Contagion -The Hybrid War - Book Three
Chapter Nine.

Jamie walked to the water’s edge; the heat was intense, making it difficult to stand on the ground for more than a few seconds.

“There must be some kind of underground thermal spring.”

He thought for a moment and then smiled.

“At least we know this way is protected from danger; from the direction of the air it appears there is a way out over there.”

Jamie pointed over to a range of rocks that appeared to go into an area of intense darkness.

“There is a way through to the outside, as that is where Paa and my kin went to look for food.”

Juliet looked at Ginning, then shining the torch into the darkness she could see the area was strewn with boulders.

“We shall have to make a fire and use the light to guide our way.”

Jamie shone the torch around looking for wood to burn, in an area just to their left, were the occasional broken branches that Ginning’s kin had carried into the cave.

“They must have dropped some as they were carrying their load.”

Quickly Juliet ran and picked up some of the branches, and then breaking off some of the smaller ones, she used them to start a fire. As the light flickered off some of the boulders it created a feeling and impression of intense fear. “Children don’t be scared; I have an ability of knowing when wild animals are nearby.”

Jamie looked at Ginning and nodded his head. As the fire grew, the children had found additional branches and dragged them to the fires edge. Juliet picked them up, then tore strips off her jacket and wrapped them around some of the logs.

“I have a small quantity of fuel here, in one of the survival kits. We can use it to dampen the rags.” It was another twenty minutes before each of the children had a lighted torch and two spare ones, each to carry.

Juliet had wrapped the baby in Jamie’s shirt and tied it against her chest. “Ok children, let’s make our way forward, I shall lead the way and Jamie shall walk in the rear.” At that they spaced themselves about three feet apart, and then started to follow Juliet. It was not long before the various boulders presented considerable obstacles and on occasions ripped into their skin.

“We shall have to go more slowly, and with greater care, otherwise the animals will smell the blood and make their way towards us.”

It was then that Juliet saw what looked like a group of bones scattered across the ground.

“Jamie, ahead of us is a scattering of human bones.”

Jamie looked ahead, and in the distance, he could just see what Juliet was pointing towards. As he adjusted his eyes, he saw what looked like a rifle, then another and another.

Before he had time to speak, Juliet had paced herself over to the area and had already picked up one of the guns.

“Jamie, saints preserve us, look we have a means of defending ourselves.” Jamie moved over with the children and searched the ground, before long, they had found a selection of torn backpacks and clothing. As Jamie and the children collected as much items as could be found, Juliet took out her knife and cut various items of clothing to fit the children.

“Look Jamie, at least now the poor mites have some protection against the cold.”

Jamie raised his head, then lifted the rifle and fired a shot into the darkness. Within seconds there was a thud as an object fell to the ground. Jamie released several more shots before he lowered the gun. As the echoing bounced off the various walls, the thunderous sound eventually ceased. Juliet looked at Jamie in stunned disbelieve.

“Jamie what have you just killed?” she asked him. Ginning looked at her kin, then over to Juliet.

“I think maybe Jamie knows before you do when animals are nearby.”

As Ginning finished talking, Jamie had reached the area where he had been firing into the darkness, and there on the ground lay five dead wolves.

“Juliet can you shine your light over here, I think they must have smelt the blood.” As Juliet and the children collected around Jamie, Juliet could see a trail of blood into the dark.

“Look child, one of the animals must have been injured; it’s just possible it could lead us out of here.”

Jamie was already skinning the wolves before him, and then cutting chunks of raw meat, he handed it to the children. They reached out and ravenously ate. “Juliet we can follow the blood later, quick please help me skin these animals and cut up the meat.”

As Juliet took out her hunting knife, she grasped a wolf and followed Jamie’s example.

“Juliet skin all the wolves but leave the meat from two of them for the animals, hopefully it will buy us some time.”

Juliet looked at Jamie and understood the wisdom in his words.

“Tell me son, how did you know they were there?”

Jamie thought for a moment then shrugged his shoulders.

“In truth Mam I really am not sure, my Paa said his father had the gift as did his grandfather’s father.”

Juliet never spoke she just watched Jamie’s body language and then studied his eyes. “It is kind of like, I guess when you talk to your kin through your mind, I kind of hear the animal’s thoughts, or say, feel their presence from within their minds, my Paa said I have a special empathic connection.”

Juliet looked at Jamie, before her stood what was a natural progression within the human race. She realized from her past reading, that scientists had discovered that every few thousand years, selected humans somehow genetically advanced, above and beyond others of their race. If time had been allowed to play its hand, she realized that Jamie may very well of been, one of the founding fathers of a new race of humans, which would have one day evolved above and beyond its ancestors to form a separate race in its own right.

Jamie handed Juliet some raw meat and grinned as she ate it with relish.

“What are you smiling at son?”

“It’s just a thought Mam, I was wondering if you could develop a taste for raw meat like.”

Little did he know the truth from within his words. It was another forty minutes before Juliet had cut the skins into armless overcoats, she knew as the children left the subterranean caverns, and once again became exposed to the harsh weather, and that such clothing was to be an essential part of their survival.

“Ok children, shall we follow this trail of blood and see to where it takes us?”

The children regrouped, and then Juliet lit a new torch and led the way. From one of the broken backpacks she had found a partly drunk bottle of whisky, and had poured some into the small bottle within her survival kit, for future use, she had stuffed a rag into the neck of the larger bottle and kept it safely by her side to use as a make shift firebomb.

