Ice-Age Chapters 15 & 16

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ICE-AGE

By Andy Savage

http://www.andysav.free-online.co.uk/savage.htm

 

 

Chapter 15

Dave’s eyes ran southwards down the fresh trail of footprints the three of them had left in the snow less than an hour ago on their way to the insect infested food hole. When he saw what Device was pointing at, he knew that he was soon going to have to fight for his life once more.

Approaching apace towards them, just a couple of hundred or so metres away, were five freakish, evil looking, wolf-skin clad warriors, with red, painted faces and wearing sunglasses with frames made from what appeared to be the bones of human fingers. Each of these raging men carried a different weapon: the fat, bold headed one had a long lance; the grisly, smiling one sported a sling; the short one holding a bow was thin and looked ill, but the huge, nasty brute next to him with the base ball bat looked capable of flattening ten men single handed, and the last one, who was leading them and gave the impression of being in command, held a powerful looking crossbow, loaded with an arrow.

Device hastily unzipped a side pocket of the rucksack on his back and whisked out his gun. He held it tightly with both hands, aiming it straight atthe strangers. Dave braced himself, expecting to hear five brisk, loud bangs at any moment. Instead, the menacing group of men stopped in their tracks and huddled together in a close circle, like they were holding an emergency meeting.

" What are you waiting for, Device? " urged Linda in a panicky voice, " Shoot them! "

" I could, " Device answered bluntly, " But what about those to the north, east and west of us? "

Dave and Linda both turned round in full circle, and saw at least another twenty similar looking men blocking every escape route, all of them armed with spears, bats and bows.

" Sodding hell! " exclaimed Dave, " We’re surrounded! "

" I still say shoot them! " persisted Linda.

" There’s too many of them! " retorted Device.

" But who are they? " asked Dave, " Maybe they’re not as bad as they look? "

" Believe me, they’re bad! " said Device with a grin, " They’re cannibals! "

" Cannibals? " gasped Dave. The thought of it made his stomach turn.

" Then for Christ’s sake shoot the buggers! " yelled Linda, going red in the face.

" One of them’s coming over on his own, look, " observed Dave, nervously clenching his fists, " He’s left his crossbow on the ground. What’s he up to? Is it a trick? "

" Shoot him! " pleaded Linda.

Device was unmoved, " Wait here, " he ordered, slapping the gun into Dave’s tingling hand, " If I die, I advise you use this gun on yourselves, " and with that he set out to meet the man-eater half way.

" I don’t like this at all, Dave, " whispered Linda, " It looks to me like Device personally knows these monsters. "

Dave’s thoughts were all over the place, he did not pay much attention to what Linda had said, " I just can’t see how Device is going to get us out of this one, " he replied.

Linda took hold of the hand in which Dave was gripping the gun, " Look, we’ve got the shooter, let’s slug our way out of here and make a run for it! "

" No! " Dave barked, watching Device getting ever closer to the cannibal leader, " He saved my life. I’m not leaving him for dead now. "

" We’ll all be dead soon unless we do something! If we make our move now, and shoot a couple of them, I bet they wouldn’t bother chasing us, not when they can have Device. He’d do it to us, Dave, without a second thought! "

Dave shook his head. He felt that Device deserved his loyalty, " Look, " he said anxiously, " They’re about to meet up. "

 

Chapter 16

 

Device and the cannibal stood facing each other for several minutes. They seemed to be talking heatedly but were too far away for Dave and Linda to hear. At one point, the cannibal tried to grab Device’s rucksack, and Device forcefully pushed him away. There was more talking, even some shouting. It seemed to be going badly. Then, to Dave’s surprise, the pair laughed and shook hands, before parting company and heading back to their respective parties.

" So are they going to leave us alone? " Dave asked hopefully, as soon as Device returned.

Device’s expressionless face showed no emotion. He licked his lips and swiftly repossessed the gun from Dave’s grasp, " The deal is this, " he said, " They will let me and you go, if we give them her. "

" What? " blustered Dave, protectively putting his arm around Linda.

" There’s absolutely no sodding way I’m going anywhere near those nutters! " Linda said angrily.

" I’d rather fight to the death! " Dave declared.

" And what about Simon? " said Device, " You’re no good to him dead! "

Dave could not believe what was happening. It seemed Linda had been right all along about Device. The man obviously placed little value on human life. Dave was determined that the woman he loved would not be sacrificed, " Under no circumstances is Linda being handed over to a bunch of bloody cannibals! " he growled doggedly.

" There’s no choice, " said Device tersely, " It’s us or her. " He pointed the gun at Linda, " And I’m sorry girl, but it’s you. "

" Have you gone crazy, man? " said Dave, standing in front of Linda to shield her.

