Page 15 of When Eden Falls

I glanced down. Dozens upon dozens of strange footprints lay indented in the damp areas of sand. We bent down to study them. From observing the creatures earlier, they had thin, spindly legs, but their footprints now indicated they had what resembled hands. They were small, thin palms, with elongated fingers and pointed tips. There were only three digits on each, widely spaced out.

“These points could be claws.” Zamya motioned to one.

“They look as sharp as knives.” I peered up at the ship’s underbelly above us. “It would explain how they ripped the metal from the structure so easily.”

“Among other things.”

“Yeah…” Images of the mauled bodies we’d found yesterday prodded at my conscience. And then, as if following my train of thought, Rooke’s voice rumbled through our in-suit radio, “I’ve found him.”

I exchanged a look with Zamya before we both navigated the sand under the hull of the ship, towards the front landing gear. Rooke stood where the starboard wing began to loom overhead, and there, laid before him, was Sym’s body.

I fought the urge to wince away. There was blood and flesh everywhere. What was left of Sym’s body was positioned downwards, his head twisted at an unnatural angle, his face unrecognisable through the shredded skin. Only the curls of his black mohawk proved this body belonged to the man we knew. His blue T-shirt was ripped across the top part of his spine, where teeth marks punctured the dark skin of his neck. And if that wasn’t bad enough, his left arm was missing, ripped from the socket.

I could no longer bear it. I had to look away, but to no visual benefit. One of his boots lay a couple of metres to the right. The rubber and metal sole had been chewed, but his foot and ankle were still inside. I muted the sob threatening to rip from my throat. The extent of his injuries was beyond comprehension, and the silence that swamped the three of us at the realisation was utterly haunting.

Kobe appeared from behind me. I glanced up at his face as he took in the sight. Behind the visor, he appeared as hard as stone,showing no sign of emotion. He gave me a sideways glance before turning and walking away. His reaction concerned me. His reluctance to stand with us, along with his silence, confirmed the guilt he was enduring. He was suffering. I called after him, but Rooke told me to let him go.

After another moment of silent reflection, I left Zamya to study Sym’s condition in more depth, documenting the details with photos and digital notes. Rooke started digging a grave close to a scattering of boulders halfway between the ship and the cliff face, while Kobe and I began fixing the power issues.

Once Rooke and Zamya had respectfully moved Sym into the fresh grave, his body was covered in sand and rocks in a similar fashion to the graves we set yesterday, and Cora emerged from the ship. Aware of the risk that could appear from the clifftops at any moment, we swiftly said our heartfelt goodbyes to our dear colleague.

Sym was young, he was the same age as me. He was a good, decent person, a gentle soul. He didn’t deserve such a horrifying death. It would take a long time to fully accept he was gone.

Several hours later, the ship’s exterior was still a mess. The primary power was back online, and I had fixed the landing gear. But there was an excessive amount of metal debris that needed to be cleared, and the remaining hull breaches required covering.

The sun beating down on us didn’t help the mammoth task.Even in the shadow of the ship, the warmth was sweltering. Sweat slicked across my forehead proving an aggravating annoyance, and with wearing an atmospheric helmet, I couldn’t wipe it away. My eyes stung from the continual body salt dripping into them.

My hands shook as I screwed another large bolt into the outer shell of the ship. I was exhausted, my muscles ached, my head pounded.

“Eden, Kobe,” Zamya called from the edge of the ship, “you both need to take a break.”

“Sure,” Kobe replied. I ignored the request. I wasn’tstopping anytime soon. Too much needed to be repaired before the tide came in. We needed to get the ship off the ground before those creatures returned.

I noticed Kobe walk past. He tapped my arm. “Come on, Eden. Doctor’s orders.”

“I’ll be in soon.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw him disappear up the landing ramp.

I started repairing another metallic panel on the underbelly of the ship, cursing and spluttering at the awkwardness of its position. I knew I needed a break, but my stubborn adamance to keep pressing on was far stronger.

Ten minutes later Rooke’s voice was in my ear. “Eden, are you still outside?”

I huffed. “Yes,” I grunted, reaching up to insert a nine-inch bolt into an allocated hole.

“Eden, you need to stop and eat. We have muffins…” I heard the smile in his voice, but it didn’t calm nor entice me. “Eden, come on.”

“Rooke, I need to get thisfinished.” There was a clear warble in my voice, resonating through my bones, causing my hands to shake. I sucked in a breath before screwing the bolt into place with the mechanical drill. For some reason, I was close to tears. The situation had become overwhelming. I felt stressed and under pressure, battling against a nagging ache in the back of my mind…

Those creatures will return.

Those creatures killed Sym.

He was mauled to death.

Sym is dead!

A rogue tear slid down my cheek.