Red Sea

As Jake discovered the spring that was truly gushing forth, he let out a joyful shout. Forgetting the pain in his body, he approached the stream, bowed his head, and drank the water. Inside the cave, there was a small spring, and although he couldn’t tell where the water flowed, he could hear the continuous sound of it trickling away. It didn’t matter whether the water was safe to drink or not. The thought that if he didn’t drink now, he would face death made Jake gulp down the water hastily. After days of not being able to drink in such a hot and dry place, the water felt even sweeter.

“Whew… ha…”

Having drunk the water, he now wanted to wash his body. Just drinking the water didn’t completely quell his hunger, but he felt much better overall. Jake scooped up some water and wiped his body down. The moment his hand touched the water, he felt a sharp chill as he splashed the cold water all over himself. It was refreshing. The cave was so hot and dry that instead of feeling cold, it felt cool. After wetting his hair, he felt not only his body but also his mind clear up, allowing him to hold onto the fading hope a little longer.

Still noticing the remnants of what had flowed down between his legs, Jake let out a sigh of frustration. He couldn’t just leave it as it was; it felt too uncomfortable. He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to stick his finger in the hole or not, but ultimately decided to wipe away only what was flowing on the outside. It was fine when the water was just trickling down his back, but the moment the cold water touched his tender skin, a stinging sensation shot through him.

“Ugh…”

Now, touching the bruised skin that was turning dark, Jake clenched his fist tightly. He kept telling himself it was better than being stabbed, but since it was a type of injury he had never experienced before, it was unavoidable that he felt anxious. He tried to steel his mind, telling himself he could endure this. After all, he had returned safely from that treacherous jungle without falling behind.

“I can do this… I can return safely.”

The middle-aged trader who had crash-landed spoke aloud as if to self-hypnotize himself. His voice echoed and reverberated around the cave. It had been quite a while since he had heard another human voice besides his own. This was a more extreme situation than when he talked to himself inside the spaceship to avoid losing his language. After hearing his own voice echoing in the cave several times, Jake stopped speaking. Instead, he returned to where the bed had been, constantly checking if there was anything wrong inside him from drinking the unverified water. The cave walls he was stepping on didn’t seem to be made of limestone, but if he had drunk mineral water, it wouldn’t be good for his body in the long run.

Lying on the bed, he thought for a long time. What exactly did those creatures eat to survive? Did they not know that humans needed water and food? If that were the case, he would need to go out and see if there was any food he could eat. His thoughts spiraled into more questions. Logically, it was impossible to venture out into that unpredictable weather without any equipment, not even clothes. The very fact that he had woken up naked was already strange.

Did they know how to take off clothes?

After a moment of thought, Jake concluded that if they were as foolish as he thought, they would have just torn off anything that got in their way. He decided to entertain a slightly more productive question. He wondered how far this cave was from the crash site and what had happened to the food and supplies he had brought. However, there was no one to ask, and no proper way to find out, so it was best to just bury those thoughts in his mind. Given that they lived in a cave without proper buildings and there was no trace of electronic devices or even writing, it was clear they had a civilization that was significantly less developed than humanity.

Just as he thought he heard heavy footsteps echoing loudly against the cave walls, the creature finally appeared at the entrance. Its massive size was overwhelming and instilled fear. Additionally, there were scratch marks on its face, as if a monster had clawed it. Jake, being human, instinctively focused his gaze on where its face was presumed to be, even though he knew it had no eyes. Inevitably, he would come face to face with the red marks that resembled scars. Despite lacking any organs that could be called eyes, it moved quite straight, so Jake refrained from attempting any foolish sneak attacks. Although he had trained his whole life for combat, he understood that charging at something that was not even a worthy opponent was utterly reckless.

Rather, it would be more fitting to say he had become seasoned through the political maneuvering and various hardships he had faced during his long time in the military. Jake stared at the creature with his uniquely bright eyes, not avoiding it. He entertained the absurd thought that if he didn’t give it the impression of being looked down upon, there might be a chance for the situation to improve. The creature that approached Jake dumped a pile of large, coal-like stones onto the bed.

“…Are you giving me these?”

Was it trying to win his favor? It seemed the creature still didn’t understand Jake’s words, as it didn’t respond with a nod or any other reaction. It simply picked up one of the stones and thrust it toward Jake. As it rubbed the stone against his face, Jake closed his eyes and turned his head away in disgust.

“I said to speak! Ah, I know you can’t talk, but…”

He had thought it would be as hard as a rock, but the black lump stuck to his cheek. Realizing it was softer than he expected, Jake decided to pick up one of the things that had fallen on the bed instead of accepting what the creature was offering. When he squeezed it in his hand, the stone crumbled easily. Watching the creature’s reaction, Jake cautiously pretended to eat it. The creature simply stared down at him without any response.

“Please, just give me some indication of whether I’m right or wrong…”

He began to think that perhaps the creature had no idea about human-style communication methods, such as nodding or shaking its head. No matter how different their languages were, humans shared basic gestures, and some universal gestures were also understood. This was in stark contrast to his experience with the Nanka tribe, who were almost identical to humans and could communicate through gestures even if their languages differed. So, Jake decided to try a new approach.

“If it’s not for eating, then what do you want? Are you telling me to throw it?”

Just as he was about to throw the stone forcefully against the cave wall, the creature quickly grabbed his wrist and stopped him. Jake narrowed his eyes and glared at it, but then relaxed his grip. It seemed that eating was the right answer, while throwing it was the wrong one.

