Ogreness, Black Lake-book5

Chapter 53
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We bounced without flippin’. That was the best thing I could say about Hroli’s landing, as we puttered down the blacktop without the roar of an engine.

“Anybody dead back there?” Hroli asked.

“I’ll tell you if I can get my heart pumping again,” Frip said.

“I can’t believe I didn’t dirty my pants,” Ponwr said.

“I’m pretty sure I died,” Nuel said.

I’m surrounded by drama queens. But I don’t know how Hroli got us back down to the barren highway without gettin’ us killed. I considered tellin’ her she might have maybe descended a few moments earlier. But then I realized we were skimmin’ the cacti when the lightning hit us.

“I don’t guess ya’ll be gettin’ this thing started any time soon?” I said.

Hroli didn’t answer me, which was rude. But the plane rolled to a stop and she shifted around in her seat so that she could see me and pasted me with a look my mama couldn’t even imagine. Maybe it’s because of those needle-sharp teeth she grimaced with.

Rain gently spattered the plane. Thunder boomed in the distance. Gusts rocked the plane.

Hroli turned back around. “My guess is everything with a circuit board is now an anchor.” She tried to start it, but nothing even buzzed.

I searched the horizon through the curtains of rain pourin’ over the side glass. “How far do ya suppose we are from the Range foothills?” I asked.

“A hundred miles, maybe,” Hroli said.

“That close?” I said. “We could walk that.”

“Could if we had water,” Nuel said. “When the storm passes and the sun comes out it’s gonna get hot out there.”

“In here too,” Hroli said. “Like an oven.”

“Then we walk,” I said.

“To what ends?” Ponwr asked. “Not making it to the Range from here before someone picks us up.”

“Who says friends won’t show up?” I said.

Dreadlocks shook all around me. I’m surrounded by cynical drama queens.

“Fine. Ya sit here. Open the door.” I leaned Nuel forward to squeeze out around her.”

“At least wait until the storm passes,” Hroli said.

I didn’t see the point. I got the door open and irritated Nuel enough climbin’ over her she growled good. I hit the ground with a hard groan, and faced into the rain for a moment tryin’ to ignore the throb from all the bullet holes. The flutter of rain felt good, after the rising heat in the plane.

I was thirty feet up the blacktop when Ponwr called at me to wait up. I stopped and wiped rain off of my face. Too bad I didn’t have my cargo shorts on. Be more comfortable. Of all the days not to be in cargo shorts.

The others caught up with me quickly. Frip held Hroli on his shoulders. She sat up there, a little indignant-like, but the legs on ogres and trolls means we could keep a better pace without waitin’ for her. A pace toward what, I wasn’t sure. But at least we were alive, I reminded myself. And maybe the council helicopter would beat whoever else might want to come lookin’ for us.

Hours passed, and the storm stayed above us. The sun set, and we still tread on. The asphalt was gettin’ to my feet so I walked in the damp sand of the shoulder now. Everyone followed me, single file, without one of us feelin’ a bit chatty.

Surprised me one of the trolls didn’t keep a rolling complaint going. My experience is trolls lean whiny when things aren’t going perfect for them. The night air turned brisker than nippy, and Ponwr gave up his polo to Hroli. The little orc didn’t have the meat on her that we do.

The storm finally fizzled out around midnight. My stomach was growlin’ like crazy. I’d never been so hungry. I could have made do with a dozen fat rattlesnakes about then.

With the clear skies, a quarter moon and stars lit up the terrain around us. An unchangin’ setting, like a short painting being wound over and over for a backdrop. A hint of a glimmer shimmied over the asphalt miles ahead.

I was thirsty enough to kill. Every hour I wondered if it could possibly get harder to swallow. As miserable as I was, I made it worse, realizin’ my companions were stuck here because of me.

No one threatened to kill me, though they had the right.

