The days blurred together as we ventured deeper into the dense forest, steadily distancing ourselves from the unsettling encounters of the past nights. Initially, every rustle in the leaves made us jump, every shadow felt like an imminent threat. But slowly, with each passing day, the forest around us became less frightening and more of a race to adjust.
Our routine settled into a comforting predictability – wake up, check our dwindling supplies, search for food and fresh water, then continue our slow trek forward. Ella's curiosity became our daily beacon, guiding us toward discovery rather than fear. She sketched and scribbled notes tirelessly, her fingertips permanently stained with lead as she documented every detail, turning our strange surroundings into pages of detailed observations.
The trees around us grew taller, their thick trunks twisting together and forming natural arches overhead. The twin suns barely pierced the dense canopy, casting the forest floor in a perpetual twilight glow.
Gradually, we started to recognize the creatures we shared this environment with – not as immediate threats, but as curious cohabitants. Gigantic insects carrying hollow logs across well-worn paths, coiling vines that gently wrapped around our limbs if we brushed too close, and the ever-watchful QuadraSimians, peering down from the safety of the treetops.
Even Henry, who had initially been the most anxious, began to relax. His grip on his spear loosened, his humor slowly returning as he jokingly assigned names to creatures Ella sketched.
Benjamin, always vigilant, began experimenting with the local plant life, cautiously testing their edibility and medical properties. Amelia quietly maintained her watchful presence, but even her eyes softened, no longer constantly searching for hidden dangers.
The fear that had once clenched at every breath was giving way to something quieter. Not quite peace, but a rhythm. A mutual understanding that if we kept moving, kept learning, we might actually make it through this.
I sat on a fallen log, turning my knife absently in my hands, the familiar weight grounding me. I wasn't really watching Ella, but I could see her scribbling furiously out of the corner of my eye – lost in whatever discovery had caught her attention this time.
Overhead, one of the QuadraSimians vaulted between the branches, its four limbs moving with practiced ease. It landed on a thick limb and crouched there, head tilted as it studied us with curious, intelligent eyes.
"QuadraSimian, huh?" I muttered, following its movements with the tip of my blade.
"You don't like it?" Ella replied, her eyes never leaving the page as she sketched.
"Feels… unnecessary," I shrugged. "Four-armed monkeys work just fine."
"QuadraSimian is more scientific," she replied, still focused on her notes.
"It's more complicated," I countered, watching another leap from tree to tree with practiced ease. "Do we really need a fancy name for something we might have to kill for food later?"
Before Ella could respond, Emily's head snapped up from where she had been examining a beetle, her expression instantly shifting to one of horror. "We're not eating them," she cut in sharply.
I smirked. "Not yet."
Emily huffed, shaking her head as she turned away, muttering something under her breath before refocusing on the beetle in her hand. Ella, unfazed, merely rolled her eyes and went back to her notes, the scratching of her pen filling the silence that followed.
The conversation drifted as the hours passed, eventually giving way to the steady rhythm of survival. Each step brought new obstacles – some small, some dangerous – but all part of the new normal we were slowly adjusting to. The forest's sounds had become familiar, its constant hum less ominous than it once was. Paranoia dulled into vigilance.
By the fourth day, the hunger was harder to ignore. Our supplies had dwindled, and though we'd managed to snare a few small creatures, it wasn't enough to sustain all of us. That's when Owen gestured toward the edge of the trail, where clusters of deep purple berries clung to thorny vines.
"I've seen the QuadraSimians eating these," he said, nodding upward toward the canopy, where one of the creatures was perched.
Ella looked over with a furrowed brow, curiosity flickering in her eyes. She stepped closer, crouching near the berries. "It's a good sign," she murmured, more to herself than anyone. "If local wildlife can eat them without showing signs of distress, that's usually promising."
"But not always," Benjamin added, crossing his arms. "Their bodies might process things differently. What's safe for them could shut our systems down in seconds."
Ella didn't argue right away. She hovered there, eyeing the fruit, clearly turning the thought over in her mind. "Still," she said finally, "if we don't start testing things, we'll run out of options."
"We can't afford a mistake," Amelia said, flatly.
Owen looked around, as if to look for any suggestions.
"I'll do it," Henry volunteered, already stepping forward with that lopsided grin that usually preceded something reckless. "It's just a berry."
"Wait," Ella started, but he was already reaching toward the nearest vine.
That's when everything went to hell.
A blur of dark fur dropped from the canopy, teeth bared, a guttural snarl ripping through the air. Before Henry could react, the creature clamped onto his forearm with vicious ferocity.
Henry let out a strangled yell, stumbling back as he tried to shake it loose. But the damn thing held firm, its fangs buried deep, snarling as blood dripped from its maw. Panic flared in his eyes as he struggled, but instinct had already kicked in for me.
My knife was in my hand before I even realized it. One step forward, and a sharp flick of the wrist–
The blade sank deep into the creature's skull.
Its body twitched, then went limp, its grip loosening as it slid off Henry's arm and hit the ground with a dull, sickening thud.
