Gears In A Clock

Chapter 7 - Are We There Yet?

"WOAHH-" Jamie trips on a tiny little twig. "Are you ok?" Olivia helps him on his feet. "Y-yeah" Jamie continues walking. The sound of silence is filled with crickets and other newly formed wildlife. Other types of prototypes that begin a new ecosystem start to spring up. Gear Plants.

"Hey, Olivia, look at what I found!" Jamie picks up a prototype rose and rushes to Olivia to show it to her. "Jamie, Put the rose down. God knows what it'll do to you." Jennifer told Jamie. Jamie delicately placed the rose down and it anchored itself into the ground.

The group continued walking. Jamie whined, "Are we there yet?" Jennifer looked at him, straight faced, "Please- Don't start doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Asking me if we're there ever second."

Jamie was silent. The ground rumbled. "Wh-Whats that noise?" Jackson gave Justin to Jennifer and put his ear to the ground. He got up and stumbled back to the ground, "GET BACK!" The group swiftly shuffled backwards. A large Gearbird bursts out from the dirt. It let out an earpiercing screech.

It looks at Jackson with cold eyes. Jackson pulled air from his back and his backpack appears out of thin air. He grabs his wrench and moves into a readied stance as his backpack vanishes. The rest of them watch from a distance as Jackson engages in combat with a Phoenix five times his size.

Jackson yells as he charges the bird with his wrench in both hands and leaps at it. He swings and dents the Gearbird's abdomen. The Phoenix is unmoved and looks down at Jackson, knocked back by his own blow. It opens its mouth and spits out tiny gears that speed towards Jackson and cut him. The wounds open and blood squirts out of them. The bird reshapes itself and wraps around Jackson.

Olivia tries to step in and extends long claws from her knuckles. She gets a good hit but the the Gearbird grabs and throws her. Jamie runs to Olivia, whos on the ground. He helps her get back on her feet. Olivia hisses at the bird. Justin pulls out his gun and uses it as a crutch, "Listen. We gotta work together on this. Attacking one at a time wont work. Its already hurt Olivia and it has Jackson. Lets try hitting it all at once." Justin lifts his rifle and shoots the bird.

Jamie rushes and vaults onto the Gearbird's head. Jackson lets out a cry of agony from inside the bird. Jennifer pulls out her duct taped sledgehammer and uses it to tear apart the bird to free Jackson, She's aided by Olivia. Justin fires at the birds legs and wings to keep it from moving. It squawks and screeches. Jamie attempts ripping the birds head apart with his hands. He successfully gets a few chunks of its head. Olivia and Jennifer create a hole in its side and pull Jackson out, all bloody and bruised, "Tha-" Jennifer cuts Jackson off, "Thank us later."

After a half an hour of getting beaten by a group of 5, the bird gives out and falls to the ground. Jamie hops off of it and falls onto his face. He groans into the ground.

End of Chapter 7.