Shalia's Diary Book 2

by Tracy St. John

  Door seven. Almost there. I searched the wall with my hands, feeling how hot the surface was. The wall was lumpy, as if it was blistering from the heat. I scrabbled frantically over it, desperate to find the glass panel. My skin felt scorched, and I imagined the flames were all around me now, licking at my flesh as I moved down the wall. I choked on fumes and felt ready to collapse at any moment.

  I came to the next door. I froze, horror filling me. I’d found no emergency fire kit. I must have miscounted the doors. I’d fucked up and now I was going to die, taking my mother and other loved ones with me.

  I sank to the floor. This was it. Despair was a black cloud that took the last of my strength away. I’d failed utterly. My only consolation was that it was for the last time.

  Something crashed. It was probably part of the building falling down. At any rate, it startled me. With that sudden flash of fear, adrenaline hit. The stubborn part of me shouted, Find another way to help the others!

  I struggled to my feet and began feeling my way back along the hallway. The wall was definitely buckling. I could feel the bulges beneath my palm as I stumbled forward. And then there was smoothness, a section of wall that felt like glass that burnt my fingertips…

  The fire kit. I’d found the fucking panel that I’d somehow missed before.

  I felt along desperately for the opening latch, my eyes slitting open in an effort to see. Nothing greeted my gaze but black. The pain from the smoke was tremendous, so I was forced to remain blind as I searched for access.

  I found the indentation and seized it, yanking the panel door open. An instant later, I had the axe handle in my hands. I wrenched it free.

  It was heavy, and my strength failed. My knees buckled, and I felt the world around me tilt. I was on the verge of passing out, the lack of oxygen having its way with me.

  Damn you Shalia, no! I thought, forcing myself to get moving again. I’d finally gotten the means to save those who meant the most to me, and I wasn’t going weak sister now.

  The next minutes – or maybe they were only seconds – felt like hours. It was a nightmare of darkness and the taste of smoke filling my nose and mouth. There were long, hellish moments in which I thought I had somehow gotten turned around, that I was heading into fire instead of escaping it. The roar of the fire beat on my ears until I wanted to scream. My chest burned and strained with the lack of air and constant intake of smoke.

  At last the wall I used to guide me along disappeared. I chanced opening my eyes again, and I was in the foyer of the building again. The smoke was dense here too, but I could make out the shapes of the main desk and some of the chairs. Heavily filtered light came from one side, which meant that was where the glass doors were.

  Coughing so hard I nearly threw up, I lurched across the expanse into the next hallway. The smoke continued to thin as I made myself hurry, and it was with incredible relief that I saw the door to the storage room. I’d made it.

  I thought about calling to those trapped within, but I had so little strength. I couldn’t get any air into my lungs, which felt like balls of fire within my chest. I needed all I had left to chop into the wall.

  I hefted the axe to one shoulder, bracing my legs wide since it felt like they wouldn’t hold me up much longer. I didn’t even try to aim. I just swung as best I could. The axe hit the wall on the right side of the door, throwing a few splinters around. I kept chopping like a half-assed Paul Bunyan for as long as I could, which wasn’t very long. Weak as I was, barely managing to stay on my feet, I was still able to cut a hole through the two layers of sheetrock with only a few chops. I even cut halfway through one of the thick wooden supports before I gave out.

  Then I just couldn’t do anymore. The smoke was getting thick again. My fingers were going numb, and the buzzing in my head was so loud I couldn’t hear anything else. My sight had narrowed to a pinpoint. I knew I was done.

  I staggered up to the wall, the roar of the fire filling my ears. With the very last of my strength, I shoved the axe’s handle through the hole I’d made. They’d have to finish the rescue by doing it themselves. The last thing I remember was the sensation of falling and trying to say, “Timber.”

