Lookout

I quickly look away before looking back up at the stars. Was that thing that attacked me earlier a Rager? No, that can't be right. Ragers are human-like. That thing was entirely too small. Unless... a creepy baby-sized Rager!? When Thane finally speaks again, he softly says "The sky out here is tragically beautiful. It's like a graveyard of stars."

I suddenly don't know what to say... I turn to look at him and see that there's so much more to him than I originally thought. Yes, I've known death, intimately but something about the look in Thane's eyes tells me he does too only in a different way.

How many has he killed and how many has he watched die? When he looks over and catches me staring at him, he frowns at me and asks "What?" I clear my throat and shake my head before saying "Just for the record, I really like you as a person. I can tell you're a good guy who genuinely cares about others and tries to help those in need."

He looks at me with a blank look as I stand up and stretch before saying "In order to like who you are, you can't hate the experiences that shaped you. Whatever happened, made you who you are now. You're not so bad..."

I give him a small smile before walking away. I need to stretch my legs a little and wake up. I'm getting sleepy and we still have a few more hours to go. As I slowly walk around the perimeter I can't help but feel like I'm being watched again.

When I look back over to Thane, he still sits by the fire watching the radar device so I know it's not him. No, it feels like the same thing I felt earlier. I look over to the bushes surrounding us with sharp eyes but I can't see anything.

It bothers me that no one else seems to notice or feel anything. I start to question if it really is my nerves or not... I slowly start walking again but I keep my eyes and ears open for anything. Suddenly, I hear the bushes next to me rustle!

I jump back and stare at the bush in silence, waiting for it to move again but nothing happens. Don't tell me it's that thing again! Suddenly, it all makes sense! It would explain why it's not being picked up on the radar!!

A nervous grin crawls across my face as I whisper "Leave me alone you evil little furball! If you keep messing with me, I'll turn your ass into an ice cube and let you experience the ice age!" I wait for a response or maybe more movement but when nothing happens, I slowly step back and make my way back over to Thane.

When I sit back down next to Thane, I look back over my shoulder. When I still don't see anything, I look back to the fire to see Thane watching me with a frown. He looks past me, looking for whatever I was looking at before asking me "What is it?"

I nervously lick my lips and ask "What about the... wildlife out here? Are they dangerous?" Thane glances behind me once more before looking back to the fire and saying "Yeah, but they seem to steer clear of us. The ones you have to really look out for are the living plants."

I slowly nod as I think back to the classes that taught us about the different plants out here. They're actually living. They have low intelligence but will kill animals and humans if they get the chance. If what Thane says is true, why is that evil furball still hanging around?

Maybe we're in his territory and it's trying to run us out. I nod my head and figure that once we leave, I won't have to worry about the thing again. After our shift, I sleep way better than I ever imagined. When I feel something on top of me, I slowly open my eyes and look up to see something white.

When I do a double-take and jump, the thing moves at the speed of light and hits me in the head! I cry out and grab my head but when I sit up, the thing is gone! Thane quickly sits up with a loaded gun and asks "What is it?"

I rub my head in pain as I say "Something attacked me!" Thane looks around with sharp eyes and comes over to me to take a look. When he sees a new red mark growing on my forehead, he turns and stands up.

He looks around the camp and asks "What did it look like?" I slowly stand as I say "I really don't know. All I can see is that it's white and furry. It attacked me yesterday as well." After Thane makes sure it's clear, he clicks the safety back on and asks "The tree incident?"

I nod my head and sigh as Thane says "You should have said something then! This isn't your backyard or the playground. If something happens, you need to tell us immediately!" I glare at him and say "Yeah because that would be sooooo helpful! I was trying to get help from you all yesterday but you were all too busy standing around talking and blaming me for being a girl!"

Thane frowns at me as I quickly realize my mistake. I quickly say "Blaming me for acting like a girl! See! You've got me so pissed off I can't even speak right!" Thane gives me a dry look before saying "For some reason, this thing seems to be attracted to you so for now, stay close to me or the others."

I sigh in irritation but when I see that the sun is almost up, I suddenly feel like crying. I want and NEED my sleep. Bad things happen when I don't get enough sleep...