After a moment's thought, I turn back to the bush, take careful note of where it's damaged, then use that angle to find my previous path.
Here and there along the way I find bent or damaged foliage and realize that if someone as clueless as me can track my progress and I'm on a planet full of hunters and their prey then I've been stupidly careless.
Soon after, I get my first glimpse of the ship section through the trees.
"How in the hell am I going to mark a way back in a way that doesn't also mark where I go?"
No one answers my rhetorical question, of course.
I feel rooted to the spot. I know I can't stay with the ship. I also know I won't be able to find it again if I leave because I can't mark my trail.
I take a moment to curse just how useless I am at navigating thanks to always having GPS at my disposal, then shut the thought down.
It isn't helpful.
As much as I would like to delude myself that I can somehow return to Silver, it would merely be a soothing lie.
The hard truth of it is that I'm going to have to walk away from this ship and find water or I'm going to die. I don't even have the option of placing myself in stasis because there's only one functioning cryochamber.
Not that it would be an appealing option, but it's the only one I can think of that would allow me to stay with her.
I still can't make myself move away.
It's one thing to consider leaving Silver alone for a brief period, but I'm not sure I can make myself just abandon her.
I have to admit it's not even my morals that are truly keeping me here. I don't know if I can keep my mind from shattering without her after so many weeks of treating her like some sort of living talisman.
"Fuuuuuuck."
14
Ree
I hear a crack of a branch breaking behind me and to the left and whip around toward it.
I can't see anything, but I hear more sounds.
Shit. Time to go.
I try to move as silently as possible to the right, which is back toward the broken trail of trees left by the crash.
My heart hammers in fear and my muscles quiver with the urge to just break out into a run. I know I can't do that quietly, though, so I force myself to maintain my current pace.
It isn't fast enough, or nearly quiet enough, because I hear a shout behind me.
I crane my neck back that direction and see what I assume to be slimes in some sort of hazmat suit. The shape is incrediblystrange, but it matches their profile and I glimpse bulging black eyes and gray skin through a glass-covered face mask.
I can only see two of them, but have absolutely no interest in finding out if they have guns. Or heat seeking lasers or some other sci fi shit.
I run as fast as I can, but am quickly hampered by scattered debris and exposed tree roots.
There's a thumping sound in front of me and I glance up to see a silver canister break open with a hissing sound.
I can't see anything coming from it, but my eyes instantly start to burn and tear up, making it impossible to maintain my current speed. I try to hold my breath as long as possible as I scrabble away.
I trip over something, and the breath whooshes out of me as I hit the ground hard.
Although my lungs are screaming at me to take a breath, I continue to move away on my hands and knees. Moments that feel like hours later, I'm unable to stop myself from breathing in, then hack back out the breath in a sharp cough.