Henry staggered back, clutching his bleeding arm, his breath coming in short, uneven gasps. "Son of a–" He bit down a curse, his face contorted in pain. "That thing got me good."
Benjamin was already moving, his usual calm demeanor masking the urgency in his steps. "Sit down." He knelt beside Henry, assessing the wound with sharp, clinical focus. "We need to clean this properly. Out here, even a small infection could be dangerous."
I barely heard them. My eyes were locked on the treetops, my grip tightening around the handle of my knife. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, the sharp edge of adrenaline still lingering. Were there more? I scanned the branches, half-expecting another attack.
But nothing came.
I forced myself to take a breath, the tension still coiled tight in my chest.
"You good?" I asked, my gaze still fixed on the canopy.
Henry let out a breathless chuckle, but his usual humor felt forced. "Yeah. Just a scratch. Good to know the monkeys here don't play around."
Benjamin ignored the remark and pulled out a small antiseptic bottle. "Hold still," he ordered as he poured the liquid over the wound.
Henry hissed through his teeth. "Ah! That burns."
"Would you rather have an infection?" Benjamin countered, carefully wrapping gauze around Henry's arm. "Try not to move it too much. If the bleeding gets worse, let me know."
Ella knelt beside the lifeless creature, her brow furrowed in confusion. "This is strange," she murmured, turning the monkey-like body over. "They aren't naturally aggressive… at least, not like this."
"Maybe it was territorial?" Owen offered, though his voice held uncertainty.
Henry sighed, flexing his injured arm with a wince. "It's probably just protective over its food."
I glanced at the fruit still hanging on the branch, the source of all this trouble. Stepping forward, I plucked one from the vine, rolling it in my palm. It felt oddly heavy, the outer skin textured like a lychee, but stretched into an elongated shape, more like a mango. Small tendrils curled and twitched along its surface, as if responding to my touch.
Taking out my knife, I carefully sliced the fruit in half. The flesh split apart with an odd, wet sound, revealing a translucent blue interior, cradling clusters of black seeds in a honeycomb pattern.
Something about it felt… off.
Henry hissed again as Benjamin tightened the bandage.
"Stop whining," Benjamin muttered. "It's your own fault for grabbing at strange alien fruit."
Henry scowled. "You sound just like my mother."
Amelia placed a comforting hand on Henry's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. We're all still learning. The important thing is that we learn from this mistake."
As we gathered around Henry, Ella's analytical mind kicked into gear. "And speaking of learning, we should see if the meat from this monkey is edible," she suggested, already preparing a spot to dissect it.
Amelia nodded in agreement. "That's a great idea, Ella," she affirmed, her eyes scanning the gathered supplies.
"Anyone want to see how this tastes?" I interjected, curious about the unusual fruit in my hand.
"Let me take a look at it," Ella asked, reaching for the fruit. She examined its outer appearance, poking around with my knife. "I'm a little concerned about its blue hue, but since the QuadraSimian was able to eat it, I think it's safe for us," she concluded, handing the fruit back to me. Turning her attention to the monkey, she continued, "Anyway, I'm more interested in whether we can eat the meat. It could provide us with more energy."
"Okay, have fun with that," I chuckled, sitting back and cutting off a square segment of the fruit. As I wiggled the piece, it wobbled back and forth like Jell-O. Well, might as well take a bite, I thought, though regret set in almost instantly as I spat it out onto the ground. It tasted like a grape, but with an overwhelming bitterness. "Definitely not a delicacy," I grimaced.
"You okay?" Amelia asked, a hint of concern in her voice as she noticed my reaction.
"It's really bitter," I grimaced, spitting out some of the remaining chunks.
Ya, not for me.
Tossing the fruit aside, I moved to join Ella in the messy task of skinning the creature. The process was tedious, requiring steady hands and careful precision to avoid ruining the meat. The hide peeled away in thick layers, exposing the lean muscle beneath.
We worked in silence for a while, the rhythmic slicing of the blade the only sound between us. But then, Ella suddenly hesitated. Her hands, slick with blood, had encountered something unexpected.
"What is this?" she murmured, her brows knitting together in confusion. Carefully, she reached inside the creature's chest cavity and extracted a dark green orb, roughly the size of a fist, nestled where its heart should have been. The strange organ pulsed faintly under the dim moonlight, its surface smooth but unnervingly dense.
I leaned in, frowning. "That's… definitely not normal."
Ella turned the orb over in her hands, her eyes gleaming with fascination despite the grotesque discovery. "It's not a heart, at least not in any way we'd recognize," she muttered, more to herself than to me. "Could be an energy storage organ or some kind of sensory organ."
"Or something worse," I added, uneasy at the way it seemed to subtly shift in her grip.
Ella shot me a glance before carefully wrapping it up in a cloth. "I'll study it later," she said, tucking it away in her bag.
With the dissection finished and our findings recorded, we packed up and made our way back to camp. The warm glow of the fire flickered between the trees, casting jagged shadows along the forest floor. The scent of cooking meat mixed with the damp earth, creating an oddly grounding contrast to the strangeness of our situation.
