Herdenmord - ONC2021

Drop Bear

"What?"

I pushed myself to my feet, staggering a little, my reflexes sluggish with wine. I swayed, looking over the park. It was almost empty. Most people had already left, before it got too dark. I opened my mouth to tell Jamie she wasn't funny, but a shrill scream rang out from the path between the ponds, somewhere behind the trees.

I turned to face the sound, so I was looking straight at the path when the woman appeared. Her mouth was a ragged hole beneath her furry hat, screaming and screaming. I could see long streaks of red down her face and t-shirt, as though she'd tipped a bucket of paint over herself. But the red was too wet and not as thick as paint. Her t-shirt clung too wetly to her skin. It was more like...

Blood.

And the hat had claws. No, not claws. Talons. Talons that were raking the woman's face. Between screams, she tried to pull the thing off her head. A grey, furry thing, with a black hole in the middle of its face.

No, not a hole. A nose.

Horrific urban legends about drop-bears flashed through my mind. Herdenmord had made them real. I stood frozen, my mouth sagging open, as the woman pulled the koala from her head and flung it from her into the long grass beside the path. She tried to wipe the blood from her eyes as she staggered toward us, screaming for help. It was the same woman I'd seen earlier, with the stroller. Where was her baby?

I started for her, ignoring Jamie's cries to stay. "She's got a kid," I called back, forcing myself into a shambling run.

I was pretty close when the koala caught up to her. I could see its talons slide into her skin when it grabbed her calves and began to ascend. It climbed her like a tree of flesh. Its grip slid as its claws sliced through the soft pink bark and severed the muscle beneath. I began screaming when it reached her torso.

"No! No!"

It didn't make any difference. The koala reached up and sliced through her neck. Her eyes bulged and she dropped to the ground as her blood fountained, trapping the koala under her body.

I slowed to a stop, my hands pressed over my mouth. I couldn't save her, but her child might have a chance. I edged around her quivering body, hoping the koala would stay trapped. It glared at me with beady eyes, grunting as it tried to pull itself free. The woman's body lifted and shook in a grotesque parody of life. My legs were shaking so hard it took everything I had to lift one foot after another. As soon as I was safely past, I made for the trees.

The stroller was just around the corner, but it was empty. I whirled, looking for any sign of the toddler in the bush around me. There was nothing. A faint gurgle came from the pond and I heard a gasp, like a child inhaling sharply before releasing a cry. I turned to look but saw only a fading turbulence on the surface, and the fierce, black eyes of two rakali crouched on the bank like huge, wet rats. I backed away slowly. Something larger crashed through the reeds, heading toward me.

I turned and ran back the way I'd come, fear giving me a burst of strength. The koala waited for me beside the woman's body. I ran straight for it, praying as I gathered myself for a mighty leap. It slashed at me as I sailed overhead, but it touched only the sole of one trainer. I landed heavily and almost fell but recovered my balance and kept going. I didn't look back.

Quan was halfway down the slope, the baseball bat in his hand. He stopped when he saw me clear the koala, waving frantically. "Come on, Blue! We have to go!"

I put my head down and raced to meet him. When we got to the others, Dimi was shoving wine glasses into the picnic basket. "Leave it," I told her. "Let's get out of here."

Aaden pointed across the park. "Roos."

Three grey kangaroos bounded over the grass at full speed. My heart banged in my chest, but they weren't focussed on us. Two teenagers stood, hand in hand, by the slide, watching them come.

"Run!" Jamie screamed at them. "Run!"

There was no way anyone could outrun them. I'd never seen kangaroos move so fast. But then, I'd never seen kangaroos hunt before.

Jamie turned and started pushing us up the hill. "Run! Come on!" She shoved me hard and grabbed Dimi by the hand, dragging her along with us.

Her urgency was infectious. We ran, leaving plates and bottles scattered across the grass. Normally, that would bother me, but I just wanted to get to safety...wherever that was.

I cast one look back as I reached the road. One teenager perched on the top of the slide, as if height would save him. The other faced the oncoming roos, holding his fists in front of him. The leading roo launched itself into a long, low leap, landing right in front of the kid. It balanced on its tail and drove thick, pointed toe claws under his hands and into his stomach. He let out an anguished cry as its claws disappeared inside him. I sucked in a shuddering breath. He couldn't survive that wound.

Quan wrapped strong fingers around my wrist and yanked me away. "Run," he yelled in my ear, so loudly my eardrum vibrated. One of the kangaroos turned toward us, lifting a belligerent nose.

I ran. 

(8073 words total)