Bailey Screws Up
It was mid-morning the next day and as Stranger and Bailey were once again hiking through the jungle, anxieties were starting to make themselves know to the two hunters-turned-hunted.
“Erm, Stranger. D’you feel hungry?” this was Bailey, for a teenager with an appetite, almost three days going without anything to eat was starting to catch up with her. Stranger stopped at her question and turned around, looking at her.
“Are yer?” Bailey began to shrug carelessly but then sighed and nodded.
“Yeh, a bit.” Stranger’s expression became thoughtful, he tapped his chin with a claw and his eyes became distant.
Bailey shifted her weight to one leg and jammed her hands in her pockets. They needed food, even if Stranger wasn’t ready to admit he was hungry yet. And for that they needed to hunt, or she could go into the nearest settlement and get something. But for her to do that, she needed Moolah. Moolah they didn’t have.
Or maybe…
“Stranger?” Stranger looked up at her. Bailey’s eyes were shining mischievously. “Not all Clakkerz live in the towns, did they?”
“No…” Stranger wondered what Bailey was thinking in that devious little mind of hers.
“And they’ll have food stock right?” Stranger raised an eyebrow,
“Are yer suggestin’ what I think yer suggestin’?”
“Only if what you’re thinkin’ involves relivin’ some Clakkerz of their grub.” Bailey grinned. Stranger gave Bailey a look.
“Will yer eva stop surprisin’ me?”
“Hey, you taught me to adapt to the situation. We’re hungry, we need food and some of these Clakker farms’ve got more then enough. So, why not?” Stranger sighed,
“What have I created?” he asked, but Bailey knew he was playing with her.
“How about a cute and adorable, completely lovable squirt that bites back?” Stranger stifled laughter.
“A’right.” He finally managed to get out, “Let’s go.”
¤§¤
Bailey and Stranger crouched on the edge of the trees. Behind them were the jungles of this side of Oddworld, in front, beyond the fence, were fields of crop and a farmhouse, a couple of fields away.
Stranger looked at it with sharp eyes. He glanced over at Bailey, the human was watching the Clakker farmstead with eyes like a hawk. They watched a thread of blue smoke rising from the farmhouse.
“I have a bad feelin’ about this.” He muttered,
“Whatta ya talkin’ about? It’s perfect.” Stranger shook his head,
“No.” he said firmly, “We’ll go ter some other place. But not here.”
“Why not?” Bailey whined,
“I don’t like it.”
Bailey scowled. Then, without a word, she stood up, clambered over the fence, dropped into the field, disappearing into the rustling harvest field, the swaying crops easily standing almost a foot over Stranger’s head, so they hid the human completely.
“Bailey!” Stranger hissed, “
Bailey!” He swore, “Stubborn, pig-headed, reckless… Reminds me of me…” Stranger vaulted over the fence and followed Bailey through the grain field. Muttering about all the unpleasant things he was going to do to Bailey for pulling
this stunt.
He caught up with her a quarter of the way across the field and grabbed her around the middle to stop Bailey going any further.
“Where tha hell d’yer think
you’re goin’?” Bailey, hanging two feet from the floor knew there was no point in fighting someone much bigger and stronger, answered simply.
“We’re hungry, an’ I’m gonna get somat ter eat.” Stranger let out a sigh at Bailey obstinacy and put his forehead on her shoulder. Bailey reached back and scratched his ear. Eventually Stranger put her down.
“I don’t like this.” Stranger repeated. “Somat’s not right.”
“You just got the jitters.” Bailey said, “Why don’t you go back an’ wait fer me and I’ll be back with the grub.” Stranger was already shaking his head.
“No, I don’t want yer to go any further.” Bailey sighed,
“I’m goin whether you like it or not, you just gotta decide if you’re comin’ with me or waitin’ back there.”
“If you go, I’m goin’ with ya.” Stranger said without preamble. Bailey nodded.
“Fine. Let’s go then.” Bailey set off again with Stranger walking quietly behind her, still getting used to moving all four legs the right way without tripping up.
After some time wading through the eight-foot-tall plants and crossing the two fields, Bailey came to a thick band of the grain stalks, finishing the rows they’d previously grown in. Surreptitiously she parted the tall stalks and peered out.
Behind her Stranger’s nose twitched as if a fly had landed on it. But there was no fly, the wind had changed, blowing in their direction and bringing with it, the smell of smoke. Something about that smell made Stranger uneasy.
“Bailey,” he whispered, “Wa-” But Bailey had already pushed her way out of the cornfield and was making her way across the rutted track separating this field and the barn next to the farmhouse. Stranger let out a soft groan and after looking about for any sign of Clakkerz, scrambled out of the field and followed Bailey.
¤§¤
The human was waiting for him at the corner of the barn, she glanced around the corner but turned to Stranger, a frown on her face.
“No one’s there.” She whispered, “The whole place is deserted…” Stranger’s uneasiness escalated.
“We should go.” Bailey shook her head,
“We’re here now.” She said quietly and slipped around the corner of the barn. Stranger rubbed his face and sighed again in defeat before following.
Bailey wandered across the cobbled yard of the farmhouse. Where was everyone?” Suddenly she heard voices.
Horribly familiar voices.
She spun on the spot and frantically gestured at Stranger to hide. Without questioning Stranger darted behind an old, rusting harvester in the corner of the yard that was overgrown with strong smelling weeds.
Bailey on the other hand nipped through the ajar door into the barn. She hid behind a stack of bailed hay and watched the section of yard she could see through the open barn door.
