The Marilians

by Beth Worsdell

  ‘I’m coming to you, stay put,’ he said curtly.

  I stayed put on top of Qiu’s back waiting for James, full of nerves and dreading the telling off I was about to receive.

  Within minutes, James and our kids rounded the nearest building and approached the park. As soon as they saw Qiu and I, they stopped in their tracks.

  “Fricking hellfire!” James blurted, as he took in the sight of his pregnant wife on top of a fierce and terrifying blood-red dragon.

  I couldn’t help smiling at his reaction and the looks of sheer shock and awe on my kids’ faces.

  “I want one! “Abigail said breathlessly.

  “Oh, my god, I want one too,” Anthony agreed.

  As James and the kids started to walk towards us, I dismounted as gracefully as possible with the help of Qiu. The last thing I wanted was to land ungracefully straight on my ass.

  James gathered me into his arms; his eyes never leaving the dragon, and the kids stood around us with their mouths agape, looking like they were all catching flies.

  James released me, and he gave me the look normally reserved for the kids.

  “You were supposed to go to Cubanaz, Mel,” he said with disappointment.

  “I know,” I told him, “but when I was sitting on the craft, something told me that you guys would need me, so here I am.”

  James looked me over from my head to my toes, and a smile spread across his handsome, rugged face.

  “Well, you certainly look the part, my lady, you hot little minx you,” he said with a wink.

  “Agghh, get a room,” Harrison blurted out with a grin.

  I walked back over to my new friend, and as I raised my hand, Qiu lowered his face to my palm.

  “I would like you all to meet Qiu, the head of the Longs,” I told my family.

  “It is a great pleasure to meet you all,” Qiu said, making the kids gasp.

  They obviously weren’t expecting the dragon to talk either. James moved over to Qiu with his shoulders back and his chest puffed out, trying to be brave in front of the kids, or maybe just me.

  “The pleasure is ours, Qiu. I am very pleased to meet you,” James said, as he gave the dragon a huge smile and then a dipped head in respect.

  Qiu lowered his head and allowed James to place his hand on his scales. Next was Abigail, Harrison, Anthony and lastly April. All of my family greeted Qiu as a friend and with respect. Qiu happily let each of them touch his face and connect with him, and to be honest, I think he was enjoying the attention.

  ’The Marilians are passing through your atmosphere, get into your places everyone,’ I heard Christik say in my thoughts. I knew straight away that she’d told everyone because I looked at James and the kids at the same moment that they looked at me.

  “It’s time, where do you want Qiu and me?” I asked my now worried husband.

  As my husband looked at me, I could almost read his thoughts through his eyes; is it too late to send my wife away? Should I let her fight? Then I watched him take a long deep breath of defeat.

  “Go and hide in the parking garage that Tracey showed us,” James said with an urgency to his voice.

  “Where is Tracey?” I asked, suddenly wondering why she wasn’t with my family.

  “Don’t worry, she’s with Akhenaten, now go baby,” he said as he pointed in the direction of the large garage.

  Not wanting my family out in the open, I swiftly took Qiu’s waiting leg and slid myself onto his back. Qiu didn’t wait for goodbyes but headed straight to the parking garage, and when I turned back to my family; they were already running back to the old library. As I watched them all running, I said a silent prayer, ‘Please keep my family safe.’

  I wasn’t sure who exactly I was praying to, maybe anyone who was listening, even if it was just my dead parents. I hoped that they would be watching over us. ‘We will fight and protect your family, young one,’ Qiu told me, ‘they are stronger than you know!’

  Qiu and I got to the parking garage, and the solar lights had been turned off. It was pitch black, and I didn’t know if anyone was already in there. The last thing we needed was for some scared humans to start attacking us. However, any humans should have an angel chaperone who would know about the dragons.

  “Qiu, just to put my mind at ease, are there any humans in there?” I asked.

  “No, young one, they are close but not inside this building.”

  “Ok,” I said, feeling more relaxed.

  As Qiu began to enter the dark garage, his body started to give off a powerful glow, letting us both see where everything was. There were still neatly piled guns and ammunition as well as grenades and other weapons I didn’t recognize. Qiu moved all the way inside, and then he navigated his way to turn around. We were soon facing the entrance, and Qiu turned his glow off. Nobody would know we were there until it was too late.

  It wasn’t long before we heard the Marilians arriving in their ships. Part of me wanted to look up to the sky to see if the ships were exactly like my dream, but I knew that wasn’t possible. We couldn’t afford any mistakes. The Marilian ships sounded like thunder rolling through the sky, and I surmised that the Marilians didn’t care about being quiet. They were such an evil force that they didn’t care who knew they were coming.

  While we waited for them to land, my pulse began to race, but it wasn’t fear that was causing it, and it wasn’t excitement for the coming battle. I was angry, correction, I was raging. Raging because the Marilians had the audacity to come to my planet to destroy it and to try and take my family and friends.

  The noises from the crafts changed, and the muffled noises from their engines made it sound like they were landing, but I wanted to be sure. ‘James, are you watching the monsters?’ I asked, sounding more like Tracey than my usual self.

