One More Destroyed

One More Destroyed

     Starla whacked her way through a wooded area with a long knife. Every time she struck a branch it yelped. It screamed loudly when Starla cut it off. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you.”

     It wasn’t just the branches complaining about Starla being in that wooded area. The part of the trees laying on the ground, some very thick too, and the twigs around them were also yelling and screaming. Starla could step over most of the trees without stretching too much, but she couldn’t avoid the twigs. The ground was covered with them.

     The trees on the ground yelled a little, but the twigs screamed louder than the branches being cut off. Only not as strong. “Their voices sound like children.”

     Starla carefully tried to step over a large tree, but she didn’t quite make it. Only she couldn’t get her leg over it. She barely got it over the top before she had to pull it back. Starla jumped onto it. Then over to the other side.

     When she did Starla landed onto a lot of twigs. Starla broke all of them. Some in half. Their screams died in mid scream. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t see you until it was too late.”

     Crouching down Starla looked around her surroundings. What she saw most were trees. Starla could see some daylight beyond those trees. She also looked down at the twigs. They were everywhere. Starla stared at the trees around her as she got up. “These trees are dying. This is definitely the place I have been looking for.”

     Starla started walking again. She kept one eye on the ground and the other on where she was headed. Tip toeing over as many twigs and trees as she could Starla continued on. Starla suddenly stopped. In front of her was a group of trees she couldn’t get past.

     Looking up and down on both sides of those trees Starla finally found what she was looking for – a way out. Starla headed for a small tree circle in the near distance. Once there she stopped again. That time to bend down to look through it. “If this is the only way in I might be wrong about this being the place after all.”

     Using her lower arm Starla measured the circle. “It’s going to be a tight fight, but I think I can get through.”

     Starla grabbed hold of the top of that tree circle and swung feet first through that hole. She landed on a small ledge just beyond that wooded area. Looking around Starla saw that ledge went around a large crater, but she couldn’t see how far it went because of a low cloud hovering just above her.

     “So that’s how they been keeping their activities a secret.” Starla took a step forward, and quickly pulled it back. She got down on her hands and knees to peek over the side.

     “I can’t see anything down there. There’s another cloud about halfway down there.” Starla got up and looked around her. Then she saw it: A tree with a long thick branch sticking out into the crater.

     Using that branch Starla wrapped her arm around it – and leaned out. She almost lost her balance thanks to some loose ledge. “I still can’t see nothing.”

     “What I need is a better view, and I think this tree can help me get it.” She climbed the tree to get a better view, but what she saw frightened her even more.

     Starla fell out of that tree. Luckily, she landed on the ledge – barely. She almost fell off, over, it too. Starla rolled back against the wooded area before she got up. Once up Starla took a small square box out of her pocket. She twisted it open like a twist lid. Within there was a large red button. Starla pushed it.

     “Dorial, we were right. This is another illegal drug operation. In fact, it’s the biggest one I have seen so far. Once we destroy it it’s going to hurt The Organization a lot.”

     “Where exactly are you Starla?” The voice of Dorial came out of that red button. “We lost contact with you when you entered that wooded area.”

     “I’m not surprised about that. The Organization has a low-level pulse radiating throughout this area. It doesn’t hurt humans, but it does the plant life around here.”

     “Once they are destroyed the plant life should come back. Now where are you so that we can destroy them – before they notice you are there.”

     “They already know I’m here. Several are floating up here right now with hand weapons. I told you I needed to bring one. All I have is my long knife. It really doesn’t matter though. I will just take one of theirs to kill them with.”

     “That’s why you were sent. You are the best at no-weapon fighting. The Sky Bomber is on its way. All I need to know is where you are at.”

     “Just zero in on my Contact Cube plus one hundred straight ahead. Not even you can miss it. It’s a huge crater.”

     Starla used the tree she just climbed as cover. A few minutes later she heard a humming sound. She looked up and saw a Sky Bomber sailing past her. Starla also saw the bottom of it slid open – and about a hundred small glowing red balls coming out. Those balls were aimed at that crater. A few seconds later Starla started hearing one very loud, the crater caused an echoing effect, explosion after another.

     The six floating up with hand weapons tried to destroy those balls, but the balls just absorbed the laser bullets. They weren’t far enough up to save themselves from the explosions.

     “That’s another illegal drug operation destroyed.” Starla got up – and looked at the wooded area. “Do I have to return home the same way that I came – or can I get a lift from that Sky Bomber?”