Survive the Monsters and Breed 4 Chapter 2

“What in the hell is it?” Devonna screeched.

“Looks like rodent of some sort,” Natasha noted. “Maybe rabbit? Look at front teeth.”

“That’s a huge rabbit,” Sarah whispered.

“It may be part rabbit,” Em said, “but those sharp teeth are made for a predator.”

“We have no idea what this thing’s skin looked like,” Devonna said. “For all we know, it could have been covered in scales like half the damn things in the jungle were.”

“You think it was part snake?” Sarah asked.

“Hell if I know,” Devonna scoffed. “I’m just sayin’ that thing is downright freaky, and we’re seein’ it without skin. I bet it was even freakier with whatever fur or scales or god knows what it had.”

“Em’s right,” I said, and I slid my hand back into my coat sleeve to try and warm it up. “Those teeth are designed for a predator, not an herbivore. Whatever it was, it’s clearly mutated like the other animals, and I’m sure it wasn’t an easy opponent to take out.”

“So the question is, who killed it,” Shanice said.

“It had to be the huge people in here, right?” Sarah asked.

“Maybe.” I nodded. “The footprints stopped in this general area, so that’s entirely possible.”

“What’s the other possibility?” Sarah asked, and her dark red eyebrows furrowed together.

“There might be other people in here,” I said.

“Shit, I hadn’t really thought about that,” she admitted.

“I can’t say for sure,” I sighed. “But right now, we can’t rule it out.”

“It still doesn’t make sense why they didn’t take all of the meat.” Em shook her head. “It’s so wasteful.”

“Hold on,” Devonna said, and she bent down closer to the creature’s head. “Is it missin’ teeth?”

“It’s a fucking mutant rat.” Shanice rolled her eyes. “Did you expect it to look like it just came from the dentist?”

“No.” Devonna glared at Shanice before turning to me. “But look, it’s like they’ve been torn right out. They don’t look broke off or nothin’. Seems to me like someone took ‘em.”

“Why would they want the teeth?” Em asked, and her dark brown eyes widened with horror.

“Who knows.” Devonna shrugged. “I’m just reportin’ what I see.”

A huge gust of wind made everyone shiver, and my teeth chattered for a second as the cold air blew up under my long coat and hit my legs.

Fuck, it was cold.

I bent down to get a closer look and found that Devonna was right. The beast was definitely missing teeth, and from the looks of it, they’d been removed after it was dead. There were no broken pieces, the damn things had been ripped out of its head.

I checked the claws, too, and found that two of them had been removed.

“They took three teeth and two claws,” I announced.

“You think they’re turning them into weapons?” Shanice asked.

“That’s the most likely reason.” I nodded.

“Well, shit,” the beautiful, dark-skinned woman sighed.

“There were only three big people,” Em said. “So, why are there five teeth and claws missing? Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to take one each?”

“Or maybe two each,” Sarah added.

“Good point,” I said. “It does seem like an odd number.”

“You did say it could have been killed by other people in room,” Natasha pointed out. “Perhaps they are ones who took its fur and claws. Would make sense that they did not take all the meat if they couldn’t carry it.”

“But wouldn’t you think the meat would be more important than the hide?” Sarah asked, and her entire body shivered from the cold.

“Warmth would be very important in room like this,” Natasha said. “I would rather have little bit of food and blanket rather than only food, wouldn’t you?”

“I guess that’s a good point,” the redhead sighed.

“So, not only do we need to look out for the huge people in here, now we have to keep an eye out for the people who woke up in here,” Devonna grumbled.

“Everyone is a threat until proven otherwise,” I said. “We have no idea who these people might be.”

“Or what they’re capable of,” Shanice added, and the undertones of her previous experience were laced in her voice.

“Whoever they are, I would hate to be them.” Devonna shuddered. “We ain’t even met ‘em yet, and I already feel kinda bad for ‘em.”

“Yeah, it must have sucked to wake up here,” Sarah agreed, and her eyes darted around nervously. “I mean, the jungle was awful, but this is just so much worse.”

“I would have taken the desert any day over this.” Shanice nodded.

