Survivors

They watched Bretnel take a few loping steps towards the trees before he sprang high from the ground and flew up into the air. They watched in silence till he disappeared into the distance.

“Well” said Joe open mouthed “I wasn’t expecting that. What the hell just happened?” Nobody replied “I said, what the hell just happened?”

“I know what you said” snapped Luke “I was trying to think!”

“Well what do you think?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know”

“That’s helpful then isn’t it”

From the direction that Bretnel had gone there suddenly came a muffled bang and smoke almost instantly started drifting up above the line of the trees.

“Well could you make your mind up quickly” said Holly “Because I think Bretnel, if that’s who, or what was here just now, is probably going to be on it’s way back pretty soon!”

“Right” said Luke now making up his mind “Grab as much of your stuff as you can and let’s get the hell out of here”

“What?” Said Joe.

“We need to leave now before he... It gets back”

“You don’t think he’ll find us!” Spluttered Holly “You don’t think he could track us down! You know what, I think he’s been tracking us since we left three days ago”. Neither of the boys said anything. “If that’s not true” went on Holly “How come he appeared just at the right time when the Aliens turned up. I reckon he’s been watching us but only stepped in when he saw we were in trouble”

“So what do you suggest we do?” snapped Luke viciously.

“I don’t care what you do” snapped back Holly just as viciously. “I’m staying here”.

“What to meet the freak?” Said Joe incredulously.

“Yep” said Holly

“But why?”

“I’ve told you. I think he can find us whenever he wants to, so what’s the point in running. Anyway he does seem to be on our side. He didn’t seem annoyed about us leaving so that’s one thing, but most of all I don’t want to piss him off by running away again. If all we have to do is go back to the base and drink his coco every night then I for one can handle that if it means we stay alive”.

“But he’s a...a...monster!”

“And what are the Aliens? This worlds full of monsters. At least we know he’s a monster that’s for the most part on our side”.

“We know a bit more than that” said Joe “He’s a monster that’s stood behind you”.

Holly and Luke spun round to find Bretnel standing behind them looking somewhat quizzically looking down at them. Thankfully he looked pretty normal, or at least as normal as Bretnel normally looked, right sized legs, no wings and the right number of arms. He still wasn’t a pretty sight as he seemed to be dressed in some sort of stretchy lycra sort of thing. This and the whole; sprouting wings, shape changing and things like that meant that they all couldn’t stop themselves taking an involuntary step or two away from him.

Bretnel, for his part, couldn’t help but notice this and looked a little embarrassed. He stared down at his feet and did an uncomfortable shuffle from one foot to the other.

“I feel, young friends that an explanation of the scenario you have just been witness to is very much in order. However I also think that such an explanation needs to wait till we have put some distance between the scene of this violent fracas and our good selves. So may I humbly suggest that you accompany me to safer ground before I elucidate”

“In English” snapped Joe

“Lets get our arses out of here before the Aliens come back and kick them for us!” Said Bretnel.

“Well if you put it like that” said Joe “Let’s move!”

“Err.. I could, to make our escape more certain, carry you from this location with all due haste” said Bretnel “If you would allow me”

“And just how would you do that?” Said Joe before he could stop himself and almost instantly wished he hadn’t.

“Well like this” said Bretnel. Then with a flurry of limbs, horrible creaking, squelching and cracking sounds Bretnel transformed into what can only be described as “mostly a beetle”. He had six big legs, a shiny black shell and two huge pincers, and yet it still somehow had Bretnels face.

Holly screamed and hid her face, while Luke and Joe took several big voluntary steps backwards.

“Ooops apologies” said Bretnel in a beetle sort of voice, or what beetles would sound like if they had a voice. There was more cracking and squelching. “I forget” said Bretnel, now in his own voice “What a shock it must all be for people to see me metamorphise. I have lived with these transitions for so long they feel as natural to me as breathing. Again I apologise for my insensitivity. However time is pressing and I fear we cannot stand on ceremony for too long and must make good our escape. If you would follow me.. On foot.. That would be most beneficial”

Bretnel started walking towards the woods, as he reached the tree line he said “Are you coming?”