  The next moment I can bring to memory was making the desperate attempt to cough up a lung or two. My chest was in agony. Breathing was the most incredibly hard thing to do, though air was being blown right down my mouth. As I hacked away, the person giving me mouth-to-mouth moved back. It was Dad, and he was bawling his eyes out. Weln was right next to him, crouched over me with tears tracking down his cheeks.

  “Stay with us, my daughter,” Dad begged.

  I couldn’t respond with all my choking efforts to get oxygen. I did understand that they had gotten out. We were outside Medical, though with the two men crowded over me, I couldn’t have told you exactly where I ended up. I also couldn’t hear if the fighting was still going on. All I could hear was me, coughing and wheezing desperately.

  They were safe. I hoped that meant Mom was safe too.

  Weln looked up, taking his eyes off me. “The emergency shuttle is here.”

  “Go,” ordered Dad. “Get the oxygen and anything that will help her.”

  Weln disappeared, but the world was going dark for me again. I heard Dad call my name from far away, but I couldn’t answer him. That was the last I knew of anything for a long time.

  When I woke again, which was yesterday, the attack on the Academy was over. I’d been unconscious for most of it, which doesn’t hurt my feelings one bit.

  Most of the Earther prisoners being taken to the Galactic Council were killed in the assault. Ironically enough, it was the attacking Earthers who did the slaying. The force concentrated its efforts on hitting the landing pad where the transport set down. They shot at anything that moved, including our own people. More prisoners would have died, except the Kalquorian guards made it a point to defend them. Can you imagine? The guards actually tried to keep people who hated them safe.

  Two members of the Pageant Trio lived to tell the tale. Fran, the perfectly coiffed honey blonde, was killed in the initial onslaught. I can’t find it in my heart to feel she got what was coming to her, even though she participated in the abduction of my mother several weeks ago. Too many people have died for me to get any sense of retribution. Even hearing how Matt King died after catching a blaster shot right in his lying mouth only leaves me feeling tired and defeated.

  It turned out he and many other Earthers inside the Academy were working with the Earthers outside who had been attacking us these past weeks. They were determined to kill the Kalquorians here. Also targeted were those who didn’t want to fight against the Kalquorians. People who were seen as traitors were at the very top of the list. You know who was their number one pick: me. And here I thought I’d never be the popular girl.

  Mom is fine. She was treated for a little smoke inhalation, but other than that, she wasn’t badly affected in the physical sense. Mentally … well, she was already on the downward track, and her doctors feared the long-term effects of what had happened would only make things worse. They went ahead and put her in stasis. She’ll remain frozen until they do what they can for her on Kalquor. I hate not being able to see her, but I have to put my selfish needs aside. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her better, so I’m Mom-less for a little over nine months.

  Smoke did a number on my windpipe and lungs. Dad says he can’t imagine how I stayed conscious for as long as I did, considering how little oxygen was getting into me. I’d stopped breathing by the time they chopped their way free with the axe I’d shoved through. He keeps telling me how close it was, how he was sure he’d lose me. I tell you, the saddest thing I’ve ever seen is that big, strong Kalquorian cry. It makes me cry too, because I know he cares about me so much. I really do have a father after so many years.

  I’m recovering slower than I should because Medical burned right to the ground. The Atlanta rescue site has been sending supplies and help to us, but the Academy is now barely
set up for medical care of any sort. I’m laid up in an office building that they’re working hard to make into another hospital facility. Unfortunately, we’re still mostly in a ‘making do with what we have’ situation. There’s even talk of shutting the Academy rescue effort down entirely and moving the whole shebang to Atlanta. A lot of important buildings here were firebombed by the attackers, leaving them as toasty as our old medical building. Worse still, a lot of Kalquorians died along with the Earthers. There’s still plenty here to work with. However, most of the rescue effort from Kalquor and the Galactic Council is still months away. With too few people to run what we’ve still got, getting the Academy operating efficiently again is going to be a chore.

