I AM ALIVE

TO anyone who is still monitoring this, words cannot express how much I appreciate you. I have not logged into this account in nearly 6 years. It has been a very long and very hard 6 years. I have gone through many personal challenges, including family drama and my mother being diagnosed with breast cancer twice. This last time was worse. A major surgery, 18 rounds of chemotherapy and seven weeks of radiation, plus what looks like another surgery on the horizon. I have been working to provide for her since her job fired her for being unable to work during her treatments (yes we spoke to a lawyer who said it wasn't worth their time or enough money to pursue a lawsuit)

But now that I am furloughed from my job atm, I am able to return to things I enjoyed, such as writing.

Thank you once again for sticking with this for so long.

There was nothing else of interest in the ship so they went back to the tunnel in the rock wall. They followed it out to a cliff overlooking a large lush jungle. The leaves here were a mixture of orange and yellow, giving the whole jungle a golden glow in the afternoon sun. Steep rock walls surrounded the jungle, with only one narrow break in the walls that looked like it led to a small lake.

"Um…" Melody said, glancing over the side of the cliff they were standing on. There was no rope and no stairs. "How do we get down there? Achenar must have had a way, because he visited with his parents in the linking chamber on a regular basis."

Trace didn't answer her. He had found a small alcove off to the side that had what looked like a tent made of animal skin and the remains of a fire.

"It's not possible that he lived in that all these years," he said.

"Maybe his other journal is in there," Melody said and headed for it.

When she got close, the tent rustled. Melody looked back at Trace right before an animal burst out of the tent and headed right for her. Trace yelled out her to get back but it was too late. The animal slammed into her. As she felt her body falling, she reached out and grabbed the first thing her hand touched. This was fortunate because it turned out to be the tent, which then slowed her fall as she tumbled off the cliff toward the jungle below. She hit a tree, then a rock, then the ground. The wind was knocked from her and she had several moments of terror as she struggled to breathe. Melody stared up at the blue sky through the tree tops, focusing on taking slow even breaths.

She wondered absently what had happened to the animal that had run into her. As if in answer to her inner question, a dark figure leaned over her. The instant panic subsided when she realized it was far too small to be the animal from the cliff. She recognized the large eyes and larger ears of the monkey-like animal called a mangree in Achenar's journal.

As if it wanted to check on her, it reached a small hand towards her face.

Suddenly a shriek filled the air. Her little friend shrieked in response before racing away. Melody gasped as a larger animal leapt over her in pursuit of the mangree. She recognized it as a camodile. She was grateful he was more interested in the monkey than her.

Melody got up slowly, her eyes searching for any of the carnivore's buddies. Sounds of animals filled the jungle, but she didn't see anything.

"Melody!"

"Trace!" she called back. "I'm alright!"

"Stay where you are! I'll find a way down!"

"Okay I'll take a look around!"

"Melody!"

Once again, she ignored the command behind the shout and moved cautiously through the trees. He would catch up with her eventually.

She had only caught a glimpse of the animal from the cliff, but she was pretty sure it had been a zephtyr, the herbivore from Achenar's journal. Peering through some grass, she found a plain with a few zephtyrs grazing. They didn't act like they were afraid of her. They only glanced at her, cocked their heads and went back to grazing. Melody was just thinking how peaceful they looked when a camodile appeared out of nowhere and took a zephtyr down while the other ran off. She winced at its dying scream and the crunch of bones. Quietly, she slipped by behind the camodile as it was focused on eating.

This Age was a harsh one. Survival of the fittest. Truly the perfect prison Age for Achenar.

She moved through the tall grass that reminded her of an African savannah, although she had a feeling if a camodile and a lion went at it the camodile would win hands down. They sure were ugly things.

She passed a tree stump with an axe in it. At least Achenar was proactive.

She followed what she assumed was a game trail toward the lake. If Achenar had made a more permanent home, it was likely to be there.

She came upon another totem in the tall grass. Judging by the carvings, it had to do with the camodile. The necklace glowed with a memory.

Achenar's voice. "Last one. You can do this. Strength… Dexterity… Courage…"

Just like before, it was like Achenar was listing the virtues of the animal. Why? What was the point of listing the virtues of an animal you were trying to kill?

Rustling grass made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She slowly turned to see the grass rippling toward her. The head of a camodile appeared.

Melody had read once that it was a prey animal's natural instinct to freeze when faced with danger or death. At that moment, she realized something about herself.

She was prey. She literally couldn't move. The camodile came toward her, moving too slowly for her to believe he hadn't seen her. Every part of her brain was screaming at her to run, but she couldn't. All she could do was watch her death preparing to spring. She could tell by its eyes that it was aiming for her throat.

She managed to let out one scream as the camodile leaped.

Don't worry, I will be posting another chapter in a few minutes.