“Seriously… you’re such a frustrating creature.”

Jake clicked his tongue and popped one of the crumbled pieces into his mouth. It felt like he was eating the mud scattered across the jungle floor, but this wasn’t the time to be picky. After all, it had been quite a while since he had eaten, and he needed to eat something to prevent his stomach from cramping.

“This is…”

It had a peculiar taste. It was a flavor and texture he had never experienced on the alien planet. While he thought it looked disgusting, he still questioned whether it was truly safe to eat. It was chewable and had a texture somewhere between a tough plant root and a boiled potato. The taste was a mix of slight sweetness and saltiness, but it had a unique aroma. It seemed to have a burnt smell mixed in.

Was it roasted?

At least he was sure it wasn’t the flesh of any animal. It was closer to the texture of boiled plants. Still, compared to the food he had eaten on the spaceship or the increasingly watery military rations, it was quite edible, so Jake didn’t complain. Eating delicious food on the alien planet had been a luxury. Most of the time, he had to shove dry food into his mouth just to survive. Compared to that, these stones, though shabby in appearance, couldn’t be judged too harshly.

“…At least it doesn’t seem like you intend to kill me. What exactly do you want from me? If we could communicate, I’d gladly hurl a few curses your way.”

The creature didn’t react to Jake muttering to himself. If he recalled correctly, the only time it had made a sound was when it was at the cave entrance yesterday. It clearly had a tongue and vocal cords, but why it didn’t make any sounds wasn’t an urgent issue, so Jake didn’t bother trying to figure it out and focused on what he was doing. Right now, it was urgent to eat and survive.

Deep down, Jake was wary of the creature, which was just sitting there, not knowing when it might act violently again, as he ate what it had brought him. His palms were blackened with soot, and his face and beard were also smeared with it, but he kept an eye on the creature’s movements. He was just as afraid of it rampaging like a beast, but doing nothing and keeping his face fixed in a stare made him feel even more uneasy.

“I’ve eaten it all. I didn’t leave anything behind.”

Thinking that if it was in a good mood, it might treat him a little more kindly, Jake deliberately opened his palm and said aloud that he had eaten everything. It was a rather cowardly act, but he wanted to avoid any sudden violence or unwanted advances. The creature, which had been staring at Jake, leaned in very close. Its tongue, which had slithered out from the gap, slowly licked Jake’s cheek. Jake felt a sense of dread wash over him and instinctively pulled his body back, realizing that the moment he had been dreading had come. The creature’s tongue was excessively long, and it seemed like it could wrap around his neck.

“W-wait, don’t do that! I just ate, and if you do that, I’ll throw it all up, so just give me a moment…”

Hot air escaped from the creature’s open mouth. Jake realized that it was breathing and that there was a heat source inside its body. This was information that was completely irrelevant in this situation. The saliva that dampened his cheek was stickier and hotter than a human’s. It wasn’t hot enough to burn, but it was definitely warm enough to feel uncomfortable.

“W-wait, please…!”

Jake reached out and pushed the creature’s face away. His urgent voice reflected his feelings. He knew there was nothing to gain from provoking it, but fear drove his hand forward. The creature’s head was solid. Its smooth, hairless black skull was warm to the touch. It felt similar to touching an electronic device that had been left on for a long time. The difference was that this was a living being with its own will. Jake was startled by the sensation of touching something as hard as a rock. The arms and hands that had been groping him weren’t nearly as hard. Even the part that had intruded inside him was the same. However, the skull was so solid that he realized that if he attacked it, whether intentionally or accidentally, it could break his bones. Feeling the creature resist as he desperately pushed it away, it stopped leaning in and grabbed Jake’s face with one hand, looking down at him. Jake’s clear eyes reflected the creature’s long, black face and the red marks that looked like scratches.

Only now did Jake realize that those red marks flickered as if something was burning inside, like flames dancing. Staring at the black creature that had no eyes, he couldn’t even tell what expression he was making and simply gazed at it anxiously. The grip on his face was so strong that it made his jaw and cheekbones ache. The creature had hands large enough to hold an adult male’s face with just one hand. The gray hair that was starting to dampen with sweat and the soot that dirtied its face made Jake look even more haggard. While being held, the deep wrinkles on his face would deepen and then fade repeatedly.

Jake sent a pleading look to it, begging it to let go. He tried to pry the hand that was gripping his face away by grabbing its solid wrist with both hands, but it remained immovable. No matter how hard he gripped, to the point where the veins on the back of his hand bulged, it only resulted in pain in his own hand.

“Kr, ksha….”

It made some sort of sound. Then, it licked the traces of food off its face, beard, and chest, cleaning itself thoroughly before releasing him. While the monster licked its body, Jake held his breath, making no sound, tensing or flinching according to the movements of its tongue. Once it finished licking the remnants from its chest and cleavage, it completely detached itself from him.

Perhaps his desperation reached it, as it did not do anything further and simply headed back out of the cave. Only after its shadow completely disappeared from within the cave could Jake finally breathe freely. It would have been easier if he had been unconscious or if it had ruthlessly crushed his resistance with violence; in that case, he could have just gritted his teeth and endured. However, the tension and fear of not knowing what it might do next left his body stiff and stressed. All he had done since waking up was find water to drink and accept food, yet a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him.