Chapter 2

“Are you right, mate?” asked Adam, wading as quickly as he could back to his crew mate.

“Yeah. Yeah,” Jason replied, his frown deepening.

“Here, let me help you.”

Jason was heavy and it was a battle to hold him up and move through the water at the same time. Once they arrived at the door, Adam leant Jason up against the wall and turned the door handle one last time. “Brace yourself.” He pushed against the door, though it didn’t budge an inch. He looked at Jason and shrugged. Turning side on, Adam leaned away from the door then lunged at it, throwing his entire body weight against it. The door sprang out of its socket with a gentle pop, leaving only a narrow gap around its perimeter.

Adam fought against the rushing water to slide the door open and when he had created a space large enough for both of them to swim through, he pushed off with his feet and propelled himself out of the shuttle and into the lake. When he was clear of the sinking craft, he stopped swimming and trod water. He watched the door, waiting for Jason to appear, and once he had, Adam started swimming towards the nearest shore.

“Wait for me,” Jason called out.

“Come on. We’ve got to get away from it before it goes under.”

Only the tail end of the shuttle was visible above the water line but even that was disappearing rapidly.

Adam continued treading water while he waited for Jason to catch up.

“Bloody hard work swimming in these things,” said Jason referring to their space suits, which were puffing up above the surface of the water.

“You’re not wrong, but we’d better keep them on. We might need them,” said Adam spearing off through the water.

He’d been on the high school swimming team and competed successfully several times on their behalf. Even after school, after university, he’d maintained his rigorous swimming schedule. It was natural his stroke wouldn’t be as strong after years in space, though his skills in the water had most certainly not abandoned him.

By the time they made it to shore they were both near collapse. Adam had just enough strength to pull himself up the muddy bank to the edge of grassy field above it. Glancing over his shoulder and seeing that Jason had made it safely out of the water, he closed his eyes. Although he’d intended to rest only a little while, he drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The sun was low on the horizon when he woke up. Jason was still sleeping beside him. Adam sat up and surveyed the surrounding countryside. There was nothing but tall grass and trees. Jungle probably. Across the far side of the lake there was more of the same. No sign of human habitation. The cool evening air was thick with insects and Adam was glad they had decided to keep their spacesuits on. Beneath the lightweight, waterproof fabric he was wearing only a pair of underpants and a singlet. Not nearly enough to protect him from voracious mosquitoes.

The sun sank further over the horizon, casting long shadows across the verdant earth. Aside from the insects, there were sounds of other, larger creatures. Most of the noises—the chattering of monkeys and the squawking of birds—were coming from the jungle, although every now and again their distant calls were punctuated by the growl of something closer, on the grasslands, not far from where Adam and Jason were.

After waking Jason, Adam suggested they find somewhere to spend the night.

“The jungle?” suggested Jason. “We’ll be less of a target there than out here on the open range.”

“Yeah, but most of the racket seems to be coming from the jungle.”

Adam started walking. He had intended to go just a little further out from the lake to get the lay of the land, but feeling secure with Jason by his side, the men ended walking quite some distance from where they had crashed.

“We need a cave or something,” said Adam. “Some place where we’re protected on as many sides as possible.”

“What’s that over there?” Jason pointed to a rise, shrouded in dark shadows just a few metres from where they were standing. A loud roar, near enough to set Adam’s heart racing, hurried them on their way.

“That was fucking close,” said Jason.

When they arrived, they discovered that the rise was an outcrop of rocks. One side was completely covered with dirt and grass. The other side, rocky and pitted with overhangs and shadowy cavities, looked as if it might be worth exploring.

Adam climbed onto the first boulder.

“Careful,” said Jason standing back and casting a nervous eye over his shoulder. “If there is a cave, something else might be using it.”

Adam didn’t respond. He’d been so intent on finding shelter for the night that he hadn’t considered that any cave he found might already have an occupant. He sure didn’t want to risk rousing any slumbering animal by shouting a reply.

A little further up he discovered a low hanging ledge with just enough room for two men to be able to squeeze into. It was far from ideal but the night was almost upon them and the sounds of unseen beasts were growing louder. And nearer.