6 months later

  I was running for my life.

  Arrows tore off bits of bark from the trees around me as I moved left to right in some vain attempt to keep my body from getting hurt. Vines and foliage slapped me in the face, while branches tore and tugged at my clothing and scratched my body as I tried to manoeuvre as best as I could through the damn jungle.

  A war cry sounded behind me and made me redouble my efforts.

  Sweat poured from my face as the oppressive humidity from the jungle pounded across my shoulders.

  “Get a move on, Necktie, or these savages will be skinning that plump ass of yours for dinner,” said Willis through my earpiece.

  “I don’t see why I had to be the one to collect the artefact!” I replied, holding a bone-carved miniature idol that had rubies for eyes and diamonds for teeth.

  “Because you’re in the delivery business now and our buyer has a thing for sacred artefacts worshipped by long-lost tribes.”

  Long lost tribes was correct; we were on some far-flung planet that had been forgotten by everyone including the World Government. It was a planet that had taken us weeks to get to and wasn’t on any shipping lanes. I was surprised to find human life still existed on it, but I had heard of many planets like this one, where when faster than light travel was discovered many adventurers sought out their fortunes amongst the stars. Like early seafarers back on Earth, nobody knew what they would find, and the allure was just too much for some.

  Many spaceships disappeared completely, some came back broken, some came back rich, some were never allowed to land.

  Some ships that had been lost had crash-landed on lost worlds, and as the survivors’ descendants’ technology faded, they reverted back to their basic instincts.

  It was one such planet I was now on, running for my life.

  A painted face popped out from the bushes to my left and I ducked a wild swing from a club made of bone. The attack spun the attacker round in a circle and I punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground before I took off once again.

  I heard another war cry behind me, this one far too close for comfort, and I turned around just in time to see another tribe member sprinting towards me with a spear. Ducking low I pulled a branch in my path back and released it, allowing it to whip my attacker in the face.

  A swift kick to the balls dropped him and I took off once again.

  “I don’t see why I can’t use my gun,” I said.

  “That’s not very sporting now, is it?” came Tuari’s voice through my comms. “They’re just little old tribespeople who are angry at you for stealing their god and you want to blow them all to smithereens. You’re such an English coloniser.”

  “I’m not talking about killing anyone, just fire a few warning shots so they leave me alone.”

  “No can do, boyo,” said José, “we can’t leave any trace of ourselves on this planet. That means no trash, no bullets, no tech whatsoever.”

  “I hardly think—” I ducked and rolled as a spear flew over my head. Coming back up to my feet I kicked the tribesman in front of me in the stomach and grabbed his club, using it to sweep him off his feet where I struck him in the stomach again before moving off.

  “You assholes are so full of shit! You have no concerns about stealing a sacred artefact, but when it comes to leaving any evidence of ourselves on this planet, you’re like Greenpeace. I still don’t understand why I was chosen to do this job, and why no one else could help me.”

  “One, because more than one person sneaking into their camp would have been noticed,” Willis said, “and two, because you’re the noob. So shut, you whore-hole of a mouth, and make your way to the pickup.”

  “You know what, Willis, you can suck my—” I skidded to a stop as I erupted into a clearing with at least twenty tribesmen in front of me. Faces painted in hues of red and green, they all stared my way hungrily. Willis may have joked about them eating me, but I had seen human bones scattered around their village.

  What could only be the leader of their group strode forward and pointed my way. A beast of a man, he towered over everyone else as he pounded a fist clutching an axe made of bone against his chest. The weapon looked like a child’s toy in his paw-like hand.

  “I think their leader is challenging me to some sort of duel…”

  Silence on the other end of the line while I waited for a response.

  “Any advice?”

  “Don’t be a huge pussy all your life! Get in there and fuck shit up,” said Willis.

  “He may just be interested in you in a sexual way… did you ever think of that?” Tuari asked.

  “No Tuari, the thought never crossed my mind.”

  “I’m just saying. If you wiggled your ass a little maybe we can all go home a little sooner.”

  The leader stomped the ground with his bare, flipper-sized feet and pointed to me again before letting out a chest-vibrating roar.

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  “Was that… him?” Tuari asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Run!”

  “But I thought you told me to—

  “Quinton,” Tuari said, cutting me off, “we heard that from here. Just run. Now!”

  I turned and looked for an escape route but in the time I had been stationary, a large circle had formed around me, with men pointing sharp pointy sticks in my general direction.

  “That doesn’t appear to be an option,” I said, before turning back around and facing my foe.

  A black-toothed smile crept along his face when he saw there was nowhere for me to go and he shouted something to the people around him, who laughed and jeered.

  He strutted forward and looked me up and down before throwing his axe towards my feet; I looked down at it in confusion then back at him, as he gestured for me to pick it up. Pointing once again my way, he said something that caused the crowd to burst into laughter.

  I sprinted towards him catching him off guard and dived forward; grabbing the handle of the axe I rolled to my feet and sliced across his thigh with a sideways slash that bit into the flesh to the bone. He yowled in pain and swung my way but I backpedalled avoiding the strike.

  “First blood to me.”

  “Listen, just don’t get yourself killed. In the name of all that is holy we still need that artefact—I’m tired of eating ramen noodles.”

  “Thanks, Willis, I’m glad to see you care.”

  The crowd had gone silent as the leader looked down at his wound in disgust. Spitting in his open palm he slapped the wound then raised his fist to the sky and roared.

  “Well, that can’t be hygienic,” I said to myself as I circled around him.

