by Elin Wyn
The tunnels were like a maze, snaking through the rock with no clear direction, and there were so many twists, side passages and turns that it was almost impossible to keep track of our path.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Teisha. She had grown silent, her usual teasing and snark giving way to the sound of ragged breathing. Jewels of sweat gleamed on her forehead, plastering locks of hair to her skin as they trickled down her face.
“I’m fine,” she replied, but her tone was clipped and tense. She was lying. Stopping, I turned to her and laid the back of my hand against her forehead. “I said I’m fine,” she insisted, swatting my hand away.
As she did it, she swayed back like a drunkard and had to place one hand against the wall for support.
“You’re running a fever, Teisha.” The heat coming off her body was so strong that I could feel it from where I was standing. “I think it’s better we sit down for a moment and catch our breaths.”
“Are you tired? You don’t need to use me as an excuse if you want to rest,” she threw at me, a sardonic grin tugging at the corners of her parched lips. Clearing her throat, she pushed herself off the wall and tried to keep on walking, but her knees buckled. She fell forward, the palms of her hands ready to meet the floor, but I caught her before she landed.
“Sit down,” I told her, and this time she didn’t argue with me. Breathing hard, she leaned back against the wall and slid to the ground. Her body was starting to go limp, and I could tell she was struggling with something as simple as sitting down.
Placing my hand on the nape of her neck, I helped her lie down, using my backpack as an improvised pillow.
“I’m sorry, Sa'lok,” she breathed out, her voice feeble and weak. Her clothes were drenched in sweat, and her lips were so dry they had already started to crack. Even her skin was starting to turn pale. “Let me just catch my breath for a minute and then we’ll continue.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I whispered, our voices echoing throughout the darkness of the tunnels. “We can take as much time as you need, alright? We’re not in a hurry.” She nodded weakly, her eyes closed.
“I just feel so goddamn tired.” She ran the tip of her tongue over her parched lips, and I immediately went for my backpack and grabbed the small canteen I had brought with me.
Carefully holding her head up, I held the canteen to her lips. She took a couple of gulps, and then coughed awkwardly as I laid her head back down. “And my head...God, my head feels like it’s gonna pop.”
“Human bodies don’t pop like that, remember?”
“Yeah,” she smiled faintly. “But this headache...it’s killing me. It feels like there’s a swarm of wasps inside me, buzzing and buzzing and—”
“I know.” Sitting beside her, I laid my hand on top of hers and gave it a squeeze. While her face was burning up, her hands were as cold as ice.
Not a good sign.
She had been fine an hour ago—how was it possible for her to get this sick in such a short time?
In the back of my mind, though, I knew that she wasn’t sick. I was just trying not to think of it.
I didn’t want to face reality.
“I think...I think it’s better if you keep on walking,” she whispered faintly. “Find a way out, and then you can come back for me. I just don’t think I’ll be able to keep up, you know?”
“Hey,” I replied, stroking her cheek with my hand. “I’m not gonna leave you.”
“You’re too good,” she continued, and her eyelids fluttered open. She didn’t look at me, though. She just looked straight up at the curved ceiling of the tunnel, her gaze focused on something I couldn’t see.
That was when I noticed it.
The green in her eyes was fading, a sickly gray taking its place. It looked like a blotch of paint someone had dropped on a pool of clear water, and it had already started to take over the white of her eyes, as well.
My heart sank.
Teisha was infected, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, even though by now I was no longer sure if she could hear me. She was slipping in and out of consciousness, her eyes open but devoid of that spark of intelligence I had grown so accustomed to. “If only I had brought some of the serum with me, maybe I could…” I trailed off then, a knot forming in my throat.
Why hadn’t I brought the serum with us? We had tested it on Teisha, sure, but she hadn’t been infected at the time.
There was no reason to believe it would work right now, or was there? I knew the personnel in Glymna had been tasked with trying it out on the infected scientist, but they had been waiting for a sample from the Nyheim lab.
Not that any of it mattered.
We were lost inside the belly of an ancient mountain, and the serum was not a part of the equation. Leaning back against the wall, I ran one hand through Teisha’s hair and exhaled sharply.
Was this going to be it?
Was I going to lose her?
“I’m so fucking sorry,” I pushed past gritted teeth, looking down at the expressionless mask her face had turned into. “I shouldn’t have let you come here. This is all my fault.”
By now, she was no longer blinking, her eyes now all a pale gray, no trace of green in them. It was as if whatever was inside her was slowly eating away at her very soul, devouring who she was, feeding off of it.
“I love you, Teisha,” I continued, taking her hand in mine. Her delicate fingers rested against the palm of my hand, motionless. “Ever since the first day I saw you...I’ve always loved you.”
It was the truth—the first time I’d laid eyes on her freckled skin, those tiny dimples forming on the corners of her mouth whenever she laughed, I knew I had found her. I didn’t have a name for it at the time, but now I did.
It was love, pure and unbridled.
