BOOK 1 - CHAPTER 10

Chapter 10

Bang!

The thunderous clap of a bullet flying faster than the eye could see carried through the rocky messaging. Johnny took a deep breath, his shoulder getting a bit sore from his rifle’s recoil. He scrubbed his eye, muttering a curse under his breath before looking through the scope at his target— he’d failed, again.

It was a rabbit, that much was certain. White furred, bunny ears and red glowing eyes his night vision caught. But like the natives that attacked the moment they’d seen him, this rabbit was devilled, a horn grew out of its head, spiraling piece of keratin that matched the pair of sharp buck tooth protruding from its twitching lip. It sniffed the air, eyes darting around with fear, caution. It bounced between bushes, hopping out of sight and range often enough that Johnny’s growling stomach cursed its flight-footed ways.

If I can just get one good kill. He’d been at it for almost an hour now, laying flat on his stomach atop the Wrangler transformed Voyager, a light wool blanket covering his exposed parts, protecting him from the numerous insects that feared no giants. As his stomach gurgled, he half considered gathering the flying, crawling and biting insects for a meal instead but quickly changed his mind recalling the green fluid that splattered when he killed them. Whatever those insects were, he’d rather have a devil horned rabbit for dinner.

He inhaled deeply, rolling the tension off his shoulders as he loaded the rifle for another shot at his prey. He caught it in his sights and set his finger on the trigger as the frantic bunny hopped from bush to bush, its fellows trailing around and between. Johnny focused on the single devil horned rabbit that seemed unwilling or nervous to burrow between the few scarce bushes that dotted the savannah, tracking it precisely until it stood still and then—

Bang!

His shoulder snapped back causing him to wince, but a smile blossomed across his face, at the sight through the night vision scope. Its fellows scattered and dug themselves in, leaving behind the sufficiently dead bunny behind for Johnny, “Finally, these guys are harder to snipe than fully grown Convars” He sighed a relief as he sat up on the Voyager, pulling the blanket around his shoulders and setting the rifle between his folded legs.

There was a choice of few sources of food left and after an hour of reacquainting himself with a weapon and his hunting skills, Johnny was on the edge. He slid down the Wrangler and tossed the rifle in the back seat, eyeing the barely touched printed fast-food meal of a burger, fries and coke. The classic he’d hoped the Creation Core would come through for him with, but it was nothing but deceit.

Whatever damage had been done to the Creation Core it was severe enough that the essential concept of taste, flavor and texture was lost to it. That combo meal was about as poisonous as the berries he’d passed by on the drive to the mesa. It was hardly edible, but it sure looked like food. I wasted half an hour printing that.

Inspired by his extremely vocal stomach, Johnny quickly drove down to pick up his prey, inadvertently chasing away others but that was alright for now, they would be back. It was a clean shot on the devilled horned rabbit, the bullet pierced through and through and though some of its muscles still spasmed in its death, Johnny knew well enough that dead was dead and got to skinning and roasting the fine catch over a hastily put together fire pit.

To his luck, the Creation Core could still create spices accurately enough to use on his rabbit and so after a couple dozen minutes watching it roast over the fire, sure it was toasted in and out and dusted with salt and pepper, Johnny took his first bite in over twenty four hours.

“Mmhm…that’s so good.” He moaned. But it wasn’t that good. The meat was stringy, tougher than he’d like, and he might have overdone it with the salt but none of that mattered to his empty stomach. This was a feast.

He devoured the whole thing, leaving the undesirable parts to the dirt and sighed, relieved but unsurprisingly still hungry. Johnny cast his gaze around as he leaned back in the passenger’s seat of the Wrangler, he’d already decided to hunt down a couple more devil horned rabbits as soon as he was ready but for the moment, he savored the sweet oils, scent and the aftertaste of his over seasoned meal.

He’d been observing the Magmasphere like Agent Nadim asked him to and so was Albert, his trusty AI copilot chartered every path he followed and predicted other likely paths for future hunts, it's how he found the sweet spot at the mesa. But on his own Johnny noticed more— the night sky was clear, devoid of any clouds after a few hours and without the red sun glaring above, it was a cool, albeit insect dominated night.

Like the glaring red sun he’d met in the afternoon, there was something odd about the night, “A green moon…huh.”

It loomed overhead, massive in the sky—at least twice the size of Earth's familiar white satellite. And undeniably green. Its refracted light allowed for good visibility in the early night, but the more hours passed, the darker its green glow became, especially as the clouds disappeared.

Despite its unnatural hue, Johnny found himself admiring it. He wondered what his sister, Clara, would say—what elaborate theory she’d spin to explain why a moon could be so… beautifully green. Johnny sniffed and sat up, his thoughts quickly turning introspective and his mood homesick, it was too early for that, and he was still hungry.