“Can you imagine waking up in here?” Em asked. “I hope the people in this room at least got coats.”

“Seems unlikely,” Natasha said. “They gave all of us same outfit for different climates. Why not give same outfit to those in here, too? If we are truly part of experiment, then outfits are probably control variable.”

“Yeah, but how would they survive?” Sarah asked, and her dark brown eyes turned to saucers. “There’s barely any trees in here, so they couldn’t just build a fire. They’d probably freeze to death.”

“Oh, that must be awful.” Devonna hung her head. “I imagine that’s just the worst way to die. Bein’ so cold like that, mm mm mm, I couldn’t do it. No thank you, hand me the dagger, I’ll stab myself before I let that happen.”

“Calm down, Juliet,” Shanice chuckled.

“Freezing to death is actually very pleasant way to die.” Natasha shrugged.

“What?” Sarah raised an eyebrow at her friend.

“Da.” The Russian woman nodded. “You do not feel cold at the end.”

“How is that even possible?” Devonna asked.

“And how do you know that?” Sarah pushed. “Oh, my god. Did you almost freeze to death in Russia?”

“No,” Natasha said, and she looked at Sarah as if she were offended she’d ask such a thing. “But it has been studied before. Freezing to death is just a different way of saying you die of hypothermia. Your body goes through various stages. You start to shiver uncontrollably, your speech will become slurred as if you are drunk, you will get confused and easily startled, your skin will get red, and your pulse will slow. Finally, just before point of death, your blood vessels dilate as your body tries to warm itself from the inside out. This causes body to feel warm, but it is trick. Your blood pressure decreases further, and finally, your heart simply cannot beat any more, so it just stops altogether.”

The wind howled around us as we all stared at Natasha with a mix of fear and awe.

“That was haunting, Natasha,” Devonna whispered. “Literally haunting. Don’t do that shit again, okay? Save that for the ghost stories around the fire.”

“Is not ghost story,” Natasha laughed. “Is simple fact.”

“I mean, I know it was just facts,” Em said, and she bit her lip nervously. “But the way you said it so nonchalantly was a little… disturbing.”

“I simply stated truth,” Natasha said. “Truth is disturbing sometimes.”

“Yeah, on that note, I think we should keep moving forward,” I said.

“It’s only midday or so,” Shanice agreed. “We should try and cover as much ground as possible.”

“I got the sled,” Devonna sighed.

“Here, I’ll take it,” Em offered. “We can take turns.”

“I appreciate you, darlin’.” Devonna smiled. “I’ll keep it a while longer, but I’ll take up that offer in a little bit if that’s alright.”

“Of course,” Em agreed.

“Come on,” Shanice said. “Let’s go.”

Shanice and I led the women further into the tundra, and as we walked, I looked around at the vast white wilderness around us. Snow flurried on the ground with the wind, and little specks hit me in the face as I trudged along.

“Whoever woke up here probably woke up in different areas just like we did,” I said as we walked. “I wonder how long it took them to find each other.”

“Longer than it took us, I’m sure,” Sarah scoffed. “But I gotta say, if I woke up in here, I’d try to make allies with anyone I came across.”

“Me, too,” Em agreed. “It makes way more sense to stick together in a place like this.”

“Yeah, at the very least you could huddle together for warmth,” Shanice said.

“That really works in this cold of weather?” Devonna asked.

“It worked before,” Sarah said. “Why wouldn’t it work in here, too?”

“Hm, good to know.” Devonna grinned. “So, Jakey, you gonna keep me warm tonight?”

I shook my head and chuckled.

“No, really,” the Southern woman said. “I mean, sex aside, can you keep me warm, please?”

“You’re ridiculous,” I laughed. “But yes, I will keep you warm as best as I can.”

“Me, too,” Natasha said. “I want in on this cuddle session.”

“As if anyone has a choice with you,” Sarah said.

“What’s this supposed to mean?” Natasha asked.

“You’ll snuggle anything,” the redhead snorted.

“Not true,” Natasha huffed.

