Uhhg. What...what happened.

Ward slowly opened his eyes. His whole body submerged in pain with the shoulder and leg being the epicentre. As his eyes gained their focus the picture seemed familiar, a few moments later he realized that it was the deployment chamber’s ceiling, or what's left of it. Massive holes in the chamber allowed sunlight to light a few areas, leaving the rest of the chamber dimly lit. Equipment, vehicles and dead bodies are all scattered around, no alive soul seem to be present.

As his conscious began coming back to him so did the pain, getting worse and worse as seconds past. His heart beating rapid while his breathing is fast and heavy. Ward’s body is no different, shaking and shivering due to the shock and terror going through his mind.

To avoid extra pain and discomfort, Ward decided to lay still and only move his head to inspect his body for any wounds. The first place he decided to look was at his right shoulder, as that is the place where most of the pain is amplified. He turned his head right, allowing the eyes to see what was causing this pain. A large steel rod can be seen pierced through his shoulder. The only way to get his shoulder out would be to lift his body as the rod is attached to the ground.

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck” Ward quickly spat with trembling voice. His mind panicking even more while his body began shuddering. He looked over to his legs and realized that his left leg is crushed and stuck below a heavy steel bar, immobilizing a lower part of his body.

He placed his left hand on his forehead and closed his eyes

“Okay calm down. Think. Think”

“…"

“Med kit!”

Ward quickly began looking for the med kit that was part of his equipment. He swiftly turned his head around resulting in an unbelievable amount of pain as his injured shoulder moved a few millimetres to the left.

“ARGGH!” He screamed in pain only for the sound to echo back into his eardrums. His eyes began watering while his teeth nearly bit out his own tongue.

A few seconds later Ward carried on looking for the med kit, only for him to find it right next to his injured shoulder. With better visual inspection Ward saw a wire still attached to the kit, he then remembered how he attached the wire to his belt in the armoury. Ward grabbed the wire from the belt and began pulling the kit towards him as it was too far to reach by hand.

As soon as the kit was in his possession, he began thoroughly looking through it. Trying to find anything that would ease the pain and help him to get out of this situation. He picked up a red syringe and injected himself with a strong painkiller. This syringe has multiple small needles placed in a circle, making the injection way easier and faster despite Ward’s shaking hands.

Almost suddenly the pain began fading away, his heart rate as well as his breathing have also seemed to improve.

He laid still for half a minute before turning his attention back to the shoulder. After a brief look he diverted his attention to the legs.

I will not be able to get my shoulder out unless my legs are free.

Ward sat still again, thinking about his next move or what to do. He once again looked around, desperately trying his best to find a chance of survival.

I can’t. I can’t move it. I have three days before my body will begin to demand food, I will probably survive for two or three more days and die within a week.

Ward began laughing as the situation amused him.

I have 7 days until I die, enough time to go over all the mistakes in my life. Or try and figure out what to do with the steel beam. Why am I finding this amusing? Is it the drug or did my mind give up?

Ward began laughing louder, echoing the sound throughout the deployment chamber.

Suddenly another voice could be heard on his right

“Ward? Dat you?” A very familiar voice said

Ward quickly turned his head to the right as soon as he heard another voice. It didn’t matter if the voice was familiar or not, knowing the fact that someone else had survived this terrible tragedy greatly reassured him.

As he turned his head to the right, he saw Fraser who is barely able to stand. His suit is withered and damaged while his face has many scratches and small treated wounds. One of Fraser’s hand is holding his stomach where a bandaged wound is located, his body is leaning on one of the flipped vehicles as he is not able to stand properly by himself.

Upon seeing a friendly face, Ward’s mind could not hold the emotions and river of tears began flowing down his cheeks.

Upon seeing Ward, Fraser’s face lit up with joy and relief. He quickly rushed to Ward’s body, avoiding all the obstructions created by the destruction.

Seeing that Fraser made his way to him, Ward began wiping his eyes with his hand. Trying his best to hide the tears.

“tank god yuh alive” Fraser said as he leaned down towards Ward.

Fraser looked at Ward’s shoulder

“Oooh dat a bad one”

“I can’t get it out cause of my leg” Ward pointed at the Steel beam that crushed his leg.

“You need to lift the Steel beam and let my legs go free so I can properly lift my body. With my leg free and your help I will be able to lift my shoulder off this rod.”

“Get it. Yuh tek di painkiller?”

“Yeah, the effect should still last for about thirty minutes. I don’t have any more painkillers so we need to hurry up.”

Fraser nodded and walked to Ward’s legs, he looked at the large Steel beam for a few seconds before proceeding to remove all the small rocks and the rubble that was covering it. After the rubble was cleared Fraser placed his hands on the steel beams end, aiming to lift and rotate the heavy piece of steel. Fraser took in a deep breath and began pulling the steel beam with all his strength. Sweat began dripping on his grubby face while his veins turned more visible due to the pressure put on his arms. The wound on his stomach began bleeding through the bandage, indicating that the wound opened again.

