own "from the freezer into the frying
pan."
Rodrigo laughed as I winced, tilting my head from the sun.
"Kill for some sunglasses, wouldn't you, Baz?"
"Phew, what's next in this kitchen? Served on a platter?" I replied.
"How long before you think we should give this up as a bad idea?"
"Shall we say another couple of hours? If we don't reach the other side by three, let's
kick this into touch. I'm certainly not spending the night in this jungle. No bloody fear!"
"No arguments there."
As we left the middle of the glade, I felt a stitch in my side. I had to stop. Rodrigo threw
his carrier on the grass and stretched out in the sun, using the plastic pack as a pillow. I was about
to kick his shins when a terrifying roar drew my eyes to the trees.
Over a dozen ravenous, hyena-like creatures tore out of the foliage from every direction.
Dark brown, emaciated, they sprinted straight for us with bared teeth. I tried to turn but Rodrigo
held me at his side.
"Christ! Aim for the leaders," he snarled.
He took steady aim with his revolver and fired. His first shot missed its target but
snapped me into action. My belt buckle snagged the Beretta's trigger guard as I pulled it out. I
cursed the world and flicked the safety off. Rodrigo fired a second, then a third time, stopping
two creatures dead in the dirt. My own first shot plugged its target less than twenty feet away. I
emptied my clip, picking off the quickest onrushers with frightening rapidity. The odds against us
were too great; my Beretta held twelve bullets, Rodrigo's revolver only six. We were
outmatched.
Our rounds were exhausted in a matter of seconds. The creatures were upon us an instant
later. One leapt at me, slashing my shoulder with its claw as I barely managed to side-step. As it
landed, I launched a hefty kick to its throat, crushing it with my boot. Straight away, another one
bit into my right calf. I let out a terrible cry. The brute shook me in its grip. All I could do was
drag it closer by its knotted mane. Red-hot stabs tore through me. Using both hands, I managed to
prize it free from its bite and wrestle it into a head-lock. With a tremendous yank and a twist, I
snapped its neck. Its head flopped silently to the ground.
Two more attacked, side by side from behind, while I was still crouched. They must
have leapt at my back simultaneously. They knocked the wind out of me. I gasped for air and
waited for their second strike. With half a breath, I turned to face the end with every bit of hate I
could muster. The bastards weren't going to eat for free.
One of the beasts lay eviscerated before me, its stomach practically cleaved in two. The
other, circling behind, was engaged in a struggle with the most ferocious animal I have ever
encountered.
A huge, lumbering bear, eight feet tall on its hind quarters, and obsidian black, delivered
a devastating swipe that tore the second brute's limb completely from its torso. The bear
immediately settled on all fours and sank its teeth into the hyena's neck, shaking until the struggle
was no more.
Fully expecting to fall under its scything claws, I lay there shivering, cowering before
the black behemoth like a rodent in a tomcat alley. As it strode forward, its dark, penetrating eyes
chilled me to the bone. I was paralyzed, infused with utter hopelessness. My eyes closed as I felt
his awful breath on my hair. A hollow opened up inside me, waiting for my release.
Yet, something coarse, wet, almost tickly, dispelled the feeling almost instantly. It pulled
me back from the brink. The monster, obsidian black and ferocious, was not a monster at all. As
he licked my face, the way a dog expresses affection to a worthy human, the bear reminded me I
was still alive. To this day, I have never felt a greater sense of providence.
Rodrigo crawled over, nursing multiple wounds on his arms. Luckily for us, the
slavering assailants did not have the jaws to match their appetites. Their bites proved painful, but
shallow. I would
pan."
Rodrigo laughed as I winced, tilting my head from the sun.
"Kill for some sunglasses, wouldn't you, Baz?"
"Phew, what's next in this kitchen? Served on a platter?" I replied.
"How long before you think we should give this up as a bad idea?"
"Shall we say another couple of hours? If we don't reach the other side by three, let's
kick this into touch. I'm certainly not spending the night in this jungle. No bloody fear!"
"No arguments there."
As we left the middle of the glade, I felt a stitch in my side. I had to stop. Rodrigo threw
his carrier on the grass and stretched out in the sun, using the plastic pack as a pillow. I was about
to kick his shins when a terrifying roar drew my eyes to the trees.
Over a dozen ravenous, hyena-like creatures tore out of the foliage from every direction.
Dark brown, emaciated, they sprinted straight for us with bared teeth. I tried to turn but Rodrigo
held me at his side.
"Christ! Aim for the leaders," he snarled.
He took steady aim with his revolver and fired. His first shot missed its target but
snapped me into action. My belt buckle snagged the Beretta's trigger guard as I pulled it out. I
cursed the world and flicked the safety off. Rodrigo fired a second, then a third time, stopping
two creatures dead in the dirt. My own first shot plugged its target less than twenty feet away. I
emptied my clip, picking off the quickest onrushers with frightening rapidity. The odds against us
were too great; my Beretta held twelve bullets, Rodrigo's revolver only six. We were
outmatched.
Our rounds were exhausted in a matter of seconds. The creatures were upon us an instant
later. One leapt at me, slashing my shoulder with its claw as I barely managed to side-step. As it
landed, I launched a hefty kick to its throat, crushing it with my boot. Straight away, another one
bit into my right calf. I let out a terrible cry. The brute shook me in its grip. All I could do was
drag it closer by its knotted mane. Red-hot stabs tore through me. Using both hands, I managed to
prize it free from its bite and wrestle it into a head-lock. With a tremendous yank and a twist, I
snapped its neck. Its head flopped silently to the ground.
Two more attacked, side by side from behind, while I was still crouched. They must
have leapt at my back simultaneously. They knocked the wind out of me. I gasped for air and
waited for their second strike. With half a breath, I turned to face the end with every bit of hate I
could muster. The bastards weren't going to eat for free.
One of the beasts lay eviscerated before me, its stomach practically cleaved in two. The
other, circling behind, was engaged in a struggle with the most ferocious animal I have ever
encountered.
A huge, lumbering bear, eight feet tall on its hind quarters, and obsidian black, delivered
a devastating swipe that tore the second brute's limb completely from its torso. The bear
immediately settled on all fours and sank its teeth into the hyena's neck, shaking until the struggle
was no more.
Fully expecting to fall under its scything claws, I lay there shivering, cowering before
the black behemoth like a rodent in a tomcat alley. As it strode forward, its dark, penetrating eyes
chilled me to the bone. I was paralyzed, infused with utter hopelessness. My eyes closed as I felt
his awful breath on my hair. A hollow opened up inside me, waiting for my release.
Yet, something coarse, wet, almost tickly, dispelled the feeling almost instantly. It pulled
me back from the brink. The monster, obsidian black and ferocious, was not a monster at all. As
he licked my face, the way a dog expresses affection to a worthy human, the bear reminded me I
was still alive. To this day, I have never felt a greater sense of providence.
Rodrigo crawled over, nursing multiple wounds on his arms. Luckily for us, the
slavering assailants did not have the jaws to match their appetites. Their bites proved painful, but
shallow. I would
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