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

a break. The little cove of trees that had offered protection the last five days of her life was no more. Only half a dozen trees remained where once a small forest had stood.

Fallen trees lay crisscrossed everywhere, completely surrounding her. There was no easy exit. This is gonna blow. Climbing back down into the fallen grove, she knew she would never be able to pull the sled through the fallen trees. She began filling the backpack with as much of the gear from the sled as she could, then broke down the sled itself.

When that was done, she sat on a downed tree, looking at the four pieces of metal she had dragged here on the sled. She had no meat to smoke, but she knew the metal was still useful. Useful but heavy. Using some of the branches and her cable, Ace rigged up a handle for the smallest and least-heavy piece so she could carry it. Looks like a knight’s shield.

She then used more of her cable to attach her metal point to a longer piece of mostly straight metal. When she finished she had a six-foot spear.

The red morning sky slowly changed from orange to pink. Not too long before the white light. The sun flooded the landscape with a merciless, bright light, that bleached the colors of the terrain. It was the only part of the day when the sky lacked the pale green haze reflected from its home planet.

The hottest part of the day, it made physical exertion dangerous. Rest and eat what’s left of the meat, maybe do a little prep work, then get out of here. Crawling under the branches of the fallen trees, the shade was instantly cooler. Ace took her time and tried to enjoy her break before her next big push. Yep, metallic chicken.

The sky continued to darken from the bright white to a light pink, she headed out of the woods. A jumbled pile of fractured logs and bent branches obstructed every path, and she was often forced to toss the shield across the debris before scampering over to retrieve it. It was slow going and painful.

No idea how far she had traveled, Ace had lost count of how many times she climbed over an obstacle when she realized the sky began to fade to red. It’s gonna be dark soon. This is ridiculous. She leaned against a tree. The wrap was helping but the pain was still there. Wanting to keep her wits and not waste the medigel, she had pushed through the day without chemical relief.

Looking out over the landscape, she could see she had gained quite a bit of ground toward the mountains. Less than a mile now, then I just have to climb to the next vegetation level. To the left, a few standing trees and more mountains farther away. Off to the right, a river bent around the base of a mountain into a mostly still standing woods. I could go that way and curve toward the mountain.

She mentally braced and then pushed herself up onto a tree and slid down the other side. Picking up the metal sheet, Ace headed toward the standing trees, hoping to soon find shelter for the night. This moon sucks.

The low sun left her walking in the shadows. Ace was nearly exhausted. The cast wrap had done its job and kept everything in place but she was still hurting. Two weeks with the cast on and I’ll be in top fighting shape. I just hope I make it that long.

A tingle ran down her spine and the hair in her neck stood up. She stopped and slowly turned. Off to her right, sixty meters away, she locked eyes with a scaled reptile-like monster.

A Tree-knocker.

Standing on all fours, the beast’s back arched over three meters. From snarling snout to thick, flicking tail, it was at least seven meters long... maybe more. It’s as big as the Warthog fighter. She continued to stand perfectly still. Maybe it doesn’t see me.

The creature bounced—toward her. Rippling muscles tightened and flexed under the purple and blue scales as it moved, red light reflecting in its eyes.

She ran. No direction in mind, just anywhere away from the Tree-knocker. Each step shot pain through her body, but the adrenaline racing through her veins dulled it and sharpened her mind. Better than the gel. She could hear the thing crashing through the foliage behind her. It’s gaining on me fast. I need an advantage!

Turning down a steep slope, she grabbed a tree and used it as a pivot point. Leaning hard, she swung around the trunk, kicking up gravel as she let her feet glide across the ground. She threw her body into the motion, rapidly changing direction and gaining speed. Fifteen meters in front of her a group of trees had fallen together in a large clump over a ravine. It’s like a beaver dam. It’s my best chance.

Reaching deep for the last of her energy reserves, Ace drew back and threw her makeshift spear. Arcing through the air, the spear pierced a trunk at the top of the pile. She continued toward the pile, slipping the cable strap of the shield off her arm as she ran.

With a piercing screech, the Tree-knocker loped after her. Knowing better, she risked a glance back over her shoulder. A long barbed tongue darted out of its mouth. Its eyes darting around it in all directions, like bulbous periscopes on the sides of its skull. Its head snapped as its tongue licked the air. Long claws dug into the ground, tossing the soil up with each step, a billowing red cloud growing behind the charging beast. Ace accelerated, focused on reaching her spear.

Feeling the ground resonate with each thunderous footfall of the Tree-knocker, she knew the creature was close. This might be it. I might die. Anger grew