Trial 017 - 2019 Wattys Sci-Fi Winner

Chapter 11

"Charlie, wake up," a voice hissed.

I cracked open my eye and sat up slightly.

"Bekah?" I whispered, slowly. "Is it...is it time already?"

"Yeah," she replied. "C'mon, it's time to go."

I pushed myself up and rubbed my eyes, forcing myself to focus. The air on this planet was a little thinner than I was used to, so I found myself taking deeper breaths to compensate. Despite feeling a little better from my nap, I was still very much aware of my dry lips and rumbling stomach. I unconsciously placed a hand over my jacket pocket, feeling to make sure it was still there.

"Right," I said. "I'm up."

With the sun down, everything seemed much darker than before. The thick canopy all but filtered out the moonlight entirely, making it almost impossible to see anything other than dark figures sticking out every which way. I could vaguely hear the chirps of animals in the distance, the buzz of insects, and the wind stirring in the trees. The air was damp, the heavy feeling that you had after a rainfall, and carried with it a hint of floral scents. This might have been serene in a forest back at home, but in an alien jungle, it was enough to make my hairs stand on end.

"Do you remember what to do?" Bekah asked softly.

I nodded, then realized that Bekah probably couldn't see me. Standing up slowly, I put my back to the nearest tree and felt my way around, straightening in the dark. That shadow standing in front of me must have been Bekah. I directed my words at it.

"Yeah, I remember," I muttered nervously.

"Good," she said. "Take Calvin with you."

I felt her press a small hand into my own, and the small hand grasped mine tightly. It was a small comfort to know I wasn't alone in this dark jungle, where even the slightest breeze that shook the leaves seemed as if it were the movement of hidden denizens of the night.

"Where's Tanvir?" I asked.

"Already awake," she answered. "He's moving into his position."

Bekah's shadowy form stepped away from me, walking toward what was probably the center of the clearing.

"I'm headed off to play my part," she called softly. "Will you be alright?"

"I got the easy part," I said, reassuring her as much as myself. In truth, I was more scared than I'd ever been before in my life. "Go ahead. If everything goes right, we'll be flying far away from here tonight."

"Okay. I'm off."

There was a momentary silence. Then, the air started to swirl, a gentle breeze that grew stronger until I could feel the wind blowing at my hair. Moments later, Bekah was gone, leaping off in giant bounds toward the base. For a brief instant, the canopy parted with the force of the gales, allowing silver moonlight from twin moons to illuminate the empty clearing, and then it was dark.

Calvin tugged at my arm.

"What?" I demanded.

Calvin didn't say anything back.

"Okay, okay," I said. "We're going."

I turned around, feeling my way toward the section of the clearing that led in the direction of the way we wanted to go. When my hands found the branch I'd broken to mark the way, I straightened and found myself staring at a pair of eyes of burnished gold.

"What the-"

The golden eyes disappeared. I froze in place, my breath coming out in wheezes. I hadn't been afraid of the dark in years, but that wasn't to say I wasn't afraid right then.