Lloyd stood up in the nest, stretched and tucked his tunic back into
his pants. He looked over at Boyce wrapped tightly in his dark cape,
staring right back at him with withdrawn eyes. His face was pale and
his lips were dry and slightly cracked from the trifle breeze that
filtered through the forest during the night.
Lloyd tipped his head to Boyce and Grenadine peaked over the rim of the
nest and look at him, as well.
Lloyd and Grenadine shared some of his rations and Boyce began to
straighten up from his uncomfortable night of sleeplessness. His legs
dangled off the branch while he sprinkled water on his hand then patted
it over his face.
Breathing coarsely and heavily, Boyce looked over at Lloyd and
Grenadine setting their clothing in order, and he looked way when he
saw Lloyd kiss Grenadine's hand.
Boyce lifted his pack around his shoulders and then threw his cape
about himself and climbed down the tree.
It was an eerie peacefulness on the ground and he felt very ill-at-ease
all by himself. He took his laser from his belt case and seared some
marks on a few dozen trees, heading in a straight line, south from the
tree in which they spent the entire night.
Lloyd watched Boyce walk in the direction of the blazed trees and he
knew that Boyce was going ahead, alone. He climbed down from the tree
with his pack and Grenadine, on his back. Her beautiful legs and
delicate arms tightly clutched him about his body, and she sensually
rubbed her lips on the back of his neck.
They followed the trail that was hastily marked by Boyce, who was far
ahead by the time that they started.
For their own protection and welfare, Boyce knew that they had to hurry
out of the forest. This place was taking its toll on the both of them;
Boyce with his potent strength and Lloyd with his immobility of
character. He was certain that their safety was only assured by the
speed of which they could make it to the other side of the forest. A
third night would surely taken them, thought Boyce.
Many hours were spent in Boyce's struggle to make the other side. His
weapon was drawn at all times and in his speed he shot several large
animals, regardless if they motioned to attack him, or not. He
couldn't chance any friendly influences in this forest. He could not
trust this place of legend and mystery while he worried for his friend,
helper and teacher, Lloyd Bartlett, to make it to the other side.
On the other side was an immense canyon, stretching to each side of
him, as far as the eye could see.
There, far to one side, was a swinging cable bridge connecting the two
sides of the canyon; they were certainly a kilometre apart.
He waited at the place that he came out of the forest, for about an
hour. Then, as if beckoned back into the forest, he followed his
markings back towards Lloyd and Grenadine.
One half hour into the forest, Boyce saw Lloyd and Grenadine leaning
against a large boulder, embraced and oblivious.
Grenadine was in front of Lloyd and she was kissing him while,
unnoticed, a large pack of dogs came out of the shadows of the trees
and made their way towards them.
Lloyd didn't see the dogs and he didn't even hear some of them snarling
as they neared.
Boyce saw the dogs quickly move upon them, and he saw that Lloyd didn't
have his laser out of its case. There was no time to warn them.
He rushed down on one knee and set his gun on the electrophoric
setting. He fired into the middle of the pack of dogs. Several fell,
kicking as they died. A few others howled into a whimper and scurried
away. A few of them turned and advanced upon Boyce.
Lloyd looked up and saw the dogs run towards Boyce. In a sleepy daze
he drew his laser and pointed it at the dogs. Just as he was firing
Grenadine grabbed his arm and pointed it towards the ground, allowing
the laser to gouge a large hole into the earth.
Unsure of what had actually happened Lloyd slowly focused his eyes upon
Grenadine. As he stared at her he was transfixed upon her green eyes
which began to change to a shiny rust colour as she slowly began to
back away from him.
Once more he fired several rounds at the dogs, vaporising one that
committed to a jump upon Boyce, giving the young man the chance to duck
and roll away.
As Boyce rolled he came to rest upon one knee. He raised his laser,
bracing his wrist with the other hand. The power cell within the laser
was dead and one dog was too near to him for either he or Lloyd to kill
it from the positions they were both were situated.
Boyce, fearful of this circumstance, still remained calm. His eyes
scanned the ground about him. Quickly he had noticed a large tree
branch resting inches from his left hand. Without much plan or thought
Boyce scooped the tree branch with his left hand sending it in flight
towards his right hand. As surely as rises the sun the branch found
its mark. He wielded the stick high over his head as he sprang to his
feet. He stood with his feet placed far enough apart for a sure-footed
balance and allowed the stick to come crashing down upon one of the
dog's as it hurled itself towards him. A thundering crack echoed about
the forest as Boyce found the mark of the dog's back, crushing it into
a bloody pulp.
Lloyd, now achieving a sense of sobriety, shot at a few more of the
dogs and failed to notice Grenadine moving away from him. She picked
up a jagged rock and flung it towards Lloyd's head.
Without surprise at what he saw, Boyce quickly sprang off of his feet
and lunged towards Lloyd. But the rock found its mark hitting him
behind the left cheek before Boyce knocked him to the ground.
Boyce reached him as he had sunk to his knees and toppled to one side.
But Lloyd did not lose consciousness. Boyce lifted him onto his lap
and Lloyd's head shifted over, his eyes seeking the beautiful waif,
Grenadine.
Their eyes caught each other; Lloyd's displayed his broken heart and
Grenadine's showing a satisfied mania.
Before them both, Grenadine broke into a shrieking laugh and fell down
upon her hands and knees. In their amazement and horror, she began to
transform into a large black wild bitch.