  If they do decamp, I won’t be going with them. The transport taking Mom, Candy, me, and a few others will be arriving within the week. Dad promises I’ll be on my feet by then. He’s fussing over me more than usual, which I won’t pretend to not enjoy. With Mom no longer a worry for me, I’m wallowing in being taken care of for a change. Candy keeps calling me ‘Grand Lady Shalia’. I don’t mind. She spends a lot of time sitting with me, making me laugh.

  Weln also comes to see me when he is able, but he’s got his hands full with the disabled population. I woke up in the middle of the night to find him sitting in the chair next to my bed. He’d cradled his head in his arms on the mattress next to me and fallen asleep that way. I thought he probably needed to sleep, but I couldn’t resist stroking his hair out of his face. His eyes opened and he smiled at me.

  “Doing all right, my little hero?” he asked. His voice was thick with exhaustion.

  I shushed him. With what little voice I had, I whispered, “I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”

  He did, and so did I. I woke this morning when he kissed me on his way back out.

  Nang is still alive and made big trouble. Dad said he came while I was unconscious.

  “He told me, ‘It’s obvious Shalia can’t be on the next transport to Kalquor. She must remain here until she recovers.’” Dad shook his head. “I explained you would be ready by the time it arrives, but he wouldn’t hear of it. That’s when things got ugly.”

  I’ve never seen Nayun mean. I can’t even imagine it, especially since he’s an Imdiko. Note to self: Imdiko does not mean ‘pushover’. It turns out their breed can be just as unbending as the Nobeks if they have something to fight for.

  Dad told Nang he was out of line and had no say in the matter of whether I would be on the next transport to Kalquor. He invoked guardianship over me, telling the commander I had acknowledged Nayun as my adoptive father. He called in Weln to bear witness to that, which my sweetheart did.

  “I hope that was all right for me to do, Shalia,” Dad said. “I don’t want to overstep my authority, but I had to protect you. It was clear Nang meant to keep you here for his own ends, not for your welfare. I was afraid for you.”

  I answered him with a big hug. “You are twice the father I deserve, but I’m keeping you anyway. I will always be your daughter.”

  Dad kind of glossed over the rest of the story, pretty much telling me Nang eventually backed off. I got the rest of the details from Weln.

  When Weln affirmed that I considered Nayun my father, Nang tried to invoke his own right to be my guardian, using his office of commander as his claim. At that point, Dad vowed he would tear Nang’s throat out before he would let such a thing happen. Weln backed Dad up, and there was a lot of shouting. Then shoving started, and it looked like things would degenerate into an all-out brawl between Dad and Nang.

  Someone must have raised the alarm, because Dad’s clanmates Bitev and Rak showed up and started yelling at Nang. Rak threw the commander several feet down the hall. “You don’t touch my Imdiko and you don’t threaten his child!” the Nobek yelled. He stomped after Nang, apparently looking to lay down a little more punishment.

  Before it could go any further, Nang’s Nobek and Imdiko came running in.

  “I thought there would be a massacre right there in Medical,” Weln confessed. “Nayun was still screaming, telling Nobek Rak to back off because he wanted the pleasure of beating the hell out of Nang. Meanwhile, Nang’s Nobek comes in and growls at everyone. He’s a vicious beast, someone no one wants to fuck with. Even Rak, as pissed off as he was at Nang for shoving Nayun, stopped in his tracks. If you’d seen Nobek Kru standing there, you would have run screaming. That bastard is scary and could have probably taken Clan Bitev apart all by himself.”

  However, Kru did not attack Dad or his clanmates. Instead, he and Imdiko Trenu started yelling at Nang. The crux of their argument was that he had no business pursuing me when there is no hope of bringing me into the clan. Nang said he was enough man for me and they should let him have me. Just because they didn’t like women shouldn’t keep him from having a Matara clanmate to love and cherish.

  Trenu fired back with, “You’re not in love, Nang! You’re obsessed with her, and that’s not the same thing! If you loved her, you’d acknowledge our clan is not prepared to care for her and you’d let her go.”

