Storytime again, post 29

29

The furs were still cold when they awoke in a dark and damp place, very disoriented. A small gleam in the dark was all that could be seen.
“Davi? You here?”
“Yup. Nice to hear you too Petar. Where the heck now? This certainly isn’t 2189. You able to stand OK?”
“I am stood, shmuck! OK, I can’t see any further than you Davi. What’s the guessing the point of light is IT?”
“Not taking bets, you’d win this one hands down. Here, where are you?”
“Here, stay still - I’ll follow your voice.”
The two stumbled together, hugging warmly in sheer relief. They moved uncertainly towards the gleam in the dark. The thing glowed brighter as they approached. Of course! It knew when another piece of itself drew near!
Torches lay by the side of the pedestal and they quickly lit these. Petar thanked the spirits for matches, which he now always carried alongside the fire stones. Both had learned to carry some small items ON them, ALWAYS.
Bear Camp? No, but a miniature camp lay before them in the distance in front of the pedestal. Davi lifted the rock in reverence. Petar reached in his pocket.
“No, Petar, not yet. I am guessing where, rather when, we are. If this is the place of the jungle we need to see those at Bear Camp first. It would be too cruel to remove their protection without some word of warning.”
“Agreed. Let us see if it offers US some protection, be it day or night outside. And let me see if the passage I helped dig is still intact.”
It was dark outside and the night rang with roars and screams. Human screams, not far away. But Bear Camp was much further than this as Petar remembered. Who was outside the nightly protection?
They ran in the general direction, not willing to wait for whoever, or whatever, to find them without weapons in the museum interior. Creatures of unknown origins fled at the running light. A figure lay on the ground, torn beyond recognition. A figure in military fatigues.
D*** Mitchell! Davi thought, he is HERE, and he brought help with him. But we have the rock, ha! Too late, Mitchell!
They ran on. Shots rang out between screams. Petar tripped headlong over a trailing creeper as a shot whistled over his head. Turning on his back, he saw the bizarre sight of Mitchell running towards him, eyes mad red, whilst another in fatigues was pulled apart by a raptor like creature in the background. His torch died in the wet undergrowth around him, and he heard a low grunt from Mitchell. No further shots came his way. Screams were still around in all directions, quickly silenced.
Petar felt himself lifted up.
“He get you? Petar?”
“No. No, I tripped, just in time.”
“Come on then. Which way is Bear Camp? I only winded him. He has night vision goggles, we haven’t.”
“The museum is, that way Davi? Good, Bear Camp is this way. Not far now.”
They ran at a stumbling pace. The forbidding place went eerily quiet.
“There! Light!”
A fine shower of lights lit around them for a few seconds and they nearly ran into the folk of the camp who stood on the other side of the field, armed to the teeth.
“Petar! Davi! Now we know our time of protection is at an end.”
Danny clasped them both by the hand in welcome.
Petar looked back at the field, which suddenly flared red and a scream of pure hatred rang from the far side. It this was Mitchell, he wasn’t getting through apparently.
He looked at Danny with a question in his eyes.
“Yes, the field works of its own accord. None but yourselves have come through from the outside. I wonder why.”
Danny nodded in grinning acknowledgement as Petar patted his pocket. Only one with a piece of rock could breech the barrier.
Lyn was asking them to join them for talk and more tea.
“No, I am sorry Lyn, there is no time. Look, dawn is fast approaching and the field will fade. Mitchell is mad, he will kill without thought to get the rock. Please, all of you,” Davi addressed the armed gathering, “We are truly, truly sorry, but we have to take your protection from you, now, before others take it from you. When we are gone you will be left without the nightly field. I do not know what else will still work for you…..”
The sun broke over the horizon in a single long beam as Davi and Petar hastily placed the two stones together. The blinding white flash rose. As they vanished a rabid screaming Mitchell ran towards them firing wildly, vanishing himself as the flash faded.