4. Field of Bones
Cindy closed her eyes. Her ears heard something. Subtle but annoying.
Aaaaaaaawwww....Craaassshhh....Aaaaawwww.....Aaaarrrggghhh
It was like the sound of a large bird in pain, falling and dying. Cindy opened her eyes and looked for Ran. The man was busy fixing the slightly messy equipment after being taken down in a hurry.
Ran turned when he heard Cindy's footsteps approaching.
"Ran, I think I'm hearing some strange noises. Did you hear it?"
Cindy told him what she had just heard. Ran listened seriously. Surprised. He didn't let Cindy know that he heard nothing. Ran thought that Cindy's strange actions were starting to show. First it was her agility. Now, it was her hearing acuity.
To confirm his suspicions, Ran checked with the other team members separately after Cindy left. Exactly as expected. No one heard anything. Cindy had changed! Hopefully not for the worst. Ran prayed silently.
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"What should we do now. Any idea?" Ran started the conversation as everyone sat in a circle eating canned food.
They all looked at each other stuttering for an idea. They were in a very strange country. Not on the map. Many animals and plants were not in the encyclopedia. Not to mention the gigantic natural landscape. Could they be trapped in a mythical land?
"Let's just continue towards the sunset, Ran. I heard the waves crashing in the distance. Down the river there are too many gorges and ravines. We're wasting a lot of time," Cindy said after a few moments of silence.
The four men looked at Cindy. What waves? They heard absolutely nothing.
"But we have to be very careful. The direction to the beach must pass through the place I mentioned earlier, there will be a large dead bird, " Cindy continued while looking at Ran.
Except for Ran who chose to scan the sky for the direction of the sun, the other three men were looking at Cindy. Big dead bird? What was wrong with her?
Cindy tilted her head. Concentrating on something.
"Some big birds fell from the sky. Dead. Let's go, guys. I also heard from behind that a large slithering beast is coming toward this direction. Maybe it's the kind of Anaconda that Tet mentioned," Cindy continued.
Ran believed her now, he was sure of Cindy's acutely sharp hearing!
"Guys! You heard Cindy. Let's go!"
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The group walked in the direction of the sunset. Ran asked that Cindy lead because he saw that the road was quite wide. Not many bushes or thick shrubs needed to be slashed. Ran relied on her hearing.
Cindy continued to lead the way. Occasionally, she stopped while listening to something. Turned right, sometimes left. Apart from Ran, all team members couldn't help but wonder. Was Cindy possessed?
Cindy raised her hand. Signaling her friends to stop. She continued to walk slowly. Tiptoeing. Her footsteps didn't make any sound at all. She seemed like a tiger or a bobcat stalking the prey. Incredible!
Even though she could predict what to expect in front of her, Cindy couldn't help but be shocked. A vast savanna stretched out ahead with a nightmarish sight. Instead of grass and sand, it was filled with bones! Scattered everywhere as far as eyes could see!
Cindy sharpened her black and white vision. The bones came in different kinds. Some were small and some were giant. Seemed like they came from different kinds of animals.
Cindy made sure once again that nothing lived or moved in the field of bones. Some of the bones were still fresh with the flesh almost torn apart completely. Some carnivores must have eaten them. Cindy had to make sure the predators weren't there. Otherwise, they would be in grave danger.
Seeing Cindy standing for a while watching without moving, Ran grew worried. It looked like there was something ahead to watch out for. Ran approached her. The others followed.
They stood in a row next to Cindy to witness the surreal sight. A field full of bones! A vast place filled with scattered bones everywhere!
"What's more out there, Cindy? Do we have to go through that horrendous field?" Tet whispered in Cindy's ear. Everyone was waiting for her response.
There is something out there, very big having a feast. We have to wait…" Cindy gave a gut-wrenching answer.
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