearby. The leaves were thick enough that it would hopefully provide her a decent hiding place.

Without another second’s hesitation she hurried as quietly as she could into position, lying on her belly, pulling leaves and twigs on top of herself to further camouflage her hiding spot. The sounds grew louder. Voices, she was now sure of it, but she couldn’t make out anything they were saying. She lay perfectly still, barely breathing as she peered out through the bushes.

Fuck! Raxxians! her mind screamed when she saw the group of lizard-like aliens come trudging her way, but her mouth, thankfully, remained silent despite the adrenaline surging through her veins and the rapid pounding in her chest.

There were six of them, two of them armed with the rifles she’d seen them carry at times. All of them also had knives, as was part of their usual kit. But this was different. Two also carried poles with cables coiled up in their hands, collars of various sizes dangling from their utility belts.

This wasn’t just a group of survivors, though judging by the state of their clothing as well as the minor injuries some sported, they were clearly from the crashed ship. But more than that, these weren’t just out for a walk. They were walking far slower than anyone out for a regular hike. They were looking for something. They were out to recapture their escaped livestock.

They chattered in their guttural tongue, but she couldn’t understand a word of it. The scab behind her ear was throbbing every time they spoke, but Olivia pushed the pain aside. No way would she move an inch while they were anywhere nearby. One of them pointed, and the others followed, heading the same direction she’d been going, roughly back toward Harper and the crashed ship, only they were moving at a slight angle from her own course. If they only had to hike a few hours, they’d likely find her friend, but if they continued on at their plodding pace for the three or four days it would take them to get there, the slight angle off-course would become large, and they would miss her by miles.

At least, Olivia hoped that was what would happen. A soon as they were gone, she’d go wide the other direction on the quick to get back to her friend.

She lay still for a half hour before finally risking standing up. The Raxxians were brutal beasts and not known for subtlety. As a result, she could hear their voices fading in the distance.

“Safe as it’ll ever be,” she told herself, forcing her legs to break their paralysis and move.

Once underway, she picked up speed, taking a detour to put more space between herself and her former captors before veering back on-course. The terrain had opened up a bit this direction, she was pleased to note, and there were a few open fields in the distance, though she’d definitely stick to the trees, when possible, now that she knew the threat lurking nearby.

Olivia increased her pace to a jog, her legs feeling pretty good, all things considered.

“I’ll be back soon, Harper. Just hang?—”

Her body locked up rigid, frozen in place, hovering in the air mid-stride.

What the hell?

She could breathe, and her eyes could move, but other than that her body was utterly trapped, captured by some sort of alien device. She could barely make out the tiny shape nestled in the bushes at her feet with her peripheral vision. It’d have been nice to be able to turn her head for a proper look, but this would have to suffice. Whatever it was, it apparently wasn’t designed to kill her. At least she had that going for her. Whoever made this thing was clearly very advanced, and they wanted whatever they caught alive, it seemed. But if she could figure out a way to get free?—

A tiny flashing light on the unit caught her attention, almost too small and faint for the eye to see. But with her peripherals forcing her to not look directly at it, the subtle shift in illumination was clear. She’d tripped the device and been captured. That was bad. Worse was that whoever had placed it was almost certainly being notified. Someone would be coming. An alien someone. And soon.

She swallowed hard at the realization, her throat at least allowing her that modicum of movement. She’d just gone from the frying pan into the fire.

Shit.