“No, it’s pretty true,” Devonna said. “You’re just too heavy of a sleeper to notice. I’m pretty sure I saw you curled up with Gary at one point.”

The image of Natasha curled up next to the giant, horned lizard we shared a cave with in the desert room made me laugh out loud.

The women were being particularly chatty in light of our being stuck in the tundra room, but I figured it helped take their minds off of what was going on around them. And I couldn’t blame them for not wanting to think about it. The tundra was the worst room we’d been to yet, and we’d only just gotten here.

But the conversation went just as quickly as it came. The snow picked up, and large flakes flew at us with the fierce wind that carried it in all different directions. No matter which way I turned, it seemed the wind was out to get me.

Still, I was in front of my women, and I was carving the way for them, so I kept going as long as I could.

After another hour of walking, my face felt downright frozen, and even with my large coat on, my entire body was stiff. Even the constant movement of walking couldn’t help to warm me up as it had before.

“Jake,” Shanice said from her spot next to me. “I haven’t seen anything this whole time. It’s all just white.”

“The wind is crazy,” I breathed. “I can barely see anything at all.”

“It can’t be like this all the time,” she said. “We should try and find somewhere to get warm and wait for the storm to pass to keep moving.”

“I think you’re right,” I agreed, and I thought about what Randy said about never sleeping out in the open.

It seemed obvious when he said it, but now that I was stuck in the middle of a damn tundra, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of the open. Shanice was right, I hadn’t seen anything around the entire time we’d been in here, but then again, it was hard to see anything at all with the wind hurling snow directly into my eyes.

“Let’s veer right,” I suggested. “If we’re going to find somewhere to stay for the night, our best bet might be near one of the walls.”

“Good idea,” Shanice agreed, and her teeth chattered as she spoke.

I glanced over to the beautiful, dark-skinned woman to see that she looked absolutely miserable. Her face was flushed from the cold and wind, and it was covered in little droplets of water where the snow melted on her skin. Her coat was nearly completely covered with fresh snow, and she was no doubt just as cold as I was, if not colder.

Luckily, I had the polar bear hide Randy and Eileen had given me, and it kept my body moderately warm, but my face, hands, and feet were still on the verge of frostbite. And while I appreciated the extra warmth of the huge fur coat, part of me wished we had enough to go around. Still, I was leading the pack, so I was getting hit with the most snow, and without the added protection of the polar bear coat, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to keep going as long as I had.

The group followed behind me as I veered to the right and trudged through the deep snow that covered my feet and came halfway up my calves. At least my women could use my footprints to walk in so they didn’t have to smash the snow on their own.

It took another half hour or more of pushing through the horrific ice and snow, but finally, I spotted something dark up ahead. It was hard to see clearly with the snow pelting me in the face, but it looked like the ice and snow extended upward, so I hoped the dark spot I saw was some sort of cave entrance.

“Shanice,” I called over the howling wind that swirled around us. “Do you see that?”

“What?” she asked, but then she squinted and looked around me before leaning forward to try and get a better look. “Is that a rock?”

“I’m hoping it’s a cave,” I said.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” the dark-skinned woman sighed.

“I’d take a rock at this point,” Devonna yelled. “It’s gotta be better than this.”

“A rock?” Sarah laughed.

“At least we could stand behind it,” the Southern woman pointed out. “I know it’s cold in here, but this wind is downright frigid! I’m turnin’ into a popsicle back here.”

“Y-y-you a-a-are n-n-not only o-o-one,” Natasha grumbled through chattering teeth.

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s move a little faster. It will warm us up.”

“If it’ll get me to shelter, I’ll turn into a sprinter,” Devonna joked.

“Go on, then,” Shanice teased.

Devonna took a deep breath and then tried to run forward. She made it about two steps, but then she began to wobble and came to a stop.

“Jesus, Lord,” the Southern woman cursed. “No wonder people don’t run in the snow. We need some, uh, what are them little stick things called?”

“Skis?” I asked.

“Yeah, we need some of them,” the black-haired woman agreed.

“That would be nice,” I chuckled. “But I’m not sure that will help when we’re just walking.”

