Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
There's a loud cracking sound, and then the creature slumps over, dead.
Panting, I get out from under it and wrench the head again, just in case. Good. One problem down. I turn to the mouth of the cave, a few feet away in the churned-up snow. Aidy's face is just visible in the shadows, her eyes wide with terror.
I hold out a hand. "Knife."
"W-what?" Her response is dazed.
"I had a knife with me. One made of stone. Bring it here."
"Is it not dead?"
"Oh, it's very dead." I watch as she crawls hesitantly out of the hole and into the chilly weather. "But we need its parasite."
She hands me the knife, her face uncomprehending. I kneel next to the creature, thank it for its brave sacrifice, and then sink the knife into the chest. I cut the creature open even as Aidy makes a shivering sound next to me. "Wait, did you say parasite?"
"I did." I pull organs out of the bleeding cavity, looking for the glowing blue filament. I don't see it anywhere, so it must be in the heart. Figures, since the heart is the one that is most difficult to get to. Knife set aside, I put both hands on the ribcage and pry it apart, the crack satisfying to feel under my hands.
There, nestled in its cage of bones, is the heart, still glowing from within. I pull it free and squish it in my hand like an overripe piece of fruit. From there, it is easy to pull out the glowing filament that writhes and squirms, hating the cold as much as we do.
I hold it out, my arms covered in gore up to the elbows, and demonstrate it to Aidy. "This will save us."
She stares at it for a long moment. As I watch, her eyes roll back to whites and then she collapses on the ground.
I am a touch annoyed that she has no words of praise for my feats of strength, but I remind myself that it is cold and Aidy is suffering. At least her being unconscious makes it easy to implant the creature. I make a small nick on her arm and hold the parasite close. As if it can sense the welcoming heat of her body, it surges off my hand and slithers into the cut on her arm.
Hope I didn't kill my female.
CHAPTER
THREE
AIDY
I'm so warm I must be dead.
It's the first time in days that I don't feel completely miserable and near death as I awaken. Instead, I feel languid and delicious. There's something heavy on my chest, and the scent of smoke is in the air.
Smoke…?
I open my eyes and look around me, expecting to see the ceiling of that small, shitty cave, inches from my nose. That my feet are still touching cat poop, and if I look up, I'll see endless snow and a glimpse of the inhospitable place we've been dumped. But the ceiling is nowhere near my face, and this time it's rippled, a stalactite hanging just out of my vision. There are big furry blankets pulled up to my chest and another underneath me. The smoke scent remains, and I hear the crackle of a nearby fire.
I wiggle my toes and they're clean.
This isn't the cave we were in before. I sit up, puzzled, and look for Corvak. He's seated in the back of the cave, pulling open what looks like a briefcase-sized woven basket with a lid and sniffing the contents. He glances up at me and gives me a small nod of acknowledgment. "You're awake. Good."
"Did I miss something?" I ask, stifling a yawn. "Like a change in scenery?"
He doesn't answer that, but instead asks, "How do you feel?"
"Surprisingly good." I rub my neck, and my fingers don't feel like ice. In fact, all of me feels comfortable. Is it a little brisk? Yes, but I can handle brisk. I move the blankets to look at my feet, and sure enough, they're clean. "Did you wash my feet? Did the weather change?"
His eyes narrow. "You don't remember?"
I open my mouth to reply when a flurry of half-starved, confused memories flood in. Corvak, fighting what looked like a saber-tooth tiger. Corvak cutting the creature open and shoving all the organs into the snow as if searching for the prize in the Cracker Jack box. When he didn't find what he was hunting for, he cracked the ribs open and squished the heart and then held out a glowing spaghetti noodle to me.
Things get fuzzy after that.
"I kinda remember you dismembering the tiger-thing, but that's all."
He moves to my side and crouches, and I notice that his loincloth has just about had it. The now-filthy fabric is in tatters, and I can see everything outlined. And by everything, I mean a rather large frank and beans. Jesus. "Show me your arm, Aidy."