Highlander's Pride: Winter Solstice (Against All Odds Series 1)

by Veronica Wilson

  “Oh, my God!” she yelled as she tried to get up and flee, but immediately realized that she had been restrained. Reflexively, her attention turned away from the man with the glowing eyes and toward her own body. She was still wearing her nightie, albeit parts of it were now pressed against her body by what appeared to be straps of sheet metal. But despite the way it looked, the material was reasonably soft, yet completely refused to give way after stretching more than an inch. She was in a standing position, yet completely immobilized and unable to go anywhere. Am I dreaming? There was no way to tell, as she couldn’t pinch herself if she wanted to.

  “Not God. We are afraid that, for now, the title of ‘King’ will have to do,” the strange man replied, displaying a dazzling array of white teeth as he spoke.

  Eyes wide and mouth agape, all Caroline could do was stare in disbelief. It was then that she noticed that the only pieces of clothing he wore were more akin to accessories. On his head was something that looked like a contemporary, angular crown. His crotch and waist were concealed beneath something that also appeared both ancient and high-tech. Both things were vaguely gold-colored, which went well with his short blond hair.

  “You are impressed. It is understandable. It is not often that one of our kind has a chance to meet the royalty, let alone one of yours. By all means, feel free to stare,” he said after a pause.

  Is… is he for real? she asked herself, although that question kind of answered itself. She had been taken by a cat, and this was obviously something unnatural. Of course it is for real… Slowly, she took a deep breath, bringing her heart rate as close to normal as she possibly could, before she finally spoke. “Who are you? Where am I? Can I go home, please?”

  “You have questions. We have answers, pretty thing. We are Zorn, supreme leader of the Great Race, and your gracious host. You are in Our royal vessel, of course. One of its many chambers, to be exact. As for your third question… We are afraid that you did not pose it properly. It is not ‘can’ you go home, but will you want to go home. Understand?”

  “No.” She tried struggling again, in the most discreet manner that she could. Expectedly, nothing happened. However, it appeared that Zorn had noticed her motions, and slowly started to close in.

  “Do—don’t you dare get closer to me! My dad has got a stash of firearms back home, and—and if he finds out I’m gone…” She could feel the desperation in her voice, but still had to try something. The stud with the glowing eyes didn’t seem all that impressed.

  “Too bad he did not join the Earth’s defense forces, then. With one more man on their side, who knows just what they might accomplish,” he responded in a joking tone as he kept getting closer. By the time he was next to her immobilized body, her brow was dripping with cold sweat.

  “Forgive Us for not being intimidated, precious. Being smitten by your presence has rendered Us incapable of feeling anything other than sheer desire,” he said, and it took Caroline a good second or two to grasp what it was that he was saying.

  Is… is he coming on to me?

  “Ah… what?” was all she was capable of saying. She had been an object of men’s infatuations before, but no one had ever said something like that to her. Still, it felt kind of nice, despite her predicament.

  “We have taken a liking to you, beautiful. A grand liking, if you will. You are thus invited to take your place as Our royal concubine, and enjoy a life of passion and luxury,” Zorn replied. The fact that he said it with a completely straight face served to reassure her that he was dead serious.

  Have I died? Caroline heard her subconscious whisper to her. There was no way that any of this was real. Sure, little green men, walking, cat-like toasters, whatever. But a masculine hottie with a set of glowing white eyes was stretching things a bit too far.

  “Alright, alright, let’s assume that I am still alive and not in a loony bin, slobbering all over myself. Let’s take things a bit farther than that and also assume that you’re telling me the truth. Why me, then?”

  “Why not you, my darling? You are absolutely sublime. Show me a man who claims that he would prefer another and I will show you a liar. I mean it. Your face, your figure… those beautiful blue eyes… there is not a piece of you that does not bleed attractiveness. Besides… I need you.”

  Need me? What could he possibly need me for?

