Emergence: Threshold Series Book I Page 6

  “How long… have you been in the Army?” I asked trying to be casual, even though my curiosity had been growing since we met.

  “A long time.” She didn’t say more about it until we were hiking again. After a few minutes, she simply said, “My parents were IPA Officers. We were living on the Northwest Islands when the Threshold began.” For the first time, she didn't shy away from the word. Threshold.

  The Northwest Islands were some of the first territories to be hit by the Threshold. Powerful storms and flooding had wrecked the entire military base and the nuclear reactors had failed. Everyone had died. That was the last time I had heard of anyone using nuclear power because the climate was so unstable and Threshold events could not be predicted. I tried not to show my horror.

  “I’m so sorry to hear that,” I replied. I wanted to say anything, something to show that I understood, that I knew what it felt like, but I couldn’t. I didn’t tell her about the tsunami that hit my home, that my dad had died saving my mother….how he loved us.

  “It’s fine,” She said looking at me, and I hoped that she could see in my eyes what I couldn’t say. “After that, the International Peace Army offered me an enlistment. I didn’t have anything else to do anyway and they’ve been good to me.” She shrugged.

  We walked in silence for several hours, but it was nice. I felt that we had finally begun to learn about each other. I stopped a few times along the way collecting more soil samples. Ellis was generous with her photographs. Instantly I had noticed that this Jungle was different. The foliage was lush and healthy, so different from the sparse and barren forests back home where the trees had all been rotted by beetles and disease. The plant life was so dense we spent a significant portion of our hike just hacking through branches and dense vines. I had heard a wide variety of birds and we had even seen families of small grey tamarins scaling the branches and hanging vines, but I would still need to do a wider species analysis later if my early inquiries didn’t uncover any leads.

  Nearly 4 hours later, after we had hiked several miles in, it began to rain. It had seemed dark before, but the rain brought heavy clouds and thunder that blocked out any light that had made its way to the forest floor. Ellis was trailing behind me at this point and I waited for her to catch up before asking, “Should we take a break?” I was tired so I knew she must be too. The mornings I had spent training at the AATS had been worth it after all, but nothing could have prepared me for the suffocating heat of Sector 4.

  There was a large tree with sprawling buttressed roots, its roots massive and spread to absorb every ounce of nutrients from the forest floor. The roots had formed a large hollowed out shelter, which we took refuge in to wait out the storm.

  “This would probably be a good time to eat,” I grabbed my bag and pulled out several of the ready to eat meals. “Would you prefer Chicken Tikka Masala or Beef Stroganoff?”

  “I’ll take the chicken,” she muttered. “The spices hide the flavor better.”

  I read the label on the package, “The International Peace Army is proud to use the highest quality plant-based proteins in our prepared, ready to eat meals.” The ingredients list read like an advertisement for the soy farms that covered the eastern part of nAM-6. We opened our packets and began eating, trying to ignore the unconvincing texture of the meal. The rain poured down around us, running in rivets down the network of the tree's roots.

  “Are there tigers in this area?” Ellis asked, swallowing spoonfuls of soy meat with a pained expression.

  “Shouldn’t be, but there are other cats- jaguars, ocelots, and pumas for example,” I listed off their names for her. “Why do you ask?”

  “I think something has been following us.” She didn’t seem like an easily frightened person, but her voice had an anxious twinge.

  “Well, in all likelihood, you wouldn’t hear a jaguar if it was stalking us. It’s probably just a monkey or something.” It wouldn’t be hard to imagine something following, something massive and dangerous. The rain drowned out all the sounds of the wildlife and I shivered before pushing away the image.

  “It’s just a feeling, I guess. This jungle is too creepy.”

  “And here I thought you were supposed to be my bodyguard,” I laughed, trying to distract her from the thought of being followed in the jungle. It felt unwise to dwell on it as if we could somehow call it into existence by thinking about it too much.

  “Better than being back at the Shell all day,” she sighed. I hadn’t thought about how she got assigned to this job, but I was glad it was her. Ellis seemed alright.

  Chapter 7

  The rain had slowed, though it had not stopped entirely. We continued our trek, collecting samples along the way. With every stop, my anxiety increased. I’m sure I was being paranoid, but maybe Ellis was right. There was beginning to be a distinct sense that we were being followed. I knew of course that the brain had a remarkable capability for pattern recognition, and often there was a good reason for the sensation of being watched. Hunters had been telling stories for years of being able to sense when a predator is stalking them, but in this case, I tried to convince myself it wasn’t true.

