Having salvaged what they could from the Marguerite, they took what little provisions they had and ventured into the vegetation. They left behind the smoking vessels, which had started to spark with a danger that pushed the three of them even faster to the tree line.

An explosion rocked the clearing they'd left behind.

Vatra stopped and looked behind them, waist-deep in a variety of leaves and vines that felt like they were holding her in place the longer she stayed still.

"It's going to draw scavengers," Revna said. She had been following behind Vatra, and halted in her steps. "Let's keep moving."

Fluttering her attention back to Revna's face, Vatra examined the woman more closely. The faint runes tattooed along her hairline hadn't been visible until the orange sunlight battering through the canopy painted her skin.

A confused look twisted Revna's features. "Can you hear me?"

"Just fine," Vatra replied simply. "I just needed to stop for a moment."

"And that required you to stare, too? Even through your mask I can tell you're watching us a little too closely," Enyalius said. He stomped up behind Revna, crushing the vines beneath him with obvious agitation.

"You seem to be suspicious of me," Vatra observed. She stood firm in her steps, even when Enyalius appeared to size her up.

A twitch to the corner of his lips wasn't a sign of humor. "You barely reacted when I mentioned gods. The last time I met a woman like you," he paused to look at her from her boots until his gaze locked ferociously with hers behind the mask, "she tried to gut me."

"I find it hard to believe more women wouldn't try to gut you," Vatra stated plainly. "I'm surprised a nice girl like Revna follows you around so loyally. It's almost like she has no choice." The tone to her last words was meant to incite a reaction. Vatra had a suspicion of what Revna was.

Enyalius raised an accusatory finger. "There! See, you know something. I'm not so sure you're even mortal yourself."

"We don't have time for these games," Revna warned.

"She's playing us," Enyalius shot. He looked from his companion back to Vatra.

Folding her arms, Vatra settled back to the heels of her boots. She did enjoy a good banter. Seeing him squirm was almost as fun as striking him down.

"I know how to survive in this forest, do you? What goes bump in the night around here won't just give you bad dreams," Vatra said. She turned back around and continued, yanking her boots along with each step.

There was a momentary silence before the sound of brush moving returned. They pressed on quietly through the thick undergrowth.

Trees taller than most buildings dotted the forest. Thick trunks as wide around as the Marguerite were steadfast in the soft dirt. Branches stretched out overhead, offering anchor points for sheets of vines to dip down and brush against the heads of the people passing beneath them. Their leaves ranged from dark green to an almost purple shade, and Vatra reached up to allow her gloved fingers to trail through the blankets draping toward them.

The forest's sounds were a range of bird calls and wind rustling the thinner branches overhead. Soft trills turned to sharp cries. Then, the animals stopped communicating.

Vatra pulled her arm back to her side sharply, immediately grabbing for one of the two knives she had in their holsters at the small of her back. Fingers wrapped around the knife's hilt.

"Still want to stick to your knives?" Enyalius toyed, stepping cautiously up beside Vatra. He had withdrawn one of his pistols, the matte black of the weapon swallowing up any light that trickled in from the canopy.

Frowning, Vatra focused on scanning the thick brush around them. "I've never liked guns much," she replied in a whisper.

They all stood frozen in place. None of them were willing to move until someone spotted what it was that had silenced the birds.

Goosebumps ran up and down Vatra's arms, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. The eerie quiet was unnerving. She wanted to shout if only to hear something.

Then, Vatra's eyes caught the faintest movement amongst the leaves not far from them. A hide like a snake—scaled and hairless. The purple pigmentation mixed with brilliant blues and greens made the scales appear marbled. As the creature's body slinked through the forest, Vatra had no doubt it was heading right for them.

"Lurker," Vatra breathed out.

"Are you telling us to do that, or is that what you see? I think I prefer the former" Revna said. She drew out her own weapon and placed herself closely to the others.

Enyalius shook his head. "Those things are deaf and blind, right? I say we take our chances and get the hell out of here. We could run the rest of the way."

"Have you ever faced off against a lurker? If that thing really has our scent, it doesn't matter if we sprinted out of here as fast as we could. It will be faster." Vatra turned her attention from the two of them back to the bushes.

The lurker was gone.

"Shit!" Vatra shouted. "Do you see it?"

"You lost it?" Enyalius glared at her with accusation.

"Sorry, I'm too busy watching your asses," Vatra growled. She withdrew both her knives and had them out at the ready. "It's not like the lurker can hurt you, anyway. Aren't you a god?"

"I don't know what you heard," Enyalius started nervously, "but alien creatures don't abide by the rules of Earth godkiller or not. They can still kill us."

Vatra relaxed her grip on her knives lightly. "Really?"

"Yes." Revna nodded in agreement. "It's true."

My luck, Vatra thought. She took one moment to consider that Revna genuinely seemed nice enough, then turned and started off into the forest at a full sprint.

"Asshole!" Enyalius' shout echoed after her.

Boots pressed through the soft dirt beneath the grasses and leaves. She couldn't see her way, but Vatra trusted her intuition. It wasn't the first time she had to survive Pocarro's forest, after all. Though, she hadn't left behind people as bait before. She'd gone with the plan so easily, it momentarily concerned her. Only momentarily.

Her breaths were even and steady. Vatra pumped her arms out with her knives gripped in each hand. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed neither Revna nor Enyalius followed her.

Good, keep the lurker busy for a moment, Vatra thought as she scanned for a point to circle back around the lurker.

She couldn't trust the creature didn't have all three of their scents. Even if it managed to kill the others, it would still come after her. Vatra had to kill the lurker if she wanted to survive the rest of the trek to Belltower. At least the creature was rare enough that, hopefully, she wouldn't encounter another.

Vatra had turned and started her attempt to circle back. A feeling of light-headedness swarmed around Vatra's field of vision. The injuries from the crash had settled to the back of her mind, a mistake she learned quickly.

The greens and browns around her muddled together into a wash of colors. It was like someone had taken their hand and wiped their fingers through the wet paint of the landscape around her.

Stumbling to a halt, Vatra regained her composure against the trunk of a tree. She hugged against the rough bark like it was her lifeline to stay awake. The sweet scent of sap permeated her mask, having been drawn out by the tips of the knives still clutched in her hands.

The sound of gunfire drew her back into a solid state of mind. Wobbling trees stood firmly once again. Vatra pushed herself from the tree and inhaled deeply before trudging back into the thick undergrowth.

She staggered along for what felt like hours until the outlines of Revna and Enyalius appeared. They were hiding in a crop of trees, periodically looking out from behind their cover.

Vatra locked eyes with Enyalius, then her attention drew to the creature that slowly emerged from the bushes not far in front of her.

Rising from the forest floor, the lurker extended itself to a height that towered over Vatra. Casting a shadow even from the limited sunlight, the lurker rattled its scales. It had been facing Enyalius and Revna, but had apparently sensed Vatra approaching.

The lurker turned, its rounded hide revealing a soft underbelly lined by thousands of small legs. Chittering, the lurker swayed and steadied its body. It was like a combination of a snake and a centipede, but without eyes and a mouth filled with thousands of teeth. Vatra had never liked either creature very much on Earth, but she would have preferred both to the monstrosity looming in front of her.

Unease made Vatra doubt the confidence she had gathered to kill the lurker. She had killed one before, but it was smaller than the one she now faced.

"If you guys want to help, I would appreciate it!" Vatra shouted, her eyes never leaving the lurker.

"You left us!" Enyalius yelled back. "Kill it yourself!"

"I deserve that one," Vatra muttered. She stepped back carefully, crunching down over the shrubbery behind her.

A/N: Eeek! What do you think of the lurker?