The drone of flies all but screened out the voices of the two Outlaws Bailey had heard talking. One of the fat insects settled on her cheek, Bailey brushed it away impatiently and strained to hear what the Outlaws were saying.
“Yep, did in Caste Raider they did. An’ afta all the trouble he went too to lure that Odd-damned Stranger ter that Doc’s medical retreat.” The other Outlaw snickered unpleasantly,
“Wish adda seen tha look on tha Vykker’s face when they strung ‘im up. Right outside ‘is door I ‘eard.” The Outlaws guffawed and Bailey grimaced. She’d never liked that creepy Doc, but hanging was a very unpleasant way to die… As the Outlaws passed the door Bailey ducked behind the hay. She nudged something with her sneaker. Bailey looked down. A long dagger with a shimmering silver-coloured blade glimmered at her. Bailey picked it up in confusion.
“What’s this doin’ here? Yer don’t keep daggers in barns…”
When the Outlaw’s passed the buzzing of the flies seemed to intensify. Bailey frowned to herself… In fact…the whole place seemed to be jam-packed with the fat insectoids. She suddenly caught the whiff of rotting meat. Bailey gagged and looked around at the entire interior of the barn. What she saw nearly made her scream but she bit back the shriek and pressed her back to the hay. Her grip on the dagger tightening.
Clakkerz.
The barn was strewn with rotting Clakker corpses. They were heaving with black flies… Bailey clapped her hands over her mouth and nose. Now she’d noticed it, the stench was nauseating. Bailey’s head spun wildly, her vision swimming. She pulled off her bandana and tied it around her mouth, fighting to keep from throwing up.
She had to get out of here…
¤§¤
Outside, Stranger felt apprehension in his gut. He hadn’t heard what the Outlaws had been talking about. But he did see what they had been doing.
He now knew why the smoke he and Bailey had seen had troubled him so much.
It wasn’t wood smoke from a cooking fire. The whole of the farmhouse was going up in flames…and it was spreading to the barn.
Bailey was still in the barn.
To make matters worse one of the Outlaw’s had come back, evidently checking something so Stranger couldn’t go into the barn and get Bailey.
Suddenly the Outlaw uttered a low gurgling sound and crumpled. A hatchet was buried in his skull. Stranger let out a relieved breath as he saw Bailey creeping out of the barn and retrieve her hatchet. But when he had gotten a better look at the human, he wasn’t so relieved. Bailey looked pale and as if she was about to be sick as she pulled the green bandana she tied around her mouth and nose off her face, letting it hang loosely around her neck.
Bailey looked around furtively and began making her way across the yard. When she was halfway, the second Outlaw of the duo came back to most probably find his partner.
“Hey! Whadda ya do-” his question was silenced when he saw Bailey and his dead partner. To Stranger’s horror Bailey froze. “YER LIL’ DEVIL!” hollered the Outlaw and brought up his gun, presumably to avenge his dead partner. He never got the chance to fire as just then there was a furious Steef roar and Stranger came charging from the weeds, flattening the harvester like a tin can in a press and barrelled into the Outlaw rearing on his hind legs and giving it the Outlaw a good kick in the face before head butting him.
“Ultimate ramming machine.” Bailey thought fleetingly before her thought was shattered by a gunshot. Bailey immediately dropped into a defensive crouch, just as Stranger had taught her. She had barely done so when Stranger gave the Outlaw a last kick with his forelegs and then bolted, scooping up Bailey as he passed.
Bailey clung onto Stranger as she found herself being joggled about. She peeped over Stranger’s shoulder and looked back at the fallen Outlaw as the Steef plunged into another crop field.
Only when he galloped through two and a half fields he did skid to a halt, panting vaguely. He didn’t put Bailey down though. Just held her quietly, listening.
“Stranger?” Bailey ventured at last. He didn’t answer. Bailey looked at him, he was actually very pale… And then she noticed that the muscles in one arm holding her was shaking. Bailey blinked, and saw the blood leaking from Stranger’s arm. “Stranger!” she yelped, “You got shot!” She squirmed until Stranger put her down dazedly.
“Shock…” Bailey thought, she groaned, not
again… She took hold of Stranger’s uninjured arm and pulled him down to her level. Stranger’s legs folded as he came down so he was eye-to-eye with the human. She flicked out the stolen dagger she’d found in the barn. “Damn lucky fer you I found this…” she muttered. “Now hold still, this is gonna hurt.” Trying to be as quick as possible she dug in the blade and flicked out of the bullet.
Stranger flinched and sucked in a breath, but didn’t make a sound. Bailey wiped the dagger blade of her already bloody pant leg and took the green bandana from around her neck and tied it tightly around Stranger’s arm.
“I got that medical kit so I wouldn’t have to do this…” she muttered as she slipped the dagger through her belt alongside the hatchet. Without her help Stranger rose again. Now the bullet was out and his injured bandaged he seemed to get slightly better.
“C’mon kid.” He said shortly and started walking, Bailey meekly following.
They were silent as they finally left the cornfield and the burning farmhouse behind.
Bailey chewed on her lip and followed Stranger in complete silence, guilt gnawing at her stomach. If she just hadn’t been so stubborn and just listened to Stranger in the first place…
None of this would have happened…
“It’s my fault…all of it…”
Bailey shivered as she realised that all of this was her fault. If it hadn’t been for her, Stranger would never have been caught, he’d never had been discovered. He would still be safe in his disguise.
The guilty feeling in her stomach grew stronger.
It was her fault.
All of it.