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I quickly assessed our options.
Our safest bet was to withdraw from the clearing while the creatures were distracted.
Gently, but firmly, I tugged at Riley’s arm, signaling our retreat.
Our combined movements were a dance of silent understanding — her trusting my lead, and me being hyper-aware of our surroundings.
However, in our hasty escape, fate had another twist in store.
Zzzzzz-ting!
One of the traps had been activated.
The trap snapped up with a surprising velocity, ensnaring the leg of the first creature, which was closer to us than its opponent.
A horrifying howl of pain erupted from the trapped beast.
Its flailing, in turn, set off another adjacent trap, which clamped down on a writhing tentacle, pinning it to the ground.
The creature’s movements grew desperate, its tentacles thrashing about in a frenzy of pain and panic.
It was vulnerable.
The second creature seized this unexpected advantage.
With its rival immobilized, it circled the trapped prey, its bioluminescent patterns pulsating rapidly, displaying a macabre dance of light.
Then, without warning, it lunged.
The sound that followed was grotesque — a mix of crunches, squelches, and wet tears.
The creature showed no mercy, making quick work of the ensnared beast’s underbelly.
The brutality of the scene was enough to freeze anyone in horror.
But there wasn’t time for that.
Taking advantage of this unplanned distraction, I gripped Riley’s hand tighter and led her away from the carnage, each step taking us further from the grisly tableau and deeper into the alien forest.
The cacophony of the creature’s final moments grew fainter and fainter until it was swallowed by the natural sounds of the alien jungle.
As we ventured further away, our breathing grew heavy, and a cold sweat formed on our brows.
We found a momentary refuge behind a large moss-covered rock, and we paused, catching our breaths.
Riley’s face was pale, her eyes wide with shock and her breaths coming in ragged gasps.
But through the terror, there was an unspoken understanding — we had survived another ordeal, albeit unintentionally.
“We… we didn’t plan for that,” she managed to say, her voice trembling.
I squeezed her hand, offering a small smile to comfort her. “It didn’t happen the way we expected, but another dead alien male can only be a good thing.”
Riley
The dense jungle had given way to rocky terrain, and as the incline became steeper, I found myself at the base of a looming mountain.
The ambient noises of the forest were distant, leaving only our breaths and footsteps to punctuate the silence.
