'Vow?' James asked.

'Yeah. It should be a little... less sandy,' Bill muttered. 'Trees and stuff.'

'Ooh, I wonder what it's like,' Olivia beamed, standing behind them, looking at the screen, her newly acquired suit on and helmet ready under her arm.

'Hopefully... calm,' Rebecca said.

James noted a switch in her hands before she hid them behind her back.

'Yeah,' he agreed. 'Let's hope.

'I take it the previous mission wasn't?' Olivia asked, looking around the ship.

'No, not exactly,' James said quietly.

'Not at all,' Rich added.

'What happened?' Olivia asked, turning her blue eyes back to the men.

'You sure you wanna know?' James asked.

'Oh, some people died,' Rich muttered.

'What? Oh no! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to... oh dear.' She looked stricken, her hands had parked in front of her mouth again, muffling her words.

'Rich, what the hell,' James, flared. 'Maybe not?'

Rich shrugged. 'Sorry. But it's just as well she realized how dangerous it is, no?'

'Yes, well, but you could–'

'Yes. It's good she knows,' Bill interjected. 'So, Olivia. Be prepared to run, to fight, and to leave your dead co-corkers behind.'

James almost swallowed his tongue in chock. 'Bill!' He was crude, he knew, but this was a new low. Or was it? Or was this him hurting?

'Well, don't leave them behind if you can help it,' Bill added. 'It's not good.'

Olivia simply stared at them.

'Come here,' Rebecca said then, placing a hand on the new woman's shoulder. 'I'll explain why they're being dicks.' She emphasized the last word, gave them all a fiery glare, before leading Olivia away from them, to the doors.

'What did I do?' James asked, a little hurt that he'd been included.

Bill chuckled. But when James looked at him, his face was as passive as always.

'Alright, what do we need to know about this Vow?'

'It's forested. If any trees move, run,' Bill said.

'Oh right,' Rich said. 'I hate them.'

'Walking trees?' James felt a crushing helplessness press in over him. 'Anything else that'll kill us?'

Bill turned around to face him. 'James. Calm down. We can handle it. We're a good team. The best team, remember?'

He hadn't thought Bill had cared about that silly thing. 'Yeah.'

'You have a shotgun, we have shovels and light, we're five people. Only one new. We know what's at stake and how to do it. I'll stay on the ship and keep you safe. Alright?'

It was oddly comforting when Bill said those things like that. Maybe they'd be fine, after all. 'Yeah. Let's hope so. Shouldn't one of the new guys stay on the ship? For this first trip?' He was thinking of Olivia, since she'd been spooked enough already.

Bill's eyes swivelled to the side for a split second, at Rich. 'No, I'm more used to the scanner and controls. Don't turn off the walkies unless there's dogs nearby. And remember to watch out for not just monsters, but the turrets and mines as well.'

'For real... this just keeps getting better.' James took a deep breath. But they'd be fine. He had to believe that. 'We can do it.'

'Good.'

Rich merely nodded, and James wondered what headspace he was in. Maybe Bill didn't wanna trust him with the ship, just yet. What if he left? Had he noticed Bill's look? And did he care if he had? Maybe he understood their hesitation.

'We're landing,' Bill announced, followed by the sudden increase in gravity and roaring of the engines.

'Woah!' Olivia buckled and almost fell, if not for Rebecca's helping hand.

Rebecca laughed, and pulled her back upright. 'Yeah, it takes some getting used to.'

Olivia smiled briefly, but still had a worried crease over her eyes. 'Should we put the helmets on?'

'Yeah,' James said and grabbed his own. 'Be cautious out there, and stay close to us. If in doubt, run. Use the scanner often, and warn us of dangers. If we work well together we can do this without mishaps.'

'Alright. I hope you are correct,' Olivia said. 'But you guys freaked me out quite a bit there.' She gave a nervous laugh.

James smiled, trying to look more relaxed than he was. 'Sorry.'

'James and Bill are the rocks of this team,' Rebecca said then, unexpectedly. 'They'll do anything they can to help us out and keep everyone safe. Trust them.'

'Thanks... I don't...' James faltered.

'Don't thank me. You know it's true,' she said, and smiled. 'And no, it wasn't your fault.'

