As they walked for another half hour, the sunlight continually dimmed. Charlie looked up at the sky and saw the same ringed planet he saw when he climbed out of the tunnel. In the darkening sky, it looked even more brilliant than before. If not for the different sky, he would have sworn that he was still back on Earth. Maybe up north towards the mountains, where he used to hike when he was younger.
"Hold it," White whispered, breaking Charlie out of his thoughts.
"What is it?"
"Shh." White looked around for a few seconds, then yelled "Get down!" He pushed Charlie out of the way, just as a blue beam of light bolted through the air.
"What ..."
"Stay down and shut up," he ordered Charlie. "That was them. The squids."
"How many are there?" Charlie whispered.
"I don't know. Damn it. I wanted to get back before moonrise." He glanced at Charlie, who looked like he didn't understand. "The squids are nocturnal. They thrive at night. So, it's the worse time to go strolling through the forest, you know?"
Charlie nodded.
White aimed his gun and fired. There was a painful groan, then another beam of light was shot in their direction.
"Did you get one of them?"
"I hit one of them, but that doesn't mean I got it. The squids are very resistant. In fact, the only way to kill them on your first try is ...
There was another shot. This one hit White squarely in the chest, knocking him down instantly.
"White?" Charlie whispered. "White?"
