" What would a civilian be doing all the way out here? "
Zuno asked, his head facing towards Derrick, while his rifle was still pointed forward. Sarah and Clarie were nearby, lying prone with their own weapons in hand.
" Why the hell would I know? "
Derrick responded with frustration, his eyes still fixated on the figure through the binoculars.
Zuno's head faced back towards it. The thing continued walking through the jungle, seemingly without a care in the world, as if it didn't know about the dangers that lay within it or as if the dangers weren't any threat to it. Just looking at it sent chills down Zuno's spine.
" So... what are we going to do? "
Zuno asked, not knowing how to handle a situation like this. His fingers twitched above the trigger, as his mind went through multiple theories as to why it would be here.
" Just observe for now, we don't know if that thing is an actual human who somehow ended up in a warzone or something else. "
Derrick responded as his teeth clenched. As the night was slowly coming to a close, he had to make a decision fast.
" All of you, slowly get your things and get ready to get a move on. I'll keep watch on this thing while you guys do that. Just.... be quiet about it "
Zuno stayed with Derrick as the others silently backed up from their positions and got their things before Zuno got up from his and quickly grabbed his also. Getting a few feet from where Derrick was lying prone before he got up and grasped his.
" We have to get as much distance from this thing as possible. We don't know what it is or what it can do... so let's just let it do its own thing. "
Derrick told them as he swung his backpack over his shoulder. Before quickly regrouping with the rest and leading the group once more.
" We're just gonna leave it alone? What if it's actually a person? "
Zuno muttered, his mind slowly forming a guilty conscience about leaving a person alone in this arachnid-infested jungle.
" If they got this far... I think they'll be just fine without us. "
Zuno didn't respond, what Derrick said was true, if that thing was actually a person and was walking around fine and dandy, it'll be okay to just leave them alone... but what kind of human could survive out here... Zunos mind faded from the subject, thinking about it for too long would just give him nightmares, plus, they still had a decently long walk ahead of them.
The group started walking at a pace faster than usual, trying to put enough distance between them and the thing they saw while camping, being more paranoid than usual because of it. The morning was forthcoming, which meant that time was of the essence if they didn't want to walk during daylight. Each step they took was thoughtful and cautious, not wanting to accidentally step on a branch and make a noise in case something was listening.
It was a few short hours before sunrise; those couple of hours were around the same time that they would arrive at their destination, so they had to be fast, and this was just the start of their journey, with many difficulties lying ahead for them.
As they grew closer to the area that was pointed out on the map that Xavier showed them, the sun was slowly peeking through the tree leaves above them, causing small, concentrated rays of light to beam at the ground. The ever-present sound of gunfire, which had been distant for a while now, was calling closer.
The group resumed walking, eventually reaching their destination. The area was a large clearing, with it seemingly being the end of the jungle. They had no shelter for whatever was watching if they chose to pass through the clearing, but in the end, it was their own choice. The clearing stretched for miles, not a single tree within it. Before exiting the jungle, the group did a quick check on their mags and guns, making sure they were ready if they were needed.
After checking their ammo and making sure their magazines were full, the group began walking into the clearing. The clearing was a field of knee-high grass, with trees scattered now and then around it. It was open and had no cover except for the grass, a place they didn't want to be for long. The group moved in a circular formation, giving them defense from all around them, their guns pointed forward.
They were moving at a pace slightly faster than walking, with Derrick being the lead, Zuno and Claire being on the sides, while Sarah was on the rear. They continued moving until Derrick commanded them to halt and used his hand to signify for them to look forward.
Before them was the figure they had seen hours earlier, standing silently in the field. Zuno and the others quickly went into a crouching position and had their firearms trained on the figure.
Since the sun finally rose and the proximity to that thing, Zuno could clearly make out the details that were obscured in the darkness the night before. Although it did look human and had human features, there were key characteristics that showed otherwise.
It was beyond the average height of a human, with it being around 185 centimeters, and it had lengthy, silky jet hair that sank to its shoulders. The clothing that it had on was traditional-looking but not from any culture Zuno knew of. The main features that concerned him were on its head and around its mouth. Two antennas appeared, right above where the forehead was, and on the edges of its lips were two diminutive mandibles, which twitched periodically.
" How the hell did it catch up to us? "
Zuno whispered to Derrick, his finger twitching above the trigger, itching to pull it and get whatever this thing was to be no longer a threat.
"....."
Derrick stayed silent, his finger lying neatly on the trigger of his gun, trying to get a clear shot at it.
" Finally.... you arrived. "
It said with a masculine voice, as its eyes gazed at its hand, the fingers moving neatly up and down.