Raven Tide

5: Abandoned (Chyani)

"Raven Tide!" I cried into the comm-link.

All that returned was static.

I scratched my fingernails into the moss-covered dirt and winced when the prismatic cloaking bubble surrounding me jiggled and burst into nothing.

Everything was quiet, just as he said.

"Raven Tide..." I breathed in denial.

My eyes burned and my vision warbled behind a layer of water.

"No," I pinched my eyes shut and sucked air down my nose.

That won't change anything.

I scooped up the scattered equipment into the satchel and stood up, hugging the oversized black bag in my arms.

The jungle was silent.

I crept in the direction Raven Tide ran toward. Bootprints were everywhere.

My stomach lurched, and I dropped on all fours, vomiting.

"Keep it together, Chyani," I panted and wiped my mouth.

To my horror, blood and viscera littered the forest floor in front of my hands. There was a wet red skull and spinal cord sprawled on the ground to my left.

The way he moved was insane... What kind of masochistic nut job would deliberately face Raven Tide in a one-on-one deathmatch?

Warm blood trickled over my fingers.

"The red bush!" I got up and scoured the area until I finally located the correct skull marker.

His motley bedecked utility belt was laying next to his red-stained gauntlet. I clutched both items and tucked them tight to my chest.

Hot liquid simmered across my eyelids.

"Stop it!" I scrubbed my forearm over my face.

Focus!

I took one last survey of the blood-splattered battleground. There was nothing else here that I needed.

...

I ran for what felt like forever, having no clue what to do if something hungry jumped out and tried to kill me.

This feeling was the source of all my nightmares. The immobilization of unending obligation, the sinking fear, the awareness that I was powerless and things were becoming too real. It's why running in the mornings was a dreaded chore. I couldn't stop my thoughts from overflowing.

Don't stop, get to the ship. Don't stop, get to the ship.

I repeated the mantra to block out paralysis.

...

My hands were shivering and my stomach was growling when I arrived back at his ship.

"Wow..." I marveled at the drone's proficiency. "The hull is shiny."

The ship's giant aft door hissed and opened in response to Raven Tide's buzzing gauntlet. Common sense suggested that this response would be a major flaw in security for a craft this advanced to allow access automatically. He must have unlocked it before ditching the gauntlet.

A drone bumped my boot and I knelt to it. Then a few more skittered over as I handed them the missing parts and the fabricator.

"Do your thing, little bugs," I exhaled and waved them off down the hall.

The lights built into the floor of the hallway blinked on as I walked toward the bridge.

"Ok, a good sign. At least one thing is working."