Karakai

Sweat coalesced on my body so much so, I felt like I had just fallen into a river and then went straight back to running. The air was thick and all this huffing made it feel like I was breathing water. As I sprinted through the rainforest, I masked my scent by grabbing chunks of mud, rubbing it all over myself. I took some leaves and stuck them on the bits of mud that were on me, hoping that it would all stick. None of that stopped the Enforcers from tracking me. Blood from a knife wound oozed out of my leg and I could feel the warm liquid flow down my leg as trekked the jungle at a frantic pace, leaving clues of my whereabouts. It was the dead of night too. Everything was pitch black except for the places where the moonlight shone and the silhouettes of the lights that the Enforcers lit behind me.

I didn’t have much of anything. I was alone, cold, and was leaving a breadcrumb trail of blood that was dripping from my leg. All I had on me were my surf trunks, pocket knife, a bow made of a Karakai’s rib, a few arrows to defend myself, my watch, stiche, and the device. It wasn’t much and most of it fit in the single pocket of my shorts. Aside from my bow and the few arrows I had made. I just prayed that the glass vial that kept the tiny weapon wouldn’t break during my journey.

I knew the Enforcers were closing in on me. I could smell them. Their sharp cologne-scent stung my nose and I could hear their heavy boots crunch upon the decaying leaves of the forest floor. The sounds of their aggressive dogs’ barking, or the snarls from the raptors they rode, or that shirshu sniffing the air furiously and its rider they hired giving commands in a language I hadn’t heard before were all enough to make me run and never look back. That's when I heard the most hellish sound in all of paradise above everything else.

Hiiiiisssss.

I could hear its tongue flick through the air as I stood as still as a tree. The leaves at my ankles ceased their rustling as soon as I stood frozen. The only thing that would give away that I was a person, was my bow, which was wrapped around my torso, abnormally sticking out the figure of a human with bits of flora here and there. My heart pounded in my chest like an earthquake, and I was engulfed in fear. My blood ran cold and despite that the air was a comfortable eighty degrees, it felt like I had just been dumped into a freezing lake. I could hear the monster’s massive claws crunch the stems of monstera vines and giant tropical ferns as it trudged and weaved around the trees at a sluggish rate. Its long tail was dragged on the ground, and I could feel its gaze on me.

It can’t smell me, I assured myself. I smell like the rainforest. I smell nasty. I smell like sweat. I’m covered in mud and I’m dressed like a tree. But that’s when it hit me. My wound. It can smell my blood.

I then thought of all my favorite memories with the people I held close. I ran through the memories in my mind as fast as I could as a sort of way to summarize my life in a few seconds just in case I’d die in the next few moments. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, breathing out my fear, and wondered if I’d ever see any of my family and friends again. It’d been six days since I’d seen a friendly face. Made me wonder if I’d ever see another.

“Hey!” a deep voice hollered from somewhere behind me. Guessing by how loud the call was, I’d estimate that the Enforcers were around ten meters behind me.

In front of me, I could see the powerful lights of the Enforcers flash back and forth until they all converged to shine on the giant lizard, lighting up the face of the monster in front of me. It was an enormous relative of the Komodo Dragon. Australia used to have a species of its own like this, but here in the Ha’awi-Tasi archipelago, the Karakai was even bigger. An average adult reached lengths as long as two buses. Some of the archipelago’s mythical stories of heroes who had encountered Karakai were twice that size. Even so, and even with all the modern surveillance technology the Icharij Empire’s cities had, Karakai were rare. I only knew they were real after coming across a nest of newborns in the past.

Unlike snakes, these massive lizards weren’t able to see infrared or heat signatures, and as humans, only saw light within the visible spectrum, but their sense of smell was phenomenal. So, why is it hunting me? Is it hungry? Can it see me? The Enforcers have dogs and raptors that have to be much more delicious than me. They feed them steaks three times a day! My blood isn’t that good either. I haven’t eaten anything decent in days!

While I tried to keep my composure, I panicked inside. Everything in me wanted to jump out and scream, but I kept my mouth shut and took nothing but deep breaths to calm myself.

Despite that, I could feel the Karakai’s gaze on me. Both of its strict, warm eerie eyes stared right at me. I knew it was trying to figure out if I was a tree or some kind of weird animal. Cappy, I pleaded in my head, I wish I was with you. I wish I wish I was where you were. I wish I was by your side. I could really use your company right now.

