5. Lava-Filled Beach
For a moment everyone was silence. The five expedition team members held their breath hearing a growling sound in the distance. Low but threatening. A bird similar to vulture but ten times larger was tearing the flesh of a floundering bird. The ostrich-sized bird was being slaughtered.
The vulture-like bird was not alone. There were more of them doing the same as the first bird separately. The field of bones was their banquet.
Cindy gasped when she heard the sound of large bird flapping in the air that seemed to be heading toward her. Then, wham! A large bull carcass was dropped not far from them. Everyone ducked. Hiding amongst dense bushes. They were sure that whatever dropped the carcass would follow.
Whoooossssh. Sure enough, a large bird resembling a vulture landed right on top of the bull's carcass. The bird tore apart the tough flesh so easily with its sharp beak.
The bird didn't seem to notice that several pairs of eyes were watching it with pounding hearts.
It was too close! Ran was nervous. He motioned to his team to move away.
Too late! The giant bird croaked loudly as it walked towards them. Everyone's faces were pale. Ran was carrying a rifle. But they all doubted whether it was useful for such a large bird.
Ran cocked the rifle and aimed it at the giant bird's head. There was no easy prey, Ran told himself. The bird deliberately walked slowly toward their hiding place. Like a hunter playing with its prey. Everyone was silent and tense.
Suddenly there were waves of strong wind gush. From the sky, similar birds plunged into their direction. The bird went straight to the bull's carcass on the ground.
The bird that was prowling toward the expedition team was distracted. It turned around and leapt at several birds that were feasting on a carcass. A fight was inevitable. The birds attacked each other using claws and beaks. The sound of creaking and flapping of wings sent dust and sand flying in the air. It was a ferocious sight.
This was an opportunity! Cindy signaled her friends to follow. After turning away from the battle arena, Cindy walked quickly into the field of bones. Her friends followed behind. Without asking or talking much.
----
Half running, the five people crossed the field. Everyone trusted Cindy to lead them on the right direction. Keeping their distance away from the big birds that were busy eating. Their escape route was winding erratically.
The field was large. With the time they spent scurrying along, they had not yet traveled half the distance. Out of exhaustion, despite the adrenaline rush, Cindy finally stopped. She was not tired. But her teammate seemed out of breath.
They stopped in the middle of the field. A large rock protected them from the scorching heat. Ran hesitated. Behind the big rock, he saw a hole big enough for humans to enter. He remembered the big snake that Tet told him about.
Cindy assured Ran that there was no suspicious sound in the hole. She didn't know what hole it was, but it was clear that the hole was empty. Ran believed her. The others believed her too but anyone could see the despair in their eyes. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
----
After feeling rested enough, Ran ordered the team to continue. They still had a long way to go and they didn't know what awaited ahead.
Just when they were about to take the first steps, Cindy suddenly put a finger to her mouth. Everyone held their breath. What now? Cindy pointed toward a direction.
In the distance, some small shadows were seen running fast towards them. Meanwhile in the sky the big birds were gliding, chasing the shadows. As they approached, the team realized that what was running towards them was a herd of rabbits the size of sheepdogs. Ran and his teammates did not know what to do. Were those rabbits dangerous too?
Instinctively, Cindy led her friends into the hole in front of them. It was clear that the rabbits were fleeing towards this hole. Not towards them. The human-sized hole was quite wide inside. Even if they had to jostle with the rabbits, it wouldn't be a problem.
Once the five of them were in the hole. The swarm of big rabbits came in. Three of the rabbits were in. The last rabbit let out a loud scream after its body was grabbed by the giant bird and carried into the air.
---
It was an unsettling sight. The three rabbits crouched in the corner of the hole. Meanwhile, the humans in front of them looked stunned at their sizes. Rabbits the size of sheepdogs were surprisingly odd if not creepy.
But it did not last long. After hearing what was going on outside the hole, Cindy decided they should leave immediately. While those birds were eating.
The expedition team scurried, leaving the hole. Tet forgot about his intention to take a picture of the giant rabbits because he was preoccupied with fear.
From a distance, Cindy's sharp eyes could see the ocean waves crashing. The girl who moved as agile as a cat accelerated her pace. Not realizing that her friends were all struggling to keep up with her.
It was not without reason. Something was chasing them! Cindy couldn't see what it was. Not the birds. Her intuition told her that it was something as dangerous. Cindy deliberately didn't warn her teammates so they wouldn't panic. Panic would tire them even more. The beach was in sight.
And here they were! But it wasn't a joy that waited for them. The beach was blocked by something else. A river 10-meter wide. Hot steaming river. That was a river of lava! Dear God!
----