Planet X Pandora

Into the Wild

Kash ran fast and hard. She broke through the deep undergrowth that surrounded the facility. It was starting to get dark, and she'd started to realize how bad her decision was. She slowed down to a walk, and tried to catch her breath. She was panting hard, and leaned against a tree. I shouldn't have come here. I don't even know what I'm looking for. She continued walking along the trail that the Hunters seemed to use. At one point, the trail thinned out to nothing. I guess this is where it officially begins, the Unventured parts of the forest. The evening sun was setting, and the stars appeared in the sky above. I'll walk a little further, and go up a tree for the night. She edged along the thorny undergrowth, hissing as they tore at her legs. I'll need to be quite if I don't want to die. She was shivering as she painstakingly slowly made her way through. She stopped to listen every few steps. She was scared now. I really shouldn't have done this. She was shaking with fear, her hands trembling. She reached a clearing, and sighed a little. Atleast the stupid thorns are gone. I'm so lucky something didn't chase me there. She looked around, taking in the forest. The vibrant colors of the bushes were reflecting the moonlight, and the damp ground lit up blue whenever she walked. What the... It's almost magical. She could see huge mountains ahead, and to the right, a vast swamp area. To the left was a huge rainforest, she knew cause she could see the vines. I'll head to the mountains, decide where to go from there. There was a huge jungle between her and the mountains. I'll have to live through that first. To her luck, it was a full moon night. Atleast the sky is on my side. She had barely taken a few steps when she thought she heard a rustling sound from the undergrowth behind her. She stiffened, her fear paralyzing her. Oh my god. She was about to scream, when common sense took over. Don't scream, let it think you didn't notice it. With her body trembling, she slowly continued walking. The soft rustling followed her. She winced. It got closer. She decided to test if was the wind, or if it really was an animal. She walked a few steps and stopped. The rustling did the same. I'm done for. She slowly took a few steps and stopped. This time, she didn't hear the sound. Where did it go? Ooooh my god. She continued walking in silence, and still no sign of it. She was still a long distance from the edge of the jungle. It would take me a long time to get there. This forest is huge. Just as she thought the thing that had been following her was gone for good, she heard a low growl to her left, from the rain forest. Oooh shit. She slowly risked a glance in that direction, the moonlight casting a faint glow bright enough for her to see. She gasped. A creature stood a few yards away. It crouched on the ground, a low growl escaping it's throat. It looked like a mutant wild dog, green slime covering its flesh. Drool dripped outside of its mouth, its forked tongue flicking between its teeth. She couldn't help it this time. She screamed, and the thing charged. She didn't wait, she turned tail and ran. Fast and hard. She heard it behind her, easily gaining ground. She kept running. Her lungs were burning, and her feet were numb. The thing was making a weird noise. She dared to glance behind her, and her heart stopped. It's tail wasn't a regular tail. It looks like a scorpions. It whipped it's tail, and ran faster. She couldn't keep running. This is it. I'm sorry Aaron. She was a few yards away from the edge of the forest, when the thing jumped. It flew over her and landed in front of her. She skidded to a halt and stumbled. From the jungle between her and the mountains, two more of those creatures strode out. Her heart stopped. I can't fight these. She calculated her surroundings, deciding the best way to go. The swamp was the only place closest to her, but one of those things was in front of it. She braced herself. I'll die trying.

"Hey! Over here, you mutt! " someone shouted. She was stunned. She turned trying to find where it was coming from. Someone stepped out of the swamp area. His black hair a mess, his green eyes reflecting the moonlight. Ian? He screamed insult and bloody abuse at the creatures. One of then turned to him and charged. He stood, waiting for it, not even flinching. What is he doing?! Just as it got close enough for the fatal blow, he ducked under it's belly, and flipped onto his back. As if in slow motion, he took out a long knife and jabbed it up. It sliced across the creatures belly, and its blood spilled onto him. The creature flew over and collapsed onto the ground, its entrails spilled about. He got up, apparently uninjured. His face was drenched in blood, and his suit was wet with the blood from the creature. She turned to face the other two. The shock didn't quite set in yet, but cold panic threatened to take over. One of them turned to Ian and the other growled at her. He can't help me from there. He'll be busy with his own. She turned to face it. The other one ran at Ian, and they fought. Violently. Meanwhile, the one facing Kash crouched. I should have a weapon on my suit somewhere. She felt around and found a little dart in one of her pockets. Alrighty then. The thing pounced on her and she ducked, like she had seen Ian do. But the thing was smart. Instead of flying over her, it dropped dead on top of her. She fell, its weight crushing her. She stabbed at its eyes with the dart, and she blinded it. It reared back, and struck down with its tail. She rolled to the side, and the tail embedded itself next to her ear. She crawled forward on her stomach and wedged herself under it's stomach. It can't reach me down here. She repeatedly stabbed it's stomach, and ripped apart chunks of flesh. She heard a scream from the direction of Ian, but she couldn't make out who screamed. The thing on top of her suddenly dropped dead. She groaned. The sudden weight crushed the breath out of her. The weight shifted, and she crawled out. She collapsed on the floor and looked into the sky. Ian, who had pushed the body off of her, fell down next to her.

"So.." he said.

"So, what now? "

" I don't know. I was trying to find my way back to the facility. "

" You're here now. Why didn't you leave? "

" You were in trouble. "

" Before you leave, I have a question. "

" Ask away. "

" What happened to you both? Where's Zia? Who took you? "

He was silent for a while. "The stars are beautiful tonight."

"That doesn't answer my question. "

" We - I don't know what took us, okay? We were there when the Zeke jumped. Then it felt like we vanished. My body felt like it was ripping apart. It hurt a lot. After what felt like eternity, I woke up. In the forest, somewhere. Zia wasn't with me. "

She listened silently. It was a lot to take in. She couldn't understand what was going on. This forest is strange. She stood up, and Ian followed. Where they had been laying down moments earlier, a blue aurora glowed in the shape of their bodies. It's like what happened to my footprints earlier. It slowly faded away after a while.

"That was beautiful. " Ian whispered.

She nodded. His green eyes reflected the front blue aura, and his eyes seemed to turn turquoise.
She walked a few steps, and looked behind her. Her footprints glowed a beautiful blue, and they slowly faded. She looked up and saw Ian grinning. He should probably leave now. The facility is pretty close.

"Ian? "

" Yeah? "

" The facility is pretty close by. You should get going. "

He looked at her. His eyes sparked with curiosity.

" What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story. "

He spread his arms.  "Trust me, I got time."

She took a deep breath. I might as well tell him. He did save my life. So she did. Told him everything. From the Zeke attack, to talking to the commander. He listened intently. After she was finished, he got up.

"Let's go," he said, "I'll race you to the jungle."

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Hey guys! So what do you think of the latest installment? Kashmir's close to death encounter? Ian saving her? How Zia and Ian got transported through the forest and separated? Will Ian really try to help her? When will Kash's abilities (like I mentioned in the story summary) kick in? What is her ability?  Where are Kyle and Aaron? Any more theories please let me know! I love reading them! Thank you so much ;)       U guys are amazhang!