by Ethan Proud
Aqi was alive. In her eyes were brimstone and fire.
Chapter Forty-Six
The paddles barely broke the surface of the water. The two assassins had made their getaway as soon as the scourge of the Shrikers began. They wasted no time or morals deciding whether or not to wait for their fellow Hydras. They had made it clear that they were on their own. From across the still waters, the constant report of gunfire shook the rocks. Silt and small flakes of stone rained from the cavern ceiling.
Deirde and Yuto didn’t say anything, their faces were smeared with sweat, molla, and blood, their breath hot in their mouths. They only had a few days before the Second Earthling ship landed and spirited them away from this damnable planet. Whether or not they were its sole Exo occupants was up to the Shrikers battling the Greylings. Deirde and Yuto hadn’t been cruel enough to destroy the other boats, though the thought had crossed their minds. Had they discussed it, they probably would have done it. But both were too afraid of the other’s judgment to say anything.
They both lurched slightly when they hit the shore, despite seeing it as it loomed nearer. Stepping from the boat, their feet splashed lightly in the water and their soles became wet within their boots. It would be the last reprieve before setting out across the desert again. Stooping over the water, they filled their Hydra backpacks and were temporarily jolted back to their previous lives. How many times had they hauled meager volumes of the life-giving fluid back to their camp? How many times had they trudged across the sand for days on end, parched and on the verge of death?
All their efforts had been in vain, two shining utopias with constant supplies of water had existed. Yet they had been doomed to wander. It was fitting justice that the Shrikers would have to wander as they had. Unless they defeated the Greylings of course, but the aliens had the home-turf advantage. The odds seemed pitted against the Exos.
“No going back now.” Yuto broke the silence as he closed his pack with a drawstring before clipping a strap to keep the top compartment in place.
“It’s what they deserve,” Deirde answered coldly. She shared a grim smile with Yuto. Justice didn’t always feel right, but it didn’t make it wrong.
They wasted no time getting to the surface. The wind was howling as was the norm, and sand bit at their flesh. They pulled their scarves over their faces and settled their goggles on their eyes. They stared at the rover sitting unmolested between two dunes for many long moments before shrugging and slogging towards it. Yuto pulled the door open roughly and slid into the driver seat while Deirde crawled into the rear driver side seat and peered over his shoulder. Slamming the doors, they locked the gritty debris out.
“Think you can operate it?” Deirde’s voice was muffled behind her balaclava.
Yuto pulled his bandana beneath his chin. “We’ll see.”
Over the past several days, or had it been weeks, he had seen plenty of rovers being driven. It couldn’t be that hard. He experimentally pushed all of the pedals on the floor. Nothing. He twisting the wheel a few times. Nothing. Pushed a button on the dashboard. Nothing. Another button. Nothing. Moved the gear shift. Nothing. Put the gear shift back. Nothing. Twisted something behind the steering wheel. Suddenly it roared to life. And died a moment later. He twisted the key again, and this time pushed a pedal against the floor. The engine purred, but the rover did not move.
“Give up?” Deirde asking, ribbing him gently.
“Can’t say I didn’t try,” Yuto said and pushed the door open, stepping back into the vicious winds. “Walking is what we were made for, after all.”
Deirde laughed sardonically. Setting out across the desolate planet they felt naked without their gonis. The only solace was that this time, they weren’t wandering, they had a map that would lead them straight to the landing site. Hopefully, along the way they would run into Aileen and Deirde, but they both knew they would have to turn the creatures loose before boarding. The chances that the gelatinous aliens would survive the atmosphere of a foreign planet were slim. It broke both their hearts, but the chance to say a proper goodbye would be worth it.
The nostalgia of the sands wasn’t lost on them as they referred to the map one last time before setting a course.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“Aqi!” Jorgen shouted and motioned with his whole arm for her to cross the barrier.
“Stop,” Gana said. “She isn’t here to join us.”
“What do you mean?” Jorgen hissed angrily.
“She’s with them.” Gana pointed to the Greylings clamoring behind their goddess. She was given a wide berth, but it was obvious that they were waiting on her.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jorgen said and hopped over the barricade and rushed towards Aqi.
She didn’t break stride or acknowledge him, even when the Greylings pounced on him and dragged him from her path. She didn’t even look his way as his screams intensified.
