Calypso Initiate

Chapter Six

         The pistol feels strange in my hand. But I’ve seen how my mother uses something similar in the field while hunting for meat. I try my best to mimic her, curling my hand over the other as I grip the handle and point the weapon at the eight-thousand-pound beast charging towards me.

        The barrel shakes along with my fingers as I aim for the creature’s head. The mix of darkness and red obscures my view and the blare of the alarm distracts me from my target. Somewhere between fear and panic is my simmering anger. This is Calypso at work. Throwing us at death’s door to remind us how much we need their protection. And right now, they want us to fight for our lives to see if we’re worth keeping.

        My first instinct is to kill the creature. Keep shooting until it drops dead and make a dash for the exit on the other side. I’m not confident with my aim though. Even if I could get a few shots in, it might not be enough to stop it. I have to hope for the best. Kill it before it kills me. But even with my finger ready to pull the trigger my muscles remain frozen.

        I remember when we were in the field. My parents were gathering essence from Snots when something caused the animals to stampede just like this. The other children and I were directly on their path but my father and the other men of Sibel were quick to redirect the herd away from us by throwing electric spikes on the ground.

        “Snots are only good for their essence,” my father said. “Never shoot them or else the essence will be contaminated by their defense hormones. It’ll be useless when that happens.”

        What if what my father said is also true here? What if I’m not meant to kill the beast? It would be too easy for some if we’re just to shoot it dead, and I doubt Calypso planned to make it so. But then I remember it. The extractor gun! Why else would they provide one? I’m supposed to gather Essence-C from the Snot. That’s the test. It must be.

        But before I can even think about switching my equipment the Snot is only a few feet away. I barely dodge it as it crashes on the wall behind me, leaving me rolling on the floor. I waste no time. The creature is shaking its head from the impact, and as it regains its senses from the shock I make a run for it. I need to give myself as much distance as I can from the Snot if I ever plan to survive what I’m about to do.

        I already hear it running after me as I near the other end of the room, its massive hooves making the floor tremble on every step. My hand reaches for my first aid pack, and I swing the object down to split it open, revealing a screen with a list of its contents. I pray in my head that it’s similarly designed to the ones we studied in Upper school.

        “Sedative, three milligrams!” I say to it, my voice already winded. The device vibrates and springs out a vial from one of its compartments, its content a luminescent liquid that glows yellow under the flickering red light.

        Relieved, I replace the pistol in my holster and take out the small bottle. I hope this works. If I do it right, I can tranquilize the creature with minimum risk of contaminating the essence. My thumb feels for the lid, the smooth rubber running under my skin.

        Oh no.

        I bring the vial closer to my face and my eyes widen.

        There’s no needle!

        When I reach the end of the hall, the exit slides to a close, leaving me trapped again. My heart is pounding so hard I feel like it might jump right out of me. I whip around, the Snot is coming in fast. And before I know it I’m diving to my left. I hear a loud boom as it smashes into the wall, followed by a petrifying tremor, like the room just exploded. But I don’t dare look back. Instead, I sprint towards where I came.