Earthman Jack vs. The Ghost Planet (29 page)

“Grohm not weak,” Grohm replied.

“So it’s even weak to feel good?” asked Jack.

“Emotions are bad,” said Grohm.  “Emotions cloud judgment. 
Emotions allow mistakes.  Emotions lead to death.  Only strength is good.  Only
strong survive.”

“So what’s it mean to be strong?” Jack asked.

“It means you kill,” chimed in Rodham, who’d been
eavesdropping in on the conversation.  “That’s what Rognok’s do, kid.  They
fight and they kill.  To them, being strong just means you’re the last one
standing.”

Jack glanced up at Grohm, who made no attempt to reply to
Rodham.  The large alien lumbered onward in silence, but to Jack, it seemed as
though he were walking heavier than he had been before, almost like he really
was feeling sad, and his words were more for his own benefit than they were for
Jack’s.  In Jack’s mind, how could one NOT feel sad, or angry, or scared after
losing his entire planet?  Even Rognoks had to have friends and family, didn’t
they?

“Tell you what, big guy,” said Jack.  “You be strong.  I’ll
be sad enough for the both of us.”

Grohm glanced down at Jack again, and this time Jack thought
he caught a faint glimmer of surprise on the Rognok’s face.  But Grohm said
nothing and continued to lead the large convoy through the darkness of the Pit
with Jack by his side.  For some reason, one that Jack couldn’t quite explain,
he felt like he and the hulking alien had bonded somehow.  Of course, that
could have been wishful thinking as far as Jack was concerned.  It was hard to
tell what, if anything, Grohm felt.

The convoy marched onward, stopping sporadically either for
short breaks or because of a sound that may have heralded a possible attack. 
The terrain was getting harder to traverse the farther they went, with jagged
and sharp rocks jutting up from uneven ground, which only served to slow their
journey.  And though Jack knew where he had to go, his mental map was pretty
fuzzy about the details.  More often than not, the group found itself having to
march around obstacles, such as rock outcroppings or other debris, which made
their route to the exit even longer than it already was.

But despite all the twists and turns their journey took,
they still moved forward toward their destination… until they came to what
appeared to be a complete dead end.

Jack looked at the massive wall of rock in front of them
confused.  He knew the exit was just a little farther, but it was obvious there
was no way around the barrier that loomed before him.  He was still pondering
his mental map when Ganix approached.

“I’ve asked Scallywag and Faruuz to backtrack and scout for
an alternate route,” the Major said.  “Are you sure we’re going in the right
direction?”

“Yeah,” said Jack.  “I’m positive it’s this way.”

“But you weren’t sure about the solid wall of rock blocking
the path?” grumbled Rodham.

“Okay, so the details are a little fuzzy.  Give me a break,”
said Jack.  “The next time we gotta get out of a Death Cave, you can be the one
with the psychic map.”

Rodham grimaced at Jack as Scallywag came running up to the
group.

“That didn’t take long,” commented Ganix.

“We found another way around,” said Scallywag.  “But I don’t
think yer gonna like it, mate.”

Ganix’s face darkened.  “Lead the way,” he said.

Jack, Ganix, and Rodham followed Scallywag as he moved back
through the convoy and through a few narrow rock ways until they reached a hill
that sloped sharply upward. Faruuz was perched at the top, lying with his belly
flat against the ground, peering up over the crest of the hill as a ghostly
white light emanated from behind it.

The group cautiously climbed up the uneven slope, making
sure to avoid falling backward and possibly breaking their necks.  After what
seemed like a rather arduous (but short) climb, Jack reached the top and peeked
his head over the hill.  What he saw made his breath catch in his throat and
his heart freeze in his chest.

The Pit’s pillar of light swirled chaotically, more
haunting, turbulent, and massive than anything he’d ever seen before – like the
ghost of the most destructive tornado imaginable.  It was miles away, but it was
closer than it had ever appeared before.  Surrounding the pillar, and
stretching out for miles around it – as far as its illumination would allow –
was a sea of zombies.

Jack watched the zombies as they all stood, huddled together
like the crowd of a massive concert packed into a stadium that was too small to
contain it.  The zombies swayed as they attempted to move, causing the entire
group to appear as though they were merely tiny waves in a vast ocean.