“You’re my best friend, Teisha,” I continued, the words simply pouring out of me. “After we crash landed here, I spent every waking minute trying to figure out a way to leave. I wanted to go back home, you see? I only stopped thinking of it when you stepped into my life. After that, a life here started making sense.”
I bit my bottom lip, hard enough to draw blood. “And after what happened last night…” I shook my head, struggling to find the right words. “I was looking forward to building a life here. A life with you. Because, without you, nothing makes sense, not anymore.”
I closed my eyes and rested my head against the rock. I didn’t know what I was feeling anymore. It was love, but it was rage, too.
Powerlessness. For the first time in my life, I knew exactly what I wanted, and it was being taken away from me.
“Sa'lok,” she whispered softly, and her fingers twitched against the palm of my hand. “Sa'lok…” I sat up, my heart kicking against my ribcage. Looking down at her face, I found her eyelids fluttering, a spark of green flickering through the gray haze that had taken over her eyes.
“I’m right here,” I said, my voice fraught with emotion. “I’m right here, Teisha.” Leaning in, I gently kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her chin.
I cupped her face with my hands and rested my forehead against hers. “Come back to me. This life...it only makes sense with you around.”
“Sa'lok…” she repeated, and brought her hands up to mine. The green in her eyes was becoming brighter now, and I could see the gray mist clouding her gaze slowly fading. She was fighting against the Gorgos.
By everything that’s sacred and holy, she was putting up a fight.
“That’s it.” Cradling her against my chest, one hand supporting her head, I looked straight into her eyes. “Fight, Teisha. Just keep fighting.”
My heart was beating fast, but now there was hope fueling it.
Against all odds, Teisha was resisting.
Teisha
It was difficult to stay calm. I knew something was wrong with me. At first, I couldn’t link my thoughts together. It was like my brain had been dipped in cold molasses. Sa'l
ok knew something was wrong, too.
The moment he looked me in the eye, I understood.
Nothing else would cause that level of alarm in his eyes.
A Gorgo had somehow latched on to me and was trying to take my mind.
Not a chance in hell.
The problem was, deep down I knew how to fight them off, but I couldn’t make the thoughts cooperate in my head.
My inner voice turned to gibberish. Sa'lok’s name was hard to call forward in my mind, even though I was staring him right in the face.
Somewhere in my mind, something urged me to be calm. I wasn’t sure if it was my own instincts or the Gorgo, hoping to lull me into a false sense of security.
Movement caught my eye. It took me longer than it should have to realize the movement was a hand.
That hand was connected to an arm. That arm connected to a chest, a body, and a face. A man. No. An alien.
An important one.
Who was that?
I knew him.
I loved him.
Or did I?
I didn’t know.
The hand that belonged to the handsome alien with a name I couldn’t grasp touched my skin. I should’ve felt something more.
His touch felt more like a memory than a physical exchange.
It was harder to see now. There was a film over my vision, glassy and murky at the same time. Why did it hurt so much?
Why couldn’t I blink?
I didn’t know what to do.
“Hang on!” The other person’s voice came through. God, why couldn’t I think of his name? I had to know his name. He was so important to me. I was sure of it.
“Help,” I tried to speak but I wasn’t sure if I said anything at all. Everything was so difficult. The smallest movements were exhausting. Even breathing became a challenge.
Something whispered against my consciousness. It wasn’t a voice, exactly. It was more like a presence. It urged me to relinquish control. It promised that it would take care of everything, that I’d be able to rest.
That sounded so nice.
I just wanted to sleep.
My head snapped back twice. I realized hands were on my shoulders, but I could barely feel them. The alien male I was with was shaking me.
“Serum!” he shouted.
Or maybe he was whispering. I couldn’t tell anymore. My ears felt overly sensitive but also as if they were stuffed with soaking wet cotton balls. My brain couldn’t make heads or tails of the opposing sensations.
Serum?
The sounds my companion made finally clicked in my brain.
What serum?
The growing presence in my mind urged me to forget about it, to dismiss it as nonsense. But why?
Something harsh snapped in my head.
This time, I realized I wasn’t being shaken.
The harsh mental rebuke was from the presence in my mind. Serum was a bad word, according to the presence.
A flash of memory hit me like a lightning strike.
The alien beside me, his name was Sa'lok. I remembered that now. He made something in a clean white room. He let me try it.
It made me feel wonderful.
The presence in my head stung my mind, trying to put me off my current train of thought. Clearly, it was important.
Or dangerous. Maybe it was trying to warn me. Why would it need to warn me about something that made me feel wonderful?
What was it?
“Serum!” Sa'lok shouted. I watched his mouth move. Surely, he was saying more than just one word. So many complicated mouth movements couldn’t yield just one sound.
Serum was the word my brain chose to hear. If Sa'lok said it, it had to be important and safe. I didn’t know how I knew, but I was certain he wouldn’t put me in danger.
I focused on the serum, the lab, and the wonderful feelings I’d felt.
A face appeared in my mind’s eye. A woman. She was pretty. Not young, but not old, either. I knew her. I know I did. I felt that same sensation of familiarity I felt when I looked at Sa'lok.