  I began to check off all the variables in my head. First, jaguars will often behave as aerial hunters. They will climb trees to stalk their prey from above. I began to scan the canopy for signs of a large cat. Second, They don't usually attack humans, unless of course they run out of their other primary food sources. We had seen a number of capybara since this morning, so that shouldn’t be the case here. Third, Jaguars are nocturnal and usually hunt at night time. I breathed a sigh of relief as I explained to Ellis that we were probably safe. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

  We finally reached the fence that marked the northern limits of Sector 4 and I was happy to begin the journey back. I knew I must have been paranoid earlier because the sensation had left me. The soil samples were heavy in my pack. The route on the map was a straight shot back to the Shell, which I had marked on the map with a black square. My wristband showed that it was late afternoon already. My muscles felt fatigued but in a good way. It was a relief to travel outdoors without the fear of Threshold disasters. I used to love running, but days spent running endless laps around the short track at the AATS training center had sucked the joy from it.

  The sense of return had given both of us more energy and Ellis kept up with me well. The jungle was thick in this section, and we had to climb over roots and boulders on the moss-carpeted forest floor. We walked through the trees, scaling the ever larger roots. They seemed to be getting bigger as we approached the middle of Sector 4 as if creating a natural barrier around something. In fact, it was odd how this particular area seemed to have primarily a single species of Kapok trees. They were much larger than they should be and seemed to be growing in symbiosis with some type of vine. I jotted down notes, creating a small sketch of the tree. Ellis slowed behind me, her footsteps growing quiet over the bed of leaves and decaying plant matter.

  “Um, Lane?” She was pointing toward the ground. I was far enough ahead that I couldn’t see what it was. “What’s this?”

  I retraced my steps over the massive roots and tangled vines of an exceptionally large Kapok tree. Ellis was reaching down to grasp what appeared to be an arrow nestled down into the overgrowth. It was nearly 5 feet long, enough length to be a spear.

  “Don’t touch it,” I shouted, and she startled, moving her hand quickly.

  “What?” She jerked her hand away.

  “It could be poisoned. The poison dart frog is common in this area and it has often been used on arrowheads for its neurotoxic properties.” I explained.

  “Poisoned?” Her face grew pale. The venom from the Dendrobatidae family of frogs was potent enough to kill a fully grown man, but I tried to remain calm.

  “No, that can’t be right.” I corrected myself. This area was secured. There was no record of any tribes in this area. It had to be an old weapon, Pre-threshold perhaps. “T
here aren’t any indigenous groups living in Sector 4, right?” I asked, still examine the artifact. I picked up a stick and carefully moved the foliage out of the way. The wood was light and didn’t appear stained. Farther down the length of the arrow was a set of intact fletching made of bright red feathers. It was certainly not old; it appeared brand new.

  “Oh.” She registered my meaning and began to look around us. “No, There aren’t any legally registered groups that I know of.” The tree roots were taller than us in some cases and offered many places to hide. Perhaps we had been followed. The small snaps of branches and rustling of leaves that had faded into the background noise became suddenly very conspicuous. We both jumped as a small cracking noise came from behind us.

  “It must just be a remnant,” I explained, trying to make sense of it.

  Was there anyone in this world that could escape the notice of the Alliance? It did seem unlikely. I looked back at the arrow again to cover it back, but it wasn’t there. I glanced quickly at Ellis, but she didn’t have it either.

  “Where did the arrow go?” I choked out. Ellis turned back to the spot where we had just been looking.

  “It’s gone…” She sounded as confused as I felt.

  “Let’s just be careful, okay?” I said wanting to get out of there as fast as possible.

  “Yeah,” She agreed.

  My pulse raced as we edged deeper into the veil of green, our surroundings transforming the deeper we proceeded into the jungle. The trees were closer together as if they were closing in on us. The network of vines became almost impenetrable. When I spotted it, I knew that our paranoia had not been in vain. It had been stalking us I was sure. A massive fully grown jaguar was sprawled out on the ground, in a tangle of vines. I stopped dead in my tracks, but the jaguar did not move. I held out my arm, signaling for Ellis to stand still. It was huge, unnaturally so. Its eyes were closed and its dense muscles stretched out, displaying its size. It had to be nearly 500 pounds or more. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. But it was exposing its belly, not natural behavior for an apex predator on the hunt. I scanned the soft fur of its abdomen and there was a red stain in the chest cavity. Blood.

  “It’s dead.” I heaved a sigh of relief.

  “You sure?”

  “I’m sure,” I said. “I guess that answers that question. Adam said that some of the soldiers have reported seeing mutated animals?”

  “Yeah, but I thought they were just exaggerating.” Her green eyes, already huge, were widened at the sight of the massive animal. Its body nearly double or triple the size of a regular jungle cat. What would be able to kill a fully grown jaguar with only one shot, besides a human weapon? What would cause a jaguar to grow to such a size in the first place?

  “Do you think there are more?” Normally I would tell her no, these kinds of big cats usually have a large range and hunt solo, but this cat was so large. The number of small animals necessary to sustain a predator of that weight would be astounding. If there were enough for a specimen of this size, then It was possible that there would be cubs.

  “I can’t rule it out.” I hesitated. The jaguar was beautiful, with a strong coat pattern and deep coloration.