“Ughaaa!” Fraser let out a loud scream as he lifted the steel beam from Ward’s leg. As soon as Ward’s leg was in the clear he dropped it on the metal ground, causing a loud noise to once again echo throughout the chamber.

Fraser stumbled back, nearly losing his conscious. He groaned and put hands over the blood-soaked bandages.

“Fuck dat hurts”

“Treat it, I don’t want you dying here”

“No time fi dat, lets get dat ting outta yuh first”

Fraser barely able to stand walked and kneeled to Ward, putting his hands beneath Wards back, ready to lift him up. Ward on the other hand, pulled his right leg towards him and placed his left hand against the metal floor, ready to push himself up.

“Yuh Ready?”

“Yeah, on my countdown we pull up. The drug is still in effect, so it shouldn’t hurt as much”

“Wait put dis inna yuh mout an bite pan it” Fraser handed Ward a twisted bit of clothing, small enough to fit in Ward’s mouth.

“All right” Ward let out a deep breath as he bit the twisted cloth.

“5”

“4”

“3”

“2”

“1”

On the last number, Ward held his breath and began pulling himself up with as much as he could. Although Ward is relatively lightweight, due to his injuries Fraser still has to put a lot of strength in lifting Ward up.

As Ward’s body rose up the pain and agony once again spread through his body. The coarse surface of the steel rod tore his muscle tissues even more as he was being lifted up. Every bit of movement caused him tremendous amounts of pain nearly knocking him out cold. The wound is now opened even more, causing warm blood to begin spilling onto Fraser’s hands.

Ward screamed as the last bit of steel rod left his weak body, making him lose his conscious. Fraser put the body next to the now blood covered rod and swiftly proceeded to treat Ward’s fatal wound with the advanced medical kit. Fraser grabbed the medical liquid gel and squeezed the whole tube on both sides of the hole. As it made its way through the wound Fraser began bandaging the hole, to try and minimalize the loss of blood as soon as possible.

Although bandaging Ward was difficult Fraser managed to cover the wounds perfectly. He placed one finger under Ward’s neck in hopes of feeling the pulse, however no pulse came.

Almost immediately Fraser began looking through the advanced med kit, trying to find an adrenaline shot that will hopefully make Ward’s heart beat again

“Cum pan, cum pan, weh it deh” Fraser said as his sweaty hands threw away anything that wasn’t what he was looking for.

“Get it!” He shouted as his eyes identified the adrenaline shot.

He swiftly turned his body back to Ward, stripping his chest open of any clothing. He placed his finger on the centre of the chest before moving it a couple of centimetres to the right, where the heart would be located. He positioned the adrenaline shot where his finger was located and pressed it down with his hands and his body. Although the adrenaline shot has a similar design to the painkiller shot, it does not possess many little needles. It instead has one long and thin needle that is able to penetrate many hard surfaces.

As soon as the needle reached Ward’s heart a boost of adrenaline came rushing through. He instantly opened his eyes and regained his conscious, he quickly pulled his body up while his breathing greatly intensified. He swiftly shook his head around, trying to comprehend what happened. Sudden movement also caused the twisted cloth to fall out of his mouth.

“Calm dung, stay still or yuh wound wi open” Fraser said as he sat down on the cold metal floor, as he begun inspecting and treating his own wounds.

“What happened” Ward said as he looked at his bandaged shoulder. The pain is still present but not as nearly as bad as before. His breathing now more stable and calmer.

“Mi treat yuh wounds”

“How?”

“Deep wound gel”

Ward stood still for a second before realizing what Fraser was talking about.

A deep wound gel is an especially designed medical gel that is able to close deep and fatal wounds until they heal or an operation is performed. Not only does the gel connect with skin and muscle tissue, but it also closes the wound preventing bacteria from entering and blood from leaving. In Ward’s case the gel is now healing his wounds left from the steel rod, if it is kept untouched the gel will fully close the wound in 2 to 3 days.

Ward sighted with relief.

He looked at Fraser finishing treating his wounds and then looked at his broken leg

“So what do we do now?”

“Wi investigate di surrounding area an den collect all di resources wi cya find from di spacecraft. Dis planet ave oxygen which a gud sign”

“Oh yeah that’s right, we are breathing fine and are not using our oxygen masks, the gravity here also feels like back on earth. We are in luck”

“Yeah. Yuh cya stand?” Fraser finished up treating his wounds and stood up with help from the nearby metal rods that are sticking out of the ground.

“I don’t think so. My right leg is fine but my left is fucked. Broken bones for sure”

Fraser stood up and approached Ward. He grabbed his arm and placed it around his neck, helping Ward stand up. They both slowly started walking towards the end of the deployment chamber, where a massive door leading to the outside is located.

