Atomic Mage by Garrett Carter (short books for teens txt) 📕

in S.E.R.E. (search, evasion, resistance, and escape) school.

Cade hoped this planet obeyed the rules of physics and he might find some water downhill.

"Might as well take a look down that way, but first let's take care of the morning business."

His itritation at the flying pest returned as he waved a few of the increasingly insistent flies away before he turned to his treehouse come head.

After he took care of business and with piss his soaked pants now adding to his misery, as the flies had been very interested in the blood and sick covering him when he had relieved himself.

As Cade continued his journey for water and a much-needed bath, calm contemplation came eventually as he went to his happy place ignoring the flies that had become his constant companions during the trek downhill.

"So I'm going to guess this isn't earth. Oversized moons don't just pop up, and I didn't naturally make my way from the Appalachian mountains to what looks like the Amazon." He said to himself as he walked through the humid jungle.

Thinking back to his arrival he had to laugh, he was definitely on another world. He quickly sobered up as the realization hit him that he would never see his kids or grandbabies again.

"Reality doesn't always play out the way you want it to though" he reasoned with his aching heart, having just 3 years ago been viscerally reminded of that fact.

Sorrow tore at his heart as he stumbled to a stop. "Tony", he said as the realization hit him he wouldn't be seeing her again anytime soon, if his magical recovery after waking up was anything to go by.

Not sure how to overcome the feelings that threatened to return him to his hermit like existence Cade continued his walk, memories of the love of his life surfacing in his mind.

Their familiarity a balm to his current situation.

Cade and Tony had a bit of a macabre running joke between them on who would die first.

"What should I do love" he said after an absent-minded swipe as a few of his new friends buzzed by his face.

Included in those conversations had been a few half-joked about rules for moving on afterward.

Tony had been very explicit about finding someone who made him happy if she died before he did.

His grief at her loss didn't lend itself to romance so Cade hadn't been on so much as a date.

"Could I make a new life here?" Cade said to himself as he passed yet another tree.

He let that thought roll around in his head, calming his inner turmoil somewhat, as he continued his trek for water.

Suddenly his stomach let out a prolonged growl.

"We should look at taking care of you to huh bud." Cade said covering the offending party with his hand.

Looking around he spotted a tallish tree with small green grape-like fruit growing from its branches.

"Well that might just do the trick." He said at least he hoped it would.

Wouldn't it just suck to get poisoned by some alien tree grapes on top of all this other shit.

Cade blew out a breath saying "nothing ventured nothing gained I guess."

The climb up the fruit tree gained him some much-needed sustenance and a decent view of the tree-covered terrain.

Spotting a break in the tree line far downhill, due to what he hoped was a decent sized river.

He returned to the ground and oriented towards what he hoped was water.

"And a bath" Cade said in frustration as he vigorously swatted the growing swarm of flies his stench was gathering.

Captain Caveman

Cades trek ended abruptly when he reached a small cliff as he exited the tree break before the river.

Cautiously looking over the edge of the cliff he saw a wide sandy beach strewn with detritus that abutted the cliff.

As he stepped back from the long drop to the ground below he growled out a frustrated sigh.

Cade's patience was worn paper-thin from his lack of proper sleep to the hunger that had been gnawing away at his sanity for the past few hours.

Those two paled in comparison to the gory mess of blood and vomit that had still not dried in the humid jungle air making him feel like a sticky lollipop a bratty kid had coated liberally in saliva and drug through a pile of dog shit.

A fly landed on his nose and Cade seriously contemplated just jumping off the cliff and hoping for another round of magical healing.

Waving away the insistent pest for what felt like the millionth time that hour he took a deep breath and centered himself with one thought, get it done and we can take a bath.

As his frustration abated enough to cease the suicidal thoughts he let out a subdued internal clear, Hooray! for goal-oriented thinking.

"So how are we going to make this happen?" He thought to himself emotions neutral and uncaring of the flies that landed on him as his goal was in sight and woe be to anything that tried to keep him from taking a well-deserved bath in that muddy river water filled with parasites, snakes, and Candiru, shivering in revulsion as the last one really tested his resolve.

Cade shook his head vigorously as he got back on task, "do we want that bath Cade? Yes, we do Cade we want it very very much yes we do, urethra fish and all." He said to himself as his resolve hardened, he was getting that bath come hell or high water.

Looking left then right Cade found no immediate signs of a