Mother Earth // Bellamy Blake

Sixth Sense • 129

The feeling of something grabbing onto my leg woke me up right away. I frantically looked down to see that there was a vine slowly curling itself around me.

"What the shit," I breathed out and quickly grabbed a knife. I started to saw the vine, it was really strong and my sharp knife was struggling to sever it. After getting more aggressive, my leg was free. I tore the dead vine off of myself and went to stand up, but I was held back.

That's when I realized I never took my backpack off. I snaked my arms out of the bag straps and launched myself forward. I scrambled to get up to my feet and turned around to see if my bag was savable. The bag wasn't, but the food and water I could get.

I tightened my grip around my knife as I reproached last night's bed and knelt down. The bag was a complete hostage to this tree and it's soul sucking vines. Luckily, the part that was against my back wasn't covered yet. I slashed the fabric open and pocketed my knife. I reached my hand in and pulled out the only things that were in there. This tree really confused me, it saved my life and then tried to kill me. We had a complicated relationship.

I sighed with gratitude that I wore my ridiculously pocketed cargo pants instead of those beautiful linen pants I was given in Sanctum. I stuffed all the food and water in various pockets and flipped the tree off when I was done. Nothing could have prepared me for the things I've seen on this moon. Most of it was terrifying and made no sense, but the sunrise was magnificent.

As I walked on, I couldn't keep my eyes off the intoxicating colors of the sky. I brought out a bottle of water, I was beyond parched. My organs literally felt like they were dry. I chugged the entire bottle, one sip and it turned into a goner. I didn't stop there either, the second water bottle was now emptying in my mouth. I was starving too, I knew I needed to preserve it but I couldn't bring myself to stop. I needed it. All of my food was gone now too, but I felt a lot better and satisfied. That damn tree did suck some life out of me. I hated this place more with every step.

All day I searched for any kind of tracks, whether it was footprints, tire indents or blood, but I was very unlucky. The only place I knew how to get to was Sanctum and God knows what they'd do to me if I just showed up there after taking Clarke.

I walked as carefully and as fast as possible, but it still wasn't careful enough. The exact millisecond I felt my foot hit a trip wire, I jumped. I didn't care where, I just needed to get out of the way immediately. My body landed in some extremely pollinated tall grass. The sneezing already started as well as the coughing from the dust swelling around me.

I brought myself to my feet and dusted every part of me off as best as I could. Curiosity made me look up to see what I would have been caught in if I didn't think quick enough. There was a net swinging ten feet above the ground. At least it wasn't a spear.

I decided to backtrack to the ravine where Bellamy was taken. Maybe there were more tracks I didn't see in the dark earlier. I searched the ground obsessively, trying to find anything that could give me a lead. I didn't find anything, but I did see something.

A fluffy, white tail disappeared behind a tree twenty feet away from me. I booked it over, I recognized that tail. When I got to the tree there was nothing, I looked around frantically. Desperation to see if what I saw was real took over.

"Bear!" I yelled, my eyes searching through trunks and greenery. Then I saw him, trotting around through the brush. "Bear, come!"

He turned to face me, it really was him. Bear was only stagnant for a second before disobeying my order. He started to run, making me take off after him. I followed his galloping body to who knows where. I repeatedly cried his name out but was never successful in getting his attention back onto me.