2. The Giant River

They all looked at the two heads that were mysteriously dropped earlier with caution. The heads of the lion and tiger were cut off with extreme precision. As if they were cut by something very sharp. Ran shuddered. What kind of creature was capable of such thing?

As dawn approached, Ran asked the team to get ready. This place had been exposed. It was too dangerous to stay here. They should move often. Covered their track until they understood what was going on and what kind of place this was.

After a hasty and simple breakfast, the team started moving. There was a 3-meter-wide stream near the campsite. This was worth exploring. They hoped this river wouldn't end up in a steep canyon like the day before.

The day was sunny. But no one was interested in talking about the weather. The silence of the forest made the situation even more tense. Ran counted the number of bullets he had. This was a large caliber rifle but the ammunition was very limited. He had to be wise in using it.

It would only be used in the utmost emergency.

Suddenly, that emergency moment came about. The ground suddenly shook violently. An earthquake! Rabat fell backwards. Bumping hard against Ben who staggered and fell.

Everyone lay down on the ground. The earthquake was strong. Luckily the big trees around them remained standing. But still. The rumbling sound of the clashing canopy was gut wrenching.

The earthquake stopped as fast as it started. Rabat, the geologist, grabbed the binoculars on Ran's shoulder. Something crossed his mind. Rabat quickly climbed a nearby tall tree with many branches. Up above, Rabat looked around with the high-resolution binoculars.

The other waited down below. They knew Rabat had more than adequate knowledge of the earth and rocks. He must had figured something out. They were waiting for his analysis of what had happened.

Once he climbed down from the tree, Rabat shook his head. He knew what was going on.

"Guys, it wasn't an earthquake. There were no signs of volcanic or tectonic activity. That was a local ground movement. I have no idea what it was, but it was definitely not due to earth activity."

Tet added, "I agree with Rabat. If it was an earthquake, at least one or two trees must have fallen. Look! Even that big, dead tree didn't fall or break."

Everyone nodded. Then, what was that? They were deep in their thoughts.

While their minds were occupied, they finally saw what had caused the violent shaking. It caused the ground to crack. They could see a long hole not far from where they were. What shocked them was not the hole, but the thing inside it.

Shimmering foreign objects splattered in the hole. Tet was the first to run over to check. As a biologist, he could guess what they were. To be sure, he took one and carried it with him.

"You know what this is?" Tet asked while holding up the pentagon shaped object in his hand.

Everyone moved in closer to examine the object. Some said shields, others thought they were the pieces from the plane wall, or some kind of precious metal.

Tet, who was still shocked by the discovery, threw the object to the ground.

"It's a scale! The huge scales of a giant beast. Maybe some species of snake. Anaconda!"

The rest were shocked. Holy shit! Such large scales must belong to a giant snake! Ran flicked the rifle's safety ready to shoot. Even though he knew it was pointless.

"We've got to hurry. The giant snake must be close. The river flows in the opposite direction. Let's go!" Ran instructed.

Without arguing, everyone rushed to leave the place. No one wanted to be the giant snake's dinner.

-----

After scurrying for half a day, the river suddenly disappeared! Ben tried to investigate. It turned out that the river flowed into the ground at the foot of a tall hill in front of them.

They took a deep breath. Their struggle was far from over. The hill must be climbed. It wasn't too high. Rabat said the river would come out at the foot of the hill on the other side. And they were very tired. Hufffttt.

While others suggested that they rest, Ran insisted on moving along. He sensed that the other side of the hill would be much safer because it wasn't in the same landscape as the giant snake.

The ascent began. The hill was not too high, but because the expedition team had lost more than half of their energy. They moved much slower than they did on a flat terrain.

"Ouch.... watch out, guys! There's a lot of thorns here!" Cindy shouted to warn her friends. Her arms were pierced by the little thorns several times.

So, they decided to wear long-sleeved clothing to prevent the sharp thorns. It wasn't comfortable.

It was the right decision, though. Not long after, they heard Cindy's scream. This time it was not a warning. Cindy had fallen unconscious.

Ran, who was walking behind, rushed forward to check on Cindy. The woman's body and face were turning blue rapidly. Ran immediately injected a universal anti-venom serum into Cindy's body. An anti-venom serum was a standard medical equipment for an expedition team like theirs.

Ran had a hunch that Cindy was poisoned. He was sure it was the small thorns' poison from the shrubs that were all over the hill.

They couldn't possibly stop at the ridge. It wasn't a safe place to camp, because there were too many poisonous thorny shrubs. They moved forward with Ben and Rabat were carrying Cindy on a stretcher.

The climb got slower with Cindy's injury. It wasn't until the sun fell completely on the horizon that they reached the top of the hill. Ran, who arrived first, immediately checked the surrounding. The twilight provided an amazing view!

From where they were standing, they could see a clear field suitable for camping. Further away they saw a huge body of water. Could that be an ocean? That was amazing! A beach must be nearby and there could be settlements with means of communication. They could contact the university for evacuation.

Ran hesitated. Then he narrowed his eyes to confirm. There was a faint black shadow on the edge of the water. It was too far for him to recognize what it was. But it seemed like an edge. He called Ben for a second opinion. He asked Ben to use the binoculars.

"Check that out! Is that a sea or a lake, Ben?"

Ben did what was asked. And Ben couldn't be sure either. Since the light was starting to disappear. Ran looked around. He was considering whether they should camp at the top of this hill or descend into the clearing below. Ran checked Cindy's condition once again. She seemed to be getting better. Her breathing was regular even though she was not awake yet. The blue color on her face and body had completely disappeared. Ran breathed a sigh of relief.

One last check on pulses and eyes. Cindy's pulse was beating fast! Way above the normal rate! Ran started to worry. It was weird. Regular breathing patterns should be followed by a regular pulse. Ran opened Cindy's closed eyes. Ran almost jumped back! Cindy's eyes were creepy too, they were all black!

A decision was made. Cindy's abnormal condition required a proper place for examination. And water! They needed enough water for an emergency like this. Their water supply was just enough for the night. But not for all kinds of examinations.

Exhausted, the group descended from the hill. In the dark and only dimly lit by flashlights and storm lamps, the trip down took almost 3 hours.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the clearing as it turned out to be a good camping site. Protected by a circle of hills. And in front of them was an ocean.

Ran asked the team members to focus fully on Cindy's treatments. Ran didn't know exactly whether Cindy's condition was life-threatening or not. Physically she seemed fine especially after checking Cindy's pulse, which was normal.

What really puzzling was her eyes! The entire pupil was still black. No changes at all. At least tonight they had to keep Cindy warm. The fire should stay on. They needed to observe Cindy throughout the night.

The night did pass with no incident at all. Team members took turns to take guard against any danger while monitoring Cindy's condition. There was only one thing that didn't make sense. The ocean rumbled incessantly. But there was no hurricanes or tornadoes. They kept their questions in their minds hoping for reasonable explanation tomorrow.

----

Ran, who got the last shift, looked at the humongous body of water in front of him without blinking. Morning had come. Cindy was fine. Although Ran couldn't confirm whether her eyes had returned to normal or not. She was still asleep. Or rather she had not regained her consciousness yet.

That body of water was not an ocean! What he was witnessing was an unbelievably large river. And this giant river was raging!

----