Holly and Luke looked at Joe who was just staring at Bretnel. There was a blank look on his face that made it pretty clear that the logical part of his brain was somewhere in lala land and he was going to be no help at all.

“Come on” said Holly “Let’s go, what other choice have we got”

She turned and started to collect various bits and pieces from the remains of their camp.

“Dearest Holly that’s is not a necessary course of action, and though your concern for not wasting good provisions is honourable at this precise moment our absence is more important than salvage. Please come quickly”

Holly looked at Bretnel and then with a shrug dropped everything she had just picked up and walked towards him. Luke and Joe followed behind without comment. As they reached him, he smiled at them as if he had all the time in the world, held up his hand to stop them and then took one step into the clearing. The fireball that belched out of his mouth obliterated most of the camps contents, not to mention the bushes, grass and hundreds of little bugs that were sheltering there. The kids ducked and shielded their faces from the blast of heat. The blackened camp crackled and hissed slightly as what was left of the camp seemed to be being eaten away by a powerful acid. White and black smoke swirled into the air twisting up into the morning sky.

“Uuurghhh” burped Bretnel “Always gives me heartburn doing that”. They looked at him open mouthed. “Best not to leave any traces though” he explained. “Now I strongly recommend that we leave as quickly as we can. I would suggest that an aerial evacuation would be the most efficacious ”

“I have no idea what eeffyy what’s it is but do you mean...err whoosh” said Joe shooting his hand up into the air.

“Yes Joe, flying would be the most sensible and speedy means of locomotion”

“Well I’m game” said Joe with grin “Luke?” Who just shrugged in reply. “I’ll take that as a yes. Hol?”

For a few seconds Holly didn’t reply “Hol?” Repeated Joe.

“No! No, no. I am not going up in the air being carried” said Holly emphatically.

“How about if we proceeded at ground level, would it be agreeable for you to be carried them?” asked Bretnel

“Okay, okay” she said “As long as it’s something less, less icky!”

“Icky?”

“Yes you know, less beetly, less insecty”

“Would something a little more hirsute be more agreeable?”

“Hir what?” Said Joe

“Hirsute, it means hairy, furry” said Bretnel with strained patience.

“Cuddly?” Asked Holly

“Well, I suppose you could call it cuddly, but whatever we decide we need to do it quickly. Please!”

“Okay” said Holly “Let’s see what you’ve got on the cuddly front”

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be”

And with that Bretnel transformed (with not quite as much squelching this time) into an enormous panther like creature, with huge rippling muscles and shaggy black fur. The panthers face was still recognisable as Bretnel, like the beetles had been, except now he had a cats nose, long black whiskers and two enormous savage canine teeth hanging down.

“Ib you’d libke to climb on bloard” lisped Bretnel who was obviously having trouble with the canines “Anb hangb on tight”

“Yeb we wilb” mimicked Joe grinning as he clambered up onto Bretnels back. Luke helped Holly climb up and then swung himself in behind her. Bretnels fur was soft and long, so it was pretty easy to grab a couple of big handfuls. They all dug their heels into his sides and clenched as tight as they could with their knees.

“Reaby?” Snarled Bretnel

“Ready” said Holly, and with that Bretnel shot off into the forest. Even though they’d been tensed for the off the speed at which the Bretnel panther moved was amazing. They shot past trees, leapt fallen logs, splashed through streams, in a dizzying blur, it was all they could do to hang on and keep breathing. How long they travelled for they found it impossible to say; the speed, their fear and the sheer weirdness of what they were doing warped their perception of time, but they all breathed a sigh of relief when Bretnel screeched to a halt at the entrance tunnel. They jumped down off his back and after a few seconds of crunching and squelching it was the lycra clad Bretnel that stood in front of them.

“I assume you have one or two questions you would like to put to me” said Bretnel “But I feel the need for more substantial garments before I endure your interrogation, so shall we go in?”. They nodded “Good” he said “I shall lead the way and meet you in a few minutes”.