And that’s when the Karakai and I flinched. The sound of men and women yelling at the tops of their lungs, giving orders, and the horrifying barking of those rottweiler dogs rang through the air. They demolished anything that got in their way, using machetes or the long barrels of their phaser rifles to move any flexible plants out of the way or cut them down. Any animal, except for this Karakai evaded and ran away from the path that the Enforcers took. Evident by all the forest floor plants shaking about and all the squealing sounds the little critters were making wherever I or the Enforcers were.

And that’s when they stopped.

I knew that was it, that I was just about to be killed, and that when the Enforcers shone a light on me, that would be the last moment of my life. My back was turned to them, so I couldn’t see their faces, but what I could see was the face of the Karakai. Their flashlights shone on its rusty-brown, scaly face. It was stern, its beady yellow and orange eyes stared right past me and at the Enforcers. The head of the Karakai was at least as big as a small car and its taloned claws were big enough to grab a full-grown man like a fish stick. Its pink tongue flicked once more and saw the dogs squeal and tug on their leashes in the opposite direction of the Enforcers. The dogs whined and tried to hide from the massive Karakai as if they were toddlers running away from a stranger. I could feel the raptors’ glare at the colossal lizard, a couple of them thinking that they could take on the beast. I could tell that the Enforcers were scared too. They stood still, and I knew that the expression on their faces made it clear that they had never seen such a creature in the flesh. Only in books or paintings.

Everything was pretty tense for a few moments, and as soon as one of the soldiers shouted an order from the back, the Karakai leaped forward-.

Krrraaaaaaaa!

The Karakai roared, brandishing its ginormous claws in the air. I dodged it at the last second, jumping out of the creature’s way and into the base of a giant fern. The plant caught me and as it recoiled, it righted me up to my feet. Immediately I sprinted as far and as fast as I could. My heart pounded in my chest so hard, it was just about painful. Suddenly, a rush of energy radiated through my body, giving me an extra push. I couldn’t believe it, but now wasn’t the time for ponderance. I backed away, terrified, and then sprinted into the trees looking ahead, I closed my eyes and clenched my fists, bearing through the pain jolting in my leg. I could still hear the horrifying sounds of bullets being shot, echoing in the humid air; the sharp cry of phaser rifles’ triggers being pulled, people screaming in terror, dogs howling, raptors screeching out into the night, and the Karakai feasting on whatever it could catch. I knew that none of them were really at fault. They were just following orders and that thought stabbed me in the heart. Couldn’t help but feel like I was responsible for their deaths.

I was so deep into the jungle I knew that I was at least a three-day walk away from civilization. The pain from my wound throbbed in my leg and I knew that I was probably not going to make it.

About an hour later, when I knew that I had put more than enough distance between myself, the Karakai, and the Enforcers, I sat at the base of a tree and rested. I took my pocket knife out, flipped it open, and tried to cut about an arm’s length of vine that grew near me.

Each second counted now. The feeling that I was going to lose control over my body and submit to the ever-growing lack of blood grew. It was hard to imagine that just over a week ago, life was just as perfect. Surfing at a break I could call my own. A place so paradistic it was unbelievable. Watching TV at the Institute lounge, eating with friends at Cleo’s.

Now… This sucked compared to that. My leg throbbed and the pain just radiated from it to the rest of my body. I could feel a fever coming on too. As my stomach growled it felt like it was caving in on itself, desperately calling out for food and my right hand was beginning to feel fuzzy. Like I was losing control over it. It began to shake and I began to worry. My muscles felt weak and I began to doubt I could pick myself up onto my feet.

Not afraid, not afraid. I thought to myself. I’m not afraid of death. I’ve seen death around me. It is a natural part of life. But when I die, I’d rather have control over my body than let it slip away. I kept working at cutting the vine, running down the different scenarios in my head. No… I thought. I can’t die. There are people that depend on me. I finally cut the vine and wrapped it around my thigh tightly, just above my right knee.

