by Edward Lake
I held my hand out to Evander. “You won’t have to. Just drop me off and go wherever you want.” I made a fist and raised it at him. “Please.”
He shook his head. “No, I can’t. It’s too dangerous.” He boosted his gun and peeked outside the small window on the side wall. “Besides, if Saros is smart, he’ll keep your brother alive and use him as bait to lure you back to Sodus.” He marched ahead and found an extra gun in one of the storage compartments. He handed it to me and tapped my arm. “When we get out there, keep Sadie close to you and be alert.”
I gave him a nod and got into position with Sadie. My heart thumped faster and faster, and I felt a pain in my chest. I had to find a way home, even if it meant stealing the ship and teaching myself how to fly it. I’ll never give up, Declan, no matter the odds.
Taft, Bon, and Atom prepared their guns and fell behind Evander. One by one, with Evander leading us, we left the ship and snuck behind a large rock. The ground beneath our feet vibrated, like a ship rattling before takeoff. From afar, the booms of thunder buzzed in the air, and there was a thick, rancid-smelling fog floating around us, making it difficult to see.
Evander ducked his head and gave us the signal to stay. His gun aimed high, he moved forward and crept to the side of a mountain. He peeked around the edge and made sure the area was clear. He waved us on, and we all bent low and marched ahead.
So far, everything seemed to be going too well for us. I left Sadie for a moment and jogged up to Evander. “Something feels out of place. Maybe we should go back to the ship?”
“No, Zena. Get back to Sadie and cover her. I need you at your best. This is—”
From the sky, a swarm of laser blasts came down on us.
“Take cover!” Evander shouted.
I spun around and ran to Sadie. I pulled her to the nearest rock and covered her head. Evander and the others spread out to more nearby rocks and dropped down.
Serpent ships and rebel army ships broke through the fog and surrounded us. The laser blasts blared louder as the ships inched closer and closer. Behind me, I heard a scream. I peered through my trembling, blinking eyes and spotted Bon, shot, crawling forward with blood leaking from his mouth.
Atom screeched and aimed his gun at the ships when we saw Bon die.
“No!” Evander called out to him.
It was too late. The ships shot Atom down, too. Then the flashing lasers stopped, and the ships landed around us. Evander dropped his weapon and put his hands up. “Enough!” he hollered. “We will lay down our arms.”
The rebels and Serpents came marching down the ramps of their ships with guns drawn. They put red dots on us and slowly moved in. To my amazement, some of the rebel soldiers were women. I opened my eyes wide and, tears running down my face, gazed at them. How? I wondered. The rebel men and women wore black and swaggered forward with a smugness that seemed almost theatrical.
I set my gun on the ground and stood up with Sadie. We put our hands up and waited for the rebels and Serpents to make their move.
One of the Serpents laughed. “Ha! Me eat dead ones.” He walked over to Bon and snatched him off the ground. The large brute bit down on his arm and ripped it off his lifeless body.
“Put him down!” Taft yelled and ran at the Serpent.
No, Taft, don’t! Without hesitation, I ran after him and stopped him before he could reach the crude Serpent. “Bon is dead. Save yourself. That’s what he would have wanted.”
The Serpent laughed and threw a backhanded slap, knocking us to the ground. Taft landed on top of me hard, then rolled off and crawled to his knees.
The Serpent spat globs of Bon’s chewed arm at us and growled, “I kill and eat you, too!” He puffed out his scaly chest and grinned as he pointed his gun at me.
“Put your weapon down, Li-Ru,” one of the rebels sternly said to him.
The Serpent licked his fangs and roared, “No! More food for me.”
I closed my eyes and waited for the laser to hit me. I thought of Declan, Turk, Lydia, and Grandma. I thought of Sadie and how wonderful our brief time together had been. I heard the shot go off, but instead of a laser hitting me, I felt a body crash down on me.
“Li-Ru! You fool!” The rebel soldier ran over to the Serpent and blocked him. “This alliance is based on unity. Two bodies are more than enough to feed your appetite. I want the others alive.”
I rubbed and patted the body lying on me. I turned my head and saw black silky hair fluttering across my face. Oh God, Sadie! I boosted myself up and gently set her down. “No, please, God, no!” My hands trembled as I checked her wound. She was bleeding badly, and her body was limp. I looked up at the Serpent who shot her. Li-Ru, or whatever his name was. I ground my teeth at him and shouted, “You sick beast!”
The rebel who had blocked Li-Ru spun around and knelt beside Sadie and me. He reached down and touched her neck. “She needs immediate medical attention.” The man stood up and flipped his gun around.
I looked up and saw him curve the weapon like a battering ram.
He shrugged and said, “Sorry.”
The back off his gun hit me right between the eyes, and I blacked out.
When I opened my eyes again, I was unsure of how much time had passed. I saw the shadows of a blurry, burning fire and smelled the aroma of wood. I turned my head at a slow, steady pace until the flames came into full view. From end to end, a cluster of rebel soldiers had gathered around the large blaze, warming their hands and feet. Sadie? Taft? Evander? I couldn’t see them anywhere. My body began to shake and twitch, and I wondered if something terrible had happened to them.
I reached up and felt the tiny goosebumps all over my arms. It was rather cold where I was lying, and as I looked up, I finally realized I was inside a massive cave. The walls were damp and muddy, like a wet rock that had been dug up from the soil.
