: Choice (Book 1 : The Nairda Series)

Chapter 5 : Symbiotes

He swam to shore cussing the man.He didn't know what or who the man was but he seemed to be some kind of deity, unless he was using advanced tech that made him seem like a god.He got to the shore and immediately started taking his clothes off, unlike the water, the weather was pretty warm. He looked towards the lake and noticed the glowing effect were from underwater plants. Some kind of bio-luminescent plants, mesmerised, he sat and simply watched the effects. He didn't know when he drifted to sleep but he woke up with the sun burning his face. His mouth was dry, so he went and grabbed his clothes hoping to find a source of water nearby.

Heading for the trees, he tried to think of all the survival skills his father had taught him when he was young and if he was dead, why would he need water?Trying not to think to hard about it he heard a river nearby.Without much thought, he ran towards it and dipped his hands into it, taking large gulps of the cool fresh water.His father had once told him that it was better to drink water from a stream that was flowing than drink from a stagnant body of water. His only comfort was if it was contaminated he couldn't die again.

From the shadows something was watching Adrian.A growl emitted only to reveal the biggest dog he had ever seen.It was the size of a large truck and looked like it went to the gym seven days a week.

"Shit! nice doggy ,doggy ,doggy" Adrian said trying to think of a way out.He could jump into the river but the currents were too strong.He would be at its mercy and he didn't know what would wait for him on the other side.He could dash towards the trees and find his way back to the lake but the dog stood inbetween him and the trees. Growling the dog approached him, instead of backing into the river he circled it and the dog turned to keep him in its view. He didn't understand why it hadn't eaten him yet but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. When he was on the other side facing the river he turned and dashed into the forest.He didn't care anymore, he just hoped that the forest was too dense for the dog to pass through and if he was lucky he would find a tree to climb.What he would give for a pair of boots right now.

After a while of running with no direction, he paused and looked back. Everything was silent, no dog was chasing him, no birds were singing, even the trees were silent.

"Damn, now I'm lost" he muttered to himself.Releaved he wasn't deaf. "Time to find a tree incase the dog comes back again"

He found one that was easy to climb but tall enough that the dog would have a hard time getting to him.He tied his belt around himself and drifted off to sleep.

"You would think that with all this craziness it would be difficult to find sleep" a voice said to no-one in particular.

"Should we take him, he would make a wonderful meal.We should take him to the other" a disembodied voice uttered.

"He seems different, he could be a broken mortal soul cast out from the afterlife." Without opening his eyes, he listened to the on-going conversation.He was terrified but hoped to learn something about where he was.

"He is terrified, I can smell it from here.We could just eat him right now and tell the master we found nothing."

"And that would be when our lives would end, the master would know we were lying"

"Aahh, we wouldn't have to lie, we would save some for the hounds and blame them for eating him.It wouldn't be a lie, it would be the truth"

"You have always been a cunning demon, Azazel." one of the voices uttered with pleasure.

"Why thank you, it's why I rank above you.I will take the head, the heart and one leg.You can have the rest and the hounds can have the left overs. Adrian opened his eyes and was about to stand up before he remembered where he was.The sudden movement from him toppled him over the side of the branch he had been sleeping on and he ended up hanging from his belt. He tried to swing back but he was face down and couldn't reach around to hoist himself up.

"Oh look, it's awake." "Did you we startle you little mortal?"

"Do you want to try to escape?"

"Who said that?" he shouted.

"Its just us, nothing to be afraid of. We were sent to bring you back to the master but we are became hungry.Azazel, do you remember when we would hunt thousands of mortals at once.Nowadays we are lucky if we can find even one, thanks to those damn Paragons."

It seemed they were standing on top of him , his body was facing the ground and the only thing between him and a fifty feet drop was his belt. He didn't have any sharp objects to cut it and it slowly dawned to him that he was at the mercy of whatever creatures were standing on the branch he was anchored to.

A hot breath blew close to his head and he turned to the side expecting the worst and he wasn't dissapointed.

"Aaaaaaah" he screamed trying to get away from what he wa staring at.It was like the character venom from dc comics, if venom was green had glowing eyes and a disfigured body.

"Get away from me"

"It's scared, Azazel"

"Even better" said Venom/Azazel.

Azazel dropped to the ground and faced him, stretching his jaws wide open to the point where it seemed he could swallow a whole cow.

"Belzeebub, drop him"

He heard the branch being struck once, before he found himself heading for Azazel's open mouth.