  “Excuse me?” she replied, now genuinely interested in something other than her immediate escape.

  “The reason We came here… the reason the entire Great Race came here in the first place is that we require females. Your females, to be exact. Ours have died out, you see, and in order for the rest of us not to follow, we need to breed.”

  So he considers me little more than an animal he can herd…

  “But not just any human woman would do. In order for us to be compatible, one of yours needs to possess a peculiar and very rare mutation, a mutation that allows you to bear our children. A mutation that you possess, my dear Caroline.” He gestured toward her as he finished his exposition, in a manner similar to that of a stage actor.

  This is even worse than only wanting me for my body…

  “However, your kind has not been all that forthcoming with mine. Your leaders refused to let us have what we needed, and thus a war broke out. Trust Us when We say this, Caroline. We did not want this to come to pass. All my people want to do is survive. Do you understand?”

  She responded after a brief pause. “Oh, I do. I do, indeed. What I don’t understand is why you had to go and pick me, of all people. There must have been someone more to your liking out there,”

  “Oh, it absolutely had to be you. We have been brought Earth women before. We are afraid that they were… less than satisfactory. We are a king, after all, and Our demands are rather… large.” Zorn stared into her eyes intensely as he spoke.

  “So, let me get this straight. You went out and abducted me because you have some sort of… fetish?” she asked in disbelief.

  “We are afraid that it is a little more than that, even though We do enjoy the additional jiggle. A king is, by design and birthright, the most powerful individual of Their great race. We are afraid that the more subtly framed females of your race did not have what it takes to lie with me.”

  Is he saying what I think he’s saying? She tried to hide her horror, but it appeared that she was unsuccessful.

  “Oh, do not be afraid, sweet Caroline. We are certain that you will be more than sufficient for Our requirements, and then some. We foresee a long, prosperous life with you,” he said, in a tone that attempted to be somewhat comforting.

  So he wants me because I am a fat mutant he can breed with. Caroline was completely dumbstruck. Too bad. I was beginning to like him, too…

  “And with this, We leave you to ponder the information We have provided. Do not fear, for We will return shortly,” he said, turning around.

  Shortly, the metallic buzzing that filled the room intensified significantly. In response, the wall in front of Zorn, previously smooth and hard, opened up and turned into a passage. Right after he had passed through, less than a second later it began to close up. Soon, the buzzing returned to its default level, and the makeshift door was once again a wall.

  I’ve got to get out of here! Caroline told herself, struggling against her straps again. Not unexpectedly, they did not budge.

  Later

  “Have we thought things through, my dear Caroline?” Zorn asked as he came back through the temporary opening in the wall. As before, the thing closed itself right behind him.

  If I had a whole lifetime to think about this, it still wouldn’t be enough.

  “Yeah, I sure did, Zorn,” she replied, still strapped to the vertical table-thing.

  “Are you more forthcoming with the idea now? I promise you, our life together will be absolutely divine.”

  “I’d like it to be, Zorn. I really would. I mean, you’re hot as hell, and a king to boot, but I…” she paused for a moment, just the way she pl
anned to. God, this will be stupid. Then again, what else can I do?

  “I’d feel a whole lot better about the whole thing if you didn’t abduct me and bring me here against my will, you know? I don’t know how you used to do it wherever you came from, but down on Earth we’ve been taught to enjoy the ride. I’d like you to enjoy the ride yourself, Zorn. I’d like us to fall in love properly, not as part of some arranged… thing. Show me you are more than a mere kidnapper.” She bit the inside of her lip as she finished her sentence. She knew just how insane that idea was, but there was little else she could try.

  For several seconds, all the alien did was stare at her with that shining pair of eyes. Then, he started advancing, and she could feel her lower abdomen tighten in anticipation.

  ‘Course it didn’t work! Oh, why did I have to try something as stupid as that… She closed her eyes, having no idea what would follow, but almost certain that it was going to be unpleasant. Instead, all she felt was the alien’s strong right hand as it fondled her left cheek.

