Colonization (The Seamus Chronicles Book 3) by K. D. McAdams Page A

make a call in just a few minutes. Do I bring our group here or this group there?
    “We didn’t know about the river. I feel like that changes things but I don’t know how.” I answer, but it’s kind of an irrelevant thought.
    “That’s a statement, not a plan.” Cassandra points out, not gently.
    “Were you able to salvage the reactors?” I try and shift the subject.
    “No. The warp unit sheared off with the wings, the sail unit must have dropped on impact.” She’s already thought about them, which is a good sign.
    “The spare?” I ask.
    “Under water, probably damaged from the crash.” She replies.
    Suddenly the ground starts to shake and a loud rumbling can be heard. The trees are swaying vigorously and some leaves are even falling. My face goes pale and I lower myself to the ground for balance and stability.
    Cassandra smiles at me as if this were some kind of joke. Her reaction is more calm but still cautious. She slowly drops to one knee and places both hands firmly on the ground.
    After almost thirty seconds of shaking and rumbling everything is still and quiet. I give a deep sigh of relief and look around to make sure that everyone is okay.
    “First earth quake?” Cassandra asks.
    “We’ve had a few already, but not as strong or as long. And by the way, we’re not on Earth anymore.” I smirk, keeping our tradition of snark.
    “Fine, was this your first ‘this planet’ quake?” She counters.
    “My Dad named it Locus and that has sort of stuck with the rest of us.” I suddenly miss my dad tremendously.
    “Latin for ‘opportunity.’ Works for me.” She replies and I am jealous that she knew what it meant.
    From the jungle comes a rustling that is distinctly different from the quake a few moments earlier. Part of me wants to see what is making the commotion, the other part is scared to death that it’s the last thing I would ever see.
    In addition to the leaves and trees moving there are other sounds. Clicks and whirs start to echo all around us. They sound almost mechanical but I can’t pick out a rhythm or pattern in the cacophony. Are they making noise in reaction to the quake or have they just noticed us?
    “How far is your camp?” Cassandra looks frightened for the first time since we have joined up.
    “Quite a ways, but we should head out soon.” I agree with her thinking completely.
    “Have you heard these noises before?” She accuses me without saying so.
    “Just before we got to the river we heard some rustling. Liam and I freaked out and ran so we didn’t get to investigate.” I tell the truth even though I want to lie.
    “Lets give Liam another hour and then we’ll head out. I’m going to try and collect some supplies.” Cassandra gets to her feet and takes a step in the direction of the plane.
    The rustling intensifies and Cassandra stops dead in her tracks. While she is still there is almost no sound at all.
    Cautiously she takes another step and the jungle erupts in sound. Her movement stops but I cannot see her face. I stare intently at her back, looking for the rise and fall of her breath but see nothing. After what seems like an eternity I see her inhale and exhale slowly but other than that she is perfectly still.
    “Seamus, do you have any ibuprofen or anything?” Liam hollers at me from the water’s edge.
    The noise from the bushes along the river is deafening. My hands go to my ears and I tuck my chin into my chest. My body is tense and I’m waiting for a searing pain to indicate that an alien creature has attacked me.
    Several minutes later my hands come down and the noise recedes off into the jungle.
    “Did anyone see anything?” I call out, hoping that we have a visual on these creatures.
    Pained looks are all I receive in response. Even absolute terror cannot jolt them from their hangovers.
    “At least we know that loud noises scare them off.” Liam smiles weakly.
    “Your hour is up. We are leaving now.” Cassandra says in reply.
    Francisco