Ashley screamed. The monstrosity was much larger than the agent and was stabbing at the man with two large stingers. It appeared to be a giant multi-tailed scorpion.
Mark, already bleeding amply, yelled, “Ashley, run!” Then he used two powerful arms to stop a pincer from reaching his head.
Ashley once again had no choice. She ran toward the sound of water, deeper into the light forest. Soon her shoes splashed cool, running water. She stopped and listened fearfully.
In the distance, she heard muffled shouts and a gunshot. Then nothing.
After waiting for a few minutes, Ashley cautiously stepped out of the water and back toward the agent. About halfway to the car, she heard a rustle in the underbrush.
Ashley glanced toward the source of the noise. Then she heard it again from a different direction. She turned to face it again.
Then she heard something rush out from behind her and whirled around just in time to see the scorpion-beast leap out toward her. She screamed, “Mark, help!” in the few moments before impact. Then she closed her eyes.
But there was no impact. She heard a grunt and a thud on a bunch of leaves. Ashley opened her eyes to see a bloodied and tired Mark Johnson wrestling the creature to the ground. He was losing.
Ashley looked around for a weapon. She saw a large stick and decided to give it a shot.
Ashley picked up the wooden armament and stabbed toward the scorpion-thing’s revealed head.
The protruding object caused the scorpion to recoil in pain. Johnson fell backward and assessed the situation. After Ashley helped him up, he ordered, “Run.” The two took off.
***
“We have to get out of here!” Ashley said as she examined Mark’s wounds. She was no doctor, but he needed medical attention soon. She must have touched a sore spot because Mark recoiled.
“We need to kill it,” Mark said. “That was my order.”
“Are you insane? Even your bullet didn’t kill that thing”
“There’s a substation a few hundred feet from here. If we attract that creature to the substation, we can electrocute it.” Mark stretched his muscles to see his capabilities.
“Can’t we just let some other feds handle it? Maybe a group of uninjured ones. Uninjured ones with fire.”
“I can’t seem to contact anyone on my earpiece. This creature could get loose and endanger more people. We must kill it.”
“Alright. What’s your exact plan?”
Mark used a twig to draw a dirt diagram. “We drive the car to the substation, making as much noise as possible. Once there, you distract the beast while I cut cables and jab it.”
“No!” Ashley exclaimed. “I’m not going to be a distraction. I hope you were kidding.”
Johnson paused a moment. “Yes. Now, you must power up the station while I cut cables. It’s a basic trap.”
Ashley sighed and finally said, “Alright. Let’s give it a try.”
***
Ashley Redfield pulled as many levers and flipped as many switches as possible. She felt safe here in the substation’s control room. Safer than in that car out in the open, at least. She hadn’t seen the beast on the way here, but it that didn’t mean it had left her and Mark for dead.
Outside, she heard electrical buzzes snaps as Johnson cut cables with a large set of industrial-strength shears.
Then Ashley heard Johnson yell, “It’s close. Power should be at maximum.”
Ashley moved to the observation window and looked out at Mark. The still-bleeding man was shifting about in the middle of a cacophony of electrical sounds, glancing here and there. Then he looked up at Ashley and nodded.
She smiled back. Then Mark’s expression changed. He was still staring at her, but his face was fast sinking into a frown. He raised his arm and pointed toward her. Or was it behind her?
Ashley spun around. To her horror, there was the scorpion, poised to attack. She ducked just in time for it to leap. It missed her and sent through the observation window, shattering the glass.
The fourteen-year-old cautiously moved to the window and peered over the edge. She couldn’t see Mark in the courtyard anymore. She did, however, see the multi-tailed creature grasping onto the ledge of a platform with pincers.
The creature launched itself back toward her as she yelled for Mark’s help.
The creature rammed into her, throwing her against a computer tray. It reared for a pincer attack just as mark burst in through the door, gun blazing.
Ashley watched as Mark tossed the handgun and bullrushed the rearing, frightened beast. He rammed it so hard that it was pushed back out the observation window. Mark would have gone with it if Ashley didn’t grab the rear of his belt at the last minute.
Once Mark regained his footing, Ashley spun him around and embraced him.
“You saved my life,” Ashley said as she hugged Mark tightly.
Then the pair heard the sound of sparks and a large electrical discharge from below. They looked out the window and saw that the creature had landed on a main router and was causing it to overheat.
“Let’s go,” Mark said as they ran out the door onto the second-story platform and down the stairs to the car.
Mark got the key into the ignition just as the router exploded. He floored it as the rest of the station ignited.
A safe distance away from the inferno, Mark spoke. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Great idea,” Ashley said. “Job well done, right Mark?”
“Not yet. I still have to file the paperwork,” Mark replied.
“So, um, Mark, when we get back to civilization, wanna work some . . . overtime?” Ashley asked timidly.
Mark replied, “Do you have any idea how old I actually am?”
“Um, twenty-something?” Ashley tested.
“Double your age, then add half of your age to the product,” Johnson replied.
“Huh?”
“Stay in school,” Mark said, keeping his eyes on the road.
After a few moments of silence, Ashley asked, “Is that a yes or a no?”
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