She growled at them, foam frothing and flying out of her mouth. Sharp
and moonlight white fangs glistened, only out-shined by the ruby red
glint of her eyes. She sprang directly at Boyce catching him in the
chest.
Boyce tried to fend her off by flailing his arms, but he was weakened
by the shock to his body, knocking the air from him.
With glaring, burning eyes and the flash of the lightning white teeth,
she howled then violently thrust at Boyce's throat. Boyce grabbed her
head inside his bent elbow and attempted to turn her over. When he
finally got her beneath him, he tried to clamp her snout shut with his
left hand. In a frenzy but yet in control Boyce made a search of the
ground for Lloyd's laser, which had dropped when he was hit by the
rock, but he wasn't able to find it.
Boyce suddenly let go of Grenadine's snout, rolling quickly away from
her then in a blink of an eye moving into a standing position and
defenceless.
Grenadine got onto her feet as well and growled as they both stood
there staring and circling one another.
Once more she leaped in Boyce's direction but this time the loud twang
of an electrophore resonated about the woods. Lloyd had fired at
Grenadine.
Lloyd crawled over to Boyce. He was lying on the ground with
Grenadine's lifeless but, again, human body draped over him. He rolled
her off from him and put his hand on her chest. In an instant he
reached over for Boyce and did the same, then sighed with relief when
he found him still breathing.
"Boyce ... you're alright!" was all he said.
Boyce silently nodded and spent the next few moments trying to catch
his breath, and Lloyd kept a watchful eye for any more dogs.
Boyce sat up and they just looked at one another. Nothing was said.
Nothing had to be said. Both knew exactly what had happened and what
was, was. Lloyd understood what was on Boyce's mind. He knew that
Boyce could see the potential danger over the last few days, but had
nevertheless, allowed it to manifest. He, himself, should have
realised the danger especially with her unafraid attitude, at the tree,
the last evening.
Lloyd pointed his laser at her body. He severed her head then shot a
large hole into her chest where he dug out her heart with his bare
hands.
Boyce made it to his feet and staggered about the area until he found
the laser that he dropped early into the struggle. He finally found it
near the body of the dog that he killed with the tree branch.
He tucked the gun into his belt case and surveyed the woods.
Several dogs were still pacing to and fro watching Lloyd mutilate
Grenadine's body. They watched as he dug out her heart and stuff it
into her dead mouth. They quickly ran off into the woods when he threw
her head at them.
"Let's get out of here."
No sooner did Boyce suggest their departure that they began to run
through the forest, following the markings he had made earlier.
At the end of the forest they were still running. Boyce lead the way
to bridge and entered a few steps into it.
"Is it safe, I wonder?"
"It has to be safer than what we had just left!" Lloyd admitted,
pointing in the direction from which they came.
It was at this point that the yelping and growling sounds of many dogs
began to echo from the forest not very far away.
They looked at one another and shrugged in unison as they began to run
across the bridge. They laughed as they ran especially when the bridge
began to swing wildly with every step they took and they prayed to the
one true living God to strengthen the bridge until they made it across
the canyon. The other side of the canyon seemed to move farther and
farther away and the chasm below them became bottomless to their minds.
They pushed on.
Lloyd looked back to see the distance that they had made to this point
and there, also making their way across the bridge, was a pack of
blood-hungry dogs.
"This is very disconcerting!" Boyce commented.
"Hold on, Boyce!" Lloyd ordered then stomped his foot on the part of
the bridge directly behind them and the shock wave travelled back
towards the dogs upsetting the lead dogs balance and footing, forcing
them off the bridge and into the chasm. A couple others dropped when
Lloyd shot at them, but this seemed to egg-on the other dogs even more.
In seconds the shock wave returned to their side of the bridge making
both of them nearly lose their footing.
In short order the two men regained their footing and their balance but
only to see the relentless dogs steadily, and quickly coming nearer.
"We'll have to do this the hard way!" said Lloyd then motioned to
Boyce to follow what he does.
They wrapped their arms about the tension cables that held the bridge
up and they wrapped their legs about the support ropes which held the
partly rotten wood that was the bridge. Lloyd then drew his gun and
shot into the middle of the bridge just ahead of where the dogs were
now encroaching.
The bridge split. Wood splinters flew everywhere. The dogs tumbled
hundreds of meters to there deaths on the chasm floor.
Grabbing for the tension cable with his gun hand, Lloyd had released
his gun as the bridge head they were hanging on to recoiled towards the
opposite cliff wall of the canyon.
Both hit the wall hard, their eyes closed as if that would cushion the
pain of impact in some way.
When the bridge moved no more, they opened their eyes and checked to
see if the other was still there. Their eyes met and with a reassuring
nod they looked up and slowly started to climb.
Although the distance they were climbing was not far the tangled mess
of the bridge was difficult to negotiate and both were near to
exhaustion from their battle, and their run.
Lloyd's cheek was bleeding but his hands each stretched and searched
for the next rung and his feet each found its mark, though it was all
through a virtual unconsciousness. What kept him going was his memory
of the promise he made to Brook and Dearborne; it was the promise he
had, once again, rememebred. It pushed him onward to his success and
he continued to climb as he felt a self-embarrassment for their
predicament. He had allowed the memory of his promise to escape his
mind when he was with Grenadine and now he was sorry.
Lloyd had made it to the top and Boyce pulled him up to the edge and
dragged him over some flat rocks. There they both lay for rest,
staring at the immense evil forest from which they came, looming on
the other side of the canyon.
"Let's not do this again!" Boyce pleaded, with a grin.
Both passed out.