Arida glared at him. Now the chief is weak, that was the right time to strike him down. She pulled the frozen blade out of the tank and started walking towards the chief.
Hakaz raised his eyes and saw her coming. He stretched his hand at her. “Stop! You can’t just attack a weak Khaghin”
“Sorry to tell you, that’s exactly what am going to do” Arida raised the blade and attacked him.
Donnie shuddered, looking at the lightning that were striking down on the land and destroying most of the militia vehicles behind him. His life was now a gamble in the Craterlands, a fifty fifty situation. Whiles speeding near the fuel truck, he watched Arida and Hakaz battling on top of the frozen fuel tank through the left winged mirror. Anytime the frozen blade struck into the flaming blade, a huge vapour emanates around them. Even though it was an beguiling scene, that wasn’t the time to be praising the beauty of it.
“That Martian now has the flaming blade? How could Arida―” Donnie was speechless. He clenched his jaw. “Damn!”
He sped the pickup ahead of the fuel truck and drifted to the left side, pressed the brake pedal slightly and allowed the fuel truck’s head to get near him.
“Hubbit!” Donnie yelled out of the window. Hubbit rolled the truck’s glasses down and brought his head out, sweating with his face consumed in fright. He creased his brows and threw his head forward when he saw Donnie. “You are still alive? I thought―”
“Come on, get in here―the truck will explode soon”
“What! Where’s Arida?”
“Fighting on top of your truck with the Roghim blades”
“So it was her―she was the one causing the fire I was seeing on the tank!” Hubbit turned his head to try if he could see her, but all he continued seeing was vapour. “Wait! Who is she in combat with?”
“The leader of the Martians behind us!”
“Shit!” Hubbit just opened the truck’s door and jumped out onto the back of the pickup.
“Hey! You just jumped!!” Donnie yelled from inside.
“Yeah, what else were you expecting me to do?”
“I thought you were going to think this through before jumping!”
“There is no thinking when Hakaz is at the back of your truck!” Hubbit walked towards the head of the pickup, opened the door around the edge and entered into it. They looked at each other when Hubbit sat. “And how did you steal this militia truck?”
“Take the steer” Donnie pushed the steer to Hubbit’s side.
“Wait! What? Why?” Hubbit didn’t even know what to say. He looked confused.
“Am going to get Arida out of there. No one is driving the fuel truck―it will soon fall into a crater or get struck by lightning! And if I don’t get there fast to get her, you know what will happen” Donnie climbed out of the window onto the back.
“Is that why you made me jump into your vehicle? To steer?” Hubbit shrieked from the inside.
Donnie shook his head. He looked back at the few militia vehicles that followed behind them and wondered why they weren’t firing at them anymore. Whatever reason it was, he cared less, he had to get Arida off the truck as soon as possible.
He glanced at the tank’s ladder and shouted back at Hubbit. “Keep an eye on us― we may jump!” he jumped out onto the ladder and began to climb up.
Hakaz slid Arida onto the tank. He stretched the flaming blade towards her neck. “Now it’s over”
“Not so quick!” a voice interrupted him from behind. Hakaz turned his head to see Donnie pointing his pistol at him.
“You!” Hakaz smirked. “You come trying to kill me with a weapon I already defied?”
“No, I missed the last time we met face to face. Not anymore”
Immediately he finished his statement, a loud thunder cracked. They all turned their heads to the sky. The lightning were reaching the ground at an intense rate. They could see lightning striking and throwing militia vehicles here and there behind them, then they turned their attention back at each other. Arida crawled towards Donnie and forced herself to her feet.
Hakaz grinned briefly. “How lovely― just the two I needed, here at the right time”
Donnie stretched the gun further, squeezing his eyes.
“Shoot! Alien. I don’t think you fear to do it for the second time”
“Definitely” Donnie whispered and shot the gun, then before they knew, lightning struck the head of the truck and jerked them high into the air.
Hubbit, his head out of the window and still driving, gaped at the fuel truck, together with Hakaz, Arida and Donnie slowly flying high above him. He drifted the pickup further under the flying truck. It was a suicide mission he was attempting and he knew that. Arida grabbed Donnie in midair and directed herself down into the back of the pickup. As quickly as they fell at the back, Hubbit pressed the gas pedal and sped away before the truck could crash back onto the land. The fuel truck crashed into a large crater and instantly exploded. The dark land suddenly brightened with the explosion’s fire.
When the militia realized their leader had exploded with the truck, rage filled their hearts. They continued to chase and shoot lasers at the pickup, never minding if they fall into a crater or get struck by lightning.
Hubbit drove with great cautiousness, making sure he don’t crash the vehicle into any crater or get struck by lightning.
Arida and Donnie laid prostrate behind the vehicle and tried to raise their heads, or it will be met with lasers.
Just when they thought it was impossible to escape the militia and the Craterlands, Hubbit’s spaceship flew right above them.