  “What my royal consort wants, she gets,” he said, in a calm yet caring tone.

  Wha… what? Carefully, she opened her eyes, still wary that something bad might happen. It didn’t. All she could see was Zorn, in all of his glory, once again dazzling her with that perfect smile of his.

  “What does that mean, then?” she asked, carefully measuring every word that left her mouth. I just hope that he will remove these restraints…

  “Why ruin the surprise? After all, what would be the point of enjoying the ride if you… how do you say, know what lies behind every corner?” he answered, still wearing his smile. Slowly, he retracted his hand from her cheek and took a single step back. A part of her wished that he was still touching her there. And not just there.

  “I’m not gonna regret this, am I?”

  “Who knows? Getting what you want does not always grant one happiness, after all,” Zorn said as the light in his eyes intensified significantly. Almost immediately, the metallic buzzing that pervaded the room grew louder again, causing the fine hairs on the back of Caroline’s neck to stand on end. The wall started opening once more, this time significantly slower than before.

  He didn’t have to take what I said literally, she thought as she stared into the widening passage. Even though the process lasted for almost ten seconds, and the chamber had been quite well-lit, she did not blink once.

  Not this thing again, please. A single cat stepped into the room, allowing Caroline to get a better look at it. Still influenced by last night’s events, the entirety of her body shook at the sight of the robotic entity. Nevertheless, she forced herself to keep looking at it and memorized every little detail. The thing was quite tall and lean. Its color was identical to that of their current surroundings, and besides the large, glowing white eye in the center of its face, it completely lacked any features. Then, the cat started giving off a different kind of buzzing, as its eye glowed brighter and brighter by the moment.

  Caroline could do nothing but avert her gaze as the beam of light hit her again, erasing her from the conscious world.

  A familiar place

  She awoke to the sight of her own ceiling. Immediately, she helped herself into a sitting position and looked around the room. There was no doubt that she was back home.

  Was it all a dream? she found herself asking. Warily, she stood up, inspecting every part of her jiggly body as she rose. Nothing appeared out of order. Then again, she hadn’t injured herself in her dream, so there was no real way to know.

  Silly girl, Caroline. What she remembered from last night couldn’t have possibly happened. Could it? Aliens most definitely did exist, but hunky alien kings belonged in the pages of books, not in reality. I reckon people make up crazy things to cope with an alien invasion, and that’s probably what happened to me.

  She directed her gaze toward the table clock near the bed. It was past nine A.M. I’ve slept for too long! Pa’ll have my hide!

  In a hurried pace, Caroline stripped and slipped into her working clothes. Her parents would never wake her up if she overslept, but whenever she was late they always hit her where it hurt the most: her meals. Every hour she missed would always be taken out of her breakfast, lunch and dinner. And they knew just how much she enjoyed eating.

  There! All done and ready! she thought as she turned herself to face her mirror. With a grey shirt tucked into a pair of workpants, she appeared completely out of place. Who cares, I’m not going to a beauty contest today. Then, for a short moment, she felt a cold shudder run up her spine. Memories from the dream. Zorn was a pleasant fantasy, but that metallic thing most certainly was not. A part of her still expected it to crawl through the window any second.

  While shaking the idea from her head, Caroline opened her door and left at a hurried pace. Their house was indeed sizeable, and to her it was always a chore to get out to the fields. Not nearly as much of a chore as getting back up, though. Still, her parents were more than understanding about her weight, and would always let her do the thing she did best: drive the tractor. It was not that difficult of an activity, and sometimes it even helped her get through the day faster. Like after a traumatizing dream, for instance.

  A minute later she found herself near the cornfields, and saw the entire estate had already been at work. Awkwardly, she gave her mother (who was the first to see her, as always) a quick wave before proceeding toward the far-away tractor.

