De Novo (The Gene Thief Series Book 1 - Short Story) Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Jason Cole
forgettable.
The world was gone. Her stomach now in her chest, she had this internal sense of freefalling. Her external senses turned off, the weightlessness inside was all she had to go on. The freefall felt like an eternity, as if she had a parachute attached that was delaying her descent. Expecting to hit the floor at any moment and have her body decay back into the earth, she passed out before it happened.
Chapter 8
Boom, boom, boom.
There was a sledgehammer inside of her face, pounding away. Her sinuses felt swollen and her forehead was under severe pressure. She felt a pulling, an indescribable force ripping at her. Her world felt completely upside down.
Slowly opening her eyes, she was staring at a tree that had been flipped over. As her senses returned, the pounding in her face turned out to be the blood pulsing as it rushed into her head. Looking up towards her feet, she noticed that the vine had wrapped itself around her ankle and snagged just before her head met the ground.
Out of every mission she’s ever been on, not once had she relied on luck. Her head was splitting, her foot was as white as a ghost from the life-saving tourniquet, and none of it mattered. She was alive and just seven feet from the safety of Earth. There were no broken vials dripping liquid from her bag, so the gene may still be in intact.
Kira reached up and started to saw at the vine with her pocket knife, getting ready for the drop. As the last few fibers of vine shredded apart and with her bags and camera in her hand, she landed flat on her back. Lying there for a second, she waited a minute to recover before she got up and pressed on. The excruciating pain of blood flow returned to her foot and left her almost crippled. The pain was so unbearable, she was afraid she would lose consciousness again.
She couldn’t help but wonder how long she’d been hanging? If her foot was numb, it must've been more than a minute or two. Did she fail the mission? Had time run out, and she was too late?
She started to feel nauseous at the thought of failing the client. The idea that someone may die because she made such a mess of this extraction gnawed at her.
She rushed to her feet, making little effort to avoid the nose-making branches and leaves. The only thing she could think about was getting back to that plane.
She threw her backpack back on, took the camera in, and started to sprint. As if her life depended on it, no, as if someone else's life depended on it. The brush was thicker than she remembered, the floor was soggy, and her clothes felt like they were lined with weights. She felt as if someone had dunked her in a pool while she was unconscious and tied her back up when they were done. The entire situation was miserable. Every step caused the water to squish out from the padding inside of her shoes, blisters were inevitable. She reminded herself that at least she could still feel pain. That hallucinogenic was unlike anything she had experienced and getting out alive was a successful mission in and of itself.
Swiftly dodging sharp thorns and zero concern for attracting any sort of wildlife, Kira continued to sprint on. The map indicated she was just a mile away from where the plane would be waiting. At this rate she could do that mile in under ten minutes despite the setbacks and conditions. It felt good when all of the brutal conditioning paid off for once. Only her lungs and muscles weren't in agonizing pain.
Finally, reaching the outer limits of the rainforest with the runway now in sight, she was able to make out the outline of the plane. The closer and closer she got, the more details appeared, and eventually she was even able to see the silhouette of the indifferent pilot. She was never so happy to see him, regardless if he would say a word to her or not.
Maintaining her pace, she had made it in a time that led her to believe there was still a chance. She smiled at the pilot
The world was gone. Her stomach now in her chest, she had this internal sense of freefalling. Her external senses turned off, the weightlessness inside was all she had to go on. The freefall felt like an eternity, as if she had a parachute attached that was delaying her descent. Expecting to hit the floor at any moment and have her body decay back into the earth, she passed out before it happened.
Chapter 8
Boom, boom, boom.
There was a sledgehammer inside of her face, pounding away. Her sinuses felt swollen and her forehead was under severe pressure. She felt a pulling, an indescribable force ripping at her. Her world felt completely upside down.
Slowly opening her eyes, she was staring at a tree that had been flipped over. As her senses returned, the pounding in her face turned out to be the blood pulsing as it rushed into her head. Looking up towards her feet, she noticed that the vine had wrapped itself around her ankle and snagged just before her head met the ground.
Out of every mission she’s ever been on, not once had she relied on luck. Her head was splitting, her foot was as white as a ghost from the life-saving tourniquet, and none of it mattered. She was alive and just seven feet from the safety of Earth. There were no broken vials dripping liquid from her bag, so the gene may still be in intact.
Kira reached up and started to saw at the vine with her pocket knife, getting ready for the drop. As the last few fibers of vine shredded apart and with her bags and camera in her hand, she landed flat on her back. Lying there for a second, she waited a minute to recover before she got up and pressed on. The excruciating pain of blood flow returned to her foot and left her almost crippled. The pain was so unbearable, she was afraid she would lose consciousness again.
She couldn’t help but wonder how long she’d been hanging? If her foot was numb, it must've been more than a minute or two. Did she fail the mission? Had time run out, and she was too late?
She started to feel nauseous at the thought of failing the client. The idea that someone may die because she made such a mess of this extraction gnawed at her.
She rushed to her feet, making little effort to avoid the nose-making branches and leaves. The only thing she could think about was getting back to that plane.
She threw her backpack back on, took the camera in, and started to sprint. As if her life depended on it, no, as if someone else's life depended on it. The brush was thicker than she remembered, the floor was soggy, and her clothes felt like they were lined with weights. She felt as if someone had dunked her in a pool while she was unconscious and tied her back up when they were done. The entire situation was miserable. Every step caused the water to squish out from the padding inside of her shoes, blisters were inevitable. She reminded herself that at least she could still feel pain. That hallucinogenic was unlike anything she had experienced and getting out alive was a successful mission in and of itself.
Swiftly dodging sharp thorns and zero concern for attracting any sort of wildlife, Kira continued to sprint on. The map indicated she was just a mile away from where the plane would be waiting. At this rate she could do that mile in under ten minutes despite the setbacks and conditions. It felt good when all of the brutal conditioning paid off for once. Only her lungs and muscles weren't in agonizing pain.
Finally, reaching the outer limits of the rainforest with the runway now in sight, she was able to make out the outline of the plane. The closer and closer she got, the more details appeared, and eventually she was even able to see the silhouette of the indifferent pilot. She was never so happy to see him, regardless if he would say a word to her or not.
Maintaining her pace, she had made it in a time that led her to believe there was still a chance. She smiled at the pilot
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