She knew. Or maybe she also blamed herself? James nodded, and fastened his helmet, not trusting his voice to reply.

'Let's go, team,' Rich said and pressed the green button.

Fog.

The thickest grey soup James had ever seen pressed against his visor as he walked from one tree to the next, unable to see more than a few centimetres ahead. It was like he was back in that steamy tunnel with the centipede again. Only outdoors. Strange noises and calls were all around them, but they couldn't see anything.

In his right hand, he held Rebecca's hand. And she in turn, held on to Olivia, who held on to Rich. In his left, James grasped the scanner, repeatedly pressing the button, hoping it'd warn him if they were about to step right into a monster. The only thing it did was show a small green dot on the screen. Entrance, it said above it.

Well, at least it had one more function beyond telling them the worth of scraps and scanning monsters. That was good to know. He walked carefully in the direction of the dot.

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The ground vanished under his foot, and just empty, fog-filled space greeted him.

With a gasp, he pulled back on Rebecca who yelped, then yanked him back to solid ground.

'Holy mother...' James huffed.

'What happened?' she asked.

'I think I found some chasm. Or something.' He hesitated and listened for water down below. Nothing. 'Yeah, a deep gorge. We have to go around it.'

'Great... more walking. Any clue how far it is?'

'None.' He picked left, and followed the edge as close as he dared to not lose sight of it, but he didn't wanna fall down. Who knew how deep it was.

It didn't take long before James spotted something by the ravine's edge. Something grey and square. A sturdy concrete bridge with waist high sides. He paused and scanned. The entrance was right on the other side. Something went well for once, great.

'I found a bridge, guys. And I think the entrance is right there.'

'Awesome! I can't get out of this fog fast enough,' Rebecca said, and the other two made agreeing comments further back he couldn't quite hear.

The doors creaked open and the group entered the hallway. The lights were on, and a large fan in the ceiling spun slowly. Two doors were open, and a third was bricked up.

'What happened there, I wonder,' Olivia commented and looked around.

James scanned, then picked up the comms. 'Bill?'

'Yeah, it's clear. I see nothing where you are now,' his voice replied through mild static.

'Thanks. Over.'

'Let's go in two teams?' James suggested. 'Olivia, you go with Rebecca, and Rich, you come with me. Sound good?' In the case something happened, he didn't want Rich with any of the women. He'd be too strong for them to handle. Probably.

'Yeah, no objections. Be careful,' Rebecca said.

'Take care of her, and don't take any risks.'

'You know me,' she said and with a slightly stiff smile, led Olivia into the right corridor.

Lords of the Seven Seas, keep them safe, James thought to himself.

'You don't trust me,' Rich said then. 'But it's okay. I get it. You don't need to worry though. I wanna live too.'

James nodded. 'Let's go and get some stuff.'

The new place had been looted before, it seemed, and they didn't find anything at first. Just dust, open doors, and emptied rooms. But they found some stairs eventually, and went down.

'Look, the apparatus,' Rich said as he peered in through a small window in a locked door. 'If we can find a key, it's worth a lot.'

'Great. Let's try and remember where this door is,' James agreed. They rounded a corner and came face to face with two loot bugs. The little critters raised their front legs and chattered.

'Ooooh shii...' James backed off. They weren't too bad, but they could still do a good number on you. 'You stay away from me, you buggers.'

'We don't have anything,' Rich said to the bugs. 'See!' He held out empty hands towards them.

'What are you doing? Let's go.'

Rich smiled. 'They just want loot, so I showed them we don't have any.'

Was he mental? 'Well, they'll also attack you and tear your face off, so let's go.'

'Naah, they're pretty chill.' He waltzed off like nothing had happened.

'You're...' Insane? Mentally handicapped? A walking hazard? '… crazy,' James muttered.

Rich chuckled.

'The comms hissed then. 'Something behind you,' Bill said. 'Probably loot bugs or something else that's small.'

'Yeah, we know. Already said hello to them,' James answered. 'Would have been good to know earlier. Over.'

'I was watching the women. They were followed,' Bill explained.

'Alright. Thanks. Over.' He hoped it wasn't something too serious. Like that shadowman again. He shuddered.

