as well. I remembered I could exhale, too.
Thank you.
"We cannot let you leave this clearing."
We do not want to!
"We also cannot guard you forever."
Shit. This was turning into a negotiation, and I had absolutely nothing to barter with. I snapped my fingers at Zazlu again, pointed at his head then pointed at Red-Stripe.
The Iranian was confused.
I pointed at his head again, harder, and then at the Hell-Spider's head, again. And then held a finger in front of my mouth again.
It's funny how you don't need to know sign language to recognize four-letter words being silently mouthed at you. But Zazlu walked up next to me and looked Red-Stripe right in his four eyes.
My friend will negotiate with you. We will reach an agreement , I thought.
"Very well."
Zazlu started nodding at the spider, then frowning and shaking his head.
Now it was my turn to suffer, watching the expressions cycle through Zazlu's face and being left to wonder just WHAT the fuck was being said.
It stretched one minute. Then another. The clearing was silent, no creature moving or speaking. I turned to the squad and motioned for them to relax, trying to smile at them while I secretly checked every one of their trigger fingers. They were getting jittery. The spiders were dead calm, in a ring around us.
I turned back to Zazlu and he was still gesturing, frowning and shaking his head at Red-Stripe. I finally just pulled on his sleeve and gave him a "What the fuck?" look. Zazlu started to open his mouth but then stopped and pointed at his combat mike in frustration.
I pointed at his head, then Red-Stripe, then my head.
Zazlu mouthed another unmentionable at me, then closed his eyes, concentrating. The sliding claws voice invaded my thoughts again. "The Wrestler wishes me to relay his thoughts to you, for some reason."
Good. Go ahead.
"You cannot speak to him directly? Are one of you still a child?"
No, just- it's complicated! Just go ahead!
"Very well." Red-Stripe paused. "He is picturing someone having intercourse with an animal- a dog."
We've screwed the pooch.
"Yes. And now, he is picturing a... sniper? Killing a target from a great distance."
A long shot.
"Yes. And now, he pictures three humans, one wearing a hat-"
Tell him to stop thinking in metaphors and just talk plainly!
"Meta...? I do not understand."
"Sir," Juan whispered. "They're getting closer!"
"No they're not, private. Relax."
He gripped his grenade launcher tighter. "They are!"
"What should we do?" Telson cried to me, starting to raise his barrel again.
"I need a sit-rep of what's going on!" SMaj Hughes said into my ear. "Now!"
"Now the Wrestler is picturing a man on a horse..."
I wondered what I had ever done to the Gods to find myself in this position.
Red-Stripe, what were you and the Wrestler talking about last? Hurry! And use your own words!
"He was asking why the thunder bees do not attack the Joshua trees."
And?
"It is because the trees are where the bees rest and feed from its nectar. If you see many Joshua trees, you will always find a thunder bee hive close by. If there are no trees nearby, the hive cannot survive."
Juan was backing up, wide eyes on the ring of Hell-Spiders. "Sir? Sir!"
That's all?
"The Wrestler asked if the thunder bees were causing problems for us. I replied that they were. As the weather gets drier, the bees wander West into our hunting grounds, threatening hunts that they did not threaten before. The Wrestler offered to help. For a price."
Fuck. I gave Zazlu a disbelieving look. "Really?" I asked, my voice hoarse after the long silence.
"I said it was a long shot," he spat back.
"SIT REP!" Hughes barked. "Why are you pussies pansy-footing around out there if you can see the enemy right in-"
And then it hit me. I pushed Juan's and Telson's weapons back down, giving them reassuring looks as I did. And I ran around to make sure everyone had their weapons safe before I started yelling.
"Squad! Fall back! Fall back to the LZ!" I
Thank you.
"We cannot let you leave this clearing."
We do not want to!
"We also cannot guard you forever."
Shit. This was turning into a negotiation, and I had absolutely nothing to barter with. I snapped my fingers at Zazlu again, pointed at his head then pointed at Red-Stripe.
The Iranian was confused.
I pointed at his head again, harder, and then at the Hell-Spider's head, again. And then held a finger in front of my mouth again.
It's funny how you don't need to know sign language to recognize four-letter words being silently mouthed at you. But Zazlu walked up next to me and looked Red-Stripe right in his four eyes.
My friend will negotiate with you. We will reach an agreement , I thought.
"Very well."
Zazlu started nodding at the spider, then frowning and shaking his head.
Now it was my turn to suffer, watching the expressions cycle through Zazlu's face and being left to wonder just WHAT the fuck was being said.
It stretched one minute. Then another. The clearing was silent, no creature moving or speaking. I turned to the squad and motioned for them to relax, trying to smile at them while I secretly checked every one of their trigger fingers. They were getting jittery. The spiders were dead calm, in a ring around us.
I turned back to Zazlu and he was still gesturing, frowning and shaking his head at Red-Stripe. I finally just pulled on his sleeve and gave him a "What the fuck?" look. Zazlu started to open his mouth but then stopped and pointed at his combat mike in frustration.
I pointed at his head, then Red-Stripe, then my head.
Zazlu mouthed another unmentionable at me, then closed his eyes, concentrating. The sliding claws voice invaded my thoughts again. "The Wrestler wishes me to relay his thoughts to you, for some reason."
Good. Go ahead.
"You cannot speak to him directly? Are one of you still a child?"
No, just- it's complicated! Just go ahead!
"Very well." Red-Stripe paused. "He is picturing someone having intercourse with an animal- a dog."
We've screwed the pooch.
"Yes. And now, he is picturing a... sniper? Killing a target from a great distance."
A long shot.
"Yes. And now, he pictures three humans, one wearing a hat-"
Tell him to stop thinking in metaphors and just talk plainly!
"Meta...? I do not understand."
"Sir," Juan whispered. "They're getting closer!"
"No they're not, private. Relax."
He gripped his grenade launcher tighter. "They are!"
"What should we do?" Telson cried to me, starting to raise his barrel again.
"I need a sit-rep of what's going on!" SMaj Hughes said into my ear. "Now!"
"Now the Wrestler is picturing a man on a horse..."
I wondered what I had ever done to the Gods to find myself in this position.
Red-Stripe, what were you and the Wrestler talking about last? Hurry! And use your own words!
"He was asking why the thunder bees do not attack the Joshua trees."
And?
"It is because the trees are where the bees rest and feed from its nectar. If you see many Joshua trees, you will always find a thunder bee hive close by. If there are no trees nearby, the hive cannot survive."
Juan was backing up, wide eyes on the ring of Hell-Spiders. "Sir? Sir!"
That's all?
"The Wrestler asked if the thunder bees were causing problems for us. I replied that they were. As the weather gets drier, the bees wander West into our hunting grounds, threatening hunts that they did not threaten before. The Wrestler offered to help. For a price."
Fuck. I gave Zazlu a disbelieving look. "Really?" I asked, my voice hoarse after the long silence.
"I said it was a long shot," he spat back.
"SIT REP!" Hughes barked. "Why are you pussies pansy-footing around out there if you can see the enemy right in-"
And then it hit me. I pushed Juan's and Telson's weapons back down, giving them reassuring looks as I did. And I ran around to make sure everyone had their weapons safe before I started yelling.
"Squad! Fall back! Fall back to the LZ!" I
Similar Books