As they progressed upwards there came the sound of an animal growling and in pain.

“Jamie can you hear that?”

“Yes Mam, I can’t sense yet where it is, nor can I sense any other animals close by.” As they followed the blood trail, Jamie raised his rifle. “Ahead of you Juliet, about twenty steps to your right.”

There lying on its side was a fatally wounded wolf, its life was already almost leaving the animal, in one frantic final effort it raised itself to its feet, and tried to run, and then fell dead.

“That saved me a bullet.”

Ginning had already reached the dead animal; she took out a knife that she had found and proceeded to skin the animal.

“We learn at an early age Mam, its survival in these parts, kill or we are killed.”

Juliet looked at the child then walked over to her side and helped her remove the skin. As she was doing this huge bats flew past her head, she shuddered at their size, and then as she lowered the light from her torch, she could see insects from various sizes, all several times larger than they should have been, and it was then that it dawned upon her what must be happening.

Robert could feel his injuries were healing; it had been four days now since his fall. He knew that in most cases that modest injuries would heal within three days. The very realisation that his wounds had not yet fully healed, made him realize the true extent of his injuries. It was within another hour that miraculously the electrical storm ceased, it was by far the longest it had gone in weeks without a break.

Instantly, all family members were in immediate contact with each other.

“Juliet, Juliet my love you are alive?”

“Yes, my love, but what of your injuries, are you able to walk yet?”

The remaining family members had been talking of their various experiences and updating each other as to their locations, it was Michael who informed them of the modified cargo pods, and of the two pods that was now looking for their kin, who were in one of the caves, and sheltering with the women and children.

Robert informed his brothers where he was laying and instructed them to split into two groups, with one group to try and replace Juliet’s location while the remaining group returned to his aid. No sooner had the group separated than they became aware that something was following them from a distance.

“Keep alert, Juliet please be very careful, I have sent Gale and is brother to replace you, they are by far the strongest and most formidable in our group. If there is anything harmful out there, then they will stand a greater chance of dealing with it and leading you to safety.”

As he spoke, he himself became aware that he was been watched. Juliet tried speaking telepathically but found her connection had been broken; the electrical storm had once again restarted.

Robert braced himself; he had made himself several spears and placed sharpened stakes into the ground around where he sat. From the distance he could just make out several shapes as they moved in the dark. It was not until a lightning flash illuminated the area that he realized they were wolves. From what he could see there was approximately twenty various animals, been led by what looked like a cross between a wolf and a mountain lion.

The alpha dog was huge, standing some two meters from foot to shoulder and been some three meters in length. It was only when it moved, that he realized it had been wounded; thinking back, to what Juliet had informed him of their episode in the caverns. He surmised that Jamie must have wounded the animal, had it not been for its stature and genetic breeding, he knew Jamie would have killed the beast.

As it was, he could not help but admire the beast that paced the ground above him. Within seconds three wolves had thrown themselves from the ledge above him and impaled themselves onto the spikes. Quickly Roberts cut their throats then removed the bodies and re-instated the stakes into the ground. As he did the alpha wolf studied the scene below him, Robert realized that the animal had a level of bio-genetic intelligence and was trying to replace a weakness in its intended prey.

A thought crossed Roberts mind, reaching out he picked up his broken rifle and brought it into sight of the alpha wolf, instantly it responded by moving away from the ledge.

“So, my little beauty you recognize guns, do you?”

Robert was talking aloud,

“Fortunate for me you do not know it’s broken.”

It was then that another thought crossed his mind. Ejecting the remaining bullets, he lifted his knife and opened the casings revealing the black powder. Carefully placing the contents onto a torn piece of clothing he made a crude bomb, nothing fanciful but nonetheless effective.

Then reaching into his backpack he rummaged around for the bottle of Jamie’s Paa’s home brew, as he did, he unintentionally cut his hand on some broken glass? The scent of the blood instantly reached the nostrils of the wolves above him.

“Dam.” He looked into the bag and eventually lifted out the base of the bottle with about an inch of home brew still within the broken container.

“You little beauty you.”

Then he carefully lifted the remaining fluid and poured it into a small plastic container. Then looking around him he tried to replace a suitable log, it was not long before he came to a hollow branch that had fallen from the lightning strike.

Lifting it to his side, he broke it to a usable size, packed one end with dried mud and stones wedging them firmly into place. Then put in as much broken glass as he could replace, including the bullet casings and any other objects that he thought could inflict harm. It was then that another two wolves tried to reach him. As their bodies slumped dead before him, he kicked them away and placed the home brew into the hollow log along with the black powder and a rag soaked in a small quantity of lighter fuel from his survival kit.

Carefully he packed the other end with flint splinters then larger stones. Making an exerted effort to stand, he lit the end of the rag and waited a few seconds then threw it with all his strength. As it disappeared over the edge there was an immense explosion. Quickly Robert tried to shelter as tons of rock and earth fell into the furrow.

From the sound above, he could hear the cries of injured animals. Lifting two of the spears and the broken rifle, Robert slowly crawled up the slope of earth and boulders. As he reached the top, the scene before him was one of carnage. The explosion must have taken place above the main pack of animals, as they’re before him lay some thirteen injured and killed wolves. The Alpha wolf had left the area and was nowhere to be seen, so Robert set about skinning the wolves, he cut some raw meat and ate. From a distance he could feel that eyes were still watching him, however for now he was sure he was safe.