  ‘I’m watching them, baby; they’re landing one of their ships on the park green now,’ James said, and I could hear his worry.

  ‘Let me know when it’s time,’ I told him.

  The longer I waited in the parking garage with Qiu; the more enraged I felt. The memory of the dream I had when they burned the animals was seared in my mind, and there was no way on earth I was going to let that happen.

  ‘They’re starting to disembark, Mel, frick me, they’re massive,’ James exclaimed, and I could feel his surprise. ‘Stay alive, baby! Now, let's go!’

  Chapter 20

  Ididn’t have to tell Qiu it was time for the fight because he already knew. I could feel his power building beneath me like before, only this time, it was different. It was almost as if he was channeling my rage or maybe his own. The power I felt surging through me made me feel invincible. I was suddenly desperate to get into battle and teach the Marilians what an ass-kicking was like. Qiu began to glow a brilliant shimmering red as his power engulfed us both, and then he surged forward.

  Qiu charged forward at speed, and I was sure that if anyone was to see us, they would definitely think twice about attacking. We charged through the streets heading for the park green, and as we came to the main road that ran through the town, we saw them in mass numbers. James was right, they were bigger than we thought and more vicious looking too, but that didn’t dampen what I was feeling.

  As we got close to the nearest Marilians, I pulled out the two handguns that were strapped to my outer thighs, knowing somehow that I wouldn’t slip from Qiu’s back. It was as if the dragon and I were one entity. My guns were already loaded and ready to go, I didn’t even blink when I fired my first lot of rounds. The Marilian’s skin was as tough as a Teflon vest, and what would have killed a human only just caused enough damage to slow the monster down. It was going to take a lot of bullets for the monsters to die.

  Qiu roared as he saw what little damage my bullets were doing, and I felt him draw in a long deep breath. His power vibrated against me, and then he let loose. Fire shot from Qiu’s mouth at such a speed that it knocked the nearest Marilians off their feet as they burned. There was no escape for them once
they were hit, and there was no water for them to put themselves out. ‘Try and control that fire, why don’t you,’ I thought as I watched them panic.

  Their roars of pain as their long dark hair and skin burned made my skin crawl, but I didn’t and couldn’t feel empathy for them. I wasn’t a sadistic person, but the thought of the countless worlds they’d destroyed and the lives they had taken made me feel like we were doing the universe a great service.

  When Qiu’s fire stopped, I could feel the drain of power, and I knew it would be a while before he could do it again. I quickly looked around, and I finally spotted James and the kids not far away, just to the left of us, mingled with other humans and angels. All of them were battling against more Marilians. The scum bags were so bloody fast that my family was struggling to shoot them, but Anthony, who had opted to fight with a long blade, appeared to be fairing quite well. Our son was anticipating which way the Marilian was going to move, and then he was striking in that direction. His foe was getting cut deeply, long open slices visible along his thick arms and broad hairy chest, and I could see its hot back blood running down its body, dripping on the ground.

  ‘Qui, my family needs help,’ I thought. Instantly, Qiu turned, swiping at other Marilians as he neared them. His razor-sharp talons sliced through the monsters as if they were made of butter, cutting one of them nearly in half. Its shocked eyes widened as it raised its arms, trying to save itself from falling backwards. The top half of its hairy body tipped back while its legs gave way, thick black blood sprayed from its open torso, its knees smacking the ground and then its vile face. The rest of Qiu’s victims dropped to the ground, all fatally wounded, liquid blackness pooling around their dead bodies. The other Marilians didn’t care about their fallen ones; they only cared about finding humans.

  A loud explosion rang across the sky, and I looked up just in time to see a burning Marilian craft plummeting to the ground as a fighter jet flew away, its engines creating a tremendous thunderclap. The burning Marilian ship crashed and exploded out of sight, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. Close to where the Marilian’s ship had been was one of the angel’s crafts, and I watched as it flew towards another of our enemies’ ships, freezing it in the air. The fighter jet flew in a wide arc, coming back around in their direction. I didn’t know what kind of weapons our pilot was using, but it was powerful. It shot from the jet at high speed and hit the enemy ship near the front, and as soon as it hit, the angels craft released it from its hold.

  I forced myself to look away from what was happening above, and we headed towards my family and our fighting friends. As I watched my husband and kids fight and work together; pride filled my heart. April and Abigail were stood back to back, shooting round after round with handguns as we neared them. Abigail shot a Marilian straight in the left eye as it tried to rush her. Its large head flung back as the bullet burst its eyeball and penetrated its brain. Black blood and soft tissue oozed out of its now empty socket before it fell backwards, landing with a thud. Immediately, I knew that it was dead.

  I quickly used the top of my hand to touch the com around my neck, trying to keep a hold of the gun, ‘Christik tell everyone to aim for their eyes!’ I nearly shrieked to her. ‘I understand, Mel’ she answered, as I sent her the mental images of what had just happened. It wasn’t a pretty sight by any means, but it was the only way we would be able to put the Marilian monsters down quickly, without sustaining massive losses. Acting quickly, I told the same thing to James and the kids through my com, and as soon as they heard me, they all began to aim for the Marilians’ heads and eyes. My family was almost a blur of bullets and blades as they tried to dodge the Marilians’ attacks with the help of their angel counterparts.

