The Nibiru Effect

Memory 69

I jump. At least, I try, but right before I can propel myself forward, my foot slips.

"Oh f—" I begin, but the second half of the word dies in my throat when I realize I'm out of options. Even if I somehow manage to regain my balance, my mount will soon be knocked from the cliff, which means a plummet to certain death for me. The only way to avoid it is to propel myself forward with all the strength I have and hope for the best.

I flex my knees and ready my muscles. I wait until my body is almost vertical, then unfold my legs. My body is propelled forward like a bullet leaving the chamber. Wind whistles past my ears as the world snaps into focus. I'm not sure why, but I can now see everything clearly. The ground far beneath me—the sight of it terrifies me, but since there's nothing I can do about it, I do my best to ignore it. The tree that harbours Kara—my original intent was to aim for the spot where my friend is waiting for me with open arms, but my slip has made that impossible.

Kara must have realized this as well, because she grabs on to the branch that stands above her and leans forward, her free hand outstretched. I contort my body in a desperate attempt to reach the offered limb, but it does little good. Our fingers barely even touch as I plummet past.

"NOOO!" yells Kara. Her voice grows farther with each passing second, which means I'm falling with increasing speed. The fact that the branches are now speeding past me in blurs of green confirms it. I'm afraid of trying to grab hold of them, but fear of death is a good motivator.

I reach out and grab the first branch I come across. It snaps, and I'm left holding a clump of leaves. I release them and try again, only to miscalculate and slam face-first into the tree limb. Momentarily blinded, I don't see the next branch until I slam into it.

A wheezing grunt erupts from my mouth as the sturdy limb halts my momentum. The air is knocked from my lungs as a searing pain shoots through my chest. I can't tell if it's a side effect of the lack of air or if my ribs have snapped. For all I know, a severed branch has stabbed me, and it's only a matter of time before I bleed out. But, for the time being, I don't care. I'm just happy to be alive.

I lay there for a while, half lying on the branch, half hanging off it. I can't tell much else. My ears are buzzing, and my vision is filled with stars. Time means nothing. Seconds feel like hours and hours feel like seconds.

After a while, something grabs hold of me. My first thought is that one of the Pterodactyls has decided I look like a tasty snack, but then I hear Kara's voice in my ear and I know I'm safe. I still can't see, but I sense her help me up onto the branch. She leads me along until we reach a broad vertical surface. The trunk. Kara helps me rest my back against it. My legs hang down on either side of the branch, which is so massive it feels like I'm riding a kaar. I feel safe. But that feeling evaporates as soon as my vision returns.

"Oh, no!" I groan as I realize how perilous our situation truly is.

Kara and I sit on one of the lowest branches of one of the tall trees that stand by the cliff. The tree—and most of the cliff—towers high above us. A few Pterodactyls still fly around, but now that every last snail has been knocked off the stone wall, there's nothing of interest at such an altitude.

I hold off for as long as I can, but curiosity eventually gets to me, and I glance down.

Bad idea. Not because my head starts spinning and I feel sick. Not even because I lose my balance and nearly topple out of the tree. It's a bad idea because the spectacle I discover is so shocking I'm left staring at it in disbelief.

The Velociraptors must have been scared away by the falling snails because there's no sign of them. Or so I think until I notice a group of Pterodactyls fighting for access to what appears to be a corpse. I only catch glimpses of the half-eaten carcass, but I have no trouble identifying it as a Velociraptor. I'm not sure if the animal was killed by a falling snail or swarmed by a flock of Pterodactyls, but the result is the same. It's dead and serving as a feast for the winged predators.