“What the hell!” Donnie’s eye broadened. He wondered, is it anytime they get into trouble in the Craterlands that the spaceship will show up out nowhere?
The spaceship descended slightly above the ground infront of their vehicle and swung down the large door behind it.
“Whoo!!” Hubbit cheered and sped the vehicle into the opened door. Whiles the door began swinging back up, the space ship flew up and out of the Craterlands.
The militia vehicles stopped abruptly. They watched with great rage as the spaceship flew away with the enemies who had just murdered their leader.
The very noisy and disturbing Craterlands faded into complete silence now the vehicle parked in a dark empty space inside the spaceship. Hubbit opened the vehicle’s door and stepped out as Donnie and Arida followed behind.
“So who is behind all this?” the lights flickered on and there stood a female Khaghin.
“Aulta!” Hubbit’s eyebrow raised.
“Shit!” Donnie pointed his pistol at her.
“Traitor!” Arida walked towards her and slammed her onto the metal walls of the ship. “I promised am going to kill you!”
“Look am sorry okay”
“Nah, sorry won’t make up for what we went through down there. We nearly died out―”
“You would have died if I never came along to save all of your asses”
Everyone became quiet when she said that. Arida was panting with anger.
“Look am sorry, okay. I know what I did was crazy but you have to forgive me”
“How could you―I can’t believe you betrayed us for money” Hubbit squinted his eyes.
“Look, am really, really sorry okay. I saved you back there. That should mean something”
Hubbit sighed and walked towards them. He held Arida’s hand. “It’s okay. Let her go, she saved us”
Arida still glared at Aulta. She yanked her onto the wall and left her. “The next time, am going to kill you and no one is going to stop me”
Aulta nodded slowly. Donnie lowered his gun and the place was back in silence again.
Arida went to stand beside Donnie when Hubbit tried to speak with Aulta.
They looked at each other, their faces bruised with cuts and marks. Arida popped a faint smile and punched Donnie’s shoulder slightly.
“I guess the chief is
gone with the flaming blade?” Donnie said.
“No” Arida replied and pulled out both golden and silver hilts. “I managed to get it from him before I grabbed you. He exploded with the glove rather―I would have to search for another glove, but for the meantime, I will use the one I got”
Donnie sighed. “Everything is over now”
“I guess so” Arida shrugged. Her heart sunk with sadness, knowing she wasn’t going to see Donnie again but she had to pretend she was happy for him. She tapped his shoulders and said, “You are going home, Donnie”
Donnie forced a slight smile, lowering his head.
“Are we taking Donnie home or what?” Arida shrieked.
Aulta and Hubbit turned their attention to them.
“But the fuel―we lost it” Hubbit’s face dropped.
“Don’t worry, I filled the tanks with all the fuel they could carry, before I came for you” Aulta smiled and walked away.
“Well―” Hubbit shrugged and also walked away.
“Alright Don, we are going to earth” Arida slapped his back as they walked off.
Twenty four hours sooner, the spaceship was approaching earth. They sat at the pilot deck, Aulta and Hubbit piloting the ship whiles Arida and Donnie sat behind them. They were looking fresh and clean after a bath and new clothes.
“And there is earth. Welcome home Donnie!” Hubbit announced as they all looked down at the planet with glimmering eyes.
Arida turned his head towards Donnie with a smile and slightly punch his shoulders.
Two months later, Donnie was plucking maize in a cornfield on his ranch. He had moved away from New York City to a small town in Portland. Since his arrival, he had seen past newspapers blaming NASA for their failed Mars exploration program and the murder of the astronaut they sent. Little did anyone know about him in the town he had settled in.
With his long and overgrown beard, he looked up into the sky and sniffed in fresh air.
“Hey strange old man?”
Donnie turned and looked at two teenagers, one with dark skin and the other with fair, standing at the back of the cornfield’s fence.
“New here?” they asked.
Donnie nodded slowly.
“I guess from the neighboring states― or from where?” the fair teen asked.
Donnie lowered his head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you”
“Really, that’s okay. Your personal business stays personal” they smiled.
“That was previously Mr. Pratt’s ranch. He was such a good old man―so sad he left us. Hope you are too?” the dark teen asked.
Donnie looked at them for a while and answered. “I hope I will be”
The teenagers looked at each other and nodded. “Okay, nice meeting you Mr―”
“Reed”
“See you another time, Mr. Reed” they waved their hands and ran off.
Donnie smiled and went back to plucking the maize. He remembered what Arida said to him in the woods months ago, on the night of their departure to Mars. “I will see you again Donnie”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
George Robbins lives in Los Angeles currently. He enjoys movies, video games and Music. He also enjoys mixing worlds together, science fiction, fantasy, supernatural and horror into creating an incredible world his readers can relate and enjoy. With his style of storytelling, he seeks to put his readers in the moment of every event but not the listeners of the events. If he isn’t writing any novel, he is probably travelling the world or enjoying a hot pizza and a bottle of root beer (refreshing though).
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