  “Why, would you look at who’s just decided to join us!” her mother said as Caroline walked by. Blond, tall, and lean, the older woman stood by the cornfield. She used to be from a big city, obviously a real looker in her prime, yet she had adapted to the country life effortlessly. She was on her break at the moment, but (as always) it wouldn’t be long before she went back to work.

  “Yeah, sorry about that Ma, I had some… bad dreams,” Caroline replied, slowing her pace down so as not to appear rude.

  “If you kept yourself busy more, you wouldn’t get the chance to sleep bad!”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right!” Caroline said. Who knows, maybe her mother had a point. She was up for a drive today anyway. Might as well try to earn my keep.

  Her father was in the tractor, doing the job that she should have been doing. The doctors had told him that his eyesight wasn’t that good anymore, but he never failed to notice everything going on in his fields. As if the man had some sort of radar, the vehicle slowed down and powered off as soon as she was halfway there.

  The deep voice of a born-and-bred Texan resonated from inside the tractor. “You’re late, little lady!” The door on its left size opened up and a short, stout man leapt down to the ground. His moustache was completely grey, and what little remained of his hair he kept hidden underneath a white cowboy hat.

  “I’m not that little anymore, Pa,” Caroline replied, still making her way toward the vehicle. Walking in the Texan heat almost always exhausted her, yet her father never seemed to have any trouble with it despite his age and weight.

  “Well, we all know what happens when you don’t contribute, girl,” Pa said in a stern tone. Despite the way he sounded, his expression did not show any irritation.

  “Yeah, I’m aware of that, sorry. Well, maybe I could use a little diet, huh?” She smiled as she spoke.

  “Now, don’t you go getting’ any weird ideas, little lady! I didn’t work my keister off building this place and getting us that arrangement with the Defense Force so that you’d go hungry. There’s a reason we have discipline, and getting thinner is not that reason! Understand?” He started walking toward her.

  “I do, Pa. Hey, speaking of the D.F., you think they’ll be coming for their resupply soon?” Caroline asked as she slowly passed him by and walked toward the vehicle, maintaining eye contact the whole time.

  “Yeah, we’ve got a unit due in a couple of days. They take food, we take whatever they want. Large-scale barter, like in the old days. It’s what makes our lives so good, as I’ve told you so many times
. And I’ll keep telling you until you start showing up on time,” her father finished, walking back toward his wife.

  I believe you, Pa. She made her way up the side of the tractor, entered the cabin, and closed the door behind her. Time to get cracking. With the turn of a key, the vehicle was on, and her work could begin.

  Nightfall

  The day went by in the blink of an eye. Work, eat, repeat. The lack of a good night’s rest had indeed hit Caroline hard, but she was so glad to be at home where she belonged that the tiredness was not all that difficult to ignore. In fact, driving the tractor relaxed her so much she had asked her father for permission to stay in the vehicle for just a little bit longer before driving it back to the garage.

  “Sure, little lady. Just make sure you lock everything up right and proper, and you’re good to go!” he replied, giving her a little wink as he finished his sentence.

  It’s so peaceful out here when everyone is gone back home, resting, she mused as she relaxed in the seat of the tractor. The driver’s cabin was significantly larger and wider than was the norm for such vehicles, allowing her to make herself completely comfortable. The idea of going back into her room still made her feel uneasy, so she enjoyed her favorite view of the fields from up close instead. She knew that she had no choice but to get back there eventually, but for now the outside was much more pleasant.

  “As promised, We are true to Our word,” a voice spoke from her left.

  It can’t be! Almost involuntarily, she turned her head toward the source. Right next to her vehicle, defying her sense of logic, there stood Zorn. He appeared exactly the same as he had last night, but as always, the moonlight made everything appear even better.

  “You—you can’t be real!” she yelled as she bit into the inside of her lower lip, her body contracting involuntarily in her cabin.

  “Why would We not be? Would you prefer it if We did not exist?” he replied, his glowing white eyes staring right into her soul.