Chapter 3 - Friends
I woke up groggily and slowly used one hand to prop myself up to the side of the medical bed.
“Ugh… How long was I out for?” I said as I clutched my head with both hands.
“Hmm?”
I rotated my left arm in its socket and checked all my vitals. All systems green, aside from the lingering pain everything else is just peachy.
I looked towards the inactive sphere quietly sitting on one of the docks next to the medical cabinet.
“These medical bots sure work fast, although I’ve never managed to catch one in action…”
I forced myself to my feet and walked out of the med bay. Tucking my hands into my pockets as I walked out I noticed a presence to the left of the doorway and noticed an idiot dozing off while leaning against it. He looked so comfortable and defenceless sleeping there to the point where picturing a bubble slowly growing out of his nose would not even feel out of place. Somehow watching this idiot sleeping so soundly pisses me off. Seriously how is this guy even a superhuman, isn’t he just an idiot?
I looked at him and released some bloodlust.
“Ahhhhhh!” He screams and stumbles to his feet.
“Oh! It’s you, my friend! That’s no way to wake a brother up now is it? Well, don’t worry too much about it.” He says with a smile as he slaps my back playfully.
‘This guy…’
‘Although he acts like a complete buffoon but there’s no mistaking it. For a split second there when his eyes first shot open, was the look of a bloodthirsty monster ever ready to strike, teeth bared and all.’
“So where to now buddy?”
I just couldn’t be bothered with this idiot anymore so I walked off coldly. He just tags along behind me casually with his arms tucked behind his head. Can’t he take a hint or is he deliberately trying to get on my nerves or something?
“Stop… Following me…” I said as coldly as I could.
“OH MY GOD! HE SPEAKS! HE SPEAKS! For awhile there I was beginning to worry that you were mute Lil’ Peppy.”
Veins started popping out of my head as I quickened my pace. ‘Little…Peppy?’ ‘Now that I think about it, I’m the shortest one of them all aren’t I…’
“Righto, now that you’re on your feet Lil’ Peppy - ”
‘Don’t simply call me whatever you like!’
“It’s Zero.”
“Nice to meet you Zero! Took you long enough, why do you have to play so hard to get? Oh oh! Are you secretly a girl by chance?” Sven says with a wink and reaches for my pants.
Whoosh! I shot out my right leg aimed at his head.
“Whoah there! Are you trying to kill me?!” He exclaims as he ducks underneath to avoid it.
“Tsk.” ‘Although I kind of held back, can’t you just shut up, and take it like a man?!’
I further increased my pace to get as far away from him as I could without breaking into a run, and as expected this idiot just seems all the more insistent to tag along.
Blabbering all the way.
‘Why me…’
After what seemed to take forever, I finally reached my chambers where I quickly dashed in with superhuman speed and shut the doors behind me faster than Sven could comprehend what just happened as the doors slammed shut in his face.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Okie dokie, see you tomorrow homie!”
…
‘Somebody kill me’
***
The next day
I entered the hangar bay as instructed by Cyrus. Looks like I’m heading back out into the desert again. There I find waiting are the youths gathered together in their own groups, happily chattering away. I swiftly moved to a corner hoping not to get spotted. But much to my dismay, Sven caught sight of me and starts waving at me with a big smile on his face.
“ ZERO!” He shouts at the top of his lungs, still waving his arm frantically.
Sigh…
I walked over with heavy steps.
“Hey Zero, I would like you to meet my hot friend, Six! Six, Zero. Zero, Six.”
“Hi Zero, as always I apologize for my friend’s extremely outgoing attitude but he’s a nice guy once you get to know him.” Six says in a cool and composed manner.
“Though there are times when I want to strangle him to death myself…” Six quietly mumbles under her breath but I was able to pick it up with my sharp hearing. I’m pretty sure Sven heard that too but as usual, doesn’t give a hoot.
Everyone quiets down as Dr.Ava’s voice echoed throughout the hangar from the intercoms.
“Good afternoon children. For today, you will be pairing up with one another to go out into the wilderness once more but this time, you will not be permitted to enter within 10 Khin of the facilities compound for a week, I suggest the lot of you better get a move on.”
“Sorry Six, looks like you’ve gotta find another partner. Of course Zero and I will be going to brave the harsh cruel world awaiting us out there together.”
‘DON’T GO DECIDING THINGS BY YOURSELF! Since when did I ever, EVER agree to partnering with you?!’
Six merely nods then walked off to find another partner.
I tried to look around for help but it would seem that everyone else had already paired up except for one girl standing alone. I approached her quickly to avoid the dreadful fate that lay before me. But before I could get a word out, she turned around to look at me and the words that I wanted to say got stuck in my throat.
It was the girl whose ribs I broke and she’s still glaring daggers at me. Ok~ Slowly back off from the tiger’s den… Six, on the other hand approaches her casually and pairs up together.
As I backed off slowly, somebody placed their hand on my shoulder as I resigned myself to my fate.
“Where ya going buddy?”
Looks like I’m spending an entire week, out there with this buffoon…
***
Several hours later...
“FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, running as fast as my feet could carry me.
“SHIIIIIIIIIIT!” Sven screamed alongside me.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRR!" An ear splitting roar of a beast echoes out across the sands.
‘How in the hell did we end up in this situation?!’
This all happened after Sven insisted on a short break underneath a weird looking tree and upped and disappeared on me, running down the sands and out of view. He came back running at full speed screaming ‘RUN!’ as he ran past me. I just looked at him dubiously until an earthshaking roar shook me to the core. The roar sent all hidden presences laying in wait underneath the sand, stalking us for the past hour scattering off in all directions. Only then I ran towards Sven as fast as I could.
‘Now that I think about it… What is that large white object that bastard’s carrying?’
“Oi Sven! What the hell is that in your arms?!”
“Oh this huge thing? It’s dinner of course! Hmm… I wonder how a Grimdock’s egg tastes like, I bet it’s delicious!”
‘Just what the hell is going through that idiot’s head right now?! Does this look like the time to think about dinner?! Wait… Grimdock? Did he just say Grimdock?!’ Grimdocks are blind worm-like creatures with 8 legs that usually sleep underneath the sand, only coming out at night, awaiting prey where one might mistake them as a small mountain of sand due to low visibility at night, and unknowingly walk straight into the gaping maw of this creature. They normally grow to a height of 45 feet and 100 feet long.
“YOU IDIOT! YOU STOLE! A GRIMDOCK’S EGG?!”
“I didn’t steal it! I just uhhh, found it! Right, found it lying on the sands just waiting for somebody to take it!”
I could feel my instincts screaming at me the get the fuck away from here.
Sven turned his head to look behind us.
“Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! It’s getting bigger!!!”
“What do you mean it’s getting bigger?!” I screamed back as I turned my head back as well.
‘Oh shit! It’s getting closer! WHAT THE FUCK! It’s gotta be at least the size of an Ivanni dropship!’
“SVEN! If we make it out of this alive! I will fucking kill you myself!” I yelled as I began to let out bloodlust.
“AAAAAAAAHHH!” Sven screams and runs even faster than before.
This guy will be the bloody death of me.
Notes
1 Khin = 1 Kilometer
Ivanni dropships = Ivanni dropships are about the size of an entire 5-story high school block or about 52 feet high. Used by the Ivanni, a militaristic squidlike species of Xenos in planetary invasions.
Grimdock = Grimdocks are blind worm-like creatures with 8 legs that usually sleep underneath the sand, only coming out at night, awaiting prey where one might mistake them as a small mountain of sand due to low visibility at night, and unknowingly approach the gaping maw of this creature. They normally grow to a height of 45 feet and 100 feet long.