Truehearts & The Escape From Pirate Moon by Jake Macklem (ebook audio reader TXT) 📕

snap came from behind him. Before he could turn—his feet were yanked out from under him and he was being pulled on his belly, his hands outstretched for the rifle that was quickly getting further away. Damn.

Rolling onto his back, he looked down; vines wrapped his legs. The tall plant with the pod-like flower had bent toward the ground and was dragging Cam toward it. Carnivorous plants!

Sitting up, with one hand he grabbed the vine dragging him, and with the other, he pulled his knife. With a slash, the vine snapped and he slid to a stop. The plant pulled its vine back, purple ooze leaking from the gaping end. He struggled with the vine still tightly gripping his legs.

More rustling drew Cam’s attention and he remembered that there were many plants. Vines slithered across the ground towards him. “Red!” Cam yelled as he scrambled to his feet.

Vines rushed toward him, searching the ground. The pods are a snap trap! I didn’t touch the plants. How do they know I’m here? The vines tapped the ground left and right, then moved forward. He watched as the vines wrapped around a rock and pulled it up, then released it and started tapping the ground again. It knew the rock wasn’t living and let it go. Are these things intelligent?

Cam scurried toward his rifle. The vines instantly changed direction and advanced toward him. Jumping with extended arms, Cam picked up the weapon, rolled to his back, and opened fire. The weapon burst out shots, creating puffs of red as the bullets peppered the ground. The vines stopped moving and the ends lifted off the ground and wiggled. Cam stood up then stayed perfectly still. The vines dropped back to the ground, stretching out toward where the bullets had hit. Vibrations. Like the Susaderms. That’s how they sense me.

As if to prove his theory, Ace erupted from the brush and the vines pointed toward her and snaked forward. She glared at Cam, her eyes red. “I thought you left me!”

“Watch out for the vines!” Cam shouted.

Confusion washed over her face. She saw the rushing vines and her eyes narrowed as she recognized the threat. As the vines snapped at her, Ace did a handstand into a cartwheel then into a jump, landing with a somersault next to Cam, covering the distance between them in a moment—without letting any of the vines touch her. “Are those plants actually moving?” She asked as the vines redirected toward the duo.

“Pretty sure they eat meat too. Firing…” Cam pulled the trigger, letting the bullets spray across the ground randomly. The end of the vines again lifted off the ground and wiggled. Whispering he said, “If we don’t move, it doesn’t know where we are.”

“So we’re just gonna stand here?”

“Yes. For the moment.” Cam watched the vines start searching for prey again. “Until I come up with a plan.”

“What were you doing up here anyway?”

“You saw the rolling sea that used to be the valley floor. We’re not gonna be able to walk that, and if the rains keep up—it’s just gonna get worse. So I came up here to make a paddle.” Cam rested his cheek on the stock of his rifle, scanning the area. There were five pod plants, each searching with their own set of vines. Why do they all react when I shoot the ground?

“You mean that paddle?” She motioned to the paddle ten meters from them.

“Yep, that’d be the one.”

“You got a boat in your pocket I don’t know about?” Ace snidely asked.

“Yep”

She glanced at him. “Oh shit. Really?”

“I thought we talked about the language?” Cam absently asked studying the plants. Or plant?

“This moment doesn’t call for a colorful vernacular?” Snarked Ace.

Cam’s uncertainty was clear a squinted eye and a tilled head. “I’ll stay on the fence for this one.” He motioned with his rifle. “I think it’s all one plant. The root structure is shared between them. No matter where I spray bullets, all the vines react.” The vines slithered closer. “We don’t have a lot of time before they find us, and I can’t flip myself around like you did… Maybe you should—”

“Good enough to shoot this, Cowboy?” Ace cut him off and held up a three-inch-long, one-inch diameter tube wrapped in shiny black waterproof plastic.

Cam scoffed.

“Let it hit the ground. I’ll go for the paddle, you head back toward the cave, once I’m clear, provide cover fire.”

It’s a good plan but… “I don’t think the paddle is worth it.”

“If you came up here to make it, we need it. You ready? They’re getting close.” Cam nodded and Ace tossed the ejection charge she had salvaged from the Warthog.

Cam watched it flip end over end and bounce on the ground as he changed the rifle from burst to single shot. The vines changed direction and sped toward the new source of movement. The charge came to rest. Cam took a breath then exhaled and squeezed the trigger. The explosion tossed dirt several meters into the air, the vines closest to the explosion flailed—spurting purple ooze. The pods snapped shut, pushing air through the fine hairs at the edge of the petals, creating an eerie vibrating-hum.

Cam started backward in the chaos, checking for threats, covering Ace as she sprinted to the paddle, slid across the ground, grabbed it, and then scampered back to her feet and raced toward him. Vines started rushing after her but Cam let loose a couple of rounds. The vines stopped and wiggled as Cam shouted. “C’mon Red!”

She loped past him and he ran behind her. When they came to a ledge, Ace jumped and Cam’s heart jumped with her, into his throat. Skidding to a stop on the edge he stared as she landed on a rock then flipped forward, changing her momentum and direction. She rolled across