The act of sawing through the trees took forever. Technically speaking, the trees were small in diameter, but they were unlike trees from Earth in that they were much denser. Sawing took double the time it would have taken otherwise. I was glad we only required twenty trees. I couldn’t help but think about the pioneers on Earth starting from scratch on a continent, just like us. I had never taken into consideration just how tedious all of the work was when done by hand, but now it would be forever engraved into my mind.
Hours passed and we had only cut down twelve trees. The night was drawing on and on, and we still were not done. The team decided that some of us needed to start hauling trees back to the camp while others continued sawing. Four people sawed, two held flashlights, and the other four worked together to start pulling trees back to camp.
I was one of the lucky ones chosen to start transporting trees. We had two people per tree pulling. Even with the strength of two people pulling with all of their might, movement was slow because the trees were heavy. We pulled with one hand, while the other held a flashlight and helped us keep our balance. The walks were long and tough.
When we finally made it back to camp, it seemed everyone else was having just as much trouble. No one was accustomed to the amount of work it took to live without much technology. There was only the beginnings of a fire, supplies were being leisurely unpacked, and the boys with the pigs were nowhere to be found yet. The fact that none of the other teams were doing any better made me feel better about our work, but also instilled a sincere worry that we weren’t prepared for this journey and were going to suffer.
We dropped off the trees and headed toward the woods once again as the builders began to hack at the branches. Maybe we weren’t doing so bad after all. We jogged back to the lumberjacks to deliver the good news, but when we returned, everyone was in a panic.
Flashlights swung every which way, pointing up into the treetops. Loud yelling could be heard as we approached. My heart pounded in my chest. What happened? What are they seeing? For a second, we hung back trying to assess the situation, but after many moments of confusion we dove in head-first.
We could hear the others’ heavy breathing and panic as we entered the woods. “What’s going on?” I called.
“There’s something moving in the trees! A lot of little somethings!” one guy yelled back.
“I thought there wasn’t supposed to be life on this planet! What the hell?”
“Everyone calm down!” a lady demanded.
Looking up into the trees, I focused on one beam of light from a flashlight, and suddenly saw a flicker. A small pair of bright, beady eyes stared down at me from a tree branch high in the sky. This small creature, which was about the size of a squirrel and had hands like a raccoon, climbed about on the tree, curious about us. Its tail was short and bobbed, and its body had short legs and a fat middle that resembled a guinea pig. It was obvious these critters had somehow survived the trip here by hibernating in the trees. Its long ears swiveled with each new noise, sometimes making an entire one-eighty.
“They’re kind of cute, but it still freaks me the fuck out,” said the guy standing next to me.
“I don’t understand how they made the trip through space. We were told everything would be dead—if there was ever life in the first place,” I said. “Maybe between Spencer and I, we can figure out what they are and how they survived.”
“And if they’re a threat.” The comment went unanswered, but the fear could be felt from everyone.
I was a bit apprehensive of the small critters, but they didn’t feel dangerous. There was no official name for them, but I thought of them as ‘Skitters.’ It was my mix of ‘small’ and ‘critters,’ and from that moment forward that was what I called them.
The sawing and hauling continued into the early morning. Everyone watched the tree limbs above us the whole time, wary of our new company.
IN THE MORNING, WE gathered around the many fires and enjoyed the pork provided. Our faces drooped, and our eyes were sunken into our heads. We ate like wild animals. I wanted to cry. It was such a long night. Everyone else was holding their shit together, though, so I couldn’t be the weak one. We could have stayed the night in the supply hull had it not been full of supplies, but it was a pride thing. One that felt much more important the night before than it did in the morning.
Idris stood among the strewn-out bodies beside the campfire. His eyes were ringed in dark circles and his face was gaunt with fatigue. “We didn’t get our shelters built like we thought we would, but we managed to get all of the supplies, make a fire, and eat. After seeing what we’re up against, I’m proud of you all. Things aren’t going to happen here as fast as we thought they would, but that’s okay. There are only so many of us. A workforce is being sent in two weeks. A lot is going to change then, but for now, we’ll take our time.” He nodded. “I say we get some sleep by the fires, and once we’re all rested, we’ll begin on the shelters.”
We all groaned then settled onto the ground. I had a hard time