He grabbed his hunting rifle and stepped out through the savannah, searching for the devil horned rabbits through his scope. There was a few hopping away in the distance, not too far but not close either. He climbed back up onto the Wrangler and got into position, ready to send a bullet through his next meal.

Whether it was his slightly damper mood or the prey’s intelligence, not one of them let him line up for a clear shot. They hopped, ran, burrowed and concealed themselves in the dry bushes throughout and the longer he lay without a second kill the quicker he digested the first.

“Damn things learn too quick.” He sighed and sat up on the Wrangler, content not to be starving but disappointed he couldn’t be fully satisfied.

Albert’s voice crackled from the Voyager, “A suggestion, Johnny.”

“Hm?”

“It might be more efficient to hunt larger prey and preserve their meat. The smaller prey isn’t worth the effort or the bullets.” the AI said.

Johnny sighed. Albert was right, a single meal at a time wasn’t going to cut it if he was going to survive out here. He needed to find something larger and have a way to store the food for later. He had an idea for the latter— the Creation Core could print out a functioning mini-freezer or even an ice box— but finding prey was where he was stumped.

“Any idea where to hunt larger prey? These bunnies were a miracle on their own but…”

“Of course, Johnny.” Albert chimed, eager and ready to help, “I have made note of every track of significance and if you’d like I can lead you over to the west where a herd of deer-like animals forage.”

“Deer-like?”

“I can only assume from their hoof prints, just as the rabbits were more than rabbits, these creatures could have evolved into something quite different from what we’re used to on earth.”

Johnny shrugged, “That’s fair. Alright then, have the Creation Core get started on a mini freezer. It needs to be hooked up to the battery while still in the Voyager so make sure it’s got a long cord.”

“Of course, Johnny, I will deliver the coordinates of the herd on screen and have the mini-freezer ready by the time you’re finished hunting. Goodluck.”

“Thanks…I might need it.” He sighed, tossing the rifle in the back seat before driving off on the path Albert set, determined for one last kill.

***

When Johnny arrived at the spot Albert had plotted, something strange and eerie instantly caught his eye. It wasn’t the unusually large herd of deer foraging and drinking at an almost dried up oasis nearby and it wasn’t even the settlement that glowed softly in the green-lit moonlight. No, instead it was what hung above it, a specter of dark, malevolent energy the Johnny could feel pulsating even from the distance he parked the Wrangler to start his hunt.

He frowned at the mass of darkness, something deep within him, an instinct or sixth sense told him it was nothing good. Not for him and certainly not for the people living in the settlement it haunted. A part of him wanted to head right in and investigate, maybe find a friendly face and finding some actual cooked food— trying another planet’s cuisine would be nice. But the other part, a larger part, told him to stay away, at least for now.

He ignored the settlement and the darkness that haunted its skies for the moment and equipped with his hunting rifle he scoped out his targets. Unlike the devil horned rabbits these deer-like creatures were massive, at least half as tall and wide as the Wrangler itself. A single kill would surely meet his feeding needs for at least two weeks if he managed it right.

Scope to his eye, Johnny lined up a shot, took a deep breath and—

Bang!

He struck one. Dead center between its proud, curved antlers. He watched it stagger and its herd buckle and scatter in startlement. “What the hell…” Johnny muttered under his breath, a double take on the creature he’d shot had him utterly confused.

The bullet was lodged right in the middle of its skull and though it staggered and wobbled in confusion and hurt, it wasn’t dead. A bullet to the head and it still doesn’t fall? That’s some tough deer.

He adjusted his aim, targeting a softer spot this time, just below its neck. He squeezed the trigger and the bullet flew true, piercing the creature and bringing down dead and unmoving at last. “Finally.”

Wearing a hungry grin Johnny was just about to hop off the Wrangler’s roof to claim his prize when a low, guttural growl rolled across the landscape. His grip tightened on his rifle, head on a swivel he searched for and found himself surrounded, stalked by drooling dark beasts of the arid land.

Encircling the Wrangler like ghosts of the wasteland, the creatures crept forward, their bodies little more than shadows given form. In the emerald glow of the moon, their shapes came into focus—gaunt, sinewy frames prowling across the cracked earth with an unnatural grace. Johnny had seen his share of strange, twisted wildlife—devil horned rabbits with eyes like hot coals, deer clad in bone-like armor—but these things? These were worse yet.

They resembled hyenas in shape alone. Something had perverted them into something far more sinister. Their fangs jutted from blackened gums, long and serrated like knives meant for carving flesh. Hooked claws left deep scars in the parched ground as they prowled, their grotesque bodies half-melted and yet… moving. Breathing.

