Page 29 of Meat

Now it was time to get the hell out of here.

Alyx stole one final quick glance around the campsite. The three massive ukkur were still snoozing deeply, naked and sprawled. And judging by Krogg’s massive morning wood, he was lost in pleasant dreams as well.

Alyx suspected she might be starring in that mental show.

The loud sounds of their snoring would provide ample cover to mask the sounds of her feet as she escaped. With the knife still clutched in her fist, Alyx sneaked away, tip toeing until she was out of earshot, then breaking into a full sprint.

And for the second time in as many days, she found herself running, destination unknown.

CHAPTER 12

The sun had finally broken over the tops of the trees, and golden rays poked through the leaves overhead.

Alyx had slowed to a walk so she could catch her breath. She had been running for the better part of the last hour. The previous night’s food was still providing ample energy, but she was moving more weight now, and her muscles hadn’t quite caught up with her newly acquired size.

Her body jiggled. Her thickened thighs slid past one another, lubricated with sweat.

At least, Alyx thought, she had done a better job this morning of avoiding the brambles and thorns in the underbrush. Remarkably, those scratches from the day before were almost entirely healed and vanished. Whatever was in that salve Krogg had used, it was some powerful medicine.

There were narrow trails here, probably worn away by the creatures of the forest. Alien deer perhaps? Or whatever that thing was the ukkur had been feeding on.

Her mind went back to those three bestial males.

They would be up by now and no doubt searching for her. She had to assume they were good trackers, or at least Ravnar, who seemed to be the primary hunter of the pack. They would likely have no trouble following a helpless, naked human like her. She tried not to leave prominent tracks, but it was hard to do that while still keeping a good pace.

She needed to find some place to hide.

How the hell was she going to survive alone in this alien wilderness?

Alyx had not taken the time to consider that earlier. She had been in a panic. Her only thought had been to get away from the ukkur. The rest she would have to work out later.

Something bellowed off in the distance. Something big.

Alyx was starting to think that the ukkur were the least of her worries out here. For all she knew, she was in danger of becoming a meal for something far more savage than those three dominating males.

It occurred to her that she may have been wrong about those males. Maybe they did not really intend to devour her after all. Maybe they were fattening her up for some other purpose.

Well, it was too late.

The die had been cast, and there was no turning back. She simply had to face whatever this alien world had to offer, and she had to face it alone.

Up ahead, the trees thinned out, and golden morning sunshine streamed between the straight, dark trunks, bathing the forest in warmth and light. It was a clearing. Alyx decided to check it out.

Just before she reached the edge of the woods, however, Alyx paused.

There were noises.

Voices.

Somebody was out there in that clearing.

Crouching behind a clump of weeds, Alyx cautiously peered out into the sunlight.

There were three figures down there, clustered around a dark vehicle that looked like a hovering, armored convertible. They stood out against the green of the grass in their black uniforms. Their dark alligator snouts swiveled this way and that, scanning the tree line. Their rifles were held at the ready.

Nith.

They were hunting.