Mosaic - Jeri Taylor [79]
"I told you to stay put," he hissed, grabbing at her arm and starting her in motion through the trees. "Now move!"
She broke into a run behind him; he wove his way through the trees, zigging and zagging in what seemed like a planned pattern. Her breath grew ragged; she realized fatigue, hunger, and thirst had all taken their toll on her. She ignored the burning of her lungs and kept running.
And suddenly stumbled onto a dark form on the ground and went sprawling. She realized it was Justin she had fallen over; he was curled on the ground clutching at his ankle. She crawled toward him and saw his face was grimacing in pain.
"My ankle..." he rasped. She realized he was lying just beyond a large root that poked up from the ground; he had caught his foot on it, and now it was twisted at a grotesquely unnatural angle: it was broken. "Keep going," he ordered. "Transport site... thirty meters ahead... clearing...
"Why can't they beam us from here?"
"Transgenic field... have to get to site... stop asking questions..."
Kathryn heard voices behind them, drawing nearer. The Cardassians were right behind them. There was another sound, too-an unearthly howling from several bestial throats.
"Go, was he said, in a tone that brooked no questioning. "Those are Toskanar dogs-they'll tear you to pieces."
But Kathryn had another idea. She had discovered the source of the water sound she had heard earlier-a marshy swamp a few meters away, surrounded by reedy growth. Grabbing one of Justin's arms, she dug her feet into the ground and began pulling him toward the marsh. "Get out of here," he protested. "You have to make it to the transport site before they reach us."
"Stop giving me orders, Lieutenant. This time you'll have to listen to me." He was lean, but well-muscled, and in her weakened condition she struggled to drag him. He helped as best he could by propelling himself with his other arm, and in this way they lurched the several meters toward the marsh. She pulled him into it behind her, then released him to snap off two of the reeds that grew along the bank.
"We're going under," she announced, giving him a hollow reed and then pulling him far enough into the mud that they could fully submerge. She could hear the voices of the Cardassians and the eerie wailing of the Toskanar dogs; they weren't far behind now.
She put the reed into her mouth and saw Justin do the same; she lay backward in the mud and forced herself under icy, brackish sludge. She felt it seep over her face, slowly entombing her in a silty mask, covering ears, cheeks, mouth and eyes, and finally her nose. Thick and gritty, it was substantial enough that she worried for a moment that they wouldn't be able to submerge completely. But gradually she felt the chill muck encasing every part of her body; the thin reed was her only connection with the world above the marsh. She breathed slowly, trying not to think about the fact that the thick mud felt like concrete, hardening around her, gradually crushing her to death.
Her ears were filled with mud, but she could hear dimly the sounds of the Cardassian troopers and the howls of the Toskanars. The muffled sounds grew slightly louder, and that volume was maintained. Kathryn deduced that the group had stopped nearby. The dogs were clamoring loudly-had they found a scent? Wouldn't the marshy mud eliminate their human odor? She sensed something moving against her side and immediately her heart hammered. were the Cardassians probing the mud? If so, she and Justin would quickly be found. But then she felt fingers reaching for hers and knew it was Justin. He clasped her hand, squeezing it in comfort, and she responded gratefully. The chilling mud seemed a tiny bit warmer.
After what seemed an interminable time, the sounds of the troops and their animals moved on, but both of them knew it wouldn't be safe to surface for a while. They might have left someone behind. They might be coming back.