Some of the zombies moaned, some howled, and some screamed –
their voices mixing and mingling as they erupted into the air and reverberated
off the black stone walls.

Occasionally fights would break out but were quickly settled
by one zombie tearing the other one to bits.  Sporadically, ghostly entities
would rise out of the crowd and float toward the pillar of light, signaling yet
another zombie death.

Jack peered further over the edge, his eyes following the
ocean of zombies downward.  He was high up, peeking out from an opening in the
cave wall, and could see that the zombies even came up to its base at the
ground below.  They were mixes of various beings he’d never seen before, and
they all had cloudy white eyes and black bile seeping from their mouths.  Those
who had hair looked mangy and matted.  Some had their skin torn and bloodied. 
And the smell of rot and decay was powerful enough to reach Jack, even as high
up as he was.

“Great Observer,” breathed Ganix as he looked out over the
same ocean of terror Jack did.  Jack glanced at the Major and saw him wide-eyed
with concern.  Even Rodham, who usually showed no expression outside of “grumpy,”
looked taken aback.

“There must be millions of them,” complained Rodham.

“I’d estimate approximately 600,000, to be more accurate,”
came a voice.

The group turned to see Heckubus there, looking out over the
hill with them.

“Where the blazes did you come from?” grumbled Scallywag.

“I’m quite an excellent lurker,” replied the robot. 
“Regardless, I’ve been taking various survey measurements on our travels, and
it would appear we are closer to that pillar of energy than we ever have been
before.  It would make sense that those who have succumbed to zombification
would be attracted to it.”

“Like moths to a flame,” said Ganix.

“Precisely,” replied Heckubus.

“But, how are there so many?” asked Rodham.  “I mean,
they’ve got how many ships in their fleet?  Hundreds?  If each one has a Pit
like this, how could there be so many people missing and no one knows about
it?”

“Either they are extremely efficient at abducting their
victims,” said Heckubus, “or they’ve been doing this a very, very long time.”

“I don’t even recognize half these species,” said Ganix.

“Maybe the Deathlords have been on a rampage longer than we
thought,” said Scallywag.  “Other systems, other galaxies beyond known space…
who knows how many planets the buggers sacked before gettin’ to our little neck
o’ the universe.”

“All the more reason to get out of here,” said Ganix.  “You
said you found a way around?”

“Eyes to the left,” said Scallywag, pointing the way.  Jack
looked over and saw a small ledge winding around the side of the cave wall.  It
looked to be about three feet in width and traveled into the distance until it
curved out of sight from their position.

“You gotta be kittening me,” sneered Rodham.

“That’s wha’ I said,” grumbled Faruuz.

“That ain’t the worst o’ it,” said Scallywag.  “As far as I
can tell, there ain’t no way of knowing what’s over there.  Could be another
dead end.”

“It’s not,” replied Jack.  “That’s where the exit is.”

The group looked at Jack in unison.  “You sure?” asked Ganix,
a glimmer of hope in his voice.

“Well…” said Jack checking his mental map again.  “When I
say that’s where the exit is, that’s not
exactly
what I mean…”

“Out with it, lad,” said Scallywag.

“You see that area up there about mid-way through the ledge?”
asked Jack.

The group looked over to the narrow path’s mid-point where it
wound its way across the cave wall.  Sure enough, as their eyes followed it
upward, there appeared to be a recess high above it where the rock almost
completely receded.

“Yeah,
that’s
where the exit is,” said Jack.

“Up there?” whined Faruuz.

“How are we supposed to get all the way up there?” asked
Rodham.  “That’s a sheer vertical wall.”

“We’ll have to climb,” said Ganix.

“Without rope or equipment?” responded Rodham.  “That’s
suicide.”

“If you have another suggestion, Sergeant, I am open to
hearing it,” replied Ganix.  That shut Rodham up rather quickly.

“That’s gonna be a difficult climb,” said Scallywag.

“You have no concept of how true that statement actually is,
you middling jackenape,” said Heckubus.  “Need I remind anyone of the danger
below us?”

“We get it; we’ll fall into a sea of zombies,” said
Scallywag.  “Thanks for pointing out the obvious.”