“Make it quick. I rather liked him,” Aqi said hollowly, her lips hardly moving. Abruptly, the screams stopped.
From behind the barricade, Gana winced as Jorgen’s head was separated from his shoulders. Aqi entered the ring of light, and the Greylings skirted the edge of it, like wolves plotting their next move on a lone elk.
Aqi pulled a pistol from beneath her poncho and leveled it at the figure next to the generator. The bullet shattered the air and lodged itself in the middle of Drip’s forehead. Her next shot was aimed directly at the generator. With a loud pop, the lights went out and the Greylings closed in. They leapt over the barrier and beset themselves on the Shrikers. Aqi watched calmly as her people were slaughtered.
X
“We need to get out of here,” Lepiro whispered as he tugged at Taiga.
“Take the boats?” she asked as she turned and outpaced him. “What about Yuto and Deirde?”
“What about them?” Lepiro asked.
“They either took the boats as soon as they killed Rhea, or I was born yesterday,” Taiga replied as they left the carnage behind.
Lepiro peered over his shoulder before answering. “They couldn’t have taken all the boats,” he assured her.
“Either they sank them, or they will kill us before we reach the rendezvous point,” Taiga answered.
“You can’t be serious. He’s your husband,” Lepiro balked.
“They made it clear we are enemies,” Taiga said solemnly. “I wouldn’t be sure of anything.”
“You are much too dire,” Lepiro said, while Icharus’ fleeting shape guiding them into the tunnels.
Taiga’s retort was cut off when three Greylings did the same to their escape. Lepiro pulled the gun from his hip but was too late. Two of the aliens had already reached him and pinned him to the ground. He felt claws dig into his stomach as warmth spread out across his abdomen. He coughed up blood in lieu of a scream. The last thing he heard was Icharus’ panicked shrieks above him.
Taiga eviscerated the first Greyling in one quick move before turning to dispatch the two that had taken Lepiro down. She killed another with a quick stab of her blade as it turned to face her, but the third was too quick and dodged the next killing blow and tackled her. With a well-placed knee, she sent it skittering across the floor in the fetal position. Another well placed cut, another dead Greyling.
She rushed to Lepiro’s side, but he was already dead. The heat was receding from his skin as the cold cave air leeched it. Icharus sat screeing on his chest and Taiga tried her best to pull the creature from its dead master. The goni wouldn’t leave. She tried to coax it with kind words, to no avail. With tears staining her cheek, she turned tail and fled.
X
The Greylings had broken through the barricade, but the Shrikers stood their ground. There were too many of the Greylings to stage an organized retreat. Defeating the Greylings here and making a break for the surface was the only option they had.
Gana felt oddly calm, despite the danger he was in. It was a last ditch effort to survive, but a stillness had overcome him. O
nly two outcomes existed in this scenario and he simply had to do his best. Most of the Shrikers would die below ground, but maybe a few would make it out alive. Gana counted each shot he fired, and when the trigger stuck after the last bullet, he discarded the magazine and loaded another. It appeared that they were beginning to stem the tide when a heavy figure dropped from the sky. Then another. Gana turned his eyes upwards and saw many more of the creatures emerging from a honeycomb of ancillary tunnels. The Greyling population seemed to have no end.
From the tunnel behind them, another host of the beings appeared. The Shrikers had been hemmed in. All hope for the human race was lost. The stillness that had settled over Gana evaporated. He kicked the creature closest to him in the chest before placing a bullet where his foot had been moments before. Gunfire erupted and the sound of bullets striking rock came from every direction. Gana felt a force hit him in the stomach, then a sudden heat. It wasn’t necessarily painful, but he knew the damage had been done. He looked at the gunshot wound in his stomach and cursed. He had been felled by friendly fire. He sank to his knees and curled into a ball on the ground. Then he felt the pain.
It didn’t last long before he bled out on the cold stone floor.
X
Taiga reached the edge of the lake before she was finally overtaken. The swarm of Greylings caught her just as she reached the boat. She slashed in broad wide arcs, each time her blade finding many Greylings but still they came. She was ripped to the ground, thrashing and screaming all the while. She managed to break free and her knife found another Greyling. Blood spurted from its wound, and the ground became slick and warm. She felt her forearm snap as an assailant bore its whole weight upon her. She screamed in pain, but was cut off as teeth found her throat. With a final gurgle, the last of the Exos below ground died.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Aqi strode purposefully among the destruction. None of her old people had made it out alive. Her new disciples had been victorious. She crossed the barricade and felt a small stirring of guilt when she saw Gana, struck down by a stray bullet. He and Rhea had always been close. She swallowed her feelings and moved on. There was no point in pitying the dead. In the tunnel leading to the first lake, she found Lepiro’s cold body. Icharus still sitting on his chest. The goni let out a low mournful call when he saw Aqi. She stooped down and stroked his head gently. His sad eyes regarded her for a moment before turning back to look at Lepiro.