As they walk through the chamber Ward can see a massive number of dead scouts laying on the floor, few of them have their skull crushed while others are missing limbs and body parts.

“Ow yuh feeling?”

“All right you know. I have a massive hole in my shoulder, my left leg is crushed to bits and nearly everyone I knew is dead. Feeling swell”

“At least yuh still ave sense of huma”

Ward chucked as they walked past another dead body, this time the person’s head has been decapitated.

“Mi wonda ow did dat happen”

Ward turned his head around, studying the body with his eyes for a few more seconds.

I wonder why I don’t feel sick. I have never seen anything like this before, yet I don’t feel like disgust or a need to puke. Is it the drug or is my mind too tired to even realize what I am looking at? Strange.

“Do you think anyone else is alive?”

“Mi fi sure hope suh. Di more people alive di higha fi wi chances of survival”

“Yeah I hope so too”

A few minutes later the two approached a massive metal door. Next to them a keypad is located, the captain has to type in the code to open the gate.

“Ah fuck, what now?”

“Nuh worry mi kno di code”

“How?”

“Cum wi just sey mi been pan di ship lang enuff”

Fraser along Ward approached the keypad, with a couple of pressed numbers and letters the door mechanism began working. A few moments later the massive door began lowering down, letting sunshine and fresh air inside

“If you don’t mind me asking. How long have you been in scouts? You seem to know so much”

“Dis a mi 3rd year inna scouts. Before mi join scouts mi did serving inna di marine division an den transferred afta seeing sum fucked up shit”

“I see, tell me about the marine division some time.”

“Sure bredren”

As soon as the door fully opened a breeze of fresh and warm air hit Ward and Fraser, while the sunlight blinded their eyes. In front of them a massive and green jungle is present. Just like at earth it houses many of the planet’s animals, many different sounds could also be heard coming from the jungle, indicating that it is full of a hostile or peaceful life.

“This is beautiful.

“Yea it is”

Fraser lowered down his body, letting go of Ward and allowing him to sit on the ground.

“All right fos of all wi—”

Suddenly multiple tall humanoids appeared out of the forest, equipped with long inhuman spears and shining gold armor. Their bodies vary in colour of green and grey while their skin looks to be made out of wood and stone. They are speaking in an unknown language that humans cannot understand.

Their anatomy however is very similar to human. They have two arms, two legs and a head. These humanoids in particular can remind one of the human females due to visible mammary glands and higher-pitched voices.

Their armor covers many vital parts on their bodies. The parts that are unprotected are arms, bottom part of legs and a lower half of the stomach. Their weapons are different types of spears that are able to reach anyone within its long range.

“Ok...Now what the fuck are those?” Ward quietly whispered.

“Shut yuh mout an stand still. Nuh show any signs of aggression” Fraser said barely moving his mouth.

Ward and Fraser stood still as the humanoids slowly surrounded them. They all stopped moving in unison, their spears still pointing at Ward and Fraser. Without them even realized short daggers have been put next to Ward’s and Fraser’s throat by two humanoids that flanked them from behind.

Wha? Where did they come from? Ward thought as his body got pushed down onto the floor, causing his wound to buzz from pain.

“Well done sisters” The squad’s captain said

“Tie them up and search that place” She said while pointing at the spacecraft

“If you find survivors report back to me straight away. The rest watch over these two”

Humanoids tied up Fraser and Ward and placed them under one of the jungle trees.

They both began whispering to each other.

“Fraser what the fuck are those things?”

“Ow di fuck should mi know?”

“Well you have been a combat marine, didn’t you encounter this often?”

“No mi fucking neva. Inna all mi years of service mi ave neva encounta aliens dat cya even communicate”

“What should we do then?”

“There nuttin wi cya duh. All wi cya duh sit tight an hope fi di best”

“Fuck”

The humanoids quickly returned from searching the spacecraft.

“No other survivors captain, all except these two died in the crash landing.”

“Perfect. Let’s kill these two and head back to the city”

“Wait!” One of the humanoids shouted.

“Zara?”

“Why don’t we bring the prisoners to the temple in the city?”

“What good would that do?” The captain asked in confusion

“They could be a sacrifice to the gods! Last time that happened was thousands of years ago.” She said in excitement

“...That is...A good idea. Nice thinking Zara”

“We will be able to outrun them”

“An den what? Wi prey inna dat jungle”

“So, we need to get out right—”

“Tap yuh noise one of dem coming here”

A humanoid approached Ward and Fraser, they looked up at her before seeing a blunt weapon fly towards Ward, knocking him out cold.

“No! No! No!” Fraser tried to move back but the mace was too fast. It hit him right in the jaw knocking him out

“Prisoners are ready!”

One of the humanoids picked up Ward and Fraser and began carried them on their backs. They faded into the jungle without a trace

The number of survivors? - 2

End of Chapter 3