The Extinction Series | Book 4 | Spread of Extinction Ellis, Tara (top 10 ebook reader .TXT) 📖

long gravel driveway, with the ever-present jungle surrounding it all. “And those monkeys—” he shuddered at the memory. “They were all golden lions and they knew what they were doing. It was like it was all coordinated.”

“It had to be a coincidence,” Akuba said, but Jess didn’t think she sounded as confident. Akuba went to stand next to her cousin at the window, placing a hand on his uninjured arm. “The monkeys aren’t that smart, are they?”

He shook his head, and looked at both Jess and Akuba as he spoke. “I don’t think it’s about intelligence. Most primates are smart enough to organize a hunt, or even plan something that requires several different components, and a comprehension of time. I believe that what we’re witnessing is similar to what the Kra Puru is doing to the human species. When you take away their natural inhibitions, their fear, they tap into a part of their brain and personality that is normally dormant in animals. They aren’t scared of us anymore,” he added for emphasis.

“It’s more than that,” Jess said. She squirmed under the scrutiny of the adults as they looked expectantly at her. “It’s like what Slaider said a couple of days ago, when he first got here. That the animals and the jungle are unbalanced. I don’t think it’s just that they aren’t scared of us anymore, I don’t think they’re scared of anything. The natural order of the animals is gone, and I’m pretty sure we fall somewhere in there, too. Right?”

“Yeah,” Kavish agreed, nodding. “You can feel it. At night, even the darkness looks different. It’s all wrong.” Shaking his head, he strode over to the desk and began rummaging through the drawers.

Akuba and Jess exchanged a confused look. When he made a sound of satisfaction and stood with a notepad and pen in his hands, he held them out toward Akuba. “I need you to write a letter.”

Jess wondered if the stress had finally made him crack. She’d fully expected to be the first one to cave, but the silent types were usually the most unstable.

“I don’t understand.” Akuba took the pad of paper from her cousin and sat it down on the desk. “You aren’t making any sense, and we still need to finish planning out a patrol schedule before we get started on the day’s chores.”

“Paul is working that out right now with Slaider’s cousin and Tufail, the other man that came back with him,” Kavish said. “But we both know it won’t be enough. Maybe it’ll work for today or tomorrow, but what about a week from now, when more animals start to see us and our livestock as the easiest prey? And what happens when Dr. Davies comes back and isn’t happy with how much food we have set aside for him?”

Akuba sighed and dropped her head, hands pressed against the top of the desk. Jess had rarely seen her act so defeated, and she wondered if she should leave and let them talk privately. Before she could decide, Akuba stood up and grabbed at the notepad, waving it at Kavish. “So, tell me, cousin. What am I supposed to write? Because I don’t know the answers to your questions. I’m afraid to go outside, just like everyone else. I’m afraid of dying, or worse…facing those touched by the Kra Puru. I don’t know what to do anymore, so I hope you aren’t as crazy as you sound.”

Jess was ready to run from the room, but paused with her feet halfway to the floor when Kavish began to chuckle. He might have been farther gone than she thought.

“It’s for your mother, Akuba,” Kavish said, moving around the desk to place the pen in her hand. “I think I can find the Tan Presi Rutu, based on an old map of my grandfather’s. It’s outdated and it will be difficult, but with Slaider’s help we will find our ancient village, and your mother.”

“And then what?” Akuba asked. She looked confused, and Jess imagined she was thinking the same thing Akuba was, that her cousin and Slaider were going to abandon them.

“You were meant to be our next Captain,” Kavish said. He leaned against the desk and crossed his arms over his chest, staring intensely at Akuba. “Your words will carry weight with not only your mother, but the elders, including my grandfather. Tell them what has happened here. Tell them how there are others that are immune and need refuge at the Tan Presi Rutu.”

“She won’t agree to it,” Akuba said, frowning. “You know how strongly she believes in the traditions. That only those blessed by Awa may enter our sacred village, or the bergi-olo. The caves and origin of the Libi Nati must be protected. Now, more than ever.”

Kavish didn’t waver in his confidence. “‘Only the chosen will endure’. Those are the words on the walls of the bergi-olo. Who are we to say that only Lokono are purposefully immune? We have seen with our own eyes that it isn’t true. According to my grandfather, the Tan Presi Rutu was once a community of thousands. It was meant for much greater things than hiding away a small select few. According to both our ancient and current beliefs, we must all come together to defeat the Kra Puru. Whether it be Awa, genetics, or other Gods or beliefs that have spared so many more from this affliction, it’s not up to us to shun them. Instead, I believe it’s our destiny to unite them.”

Jess watched as Akuba considered her cousin’s words. In another time, Jess would have taken Kavish’s speech as proof that he’d totally lost it. Talking about ancient texts, and Gods, and destiny as if it were all completely normal was usually not a sign of being well-grounded. Instead, she thought it made perfect sense. That realization made her stomach clench painfully, and caused her to