" Get out the way, Dave, " said Device, " Simon is only a few hours away. Don’t blow it now. "

" Dave, they’re coming! " shrieked Linda, pointing at the five cannibals, who had started to prowl forward.

" You can either come with us or else shoot us both, " said Dave, who had just made up his mind what to do, " Because me and Linda are going down the food hole! "

" Er.....are we? " said Linda, somewhat unenthusiastically.

" Don’t be a fool! " exclaimed Device, " You know what’s down there! She’s not worth it! "

" We’ll take our chances, " replied Dave, retreating towards the hole, dragging Linda with him, still guarding her, " Now are you coming with us or not? "

Device bared his angry teeth, " You’re going to get us all killed! " he shouted.

Dave did not answer. He felt that he could no longer care about his saviour, and hurried with Linda to the entrance shaft of the daunting hole, snatching a bag off the sled as he did so.

A piercing, hideous howl suddenly erupted from all sides, and the surrounding legions of hungry psychopaths began to hurtle towards them.

" I think it’s dinner time, " grinned Device.

Linda glared at him, " I hate your guts! " she said, and with that she threw herself down the hole. Dave immediately followed her, and then Device rapidly did the same.

The three of them landed in heap at the bottom. Dave helped Linda up, and then emptied the bag he had nabbed, producing a pile of clothes on the floor, including balaklavas and gloves, " These’ll help keep the flies off us, " he said.

" Good thinking! " smiled Linda.

" Let’s get them on, and move, " said Dave, quickly pulling a thick, woollen garment over his head. The bloodcurdling screams of the cannibals were now echoing threateningly down the shaft. " This way, " signalled Dave, leading the others to the opening in the wall, " We have to crawl through here, " he said, sliding into the tunnel.

" And get bitten to death by flies! " Device said scathingly.

" You shut your stupid bastard face! " retorted Linda, before following Dave.

There was a ripping, thundering din as the first of the cannibals came crashing down the shaft into the food hole.

" Come on, come on, Linda, move! " insisted Device urgently, " They’re coming down after us! "

Dave darted to the other end of the tunnel and plunged into the deadly icicle room, landing on the spot where he had been sick, though not much was left of it now, save for a few fat maggots. Almost instantly, a dark host of insects appeared high above him. He bounced up and pulled Linda through the gap to join him, " Quick, Device! Come on! " he called.

Device clawed his way through to the others with the face of a fox being hunted by a pack of hounds. No sooner had his knees crunched the bony fingers in the icy floor when the first of the wrathful cannibals, the fat, bold one with the spear, crawled into the tunnel behind him, spitting and cursing as he lumbered after his prey.

" They can only get through one at a time, " said Dave.

Device stood a few steps back from the outlet and watched the warrior, almost admiringly thought Dave, until he got about halfway along the tunnel, then he pointed his pistol, aimed down the barrel at arms length, and fired. There was one resounding boom, loosening a couple of mighty icicles to the ground, and leaving the groaning, gushing body of the felled human hunter blocking the tunnel. Almost as if they could smell the flesh, the cloud of flies flooded the tunnel and within seconds the dying man was buried under a blood sucking swarm. Even Device had to eventually turn away in disgust.

" His friends are legging it! " Device reported, and a feverish scramble could be heard as the fat man’s comrades in cannibalism fled like rats back up the entrance shaft, " But they’ll just wait outside for us. "

" Well, they surely won’t wait there forever? " said Dave.

" Do you want to stick your head out to find out? " replied Device.

" What the hell are we going to do when those revolting flies finish with him and come looking for us? " gasped Linda, " There’s surely got to be another way out of here? "

" I think, " said Dave thoughtfully, " There might well be, " and he meandered off into the maze of icicle chandeliers. He had noticed what appeared to be a ray of light coming from a gap in the ceiling left by the two icicles which had fallen when the gun was fired, " Over here, " he beckoned, " In the roof, look, there’s an opening. Give us a lift up. "

Dave climbed on Device’s shoulders and inspected the aperture. It was quite tight and there were pieces of jagged metal around the edge but he stretched out and hauled himself through, arriving into what looked like a section of a large, twisting, curving pipe. He gazed left and right in amazement, " It goes on for bloody ever! " his voice echoed.

Device lifted Linda up on his shoulders next, and Dave dragged her the rest of the way in. Dave then removed his leather coat and hung it down like a rope, and he heaved Device up. The three of them now squatted on the floor and rested for a moment.

Dave was thankful to still be alive, but a strong feeling was now growing deep within him that all of this was somehow meant to be, and that no matter what got in his way next, he could not fail; he would get Simon back, it was inevitable.

Linda stared dourly at Device, and broke the silence, " If we ever get out of this, I swear I’m going to kill you! " she said.