  Ellis carried the limp body of the cat from where it was nestled deep in the tall grass. There was a reason they had chosen her to be my guard. She was strong. I nearly gasped when I saw her heft the dead weight of the huge animal, but I couldn’t determine her purpose. Ellis repositioned the animal until I realized she was preparing to take a photograph. The full extension of its limbs was shocking. Most animals had grown smaller in the recent years. There simply wasn’t enough nutrition to sustain healthy populations of predators especially. This was truly unnatural.

  The sky was darkening once more, though I hoped it would not rain again. Ellis and I quickened our pace. The trees loomed large over us, with large twisting roots snaking through the jungle like flying buttresses on the massive ancient groves. It was unsettling and with the discovery of the arrow and Jaguar, I didn’t feel like taking any chances. The minutes drew on and the only sound was the soft thuds of our black boots against the soft damp earth. We re-entered a rhythm and I collected a few more samples along the way back.

  It seemed that we had been walking for a very long way when the ground began to gently slope down. The map showed a small depression right in the center of Sector 4 and it seemed we were entering it. The trees were far enough apart here that we should have been able to get a better view of our surroundings, but there were heavy curtains of the same vines growing around every surface, hanging low and brushing against us as we walked. I ran my hand across the vine, feeling its strong and fibrous texture. Ellis drew back, attempting not to brush up against any of the plants as if they were poisonous. It seems the events of this afternoon had put her on edge as well. She might not be wrong. I had never seen this particular species before, and the fibers had a strange waxy texture. Suddenly she turned her head sharply.

  “What was that?” She whispered.

  “I don’t hear anything,” I responded, tilting my head to scan for strange sounds.

  “Listen.” She said. We both stopped moving so we could listen. I didn’t hear it at first, but after a moment the faint echo started again. It was a haunting sound, like an animal crying out. It didn’t sound right, but it far enough away that it could have been the wind.

  “Is that a -” The sound started again before I could finish, a warped and strangled cry.

  “I think it’s human.” She said quietly. Her eyes looked haunted by the sound and her voice was assured. She had heard a sound like that before… from a human.

  I tried to soften my expression so she wouldn’t see the horror in my face. “Are you absolutely sure?” I asked quickly. If it was another animal we would put ourselves in danger to go near it, but if it was human what other choice did we have? My first thought was that the Threshold Crisis had reached us after all, that I somehow brought it with me like a dark curse. It had seemed that way when I moved across the country, the Crisis moved with me. Had I brought it here and sentenced everyone in this place to destruction? No, I took a deep breath. I had to keep my rationality.

  “There might be someone hurt,” I responded, keeping my voice even. I tried to get a sense of which direction it was coming from.

  Ellis nodded shortly. We took slow, quiet steps. The sound led us deeper into the middle of the sector, though still in the direction that we needed to go to get back to the shell. It seemed more likely that whoever or whatever had killed the jaguar had gotten hurt in the process. Or perhaps there was some other type of animal attack; there were plenty enough dangers in Sector 4. Perhaps someone had been bitten by a snake or other venomous creature. I quickened my pace while still trying to keep silent. It was still a good distance back to the Shell. I tried to put other thoughts out of my mind and focus on moving forward. The cries sounded again louder this time, and definitely human. I was thankful now for the vines that protected us from view.

  It sounded like the cries came from a different direction every time, but it was clearly the same voice. What could cause an auditory distortion like that? The slope became gradually flat as we entered some sort of low lying area. About 100 yards away the vines were wrapped around the trees in what appeared to be a complex woven pattern surrounding a large area creating a sort of wall. It was strange and beautiful, a design formed out of twisting ropes of green and brown. It was clearly some sort of natural growth pattern, but I’d never seen vines behave that way. Some of the vines were flowering with small red blossoms. The agonized shrieks were all around now. There was no visible opening for us to get a better view. It was like the sound was coming from inside the trees, just like the soldiers had warned. I tried to walk closer to the strange structure of vines, but Ellis stopped me.

  “Let’s get back.” Ellis grabbed hold of my arm as she whispered urgently. “This is exactly the sort of thing they don’t want me to let you do.”

 
“Do you know something about what’s going on here?” I felt scared suddenly, how was the Global Peace Alliance involved in this? Surely, they knew there was something strange going on out here. Why hadn’t I been briefed at all?

  “Not a clue,” she responded, dragging me away by the arm. “There are some things that you don’t really want to be in a position to know around here,” She paused sizing me up for the first time. “I’m guessing this is one of those times.”

  I couldn’t understand what she meant. This was our job. It seemed like whatever was causing the screams would be pertinent to our mission objectives. Was she referring to the Threshold Crisis that the Alliance wouldn’t admit was real? Or was she just talking about life in general, an ignorance-is-bliss kind of thing? I wasn’t in any position to ask her to clarify, so I let her drag me away. I looked back one last time at the strange vine wrapped structure and stopped short when I thought I saw movement from the side that we had come from.