“Yeah, isn’t that usually reserved for going down mountains?” Sarah asked.

“Small hills work, too,” Em said. “But yes, usually mountains.”

“We’d need snow shoes if anything,” I added.

“They make shoes just for snow?” Devonna asked.

“Several different kinds, actually,” I chuckled. “But snow shoes are sort of their own thing.”

“They’re really flat and wide on the bottom so you can walk on the snow without sinking,” Em explained.

“Hm, that still would be a lot of walkin’,” Devonna mused. “We shoulda got some sled dogs. Aren’t that a thing? I think I remember seein’ em in a movie once.”

“Yeah, we’ll just find some sled dogs,” Sarah laughed.

“I bet Gary woulda pulled us,” Devonna said, but then she made a strange spitting sound. “Ugh, every time I try to talk, I get snow in my damn mouth!”

“Maybe stop talking,” Shanice suggested playfully.

“Then who would keep you entertained?” she asked.

“I’m capable of entertaining myself, thanks,” Shanice told her.

“Doubt it,” Devonna snorted.

As ridiculous as the conversation was, it had the desired effect. We were moving faster now, and my body was starting to warm up just a touch. My fingers and feet were beginning to get some prickling sensation as they came back to life, which was good because I needed my hand to be able to use my sword.

If we were headed to a cave, then I had no doubt we were going to need to fight something for the right to stay there.

I moved as quickly as I could through the deep snow, and my women kept up for the most part. Finally, we were close enough for me to see what the dark spot we were heading towards was.

Thankfully, it was a cave, though it didn’t look very large. It was maybe five feet wide and six feet tall. But it would get us out of the wind and snow, and that was all that mattered.

“Alright,” I said as I came to a stop and turned back toward my women. “We’re probably going to need to fight something to stay in the cave. Luckily, whatever it is probably isn’t too large considering the size of the entrance. Still, we have no idea what it could be, so everyone get ready.”

“As long as it ain’t one of them crazy rodent lookin’ things we saw back there, I think we’ll be alright,” Devonna said.

“Yeah, I’d prefer it not be one of those, either,” Em added, and her face pulled into a look of disgust.

“You don’t want to fight giant mutant rabbit mole?” Natasha joked, but the chattering of her teeth and shivering of her body made the joke fall somewhat flat.

“That thing was too big to fit in a cave that small comfortably,” Shanice pointed out.

“Maybe,” Sarah said. “We don’t know how big it is on the inside.”

“Right,” I agreed. “But whatever is in there, we can handle it. We just need to work together.”

“We did kill Humphrey a few hours ago.” Sarah grinned.

“That was when I had feeling in my hands,” Devonna snorted.

“Move them,” Em said. “Squeeze them into a fist a bunch of times in a row, that will help. That’s what I’ve been doing while we walked. Look.”

Em held out her hand and wiggled her fingers around to show that she still had feeling in them.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Devonna pursed her lips. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“I’m sorry,” Em apologized and flushed pink. “I didn’t think about it. It’s just habit.”

“Honey, in case you didn’t know, I’m from the south,” Devonna said in her thick accent, and she raised an eyebrow at the Asian woman. “I ain’t never seen snow before.”

“I didn’t think about it before.” Em bit her lip. “But once we get settled, I’ll go over all the tips I know to keep warm.”

“M-m-much a-a-apreciat-ted,” Natasha said with a glare at the Em.

“Sorry.” Em stared at Natasha’s shivering body with wide, horrified eyes as if she were the one who’d nearly turned her into a push pop.

“Well, the sooner we take out whatever’s hiding in that cave, the sooner we can get warm,” I pointed out. “Come on.”

“How are we going to get it out?” Sarah asked. “We can’t just walk in there.”

“No, we can’t,” I agreed. “I’ve got a plan for that. Everyone, just get ready to fight.”

We made our way to the entrance and created a sort of half circle around it. Em, Sarah, and Shanice armed themselves with spears while Natasha grabbed a small, machete style blade, and Devonna picked up her club from the supply cart. I had my sword in hand, and as I stood at the front entrance of the cave with wind and snow swirling around me, my heart beat wildly with adrenaline.

