Activity

Klein flinched as several of the men left for the back of the cave. One was missing. Instinctively, he wanted to help but this could be a trap. Someone had to be rearguard. And the temperature was dropping. Slipping up to the entrance of the cave, Klein looked out. Clouds had gathered and covered the sky. A flash of lighting burst in the cloud but the thunder was muffled. It was strange but this whole place had proven to be.

Looking down, Klein searched the nearby jungle. There was a dead tree down with vines beginning to grow over it. He didn’t see any beasts. Finding a shallow alcove in the cave wall, Klein stood with his back to it. Hissing, his suit unlocked and opened. While it was surge protected, a hit from lightning would still fry it. Stepping free of the armor, Klein stood in his green jumpsuit. It had been cleaned of all national and military insignia. If he died and his body couldn’t be recovered, there would be no legal ties to the United States.

Detaching the shotgun from his carbine, Klein crouched by the entrance. With a final check, he sprinted to the fallen tree. Keeping low, he ripped several large branches off with loud cracks. Scooping the wood under his arm, he brought them to the cave. Creeping back out to the tree, Klein gathered more. By now the temperature was clearly dropping. His breath was turning into fog. Flakes of snow began to fall. And, as if to continue to oddity of this land, thunder.

Grabbing a last load, Klein slipped back into the cave. Suddenly turning, he checked again for beasts. Nothing was seen to arouse suspicion. What wood they had would have to do for now. The cave roof sloped upward so smoke would escape. It was a risk but freezing temperatures were just as bad.

Hopping back into his armor, Klein brought the firewood back to the campsite. Misu and company had returned. Qatar looked like he lost a battle with a fire hydrant. Whittling on a branch, Klein gathered the shavings into a pile. Lighting them, he slowly fed the flames with increasingly large pieces of wood.