The sun rose, and for the first hour it felt pretty good. We dried up at least. My thighs were way past chafed to oblivion, though. Hroli slumped over on Ponwr’s head now, arms woven inside the troll’s dreads.

We’d heard planes soarin’ off on the horizon at our backs, but by midmorning they must have found our plane, because they were zoomin’ around more in a search pattern. No clue why they didn’t fly straight down the blacktop.

Midmorning brought the summer. Stink, I was thirsty. None of us spoke. No point guessin’ how long it would take before the folk flittin’ around behind us caught up with us. I guess being humans, they couldn’t figger we could have gotten as far as we had.

In truth, Nuel and I struggled to keep up with the trolls who had led since the rain stopped. They struck a brutal pace. If I had the spit to spare complainin’, I would have maybe suggested the extra mile or so we’d make didn’t seem worth the gait. But it was easier to turn off the brain and just trudge onward.

High noon neared. My feet ached. My knees panged. Skin burned from the sun. I’m a Range ogre, but I’ve spent the last twenty years behind a computer, at least behind a desk. I had to be as ruby-red as Nuel. At least the orc had the benefit of nesting in Ponwr’s dreads to avoid the drivin’ rays.

The two troll cops seemed in their element. Nothing but a nice stroll, fresh air, no stress of a city beat blarin’ down on ’em. Trolls have endurance, ya can say that about ’em. And they can do it on an empty stomach. I was gonna die. Two cows wouldn’t be enough for me, if we ever made it to civilization. Why was there even a road out here in the middle of no man land?

“We’re headin’ for the Western Slopes, huh?” I croaked.

I wasn’t sure if I was askin’ anyone in particular, or just needed to hear a voice to prove I was alive.

“I wouldn’t have a clue,” Nuel rasped.

“Yes,” Hroli said.

“They’re getting closer.” Frip didn’t mean the hills. And he didn’t turn around. None of us needed to. The sound of the nearin’ search plane was obvious enough.

They’d finally decided to look for us a bit more southerly. Two minutes later a plane was overhead, flyin’ at maybe three thousand feet.

“What ya suppose they’ll do now that they’ve found us?” Frip asked.

I figgered they’d shoot me. Humans seem to like to shoot me these days. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind being arrested, as long as it meant a last meal soon.

“They’ll have to get direction from some grand pooh bah,” Ponwr said. “Who’ll have to think about it, check in with an even grander pooh bah, who’ll have to think about it. They may be flying around up there for a while.”

He was oddly right. Twenty minutes later there were two planes circlin’ us.

“How far ya suppose we’ve walked?” I asked no one in particular.

“Been at it a good eighteen hours, eight miles an hour.” Frip left me to do the math that we might be within a rocks throw of the Western Slopes. A really long toss.

I studied the billowin’ horizon. “What do ya know. We could make a run for it.” The purple and blue of the near mountains teased my senses.

“Speak for yarself,” Nuel said.

“If they land,” Ponwr said, “you can head out, Ike. Likely they only want you. We’re just side issues.”

Ogres maybe a hundred years ago could walk all night then run the entire next day, but I wasn’t raised like a quarter horse. I’ve never slung an axe, for anything more than campfire kindling. Chainsaw, sure. Never hefted a hammer. Helped re-roof a shed on the ranch once, but used a nail gun.

“If you can’t outrun a human, Ike, I’ll have no use for you in the future.”

“Thanks, Frip.”

“My pleasure,” the troll murmured.

“Maybe you won’t have to,” Ponwr said.

Yeah, I’d heard the third plane join the other two. But Ponwr pointed to our southeast. A little dragonfly hung in the air. Oh, boy.

“What took ’em so long?” Nuel growled.

Cool. I might get something to eat.

“I was eager to see if you might get shot again, Ike.”

Frip has a mean sense of humor.

~ Nuel ~

I’d never been this exhausted, hungry, or thirsty in my life. If I had the energy, I’d strangle Ike, pummel Ponwr, then kick Frip lifeless.

~