Survivors: The Complete Trilogy by Jack Porter

Author:Jack Porter [Porter, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ink Riot Books
Published: 2023-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

The next morning, such as if was, I was standing outside of the container, just looking into the swamp, listening to the ever-present sounds of the creatures that lived here. I had woken earlier than the others, and clambered out of the container for no other reason than to soak in the sights and sounds, and to think.

The drizzle in this part of the swamp was incessant. Somewhere over the canopy, the sky was blanketed in clouds. It would have been nice to feel the sun on my skin, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

The swamp was forever hidden from that shining yellow ball and as a result, it should have been gloomy, a miserable, sad place to be.

And yet, it had its own kind of wild beauty to it. There was color here, both in the form of plant life—flowers of iridescent purples, oranges and pinks—and in the wildlife as well.

Everywhere I looked, it was as though I’d just missed something moving. Small water creatures ducked under the surface, leaving nothing but ripples behind. A thing that looked like an oversized cicada, and sounded like one too, seemed to realize I’d spotted it despite its camouflage and darted in behind the branch it had been hugging.

And the fliers. There were always fliers of different types. Small, medium, and large. Some gathered together in swarms, some more solitary. Creatures built on different architectures, some reminding me of dragonflies, others of small, flitting birds, and some that defied description beyond what my sensors could tell me.

The way they moved through the air, approaching a given point but no further, told me that the plant’s repellent aroma was still in effect, if not quite as potent as it had been before. Perhaps, I thought, it would remain so long enough that the four of us could make it back to the village unmolested.

I was still standing there, lost in my own thoughts, when the girls began to stir.

It was Deeve who approached me first.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked without preamble.

I turned to her and saw that she looked well rested and eager to start the day. Of all of the women, she was the one who seemed to have adapted to our new lifestyle the best. Sure, Uma would never admit defeat. She would battle against the jungle until her dying breath.

But Deeve seemed somehow born to it. It was as if the jungle itself brought out the best in her.

She already had her usual smile firmly in place, and I couldn’t help but think back to earlier in our adventure. Uma was the transport Commander. Nominally, keeping us alive was still her responsibility, at least until we got ourselves off this world.

But Deeve had very quickly started to look to me for guidance, and by now, it seemed to be second nature.

I hadn’t challenged Uma’s leadership directly, and didn’t intend to. Not unless she made some decision or other I didn’t agree with. And that was unlikely, because even she looked to me for advice, even more than she looked to Kia.

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