She knew she couldn’t leave the creature in the cavern. She scooped him up and cradled him against her chest.
“Do you have a name?” Of course, he did not answer. She stared at his red glowing cartilage and chose a new name for him. “Vulpes.”
Vulpes crooned at his new name for a moment, and allowed Aqi to carry him away from Lepiro’s side and back to the Greyling City. In the coming days, he would begin to grow to a size that no Hydra goni had ever reached.
X
There came a great roaring as the ship made its landing. A flurry of sand was propelled in all directions and blasted the two figures celebrating the arrival of the Second Earthlings. Deirde and Yuto’s faces were no longer reminiscent of skulls but instead resembled dirty miners, emerging from the depths. They were caked in soot and grime, streaks of blood evident.
A party of six humans exited the craft, their disappointment obvious. They had been expecting hundreds, if not thousands of Exos to rescue. A woman, outfitted in a bright orange suit, puffy boots, and vest with many clips and pouches, stepped forward.
“Are there more of you?” she asked, looking around the desolate planet in bewilderment. The Shrike could be seen in the distance, but no movement came from the walls that surrounded it.
“We are the only survivors,” Yuto said grimly. His eyes were as hollow as his words.
“What happened?” the commanding woman inquired further.
“We encountered the natives. We were slaughtered,” Deirde provided.
“I am so sorry to hear that,” the woman said. “But we are glad that we arrived in time to rescue you. Come aboard, we will waste no more time here. My name is Tamora Brider.”
“My name is Yuto, and she is Deirde,” Yuto provided as they walked up the ramp into the ship.
“No last names?” Tamora asked, and when she saw the looks on Yuto and Deirde’s faces she quickly changed her tune. “No matter, we can discuss that when you get settled in. We have a long trip and a lot to tell each other.”
Epilogue
Drums pounding in her ears, Aqi sat in her throne positioned at the edge of the lake shore. Her hands rested on two skulls, while her back and head were supported by numerous ribcages. Molla grew from every gap and the result was quite comfortable. The eerie hum of mollawind instruments heralded the arrival of the beast in the water. Vulpes sped towards the shore as the Greyling children offered him bowls of molla and strips of meat. Aqi didn’t question where the meat came from, but she had a hunch.
Vulpes emerged from the water and gorged himself on the offerings. In only a few short months, he had grown enough to rival a horse in size and was getting hungrier by the day.
Aqi watched as he slid back into the water and summoned her attendants to her. They lifted her into the air, still in her throne, and carried her back into the heart of her city. The bitterness in her heart had yet to erode, but she was hopeful that someday she would be at peace.
X
With a hiss, the airlock opened after the ship landed in a docking bay at the capital of the Gaia Colonies. The city was called Terra Omnia and was a shining jewel of technology. Each building was resplendent in white, with roof top gardens and solar panels. No cars moved through the streets, and no sand was anywhere in sight. The Hydras had never seen anything so green and lush. The air itself was so full of scents. It smelled sweet, fresh, and bountiful all at once. Like giddy children, Deirde and Yuto exchanged face-splitting smiles and stepped onto the soft earth. There was only the gentlest of breezes that lightly tugged at their hair and clothes. It was a welcome change from the howling gales of AE625.
As they looked around in utter excitement, Tamora couldn’t help but smile. The sky opened up and pregnant drops of water fell slowly and softly, mingling with the smell of fresh earth. The Hydras looked up in astonishment.
“Welcome home.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ethan Proud was raised in Pinedale, Wyoming and that is where he fell in love with reading, writing, and the outdoors. He published his first series the Rebellion Trilogy with his older brother, Lincoln. Ethan is an avid adventurer, whether it is on the page or in nature and when he is not writing or reading he can be found backpacking, rock climbing, or snowboarding.
Keep up with him at:
http://proudbrotherswriting.com