Pernicious- True Evil

Chapter 11

     Sweat trickled down the side of her face as she gazed at the water flowing gently towards the distant mountain range. She looked down at her dirty skin and scrunched her nose. A bar of soap would have been exactly what she needed.

Astra walked over to a large stone and sat down on its flat surface. She took off her shoes and socks before dipping her legs into the crisp water. The water provided almost an immediate tension relief to her sore feet and calves.

She slipped off her clothing and placed them on the stone beside her before slipping into the cool water. This was the relief she needed. Her muscles sank deeper into the liquid.

For a few minutes, she remained where she was, trying to calm down her nausea. She needed a distraction from the way her body physically felt, so she decided it was time to wash her clothing.

First, she grabbed her scarf which was stained with blood and dirt. It was a harsh reminder of the fear she felt the moment she first arrived on Pannotia. Cleaning the cloth was almost therapeutic. In a strange way, it made her feel like she was a step closer to getting home. When she finally finished cleaning the dirt off her clothing, she laid each out on the rock to dry in the sunlight before she turned around and swam deeper into the river.

Small river creatures about the size and shape of a legless lizard nibbled at her skin, tickling her with their soft lips. These small creatures were beautiful and vibrantly colored despite their serpent-like appearance. They glided through the water with grace while looking at the world with their yellow-blue eyes.

In the utmost state of relaxation she dipped her head into the water, fully immersing herself and swimming further into the river. In the distance, her ears picked up on burbling sounds and the echoing of two creatures communicating in the deeper areas. The noises they emitted were so strong she could feel the vibrations through her bones.

Astra was in awe at the aquatic heaven she swam through. She was at the edge of an underwater cliff. Bright vibrant-green plants, stretched up towards the sunlight from the cliff bottom below. Each plant had a bright pink bud at the top which moved independently from the current. These flower buds seemingly gulped the water as they excreted puffs of lavender and fuchsia from tubes underneath the petals.

Small fish and river creatures of all shapes and colors, danced between the plants waving in the current. Creatures that reminded her of giant clams with small protruding tentacles, bounced from rock to rock on the cliffs edge. They scooped the algae from the stones onto the top of their shells with their long tongue.

She tilted her head as she observed a large prehistoric-looking fish approaching one of the clams. Slowly the shell opened, revealing a single eye surrounded by teeth. The fish quickly attempted to swim away but the creature within the shell reached out, grabbed the fish, and pulled it into its shell, which snapped shut on its victim. The only remnants left of the fish was a small puff of blood seeping from the predator's mouth.

Her muscles tensed as she saw a long eel-like creature swim towards her. It had thick yellow skin and bulky fins. The river animal moved through the water quickly and rigidly. Astra was unsure whether or not she should swim away or hold still. She reminded herself of what Sagan had said about the river being safe, before remembering he also mentioned that river animals kept their distance. This one most certainly did not seem like it was going to.

Before she could make a rational decision of whether to swim away or hold still, this beast was already on top of her, touching her body with its slimly scales. As the river monster coiled around her torso, she noticed a thin layer of skin covering its bulbous yellow eyes. Could it clearly see her or was she was nothing more than a blurred image?