Calcivore, Part Iv
IV.
Fronds whipped their faces, they dashed through the trees,
more shrill, raspy growls rose behind them,
creatures crashed through forest, giving them chase,
they weren’t that fast, but came relentlessly.
Like piranhas swarming, they just appeared,
in Zack’s peripheral vision more came,
he had no idea where they might run to,
just to keep going, since they were the game.
Across trickling streams and moss-covered stone,
through dark jungle that closed in on all side,
they ran, but kept hearing, close behind them
the hungry monsters with their heavy strides.
Then they heard a snap, followed by a shriek,
Christine went down, ankle turned on a root,
they turned to help her, but saw the monsters,
she fell beneath them, crushed by at least two.
They tore at her then, her screaming quite loud,
bones were cracking, nothing more could be done,
more creatures were coming, they ran again,
the screams stopped rising, poor Christine was gone.
In frantic running, they turned towards the sea,
Zack and Klaus breathless, pushed on by pure fear,
so scared they did not hear rhythmic thumping,
did not realize helicopters were near.
Until they emerged onto the white sands,
in the open their eyes could see the score,
could see the chopper twenty feet above,
the machinegun in the open side-door.
The two of them skidded to a dead stop,
neither could quite believe what they did see,
the symbols on the hull left little doubt,
they had come from the Indian Navy.
Behind them the monsters burst from the woods,
of this new player they seemed unafraid,
nine of them focused in on Zack and Klaus,
their jaws were slavering over their prey.
But then the gun spoke, a staccato roar,
big bullets piercing the flesh of their foe,
it took several bullets to kill each one,
but into bloody heaps they all did go.
A few retreated back to the jungle,
wounded and trailing a yellow-pink blood,
the two men gasped at this turn of events,
near them the chopper touched down with a thud.
Soldiers emerged, made a perimeter,
from the chopper came a middle-aged man,
he looked more like an academic type,
took the whole sight in, then simply said,“Damn.”
He seemed disappointed, rather than shocked,
turned to Zack and said,“I am Dr. Singh.
I know you have questions, I will explain,
but more are out there, so please do get in!”
Neither of the men had to be told twice,
into the chopper they quickly did go,
the soldiers came back, so did the doctors,
they took off flying westwards, staying low.
CONT.
Copyright © David Welch | Year Posted 2022
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