Rest and Recuperation

It is barely past three in the afternoon when the two of you arrive back at camp, hearts pounding and gasping for breath after your run. The others nearby look at you with alarm. Before you have a chance to explain yourself, Hannah is rushing to you with some of the medical supplies.

"You're hurt. Ditch the shirt so I can treat you."

You wave her aside, saying, "Hannah, I appreciate it, but I'll be fine. Save the supplies for when we really need them."

"Absolutely not. Those cuts are deep and they could get infected. You can't ignore this. We already lost one person yesterday. I am not losing another person today."

You look to Will for backup, but are surprised when he looks to you and says, "She's right, Ben. You need to have that cleaned and bandaged."

Seeing that you are outnumbered, you relent and peel away your shirt. Or, at least, you try to. The searing pain that rips through your wounds stops you from actually making any progress. Embarrassed by your sudden cry of pain, you look meaningfully toward Will. Understanding your unspoken request, he comes to help you out of your shirt. Finally free of the clothing, Hannah begins to clean the deeper wounds on your chest. As she works, Alyssa comes rushing out of the ship along with Alex and Mike. Apparently Jacqueline had run in to deliver the news as soon as you got there.

"What happened?!", Alyssa asks.

Mike follows next, asking, "Was it one of those things that got Ryan?"

"Give him space and stop bombarding him with questions. Do you want to send him into shock?!" Alex's admonishment clearly has Alyssa irked, but she lets it go, seeing that Alex is obviously right on this one.

You look toward Alyssa, questioningly. She obviously has still elected to keep the real story about Ryan close to the vest. Not sure of how to respond, you simply wait for her to make the next move.

"Ben, Will, I'm sorry for being so frantic. You two have obviously been through a lot today. Can you tell us what - Will, are you alright?"

Will groans his reply to Alyssa's question. "I got a hell of a concussion. Was out cold for nearly a minute. Don't worry about me, I'll be alright. Just hurts like a bitch right now."

"Hannah, give him some of those pain pills," Mike says. The reply comes from Alyssa and Alex simultaneously.

"No!"

Everyone looks at the two of them in surprise, though whether that is due to the answer they gave or the fact that they agreed is anyone's guess. For what it's worth, the two of them look at each other sheepishly, obviously embarrassed by the strength of their reply and equally surprised at their agreement. Alex pipes up.

"Will, I'm sorry, but if at all possible you need to tough it out. We can't afford to waste pain pills. We are just too short on medical supplies."

Alyssa quickly follows up, "If the pain gets truly unbearable or you develop more severe symptoms in the next couple of days, then we can talk about letting you use some pills, but for now we need to save what we've got."

Will gives a grunt and a slight nod. You've got to admit, as much as it sucks, the two of them have a point. Hannah obviously isn't happy about the ordeal, but she doesn't fight it.

"Ben, since Will has what I can only assume is a splitting headache, do you mind filling us in on the details of what happened out there?" Alyssa questions you.

"We went to where that thing attacked Ryan, but found no sign of him, so we continued our sweep south. The woods were thicker there, and without realizing it we ended up wandering further in than we meant to. It was really really thick there. The canopy was so thick it was almost like night, and further south it looked like it was pitch black even in the day. Before we knew it this massive creature came out of the trees and attacked us. Will managed to get off a good shot with his rifle and it fell to the ground, but it was just pissed off. We kept shooting it but it kept coming. This thing had huge claws, a spiked tail, six arms, and a mouth full of teeth with a jaw that could unhinge like a snake. It knocked Will into a tree with its tail and then pinned me with one of its claws. I thought we were both gonners, but I guess Will came to, because next thing I know he's jumped on the thing's back like some sort of wild man and is shooting it right in the back of the head over and over. I managed to get up and grab my rifle but this thing just wouldn't go down. It was like every shot just pissed it off even more instead of slowing it down. Finally, the thing coiled its tail like a fucking scorpion and tried to skewer Will on that goddamn spike, but he managed to jump out of the way just in time. Damn thing ended up shishkabobing itself instead, and not a moment too soon. We were both getting low on rounds and I'm not sure even emptying two clips into that thing would have done the trick."

The others stand there in awestruck silence. You didn't notice, but the others had gathered while you recounted the day's events. Vanessa was next to speak.

"So do you think that's what took Ryan?"

"I...I don't know. We didn't get a good look at the other thing. I doubt it. The canopy in that part of the forest wasn't near thick enough to hide something as big as this thing."

"What a fucking nightmare," Jacqueline laments.

You and Will look at one another, and in unison say, "NIGHTMARE."

Alex looks at you questioningly. "We've been trying to name the creatures we see around here. That thing was horrifying and every part of it was pitch black. I can't think of a better name for it than Nightmare."

Just then, Hannah pipes up, "Alright I've cleaned the wound and bandaged it as best I know how, but you really need stitches. I found a medical book salvaged in the ship and could probably study up and practice stitching tonight and then have you all fixed up tomorrow, but in the meantime you should take some antibiotics to avoid an infection while the wound is still open."

Alex and Alyssa exchange nervous glances. You can tell they don't like the idea of using the valuable meds. You also know that if you ask for them, they won't tell you no. Not after the ordeal you went through today.