  He came towards me again, but this time slower. He had learnt from his last mistake. He lunged and feinted my way but I didn’t take the bait. I would not be fooled so easily.

  He kept on circling me looking for an opening, but I gave him none as I swung the axe his way whenever he got too close. He grunted in annoyance as he lunged towards me but I ducked under his arms and swung the axe behind me, slicing him across the back. I smiled as he yowled in pain.

  His eyes narrowed my way.

  “Not as easy as you first thought, huh?” I said with a smile. “Bet you’re regretting giving me this axe now, ain’t you?”

  Another clumsy lunge but this time I was ready for it and stepped back just out of reach and thrust the axe into his face, breaking his nose upon impact. Blood trickled down his face and he staggered backwards. I rushed to push the advantage but a roar and a wild uppercut that nearly got me on the chin halted me in my tracks.

  Muttering rippled through the crowd, which caused my attacker’s eyes to dart sideways.

  The cheers of encouragement had stopped; something else had replaced the excited tension which had first swept through the crowd. It was part fear, part apprehension. I smiled as I could feel the shift take place around me.

  “Well, big fella, what you going to do?”

  My opponent stared at me as I feinted left and right, pulling faces and sticking out my tongue as I taunted him. I should have paid more attention, but my cockiness blinded me as he kicked a cloud of dirt into my face. I closed my eyes in instinct, knowing it was a mistake as I felt a pair of hands pick me up and launch me into the air.

  I sailed forwards on a cloud of agony and pain as I landed face first in the mud, skidding to a halt.

  I groaned as I spat out the dirt that had made its way into my mouth and groped around me as I looked for the axe I had been holding. Wiping the dirt from my eyes, I scanned my surroundings but didn’t find it.

  “How you doing, boyo?” asked José.

  “Urghhh! It’s not going too bad—”

  Hands latched onto the back of my shirt and I was lifted into the air, while the crowd roared in excitement. He shook me like a rag doll while I was held like a turtle upside down. I tried to escape but it was useless. Thrown once again across the ground I tumbled and rolled until I came to a sitting stop.

  The world around me spun and my vision just had enough time to clear before I took a running knee that flattened me on my back.

  Blood filled my mouth; I rolled onto my front and spat it out. A soccer kick to the ribs picked me up and dumped me unceremoniously some feet away.

  “I would say it’s going quite well, I should be with you lot soon,” I said to the crew, as I got slowly up to my feet.

  Pain radiated through every single part of my body as I swayed on my feet and tried to keep myself from toppling over. I saw the leader rush towards me but I was too slow to move out of the way as he picked me up in a bear hug. My already bruised ribs screamed in protest as he squeezed the life out of me; breath smelling of rotten eggs and tooth decay washed over me as I tried my best not to gag.

  White dots clustered in my vision as I tilted my head back and head-butted him in the face.

  He showed me a bloody grin but it didn’t last long as I head-butted him again and again. His grip lessened with each blow he took until it was loose enough that I planted both my feet on his chest and kicked him away. I plopped on my back, knocking the wind from my lungs, as he rolled away from me and came to a stop some feet away.

  The crowd had once again gone silent.

  My hand brushed something and I smiled as my fingers encircled it. I gritted my teeth as I got to my feet. Fuck, I was in a lot of pain. I wobbled once as I tried to get up but finally got my feet underneath me as I got myself standing.

  My opponent had still yet to come.

  He got slowly to his hands and knees and stared through a bloody mask my way as I shook a finger in his direction. He spat a bloody wad in my direction and pushed himself upwards until he was finally standing tall. His rage-filled eyes locked onto mine as he beat his chest.

  I kept on shaking my finger as I gave him a slow shake of the head but that only appeared to incense him more.

  “Don’t do it,” I whispered.

  He came towards me at a full sprint while my fingers encircled the axe I had earlier lost. Face set in grim determination, I shifted to his left at the last minute and drove the flat top of the axe into his jaw. Teeth broke upon impact and flew out of his mouth as he staggered backwards. I pushed forward and swung the axe so the flat broadside cracked against his left kneecap, popping it out of place and dropping him down on one knee. Spinning the axe around I drove the handle into his nose, once, twice, three times, till his nose was nothing but a flattened lump of flesh.

  I stepped back and looked down as his unfocused eyes tried to register on my face. He lifted a hand to try and grab at me but I knocked it lazily away and pushed him backwards, where he collapsed on his back unconscious.

  The crowd booed and hissed as I backed away from the body. Looking around in confusion I didn’t understand why, until I saw more than a few fingers being dragged across necks. Although I didn’t speak their language the sign they were giving me was a universal symbol that only meant one thing no matter where you went in the galaxy. Stopping in my tracks, I turned back around and walked towards the prone figure on the ground before looking around at the jeering crowd.

  They were bloodthirsty. They were savage. They were human.

  “Enough!” I shouted till my voice grew hoarse.

  A hush fell over the crowd while they looked at me in fear.

  “Look,” I said, lifting my hand in peace as a few backed away hurriedly, “I’m not going to hurt anyone. I just want to make it back to my ship safe and sound.”

  More people scattered and pushed each other out of the way as they ran in all directions. Looking at the scene in confusion I scratched my head as I took a few steps forward.

  “Look, I’m sorry about your leader but the guy was a bit of a dick—”

  A murderous roar cut me off and lifted the hair at the back of my neck. It was a roar that my monkey brain understood. It was a roar that meant something bigger than you was hungry.

  It was a roar that meant run!