I rolled my body to a seated position and scanned the area. The cave was jampacked with hundreds of rebel troops smiling, joking around with each other, and gossiping without a care in the galaxy. Why would the rebels bring me to their hideout? I pondered, shifting my eyes from place to place. I tried to stand up, but my body felt weak.
“You need energy, Zena,” a man said to me.
I turned my head and looked him up and down. It was difficult to see in the dim light, but when he came closer and dropped down to one knee, I checked his face and realized it was the same man who knocked me out. “Where’s Sadie?”
“Don’t worry. She’s alive—and safe.” He handed me a big bowl of food and a tall glass of water. “Eat up. And drink. You’ll feel much better afterward.”
I shook my head at him and set the bowl down on the ground. “I’m not eating anything until you tell me where my friends are.”
He smiled. “They’re safe. That’s all you need to know.”
“Good, now show them to me, whoever you are.”
“My name is Jax, Zena.” He crossed his arms and looked me over. “I like your attitude.”
I blew out an aggravated sigh. “Whatever. Where are the others?”
He shook his head at me. “No, doesn’t work that way. You’re in our realm now, as you can see.” He glanced around the cave to check his lively comrades. “You don’t tell us what to do.”
The chatter in the cave stopped, and all the other rebels turned and stared at me. My eyes wavered as Jax stepped closer. “We are at war, Zena. If you’re not with us, that makes you expendable.” He flashed a wicked grin. “Surely you wouldn’t want to become food for Li-Ru and his Serpent troops?”
Beads of sweat formed across my brow as I tried to reason with him. “Listen, I’m no threat to the rebel army or the Serpents. I’m just a slave from the North Star. I could just take Sadie and go home to rescue my family, and none of you would ever hear from me again.”
Jax chuckled. “Come on now. Do you really think Linus Saros would let you go back to your slave family with his daughter?” He shook his head again. “No, Zena. Be smart like your fri
ends and join us.”
I squinted my eyes at him. I had strongly considered joining the rebel army, but now, I wanted to know what I was getting myself into first. “You’re lying. Evander and Taft would never join the rebel army.”
“I assure you, Evander Cain and Taft Caras are now sworn members of the rebel army.” He extended his hand to me. “Come and see for yourself.”
I took a deep breath and reached up.
Jax grabbed my hand and pulled me up, then stepped aside, revealing a long pathway that led to a creepy tunnel. “Follow me.”
I moved forward with Jax and felt every eye of the other rebels staring at me as we walked down a dark, candle-lit tunnel that led to another cave.
Before we reached the opening, Jax stopped and looked me in my eyes. “Once our leader is done saying what he has to say, all you have to do is kneel and vow your allegiance to our cause.” He stepped backward and waved his hand over the stone pathway. “You’re on your own from here.” He turned around and left me to discover the truth about Evander and Taft.
The sweat on my forehead leaked down both sides of my face. My heart beat so loudly I could hear it as I moved forward and looked around. “Hello?”
“Come forth, Zena. I won’t hurt you,” a machine-like voice echoed.
My eyes twitched as I moved deeper into the murky light. “Where are you? There isn’t much light in here.”
“Yes, we like it that way,” the robotic voice said.
Finally, I spotted a tall shadowy figure standing in the distance. As I approached, I noticed he was wearing a glossy black mask that covered his entire head. “Who are you?”
“The galaxy cannot know who I am.” He folded his hands behind his back and paced around the cave.
I looked down and saw Evander and Taft kneeling beside the tall man. Or tall robot? They looked defeated and afraid, helplessly gazing into the darkness. It seemed as if the rebels had zapped every ounce of fight left in them.
“Are you a man? Or some sort of cyborg?”
He buzzed out a mischievous laugh. “No, Zena. I’m just a man.” The tall, masked figure was dressed in all black like the other rebels. He calmly walked over to me and reached out, wearing a black glove. He set his hand on my shoulder. “I intend to teach you the truth about the galaxy.” Bright red lights flashed throughout his mask. “Once you learn that God is a lie, your spirit will be unleashed, and you will become more powerful than you could ever imagine.”
I shuddered at his words of pure evil. How could I ever betray God? Even so, my life was on the line. I had to play along.
To show my solidarity, I touched his hand and bowed my head. I walked over to Evander and knelt beside him. I peeked at him to read his reaction, hoping he would give me a sign of hope. Finally, he glanced at me and gave me a faint nod. With my face turned away from the mysterious rebel leader, I smiled at Evander and Taft. Perhaps there was plenty of fight left in them after all.
The ominous rebel leader stepped forward and paced in front of us. “Soon, my ultimate plan will come to fruition, and the Holy Empire will burn to the ground.” He lifted his head and hummed out a noisy groan through his mechanical mask. “At last, we shall have freedom.” Still towering over us, he looked down at me. “So, tell me, Zena, do you vow to join the rebel army and serve my crusade to liberate the galaxy from the lie known as God?”
Following Evander and Taft’s cue, I calmly replied, “Yes, I do.” Yet still mystified by the rebel leader, I shyly asked, “What is your name, sir?”
The evil brute let the question linger for a few seconds. “Master,” his mask buzzed. “Though I am not your master or a master of anyone else.” He turned his back to us. “I am simply a master of truth.”
His wicked ploy to destroy God’s place in the galaxy frightened me. Thus, at that moment, I swore to myself that I would never lose sight of my one true quest: to rescue Sadie and return home to the North Star to free my family from slavery. Nevertheless, for now, I would have to operate under the guise of a rebel soldier. Dear God, can you hear me? I prayed. I will never betray you. Now and forever, the Holy Spirit is my savior.
The End.