“No, nitwit,” replied the robot.  “Obviously you are
unfamiliar with the herd mentality of base life-forms into which these zombies
have appeared to devolve.”

“And I’m sure yer gonna enlighten me,” said Scallywag,
rolling his eyes.

“We’ve seen the aggression small groups of these zombies
have,” said Heckubus.  “It is because something attracts one of them.  But if
they were truly mindless, why would they form groups?  It’s obvious that in
their stupor, they’ve become a herd, much like farm animals you organics are so
fond of keeping around for food.  When one acts, it will attract another to
perform the same action, which will in turn attract another, and so on, and so
on…”

“So what?” sighed Scallywag.  “What are they gonna do from
all the way down there?”

“Climb, you fool,” said Heckubus, exasperated.  “Their
aggression will spur them to pursue us.  And if one does it, another will do
it.  And another, and another…”

“Until we’ve got 600,000 zombies on our tail,” grimaced Ganix.

“Exactly,” said Heckubus.  “Any rock that falls, any noise
that might attract their attention, and any bodies that happen to land on them
could spur a full-on zombie stampede right up the cave wall.”

Zombie stampede
, Jack thought.  In any other
circumstance, that would have sounded awesome.

“So if the zombies figure out we’re up here, they’ll come
get us,” grumbled Rodham.  “Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any
better.”

“Enough,” said Ganix.  “We get the men, we get to climbing,
and we make sure no one attracts their attention.”

“And if we do?” asked Heckubus.

“We die advancing,” said Scallywag.  “Am I right, Major?”

Ganix looked at Scallywag and smiled.  “That’s the idea,” he
responded.

“Famous last words,” muttered Faruuz.  “How inspiring. 
Anyone wanna tell me how I’m supposed ta climb with me arm all bloody tore up?”

“Carefully?” chirped Jack.

“Shut it, you,” snapped Faruuz.

“I’ll help you, ya bloody browner,” said Scallywag.  “Just
stay close and try not to whine like a sodding female, savvy?”

The group worked its way back down to the rest of the
convoy, which was eagerly awaiting news.  After Ganix explained the situation,
though, the group was understandably far less excited than they had been
before.

In preparation for the impending climb, the group shed any
non-essentials they had with them in an effort to lighten the load each man had
to carry.  In the end, the only thing most opted to take were their weapons and
whatever ammunition they had left.  Even the little food and water they had was
left behind, only further enforcing the notion that now, it was all-or-nothing
for the group.  Either they got out, or they died trying.

Everyone was paired up with a climbing partner to ensure
some measure of safety.  Ganix and Rodham would go first, with Grohm being the
last one to make the trek up the cave wall.  The Rognok was so big, nobody
wanted to be beneath him if he were to fall during the ascent.

Jack found himself paired up with Yeoman Porter.  One by
one, the group shimmied up the steep hill and onto the narrow ledge that wound
around the wall.  Once under the recess, the teams began climbing.

Luckily, the cave wall wasn’t completely vertical.  It had a
slight tilt to it, and the uneven surface marked with various outcroppings and
holes, furnished more than enough things to grab onto for climbing freehand.

Each group waited to start climbing until the group before
it had a head start of at least ten feet.  Ganix and Rodham must have been almost
halfway up the wall by the time Jack’s turn was nearing

Scallywag and Faruuz reached the staging point for the
climb.  Scallywag took out a bundle of leather straps he had tied together and
began looping it around Faruuz’s waist.

“Wha’s this now?” asked Faruuz.

“A harness, ya git,” responded Scallywag.  “Made from what’s
left of me favorite bloody vest.  It’s only about 8 feet long, so don’t stray
too far.”

“Looks more like a flimsy bunch o’ leather tied together to
me,” muttered Faruuz.

“Whatever, it’ll keep ya from falling to yer death.”

“More likely it’ll just take ya with me if I fall.”

“Then don’t fall,” snarked Scallywag.

“Why ya doin’ this?” asked Faruuz.  “Why ya stickin’ yer
neck out for me?”

“Told ya, I was here to make amends,” replied Scallywag.

Faruuz’s eyes narrowed.  “Since when did ya ever give two
toots ‘bout anyone but yerself, Scally?”

Scallywag looked Faruuz in the eyes sternly.  “Ya want the
soddin’ safety strap or not?”