Evolutionary

Ch. 9 - Into the Abyss

The drive back to the village was a long and hard one for Carlson. He stared at the bottom of the truck bed, paying no attention to his surroundings. His mind was racing with rage, regret and grief. He played out the scenarios in his head countless times, scanning for a way he could have done better, maybe save James. Yet he knew that there was nothing he could have done. If James hadn't killed himself then the poison sure would.

He felt a hand on his shoulder snapping him out of his trance. He grabbed the hand, it was Liz's, and he hadn't even noticed her presence beside him. She jumped from Carlson's unexpected reaction, letting out a gasp.

Looking at him eye to eye, she could see the distress rooted deeply in his face, offering what she could. "I'm sorry, I wish there was something we could have done, but it couldn't have been done."

"I know, he was all I had left. He never wanted to leave the house, and now he's gone. I knew I should have just gone alone, it's my fault he's dead." Carlson muttered suppressing a sob. He once again stared at the truck bed.

"Don't blame yourself, John. I know my words probably don't mean much but it was fates hand."

Carlson looked up at her and noticed her smile. Her smile somehow gave him a sense of comfort. "That means a lot, thanks."

She hugged him and whispered a soft "you're welcome."

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They arrived back at the village with two baskets full of canned foods. The fungal blob remained, slowly withering away desperate for a new host. They walked into the chief's hall and dropped the baskets in front of Harris.

"This is all? Where is the fourth?" Harris asked.

The statement made Carlson very angry. "This is all you get! The fourth, as you call my brother is dead! No wonder you didn't want to get the food yourself, you knew about the wasps!"

Harris was puzzled; in truth he did not know anything about the wasps. "I'm sorry for your loss, I didn't know. However this amount will have to do."

"Now, for your end of the bargain?"

"Yes, yes. As promised I will lead you through the thicket but I will go no further. Lawrence, Joseph! Grab the supplies."

The guards nodded and started to rummage through a nearby closet as Harris pulled a shotgun from behind his chair. They walked out of the village to the thicket that began just across the street. All light failed to penetrate the leaves what seemed to be an eternal darkness.

"Follow, stay close or die." Harris said.

The two guards turned on their gas powered lamps whose effectiveness was drastically reduced once inside the thicket. The radius of light around them was cut to just over a foot. The plants in this place craved light, like a hunger that was impossible to satisfy.

"I don't like this place." Liz said through chattering teeth. "It's cold."

"Like Harris said, stick close and you'll be fine." Carlson replied.

Liz never liked the darkness. She couldn't see well but it wasn't so bad as she needed to be guided. She moved closer to Carlson anyways. His presence close to her made her feel safer and Carlson could tell, wrapping an arm around her.