The cave was so dark that I couldn’t see more than a foot inside, and there were no tracks leading up to it, no fur or feathers or anything to give an indication of what might be hiding inside. Whatever animal was in there, it clearly hadn’t been out since it started snowing, which meant two things: it was smart, and it was probably hungry.

“Hello!” I hollered directly into the cave as loud as I could.

“That’s your plan?” Shanice hissed.

“You got a better one?” I asked with a small smile.

“Well, I guess not,” she sighed and held her spear up. “Let’s just hope it works.”

“And that you don’t cause an avalanche in the process,” Em added.

“Come on out!” I yelled into the cave again, this time a bit louder.

“I don’t see anything,” Devonna whispered, but just then a small white creature cautiously stepped out of the cave to look at us.

It took me a moment to realize what it was since I’d never seen one in person. But eventually, based on its size and the shape of its body and head, I figured out that it was an arctic fox.

It was bright white and fluffy with light-blue eyes that regarded us curiously. Its fur fanned out all around it, and with how fluffy and tiny it was, it looked like a little Pomeranian dog. The small creature was only about a foot and a half tall, and about as long excluding its large, poofy tail. Its dark nose sniffed the air as it took a step forward and looked at each one of us in turn.

“Oh… my… god!” Devonna squealed, and she bounced up and down and flailed her hands out at her sides. “It’s so cuuuuute!”

The fox leapt back and stared at her with scared, light-blue eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry little fella,” Devonna apologized and bent down. “You’re just so stinkin’ adorable. I just wanna eat you up. Come here, I’ll give you lots of pets. We can snuggle, and you’ll be my pet forever and ever, and I’ll even give you all the the bones from whatever Jakey kills, and I’ll sew you a purse to ride in, and–”

“Devonna,” I cut in.

The black-haired woman’s head whipped over to look at me before she flushed a bright pink with embarrassment. “Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away.”

“You think?” Shanice laughed. “Jesus, that was a lot.”

“Ooooh, maybe that’s a good name for him,” Devonna said. “We can call him Jesus. He’s all white like a little angel. Oh, it’s so perfect.”

“Isn’t that like blasphemy or something?” Sarah whispered.

“Not if you’re a good, Christian woman,” Devonna said. “I mean, this little guy came to us in our time of need. How fittin’ is that?”

“Um, we came to him,” Em pointed out.

“Da,” Natasha agreed. “We found cave. Small fox creature did nothing.”

“He was here waitin’ for us,” Devonna said, and she pursed her lips and shook her head. “Look at y’all. You’re a bunch of sinners turnin’ away from Jesus. This is just like Mary at the Inn.”

“This is literally nothing like that.” Shanice shook her head.

“Whatever it is like, can we go into cave now?” Natasha asked. “I am turning into Russian flavored snowcone.”

“Well, alright, Jesus, come here.” Devonna bent down and stuck her hand out toward the little fox. “Come on, little fella. You gotta move aside so we can get in there. We’ll build a fire to keep you warm.”

“I’m not sure you should be doing that,” Sarah warned.

“She’s right,” Shanice agreed. “That thing isn’t going to just let us walk in. We’re gonna have to kill it.”

“You’d kill Jesus?” Devonna scoffed and inched closer to the fox. “He’s so innoce–”

The fox leapt forward with a snarl and tried to chomp down on Devonna’s outstretched hand with what looked like piranha teeth.

“What the fuck!” Devonna screamed, yanked her hand back, and stumbled backward to fall in the snow on her ass. Then she turned to me with eyes the size of saucers. “He tried to bite me!”

“No shit,” Shanice snorted. “I told you. Look at him, he’s probably rabbid.”

The little fox had his creepy teeth bared, and the hair on his back stood up straight as his beady blue eyes watched each of us carefully.

“Um, guys,” Em said with a point to the cave. “I think Jesus has some disciples.”

I wanted to laugh, but I followed the line of Em’s finger to see at least twenty pairs of bright green eyes staring at us from inside the cave.

“Shit,” I breathed.