Page 82 of Galaxy Games Four-Book Box Set (Galaxy Games)

82

A Volkswagen With Wings

S adie

“Shit!” Really, what else is there to say?

We run back into the cave to regroup. Putting our backs to the rear wall, we watch out the cave opening. I don’t think they saw us, because they fly by in a V formation. What’s scarier than one Pterodactyl as big as a car? A flock of them.

We wait. All the while, a clock is ticking in my head. We’ve got a lot of miles to cover to get to the flag, and not a whole lot of time to get there.

We consult our computer pad, making sure we know which direction we’re heading. Although Anubis can’t talk, he uses his finger to show the route he thinks we should take. Luckily, we’re both in agreement.

Again, we’re choosing to take the longer, rockier route with the hope of avoiding the herds of dinosaurs we might encounter on the plains.

When we can’t hear the Pterodactyls’ bone-chilling shrieks anymore, we nod to each other and leave the cave, spears in hand.

We’re still in a field of dense rocks, many of which are taller than me. As we pick our way through, I sing. I thought about it. I mean, there’s nothing like announcing to predators exactly where you are. But it’s impossible to be silent as we work our way through a rocky field. In addition to the boulders, the area is littered with smaller rocks that crunch with every footstep.

Without Anubis’s ability to speak, our walk is pretty lonely. So, yeah, I sing.

I’ve had friends who know every word to every song they’ve ever loved. Me? If I like the tune, I occasionally memorize the refrain, but singing a song from start to finish? Not gonna happen.

After I sing my first song, and by sing I mean some words with a lot of da-da-das, Anubis leans his gorgeous canine face in front of mine and smiles. Now that his fangs are even longer than they were, that’s one terrifying smile.

As time progresses, he begins to sing along. I do a particularly pitiful version of Leonard Cohen’s amazing song, “Hallelujah.” Although every singer aged 12 to 90 has done a cover rendition, and I’ve heard the song a thousand times, the best I can do is hum every single part of it except the title word. It’s just me singing “Hallelujah” over and over while Anubis howls along.

I wish we were on America’s Got Talent or one of those shows. I think we’d win.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we present Sadie Mellencamp and Anubis, the dog-man from outer space.

That would be an attention grabber.

When we’d walk out onto the stage, the crowd would go wild. Then when I’d sing and Anubis would bark/howl/chuff along with the words, I can only imagine we’d get a standing ovation.

My mental imaginings make me smile. For a minute, I forget the stakes of this reality show are far higher than what I used to watch at home. Losers aren’t deprived of a chance at fame and stardom. They lose their lives.

I reach up to scruff the top of Anubis’s head. He must like it because he’s so tall he has to duck his head for me to be able to reach that spot. If it annoyed him, he’d never let me touch him.

We stop after a few hours to eat a bar and hydrate, then keep walking. Every so often, one of us pulls out the pad to make sure we’re heading in the right direction.

“At the pace we’re going, I think we’ll get to the flagpole tonight with time to spare,” I say after consulting my pad.

He nods and chuffs. I’m sure we’re both thinking about our arrival at the hotel. Although we cut it close, we were there before they should have locked the doors. I still haven’t figured out why Zedd, or maybe it’s the network, didn’t want us to get inside the hotel. I guess we’ll never know.

I jump onto a boulder to look at the vista.

“We’re almost out of the boulder field,” I announce, then realize he probably knew that already. He’s so tall he can see without having to climb atop a rock.

We’re making good time now that we’re out on the grassy plains. I’m tired to the bone, but we’ve taken to jogging every few minutes. My plan is to arrive early enough tonight that there can be no reason to disqualify us.

Anubis chuffs. When I glance at him, every muscle in his body is tight. He’s on high alert. I assume his eyesight is far better than mine. If I were an evil scientist creating a race of super soldiers, that’s what I would do.

He’s looking toward the sky. I don’t have to be a brain surgeon to figure out we’ve got enemies flying in. If I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on the

Pterodactyls.

He presses my shoulders to the ground, then lies on top of me.

Obviously, I know nothing about this species, but I know eagles have amazing eyesight. On a National Geographic special once, I saw one pick out a mouse in a field of wheat from two miles away. What are the odds that an entire flock of these things is going to miss a gargantuan canine in a field of grass?

“I love you,” I blurt, as if it will lessen the sting of our inevitable death.

Anubis’s response is a soft kiss to the top of my head.

He’s hunched over me. Neither of us is looking up, but we begin to relax when their shrieking conversation doesn’t get any louder. They must be going in a different direction. I don’t think they’re going to pass over us. We might have lucked out!

I hadn’t realized how terrified I was, but now that the threat has passed, I feel every nerve in my body stand down. My breath had been escaping in short little pants, and now my breathing lengthens and returns to normal.

We stay where we are for long minutes, though, making sure we’re safe. Finally, he pats my head, stands, and helps me up. We waste no time getting on our way. We’re very invested in getting to the flag on time.

Not two minutes later, a shadow passes over us. A large shadow. A shadow about the size of a Volkswagen with wings.