Ivy gulped as all four men dashed to Rocko’s aid. “Don’t hurt her, Grunt,” Rocko said calmly. “She’s with child.”
“Don’t hurt her, Grunt,” Grunt mocked. “She’s with child.”
Ivy’s heart stopped. She spun around to run to her mother but Wisteria already had Nodda by the hand and was running to Ivy.
“Rocko, it’s not Grunt,” Vulcan said. “Be careful,” he warned, unsheathing his blade. “It’s a mutant.”
Bronto removed his blade as well. “They’ve turned aggressive.”
“I guess it proves,” Zypher added, “the aliens haven’t left Helixis.”
Wisteria gasped.
Ivy embraced her mom. “Momma, you need to see this. Do you remember when me and Wisty told you about mutants the night we ran away?”
She nodded. “I do.”
“Well, that man isn’t human. He’s been turned into a mutant. See the scales on his legs?”
Again she nodded.
Wisteria placed a hand on her mom’s shoulder. “He was captured and killed for an experiment,” Wisteria explained. “By the aliens. They depleted this man of his blood to mix with dinosaur blood. Just like they did to Boar and Father.”
Ivy held her breath, bracing herself for her mother’s outburst. Instead Nodda stepped from Ivy’s embrace. “M-my husband and son are…are dead?”
Wisteria’s gaze softened. “Yes, Momma.”
Nodda fell to her knees. She reached up and squeezed Ivy’s hand.
Just then the mutant exposed its sharp teeth like an animal and leaned forward to bite Jade’s neck. Rocko lunged and punched it in the face. Its head sprang backward then forward.
It then spun Jade around and kicked her in the belly, shoving her into Rocko. She screamed and fell to her knees, clutching her tummy. Rocko lifted her into his arms and ran toward the fire, removing her from the immediate threat.
Ivy’s knees wobbled. She swooned into her sister.
Vulcan swung his blade and cut the mutant’s head off. Green liquid squirted into the air, splattering the men. A stream trailed along the ground where the skull rolled and landed.
Wisteria gasped, Ivy clamped a hand over her mouth and Nodda’s eyes bulged in horror.
“Zypher, take the women to safety. I don’t know what this thing is going to do,” Vulcan instructed. “It’s acting differently than the others.” He moved cautiously, not removing his gaze from the mutant as he knelt beside it and stabbed it in the heart.
Fluid gushed over its chest, pooling near its stomach.
Vulcan glanced over his shoulder. “Bronto,” he said, lifting the mutant’s arms, “grab its legs.”
The instant Bronto clutched its ankles it kicked its feet and its body writhed. “Hurry up, Chieftain,” Bronto urged while struggling to hold on. “This thing is refusing to die.”
They charged past the women and threw the body into the fire. It burst into flames. Puffs of green smoke floated away in the breeze and faded in the distance.
Her mom squeezed Ivy’s hand. “Mercy on his soul,” she whimpered.
Bronto shook his head and stepped back so as not to inhale the rancid smoke. Those damn things were going to be the death of him. He glanced at Ivy, who stood frozen near her sister and mother. All three women appeared scared to death.
It was too soon for Ivy to witness a mutant after her abduction. Jesus, it was too soon for anyone. He still hadn’t recovered emotionally from how close he’d been to losing her. Then to hope she was nearly back to normal only to discover the gouges across her belly flaming with an infection. Thank God for Jade because he doubted he could have cut Ivy to lance the wound. Sure, he’d played doctor numerous times on previous missions but to intentionally inflict pain on her was out of the question. Right. He would’ve done it if he had no choice. It might’ve killed him but to save her he would’ve done anything.
Now, here the bastard aliens appeared to be starting all over.
He ran a hand through his hair and his fingers slid through something wet. He looked at the green slime strung between his fingers then wiped it off on his loincloth. The contamination level around this place had to be at an ultimate high. Well, on him anyway. He didn’t know if the slimy liquid was infested with worms or gnats or some type of flesh-eating organisms. He needed to get rid of it before it absorbed into his blood and he turned into some kind of alien, mutant, monster species.
“Ivy, I’m going to the lake to clean up,” he said.
“I’m coming with you. And my mom too. The walk will do her good.”
“Will you be all right?” he asked, referring to her wound without actually disclosing its existence to Nodda.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Come on, Momma,” she said, urging her mother to her feet.
The woman appeared extremely distressed and her legs wobbled as she took a stance. Her entire body trembled. Bronto lunged to help steady her if the need arose. “Are you sure she feels up to it?”
“I don’t know,” Ivy replied. “She’s awfully weak.”
“She can stay here with me, Ivy,” Wisteria said, taking hold of Nodda’s hands.