“Doom says the hybrids travel in twos,” Heath said. He swung the rope around his upper body. “We can herd the buggers into a trap. After a few start to disappear we’re gonna have to make a stand.”
“When do we start?” Menace asked.
Clarity moved to join Doom. “We need to make sure we have a huge supply of everything we need. And more people. Doom tells me this is the start of your season to gather supplies for the winter. When snow hits and you have your big sleep, we can teach the children how to make pipe bombs.” She cast a glance at Heath. “And a few adults. Come spring, we strike before your time to sacrifice. Then once they figure out what’s going on, we hit them hard and fast.”
“So you plan on saving the world?” Edge was contemptuous.
Clarity smiled sweetly and squeezed Doom’s hand when he tensed, ready to pound the man again.
“Yes, I plan to save the world. Maybe not you, though. You’re an asshole.”
Heath roared with laughter. “Get ’em girl. You better watch it, Edge. She’s more ornery than a wasp nest. Cuter, but mean. Any little filly who cuddles with a bulwark and calls her Muffin can ride a bull into the ground.”
“So where do we start?” Edge said.
“It’s time we go hunting for earthlings. I think Heath is the first of many to come. I want them all, and I want them ready to fight. We’re going to make an army,” Doom said. “We’ll get so many humans the other village tribes will have to join us.”
“An army of humans?” Heath let his rope drop. He looked puzzled.
“You know what an army is, don’t you?” Clarity asked.
“If it’s a posse to get men together to go after rabid bears and such, sure. Army ants was what comes to mind.”
“Armies fight in wars.”
“What’s a war?” Heath asked.
Now Clarity looked confused. “Didn’t you have family who fought in World War One and Two? You don’t know about guns, but you mentioned you know what swords are.”
“Who do you fight in these wars?”
“Other humans.”
Heath scratched his head. “Well no ma’am, um, Clarity. On Earth we don’t fight humans, we can kill animals, as long as it’s humane, but humans don’t kill humans. That’s some kinda sick and twisted shit.”
Doom heard Clarity groan. He realized she wasn’t from the same Earth as Heath. Her speculation was just proven. The sinkholes were gathering other humans. A thought nagged him. Clarity said she had been pulled away last second in the sinkhole. Fear shot into his heart. If she was meant to go elsewhere what would happen if the planet who wanted her came looking for her? Doom would have to be ready.
“I want four other men,” Menace yelled and jumped up onto the table beside Doom. “Grab your weapons and let’s go find salvation.”
A number of men cheered, more looked scared to death.
“Now isn’t the time to be seen,” Clarity warned. “We need a surprise attack.”
Menace grinned; Doom had never seen him grin. “I need to hunt. The hybrids understand a need for food.”
Doom sighed. Menace had a need to slaughter. The pots would be full tonight.
****
Clarity walked beside Doom. They were looking for the wild children. Since they were prepared to fight, they needed back up and if these were Clarity’s Earth children as she suspected they might be, they could prove useful. Clarity insisted Earth children could be badass if needed. The dead hybrid was all the proof he should need. They walked deeper into the forested jungle.
A strange mound almost undetectable came into view. Doom moved with caution. The cave was made up of smaller versions of mammoth tusks covered in hillocks of vegetation. The nest they stumbled across was recently deserted. Except for one dead occupant. The female hybrid’s body was crushed. Clarity knelt down and lifted her into her arms. She was so tiny; her features near human.
“How can they do this? Their own kind, and why? She looks so sweet, so innocent,” she whispered.
“Sweet and innocent shouldn’t describe a hybrid. The males I met tried to kill me and were only a little older,” Doom said.
A cold icy finger raced up her spine. Doom was right. Did mixing humans who knew nothing of war cause humanity in the females? Empathy for life would be frowned on.
Glancing around, Clarity saw human footprints, handprints, claws. It was hard to tell if the prints were only human. No traces of bodies were found, but there were other prints. Dinosaurs. She wondered why the little body wasn’t taken as well. But she realized the body was still warm. Clarity glanced nervously around. The hair on the nape of her neck stood tall. They were being watched.
When the hybrid appeared, Clarity set the dead baby hybrid down and stood. She was angry. Doom pulled her behind him. He stayed relaxed but clutched his spear tighter.