  I thought we were doing well, until one of our foes reached out its hairy muscular arm, summoning the fire surrounding one of their burning fallen. The flames were drawn to its massive taloned hand as if its hand was a magnet, and the Marilian threw the flames straight for my family. I heard the scream before I actually realized it was me making the shrill, desperate sound.

  “Nooooo…”

  Before the raging flames could reach my family, more angels emerged from the surrounding buildings and their hiding places. The angels were still painted from their heads to their feet, and it was easy to still feel impressed. Barrels of water had been dotted along the streets as a precaution after what our prisoner had told us, and it was a blessing. The angels shot forward, raising their arms, and they pulsed a bright white with their power as they reached for the water. I knew it was all happening within seconds, but as I watched the scene; it was like slow motion.

  The water rose from the containers, glowing from the angels’ power, and it swirled as if they were mini whirlpools. The angels hurled the water at the Marilians and the flames that were about to engulf my family. Instantly, the air was full of smoke and glistening water vapor. The Marilians were suddenly confused, whipping their heads around to see where the water had come from. Then they spotted the painted angels.

  I could see the Marilians’ thick brows furrowing in their confusion as they looked at the decorated angels covered in brickwork, posters and door frames. I didn’t know if it was because they were surprised that the angels were fighting with us, or because the angels were painted in all sorts of colors and patterns. Either way, I felt a shift in what they were feeling, and they weren’t feeling as confident as they were before.

  James, the kids and the others, took full advantage of the distraction and began to shoot again; aiming for the Marilians’ blood-red eyes. I joined in the attack, reloading my guns just like I’d been shown, and I began to shoot. Between us, we must have taken down at least fifty of the monsters, and panic rose in the air. The remaining Marilians in the street started to run, and my god, they were fast.

  We watched as they started to try the doors to the shops and empty businesses. Sometimes, they would come face to face with another angel, who would use their power to force them back into the street, and sometimes, they would encounter an ambush with our waiting friends, who now aimed straight away for their eyes. Every now and again, I would think about all the others who were fighting, in and around the area, praying that they were doing well in their fight.

  The Marilians in our area soon started to realize that they were losing badly, the panic in the air felt desperate, and they started to run towards their ship on the green. We all began to give chase as fast as we could, but then we heard the rumbling of their ship. The angels carried on trying to help us by attempting to freeze the Marilians with their powers. However, the monsters were becoming very efficient at dodging the angels’ beams. At first, I think we all thought that the Marilians were trying to retreat, but we couldn’t have been more wrong.

  As their ship rose into the air; huge mechanical cylinders emerged from the sides of it, and as the Marilians powered them up, we could see them begin to shine red. None of us knew what to expect at this stage. Abruptly, shots of fire started to rain down in all directions, and we all began to try and take cover as the fire hit buildings, humans and Marilians. The Marilians on board the ship obviously didn’t care if they were hitting their own. Why would they? They must have thought that they could always make some more. I watched in horror as the fire hit again and again. Screams filled the air from our friends and our foe as their bodies burned.

  When the initial shock of what the Marilians were doing wore off, the angels moved quickly back to our sides, trying to shield and deflect the fire shots and also put out of any flames that had hit our people. Some of our friends were burnt badly, layers of their skin burnt away, leaving raw red flesh. Others had big blisters forming on their arms from shielding their faces, and they were instantly flitted away, I assumed, back to the main craft. I knew they would be healed straight away, but I hated that they were suffering.

  The Marilians saw that they had the sudden advantage; they turned back to the fight, and I was helpless when one of them grabbed Anthony. None of
the angels had reached him in time, and he was completely alone. Our son managed to break loose from its hold. It was as if my nightmare was becoming a reality, as I watched Anthony fighting the Marilian monster with his long blade, and the Marilian was desperately trying to slash at our son with its razor-sharp talons. I heard myself scream as the monster’s talons sliced through the air and then across Anthony’s chest. The military vest that our son was wearing was no protection. Anthony might as well had worn a T-shirt for all the protection he had. Very quickly, blood began to run from the open wounds, trickling out from the large slashes. Anthony’s eyes were wide with shock.

  There were too many humans mingled with the Marilians for Qiu and I to run through the middle of, without hurting our friends or family in the process. I didn’t have to tell Qiu that we needed to get to my boy; he’d already read my mind and had felt my pain. The dragon started to vibrate with his power, and as we began to rise in the air, I watched as the Marilian grabbed hold of Anthony by his shoulders. It pulled our son so close that they were literally nose to nose, it’s snarling teeth an inch away from Anthony’s face. Our son was in so much pain that the blade he was holding fell from his hand as shock kicked in.

  Qiu was moving fast, but not fast enough, and I watched horrified as the Marilian snarled into Anthony’ face with his burning eyes, and then it began to change my son. I screamed again as I felt Anthony’s pain. Our son’s blood was already starting to change from the wound inwards. I didn’t know what to do, but as Qiu flew and swooped down to my son and the Marilian foe, I flung myself at the monster with both of my guns blazing.