Her name was buried in my consciousness. I tried to dig it out. The presence in my mind stopped me.
Gorgoxian.
That was the name that went with the presence in my mind. The name made me shudder. In my present state, I couldn’t remember why a Gorgoxian was a bad thing.
I directed all of my efforts into focusing on the woman’s face. My thoughts clicked into place.
Her name was Syra. She was my sister.
She had two children. Twins. Lyrie and Lyle. My family. I loved them.
Thoughts started flowing one after another as if I’d turned on a spigot inside my head.
Lyrie liked wearing my old aviator goggles. Lyle knew the inside of a plane almost as well as I did. Syra was always nervous when I took them flying. She was more practical than I, but I didn’t mind. I stayed with her often. She was a great cook, though Lyrie and Lyle were picky eaters.
The best day of my life had been when they were born. Syra almost didn’t survive, but she refused to quit on them. She was going to raise them, no matter what.
The Gorgoxian in my head attacked the bonds of memory but to no avail. It couldn’t destroy memories. It couldn’t destroy love. I pushed back against it.
I loved my family. I loved flying. My grandma made amazing bread. I had a great job.
My best friend was an alien and I loved him with all my heart.
The presence in my head stumbled.
I had the idea of building a wall around my mind with memories. One after another, I called forth treasured memories, laying them down like bricks between myself and the Gorgoxian. Time didn’t exist anymore.
Finally, it loosened its grip. It felt like a wet snake slithering out of my brain.
My head came into contact with something hard.
“Teisha?” Sa'lok’s voice pierced my sensitive ears. I winced.
“What happened?” I rasped when I felt like I could control my voice again.
“A Gorgo tried to take you,” he explained. “Open your eyes as wide as you can and look at me.”
I did as he told me, though my eyelids felt heavy and stiff. He shone a light in my eyes, which hurt more than anything.
“I’m sorry,” he soothed when I jerked my head away. “I’m just making sure your eyes are clear.”
“What’s the verdict, doctor?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Your eyes are clear and lovely as ever.”
Slowly, he helped me to my feet.
Apparently, I’d collapsed when the Gorgo fled my body. I’d skinned my knee at some point. It stung a little but it didn’t compare to the throbbing pain in my head.
“How did you do it?” Sa'lok asked. “The Gorgo, I mean. How did you get rid of it? No one has survived it before.”
“I heard you shouting ‘serum’ at me over and over,” I said. “It took me a while to understand what you meant. The Gorgo muddled all my thoughts.”
“What did you do when you worked it out?”
“I thought about happy memories,” I explained. “My sister, the twins, my job. You.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” My cheeks grew hot as I blushed. I didn’t know why I felt so embarrassed. “You’re part of me, Sa'lok. You’re more than a friend.”
“You’re more than my friend, too,” he grinned and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and fire trailed through my skin at his touch.
“It’s because of you that I was able to fight off the Gorgo,” I confessed. “Thinking about how much I love you broke its hold.”
“You love me?”
I couldn’t bring myself to look at his face in case he wasn’t happy.
“Yes.”
“Teisha.” He tipped my chin up, forcing me to look into his eyes. “I love you, too. I have for ages.”
I wasn’t sure what happened next. All I know was that I felt a surge of happiness, then I was kissing him, hungry, desperate for him, craving
his touch.
Needing him.
“Are you sure?” he asked in a ragged whisper. “You’ve had a hell of an afternoon.”
“Good memories,” I murmured as I nipped at the strong line of his jaw. “I think it’s important that we make some more good memories, right here, right now.”
“As my mate desires,” he growled, then fell upon me.
He backed me up against the wall. I felt the ridges and bumps of the carved texts against my back.
He kissed me hard. I kissed him back. I kissed him anywhere my lips could touch. My aching limbs didn’t ache as badly when I was in his arms. My head no longer felt like it was in a fog.
Being so close to him was, somehow, restorative.
He cupped my ass with both hands, lifting me so I could wrap my legs around his waist. I felt the evidence of his arousal pressing against me through his pants.
My brain was still sluggish, even though I was driven to take him, to taste him as he ground against my core.
“Please, Sa’lok,” I begged. “Now.”
In a moment, he’d slid my shirt up, his strong hands kneading my breasts, pulling and teasing my nipples into hard buds.
In a smooth motion that should have taken my breath away with his strength, he lowered my pants while still holding me, then loosened his own belt.
But my breath was already gone, whisked away by his kisses.
“My Teisha,” he growled against my throat as he slowly forced his thickness between my slick folds. “Mine.”
“Yours,” I gasped, as with a final thrust, he seated his full length inside me.
The back of his hand cupped my neck, preventing my head from bumping against the hard wall as he drove in and out of me.
For the second time that day, time lost all meaning. I could’ve stayed like that for hours, drowning in every pleasant sensation until the end of the universe. Each kiss lit a new fire in me. Each stroke of his cock sent a new wave of pleasure crashing through me.
When I reached the perfect peak of my pleasure, every nerve in my body was tuned to him. He didn’t stop. He kept going until I went over the peak a second time.
Only then did he find his release.