<Entry 6>

I got lost.

No matter where I ran, I kept hearing my shoes make a dull thud against the stone ground. I can’t escape this stony area, no matter which direction I run.

I run into boulders often. I can’t tell if I’ve felt a certain boulder before or not, but I get the feeling I’m running in circles. After doing this for God knows how long, I stubbed my toe on one, my foot throbbing. I crumpled to the ground.

When I did so, I landed on a rock that I recognized its feel as flint.

I pulled the remains of the stick from the acid pool out of my pocket. After striking the flint a few minutes, a flame blossoms on the end of the stick. This light source won’t last long.

I took inventory of my surroundings. I looked around, and couldn’t believe my luck. This place wasn’t a collection of boulders. It was a cave. And now, I bring back my story to the present tense.

I can’t see the way out, but I notice that there are gifts from God in here. Jugs of water. Spare clothes. A compass. A knife. Perfect for amputating Burton’s leg. The flint will even cauterize the wound.

I’m turning around, taking in my surroundings. This is probably the best thing that could have happened to me. I can breathe easy again. I can –

<Entry 7>

There’s a lot to tell you. I’m sorry I left the last recording on hold, but I’ll explain why I had to cut it off. Believe me, I’ve been through hell.

I was surveying my surroundings, and noticed a number of things, including a piece of flint and a knife. I had shoved them in my pocket when I saw...something.

Hiding in the shadows of the cave. I glanced right by it at first, but when I noticed it, my head snapped back to where it was standing. I almost had a heart attack. Paralyzed with fear, I slowly began to back away from it.

It was this thing, on all fours. Black fur covered its entire body. Dried, crusty, red residue had covered its mouth – probably blood. Looking back on it, that’s probably what happened to the people who’d been living in the cave. They’d trespassed on its territory. Its den. I slowly began to back away, but these hollow, beady black eyes penetrated me. They seemed to look into my soul. It snarled and growled, then launched itself at me. I turned and ran. I only had three things – the homemade torch, the flint, and the knife. True, there was water and supplies that I left behind, but I decided that if I were to die, I’d prefer to die to dehydration, however terrible that might be, than to become the dinner of this animal.

You can ask me how I escaped the cave, but frankly, I don’t know. The light of my torch definitely helped. I was able to run without crashing into walls. The animal kept running behind me. It lost me twice, the only reason I’m here now.

The torch began to dim after a while. I don’t know how long I ran, but I can feel it now, walking back to the wreck. Eventually, of course, the stick burned down, and I was forced to stop it. The tunnels got more and more enveloped in the night as I sprinted, hoping desperately to get to the surface. Just as I heard the beast getting closer, getting only feet behind me, I felt the rush of cool air, and then the stars. I kept running, happy that the light from the stars and the moon could prevent me from falling, but I instead tripped on a stick near the entrance to the cave. I fell down, and ended up in a ditch.

I lay very still.

I could hear the thing behind me, the raspy breathing, and the sticks crackling under its legs. My heart was beating so loud I was confident that this beast could hear it. But somehow, it didn’t hear my beating heart. It didn’t hear my silent yet screaming lungs.

The thing slowly shuffled away. From what I can guess, it could only see moving things. This might be a total lie, but at the moment, knowing what I do, that’s all I can guess.

I was in that ditch, still as a rock, for a very long time.

My watch informs me that I was there for nearly three and half hours. 11 am, Eastern Time on Earth, to nearly 2:45.

Of course, here on this desolate place, it was always night, rather than the afternoon.

I eventually trusted myself to get up and move. This thing would return sometime, and I did not want to be around when it did. So this is where I am now, walking through the murky, foggy jungle. Returning to the ship.

I think I can see the clearing where we’ve settled now. But that’s odd, our fire is out. And they don’t seem to be moving, even though one of them should be on shift while the other one rests.

“BURTON! THOMAS! YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT – Jesus Christ.”

Note from the transcribing team – the log was on and the audio was running, but there was no talking for a very long time. The next time the captain was able to talk was nearly two hours later.

I don’t think that I can...explain...what happened without having a panic attack. But here’s my best attempt...here goes...I can’t quite explain exactly...

They were gone. Both of them. Their organs and blood...scattered across the clearing. I couldn’t find their...remains. Their bodies. I couldn’t find them. Just their organs.

I suppose that...I suppose that the monster found them. It must have sensed Burton’s sickness through me...gone for an easy meal...it sensed him. They stood no chance. None at all. The monster killed them. I am the last survivor of the wreck. God help me, please. That’s all I can say.

But that’s not all that’s there. I turned around, as to not look at...that. I’d prefer to look at anything but that. I thought that...in my head. I’d rather see anything. Anything.

I should have been careful how I said that prayer. I turned around and saw the dark pitted eyes. It...had come for me. Lying in wait. I was next.

The thing tackled me, and we fought. I can’t really...call it a fight. Not really. Not at all.

I tried running from it for a little, but it got me...it pinned me down. I tried to punch it, to kick it. Nothing happened. Nothing. I couldn’t fight this thing. I succeeded...in giving it nothing more than a bloody nose.

It finally settled on top of me. I looked into those pitted...those pitted black soulless eyes. I tried to wriggle, but it had me down...as if...as if it attacked humans before.

I shut my eyes. When I died, I didn’t want to see Thomas and Burton’s blood stained in its maw. I prayed that it would be quick.

...it wasn’t. One of its claws reached up and impaled my right arm. This thing liked...suffering. It gained...some sort of pleasure...from my screaming.

It kept doing that in the same wound over and over. Impaling it, driving a hole straight through my arm...what was left of my arm. This would not be a kind death. God may have dominion over the Earth, but certainly not...here...in this place.

I’m not sure...what prompted me to open my eyes...but it saved my life. I saw the knife a few meters away. I started pivoting my body around the claw that was lodged inside. Rotating my body around that one...throbbing, pulpy...mess...was hard. But the beast didn’t seem to notice it. It didn’t realize...what I was doing.

Or at least it did notice, but much too late. I had gotten 60 degrees around. Fingers brushing the knife. I gritted my teeth, eyes watering from the pain.

The beast realized too late. It withdrew its claw from my arm...and lunged for my heart. Arm free, I rolled over...knife in hand. I thrust the knife straight up into the beast’s neck. Red liquid gushed from its neck...it shook, gurgling for a few seconds...then went still.

It was dead.

But after that...a long time after that...I crawled over to the carcass. To shave off the fur on its head. To see what had attacked me, to see if I could find anything of value. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see. I expected to see...a snout and curved features...of an animal. But yet, I shaved its head...

I looked not into the unseeing eyes of a beast, but into the unseeing eyes...of a man.