“DaV-nin.”
The hybrid made sharp whistles and hand gestures. Few words were spoken. Clarity caught some of what was said. He was surprised Doom was traveling outside the village with a human. Doom appeared calm but gestured she was safe enough with him. The hybrid eyed Doom, and Clarity could almost make out the hybrid said,
for now
. She was positive it’s what DaV-nin said when Doom gripped her hand tighter at the unveiled threat. The hybrid was then questioning Doom about the hybrid the children killed, but he was searching. DaV-nin was asking if Doom had seen any other hybrid wandering around. There was no doubt in her mind they hadn’t found the body. Doom simply shook his head and shrugged. DaV-nin stared at Clarity. He pointed and spoke a few more word whistles. Doom tensed. She knew she had been singled out for the next sacrifice. She wanted to shove a bomb up his ass.
The hybrid turned and disappeared back into the foliage, leaving the dead offspring. Clarity started after him, wanting to rail against the inhumanity of worrying over a grown hybrid while a dead hybrid baby female meant nothing. Doom grabbed Clarity’s hand and led her away.
“We need to find those children fast.” His whispered words were urgent. “If that hybrid is found before the snow falls, they will be hunted and destroyed, so might we be. The hybrids know we would never kill one of theirs for fear of retribution. DaV-nin hinted at the children out there. Maybe they’ve seen them use weapons different from ours.”
“It’s time we stalk the hybrid.”
Clarity yanked her hand from his and began in the direction DaV-nin went. Doom raced after and tried to stop her.
“Are you crazy?” It was a yelled whisper.
“I want to know where they are and this is the perfect opportunity.”
“But,” Doom sputtered.
“If he was going to kill us, he would have tried. No worries, I’ll protect you.”
Doom glared at her but made no move to stop her as she continued on. Finally Doom surged ahead. He was stealthy; she’d give him that. DaV-nin appeared nonchalant about his motion. Cocky, he was arrogant in his stance. If he suspected they were tailing him, he showed no sign. Or didn’t care.
They were downwind and Clarity was glad. The foliage grew thicker, easier to hide within. Two younger hybrids raced to DaV-nin when a short while later they came to a high mountain and a clearing. Doom sucked in his breath as they crouched and gazed way up. After a closer look, Clarity could make out round hole openings in the mountain, partly concealed with vast mounds of green foliage. They’d found the hybrids’ nesting area.
As they watched, a giant bird circled near DaV-nin. Perhaps to check out the young. The hybrid gazed up while picking up a rock DaV-nin flung with such force the bird squawked and came crashing down. Another hybrid grabbed the bird and bit into it. DaV-nin snarled a warning and the hybrid dropped the meal when two other smaller hybrids raced forward to snatch the meal, ripping into it.
“Shit,” she whispered.
“What?”
Clarity swallowed hard. “Look.” She pointed to a board hung near a cave opening.
“Those marks are everywhere,” Doom said. “It warns us of hybrid territory.”
“I thought you couldn’t read.”
“I can’t, it’s a simple mark.”
“Doom, that’s a sign, not a simple mark. It’s a word.
Beware
. The hybrids can spell. They must be able to read. Holy shit, that’s not good.”
Clarity could see the youngsters were hybrid children. Smaller, their faces juvenile, stuffing themselves on the bird. Then something surprised her. A little one, younger than the others came forward. DaV-nin studied the child. The way the youngster moved, the way the older males shoved each other but never touched the smaller one. When one of the males became too wild, DaV-nin growled at him. The smaller hybrid reached up for DaV-nin.
She’s female.
Clarity was certain. So, some of the females were spared. DaV-nin’s perhaps. There was something different about the hybrid offspring. Her features were harder than the dead female they found. Her gaze was—evil. He swung the child into his arms. Try as she might, Clarity could see no mother and the thought gave her chills. DaV-nin reached to retrieve a piece of the downed bird and handed it to the female. Soon her mouth was covered in blood.
“With enough explosives we can level the mountain,” Clarity said.
“How long will it take?”
“We’ll need the year. But we know where they are. We might come up with a better idea later. And did you see the fur the smallest was wearing? It’s not a simple loincloth; it’s a thick fur. I bet they don’t migrate. If this is where they hibernate, we need to start planning.”