  Nang’s clanmates told him they thought he was in need of psychiatric care. Trenu threatened to report him to his superiors and have him removed from command if he didn’t get help. Nang issued a threat to his Imdiko that even Weln wouldn’t repeat. At that point, Kru grabbed Nang and shoved him up against a wall. He said something low that no one else caught, but it immediately cowed the commander. Nang turned white as a sheet.

  He apologized to the shaking Trenu. Kru told Nang to go to his office and stay there if he valued keeping all his body parts. Nang left the building without another word.

  Trenu and Kru apologized to Dad and his clanmates. “Nang will not set foot in here again,” Kru declared. “On my honor, he will keep his distance from Matara Shalia. I swear it.”

  “He’d better not,” Dad said, still pissed off. He ranted even with that insanely scary Nobek standing there with his fangs out and looking mad enough to rip walls down with his bare hands. “If I catch him anywhere near my daughter, you will no longer have a Dramok, Kru. I promise you that.”

  When Weln finished the story, I sat there with my eyes ready to pop out of my head. “Holy shit,” I breathed. “I wonder what Kru said to Nang to scare him so bad? How can a Nobek act like that with his Dramok?”

  Weln smirked. “Nang is not being a good clan leader. His clanmates can certainly take action against him if they want.” He sighed. “They really need counseling. Their union is a big mess because of what Nang has done. I’m glad he’s not my Dramok.”

  What a crazy tale. I feel like I dodged a bullet with Nang. I don’t want any more to do with that man. I hope I never see him again.

  My com’s going off. Now what?

  Weln just commed to ask me if I’m up for visitors. Oh gosh, do I dare hope? I’ve gotta call Dad and ask for a brush so I can do something with my hair.

  November 22

  Sad Shalia. Again. I don’t dare cry or Weln will tell Dusa and Esak, and they’ll be unhappy that their visit upset me.

  Just as I’d hoped when Weln commed to say I had special visitors on the way, it was my favorite Dramok and Nobek. They’d gotten clearance to come here with a shuttle full of supplies from Atlanta. They’d received the okay because they needed to check on their Imdiko following the attack on the Academy. I can’t begin to explain how good it was to see the three of them all together, all at once again.

  It’s been less than three weeks since they were sent away, but it really felt like it had been an eternity since I was last held and kissed by Dusa and Esak. They spent the few hours we had fussing over me. I won’t lie and say I didn’t enjoy it.

  I don’t know how many times those two thanked me for going back to save Weln, along with everyone else. It got pretty embarrassing, in fact. I keep thinking how it was my big mouth that let the attackers know through Matt King when the Galactic Council’s transport was landing. Me a hero? My big, fluffy butt I’m a hero. Not even close. I thin
k saving Mom, Weln, and Dad earned only a little compensation for screwing up.

  Weln seemed pretty pissed off with himself. “I was supposed to keep you out of trouble, Shalia,” he grouched. “Instead, you had to pull my ass out of the fire. Literally.”

  “I wouldn’t have left if you hadn’t practically dragged me up those shelves to the attic,” I reminded him. “You did save me, and therefore, saved yourself. Stop kicking your own ass, Weln, or I’ll have Esak kick it for you.”

  “Everyone was brave,” said Dusa, ever diplomatic. “My Imdiko and Shalia are still alive. That’s all that matters to me.”

  They didn’t have long at all to visit, just yesterday afternoon and last night. We made as much of it as we could, but that wasn’t a lot since I was stuck in bed. The boys kept me company though, telling me about the Atlanta area.

  “It’s awful, Shalia. The people that came out of there are so traumatized,” Dusa said. “I actually had a woman with three children walk up to me as I was doing a search, and she asked if I would just go ahead and shoot them all right away so they could be put out of their misery quickly. They were starving and sick. She was sure I was there to kill them anyway.”