Chapter Two: Discovery
Author: Septhiroth
Rating: PG-13
Type of Story: Supernatural/Drama/General
The morning light seeped in though the top of the treehouse, painting golden portraits of the sky above. Everyone slowly arose from the night slumber, fresh coffee was put on, gradually filling the room with a light aroma. Showers were taken, and breakfast was eaten. Finally, everyone met in the dining room. Challenger laid out the plans for the day, "We are running low on Sulfur for our guns, and Veronica knows of several areas that are close by."
She spoke up, "The areas are not hard to reach, the only problem we will have are dealing with a few Trogs."
Roxton wiped his mouth on a napkin, "Trogs? Well….That should be to difficult."
Challenger smiled, and rolled up the map, laying it in his knapsack. "Then…It's settled, we will head out as soon as possible."
Malone stuffed his notebook in his pocket, "How long will it take us?"
Veronica finished her meal, and put away her dishes, "It will only take us a few hours,
the terrain's a little swampy, but that shouldn't slow us down too much."
Marguerite loaded her mini-pistol, and checked her supply of bullets. She straightened her hat, then looked at the others, "Well? Times not getting any shorter…."
Challanger slapped the table with his palm, "Then lets get going!"
The two dead raptors attracted much attention from the smaller scavengers. Their flesh picked clean, and the bones white and bleached. All plants, trees and even the smaller insects lay around in twitching groups. The trees once green and lush, low laid brown and rotting in the dry soil….All the life in a 40 foot radius around the ship, was dead or painfully dying….. Even the birds that once flew over head, now avoided the dead spot from the air…. But…One small bird, though it could fly along the edge…..It fluttered trying to stay up….But something was drawing the life out of it….The bird gasped, and tumbled to the ground, its body disintegrating into dust before it hit.
"What a find!" Challenger spoke with exuberance, "It's the best source of sulfur that we could ever need!" The group at stopped by a large hot spring, the water was bubbling and churning, spewing large white wreaths of steam that danced into nothingness in the blue sky.
Along the botton of the pool, was coated with yellow branches of the element. It took only a few moments, to come up with a solution. After rigging a blunt rock on the edge of a long stick, it only took a few moments for a large enough hunk of sulfur to float up to the surface. By doing this, the team soon had enough sulfur to last them for more than a month.
Roxton put his hand over his nose, "I just wish sometiems, that this stuff smelled better."
Challanger laughed, still on a gitty spree from his discovery. "It wouldn't be sulufer if it did smell of rotten eggs."
Malone smiled, "Then if were finshed, lets get out of here."
Veronica looked around, scanning the brown trees for any sign of movement….Marguerite noticed her looking, "What's wrong?"
Veronica still looked, "This isn't right…There was a tribe of Trogs here a few days ago."
Malone spoke up, "Maybe they moved on…."
Veronica dismissed the question, "No. The springs were a healing agent for them. They used it to cure sickness. They would never leave it."
Roxton blanched, "healing? Ha….bathing in boiling hot water to help heal wounds."
Challanger noticed the quiteness around him, "Does anyone know how quite it is out here?"
The ground stopped talking, not even a bird sounded in this part of the jungle. "Even the trees look……Weaker…Somehow." Marguerite noticed
Roxton loaded his rifle, and checked the pistol in his other hand. "I Think that its time that we took our leave…."
The group started to head out, when a raptor burst forth ahead of them on the trail. Roxton yelled out, and rasied his gun, the rest of the group did likewise. But, no shots were fired. The rapor vomited on the groud, and swayed heavily on his feet, before collasping to one side. It gurgled loudly, then laid still.
Malone lowered his weapon, "That was…Different."
Veronica put away her dagger, "Not the word that I was looking for, but It will do."
The group closed on the raptor, flies buzzed lazly around the open mouth. The skin of the raptor seemed drained of color, and clammy. The group stood still, then Challanger spoke up, "Its like….If something ate it alive!"
Malone scoffed, "What?"
Challanger pointed to the raptor, "Look…See here? The skin has been though rapid degergation, almost like if a parasite had taken all the nurtients out of the host."
Margureete frowed and put away her gun, "I don't care what It did….At least its dead."
Roxton smiled, and turned around, noticing that the dead leaves and trees grew more and more common…..Finally…he saw something off to his left. It was…Something Metal.
Roxton pointed of to the left, "I think…We may have found the source of our little parasite problem."
The group looked, and saw the space of dead trees. Challenger spoke for everyone, "Let's see what it is….." The group took out their weapons, and slowly head out for the source of the decay.
