Normally he wouldn’t smile at something as natural as a sleeping woman but she brought out the best in him. Even when he wasn’t smiling on the outside he was enlightened. What had happened to him? He hadn’t found a woman he’d be willing to give his career up for, yet he was ditching the career plus his life for Ivy. He’d have to remember to send a letter home to his sister and instruct her to clear his apartment of all possessions. Hopping from mission to mission, he rarely spent time there anyway. He wasted a lot of money on rent when all he needed was a storage shed.
He closed the flap and headed to the forest. Two tribesmen, Horge and Muck, remained on guard near the edge of the adjacent meadow. Vulcan was already positioned on a knee beside the aliens’ bodies. They lay between two evergreens. Well, their bodies did. Their heads sat side by side on display on two tree stumps. Leave it to Zypher to decapitate them and set up an exhibit.
Bronto shook his head. How were he and Vulcan supposed to transport them to the fire pit without drenching themselves in blood? Damn. It was splattered everywhere. He’d rather pick up and dispose of alien pieces than the bodies from fallen comrades any day. They’d previously lost two men from their unit during the prior invasion and there wasn’t anything easy about cremating them. If the shuttle had ample room for airtight containers they could’ve sent the bodies home. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. The government contracts stipulated cremation upon a member’s demise. How could a man watch a friend burn to ashes without suffering any long-term effects?
Again he shook his head. “Well, Vulcan, what do you suggest we do?”
Vulcan pushed himself to his feet. “Grab the heads. I’ll drag the bodies. They’re skinny enough to pull at the same time.”
“Fabulous idea.” What a disturbing vision. “You don’t think it’ll upset the women to see this?”
“Do you have any other suggestions? They’ve been exposed to worse.”
True. It couldn’t get any worse than when they’d watched the T-Rex bite a man in half. Maybe he and Vulcan could dump the species into the flames before any of the females surfaced and saw the decapitated bodies. Since Ivy still slept that was one fewer female he needed to worry about. “Okay. Let’s do it,” Bronto said as he grabbed two fists full of alien hair and trudged into the yard. There was definitely something barbaric in carrying two detached heads at his sides as if they were lunchboxes. The next time Zypher decided to play ninja he was cleaning up his own mess.
There wasn’t much Bronto hadn’t done or been exposed to on this planet but this took things to an extreme.
He made it to the fire pit before any women arrived in the vicinity and he tossed the heads into the flame. It puffed and flickered as if he’d thrown in explosive chemicals. That wasn’t good. He must not have paid attention earlier when they’d fed the other alien to the fire. He only remembered the green smoke, which again billowed into the air. What the hell were the things made of?
He removed one of the burdens Vulcan struggled to drag and dumped it into the flame as well. The smoke thickened and stunk like mildew. He covered his nose with his forearm and stepped back while Vulcan added the second body. Hopefully the corpses would burn quickly before the stench overwhelmed the camp. At least the huts were far enough away that the smog wouldn’t filter inside. Too, the air was pretty stagnant so chances were it wouldn’t carry far.
It didn’t take long for the bodies to turn to ashes. Vulcan grabbed the fire stick and mixed them with leftover soot. “Ready? I’ll grab a few tools from the weapons shelter and meet you back there,” Vulcan said, jabbing the stick into the ground.
Bronto nodded and headed toward his hut. After making sure Ivy remained sleeping, he walked into the forest. He could’ve nudged her awake to let her know he’d be close by but she’d hear them chopping trees.
Zypher stood against a conifer, his arms crossed at his chest and an ax resting against the outside of his leg. Tyran was bent down, lifting fern leaves.
“What are you looking for, Tyran?” Bronto asked.
“The remaining diplodocus juveniles. Vulcan found two earlier so two are still missing.”
“If they’re in here someplace they’ll come out when the trees drop.”
“Unless they’ve been captured by the aliens,” Zypher added. “They don’t move fast enough to get away.”
Tyran nodded in agreement. “That’s what I’m afraid of. If we don’t prevent the species from adding dinosaur chromosomes to their DNA equation soon, we’re fucked.”
Zypher grinned. “My my, Tyran, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you use such strong language.”
“Only in desperation,” Tyran said. “I guess I’m feeling the pressure.”
“Well, how about you feel the back end of an ax and start whacking down some trees?” Bronto said, changing the subject.
Tyran took the only ax available, the one resting against Zypher’s knee, and walked deeper into the forest. Zypher’s brows rose as he looked between Tyran’s back and Bronto. “Does your lady obey you as willingly?” Zypher chuckled. “What’s your secret?”
Bronto laughed. “It must be my charm.”