At first PFC Stewart Peter Bate was grateful he'd landed in something soft to break his fall. Then he realized what he'd landed in...
Bate had been part of an explo patrol trying to determine the full extent of Lake Latex—that strange, apparently natural formation not far from FOB Rigg. It looked like a lake of molten black rubber, but was not a body of water. Whatever the lake was composed of, and it did feel remarkably similar to rubber, it was solid enough to walk upon.
Or rather, ha

Initially PFC Stewart Peter Bate thought he'd
stepped in some gum. It was tacky like gum and stuck to the sole of
his boot like gum. Where it differed from gum was in both its
stickiness and strength. The gum stretched as Bate lifted his boot,
but reached a point where it refused to snap or relinquish its hold
on either the floor or his boot.
The
fuck? Bate thought as he was brought to a sudden, unexpected halt.
His
annoyance gave way to horror as he put his foot back down and a pink
mass swe