After a relatively uneventful run, they returned to the entrance to find an engine, some pans and toys, and a large brass container standing by the doors.

'Wow, they've been effective!' James said.

'Good,' Rich agreed. 'Let's bring these back to the shuttle, and then come back later?'

'Yeah. I guess.' James wasn't sure he wanted to leave. But maybe they had to. He pressed the comms. 'Bill? We're returning to the ship with some of the loot unless you think we should go help them? Are they okay? Over.'

'They're fine, and doing way better than you guys,' Bill said with a short laugh. 'Get back here, but watch out. I saw something move a while ago. Possibly dogs or the hawks.'

James grabbed some smaller things and the metal container and grunted at the weight. It must have taken Rebecca and Olivia both to carry it.

Rich grabbed the rest, and hefted the engine onto his shoulder. James was impressed. At least he was good at carrying things, not only talking to the bugs.

The fog outside was just as bad as earlier. The way back to the ship took forever, and they had to backtrack as they found themselves having gone too far into the forest, passing it by entirely.

'Just our luck,' James grumbled. 'Is it always this foggy here?'

'No, have never seen it like this before,' Rich said. 'It rains sometimes, like a lot. But this is not normal. At least not where I've been before.'

'That's something.'

A noise. Creaking wood. A heavy thump.

James froze and set the container down, his entire body tensed. Rich had stopped also. Their eyes met for a second. They stood still, looking around and listening for anything approaching. Chirps, rattling leaves, wind. Nothing heavy moving. Allowing himself to breathe, James decided it was safe to move again.

'Let's go. I see the light from the ship over there.' He pointed at a small pinprick of light somewhere ahead. At least he hoped it was the ship. But Bill had said they were on the right track.

'Should be,' Rich agreed. 'Let's hurry up, I don't like being in the forest.'

'Agreed.'

They walked as fast as they could in the white soup, and soon the ship loomed above them, a light shining on the roof, guiding them home.

'Finally! It's almost impossible to see anything out there,' James said as he entered and put the loot down. The ship was empty. What the? James spun around, and Rich looked just as confounded.

'Bill?' Had something happened?

'On the roof.' Bill's voice sounded distant and low.

'The roof?' James went out to the walkway of the ship and looked up. A shadow sat crouched beside the antenna. 'What are you doing up there?'

'Baboon-hawks,' Bill grumbled. 'The girls have the shovels, remember?'

'You could just close the doors?' James suggested.

'Sure,' Bill said. It didn't sound like he meant it. He climbed down a ladder on the side James hadn't seen before.

'Well, we brought the stuff back. Should we go back? There's still some time left.' James didn't feel comfortable leaving Rebecca and Olivia alone over there.

'I think it's best you stay here,' Bill said. 'There's three baboon-hawks in the area, and this weather makes traversing too slow.'

Reluctantly, James nodded. They'd be ready to rush out and save the girls if they had to. He leaned the shotgun against the rail, and waited. Listening with a half ear to Bill as he spoke on the walkie, warning their friends.

'Hurry, hurry!'

'I'm coming.'

Footsteps, weird calls, and the cracking of breaking branches came from the foggy darkness outside the ship. James strained his eyes to see, but there was nothing but darkness and fog. He'd heard them though.

'Here!' he yelled, hoping to guide them back to the ship. 'This way!'

'Go, go, go!' Rebecca's voice.

Another caw from the hawks and a shrill scream.

'Hurry! This way!' James called again, and snatched the rifle up. He had to go help them. He jumped down from the walkway, and grunted as his feet stung with the impact.

'Wait!' Rich called behind him.

Ignoring it, he ran towards the noises. No time to think.

The fog had lifted a little, but instead the sun had set and sent the forest into a spooky darkness. The trees stood like dark shadows, blocking his way everywhere. He followed the noises.

'No, leave it!' Rebecca shouted.

'It took it!' Olivia yelled.

Good, they were both sill alive. He hurried his steps.

A big shadow detached from some trees on his left. A large beak opened, smacked his helmet. A shrill caw echoed through the dark.

How'd it gotten so close? James thought, and fumbled with the shotgun as he dove to the right.