The pain was searing. It was getting intense and I couldn’t concentrate to manipulate the fluids around or in me. The wound was an ugly slash that cut my calf muscle. I didn’t like to look at it-. It was deep for a wound. When my sweat seeped into my torn muscle, it stung worse than the touch of a jellyfish on a sunburn. I took a leaf from a ti plant and moss whose species I recognized by touch from a fallen tree beside me. I ripped the leaf off the plant and wrapped it around my wound as best as I could, using the leftover bits of the vine to keep the leaf in place, and stuffed it all with moss, which I knew had medical properties when it came in contact with open wounds. I didn’t know if it would help or worsen my situation though. The pain was piercing and at that moment, I just wanted to sleep. For once in a long time, I wanted to fall. I wanted to lie down and rest instead of push on and work.

I leaned back on the tree and closed my eyes, grimacing at the pain. I wouldn’t realize until later that I was covered in bloody scratches from the run. I knew they would eventually heal into scars. I chuckled and said to myself, “Now, wouldja look at that? Me wanting to fall. For all my life, I stood up and I’ve endured. I’ve braved the ocean, land, and sky, and now… Now I want to fall.” A thought struck my mind. I’d been talking to myself a lot lately… I’ve found it helped make being alone not so bad.

I had a hunch and at that moment, I knew that the ti leaf I used to cover my wound could infect my leg. The pain was subsiding, so I was given a chance to concentrate a little more. I’m an elemental. I can purify the water in and on the leaves and bend the blood in my leg so it wouldn’t-. I stopped thinking and started doing. I reached over, snapped a piece of vine off from a nearby plant, placed it in my mouth, and bit it as hard as I could to channel more of the pain I was anticipating. With a hand, I gripped the stem of the ti plant I just took a leaf away from in preparation for the impending hurt I was going to be in. I moved my other hand in a circular fluidic movement known to purify water and separate any minerals or biological compounds from it. The extraneous material whether it be minerals, bacteria, microscopic life other than the leaf, et cetera; I coalesced into a fluid ball suspended into the air and threw it somewhere into the distance where it would all soak into the muddy substrate. The sensation of it all stung a little, but not as much as I’d thought. Wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.

My eyes were shut closed as I took my hand away from the poor plant’s stem as I prepared myself mentally. As one hand held and kept the purified water warm within my makeshift flora bandage, the other-… I’d only ever tried manipulating blood under the full moon on a compy and some rats before. It wasn’t a full moon so I could only pray that it would work. Despite the sharp pain, I raised my hand in the air and moved it similarly to how a puppeteer would manipulate their dolls. It was horrible. I could feel the significant difference between the two mediums of water and blood. I could feel how different the style was. To reach into something and control the water within them…

For a moment, I breathed heavily. My chest rose and fell with each passing moment. My eyes shut and my jaw gripped on the piece of vine I’d use as a mouthguard. From my Achille’s Heel to my abdomen constricted and tightened. It was enough stress having to consciously control the movement of the blood and the beating of the arteries just to keep my leg alive. My leg wanted to spasm and every other moment or so it jolted like a frog’s hindlimb on a dinner plate.

Within time, I was able to achieve success. I counted myself lucky that I was able to clot the blood flow and have the water in my floral bandage adhere to my leg in the end despite the sporadic sharp jolts of pain. I released myself from my own grasp and rested for a few minutes, the entire time awake.

That felt terrible. I stroked the surface of my watch on my left wrist as I rested against the tree behind me. My original watch, the one my father gifted to me when I was eight before he had to deploy overseas for the navy, had run its time and broke down. I recently bought a new tactical watch to replace it, and despite that, it wasn’t the same. Though it felt similar.

The cool metallic back of the watch against my skin was refreshing. The watch itself could survive almost anything and was useful in more situations than I could ever think of. Without it, I never would have made it this far. It gave me a façade. Made me feel like I was home. At the dinner table with all my family. Or at Cleo’s laughing like there was no tomorrow with my closest friends. Like myself, my watch right now was covered in mud and leaves, and probably had a couple scratches on it. Heck, if I ever got to the end of this and back home, I’d be covered in scars. I’d look like a cat’s scratching post!

After some time, I was lucky enough to find a fallen branch that was just the right size sitting on the ground near me. I used it to help me get to my feet once again. I then turned to the ti plant and the vine at the base of the tree, bowed, and said, “Thank you for your assistance and…” I breathed. I let a few moments pass by to give my respects to the loss of life that had just occurred not so long ago. “I’m very sorry for the loss of life that I have caused.”