“We need to find the human children.”
Clarity agreed.
Chapter Ten
A deep darkness rose in the sky and Doom gazed up. High above their heads was a murmuration, the dancing-type motion of an entire flock of large birds shifted on a whim. Clarity stood mouth gaping.
“Look at the size of those birds. They’re as big as the one DaV-nin killed. Maybe it flew away from the flock,” she exclaimed. “They must be two feet high apiece. I’ve seen less impressive wingspans on gliders. For a second I thought a sinkhole was forming. Black as pitch, all of them. Massive bats?”
The deep inky black was a startling contrast to the sky. When humans asked Doom what it was like to be colorblind, he in return asked them what it was like not to be. He saw what he saw. Who was to say their words were right and his colors were wrong. Nevertheless, the birds were impressive.
“They’re herbivores mostly. They will eat small rodents, and we do watch the smaller children. I guess the hybrids watch them around their young, too.”
A sharp squeal to his left and Doom grabbed Clarity to him and bounded for a high rock. The birds would leave them alone. What was coming might not. Clarity gasped when the prey came running into the area then slid to a stop on all fours thrusting dirt and sticks in its wake. A massive-type furred horse with claws ducked down then rose up on hind legs to sniff the air.
“Doom?”
“Shh.”
Clarity screamed when a massive creature dubbed a hell pig raced through the bush to land on the furred beast. The horse clawed at the pig but the attempt was futile. Massive tusks gored the underbelly as the pig slaughtered the prey. Entrails slipped from a bloody cavity, steam rising. The slaughter was over quickly. Doom took Clarity’s hand and led her over the other side of the rocks. They scrambled down and though cautious, they moved at a clipped rate.
They slowed once they put distance between them and the hell pig. At a clearing, Clarity stopped to catch her breath. The tree she leaned against dwarfed her. She started at a huge butterfly half her size. The winged creature fluttered near her curious, hovering, then floated away.
Doom reached into a sack he brought and pulled out two hard tart apples. Clarity dropped to the ground and held hers in her lap. She had agreed to leave her purse behind, but he knew she wore the taser and mace in a smaller pouch around her waist tied by a leather rope. The pouch bulged and he wondered what else she couldn’t live without for their search. Her purse was safe enough; his men liked their balls where they were.
Edge had been stupid enough to slide a cocky hand into a compartment on her purse when Clarity wasn’t looking. A snap sounded and the huge man danced around with something attached to his fingers. He ripped the device off and Clarity chuckled when she picked it up. She waggled it at Edge.
“Mouse trap,” she commented. “Some hotels I ended up in were a little on the nasty side. Seems I can catch bigger rodents.”
Edge wasn’t impressed, but refrained from touching her purse after that, they all did. Doom had only chuckled. The device would be handy super-sized.
“Look,” she said rousing him from his thoughts, and gestured into the valley below them. A massive bear lumbered. “On my planet the polar bear has mixed with the brown bear, too. Survival, I guess. Holy hell, that bear’s huge. Our colder regions are warming. Icebergs are melting. Do you know if yours are?”
“Icebergs? What’s an iceberg?”
“A massive amount of ice not separated but all together. They can move.”
“My father showed me once large blocks of ice. They always form in the winter. We have caves filled with ice, some near the ocean. Some are salty, some fresh.”
“I wondered about that. Icebergs are miles high and long. They can sink ships.”
“A ship is something very large you float on water with.”
“Yes.”
“Your humans, well the others, talk about a cruise with strange upright walking animals your children love. Human children are spoiled outrageously. Our children learn to survive.”
“They aren’t yours.”
“They are loved and treated as our own.”
“Yet there are no grown humans in your village besides Heath and me.”
“The bane of my existence. The sacrifice of our young adults makes us all bleed. Any child we have we covet. But the rules of the sacrifice are clear. The hybrids know of the offspring in every village. A father of another village offered his life in exchange for his Earth son’s life. They took not only the father but hunted the son. They lost both. Do we lose the one or the two? His wife is now without a husband and her son.”
“What a sad horrible way to live.”
“I thought so, too, but we were alive. Cultivating humans as one would wheat. You don’t mourn wheat. My body isn’t covered in tattoos of roots or dinosaurs. You are what living is, Clarity. I’m done simply surviving.”