I wake to myself puking up black liquid. They all look in shock, Dave shouts, "Are you alright!?" I grab my head as the memories come back. Oh no. Penny. I lean back and bawl my eyes out, "Jean, you looked just like her!" She rubs my stiff arms, "Shhh." "Why did I even see you like that?" I cover my mouth and tremble at my memories from the war. The blood, the chaos. "The germans, I had to- fend them off." I grab my head and grind my teeth, "Why is this all surfacing now?!" It all leads back to Trauma, that's what the therapist said.
Mama Hearth slaps me and I look at her, "Calm down, you're scaring the kids." There's Norbert glaring at me with Rose facing his chest. Jack looks at me with crossed arms. Jean thanks Mama as I take a breath. Dave hands an arm over me, "It's okay, big guy." With a shake, I try to hide my fears, "Where are we?" Jon looks back, "See for yourself, quick!" Jack opens up the hatch and I follow him up.
He looks out far beyond the convoy, "Louisiana?" I smile, "Amazing you can read that far!" He jumps and I grab his shirt. Luckily he wasn't going to fall to begin with, "What's here?" I gulp as we pass the sign, shouts and cheers coming from below, "Never had Gumbo, but they got crocodiles." "They sound cool." I smile, "Not if they're big like-" He points, "A woman! She's being chased by one!"
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I bend my knees, but before I can act, soldiers down the thing with a hail of bullets. We slow down as half the convoy keeps going. "Jack, stay up here." He groans and I hop down. A crocodile, 30 feet long, big fella with only a couple scratches from the bullets. Amazing skin, something to possibly rival my own.
Soldiers dare not approach, but I march up to it. It jerks to run at me, a gaping maw clamps down on my leg. It jumps and I frown. "Damn thing." I bend over and slap him. Jack and Rose laugh as Norbert and Jean try to pull them back down. After a couple hard slaps, it lets go and gurgles at me. I tilt my head and widen my eyes, "Go!" It runs at me again, I swing my leg back and kick it back into the forest. "Uhh, we had orders to dissect it." I chuckle, "It would've killed ya both. Let's move."