Johnny’s stomach twisted at the sight. How the hell are they still alive?

Chunks of missing flesh exposed muscle and sinew, eaten away by a viscous, inky substance that oozed from their wounds like molten tar. The sickly fluid sizzled upon contact with open air, hissing against their own scorched flesh. Ribs jutted out from sagging skin, half-melt organs barely contained within their ruined frames, pulsing with a grotesque mockery of life. And their eyes—milky, sunken, but filled with ravenous intent—fixed on Johnny with singular hunger he knew couldn’t, no, wouldn’t be satisfied no matter what.

Hoisting his hunting rifle, Johnny banged the roof of the Wrangler, “Albert…I think it's time we got out of here; these boys don’t look friendly.”

The moment he spoke, the creatures reacted. Their snarls sharpened into sharp, chittering barks, their movements quickening. Their jaws lolled open, drool spilling in thick ropes to the sand below—where it burned and smoked upon impact, devouring the earth like acid.

Johnny didn’t hesitate. He shouldered his rifle, exhaled sharply, and squeezed the trigger.

The crack of the gunshot split the air, the bullet punching clean through the nearest creature’s skull. Its head snapped backward, a geyser of blood and blackened fluid spewing from the wound. The others skidded to a halt—but not in fear like any other animal would. They watched. Studied. Curious rather than deterred. And then, impossibly, the one he shot moved.

With a sickening, unnatural jolt, it lurched forward again, its claws slashing at the back of the Wrangler.

“Albert, move now! Back to the oasis!” Johnny screamed, gripping onto the roof bars as Albert kicked the engine into gear.

The Wrangler jolted forward, kicking up a cloud of dust as its autopilot engaged. Behind them, the creatures chase. One lunged, its monstrous form nearly reaching the roof—until Johnny sent another bullet tearing through its skull. It tumbled away in a convulsing heap, but the others hardly slowed. In fact, they multiplied.

There were five. Five became seven. They slithered from the darkness, emerging as if the very land itself birthed them anew. Their screeches cut through the night—high-pitched, broken, wrong. And beneath it all, that awful, hyena-like laughter.

The pack gained on the Voyager before it could get up to speed, ramming it from left to right, sending it up onto two wheels with one hit. “Damn these things,” Johnny yelled, panic shooting at the hyenas to no avail— it was harder to shoot on a moving vehicle, who knew.

The monster hyenas kept up their pursuit, slobbering, bleeding and slamming up against the Voyager as it sped until Johnny nearly got tossed off the roof. He flew over the right side of the Jeep, fingers scrabbling for leverage he snatched a hold of the roof bar at the last second.

“Johnny are you alright?” Albert called out with concern, slowing down the Voyager.

“I’m fine Albert! Just don’t slow down, not even for a second! Keep going. These things will overrun us if we slow.” Johnny yelled over billowing winds, pulling himself back up onto the roof with a grunt as the hungry jowls of the beasts nipped at his dangling legs. Johnny kicked at their faces as they tried to make a snack for him.

Fortunately, the Voyager wasn’t a revolutionary piece of engineering for nothing. Albert pushed it harder, faster, the Wrangler a blur in the moonlit wasteland. The monstrous pack fell behind, their acid-laced snarls swallowed by the howling wind. Johnny held on for dear life at the dangerous speeds they were moving but he would gladly take the hand cramp over the world of pain succumbing to those monsters would bring.

He cursed his poor luck as Albert began to slow, the oasis he’d originally arrived at finally in view. I’ll have to go back for that deer…assuming those things don’t eat it.

“Are you alright Johnny?” Albert chimed, legitimate concern staining his otherwise monotoned AI voice. He was grateful for it.

Johnny groaned and came off the roof, his shoulder aching and his stomach nearly empty with all the action he’d put himself through. And yet, the green moon held firm above his head, hours passed like nothing had happened. He sighed and hopped in the front seat, the mini freezer he’d asked Albert to print out was already complete and situated in the back seat, but he had nothing to put in it, at least not tonight.

“Yeah, Albert, I just need some shut eye now. It’s been…rough.” An understatement frankly but escaping yet another maw of death was a comfort he was happy to savor, even if his stomach was growling suspiciously, “Wake me up in an hour or two, maybe three. I’ll need to report this…discovery to whoever’s at DRIFTERS.”

“I can make a call to Leo or Theresa if you want, they are still on call tonight.” Albert offered.

“No thanks, Albert. Not in the mood to talk right now.” He groaned, cradling his stomach, a cold sweat starting a trail along his forehead, “Just wake me up in a few hours and keep a lookout, alright?”

“Of course, Johnny, have a goodnight.”

Johnny scoffed, a goodnight was a pipe dream at this point, but he’d try to have one anyway.