Oiyo oiyo...I stabbed my finger with the edge of the blade (not cut, stabbed, literally) of my pocket knife, and I keep catching the cut on random stuff. Shirt fabric, hair, another finger...you get the point. It's annoying.
The redheaded scientist examined Loretta's injured arm, his brow creased with worry. "You're lucky, Lorry. I'm not a medical doctor, but I'm pretty sure this could have been a lot worse very easily," Casey informed.
"Do you know what caused it?" J.D. asked.
"Well, the wounds do seem consistent with Lorry's account of snake-like tracks," he responded a bit distractedly as he finished bandaging the wound.
Lorry grinned a bit at J.D. "I told you it was a snake," she said pointedly.
The store owner only frowned at her.
"Hey, Case?" the scientists' African friend and assistant poked her head around the gray screen that served as a wall. "You might wanna come take a look at this."
"What is it, Reagan?" Casey asked, following the woman into the other part of the lab.
"Trouble," Reagan said simply, pointing at the computer that showed the results of Loretta's blood test. "I found the DNA of what bit her. Snake and-"
"-Chameleon AND genetically altered Mooneyes!" Casey exclaimed.
"Genetically altered….mooneyes?" J.D. asked, confused.
Casey glanced at him. "A predatory fish. These seem to have been changed to enhance the reflective aspect of their scales, probably in the lab."
"Which may account for them being "invisible"," Reagan added.
"That's pretty cool," Lorry said. "But... Kinda scary."
"Is it poisonous?" J.D. asked worriedly.
Reagan shook her head quickly. "No. But it doesn't really need to be. Going by your description of the attack and the size of Lorry's wound, they're probably big enough and strong enough to kill their prey with their jaws alone. If they aren't interrupted."
Lorry shifted uncomfortably at the thought.
"We're going to have to tell Berta," Casey said, "See if there are more than one of these things around."
"You've gotta be kidding me," Skylar moaned, leaning despondently against the front of Berta's power wagon and glaring at the engine.
"What's the matter with it?" Berta asked, clearly frustrated.
Skylar sighed heavily and slid down to the ground with her back to the truck. "Damn battery is completely fried. Not sure how, but it is. And I know for a fact you don't have an extra one, so don't bother looking. We're not going anywhere."
Berta squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Roberto took my back up again, didn't he?"
Skylar just threw a glance at her as if asking if that was really a question.
"Let's radio for assistance," Berta sighed, pulling out her radio.
"Hey, Berta, Skylar, you there?" J.D.'s voice came through the walkie, beating her to the punch.
"Berta here, over," the survivalist responded.
"Oh, good. Listen, we think there's something new in the valley."
"Oh really?" Skylar muttered sarcastically under her breath.
"Loretta got attacked by it, nearly lost her arm," J.D. continued, making both woman stare at the radio in horror. "Don't worry, she's fine, but according to Casey it was just a lucky chance. Apparently these things don't have any problem killing their prey with brute strength. On the bright side, they don't have any venom."
"Wait," Skylar jumped up and snatched the radio from Berta's hand before the older woman had a chance to reply. "J.D., would you mind telling us exactly what this creature is before rambling on about it?"
"Snake- most likely anaconda-, chameleon, and a genetically altered Mooneye," Casey's voice replied through the radio. "That's a kind of predatory fish. I believe it was altered in the lab to increase the refractive ability of their scales."
"Refractive ability?" Skylar asked, sharing a puzzled glance with Berta. "You mean like...invisibility?"
"In theory, yes," Casey responded. "Especially given the natural camouflaging capabilities of the chameleon."
Berta took her walkie back from Skylar. "Casey, we think we've had a run in with one of these. But we can't get back; the battery in my power wagon is dead."
"You did?" Reagan had joined the conversation. "What happened? You're not hurt, are you?"
"We're fine," Berta assured. "Neither of us got hurt. You sure Lorry is all right?"
"She's fine," J.D. assured. "She's got quite the bite on her arm but as long as it's taken care of it should be fine."
Skylar winched. "Good thing mine didn't feel like using its fangs."
Berta nodded at that. "Could you send someone out here to jump-start us?" she asked.
"I'll try and get ahold of Roberto or Hailee," J.D. said. "They'll be closer."
