Against all odds (Reg Slivko - Thomas Mann Fic)

There's a lot out there

Megan's group, headed by Colonel Packard, moved along a bamboo forest. The tall yellow-green plants grew very close to each other making hard, at times, to move between them. They walked in a row heading east, where according to the Colonel, was one of his men with whom he had managed to establish a brief radio communication.

Each of the soldiers advanced holding his M16, and at the slightest noise, like fighter dogs, everyone pointed their weapons in the same direction. Even though it was an outstanding show of coordination, Megan shook her head every time that happened.

"You ever heard the story of the mouse, the lion, and the thorn?" She heard Cole asking Mills. The two soldiers formed the rear of the group.

"Yeah" Mills answered.

"There you go then. In case we ever seen that primate again" Cole said in a threatening tone, and Mills stopped.

"You do know that story is about a mouse becoming friends with the lion after taking the thorn out of his paw though, right?" Mills looked at his mate.

Everyone else also stopped to replenish the air and drink some water.

"No, it's not. The mouse kills the lion with the torn"

"Who told you that Cole?" Mills asked shooing a fly.

Meg looked at the soldiers, amused by their chat. Both had a glow in the skin product of the heat that, at that moment, split the earth. They had been walking for a couple of hours and, like the rest of the group, looked tired.

"My mother" Cole answered like if he was quoting a holy source, and kept on walking.

"That actually explains a lot," Mills smiled at Megan.

She smiled him back and handed him her water bottle. He took it and drank a long gulp.

«What a strange species» thought Megan looking at the soldier. She had imagined them thousands of times. She pictured them, mostly, like machos, like does big thug guys that are usually seen in movies, those who fight in bars when their beer is heated or when they lose at pool. She imagined them doing stupid competitions, like how many cans of canned meat can be eaten in a minute and things like that. For Megan, only the narrows of sight could be interested in entering the Army; those who followed their low instincts without remorse. That's why she never understood why Slivko did it; it was so not him. But now, looking at Mills she began to doubt about her ideas. Maybe Packard fit the description, but the rest...

"Look out!" Someone shouted.

Mills dropped the water bottle and grabbed his rifle. Meg looked in all directions trying to decipher what was the cause of alarm, but only saw bamboos.

"Don't look!" Randa said and tried to cover her eyes.

But was too late, she saw it all. One of the soldiers had been cross by a Bamboo. It was like if he has swallowed it or like if the plant had grown straight through him. Meg cocked her head, trying to decipher the scene. Was a creepy image and didn't make any sense. Then, the bamboo moved. She stepped back and looked up. It wasn't a bamboo; it was the leg of a giant spider that was moving over them.

"Watch out! Up in the trees!" Mills shouted.

"Guns up!" Cole said and the soldiers, as coordinated as they were, began shooting the giant insect.

The sound of the shots flooded the air, while leaves and pieces of bamboo flew everywhere. Randa took her by the waist and tried to pull her away from the shooting area. But immediately, Meg began to kick to get rid of him: The spider had caught Mills and had started to pull him up.