At that moment, a refreshing breeze came through the forest floor, and miraculously a steady stream of water suddenly dripped off a leaf of a pothose vine that grew much higher than I stood. It flowed onto my head and the cool, refreshing sensation was the best thing that night. I began drinking the stream of water and then put my bow, arrows, my knife, and the weapon down where I once sat. I stood under the stream of water and took as much time as I needed to wash the mud off me. I picked the leaves off too but was cautious to keep my wound clean. At this moment, I took my time and rejoiced at the sudden luck I had just received, the thoughts of the battlefield soon disappeared from my head.

A few moments later, I picked my things up again and started hiking through the rainforest back to civilization as fast as I could. Before I traveled too far, I turned back to where I had heard the Karakai and the Enforcers and bowed my head once again, whispering, “I am… really sorry for the loss of life that I have caused. I didn’t mean to put those people in that position.” I opened my eyes and looked up. I knew I was guilty looking back.

Looking back, a lot had happened. The dance with Agent Nine at the palace, to stealing the weapon, and being driven out of the city. I didn’t even know what the device did. Why it was called a weapon, or what it could be used for. I don’t think Nine knew either.

The faint echo of another man’s scream traveled through the air and a chill slithered down my spine. I knew I had to move again. I limped on my wounded leg and used it only when I felt like I needed to, using the branch I had picked up as a makeshift cane to help with walking. The pain in my leg throbbed with each step and the hunger in my stomach didn’t seem like it would ever go away, but the guilt in my heart was even greater. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. My leg wanted me to stop and pray for the pain to drain out, and my stomach wanted me to curl my body into a ball and wait for help. Wait for food. My heart felt heavy as well. I couldn’t get the screams of all those people, the Karakai feasting on their remains… I couldn’t get it out of my head. My blood felt cold, everything felt cold and for maybe the first time, I knew what being alone was like. I was cold, alone, and full of a guilt I’d never be able to lift. I would carry the death of those Enforcers on my shoulders wherever I went now.

I limped to the trunk of another tree and leaned against it, pressing my shoulder to the soft bark of the giant tree, sweating. Trying to tough it through the pain. “It was either them or me,” I reminded myself.

But where are the ethics in that? The voice in my head questioned.

“Humanity took itself out of nature. Nature gives survival only to those that succeed. So far, I’ve succeeded in surviving and ensuring humanity’s luxury outside of nature.”

You know you could’ve hel-.

“Please… Please stop,” I begged. “I… It hurts. Everything hurts… I can’t stop hearing the screams…”

I know…

“I wish… I just wish I was home. I’m exhausted. I’m hungry, I’m cold, I-.”

And alone.

“Y-yeah… I guess I am.” A tear dripped down from my eye down my cheek and fell to my chin before it jumped to the ground. I seldomly gave myself the luxury to cry. Men… men don’t cry a different voice had remarked. It was a memory that had said that. I couldn’t recall who had said that to me, but I could guess that it was Jax. Gosh, the time with them felt so long ago.

As I walked on, I tried to think of ways of how to pay my respects to those men and women, but the growing guilt in my heart made me want to cry. The pain in my muscles, leg, and stomach made me want to cry. I wanted to stop and give up. I didn’t know if I could make it back to my friends and family again, or food. I knew I could eat almost anything in the rainforest, but I didn’t know what was poisonous. In any case, I just avoided eating anything, except for the seldom dandelion weeds that managed to grow on the ground, which I knew were edible without any life-threatening consequences, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy my hunger.

I was barefoot. For the past six days that I was kidnapped, escaped, and chased, I had lost my shoes, and I almost lost hope. The last thing I muttered that night was, “I wish I had some shoes.” I carried on walking for another five days with nothing but my pain and the drive to make it back home. I eventually found a way to conceal the weapon in a place no one would ever find it. Very few people, no one if at all would ever know it even existed. Hopefully, it would be kept that way. Hopefully, the people I held close in my life would never have to live in fear as I did. Hopefully, everything would be… Heck, who am I kidding? When I get home, I’m going to sleep without fear of a boar coming across my body or a Saurian stampede or some raptor or giant sharp tooth coming across me and thinking I’m a snack.

When I get home… well, this is gonna be one great story to tell.