As the others settled in, I took my turn on watch. The forest stretched out in eerie silence, the occasional rustling of unseen creatures the only sound beyond the soft crackling of the fire. Letting my thoughts drift, I occupied myself with carving skewers, shaping the wood with slow, deliberate strokes. But as the minutes dragged on, the task became monotonous.
With a sigh, I set the last skewer onto the small pile beside me, shaking out my stiff fingers. My mind wandered as my hands reached into my pocket, fingers closing around something smooth and familiar. Pulling out the small rock, I rolled it between my fingers, feeling the cool surface against my skin.
I flipped it into the air, catching it absently. Then again. The weight and motion gave my restless hands something to do. But on one toss, my fingers missed, and the rock slipped through them, vanishing into the thick undergrowth beside me.
"Damn it," I muttered, pushing myself up.
The fire cast long, shifting shadows across the ground as I crouched, sweeping my hands carefully through the damp leaves and tangled roots. A flicker of relief crossed my mind as my fingers brushed against something smooth, only to realize it was just a piece of some weird plant. I frowned, pushing aside a few more scattered leaves before finally feeling the familiar shape of my stone. Relief washed over me as I retrieved it, brushing off the dirt and holding it up to the firelight.
For a moment, I just stared at it, rolling it between my fingers again before slipping it back into my pocket. A pointless thing to cling to, but at this point, it was a keepsake.
Then, suddenly, a yell tore through the silence, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Benjamin.
His voice was sharp with panic, somewhere just beyond the brush. I bolted upright and ran, branches whipping against my arms as I pushed through the undergrowth. When I reached them, the sight made my stomach drop.
Henry writhed on the ground, muscles seizing, dark veins crawling up his arm and threading into his neck like ink under his skin. Every breath he took came out as a ragged, agonized scream.
Benjamin knelt beside him, trying—and failing—to keep him from ripping at the blackened flesh spreading outward from the bite. Henry thrashed so violently that Benjamin could barely hold on.
"Atlas, help me hold him down!" Benjamin ordered.
Still reeling, I hesitated for only a second before grabbing one of Henry's arms. His skin was burning hot, tendons tightening under my fingers as he fought like a trapped animal. Benjamin struggled with the other arm, barely keeping it pinned.
What was happening? My gaze dropped to the wound, and the answer hit me like a punch. The bite.
The moment the realization formed, Henry convulsed. He tore free of Benjamin's grip and swung wildly. His fist connected with my jaw hard enough to send me sprawling onto my back, utterly dazed.
Hearing the sounds of struggle, I was able to slowly push myself up, blinking through the haze, just in time to see Henry scramble unsteadily to his feet and lurch toward the forest.
He made it only a few steps before Amelia burst out of the trees and slammed into him, tackling him to the ground. She wrenched his arms behind his back, fighting to keep him pinned as he bucked and snarled beneath her.
"Benjamin, what is happening?!" she shouted over his struggling.
Benjamin staggered upright, chest heaving. "The creature must have done something to him…" He ran a hand through his hair, clearly at a loss. "If we knock him out, it might give us a bit of time to figure out how to stop it."
It wasn't much, but as Amelia strained to hold Henry down, it sounded like the only real chance we had.
Then Ella arrived with the others, right as Henry snapped.
With a sudden, explosive burst of strength, he launched Amelia off his back, sending her slamming into a tree with a sickening thud. Before any of us could move, Henry spun toward Ella. Her face drained of color as he lunged.
He collided with her, dragging her to the ground. His hands slashed at her arms, leaving deep cuts as she cried out. Then Henry grabbed hold of her bag, tugging and tearing until he ripped it completely off her shoulder. He stumbled back with it clutched to his chest, panting like some feral creature guarding a kill.
There was nothing human in his eyes. Nothing said Henry was still in there.
My hand tightened around the hilt of my knife as I took a step forward. I didn't want to do this, but seeing Ella bleeding, and the fact that it was only getting worse, I might have to end this.
But I paused a second later as he stopped. Still crouched low, Henry fumbled with the bag like he didn't understand it. Frustration twisted across his face. With a guttural growl, he grabbed both sides and pulled. Fabric and straps tore apart effortlessly, sending Ella's belongings scattering across the dirt.
Among them fell a brilliantly glowing orb.
However, it didn't fall as I expected; instead, it just hovered there, suspended in mid-air, pulsing softly with its green light.
"That's… impossible," I whispered.
Then, as if guided by some unseen wind, it drifted toward him, glowing brighter, as Henry reached out with trembling, almost reverent hands. The moment his fingers brushed it, the core liquified and seeped into his skin. Light threaded along the path the black veins had taken, pushing the darkness back as it traveled up his arm, across his shoulder, and into his chest.
Then, like someone had switched the lights off, he collapsed to his knees, and just as he was about to fall forward, Ella caught his seemingly lifeless body in trembling arms.