Author: Septhiroth
Rating: PG-13
Type of Story: Supernatural/Drama/General
The morning light seeped in though the top of the treehouse, painting golden portraits of the sky above. Everyone slowly arose from the night slumber, fresh coffee was put on, gradually filling the room with a light aroma. Showers were taken, and breakfast was eaten. Finally, everyone met in the dining room. Challenger laid out the plans for the day, "We are running low on Sulfur for our guns, and Veronica knows of several areas that are close by."
She spoke up, "The areas are not hard to reach, the only problem we will have are dealing with a few Trogs."
Roxton wiped his mouth on a napkin, "Trogs? Well….That should be to difficult."
Challenger smiled, and rolled up the map, laying it in his knapsack. "Then…It's settled, we will head out as soon as possible."
Malone stuffed his notebook in his pocket, "How long will it take us?"
Veronica finished her meal, and put away her dishes, "It will only take us a few hours,
the terrain's a little swampy, but that shouldn't slow us down too much."
Marguerite loaded her mini-pistol, and checked her supply of bullets. She straightened her hat, then looked at the others, "Well? Times not getting any shorter…."
Challanger slapped the table with his palm, "Then lets get going!"
The two dead raptors attracted much attention from the smaller scavengers. Their flesh picked clean, and the bones white and bleached. All plants, trees and even the smaller insects lay around in twitching groups. The trees once green and lush, low laid brown and rotting in the dry soil….All the life in a 40 foot radius around the ship, was dead or painfully dying….. Even the birds that once flew over head, now avoided the dead spot from the air…. But…One small bird, though it could fly along the edge…..It fluttered trying to stay up….But something was drawing the life out of it….The bird gasped, and tumbled to the ground, its body disintegrating into dust before it hit.
"What a find!" Challenger spoke with exuberance, "It's the best source of sulfur that we could ever need!" The group at stopped by a large hot spring, the water was bubbling and churning, spewing large white wreaths of steam that danced into nothingness in the blue sky.
Along the botton of the pool, was coated with yellow branches of the element. It took only a few moments, to come up with a solution. After rigging a blunt rock on the edge of a long stick, it only took a few moments for a large enough hunk of sulfur to float up to the surface. By doing this, the team soon had enough sulfur to last them for more than a month.
Roxton put his hand over his nose, "I just wish sometiems, that this stuff smelled better."
Challanger laughed, still on a gitty spree from his discovery. "It wouldn't be sulufer if it did smell of rotten eggs."
Malone smiled, "Then if were finshed, lets get out of here."
Veronica looked around, scanning the brown trees for any sign of movement….Marguerite noticed her looking, "What's wrong?"
Veronica still looked, "This isn't right…There was a tribe of Trogs here a few days ago."
Malone spoke up, "Maybe they moved on…."
Veronica dismissed the question, "No. The springs were a healing agent for them. They used it to cure sickness. They would never leave it."
Roxton blanched, "healing? Ha….bathing in boiling hot water to help heal wounds."
Challanger noticed the quiteness around him, "Does anyone know how quite it is out here?"
The ground stopped talking, not even a bird sounded in this part of the jungle. "Even the trees look……Weaker…Somehow." Marguerite noticed
Roxton loaded his rifle, and checked the pistol in his other hand. "I Think that its time that we took our leave…."
The group started to head out, when a raptor burst forth ahead of them on the trail. Roxton yelled out, and rasied his gun, the rest of the group did likewise. But, no shots were fired. The rapor vomited on the groud, and swayed heavily on his feet, before collasping to one side. It gurgled loudly, then laid still.
Malone lowered his weapon, "That was…Different."
Veronica put away her dagger, "Not the word that I was looking for, but It will do."
The group closed on the raptor, flies buzzed lazly around the open mouth. The skin of the raptor seemed drained of color, and clammy. The group stood still, then Challanger spoke up, "Its like….If something ate it alive!"
Malone scoffed, "What?"
Challanger pointed to the raptor, "Look…See here? The skin has been though rapid degergation, almost like if a parasite had taken all the nurtients out of the host."
Margureete frowed and put away her gun, "I don't care what It did….At least its dead."
Roxton smiled, and turned around, noticing that the dead leaves and trees grew more and more common…..Finally…he saw something off to his left. It was…Something Metal.
Roxton pointed of to the left, "I think…We may have found the source of our little parasite problem."
The group looked, and saw the space of dead trees. Challenger spoke for everyone, "Let's see what it is….." The group took out their weapons, and slowly head out for the source of the decay.