"Thanks," she said. "Berta, out."
Skylar let out a long, hefty sigh of utter boredom. She was bored, hot, bored, and hot. "What on earth is takin' 'em so long? I know Roberto's slow sometimes, but really!"
Berta just shrugged, the heat also getting to her. She pulled at her shirt uncomfortably before realizing something. "Skylar, I think it just got hotter again."
The tour guide looked up from where she was laying in the bed of the truck. She hadn't been paying much attention, but now that Berta mentioned it, it had suddenly gotten much, much warmer.
"That's a bigger jump than last time," Skylar said, keeping her voice low as she sat up and moved to look over the edge of the bed. Her hand had barely touch the metal surface when she suddenly snatched it back with a cry of pain.
Berta turned around in her seat, shocked and worried. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Skylar held out her hand, wincing as she did so. Part of her palm was bright red, as if she had just placed it onto a burning stove.
Berta scowled at the wound. She pulled out a canteen of relatively cold water. "That's not good, and really strange," she observed. She slowly poured some of the water on the burn. "This should stop it from getting worse."
"I guess it makes sense," Skylar said. "If they reflect light they reflect heat too. Like a metal building. There must be a lot more this time."
Berta nodded, peering over the side of the truck at the ground. "Affirmative," she said, snake-like tracks appearing all around them.
"So now what?"
"Hope they stay down there," Berta mumbled.
Skylar threw her hands up in exasperation. "Well now they won't! Nice goin', B."
Berta sent her a glare. "You are too superstitious."
"It's not superstition when it happens every single time! I mean, haven't you noticed how every time we say we hope something doesn't happen, it ends up happening?"
Berta just sighed, anxious as she leaned back in her seat. Silence fell on them. For all of one minute.
The truck suddenly jolted as if something had slammed into it, causing Skylar to slide sideways and Berta to fall into the other seat.
"What the-!?" the survivalist shouted, quickly trying to get her bearings. "There is no way those things are that strong! Is El Blanco around?" she said, checking her wrist seismo, but he wasn't anywhere near.
The truck rocked again and Skylar caught a glimpse of reflecting sunlight near one of the tires. "I don't think it's E.B.!" she shouted, clinging to the side to keep from being thrown around as another, harder hit bounced the vehicle on its wheels.
"These things are going to flip us!" Berta shouted. "We are going to have to make a run for it!"
"Is it ironic that I actually don't like that idea?" Skylar asked before leaping off the truck and racing after her friend.
She overtook her easily, running just in front and looking for cover. Glancing back over her shoulder she could see five- no, nine lines in the sand chasing them. "Any idea where we're going?!"
"There!" Berta said, pointing to a small cave, set into a rock face about six feet off the ground.
Skylar raced ahead and vaulted herself up, gripping the edge of the cave with her hands. Almost immediately white-hot pain shot up her arm from the burn and she almost fell back to the ground again. Instead she gripped tighter and swung herself in, turning to grab Berta's hand and pull her to safety.
Berta grabbed Skylar's hand, heaving and scrambling up into the cave. The invisible snakes were right behind her, and she could feel the rush of air from jaws snapping just beneath her feet.
They collapsed on the cool floor of the cave, panting for breath. "Think they can climb?" Skylar asked between pants.
"Not that sheer of a side," Berta breathed.
"Wonderful."
They lay there for several minutes, waiting. But there was no sign of the snakes.
Berta pulled out her walkie. "I'm going to try radioing them again," she mumbled. "J.D.? Casey? This is Berta, over."
Skylar crawled back to the entrance to peer out, watching the sand for movement. Behind her, Berta called again and again, but it soon became apparent that no one was going to answer. Skylar looked back at her friend in worry.
"You don't think those things attacked them too, do you?"
"I don't know." Berta nodded to the outside. "Are they gone?"
Skylar turned back to stare at the ground. "I can't tell. There's too many lines to see if they've gone back or anything. And-" she suddenly cut off, her eyes widening.
"What is it?"
"I…..think we're in their nest."
Oop. O-O Nestsssssssssss. Wonder what happens next? Honestly, I do, it's been awhile since we've worked on this one, I can't remember what we've written for the third chapter so far...